When did you realize the season was over for all intensive purposes?
As much of a realist/pessimist that I am, last night during the Devils game I realized that the fat lady started singing(the blues on broadway....sorry I had to)... It all became clear to me when i heard Doc Emerick (sp?) spoke, "Colton Orr is out there with Marty Straka and Michael Nylander"
What was it that made you realize the season was over?
Last edited by LiquidClown: 02-08-2007 at 03:36 AM.
After camp when only Dawes made the team. I knew Renney was a bad coach last year. That this team wouldn't rebuild if possible. I knew the way Renney constructed the team last year was idiotic. He did the same thing again. I predicted after camp this team wouldn't make the playoffs.
When it became clear the coach would not be fired, about a month ago after horrible coaching choices and a nice losing streak. Renney can't lead this team to the playoffs if Jagr isn't leading the league in points and lundqvist isn't playing like a god.
Against Tampa, it defenitly felt like the team were in a state of "please not again" when they started scoring in the 3rd. Against Detroit it were also obvious how "afraid" we were when they made it 3-2.
Of course its allot of "ifs" and otherwise just pure speculation. But over a span of 15 games we have lost three 2-3 goal leads in the 3rd, or not only lost the leads but lost the games in the 3rd. If we win that first game against Florida, I guess that 3 goal lead in Tampa is safe for example...
Against Tampa, it defenitly felt like the team were in a state of "please not again" when they started scoring in the 3rd. Against Detroit it were also obvious how "afraid" we were when they made it 3-2.
Of course its allot of "ifs" and otherwise just pure speculation. But over a span of 15 games we have lost three 2-3 goal leads in the 3rd, or not only lost the leads but lost the games in the 3rd. If we win that first game against Florida, I guess that 3 goal lead in Tampa is safe for example...
IMO that is just 3 examples of why we suck and aren't good enough to make the playoffs. they didn't blow the games against tb and det because they lost to florida, the blew the leads in all 3 games because thats what bad teams do they find ways to lose.
It is not over yet. I felt we are in trouble when Moore was traded for Hall, Rucchin and Sykora were let go, Rusinski wasn't signed and Lundqvist-Jagr duo vanished. Basically when Jagr fell on his elbow and report came that there is nothing to it, I realized that he in fact re-injured it and that was the end without the beginning.
Jagr's dislocated shoulder in the playoffs last year. Lets face it - he hasn't been the same since. Last year everyone said Jagr carried the team and deserved to be the MVP. In the beginning of the year everyone said the Rangers would go as far as Jagr carried them. But Jagr's frustration grew rather than diminished as the year progressed. He might be healed, but his confidence has not. When he was getting points earlier in the year - it was because Straka & Nylander were playing awesome, and Jagr was actually playing down at their level, and not Jagr playing as he is capable of.
They've lost a HUGE number of games by one goal. Add a few extra goals by Jagr & Company - and those turn into wins.
He shoots less, hits the net much less, and makes immediate passes rather than him holding onto the puck and making something happen. If Jagr was playing like last year - I believe we definitely would be in the top 8 right now, and potentially fighting with the Devils for the conference.
A distant second:
When the COP line was dismantled.
Renney has "searched" all season long for good line combinations, and only had the discipline to keep the Jagr line together for the most part (excluding the occasional Hollweg / Orr / Ward). He finds a line that CLEARLY was gelling from the first time on the ice. Even Renney had to notice it. Halleluiah! Right? Nope - lets put Prucha-Cullen- Shanahan back together even though the line NEVER showed chemistry. I've been trying to tell myself that Renney knows what he is doing and is doing a good or at least decent job. But this was the last straw that made me finally think - perhaps he really doesn't have a clue.
After camp when only Dawes made the team. I knew Renney was a bad coach last year. That this team wouldn't rebuild if possible. I knew the way Renney constructed the team last year was idiotic. He did the same thing again. I predicted after camp this team wouldn't make the playoffs.
IMO that is just 3 examples of why we suck and aren't good enough to make the playoffs. they didn't blow the games against tb and det because they lost to florida, the blew the leads in all 3 games because thats what bad teams do they find ways to lose.
And teams with confidence finds way to win at times. Anyone rememeber Philly's stretch last season when they kept winning and winning on the road without Forsberg? Whats the diffrence between that team and the one we see this season? They had confidence.
I agree though, we would defenitly not be a better team, and we would still have the flaws we have. But lets say Florida don't score thoose 3 goals, maybe just 2 and Lundqvist wins it for us in the SO, I defenitly belive it could have had a big impact in the Tampa game ect ect.
That game were early in the 7 game skid, which defenitly affected the confidence of this team. Before that we were able to come back really strong several times against really good teams like Buffalo. The results of thoose 8-9 minutes defenitly have ripped out a big part of the little confidence this team had.
It's only absurd to Rangers fans who have no vision or clue how a winning team is constructed. People should have learned their lesson from the end of last season. Teams with 6 forwards who have no offensive ability and 4 defenseman who stink, don't win when it matters and teams know how to play with the rules.
The Rangers took advantage of a league that didn't understand how to play with the new rules. Those days were over the end of the last season.
The moment for me wasnt really a moment, it was a stretch of games...you might be familiar with it...it spanned December 14th to December 29th. For those of you who dont remember.
December 14th: Rangers play an absolutely terrible game against the Dallas stars, however a miraculous performance by Henrik Lundqvist leads this team to victory. The Rangers have now won 5 games in a row.
