Looking at the Seven Former Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals
By Conor Power
As we approach round three, the Rangers and their fans have been enjoying the postseason from home for the last few weeks due to their inability to beat the New Jersey Devils in round one. Selfishly enjoying the New Jersey Devils’ defeat in five games at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes felt like revenge as a ton of former Rangers were able to exact revenge on the foe that vanquished their old team.
If we look across to the other team that remains in the Eastern Conference the Florida Panthers, the fingerprints of a ton of former Rangers can be seen in their success too. Between these two franchises, there are seven former Blueshirts. Carolina has four, Florida has three, and all of them were players that Rangers fans should recognize for one reason or another. There are a lot of former players of this team still playing.
Looking down memory lane is all we have at this time of year. The draft is more than a month away and then we get to dive into free agency after that and we get the long summer. We won’t get to see the Rangers return to the ice until September. We’ve got the better part of four months to cope without the sight of the Blueshirts. May as well see what is happening elsewhere in the hockey world.
To get to the Eastern Conference Finals, these seven players have seen their teams beat some excellent competition. Carolina defeated the Islanders in six in the first round and then sat the Devils on the sidelines after five games. Florida knocked Toronto out in five and sat the historic Boston Bruins roster on the bench after 7. Two southern markets in the Eastern Conference Finals is something some won’t enjoy, but the hockey should be fun regardless.