My Favorite Islanders Games Of The Decade

I'm going to the Islanders game tomorrow night. Not only is it my first game of the year, but it's the last home game the Islanders will play in this decade. It hasn't been the best decade in terms of wins and on-ice success, but I've had a ball attending games over the past ten years. Here are the games I've attended that stand out in my mind. It's crazy... the first of these games took place during my freshman year of college. Ten years later, I'm out of school, I've gotten a "real job", I've gotten married and have fathered two kids. And through it all, the Islanders have been solidly mediocre. (Zing!)

Without further adieu, here's the list, broken down by season.

1999-00

- 2.12.00 - Islanders 5, Penguins 1. This was the unquestioned highlight of yet another craptastic year by the Islanders. It drew an unusually large crowd because the game was the host of a protest against SMG, but I didn't really care about that back then. Instead, I cared because it was a game and it was part of my Valentine's Day date with my then-girlfriend Leslie. This was before I realized that you're not supposed to take a girl to a hockey game for Valentine's Day. Either way, it worked; she now has season tickets and her own Islanders blog. Anyway, this game came at a point in time where I was starting to get very interested in hockey again after a few years where the losing drove me away a little bit. That they blew out the dominant Penguins was huge and quite unexpected.

2000-01

- 1.2.01 - Canadiens 3, Islanders 0. There are three things I remember about this game. First, we went with some sort of church youth group and got really good seats. Second, the people we went with thought Zdeno Chara was hilarious and awful and mocked him constantly. Of course, he was hilarious and awful back then. Third, and most importantly, Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore sealed this one by shooting a puck into the empty net that was on our side of the ice. At the time, I was pretty distraught. Then, I realized that only like five goalies have ever scored goals, and I came to realize the significance of the achievement.

Honorable Mention: 11.24.00, Rangers 4, Islanders 3 (first Isles-Rangers game)

2001-02

- 10.13.01 - Red Wings 5, Islanders 4. The score sheet will show that the Islanders blew a lead with under ten seconds left, then lost the game in overtime. But this was the night when the culture at Nassau Coliseum really began to change. Charles Wang came out for the home opener ceremonies and referred to the "first-place Islanders" to a huge ovation. It was also the home debut for both Alexei Yashin and Chris Osgood (Michael Peca was injured). Yes, the Islanders lost the game, but it was a huge sign of things to come.

- 10.20.01 - Islanders 2, Sharks 2. I was named after Bryan Trottier, so when tickets went on sale for the retirement of #19, I was all over it. Not only was Trottier my namesake, but #19 was my number in soccer and hockey. I asked my dad to go, but he turned me down, so I took my (then-girlfriend, but future) wife. The Wednesday before this game, my dad died suddenly, and the funeral was scheduled for the morning of this game, which had a 1 PM start time. I wasn't sure what was the norm for this situation, so I went straight from the funeral to the game. Within two or three hours of each other, I saw my dad laid to rest and then saw the name and number he gave me raised to the Coliseum rafters. It was only years later that I saw the symbolism in all this, and even now I don't totally know what it's supposed to represent, but it's quite eerie.

- 4.28.02 - Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 3. It's impossible to convey the emotion of this game, and this series in general, to someone who didn't experience it. But I'll put it this way. Zach, your Rangers blogger who HATES the Islanders, was at this game... and CHEERED for the Islanders. That's how intense it got. It was the game after Gary Roberts and Darcy Tucker injured Kenny Jonsson and Michael Peca respectively, so the crowd was at a fever pitch. And everyone remembers the fights at the end of the game, but that wasn't even the loudest moment of the night. Before the game, they played a highlight package to "Going the Distance" from the Rocky soundtrack. After the montage, the screen went black and displayed the following... "Let's win this one... for Michael and Kenny." The place went ballistic. I was at Shea Stadium for Endy Chavez's catch in the 2006 playoffs, and the raucous scene after that catch didn't even compare to the Coliseum at that moment. Sure, it's a bit sad that the sporting highlight of my lifetime so far was a non-deciding game of a first-round series the Islanders didn't even win. But there was something so special about that series. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

Honorable Mention: 10.28.02 - Islanders 3, Stars 2 (Peca scores on a breakaway in OT to win the game)

2002-03

No games

2003-04

Honorable Mention: 4.12.04 - Lightning 3, Islanders 0 (First Coliseum tailgate)

2004-05

No games :-(

2005-06

- 2.2.06 - Rangers 5, Islanders 2. This was the first game I attended after the lockout; it was also the first game I attended with Zach. More importantly than these events, though, it was the night I had my first ever pretzel twist. Clearly, it would not be the last. The other thing I remember about this night was being harassed and cursed at for wearing an Islanders jersey, even though the Islanders were the home team.

