New York Rangers’ fans have been treated to quality playoff hockey over the past few years, but not this season. The boredom has set in.
Alright New York Rangers fans, who is excited to watch the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins battle for the Stanley Cup?::Crickets::
Yeah, I figured as much. Ok, I’ll change the question.
Who is finding this time of the year mind-numbing and completely boring?
::Hands go up::
Well, no need to fret everybody because I have you covered.
Today I present to you a Guide To New York Rangers Off-Season Boredom.
In fact when you think about it, we’re fairly lucky. The New York Rangers haven’t been ousted in the first round of the playoffs since the 2010-11 season.
Remember the “You can’t hear us” days?
Well those days are long gone and Rangers fans have since acclimated to deep playoff since in recent years. Eastern Conference Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, you know them well.
The “problem” with this situation is that we have forgotten what it feels like to be laughed out of the first round of the playoffs, and watching three rounds of playoff hockey sans our New York Rangers is, well, mind-numbing.
So I’ve compiled a few ways in which you can avoid boredom until the NHL Draft, which takes place on June 24th.
Enjoy Watching Fans Fight Over Meaningless Scenarios
Listen, I like debating how to fix the Rangers’ issues as much as the next guy, but it’s important to know that this summer will most likely bring the most unpredictable and underwhelming off season we have seen in a while.
Fans are calling for the heads of players like Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Rick Nash.
We have however, already learned from Uncle Larry Brooks that the Blueshirts are not planning on parting ways with Girardi this year. The disappointment has already started.
Because it’s the Rangers, players that you want to leave (Tanner Glass, Girardi, etc.) will most likely stay and players that you want to stay will leave (Derek Stepan).
Bottom line, no one has any idea what is going to happen moving forward, so enjoy watching Rangers fans cannibalize each other over meaningless scenarios.
Put That Derek Stepan OT Goal, And Others Like It, On Repeat
This is currently one of my favorite activities.
When in doubt, put on some videos of great Rangers moments. In fact, I have you covered.
Here are three of my favorites.
Doesn’t get much better than these. Only problem is when you come across that Alec Martinez goal and for some reason, can’t stop watching it.
It’s like watching a car wreck, you just can’t look away.
Anyway, I digress…
Read Some Decent Rangers Literature
Adam Raider and Russ Cohen came out with a great book back in 2014 entitled, “100 Things Rangers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die”.
This isn’t just your run-of-mill top 100 list, it’s a great book that every fan can relate to and tells of journeys through the 2014 Stanley Cup run.
Rangers All-Time Ultimate 20-Man Roster
Every fan has a dusty book that covers the history of the Blueshirts, and this has some of that too, but it also dives deeper to tell stories of some of your favorite Rangers.
Oh and for the cynics, this isn’t a shameless plug, but rather just a really good book that can combat boredom.
Enjoy Watching Rangers Writers Fight Over Nothingness.
Man, guys who write about the Rangers are the worst, but watching them debate (fight) over their various takes and opinions can be entertaining.
Really, I never find myself in bottomless debates with other writers.
My favorite past time in fact, is watching writers debate over players like Kevin Hayes.
I mean, what’s to debate? He stunk at times.
Oh wait, this brings me to my next strategy to combat boredom.
