Why do we hate this team?

[Callagraves]

Excuse the intentionally provocative title, but this has been grinding on me for some time: We don't seem to like this team.

Yes, we're all Ranger fans. Yes, there are always those who think the team should be going a different direction, but this seems more unsettling than just that. Players who've been beloved for years, newcomers, free agents, rookies: none of them have been safe from HFNYR's collective ire.

Take Stepan, who at the end of last year was considered the key cog of the Rangers forwards moving forward, and this year we talk about him as if he skates with the speed of Mike Rupp

Ryan Callahan, who's been a fan favorite since he was drafted is a prime example of a very good player who had the audacity of exceed everyone's wildest expectations of him, only to have the fanbase turn on him when he began to show the slightest sign of ceasing his development. Callahan is not a 1st liner, he's never going to be, and it's unfair to ask him to be. He wasn't even supposed to be anything more than a 3rd line spark plug, and managed to become one of the most complete 2nd liners around. For some reason, if you're a Ranger, your options are superstar or 3rd liner.

Henrik Lundqvist. I don't hesitate to say for a second he's the best goaltender to ever wear a Rangers sweater. A 7th round pick near singlehandedly drags this team out of the dark ages, and practically forces it to compete. Far and away the most popular Ranger for the better part of a decade, and it's tough to remember a time when he wasn't a perrenial Vezina candiate. He struggled for less than half a season before the majority seemed to discard him.

Dan Girardi, the heart and soul of the defense. There isn't a part of his body he hasn't sacrificed to stop a puck, is regularly counted on to shut down the best players in the game, and despite supposedly having zero offensive upside, has a history of chipping in offense when it matters most. I'll concede he occasionally makes a boneheaded play, but the degree to which he gets crucified for it is laughable.

Rick Nash, to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of. Terrifically talented player, has size, hands, creativity, and the toolbox to keep all of these tools in. But for our best player, popular opinion on him seems very familiar to another former 40 goal Ranger that we deemed the invisible man. Useless if he's not scoring.

In fact, it seems the only Ranger safe from this is McD. Because this ****ing guy is gonna win a Norris one day, and we all know it.

My point is this, we root for this team to win, but not in the same way we once did. I'm not even going to bring up 2012, but the 2011 season instead. That was the year we saw the Black and Blueshirts become, and fight their way into the playoffs despite having no real offense to speak of. That team was barely as good as this one, if not worse, and yet I remember how every player not named Erik Christensen was, for lack of a better term, well liked.

So why have we turned on them? I in particular have little affection for the Blue Jackets we traded for, so mayhaps it's the lack of that homegrown aspect?

Why do you dislike these Rangers?

Click to read more...

 

[mike14]

I like the Rangers. Outside of Nash and maybe Kreider up front all the forwards are sort of 'samey' and I don't think we'll be challenging for the cup any time soon, but most of the time they are pretty good to watch and give me a fair amount of enjoyment for the $100 a year I spend on GCL (and the god knows how many hours I spend on here).

 

[Ail]

I like the Rangers, I don't like this Rangers team because it is a mish-mash of parts between the era of Torts, and the new era of AV, which began before he even arrived comically.

There is no identity or plan right now except that Sather wants more offense and a high tempo game. Okay, that's great, I like that too, but you need to execute on that and commit.

We are in Ranger purgatory right now.

 

[nyr2k2]

I like the Rangers, I don't like this Rangers team because it is a mish-mash of parts between the era of Torts, and the new era of AV, which began before he even arrived comically.

There is no identity or plan right now except that Sather wants more offense and a high tempo game. Okay, that's great, I like that too, but you need to execute on that and commit.

We are in Ranger purgatory right now.

Pretty much this. Add in that this mish-mash of parts can look awful then great on consecutive nights, and it's just a frustrating bunch.

 

[Blueshirt Believer]

I hate myself. Does that count?

