The ice is painted. The jerseys have patches sewn on the shoulders. The stores are filled with shirts. Even the beer cups have the New York Rangers 85th anniversary logo on it.
A couple of years too early, but indeed, the Rangers are fully immersed in celebrating the 85th anniversary of the hockey club. I wonder if this will go until their actual 8th anniversary. Seeing as there are lots of expensive renovations to do to Madison Square Garden, James Dolan and his gang can really milk this thing for all it’s worth.
In fact, the Rangers are either 83 or 84 years old, depending on how you look at it. See, the Rangers first year of hockey was in 1926. That makes 2010 technically the 84th year. However, a lockout destroyed the entire 2004-05 season (as we all vaguely remember), which brings us to the small but irrefutable fact that this is the New York Rangers’ 83rd season in the NHL.
I’ll help you with the math if you don’t believe me. Ten seasons in each of the 30s (1930-31 to 1939-40), 40s, 50, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s makes 70 seasons. Then there were 4 seasons in the 20s (26-27, 27-28, 28-29, 29-30) and the 2010-11 season makes 9 seasons so far in the 2000s.
I have a friend who I play golf with sometimes. He’ll kick the ball from the rough into the fairway - a good 15 years - and not count it as a stroke. If a putt lands within 6 feet of the hole, he’ll pick it up and say, “That’s a gimme.” But he won’t count the “gimme” stroke, just the one that landed before the hold. We call this “funny math” and it seems that’s what MSG is using.
To be honest, I’m even a little confused at how Madison Square Garden came up with this idea. I guess to the 2011-1926 is 85, which is true. But that’s also like celebrating your 1st birthday on January 1st of the next year, even if you’re born in December.
What’s funnier is that I haven’t even heard anybody question this logic. Someone should tell quintessential team player Marty Biron about it before he debuts that 85th anniversary helmet in November.
After all, I wouldn’t want Biron to be an unwitting part of a marketing ploy. I really like that guy.
Actually, you flunked math, too. It is the Rangers' 85th season, 84th if you subtract the strike year. I'll try a quick explanation: when a baby is 3 months old, he's in his 1st year, even though he hasn't reached his 1st birthday (he's not in his "0th"). Similarly, 1926-7 was the Rangers' 1st season. The correct way to calculate the number of seasons is to subtract 1926 from 2011 (and subtract one, if you want, for the strike year). If you don't believe me, actually count out each season.
ReplyDeleteYour larger point, however, is correct. The Rangers are neither 85 years old nor is it (because of the strike year) their 85th season.
Nick