HEART

This past week I actually wanted to stick up for Sather a couple of times, but couldn’t even find a decent interview in print with the guy, let alone a video clip. Its as if he never really left Western Canada…for all I know, that’s where he is right now. You are so right, there is a huge disconnect between the team and the fans. Messier, Graves, Leetch…you always found these guys engaging communities. I even saw Messier at the rink up in central park one day skating with kids from Harlem and didn’t one of those guys run a street hockey clinic in Brooklyn?

Yes, the team feels distant. Perhaps this is due to the huge influx of European players, I don’t know. So, when we see poor effort out on the ice its just too much to handle.

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I do feel the same regarding there is a sense of disconnect. However, this is a different team, chemisrty and structure than back in the years of 92 to 96 when Messier, Graves, Leetch, Richter and the less talented players like Kocur making it very tough to play in MSG.

Everything in life goes in cycles and before you know it, the time will come when the Rangers will be back to the that again. It all starts from the top of the organzation and filters down to the players .Once Mr. Sather steps aside or hands over the GM position to Messier, this will happen. We as Rangers fans have no idea if Messier will be a good a GM but will only can go by the hope he installs in hos decision making like he did on the Ice. We have some really good young players in the system and if the organzation is smart, would not let them go. If I was GM of the Rangers, I would build my team compared to my division (Pitt, Wash, NJ), tough D-man, passion, heart and grit and of course someone else than can score. Not easy of course but Sather spending big money on free agents has not worked and proves money does not buy champships. As much as it might suck right now that our team is not how we envision, we will appreciate it even more when our time comes again when we rule the Atlantic Division and behind

Agree and disagree,Graves while a Ranger set a record for most goals in a season (52),And Avery isnt as hamstrung as people tend to think,he did his job against kovy exactly like he did in the playoffs a couple years ago.So it just sounded to me like your points on these 2 were off in my view.
I do agree though,Sather acts like he’s a king and above ever speaking to the press unless he makes some move that AT THE TIME makes him look good,other than that you’ll never see him answer questions on his obvious mistakes,that we’ve all said so many times the “R” on my keyboard is worn out.
I like to TRY to stay positive,when we slump i bitch and moan,but when we play like we did against the devils,i’m proud as hell and beleive noone can beat us.just my 2 cents.

Jeter’s stats are amongst the most impressive I’ve seen in my lifetime, let’s not forget what kind of stats shortstops in general have been providing for decades before the great captain. Graves, as mentioned above, still leads all American born rangers in the ‘goals in a season’ category. i don’t see cally or dubi scoring 52, def not Drury….

other than that, i agree with the point you’re trying to make. we’re suckers for heart in NY. that’s the reason we watched the Knicks in the 90s, the reason we believed in Eli, the reason for my screen name here @ the banter, all 100% heart.

and it has been lacking, in streaks, as the rangers do, during various parts of the season. but the trade we made and the new line combinations show sparks of the passion and guts us NYers like to see. notice how staal and girardi, uncharacteristically, kept the crease clean after whistles? or prust making a difference without scoring a goal, even redden stood up for someone during the devils game. the only thing left is to see some consistency…i’m satisfied if the boys give all they’ve got, even when they lose.