 

[Vitto79]

What fans don't want to accept is there is parity in the east. It's a cluster blank right now. Nyr can beat ANY east team not named bruins or pens

 

[Wamsutta]

I like the Rangers, I don't like this Rangers team because it is a mish-mash of parts between the era of Torts, and the new era of AV, which began before he even arrived comically.

There is no identity or plan right now except that Sather wants more offense and a high tempo game. Okay, that's great, I like that too, but you need to execute on that and commit.

We are in Ranger purgatory right now.

This.

There's not a plan, there's not an identity. This season feels very hodge-podged, and any moves Glen makes at the deadline will continue that because it doesn't seem like there's any set plan of action yet.

 

[Cassano]

cheer for the logo on the front not the name on the back something something.

 

[Ail]

Pretty much this. Add in that this mish-mash of parts can look awful then great on consecutive nights, and it's just a frustrating bunch.

Yeah frustrating is my issue as well. If they consistently played well it would be hard to argue against liking them.

I think I have cheered or got excited less than 5 times so far this season. I was screaming and cheering for 90% of the 11'-12' season.

 

[Thirty One]

I like them.

 

[Hire Sather]

The only thing I hate about it is how many times we've let points slip away this season by allowing 3rd period goals.

I feel any game tied after 2 is a failure if we don't get a point out of it. For years, it seemed a lead or a tie going into the 3rd and we were in good shape. Now we allow that goal and don't tie it.

 

[Hire Sather]

Its also been the most frustrating season overall that I can remember in some time.

We just can't break away. Got lucky at the start when we struggled and the rest of the division did too, then we get hot and Philly and Columbus are matching us at every turn. Everyone has games in hand on us. We have a nice run and it seems like we've gained almost nothing in the standings.

Metro teams coming back and getting points out of seemingly every game. Just very frustrating.

I just hope that loss on Tuesday doesn't send us into a funk like that loss to NJ at the start of the 9 game homestand from hell early in the year.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I like the Rangers, I don't like this Rangers team because it is a mish-mash of parts between the era of Torts, and the new era of AV, which began before he even arrived comically.

There is no identity or plan right now except that Sather wants more offense and a high tempo game. Okay, that's great, I like that too, but you need to execute on that and commit.

We are in Ranger purgatory right now.

Plus the fact the we DID have an identity that we all bought into and was fun to watch so recently and we threw it away for another big name mercenary. It's hard to get over making the same mistakes over and over again, especially when they cost you so much (the 2011-2012 roster, mindset, chemistry, and winning ways).

 

[aufheben]

Toughness.

 

[bmw2004]

I wanna see them become contenders one day while I still alive. Yes, I hate hem now.

 

[eco's bones]

Year to year there are guys you like and guys you don't. There have been years where there are only a few I have liked. There are years like 11-12 where it was hard to dislike anyone.

Basically if I think a player is dogging it--or being too much of a perimeter player or that a player--particularly a younger one isn't putting in the effort to improve or making the same mistakes over and over again I can get a bit pissed with them. Talent is not everything to me. Eric Christensen--Wojtek Wolski are two examples of guys with skill who wouldn't pay the price when things got tough--IMO. I'm not going to like guys like that. This isn't a ****ing country club. I want effort from everybody. I want to see all the players playing like they give a rat's ass.

I don't have big problems with guys like Callahan, Girardi, Staal. They might not be playing their best but I think these guys give their all. They don't avoid. Nash is playing great right now but he needs to play great all the time. Not go through the motions. Same with Richards.

As far as Stepan I think it's one of those seasons where he's chasing things a bit. Another season like it will me more concerning but he's still young and young players tend to be up and down a bit. He's responsible and has an all around game. He's not a floater in my eyes.

The guys I'm really liking this year are Zucc, Kreider and McDonagh.

 

[SKjEi o2]

I like everyone except for our 2nd line and Klein.

 

[JimmyG89]

I think everyone on the team is someone you can root for because at times they try like crazy. There are other times it looks the other way. That is why people generate hatred towards a player and want said player to leave.

Stepan is a lightning rod this year. MDZ was before being dealt. Boyle has been since his arrival. It has nothing to do with his plat, but I feel a guy like Richards in his situation, that weigh this team down.

