Why do we hate this team?

[The Gloaming]

No one on this board, who watches every Rangers game, and spends a part of everyday on a hockey message board, on the Rangers sub-section, hates the Rangers.

GOAT grammar.

 

[Uncle Sid]

I hate how much I love the rangers, that's about it. Not this rangers team specifically, but as a fan. It's pretty bad when a loss can just about ruin your day/night.

 

[ncmike]

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?

It's not that we hate these players or the team per say. We are frustrated and we lash out. What we really hate deep down is Dolan and the rest of management because they don't care about putting a winning product on the ice. Dolans only care is to make the playoffs. He makes money when they get in. Any extra rounds is gravy. Until they get a management group that is committed to winning instead of just making money, this team will never taste success on a continuing basis.

 

[wafflepadsave]

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.

Yes there is a plan and it is very simple. You are playing a game(your favorite game) whether it be pool, darts or solitaire. You have been playing a long time and are getting tired. But you want that last bullseye or win to go out on a winning note. No different than sather, cus he gets unlimited times to go out a winner. Unfortunately for us, its going to be win now until further notice unless a couple of darts hit in the dark closet.

 

[mike14]

It's not that we hate these players or the team per say. We are frustrated and we lash out. What we really hate deep down is Dolan and the rest of management because they don't care about putting a winning product on the ice. Dolans only care is to make the playoffs. He makes money when they get in. Any extra rounds is gravy. Until they get a management group that is committed to winning instead of just making money, this team will never taste success on a continuing basis.

I'm not a fan of a lot of the decisions made by our front office/ownership group and I don't want to come off as an 'apologist', but I really have to question the 'Dolan only wants $$' line of thinking.

If it were the case that he'd be happy with 2 playoff games and anything else is bonus material, why does he let the GM spend to the cap every year and consistently allow him to buy out players and replace them with players at a similar cost? If we look around the league we see teams who make the playoffs on at least a semi-regular basis who spend a hell of a lot less than the Rangers do, if it was just about profit why wouldn't Dolan tell Slats to do exactly that or bring in someone who could?

IMO, Dolan would prefer the team to win (which brings profits with it) and has hired the guy who he (wrongly thus far) believes can get the team there while allowing Dolan to focus on things he has more interest in. If it was just about making $$ there are better ways to go about it

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

I think for a lot of people the central issue is that there aren't any huge "characters," at least from the outside looking in; you see this whenever the subject of who the next captain is going to be pops up.

The popular players, the unpopular players, the stars and the fringe guys are, maybe with an exception or two, guys who wear suits, give the same hockey-speak interview, work hard, keep quiet and don't take liberties. It's definitely preferable to a team of lazy loudmouthed cheapshot artists and I'm not a toffness guy, but guys like Dubinsky and Avery are so identifiable for Joe Average in the stands. Zuccarello's the one real outlier in this team's core, an undersized guy with an incredible story who doesn't back down from anything, on top of his skill and value. I knew from day one that Dan Carcillo would be forgiven very quickly.

On the ice I think they're mostly fine to watch, especially under the new system; the Boston series last year was basically Hockey Torture on the eyes. Maybe it will just take a special moment for the names on the back of the sweaters to click more for me. Of course I'm weird as hell; I've coasted through life as the underachieving child prodigy, and I have tons of sympathy for players like Christensen and Pouliot in their struggles against themselves.

 

[ncmike]

I'm not a fan of a lot of the decisions made by our front office/ownership group and I don't want to come off as an 'apologist', but I really have to question the 'Dolan only wants $$' line of thinking.

If it were the case that he'd be happy with 2 playoff games and anything else is bonus material, why does he let the GM spend to the cap every year and consistently allow him to buy out players and replace them with players at a similar cost? If we look around the league we see teams who make the playoffs on at least a semi-regular basis who spend a hell of a lot less than the Rangers do, if it was just about profit why wouldn't Dolan tell Slats to do exactly that or bring in someone who could?

IMO, Dolan would prefer the team to win (which brings profits with it) and has hired the guy who he (wrongly thus far) believes can get the team there while allowing Dolan to focus on things he has more interest in. If it was just about making $$ there are better ways to go about it

Your second paragraph answers your question. He has a budget to get to the playoffs and that is what Sather focuses on. It's all about getting in the playoffs. That's where the money is. If Dolan really cared do you think he would keep Sather around? Would you if you where the boss. 13 years and basically nothing?

 

[eco's bones]

I don't think hate is the right word. When somebody says he doesn't like someone--in this case it's not personal--few of us know or know anything about the personal lives of these players really--we're not judging them as human beings. We're judging them on what they bring to the team. There's plenty of people here that don't like Girardi or are not liking Callahan this year--I don't suggest that they hate either--even if they're arguing to send them to Buffalo or Edmonton--the NHL's versions of Siberia.

If this comes up just because of the Del Zotto deal--I think some people need a bit more perspective. Not too many were saying that DZ is not a legit NHL player but he showed almost no improvement the past two years which is a long time for a young player to go stale. As well his $ were about to take another big hike upwards at the end of this year when he was up for a new arbitration eligible RFA contract. Throw in lack of confidence of the coaching staff and some uninspired play on his own part and he IMO bought his own ticket out of town. He wasn't going to be nearly worth the new mandatory pay raise he was going to get let alone whatever he scored if he went to arbitration. That's Nashville's headache now. t don't wish him bad. I hope he does well. I don't give a **** if those who are pissed about it now come back some day with all the proof in the world that we shouldn't have traded him for Klein. I don't think that's going to happen but I'm sure he's a good guy. He can be a good player and this might just wake him up to push himself to become a better player. Best of luck to him.

The nature of a lot of endless arguments here with people calling each other haters often IMO comes from them having to win the argument at all cost. It becomes for some some kind of intellectual debate--someone's need to show how bright they are and that they know more than the next guy with the other side blasting back that the opposing know-it-all is an ignorant SOB. Truth is there is no objective truth here. There's just ****ing opinions of what the truth is--more or less what we think Sather or AV should do and neither of them really give two ****s about any of us-- actual fans in the stands like a bunch of blurred faces in the background of some movie they're watching. They don't know who we are any more than we really know them which lends a bit of irony to posters here getting all hot and bothered and pissed off at each other.

 

[ncmike]

I don't think hate is the right word. When somebody says he doesn't like someone--in this case it's not personal--few of us know or know anything about the personal lives of these players really--we're not judging them as human beings. We're judging them on what they bring to the team. There's plenty of people here that don't like Girardi or are not liking Callahan this year--I don't suggest that they hate either--even if they're arguing to send them to Buffalo or Edmonton--the NHL's versions of Siberia.

If this comes up just because of the Del Zotto deal--I think some people need a bit more perspective. Not too many were saying that DZ is not a legit NHL player but he showed almost no improvement the past two years which is a long time for a young player to go stale. As well his $ were about to take another big hike upwards at the end of this year when he was up for a new arbitration eligible RFA contract. Throw in lack of confidence of the coaching staff and some uninspired play on his own part and he IMO bought his own ticket out of town. He wasn't going to be nearly worth the new mandatory pay raise he was going to get let alone whatever he scored if he went to arbitration. That's Nashville's headache now. t don't wish him bad. I hope he does well. I don't give a **** if those who are pissed about it now come back some day with all the proof in the world that we shouldn't have traded him for Klein. I don't think that's going to happen but I'm sure he's a good guy. He can be a good player and this might just wake him up to push himself to become a better player. Best of luck to him.

The nature of a lot of endless arguments here with people calling each other haters often IMO comes from them having to win the argument at all cost. It becomes for some some kind of intellectual debate--someone's need to show how bright they are and that they know more than the next guy with the other side blasting back that the opposing know-it-all is an ignorant SOB. Truth is there is no objective truth here. There's just ****ing opinions of what the truth is--more or less what we think Sather or AV should do and neither of them really give two ****s about any of us-- actual fans in the stands like a bunch of blurred faces in the background of some movie they're watching. They don't know who we are any more than we really know them which lends a bit of irony to posters here getting all hot and bothered and pissed off at each other.

Wish the mods would put in a like button because this is definitely a like!!

 

[SnowblindNYR]

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).

Speak for yourself. That team was everything that's wrong with the NHL today.

 

[OverTheCap]

There are some sports fans out there who believe that if you don't blindly support ownership and management, and have the gall to criticize the players, then you aren't a real fan and hate the team. Nothing can be further from the truth. These fans care very deeply about the team. They are just upset with how the organization runs things and think the team would be better served if a different approach was taken.

In regards to this year's team specifically, they are inconsistent, in both effort and execution, and don't have a set identity. There are some players on this team who wanted the coach fired last year because they felt they were being overworked and that their creativity was being stifled. These players got what they wanted, but have struggled with self-motivation and still aren't flourishing offensively. Not exactly a sympathetic bunch, I don't feel an attachment to most of the players on this team.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Speak for yourself. That team was everything that's wrong with the NHL today.

You didn't like winning all the time? Playing #therightway? The black and blueshirts? It's just pain? The last second goals? What is wrong with you? Were not not able to watch because you were blinded by snow? Although you thought Hank was a below average goalie because he had a bad five game stretch to start the year so maybe I'm putting way too much thought into this. You're just a big old bag of wrong when it comes to hockey generally and specifically the Rangers.

