Mel
5-05-06, 7:30 PM
This was going to be a reply to those feeling sorry for Jagr, but it got long so I made it my Rangers season review. :)
No need to shed tears for Jagr. At this point in his career he only cares about one trophy and that is the Stanley cup. You can see that in his quotes Charlio posted above, and quotes he's made throughout the season. I personally think he should take the "C" next year. But I believe nobody wanted it for 2 reasons
1) they were conciously trying to forge a team mentality.
2) nobody wanted to be pegged as Messier's replacement.
As for the Rangers it was a lousy ending but overall this season was a smashing success. Just making the playoffs and nearly winning the division was itself an achievement.
The emergence of Henrik Lundqvist has been unbelievable. He is absolutely loved by the fans. I have rarely seen New York embrace a rookie like Lundqvist. Derek Jeter and Jeremy Shockey come to mind. Hockey's lower profile than other sports here ... but he is that popular among Ranger fans. It's just crazy.
I'm actually glad this team got a taste of the playoffs and then swept to be honest. It's a good lesson. Many of those guys were in the NHL playoffs for the first time. Let's face it they just weren't that good of a team. They still would have been swept (or at least lost) to Jersey if Jagr didn't get injured, without question IMO.
But they made the most of what they had to work with that's for sure. And they won back Ranger fans in a big way, especially with their center ice salute (in my sig) after every home win. But they didn't just win back fans from the lockout... they won back fans that were totally bitter from about 8 years of inexplicable failure. If these fans had to see one more Theo Fleury / Eric Lindros / Pavel Bure disaster, I think they would have torn down the building and pulled Glen Sather from the rubble just to kick his ass some more.
But the Tom Renney and the organization turned everything around after the lockout, and the negativity has literally been washed away. Fans that were starving for something to cheer for finally got it.
I'm already looking forward to next season....
More talent has to be signed. the Rangers 3rd line should really be the 4th. Their 4th line should be playing in Hartford. But where I'd really like to see key addition(s) is on defense. Tom Poti was great this year, I must hand it to him. As was Kaspar when healthy. Malik and Rosival were good overall.... weak early on but considerably better as the season progressed. Tyutin had a decent rookie campaign.
I also can't wait till next camp for guys like Al Montoya, Hugh Jessiman and Marc Staal to see how they've come along. That's the best part... not only did the Rangers find a way to win this season... but they are sticking to their plan of growing talent from within rather than buying it. It won't happen overnight, but the future is most definitely bright. :thumb:
No need to shed tears for Jagr. At this point in his career he only cares about one trophy and that is the Stanley cup. You can see that in his quotes Charlio posted above, and quotes he's made throughout the season. I personally think he should take the "C" next year. But I believe nobody wanted it for 2 reasons
1) they were conciously trying to forge a team mentality.
2) nobody wanted to be pegged as Messier's replacement.
As for the Rangers it was a lousy ending but overall this season was a smashing success. Just making the playoffs and nearly winning the division was itself an achievement.
The emergence of Henrik Lundqvist has been unbelievable. He is absolutely loved by the fans. I have rarely seen New York embrace a rookie like Lundqvist. Derek Jeter and Jeremy Shockey come to mind. Hockey's lower profile than other sports here ... but he is that popular among Ranger fans. It's just crazy.
I'm actually glad this team got a taste of the playoffs and then swept to be honest. It's a good lesson. Many of those guys were in the NHL playoffs for the first time. Let's face it they just weren't that good of a team. They still would have been swept (or at least lost) to Jersey if Jagr didn't get injured, without question IMO.
But they made the most of what they had to work with that's for sure. And they won back Ranger fans in a big way, especially with their center ice salute (in my sig) after every home win. But they didn't just win back fans from the lockout... they won back fans that were totally bitter from about 8 years of inexplicable failure. If these fans had to see one more Theo Fleury / Eric Lindros / Pavel Bure disaster, I think they would have torn down the building and pulled Glen Sather from the rubble just to kick his ass some more.
But the Tom Renney and the organization turned everything around after the lockout, and the negativity has literally been washed away. Fans that were starving for something to cheer for finally got it.
I'm already looking forward to next season....
More talent has to be signed. the Rangers 3rd line should really be the 4th. Their 4th line should be playing in Hartford. But where I'd really like to see key addition(s) is on defense. Tom Poti was great this year, I must hand it to him. As was Kaspar when healthy. Malik and Rosival were good overall.... weak early on but considerably better as the season progressed. Tyutin had a decent rookie campaign.
I also can't wait till next camp for guys like Al Montoya, Hugh Jessiman and Marc Staal to see how they've come along. That's the best part... not only did the Rangers find a way to win this season... but they are sticking to their plan of growing talent from within rather than buying it. It won't happen overnight, but the future is most definitely bright. :thumb: