OT: Rangers down 3-1 to Caps
- Thread starter RUaMoose
- Start date
"That still has nothing to do with tomorrow's game. The Rangers also have a historically abysmal lack of playoff success over their history too, I guess both teams will lose then."
People (and definitely many Devils fans) seem to mistake the Rangers lack of recent Stanley Cups as some sort of indication they have never done well in the playoffs. That's not true.
In my lifetimes (I'm 45) the Rangers have played:
STANLEY CUP FINALS (4 -- won 1, lost 3)
1971-1972
1978-1979
1993-1994
2013-2014
CONFERENCE FINALS (8 -- won 3, lost 5)
1971-1972
1978-1979
1985-1986
1993-1994
1996-1997
2011-2012
2013-2014
2014-2015
My point is that there are MANY teams who have never even reached the conference final, much less won one. Some very good teams like the Washington Capitals who were among the best team in the league a few times NEVER got past the second round with a superstar like Ovechkin.
I know many Devils fans who seem to think it is so easy to simply rebuild the franchise and they'll definitely be back on top and winning more Cups. History says otherwise. I'm not saying it can't be done, but there it's hard to name a franchise that ended one great era and began another in less than 20 years. It just hasn't happened in the last 50 years. Detroit comes the closest, but some of the players on their last Cup winning team were part of the original Cup winners as well. If Anaheim wins this year, they would be the exception since this is basically a different team than the one that won a Cup for them.
The idea that the Rangers simply suck as a franchise is largely based on the idea that NY teams need to win. We're spoiled due to the success of the Yankees and even the Giants. But it took Detroit nearly 50 years between Cups, Toronto is nearing 50 years, Chicago went over 35 years, Boston went around 30 years, and even the greatest franchise of them all - Montreal - has gone over 20 years since their last Cup win.
I think Devils fans might be in for a surprise when they see a decade or two quickly pass. The Isles won 4 in a row and haven't come close since. Edmonton won 5 and hasn't won again in about 25 years. It's not easy to start a great era. It took 20 years, but the Rangers are in a great era right now with 3 conference finals in four years. As a hockey fan, you learn to enjoy the runs and celebrate the Cups because you know how rare they are.
People (and definitely many Devils fans) seem to mistake the Rangers lack of recent Stanley Cups as some sort of indication they have never done well in the playoffs. That's not true.
In my lifetimes (I'm 45) the Rangers have played:
STANLEY CUP FINALS (4 -- won 1, lost 3)
1971-1972
1978-1979
1993-1994
2013-2014
CONFERENCE FINALS (8 -- won 3, lost 5)
1971-1972
1978-1979
1985-1986
1993-1994
1996-1997
2011-2012
2013-2014
2014-2015
My point is that there are MANY teams who have never even reached the conference final, much less won one. Some very good teams like the Washington Capitals who were among the best team in the league a few times NEVER got past the second round with a superstar like Ovechkin.
I know many Devils fans who seem to think it is so easy to simply rebuild the franchise and they'll definitely be back on top and winning more Cups. History says otherwise. I'm not saying it can't be done, but there it's hard to name a franchise that ended one great era and began another in less than 20 years. It just hasn't happened in the last 50 years. Detroit comes the closest, but some of the players on their last Cup winning team were part of the original Cup winners as well. If Anaheim wins this year, they would be the exception since this is basically a different team than the one that won a Cup for them.
The idea that the Rangers simply suck as a franchise is largely based on the idea that NY teams need to win. We're spoiled due to the success of the Yankees and even the Giants. But it took Detroit nearly 50 years between Cups, Toronto is nearing 50 years, Chicago went over 35 years, Boston went around 30 years, and even the greatest franchise of them all - Montreal - has gone over 20 years since their last Cup win.
I think Devils fans might be in for a surprise when they see a decade or two quickly pass. The Isles won 4 in a row and haven't come close since. Edmonton won 5 and hasn't won again in about 25 years. It's not easy to start a great era. It took 20 years, but the Rangers are in a great era right now with 3 conference finals in four years. As a hockey fan, you learn to enjoy the runs and celebrate the Cups because you know how rare they are.