 

[Mikos87]

You didn't like winning all the time? Playing #therightway? The black and blueshirts? It's just pain? The last second goals? What is wrong with you? Were not not able to watch because you were blinded by snow? Although you thought Hank was a below average goalie because he had a bad five game stretch to start the year so maybe I'm putting way too much thought into this. You're just a big old bag of wrong when it comes to hockey generally and specifically the Rangers.

You mean cheering and rooting for effort and winning? I don't know why any fan would have respect and root for a time like that...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

You didn't like winning all the time? Playing #therightway? The black and blueshirts? It's just pain? The last second goals? What is wrong with you? Were not not able to watch because you were blinded by snow? Although you thought Hank was a below average goalie because he had a bad five game stretch to start the year so maybe I'm putting way too much thought into this. You're just a big old bag of wrong when it comes to hockey generally and specifically the Rangers.

I loved the winning and I was proud of the team. I liked that they played hard almost every game. The problem I had with that team is that they didn't play hockey the way I liked. They were a boring team. Mostly because they were lacking in skill and had to be. It was just painful to watch.

Also Lundqvist has been bad most of the year. Even last year the difference was a goal he shouldn't have given up.

 

[mike14]

Your second paragraph answers your question. He has a budget to get to the playoffs and that is what Sather focuses on. It's all about getting in the playoffs. That's where the money is. If Dolan really cared do you think he would keep Sather around? Would you if you where the boss. 13 years and basically nothing?

But that's my point, you could (as other teams have done) make the playoffs without spending as much as the Rangers do and thus your playoff $$ +lower payroll = bigger Dolan profit. He wouldn't let Slats keep signing stars and buying them out if he just cared about bottom line.

As to why he keeps Slats around, also like I said, he thinks he will eventually get the formula right and bring in a cup.

Of course Dolan cares about $$, all business (and most other) people do to, I'm just saying that if he was purely profit driven there are better ways to go about it

 

[TheDirtyH]

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.

That was a very beautiful take on being a fan. I really appreciate you writing this.

 

[TheDirtyH]

The nature of a lot of endless arguments here with people calling each other haters often IMO comes from them having to win the argument at all cost. It becomes for some some kind of intellectual debate--someone's need to show how bright they are and that they know more than the next guy with the other side blasting back that the opposing know-it-all is an ignorant SOB. Truth is there is no objective truth here. There's just ****ing opinions of what the truth is--more or less what we think Sather or AV should do and neither of them really give two ****s about any of us-- actual fans in the stands like a bunch of blurred faces in the background of some movie they're watching. They don't know who we are any more than we really know them which lends a bit of irony to posters here getting all hot and bothered and pissed off at each other.

You didn't like winning all the time? Playing #therightway? The black and blueshirts? It's just pain? The last second goals? What is wrong with you? Were not not able to watch because you were blinded by snow? Although you thought Hank was a below average goalie because he had a bad five game stretch to start the year so maybe I'm putting way too much thought into this. You're just a big old bag of wrong when it comes to hockey generally and specifically the Rangers.

No need to insult people to make a point.

 

[doncherrysgrill]

The forward core specifically is easy to dislike. We don't have a single forward that you know what you're going to get out of night in and night out. We don't have a team that sticks up for itself. We don't have a team that you see a true effort out of every night. It's disappointing. There have been teams in the past that haven't been as talented but work harder, and they're teams I've enjoyed watching more. The good Tortorella teams were teams like that. This is a team that lacks any sort of outward emotion. It's just disappointing.

I've been a fan for around 20 years now, obviously not as long as some of the other guys on here, but I've been through a lot of tough years. I've always felt that I'd rather have a team that wasn't as talented but played hard for that Rangers shield than a team that was just going through the motions and winning that way. Obviously, you need a mix of both to be a champion. The Rangers are much more the "going through the motions" team than they've been in a long time right now.

 

[NYRSchrute217]

The forward core specifically is easy to dislike. We don't have a single forward that you know what you're going to get out of night in and night out. We don't have a team that sticks up for itself. We don't have a team that you see a true effort out of every night. It's disappointing. There have been teams in the past that haven't been as talented but work harder, and they're teams I've enjoyed watching more. The good Tortorella teams were teams like that. This is a team that lacks any sort of outward emotion. It's just disappointing.

I've been a fan for around 20 years now, obviously not as long as some of the other guys on here, but I've been through a lot of tough years. I've always felt that I'd rather have a team that wasn't as talented but played hard for that Rangers shield than a team that was just going through the motions and winning that way. Obviously, you need a mix of both to be a champion. The Rangers are much more the "going through the motions" team than they've been in a long time right now.

The 2012 Rangers were a team that was greater than the sum of its parts. This team is the opposite. Looking at the talent on the team, with the available resources, its mind boggling how they struggle to make the playoffs year in and year out.

