NYC is Why the Rangers Suck

[Pizza]

Watching the Rangers ups and downs as a franchise makes you respect what the Yankees have done even more. When ever the Rangers try and bring in big name talent, they mostly fall flat on their faces.

Fans here constantly harp on Dolan, but has he not done exactly what most have asked for? The criticism not so long ago was that the Rangers were a team of 3rd liners. They needed scores and top end talent. So Sather deviates from the post '04 youth movement and brings in Gabby, Richie and now Nash.

Cue the debacle.

To quote the post game chant, it just doesn't matter. At this point I honestly believe they could replace Dolan, Sather and everything and anyone else.

In the truest sense to love them is to hate them.

The New York Rangers are a Greek tragedy.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

That's ridiculous. NYC sat through awful Knicks season, awful Jets teams and awful Mets teams. NYC didn't "pressure" anyone.

This is all on one person. The lazy, smartest-guy-in-the-room, whee-now-I-have-money-to-spend GM

Agreed. The pressure to compete year after year is a myth. In a city of 8M, you can find 18K people every night to fill an arena no matter whats on the ice. Theres no fore-sight with management.

Whats the difference between finishing with 85 points with a team filled with flaws but "designed to compete," vs. a team finishing with 75 points but building towards a greater good?

 

[Riverdale]

Never understood the mentality of "can't do a rebuild in New York". Then how come they can do it in Edmonton/Calgary ? Two places that have a much larger fanbase around the team.

The only reason the Rangers won't do a rebuild is because of Dolan and Sather.

Most people in NYC don't care about the Rangers. They won't care about a rebuild.

 

[Florida Ranger]

We as New Yorkers like to over-rate the city and overly glamorize it like it's one-in-a million. NYC's uniqueness isn't something that rich athletes take it. These millionaires could get similar rich-people distractions in LA and Chicago.

We're grasping at straws here, the problem isn't the city, it's the culture and players.

That's the problem.

The culture, in my opinion, starts with the owner. Winning starts with the owner.

Our owner sucks.

The players are a bad mixture because of the GM. If we had a true owner that cared about a winning culture, we wouldn't have Sather as the GM overhauling rosters every year.


At the same time, I do get the NYC argument. I've heard many times the Rangers treat their players second to none. Plus you make a million living in NYC playing the sport you love... You got it all.

 

[mulli25]

That's ridiculous. NYC sat through awful Knicks season, awful Jets teams and awful Mets teams. NYC didn't "pressure" anyone.

This is all on one person. The lazy, smartest-guy-in-the-room, whee-now-I-have-money-to-spend GM

Who hired him?

Who's contiuned to enable and support his lousy perfromance?

Why do you think that is?

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

Who hired him?

Who's contiuned to enable and support his lousy perfromance?

Why do you think that is?

NYC hired him?

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Watching the Rangers ups and downs as a franchise makes you respect what the Yankees have done even more. When ever the Rangers try and bring in big name talent, they mostly fall flat on their faces.

Fans here constantly harp on Dolan, but has he not done exactly what most have asked for? The criticism not so long ago was that the Rangers were a team of 3rd liners. They needed scores and top end talent. So Sather deviates from the post '04 youth movement and brings in Gabby, Richie and now Nash.

Cue the debacle.

To quote the post game chant, it just doesn't matter. At this point I honestly believe they could replace Dolan, Sather and everything and anyone else.

In the truest sense to love them is to hate them.

The New York Rangers are a Greek tragedy.

Baseball is an individual sport masquerading as a team sport. Its a lot easier to bring in top level talent.

Not to mention the Yankees success is still rooted in home grown guys.

 

[Synergy27]

What about 11-12? That team didnt suck, were they distracted? Or is this thread just another crazy thought after another horrible game?

This team doesnt have enough talent. If the city distracts them, trade them.

This post was meant to be the exact opposite of that. This is something I've been thinking about for a very long time and is in no way driven by the current team. The Rangers have basically always been bad, and while it makes sense that they had a hard time competing in the pre-expansion era, it seems to me as though there is probably an extra factor (on top of the obvious poor management, which, by the way, is a variable in the long term, not a constant) CONTRIBUTING TO, not directly responsible for, it.

The reason why I am bringing this up now is because I think the team needs to be careful in its approach to rebuilding if they ever decide to finally commit to one. It might not be a good idea to dump all of the vets and bring in a bunch of kids and draft picks who might not be mentally equipped to rise above the pressures and temptations of the big city. The team that finally won in 1994 basically dumped all of its talented youth for vets that were driven to win one last time, and it was obviously captained by a very strong, intimidating personality. That team also seemed to have learned from the off-ice mistakes that derailed the previous couple of seasons.

Believe me, I am not one prone to simplifying things. I think this is but a factor in a very complex problem.

 

[McRanger]

I don't know about the rest of the OP's post, but I agree about the ice. It's the worst I have ever seen it.

 

[Green Blob*]

Its cause the ticket prices are outrageous now and the real fan cant go. Its just a corporate jerks who dont even stand when a goal is scored. Good job Dolan.

 

[pld459666]

The reason is clear.

Dolan has absolutely no care for the Rangers so long as they are making him money. As long as they continue to turn a profit, he thinks things perfectly fine.

Because if he cared about the product, Sather is gone before the 05 lockout ends and a real GM is inserted with a realistic plan moving forward post lockout.

Sather has taken a buckshot approach to building a franchise. It's clearly not worked because even with the small bit of success the Rangers had under Torts, the team was insanely flawed.

He had not earned the right to steer the ship post lockout and the worst thing that could have happened to Rangers fans is having the immediate success we had from the likes of Jagr, Nylander, Straka and Rozy. Sather (the genius).

I guarantee that season changed the direction he was going to steer the franchise which seems to happen with Sather every time there is a little momentum.

Sometimes when you are sticking to a specific plan, things may not go your way OR they may go better than predicted. It's at that moment that you need the nutsack to hold to that plan and not deviate.

Sather has no plan and therefore he's really not deviating, he's just winging it....and failing miserably.

However, regardless of how bad he fails, as long as the team consistently turns a profit, in Dolans eyes, Sather is doing a fantastic job.

NYC is not the problem.

James Dolan is

 

[Pizza]

Baseball is an individual sport masquerading as a team sport. Its a lot easier to bring in top level talent.

Not to mention the Yankees success is still rooted in home grown guys.

Ha, HA! Please explain the METS!!

All of:
Hank
Cally
Girardi
Staal

even McD could considered homegrown.

You can try and rationalize this. It simply can not be done.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Ha, HA! Please explain the METS!!

All of:
Hank
Cally
Girardi
Staal

even McD could considered homegrown.

You can try and rationalize this. It simply can not be done.

The Mets dont want to spend money.

And our 4 home-grown guys pale in comparison to Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada.

Pretty simple, actually.

 

[Pizza]

The Mets dont want to spend money.

And our 4 home-grown guys pale in comparison to Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada.

Pretty simple, actually.

Anything but.

Great is making the awesome look simple. The Yankees happen to be about the best at it. Hence your roster.

 

[pld459666]

The Mets dont want to spend money.

And our 4 home-grown guys pale in comparison to Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada.

Pretty simple, actually.

agreed

AINEC

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Anything but.

Great is making the awesome look simple. The Yankees happen to be about the best at it. Hence your roster.

I wish I knew what the heck you were even talking about at this point.

Happy Holidays.

 

[Wolfy*]

This is what Zucc told the media the other day...

"Playing on the top line for the New York Rangers at MSG, then you have reached the top of your career as a professional hockey player. I can't look for something better"

Really...still the Rangers suck so badly. There must be something better than NYC and Rangers stone age hockey out there...

 

[RangersHank*]

This post was meant to be the exact opposite of that. This is something I've been thinking about for a very long time and is in no way driven by the current team. The Rangers have basically always been bad, and while it makes sense that they had a hard time competing in the pre-expansion era, it seems to me as though there is probably an extra factor (on top of the obvious poor management, which, by the way, is a variable in the long term, not a constant) CONTRIBUTING TO, not directly responsible for, it.

The reason why I am bringing this up now is because I think the team needs to be careful in its approach to rebuilding if they ever decide to finally commit to one. It might not be a good idea to dump all of the vets and bring in a bunch of kids and draft picks who might not be mentally equipped to rise above the pressures and temptations of the big city. The team that finally won in 1994 basically dumped all of its talented youth for vets that were driven to win one last time, and it was obviously captained by a very strong, intimidating personality. That team also seemed to have learned from the off-ice mistakes that derailed the previous couple of seasons.

