With the Stanley Cup Final slated to start Saturday, I have a very simple question for all Rangers’ fans: Will you be watching? Normally, as hockey fans, that would almost be a blasphemous type question. But given the circumstances as to why New York is not playing, it’s a valid question.
In the past, if the plan was not to watch, there might have been several compelling connections with the two teams still playing. This season, there really is only four, and some of those are tangential at best. That said, one or all might be enough to get you to turn in.
First, we are hockey fans, irrespective of who is playing. It is the Finals, and even though New York is not in it, that might be enough. As I said, though, tangential at best.
Second, Edmonton’s coach, Kris Knoblauch, was the coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL team. We saw him behind the New York bench when he filled in for David Quinn and Gerard Gallant, leading the team to several wins. It was that performance helming the parent club and upside potential that caused many of us to believe he was the coach in waiting. It’s always why he garnered interest as a possible Gallant replacement before Peter Laviolette was hired.
Third, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Part of that is to see McDavid and Draisaitl on an even larger national stage. The other piece to me is to see how each of them do against the Florida forecheck and if they have more success than New York did.
Last, there a modicum of solace in losing to the ultimate champion. Granted, that and $2.90 gets you on the New York subway, but psychologically to some it makes the loss easier to handle. In addition, Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola of the Panthers played for the Rangers last season, so a minor connection exists there.
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