I hate to think like this, being the avid New York Rangers and hockey fan that I have been since the age of five, but it keeps coming back to haunt me. The Rangers, one of hockey’s original six, have only won one Stanley Cup Championship in my lifetime, which is a pretty long time. Prior to that, it was before America entered World War II, so we can all do the math on that little tidbit.
If you’re a younger fan, or someone who can be one of my kids, all you have known is how good this Rangers team has been for the past several years. Not only did they make it to the playoffs, which is a foregone conclusion at the commencement of each season, they have made it to the finals, and last year won the President’s Trophy with the most points in the league, and even set a franchise record in wins.
That’s all well and good, but to a deep-seated Rangers fan, it’s not quite good enough. Everyone in the New York metropolitan area has had to endure the hated Islanders run, as well as those carpet-bagging Devils hoisting the trophy more than the Broadway Blues. What is it about this team, that no matter how good they may be over an 82-game period, they can’t get someone to muster enough offense, special teams, or breaks to get over that last hump? Let’s face it, anything less than winning a Stanley Cup will make these great regular seasons just that – regular.
The King of New York – With a Small ‘k’
Okay, now that we’ve established the reality of the situation, let’s drill down to one possibility that I think may be attributing the team for not reaching the summit. It may be blasphemous of me to even go down this hallowed path, but part of it could be “The King” himself – Henrik “Hank” Lunqvist. Forgive me please for even mentioning this, but there’s no bigger fan of Hank than myself. I never thought I’d see another Eddie Giacomin or Mike Richter, but the King is far and away the best goalkeeper the Rangers have ever had, bar none.
I’m already putting in my mea culpa’s and asking for forgiveness from the Ranger faithful which, no doubt, will spew their wrath on me for even uttering this thought. I’m just wondering, out loud, if the King has the Peyton Manning syndrome. He is one of, if not the, greatest netminder that most of us has ever seen during the regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs and the ultimate prize, there seems to be a missing piece.
He has amassed more wins (353), more minutes, and more shutouts than any other goalkeeper in this storied franchise. There is no disputing that he is the King of Ranger goaltenders. Now, let’s look at the playoff record, where he has been in over 100 games (and who can even say that for a career): 54 wins and 56 losses. That’s a pretty big difference from the regular season to the season that matters, especially in New York, and for those rabid fans at the most famous arena in the world.
Oh sure, it’s not all on the goalie to carry his team to the Cup, but that’s the backbone of those winners, like Martin Brodeur was for those Devils, or the most recent championships by the Blackhawks and Kings. Someone got hot between the pipes for those teams, and it wasn’t King Henrik. Was it too long of a season to play, too many games in net, the Olympics, injuries? No one can really say, but perhaps it wasn’t their time to win. The question is, as a Rangers fan, when is it going to be their time? The sands in the hourglass may be waning, since Hank is 33, but in goalie years, that’s getting up there a bit.
Putting all that I just mentioned aside, this team is about as cohesive a unit as any bunch, in any sport, and go to the mat every night. At some points throughout the arduous hockey season, it looks like they may never lose and even top last year’s point totals. But, in the end, does it really matter if they have the most or least points? Everyone seems to get in, and any team can knock off a better team in a long, hard-fought series. Just look at the past few Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s more the rule than the exception.
So, that brings me back to where I probably never should have tread in the first place – the King, the reigning MVP each night when the Rangers take the ice. The one whose name is chanted regularly throughout each game – King Henrik. The best thing that’s ever happened to the Rangers since Mark Messier came and hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1994. That’s right, it’s been 21 years since that magical run most fans never expected to see in their lifetime. Is Henrik the next one to hold that beautiful silver trophy, and skate around Madison Square Garden ice to the screams and cries of the 18,000+ fans who have waited an awful long time to do that dance again?
It would be horrible if at the end of what is most likely going to be a Hall of Fame tenure in New York, King Hank would be inducted as king Henrik Lundqvist, with a small “k,” not the capital “K” like he deserves. As I previously mentioned with Manning, he’s probably the best quarterback ever, but his little brother Eli has one more Super Bowl than him, and right now Hank has nothing to show for his stellar career in a place that loves him as much as when Joe Namath beat the Colts in Super Bowl III.
So, if we can all conjure up the hockey gods and do a little dance, perhaps we can get the King and his court to that last level, and hoist the Stanley Cup in New York, and then all the ghosts of goaltenders past will be replaced by the best netminder this town has ever seen. We’re all hopeful King Hank, and so are your subjects.
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