Believe me, I am not one prone to simplifying things. I think this is but a factor in a very complex problem.

Ok i see your point. I agree with some of that, especially the part where we have to be careful dumping vets and bringing in kids. The last thing we need is for a bunch of prospects running around clubbing in manhattan every night or getting distracted in general. Thats why Torts was so underrated.

 

[RangersHank*]

Ha, HA! Please explain the METS!!

All of:
Hank
Cally
Girardi
Staal

even McD could considered homegrown.

You can try and rationalize this. It simply can not be done.

Callahan and Girardi are overrated. Hank is Hank and Staal is an injury mess. We didnt draft McD

 

[Pizza]

I wish I knew what the heck you were even talking about at this point.

Happy Holidays.

I put way too much time into this sometimes but ok.....

My point is that the Rangers have tried to do everything right. I won't bother listing it, but everything.

and it does not work.

Why?????

We can debate it all over the spectrum. It does not matter. There are no good answers. They gave to you what most of what this board was asking for...and it has not worked. Mostly what the Rangers attempt fails....miserably. A lot.

The Yankees? What they do mostly works most of the time.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I put way too much time into this sometimes but ok.....

My point is that the Rangers have tried to do everything right. I won't bother listing it, but everything.

and it does not work.

Why?????

We can debate it all over the spectrum. It does not matter. There are no good answers. They gave to you what most of what this board was asking for...and it has not worked. Mostly what the Rangers attempt fails....miserably. A lot.

The Yankees? What they do mostly works most of the time.

I think its a poor comparison regarding two sports that cannot be compared with eachother.

But more specifically, I think the Rangers have tried everything -- but not necessarily right. Its been a constant stream of roster turnover and cruddy role players.

The only semi-successful season stemmed from keeping a core together and adding to it. Sather should've taken note of that.

 

[Un Prophete]

There is something to the psychological aspect of the OP's argument, but only in the way that the Rangers have consistently iced a pretty mediocre hockey team, and so other teams come into "the world's most famous arena" confident and ready perform on the big stage. This is especially true when the Rangers themselves are lacking in confidence, as they are now, which other teams can sense instinctively. It could easily have the opposite effect if the Rangers consistently iced a good team, and if MSG was a difficult place to play in, since the oppenents would come in perhaps intimidated or cautious.

 

[Pizza]

There is something to the psychological aspect of the OP's argument, but only in the way that the Rangers have consistently iced a pretty mediocre hockey team, and so other teams come into "the world's most famous arena" confident and ready perform on the big stage. This is especially true when the Rangers themselves are lacking in confidence, as they are now, which other teams can sense instinctively. It could easily have the opposite effect if the Rangers consistently iced a good team, and if MSG was a difficult place to play in, since the oppenents would come in perhaps intimidated or cautious.

It is. Mostly for the Rangers.

Not trying to be flip either. The negativity surrounding the team is omnipresent. Teams sense that also.

When the Rangers have gone thru down ward spirals over the decades, the discussion often settles on what a soft easy team they are to play against. We are there again.

John Ferguson
Mike Keenan
John Tortarella

All were brought in to correct that problem to some extent.

One problem of many you could focus on is that the Rangers can never stick to any plan. We get too soft. They try and correct. Not enough skill and scoring. Another correction/change of course.

 

[Pizza]

I think its a poor comparison regarding two sports that cannot be compared with eachother.

But more specifically, I think the Rangers have tried everything -- but not necessarily right. Its been a constant stream of roster turnover and cruddy role players.

The only semi-successful season stemmed from keeping a core together and adding to it. Sather should've taken note of that.

I'm focusing less on the specifics of the sport than I am on success. Baseball or Hockey, success is success, Failure is failure.

More championships than any team in baseball vs one championship in 74 years.

The rest I totally agree on with one caveat. The adding to it has not seemed to help it so far. Lots of folks were so excited to Sign Richie. Then get Nash and jettison Dubi and Arty. Not pointing fingers, just saying that when it comes to this type of move it often goes lousy for the Rangers.

Why???? Again, it's anyone's guess. I see no definitive answers.

I shrug my shoulders, smile and say what I've been saying forever.

It's just The New York Rangers.

 

[TankLarkin]

Chimera told either Sam or Joe that the Caps never have a problem getting pumped to play at MSG. I think it's a small thing but magnified with this Rangers team.