What Would You Do if You Didn't Have the Rangers?

I love watching hockey and do not care who is playing. Now if you gave me a choice I would rather watch the Rangers but if they got contracted I would still continue to love hockey just without my favorite team. To be honest I probably had more fun watching the playoffs this year then most Rangers games because overall hockey is that exciting and I am always on the edge of my seat during the playoffs no matter who is playing. Now live games at MSG are different but while watching on TV, I had a blast at my friends parties during the playoffs with a bunch of friends who jus love to watch exciting hockey. Some day the Rangers will be back at that level but for now Hockey is at its best as far as quality of competition and quality of action on the ice. Every night there are great and exciting games on TV so while we still have it I just like watching exciting hockey and hope the Rangers return to that level and hope they do not get contracted.. =)

I would not have much of a life without the Rangers. Luckily I play the sport so I would have that, but as bad as they may be, the Rangers are my passion and I think I speak on behalf of most people here when I say that!

I would probably continue to follow other sports I love, such as Formula 1 and the WRC….I love racing. But I would not be able to stay away from hockey for too long. I guess I would become a Devils fan JK!!!!!!!!!!! Probably a Bruins fan?

BTW Jim, just so you know, I check Blueshirt Banter before I hit the bathroom…just sayin’

I also follow the Blackhawks (I lived in Chicago for 6 years) so I wouldn’t be too hockey deprived- but it just wouldn’t be the same going to MSG and not being able to watch hockey. And we’ll always have the Yankees.

then I’d cry cuz the only local hockey is the Islanders and ….Devils…AHHHHH!!

..I’d probably root for the Coyotes cuz they seem to be a Rangers minor league team, that actually is better then the big league squad.

I’ll never root for teams like the Caps, Penguins or whoever’s really good at the time since “tho shall not bandwagon”

I started watching hockey in 2006 and surprisingly loved it more than watching my Yankees. Now i love the game more than football(old fav) outright but that was because of the Rangers. If that ever changed I would not watch the game and protest seriously.
BTW haha ‘islander fans cupcakes in hand’ & ‘That bruins game was a wicked pissah’ i have a good friend in boston who talks just like that funny shyt Jim, ahh its too early.

that’s just what my dad made me do. I would probably invest all of my fanship into football and baseball, that’s what I did during the lockout.

I just couldn’t root for another hockey team. You can change your woman, you can change your friends, you can even leave your family but you can never leave your hockey team.

By the way … LMFAO at “creature report”

There’s no way I’d give up on hockey. I’ve been following the sport and worked in it for way too long to just walk away from the game.

With that said, I would follow The King no matter which NHL team he went to. Henrik is in a class all by himself. If he went to Europe, then I’d probably root for the Hawks. Not because they won recently, but because as someone said it would have to be original six team and I just can’t see myself ever liking a team from Boston….and Detroit has to be one of the worst cities I’ve ever been to.

Great comments from everyone, and the vote is surprisingly divided. Fun topic for an August day

To be honest, I would root for whatever team Lundqvist is on. When I grew up, my favorite player was Brian Leetch, but I was a goaltender, so I loved Mike Richter. I’m more of a fan of goaltenders than I am of players, so going with my favorite goaltender to watch: Lundqvist.

I’d end up like the grandpa in Willy Wonka in my bed 24/7 with depression. I’d take it pretty hard since the Rangers have been an obsession for me since I was a kid. The Rangers to me are what crack is to Bobby Brown. I’d still watch hockey since its my favorite sport but I would never jump on the bandwagon of another team. I would most likely watch as much hockey as possible and follow certain players but nothing could replace the Rangers.

i’m married to a French Canadian so this ones a no brainer until they bring back the Nordiques.

the sweater, huh?

I vowed I wouldn’t be on Blueshirt Banter until noon. Shit. And then I vowed to only see if Sather had made any moves and not read or post. Shit.

I’m outta here until after dinner…yea right.

d

I have like the Kings as my west coast team for years, I wouldn’t be happy about it but I woluld root for then full time.

I would just watch hockey. It really is one of the joys of Center Ice. I love the sport too much to just give it up. In many ways, losing the anxiety that comes with being a fan would allow me to simply enjoy the greatest sport and the best players in the NHL.

I’d become a Wings fan, couldn’t root for anyone else in the East and I’ve always dug Detroit. Should hate them for 1950 but they’ve had so many players I’ve loved watching (starting with Probie, Joey and Stevie Y) that I would be all for the Wings.

The other other NY team.

The team always finsihes in the middle of the pack in the English Premier League.

This is a horrible topic. I don’t really want to think about losing the Rangers. I’d have to think about my life instead of my favorite hockey team. Who wants that? The only NHL hockey available on TV would be the Sabres. I can’t stand Rick Jeanneret. His voice makes me want to jump off a cliff (yeah that bad). I pray for him to have a Carubba collision and not make it to the game (you know what i’m talking about if you’ve ever listened to a Sabres game). When I’m forced to watch the Buffalo feed on MSG, which is often, I turn the sound off and put on Maloney on the Rangers site. That is when the Sabres don’t superceed the Rangers up here. I’m still amazed with Buffalo 5-6 hours away while NYC is only 3 somehow this is Sabre country. Center Ice here I come. Thanks NHL…you’re really helping me out.

