I've been thinking about how, for many, as outstanding as the season has been (and as a Ranger fan for 60+ years this has most certainly been among the best I can remember), it just doesn't feel that great. I remember one post, here or on another board, where someone said, "We have the best record in the league...too bad we stink." These reactions are certainly the result of social media....by nature a negative platform. I think that if the boards were active in say 1972 (that team went to the SC finals) there would have been much criticism. I can imagine the negative reactions even to 1994 when we went through a few rough patches. Negative reactions, as justified as many are, tend to cloud out and obscure all the positives. I'm kind of upset myself for not feeling better about this team than I should. This has been an outstanding season. You don't win the President's Trophy, have as great a record as we do, by accident. We should always remember how great this team has been and how much joy they have brought us, over and over during the year. Yes, some players deserve the criticism they have received. Yes, at times this team has driven us to distraction. But overall? We should appreciate all the pleasure this team has brought us this year. I don't know what the playoffs will bring. There are so many really good teams this year capable of winning the Cup. When people ask me about the Rangers and whether they will win the Cup, I say, that certainly they can win the Cup...but do I expect them to? No. So much as to go right...and hopefully it will. But no matter what happens, this team will always hold a special place in my heart...among the best Ranger teams I have had the pleasure of rooting for in those 60+ years. As someone who saw the Rangers play during the Original Six in the old Garden, I am trying to keep negative feelings down, and just enjoy and appreciate what we have seen since last October.