 

[Kwayry]

Who hates this team?
Based on the attendance at MSg, not a lot of people do.
Based on this board? Well that's a totally different question.
It's pretty sad that this board has been taken over by a lot of immaturity. Sorry to be brutally honest. But some of the blame has to lay at the feet of the mods.

Sometimes when I am out I used to look at the score then the GDT to get some context and one of the hilariously funniest and recurring questions towards the end of the thread is this:

Who are we going to blame for this loss?

Now how does that raise the give and take about the team?I think it's a problem is not an eye test but an eye Q test.

Instead of having an intelligent discussion about the merits of one system over another, or one player over another we are stuck with people trying to amek a name for themselves.
You want to have your name known? The message is clear, pick a player and crap on them over and over again until people start associating your name whenever the said player screws up.

I am noticing the trend, a lot of rooks are throwing tantrums, going bonkers to establish the same notoriety and it's sad that the behavior is getting rewarded.

Edit: BTW, great thread, it's always nice and rewarding for me to see long standing fans come out and post. Wish they would post more often.

 

[bathgate]

Everyone on this board LOVES the Rangers.What is not liked is the foolish management. Sather seems to be clueless. There does not seem to be a long range plan. Rather, there are knee Jerk reactions. We need a G.M. that will put in place a five year plan

 

[Raspewtin]

I love the team. Always have always will.

I'm not obligated to love any player or member of management.

And with that said, this is an incredibly unlikeable team.

 

[pld459666]

we have holes and HAVE had holes on this team that management refuses to address.

#1 center. Stepan IS NOT THAT. He's a #2 guy and there's nothing wrong with that. But the Rangers front office is not bright enough to identify that player in the draft so we have to rely on acquiring them via FA which is failure waiting to happen.

Scoring winger to compliment Nash. It was awesome that we tried to get Nash to compliment Gaborik, but both prefer the RW and trying to have one of them play their off wing was not going to work. This past summer they needed to address the LW position and they didn't and we sit here with still a hole in that spot.

Offensive defenceman. Nice that we are getting points out of McD, but we have no one on the team or in the system that can break a defence down. Skate with the puck, QB the PP. It's been a problem for a while now and MDZ's not the sharpest tool in the shed or the fastest skater on the ice. He's got a decent set of skills, but nothing more. Now that HE's gone, we have even less.

Talent on the bottom 6, size on the top 6.

The team is lacking these things with the parent club, the farm team is lacking these things. We hope that we have some prospects that can turn into what we are lacking, but if the past selections have shown me anything it is not to expect much from the current crop of junior/younger players.

The problem for me starts with Dolan and the selection he has made to stick with Sather.

It's all down hill from there.

 

[Cassano]

Who hates this team?
Based on the attendance at MSg, not a lot of people do.
Based on this board? Well that's a totally different question.
It's pretty sad that this board has been taken over by a lot of immaturity. Sorry to be brutally honest. But some of the blame has to lay at the feet of the mods.

Sometimes when I am out I used to look at the score then the GDT to get some context and one of the hilariously funniest and recurring questions towards the end of the thread is this:

Who are we going to blame for this loss?

Now how does that raise the give and take about the team?I think it's a problem is not an eye test but an eye Q test.

Instead of having an intelligent discussion about the merits of one system over another, or one player over another we are stuck with people trying to amek a name for themselves.
You want to have your name known? The message is clear, pick a player and crap on them over and over again until people start associating your name whenever the said player screws up.

I am noticing the trend, a lot of rooks are throwing tantrums, going bonkers to establish the same notoriety and it's sad that the behavior is getting rewarded.

Edit: BTW, great thread, it's always nice and rewarding for me to see long standing fans come out and post. Wish they would post more often.

So what I'm getting from this is that if you're a new poster and you don't like a certain player, you're not a true fan?

very welcoming indeed.

 

[Bluenote13]

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.

I've been a player and a watcher and no one can ever tell me guys who play at the highest level are just 'doggin it' or 'play with no emotion'. You'd never get to that level or get a chance to stay if you didn't have that compete element to your game on a consistent basis. Some ultra talented guys stay stuck in the minors cause they don't compete with consistency, but at the highest level very few are just doing enough to get by.

Not every player comes to every game with the same energy. If they did you may not need coaches or captains, and this applies to almost every profession .

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.

Good post, but lets not make it seem like the team management is all 'aww shucks, we made a mistake, oh well, back to the drawing board....'.

No, they've actually gone out of their way MANY times in the last 15 years to shoot themselves in their own foot with free agents, draft picks, coaches and a bit of a revolving door situation.

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.

I think this mentality has been one of the biggest recipes for disaster. 'Just get in and anyone can win' is alot of malarkey