Thursday, October 15, 2009

Your First Place New York Rangers. . .?

I know, I know. Kinda weird huh?

I mean as much as everyone said this team would be bad. Or not good. Or well, not great...I never believed it.

I am not saying I thought they'd be good. As much as I'm not saying they are going to remain as good as they are.

But to not take into account the good or potential for good - Gaborik, Prospal, etc - or the porential to surprise - Del Zotto and Gilroy - was a big mistake by many people.

True, predictions are just that - throwing a random assumption/feeling into the air (or blog universe) and treating it as something to base fact on.

And it's not.

The Rangers are impressive in the early going. It took them two games to seemingly improve the league's most dismal powerplay.

It took them two games to score more than 2 goals.

They are a force to be recognized, if not reckoned with. And they deserve some recognition.

Not because it will always be rosy on Broadway (Rozsival or otherwise), but because they are, baring what we cannot see at the moment, going to be better than many people thought.

Want proof?

Wade Redden went into tonight's game as a +4. Wade Redden! The same Redden who had a 3 point night on Monday.

Del Zotto is leading the league for first year players. The guy we weren't even sure'd be playing?

Gaborik is owning the game, the Garden, and the third period.

Cheer Rangers fans. Because we are fan enough to know anything can happen, to know nothing is perfect. But cheer because, for the first time in a long time, winning feels really, really good!

3 comments:

Kerri said...

I'm not really sure what the difference is, but this feels so much better than last years early winning.

There's something about this team. I felt the same way as you did; as much as I thought maybe they would struggle to make the playoffs, but they certainly are a playoff team. I scoffed at those who suggested they would be 20th in the league. (I believe that was TSN's predicition.)

There is something going on here. Maybe I'm just being a blind optomist, but I just feel like there is something very right going on in that locker room.

We have a goalie and a ::gasp:: a powerplay. That's all ya need in the new NHL. :-)

Luke said...

It's an incredible start, and like you say Kels, lets not forget what happened after last seasons start. But really, it's hard not to look at these games and smile.

I agree that it's a lot easier to be positive about this year. We have a PP, we still have a good PK, we have the goalie, the superstar who always seems likely to score.... But I think it's more than just those individual components.

We're playing 'the ultimate team sport', as a team! Everyone is performing out there, even the people not scoring the goals or blocking the shots. Redden, captin mumbles, Higgins, they are all performing important roles and it's helping us fire, as a team. I think it's very easy to understimate this concept in todays game.

Roll on Saturday night and the Leafs rematch :-)

Luke

kels said...

I've cleared my plans (not like I actually had any...) for Saturday. So excited for hockey night!! =)

I think we all agree - they are decidedly interesting to watch AND we love it!!