The team needs to identify the core players. Are Girardi and Callahan two of those guys? Only then do I feel we will have a roster that people will enjoy top to bottom and even then, there will be those 1 or 2 guys people harp on.

 

[*Bob Richards*]

Because they're the Rangers.

 

[mike14]

I like everyone except for our 2nd line and Klein.

which is kind of funny, as prior to this year Hags and Cally would have been near the top of fan-favourite polls (not saying you would have had them up there, but in general).

 

[CDiablo]

Its obvious people want the team to do well, which a lot of these guys seem incapable of doing. Hank was garbage for a period of time, and it wasnt a game here and there. For like 2 months he was letting in one softy a game. Hes been back in form since the new year and people arent hard on him. Stepan (shoots wide!) has been average but has a ton of missed offensive chances. Cally either usually bad or unnoticeable(not a bad thing but hard for some to see a positive in that). Girardi is also bad or unnoticeable, he also seems to be less physical than prior years. Nash was supposed to bring goals and excitment, which did not really start till the new year. Nash has not been the same since coming back from his concussion and does not do as many exciting power moves. To be honest most of the team has been bad or unnoticeable this year and it makes it hard for people to get behind them. People want either a good or exciting team and for the most part these guys are not. Still time to make something of the season though.

edit: You dont see people bashing MCD or MZA for a reason.

 

[Riverdale]

I like the Rangers, I don't like this Rangers team because it is a mish-mash of parts between the era of Torts, and the new era of AV, which began before he even arrived comically.

There is no identity or plan right now except that Sather wants more offense and a high tempo game. Okay, that's great, I like that too, but you need to execute on that and commit.

We are in Ranger purgatory right now.

Exactly how I feel.

 

[alkurtz]

My Ranger memories go back to 1958 so I have lived and died with this team for a long time.

Sometimes I am staggered by the hatred and venom I see here on the boards: hatred towards players, coaches, front office people, scouts, announcers and so one.

If all you feel is hatred and you come away from games angry (upset is OK), why bother?

Of course we all want to win....life is always sweeter when you win, but sports is supposed to be a distraction from real life, entertainment and escape from real life....its male soap opera and male currency. I must admit that I got more upset with defeats when I was younger, but still, if rooting for a team makes you endlessly angry, what's the point?

On every team, good, bad, mediocre, there are fascinating stories, including this one. Every player has a tale, an arc of a career, adjustments to make to new coaches systems, developing or eroding skills. I always try to see each player as an individual. Sure there are guys I like more than others. Sure there are guys who puzzle me no end as they waste their talent. Sure there are guys who frustrate me no end, but hate, no. As I always say to my son, who is a regular poster here, even though I don't know them, anyone who plays for the Rangers becomes part of my extended family. You can be upset by what family does, but hate? Sorry, no way.

What have I gotten for being a fan for 55 years? One unforgetable Cup.....2 other Cup final appearences. Not much really. A lot of years that ended in disappointment. Of course I wish there were more, of course I question draft picks, trades, strategies.

But being a Ranger fan has been one of the great joys of my life. I still find myself whistling the Ranger Victory Song. Some might say that fans like me are the problem, that I am to ready to accept failure. But this is sports....only one team wins the last game of the year.

This team is frustrating yet fascinating. I like and admire some players more than others, but hate? Sorry, no.

 

[Giacomin]

I have been a Rangers fan since 1971. The way the NHL is now this team could get on a roll and do some damage in the playoffs.
I like this team because at the end of the day I know they could win the Cup if things went the right way. A hot Lundqvist and Nash and who knows.

 

[Nightshift]

Its an easy team not to like. Nobody sticks up for one another, aside from 1 guy who has a broken leg and another who gets 5 minutes a night. Kreider gets a butt end in the face nowhere near a puck and we fold like a cheap suit in our own building. Nothing but feeble attempts at retribution and the classic "excuse me, I didn't see you there" body checks.