From the opening face-off of last night’s Game 3 between the Rangers and Capitals, there was a feeling that this was going to be a special hockey game. Both teams were firing on all cylinders, skating up and down the ice, creating scoring chance after scoring chance. It was such an exciting brand of hockey that both teams decided to treat the fans to an extra 55 minutes of it.
Around 2:30pm yesterday afternoon I was offered a ticket to last night’s Rangers game. It took me about half a second to accept the invitation and forget about any other plans I had for the evening. Here’s some advice, if you have the chance to attend a playoff hockey game (any playoff hockey game), I suggest you go. Especially if that game is at Madison Square Garden.
The building was electric last night. You would expect any home crowd to be raucous during the playoffs, especially in a Game One scenario, but this felt a bit different. There is the underlying belief amongst the Blueshirt faithful that we are about to witness something special, something we haven’t seen for 18 years.
The fans are excited to see how far this team can go. The atmosphere at the Garden last night reflected that. The fans are going to do their part to ensure the home-ice advantage. And if the Rangers continue to play at a high level, they will be hard to beat.
The Rangers are a dominant team in this league. I’ve talked about it all season, but now, its the playoffs. The regular season is irrelevant. All that matters is what happens during the next 10 weeks.
Can the Rangers make their Stanley Cup dreams come true? 15 more wins to go.
Every April, the best golfers in the world arrive at the Augusta National Golf Club to play in the Masters Tournament. For most golfers in the Metropolitan area, the Masters signifies the beginning of the golf season. The weather is getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and the magic of the Masters has everyone digging their clubs out of the garage.
On his 27th birthday, captain Ryan Callahan scored the OT winner to lift the Rangers over the Detroit Red Wings. The goal was his 27th of the season and a very important one for the Rangers as they jockey for playoff position with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A few weeks ago it seemed a forgone conclusion that the Rangers would win the Atlantic Division and own the Eastern Conference’s top seed come playoff time. However, the Penguins are surging (12-0-1 in last 13 games) and have tightened both races.
The Rangers became complacent in late February and early March, going 4-4-2 during a stretch that included a 3-game losing streak. Now, with the Penguins creeping up behind them, the Rangers have stepped up their game and are playing better hockey, winning four of their last six.
The Rangers last two victories were big ones. Defeating the Devils and the Red Wings are a sign that the Rangers are back on track. With only nine games left, they need to stay poised in order to maintain first place and carry momentum in the playoffs.
The NHL trade deadline came and went without a big splash from the Rangers. Rick Nash remains in Columbus and the Rangers’ roster remains intact. This is good news for the Rangers. They keep their current chemistry and hopefully stay on their current roll. 
Rick Nash, the talented goal scorer from the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the top player available at the NHL trade deadline. With the Rangers rumored to be interested in the young winger, is he the final piece to the Rangers’ Stanley Cup puzzle?
Ryan Callahan defines the word leadership. The grit and determination he plays with on the ice makes him an outstanding hockey player. The exemplary attitude and demeanor he displays off the ice makes him the kind of player that teams desire as their captain.
It was no surprise when Callahan replaced Chris Drury as the captain of the New York Rangers when Drury retired in the off season. “Cally” was the obvious choice.
Just a heads-up. I received a great article on the New York Rangers from Mike Smith. Mike will be contributing on a part-time basis for us. Enjoy…
With all the excitement the Giants have created over the past few weeks, the New York Rangers have flown under our radar, even though they are arguably the best team in the NHL. Now that football season is over, the Rangers deserve our attention.
It has been 18 years since their magical Stanley Cup run in 1994 (exactly one-third their previous Cup drought, but I digress) and for the first time in the post-Gretzky era, the Rangers are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
If this is the year that the Rangers make another magical run, it will be four these reasons:
The Rangers Need Henrik to be Henrik
