Joe's Reaction of the Week (Chip's Version): The Only People Smiling About the Fox Injury Are…Well, You Know

Joe's not here this week, having been banished from this country for hating America, Thanksgiving, and all that is good about it. So, instead of his reaction of the week you get mine—whether you like it or not.

Somewhere the hockey gods have once again spun their mystical wheel of “Who Gets Hurt This Week,” and—because the universe enjoys watching New York Rangers fans experience the full spectrum of emotional turbulence—it landed squarely on Adam Fox. Injuries are nothing new for the Rangers. But injuries that actually force the Rangers to not play the injured player are, so you know this one is no bueno.

One moment he’s quarterbacking the power play like he’s conducting a symphony, and the next Rangers fans are staring at lineup updates the way parents look at school closure listings during a snowstorm: with a mix of dread and resignation.

The collective mood in Rangersland? A combination of horror, despair, denial, and the sort of bargaining usually reserved for when you're hoping a cop didn't catch you run a red light in a school zone. People who haven’t prayed since middle school algebra suddenly rediscovered the concept while frantically refreshing X for updates.

What had been one of, if not the best defensive pairs in the NHL is broken up, an anemic power play lost its quarterback, and the Rangers are left scrambling to put things together with duct tape and hope.

But of course, for every legitimately concerned Rangers fan, there is… the Fox hater.

Yes, the elusive, mysterious, perpetually aggrieved creature who resents Adam Fox not because he’s done anything wrong, but because, despite existing as one of the best defensemen in the NHL, he does not hit enough people. After a season of having to lurk in the shadows because of how great Fox has been with Vladislav Gavrikov, Fox haters are out here experiencing what can only be described as a spiritual awakening.