I’d root for whatever team had the least French Canadians at the time.

Why would you make up such hurtful things, Jim?
Just the thought of not being able to watch the Rangers’ magical push for the 7/8 seed every year would send me into a dizzying depression, of which only high priced hookers and narcotics could mask the pain.
I’d probably lose my job, become addicted to booze/drugs, lose my house, etc.
I’d be walking around like Ron Burgundy after he was fired in Anchorman
“MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE”
Then, probably just live in an alleyway until I lived out my days, an old, miserable prick who just shouted random Sam Rosen quotes.
Then, I’d die a lonely, lonely death.

Nah, I’d probably just root for the Leafs, too.

I would probably root for the Hurricanes since I used to live there during their first finals run. Maybe I’d root for the Blackhawks, but it is so against my nature to root for a Chicago team.

I too would stick with an original 6. Definitely no franchise North of the border so either Detroit or Chicago. I think I like the Blackhawks jersey best so that might be my choice.

I would hope that Henrik ends up with the St Louis Blues & follow them. Always liked the Blues for some reason.

i’d also have to roll original six style

no red wings, no blackhawks (though i love the jersey), and especially no maple leafs; i can’t stand even the most laid-back toronto fan

bruins would be okay except for my intense hatred of all teams boston (although i consider bobby orr the greatest player ever and one of my faves all-time)….plus my uncle would stab me in the eye, he’s one of the old-school guys who hates boston & philly more than the devils or islanders

i’d wind up rolling with montreal, because i love the city, i love the fans (for the most part), i love the passion, i love the history, and the bell center is a pretty cool place to watch a game, especially a leafs-habs hockey night in canada matchup

true story: i was so disgusted with the hiring of bryan trottier i rooted for montreal until he was fired (as a child of the 80s that was, to me, one of the low points of this franchise in the 30 years i’ve been watching)

plus red fisher is greatness

i’m a padres fan and get all the news i need between extra innings & the net….plus jenny cavnar’s twitter feed (yum)

thank you technology

They’d probably find me wandering the corridors of some detox facility wearing my ranger jersey and no pants, and definitely tube socks. I’d probably be suffering from immense withdrawal…

I’m a Rangers fan through and through, so I’d be pretty lost without them, even if half of the time i’m bitching about them/ or their stupid contracts… I think it’s pretty safe to say NHL hockey lives and dies with the rangers as far as all the banter members are concerned… If it happened this year my team to root for just to root for anybody would probably be the Bolts… They should be a tough team this year… St. Louis, Stamkos, Lecavalier, Gagne, and, the one who is very much forgotten, Ryan Malone. Hedman should make a step forward this year as well… should be a good year down there…

the Rangers go away every year around mid-April anyway(either by missing the playoffs or not getting out of the first round) so i would just cheer for some good competitive hockey like i’ve done the last decade and a half.

One of my favorite fighters is there and so are a few others, and for what ever reason my mind has come up with i just like them as a second best…

i lived in toronto for 3 years. the air canada center is amazing. the leafs fans are real hockey fans, like us rangers fans. i’d probably end up dying before i see my team win a stanley cup, but my chances with the blueshirts are just as good :).

so yeah, hypothetically – if the rangers were no more i’d be rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs. i said it…

Considering the Rangers lost the most money entering the lockout at 25-40m a year, that the announced sellouts are as phony as an Al Trautwig release and the media could care less about them in baseball’s 365 day market and there was no big fallout from Cablevision’s hockey team not playing during the lockout, there would be no problem at all if they were contracted.

NASCAR in New York city and golf tournaments got better ratings here than Ranger playoff games.

The Okposo ot winner at Msg was on last night, half the garden was cheering for the Islanders, sad Dolan directs the organ to drown out fans but all part of what makes the Cablevision Rangers worthless.

NY Americans were the true original team, the New York Islanders are the market’s true championship tradition and the corporate Knick fans who purchase many of Ranger tickets would move on to the next Msg event..

Put a baseball team store in Msg where the Rangers were and it would do far better, an the NHL would be rid of Dolan, who they should have taken the team from.

What would New York do without the Rangers, same thing they did during the lockout, not even notice.

We’ll send you some cupcakes as a going away present, don’t eat those Cablevision hot dogs.

I’d wouldn’t mind rooting for the Leafs. I’d also think of rooting for the Sens, Flames, or Nucks. Idk why, but I’ve always rooted for them in the playoffs when the Rangers are out or something. I just love the passion that their fans have, no matter how good or bad their team is, the fans are still there. Plus all those teams are from Canada so I could understand the passion there, but I wouldn’t mind rooting for those teams. But don’t get me wrong, the Rangers will always be #1