2006-07

Honorable Mention: 3.8.07 - Rangers 2, Islanders 1 (Simon-Hollweg incident, controversial no-goal call in final minute)

2007-08

- 10.6.07 - Islanders 3, Rangers 2. This game was our first experience with parking lot hockey. Unfortunately, we didn't know enough to bring tennis ball instead of the hard plastic Mylec balls, so we dented a few cars. Sorry. Adding to the pre-game fun was Zach showing up with at least twenty 24-ounce beers for pre-game festivities. The game itself was great, as I attended the game with three Rangers fans and I was able to talk trash to them all night long. Lastly, after the game ended, we went back to our friend Lou's house and played some midnight hockey. Despite being extremely hammered, I managed to score five goals, then threw up immediately after the fifth goal. Good times.

- 11.6.07 - Islanders 3, Rangers 2. The third period of this game was probably the best period of hockey I've ever seen live. The Isles were down 2-1 in the third, but tied it up and later scored to win the game. I still recall Miroslav Satan playing the point late in the third and just having a great feeling about what was coming next. Sure enough, it played out exactly the way my mind had scripted it. I yelled "NOW!", and at that exact second, Satan pinched in from the point, got a pass in the slot and fired it past Henrik Lundqvist for the game-winning goal. This game was on Versus and I was furious that my DVR ran out of space before the amazing third period. I would have saved it forever.

- 12.13.07 - Islanders 3, Coyotes 2. I'd gone to games before with Zach, but this was the first (and, so far, only) time we've gone to a game by ourselves. As cheesy as it sounds, it was a great night of in-depth hockey talk between two people who are a little too into the game - as it turned out, we started this blog two months later. The Coliseum was empty that night due to a bad ice storm, so we had our run of the place and moved all over the arena. We both wore our Gretzky jerseys in the hopes of meeting The Great One after the game. The Coyotes bus didn't stop for us, but he did give us a smile and a wave. That's more than I can say for Jon Sim, who got out of his car to sign autographs... only nobody actually wanted him to sign anything. Ouch.

- 3.21.08 - Islanders 3, Devils 1. This was my first time seeing the Islanders on the road. Rooting for your team at a road game is a totally unique experience. It was a blast. It helped that there were tons of Islanders fans there that night, even though the Isles were nowhere near playoff contention. The trip was also a tremendous eye-opening opportunity to see what a state-of-the-art arena could be like. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the Prudential Center was, and I couldn't help but think about how great the Lighthouse would look. In the end, it was Kyle Okposo's first career goal - the game winner on that night - that would be my best memory of this evening.

2008-09

- 11.26.08 - Penguins 5, Islanders 3. The Islanders blew this game in true 2008-09 fashion by choking away a three-goal lead, just like I knew they would. But this game is memorable because I got to watch it from the lofty perch of the Blog Box. As a result, not only did I get free admission and free parking, but I also got to rub noses with guys like Stan Fischler and Chris Botta. Best of all, I got to enter the Islanders locker room. For a kid who always dreamed of playing for the Islanders, this was beyond cool. I'm not sure if it could get any better than that.

Nashville...

One of my favorite things in life - besides Americanized Mexican food, Internet pastimes not including this blog, and TV shows on DVD - is going to Ranger games outside of New York. I go to enough Ranger games at MSG (I have a half-season package) and I go to a few at the Coliseum every year (although this year I've only been to one, the January 13 2-1 win).

In 2006-07, I went to Boston. The Rangers killed them, 6-1, on a Monday night. Petr Prucha had 2 goals, and the Prucha-Jed Ortmeyer-Matt Cullen line all had 3 points. I also would have gone to both playoff games in Atlanta that year, but I owned a business at the time and couldn't just up and leave, although I was tempted to (and good seats were available in that hockey hotbed the day of both games).

In 2007-08, I planned a 3 in 4 Extravaganza. Three games, 4 nights. The Rangers were playing Wednesday in New Jersey, Thursday in Philadelphia, and Saturday in Pittsburgh. We ended up just going to the first 2, because Pittsburgh is 5 hours from Philadelphia and 7 from NY.

So me and 3 others went to the game in Jersey, which I believe was the 3rd at the Rock ever. Nice place, though it was unfinished then (I have since returned for a Metallica concert, and while the drinks are crazy expensive, it is a nice place... but $10 for a shot of Jameson is nuts). The Devils scored 35 seconds in, Nigel Dawes scored 50 seconds later, the crazy fans behind us shouted "Die, Scotty, Die!" the whole night, two of us moved to very nice seats to see Marc Staal score his first ever NHL goal, and the Rangers won 4-2.

Then, the next day, we went to Philadelphia. Prucha scored on a great shot to make it 3-2 in the 3rd, but the Flyers tied it and the Rangers won in a shootout on a Brendan Shanahan goal.

We didn't go to the Penguins game, but they won 4-3 in overtime on a Jason Strudwick goal. The weird thing about this game was that all 4 goals were by defensemen. Michal Rozsival scored 2 within 4 minutes (one shorthanded), Dan Girardi had one, and then Struds got the winner.

On Super Bowl Sunday, the day the Giants beat the Patriots, I was in Montreal for the NBC game - along with 35 other Ranger fans. The Habs were up 3-0, and then the Rangers scored 5 straight for the great win. I'm pretty sure you could hear the Ranger fans on TV that day. Ryan Hollweg got crushed by Alex Kovalev at one point, then boarded (of course) one of the Flying Kostitsyn Brothers (Sergei?) and got tossed from the game, and I think suspended.

Great city, that Montreal.

* * *

Point being, Thursday is a jumping off point for me. I haven't been to many games this season, for a few reasons. 1) The economy stinks, so if I'm supposed to work a day when I have a game, I sell the tickets to friends so I can work and make money. 2) The team has been mediocre, which I can watch, but for a while the team wasn't even likable, so I didn't want to spend the money (train, bar, food, tickets, etc.) to go.

Thursday, though, I'll be at the game, then I'll be at Sunday's game vs. Philly, then a game March 24th vs. Minnesota, and finally April 7 vs. Montreal.

Thursday's game is in Nashville, Tennessee, marking my 2nd foray into Music City, and first for a Predators game. We got very good seats, and I'm jazzed. Okay, to be honest, I'm not sure if the seats are good. It's a goofy system they have, with row A, then row AA somewhere. I think I'm in row CC, which is either 3rd row or like 14th row or something. Couldn't make sense of floor plans there, and I'm not an idiot either. Hockey hotbed, it is not.

Nashville is a great city though, and I'm very curious to how their fanbase is. I think they have a good core of fans, somewhere around 12,000 season subscribers, but they only sell a little over 13,000 tickets per game, so the city isn't rabid about the Predators. I do also hear people from Nashville calling the XM Home Ice channel (channel 204) once in a while.

They also have a good team who is hot. They've won 6th straight although they didn't get any help at the trade deadline.

Please answer the poll question on which jersey I should wear to the game.

If I'm lucky, I'll get to see Hugh Jessiman's first NHL game! (No, that's not true, he won't be there.)

* * *

By the way, 78 goals were scored in the NHL tonight! Not one of them was a shootout goal, either! The Islanders beat the Devils 7-3; Carolina won 9-3 over Tampa Bay; Columbus beat the Wings 8-2. Crazy night. There was also only one 1-goal game (LA over Minnesota, 4-3).

Road Trip: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils

On Friday night, my friend Leslie and I left the cozy cofines of Long Island and headed to Newark to watch our beloved Islanders on the road. We took this trip last year and were rewarded by a solid victory, highlighted by Kyle Okposo's first NHL goal. We had high hopes for a similar result this year.

However, I had a few doubts. As I walked to the train station, I thought about the Islanders' play of late and I realized one thing - they hadn't had a game where they played like crap in a while. That sort of scared me. Still, I was salivating at the prospect of facing Kevin Weekes and a decimated Devils team, so I was excited.

The train ride was as much fun as could be expected. We did some quality pre-gaming and did the Islanders Illustrated trivia quiz (I dominated). All in all, it wasn't bad. We grabbed McDonald's at Penn Station, headed for the PATH Train, and we were on our way to Jersey. Sadly, the PATH Train killed my buzz, as you're not allowed to drink, eat, or pretty much do anything on the PATH Train. That's because the trains and their stations are immaculate. I'd eat off their floors, that's how clean they are.

Anyway, for those of you who are looking to make the trip, here's what you do: Take the LIRR to Penn Station, then walk to the PATH station. It's on Sixth Avenue between 32nd and 33rd street. Hop on the PATH, get off at Journal Station, then just walk right across the platform and hop on the train that takes you to Newark. It's that simple.

Somehow, we ended up finding a shortcut inside the train station itself and found ourselves right across the street from the Prudential Center. Which was a very welcome discovery, since it was freezing that night. It also prevented us from getting mugged as Barry Melrose ominously predicted a year or so ago. We probably got to the door of The Rock at about 6:50, 15 minutes before gametime. There was a considerable crowd getting in, probably because there were like four people scanning tickets at the arena's only entrance. I guess they're not used to people going to their games. (Zing!)

(Note: I took a ton of pictures, but they're all on my cell phone. I'll find a way to get them up here somehow.)

The Prudential Center concourse was pretty much as I remembered it from last year - huge, full of shops, and very bright. It didn't take long for people to start heckling us, but we didn't care. We were too in awe of our surroundings. All around the arena, the uniforms of various youth teams hang, which was a very nice touch. What wasn't a nice touch, though, is the one escalator available for the upper two levels. This caused a considerable delay until they finally decided to open up a second escalator.

We eventually got to our seats and literally didn't even have time to sit down before the National Anthem started. We were very surprised to find our seats were in the stadium's very top row. Even more surprising, we weren't able to touch the ceiling like at the Coliseum. More surprising than that, there was considerable open room behind us, including a stairway that led to the upper-level concourse. Not all that surprisingly, we weren't at all threatened by Devils fans. That's not a knock on Devils fans, by the way; it's just that most of them were really cool where we sat.

As the game was getting started, the game ops staff turned on Triple H's theme music - "Time to play the game!". That was a nice touch. It immediately gave me more faith in their sound guy than the sound guy at the Coliseum, who apparently owns the world's largest emo collection. The Islanders really need to hire the guy at Mellon Arena who plays bands like Slayer and Megadeth. Anyway, the first period was fairly uneventful. We spent a lot of time talking to the guy sitting in front of us. He was one of those cynical Islander fans who is determined to find the negatives of a three-game winning streak. Unfortunately, his prophecy of doom was fulfilled as the Devils got two goals off deflections in the period's final two minutes. Suddenly, a decent period of hockey turned into a considerable deficit. But here's the surprising thing about the Devils' two goals. After the goals, the Devils fans did the "Hey! You suck!" thing. You know, the thing during the "Rock & Roll, Part 2" song that got the Islanders to change their goal song this year? Well, that's now a Devils thing, along with the "Potvin Sucks" chant. Only instead of chanting about Denis Potvin, they say "Rangers Suck". How original.

Heading back into the concourse, I heard the phrase "douchebag Islander fans" and immediately looked over to see some guy making fun of me. That was nice. Thankfully, he was the exception to the rule. Most people there were pretty good and kept their remarks limited to good-natured ribbing. Personally, I was in awe of The Rock's menu choices. Walking out of the arena part, I was greeted with multiple bathrooms and beer stands in every direction. Clearly, this arena was growing on me. We got some brews and were happy to learn every concession stand in the Prudential Center takes credit and debit cards. That's a good thing, because I never carry cash. We made our way to a different stand that served all kinds of food - and I do mean all kinds. Leslie got a knish, while I got a stuffed cupcake. The cupcake was only stuffed with chocolate frosting and cost $4.50, but where else can you get a cupcake at a hockey game? That was very impressive.

During the second period, we talked to our buddy in the next row again. He asked me the question I'd been dreading all night: "If the Islanders move, who are you going to root for?" After a good minute of stammering, the Islanders scored a goal to break up the conversation. Thank God. The Devils, of course, responded with yet another deflection goal. The two teams ended up trading goals once more before the period ended, leaving us with a 4-2 deficit. The period didn't end before a rather oddly-timed fight between Tim Jackman and Bryce Salvador which didn't do much to raise our spirits.

The second intermission brought more beers... at a cost. You know how I said all the concession stands take cards? Well, if you ever go to the soda/beer/deli stand across from Section 226, be careful, because apparently cards crash that particular register. It took an entire intermission for the register to reboot so we could give the guy cash for our two humongous cans of Foster's (Austrailian For Beer), which were $10 each. Best part - they let you bring the big can to your seat instead of dumping it into a stupid plastic cup.

Sadly, that would be the final highlight of the evening. We all know what happened next. Mike Mottau decked Frans Nielsen, who was by far the Isles' best player of the night. It was hard to judge the hit from way up at the top of the Prudential Center, but all I could see was that Mottau got his arms up. Turns out he practically swung at Nielsen's head. In fact, if Mottau was one foot to his right, that'd have looked a lot like the Chris Simon hit on Ryan Hollweg. Of course, Colin Campbell didn't see things that way and gave Mottau a slap on the wrist. It was also funny to see Brent Sutter pretend Mottau didn't do anything wrong, yet when Doug Weight took Brandon Sutter out with a clean hit, it was the most heinous act ever performed in an NHL arena.

In any event, the Foster's at least got my buzz back, just in time to leave The Rock and face a freezing cold New Jersey evening. On the way out, we were given Devils pucks; apparently, we attended a promotional game. Whoo-hoo. The puck's in my desk drawer at work if anybody wants it. But the hockey-related portion of our evening was not done just yet.

We stopped off at the Christopher Street PATH Station, as Leslie said she knew of some quality bars in the area. By this time, my buzz was gone yet again, done in by frigid temperatures and a lot of walking. We finally happened upon a place called the Peculier Pub, which she said had just about every beer in the whole world. She wasn't kidding. They had just about anything you could ever ask for, including this monstrosity...

That would be a beer called "Faxe". It's a Danish beer served in a 33.8 can (that's one liter) and costs $7.50. Needless to say, after this beer, my buzz was back in full effect and then some. It's not every day you get hammered three times in one night, so that was nice. What was also nice was walking into this place and immediately hearing random comments like "1983!" and "Islanders suck!". Not exactly what I was expecting.

But nothing compared to what happened after the beers really started flowing. Suddenly, about half the bar joined in a rousing chorus of "Beat Your Wife, Potvin, Beat Your Wife!". This was followed by about twenty different "Potvin Sucks!" chants and a few other random anti-Islander chants. Maybe it was the booze, but I didn't mind this at all. If anything, I enjoyed it. I actually liked it better than being booed for standing and cheering after the Islanders scored their goals at the Prudential Center. Why? Because it showed me that people really do care about hockey. If we could just walk into a New York City bar wearing Islanders gear and immediately be reviled for doing so, then it says a lot about the state of hockey and the Islanders-Rangers rivalry. Sometimes, you walk around town, not seeing a single hockey jersey, and think people are losing interest in the game. Not so. Maybe it takes a large number of obscure, well-priced beers, but hockey is alive and well in New York. And it wasn't just at the Peculier Pub, either. At least ten people that night asked us about the score or if we were going to the game. It was nice to see. Something tells me the Knicks don't get these kind of inquiries and aren't subject to raucous chants at local bars.

After we left Peculier Pub, we took a town car back to Penn Station, which proved to be an expensive cab ride. Not just because it cost a ridiculous $20, but because Leslie lost her cell phone in the car. Whoops. We got on a 1:16 train, were back in Hicksville around 2, and I was in bed by 3. Which was a good thing, because I had work at 8 the next morning. And yes, I'm aware that the next day was a Saturday. I've had many, many better work days than that Saturday morning on four hours sleep and with a mild hangover.

All in all, it was an excellent night. I could have done without the Islanders loss, but seeing them on the road is always an awesome thing. Our next road trip aims to be to Arena at Harbor Yard for a Sound Tigers game. But this trip to The Rock was enough excitement for while. It's also worth noting that of the Islanders' last six games, the only game they didn't win was the one in which we trekked to another state to watch the game. Now, if that doesn't explain the plight of a devoted Islanders fan, I don't know what does.

Preparing For Tomorrow Night

I'm headed to The Rock tomorrow night for the Islanders-Devils game. Should be a good one. Both teams are playing well of late, both are relying on quality work from backup goalies... we've got two evenly-matched teams here. The Devils have the edge in terms of talent, but the Isles have beaten better teams. Who will take this one? We'll find out in 24 hours.

Anyway. If you're headed to the game, feel free to drop me a line at captconjunction@yahoo.com. Maybe we can meet up for some humongous $10 Coronas.

The point of this post? Pretty much just to gush over how nice the Prudential Center is. Both Zach and myself visited The Rock last year. When I texted Zach to ask for some pointers, his reply was a bit ominous: "Don't carry a wallet, don't talk to anybody, and make sure you're in a large group." Turns out we didn't have much to worry about. In fact, the biggest annoyance was some homeless guy who kept asking me for a dollar at the PATH Train Station. For some reason, this was a like ten-minute negotiation. Guess I had too much Olde English on the train ride out to Jersey.

But the walk over from the PATH Station was quite nice. As was just about everything else in there. Walking around The Rock, I felt the same way I felt walking through Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies' new stadium. This is what going to a game should be like. At The Rock, I was afraid to do pretty much anything, because it's just too nice in there. I didn't want to spill anything or mess anything up.

I'm looking forward to seeing this place once more tomorrow night. No word on who's starting for the Devils, but the smart money says Scott Clemmensen could get the nod again. Either way, it's a game worth checking out. You should check it out as well; as always, good seats are still available. If you've ever wanted to see what the Lighthouse might be like, come out to the Prudential Center and see a sneak preview. Of course, there'd be one big difference - Islander fans might actually come to the games if they were played in such a wonderful building.

Random Notes - Again

1) Rough night on TV last night. I was so looking forward to San Jose-Calgary, but it was on Versus. Which meant it wasn't being shown on Center Ice. So when Philadelphia-Washington ran late, I couldn't catch the late game, even if I paid $169 for the right to watch every game this season. Thankfully, nothing really happened in the first period... or so we're told.

2) At the close of last night's studio show on Versus, Rick DiPietro said he hopes the Islanders miss the playoffs so he could come back and do more analysis. He was joking. I think. Anyway, he didn't do too badly. That said, I still maintain that if the Isles could have gotten into the playoffs, DP could have stolen them a round. And after that, nobody would have had a problem with an Islanders-Rangers Winter Classic. Still, nice to see DP marketed as a star - the NHL needs to do more things like this.

3) Speaking of the Islanders, kudos to their TV team. You can always tell who the good announcers and analysts are by their post-season assignments; that is, if you're sitting at home during the playoffs, you're probably nothing special. The Islanders have Deb Placey (aka Deb Kaufman) and Butch Goring in the MSG studio - not the biggest deal, but it's something. Howie Rose is doing his usual great job with the Mets on WFAN, and Billy Jaffe is working for Versus. We're spoiled by good announcers in the New York area; I, for one, certainly appreciate it. I still miss Gary Thorne on SportsChannel and ESPN, though.

4) The new trend this year in the playoffs is (home team color)-outs. It used to be something you'd see in Winnipeg/Phoenix, Calgary, and pretty much nowhere else. The Islanders did it in 2002, but never did it again. Then the Miami Heat did it when they won the NBA Finals two years ago, and now everyone's back on the bandwagon. I'll admit, it looks pretty cool. No, it looks really cool.

But it's sort of teetering on the point of ridiculousness now. The Flyers had an orange-out in their two home games, which was in direct response to the red-out of the Capitals. But let's not forget that both of these teams ditched their respective colors fairly recently, thanks in large part to the all-important "focus groups" and "key demographics". The Caps changed to a blue motif in 1995, while the Flyers went to black uniforms in 2000. Now, everyone is supposed to forget all about that and embrace these colors? Sounds gimmicky to me.

Now that the trend has started, though, don't look for it to stop anytime soon. Even the Dallas Stars have gotten in on the action, calling for a black-out. As if hockey doesn't have enough trouble drawing fans. Now everyone will think all hockey fans are angry emo kids. Ugh. Anyway, in the link, the excellent Greg Wyshynski asks the question that matters most to the fans - if you've put a ton of money into a white jersey of your favorite player, why should you now be forced to leave it at home?

And, finally...

5) It's crazy to think that after four relatively even-played games, the Rangers could win the series tonight. And the only loss on their record would be in overtime. Now that would be impressive. The Rock should be electric tonight, even if it's due mostly to rabid Ranger fans. And you know the Devils won't go down without a fight (or at least a good whine or two), so we're in for a treat tonight.

Let's Go... Rangers?

"I don't mean to sound defensive... but some of you might find this offensive."
- The coach from the NHL Network commercials

No, I'm not going to call my offense my defense and my defense my offense. But I am doing something that could easily be considered offensive. It's only for a short period of time... and trust me, I do not feel good about it.

I'm turning to the darkside.

After a lifetime of hating the Rangers, I'm rooting for them in their first-round series against the Devils. It's not going to be an easy thing, but I feel like it's the right thing to do. Consider it an endorsement; after all, we're in an election year.

Why, you ask? Two main reasons come to mind.

1) I've gone on record many, many times as stating that a good Rangers team is good for the league. I want to see the NHL restored to its former glory... a glory, coincidentally enough, that peaked when the Rangers won their last Stanley Cup in 1994. A Rangers playoff run is something the NHL desperately needs. It will generate interest in hockey in a major market. It will increase TV ratings. It will get people talking about hockey in an area where basketball isn't in direct competition. All of these things aren't just good - they're necessary.

What does a good team in a major market do for a sport? Well, think about how many people in New York are talking about basketball now that the Knicks are awful. Think about how many New Yorkers follow college football and college basketball, given that the top teams are hundreds of miles away. Think about how little baseball is discussed in New York when the Mets and Yankees are out of the playoffs. And most people consider New York to be a baseball town. So, then, if baseball can't even sustain itself here when the local teams aren't good, how could hockey possibly be expected to succeed?

We all know hockey fans are generally a niche group of hardcore supporters. But the NHL needs the casual fan to succeed. That's where the Rangers come in. They're a big-market team. They're supposed to be good. Or at least that's what people who don't follow hockey would think. A Cup run for the Rangers would do a lot of good toward capturing the imagination of these people - the people the NHL needs to convert into hockey fans.

2) Going along with the first point, if casual fans are going to be watching playoff hockey - by far, the most exciting tournament in sports - they deserve to watch quality hockey played by quality teams. By that, I mean that they should not be subjected to the horrifically unwatchable style of hockey fashioned by the New Jersey Devils.

Aside from seeing their own teams succeed, hockey fans only ask for a few things out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They want good, exciting hockey played in front of passionate fans. They want highlight-reel goals. They want games that go to triple overtime... but not too many of them. They want to see superstars show their brilliance, long-suffering grinders achieve glory, and new players emerge to stake a claim to elite status. The Devils can provide none of these things. Do you really want to have the Devils - a team with no offense, a boring style, and a half-empty arena - be the team that's charged with showcasing all that's good about the NHL? Do you want this to be the team you show to your friends who don't follow hockey? God, I hope not.

Have you ever seen Devils highlights and wondered why they play that damn goal siren at deafening levels? It's because nobody's cheering for the home team, and the noise has to come from somewhere... so they play the foghorn at 200 decibels. You'll hear fans at The Rock in the first round because Ranger fans are going to fill the place. In fact, there's a pretty good chance that the Devils home games will resemble the scene at the Coliseum last Thursday, when Ranger fans celebrated in delerium as they clinced their playoff spot in enemy territory.

Will I actually applaud the Rangers as they succeed against the Devils? Probably not. But they do have my support. Unlike a lot of Islander fans, I understand the Rangers' place in the game. This is a team the NHL needs to be prominently featured among the league's elite. The Rangers might not be the free-wheeling, score-at-will team we'd all like to see, but they're far more watchable (and marketable) than the Devils. And if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that we don't need another Devils snoozefest in the Stanley Cup Final.

I'm not on the bandwagon. I'm just doing the right thing. And doing the right thing isn't always easy.