December 16th: Rangers play much the same against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Henrik simply doesnt show up. Rangers get ANNIHILATED 9-2
December 17th: Following a complete dismantling at the hands of the Leafs, the Rangers face a division rival with a chance to redeem themselves. They dont show up again, get killed 6-1
December 19th: Rangers play the Islanders, have a chance to end miserable stretch of games, play better, but still lose 4-3.
December 21st: Rangers clearly come out to play against the Panthers. Playing very well through 2 periods and enter the 3rd period up 2-0. They proceed to give up 3 goals and lose the game, not even getting a point for their effort.
December 23rd: Rangers have to end their streak, something must be done. They come out guns-a-blazing. Take a 3-0 lead into the 3rd against a team that has yet to come from behind in the 3rd to win a game. Rangers proceed to give up 4 goals, and AGAIN fail to pick up a point.
December 26th: Rangers again have to play the Islanders, a team that has owned them for the whole year, the proceed to get shut out 2-0, and simply do not show anything in the ways of offense.
December 29th. Rangers have now lost 6 games in a row, they tighten up on defense, yielding only 1 goal to the high powered Sens, however they forget you need to actually put pucks in the net to win. Rangers lose 1-0 and are on a 7 game losing streak.
The moment for me wasnt really a moment, it was a stretch of games...you might be familiar with it...it spanned December 14th to December 29th. For those of you who dont remember.
December 14th: Rangers play an absolutely terrible game against the Dallas stars, however a miraculous performance by Henrik Lundqvist leads this team to victory. The Rangers have now won 5 games in a row.
December 16th: Rangers play much the same against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Henrik simply doesnt show up. Rangers get ANNIHILATED 9-2
December 17th: Following a complete dismantling at the hands of the Leafs, the Rangers face a division rival with a chance to redeem themselves. They dont show up again, get killed 6-1
December 19th: Rangers play the Islanders, have a chance to end miserable stretch of games, play better, but still lose 4-3.
December 21st: Rangers clearly come out to play against the Panthers. Playing very well through 2 periods and enter the 3rd period up 2-0. They proceed to give up 3 goals and lose the game, not even getting a point for their effort.
December 23rd: Rangers have to end their streak, something must be done. They come out guns-a-blazing. Take a 3-0 lead into the 3rd against a team that has yet to come from behind in the 3rd to win a game. Rangers proceed to give up 4 goals, and AGAIN fail to pick up a point.
December 26th: Rangers again have to play the Islanders, a team that has owned them for the whole year, the proceed to get shut out 2-0, and simply do not show anything in the ways of offense.
December 29th. Rangers have now lost 6 games in a row, they tighten up on defense, yielding only 1 goal to the high powered Sens, however they forget you need to actually put pucks in the net to win. Rangers lose 1-0 and are on a 7 game losing streak.
There endith the season.
That was when I posted the thread that stated I thought it might be better to just keep losing, so everyone (management/ownership) would see what a lousy team we had, and changes would happen. Unfortunately just what I stated I was afraid would happen happened, we won JUST enough games to make everyone think we had a chance to contend, and nothing was changed.
I don't think the season is over yet, but it's certainly on the brink.
For me a key date was Dec. 14th against Dallas.
I saw a Ranger team that just looked like it was in serious trouble and while some people were of "How could you complain, this team won 5 in a row, they've turned the page, blah blah blah" all of the warning signs were there.
After that game they proceeded to no longer "get away with" what they were.
From Toronto on it's all be exposed and hanging out there, simply put this team can't hang with certain other teams and this team struggles to hold a lead.
In a lot of ways this was the same thing as last year and just like last year there were people convincing themselves that this team wasn't getting away with stuff it would not be able to continously get away with.
Even if we have a slight chance of still making it, I think the game that showed me the most of why we probably will not was the detroit game. I was as optimistic as some of the people who posted in this thread until I watched that complete collapse and in some ways it summed up the season for me.
My smartass answer would be the moment we signed Matt Cullen, a move I hated , screamed about it and, as often the case, was accused of hating everything about the Rangers..
How things have changed...I agree with EDGE that the season is not yet over, but it is very close...
Can't say I can back this up with anything more then hope though...
Even with Cullen and no 2nd C, I always thought this team had the talent and parts to be a PO team...I still think that way...
But Tom Renney has almost completley worn me down. We have a team that has no shred of chemistry still and,for most of the year, has lacked effort, heart, smarts and motivation...All things we had last year and things that can camoflouge flaws---for awhile and all things a coach can partly control..Tom Renney has been utterley incompetent and totally unbable to coachmotivate this team and put players in the best position to succeed..
Over the past two weeks my brain has been telling me this won't change, but my heart holds out hope that it will because I hate losing and I hate giving up on a season.
how the season is over??? ok, yes we're not at all contenders but everyone is making it seem like we have no shot. Around here, I thought the same thing. Then I checked the standings:
The Hurricanes are currently in 8th place with 61 pts. We have two games in hand on them (a luxury we usually do not have). Lets say we win our next two games against the Lightning and Caps. We're just two points off then. Talk to me when the standings are the same with 5 games left in the season. But right now, we're pretty much in it.
I say, we give Henrik a rest, let him breath after 18 straight and come back. Our last few games (not counting the 3rd pd vs. DET) have been good hockey.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingHenrik35
"It aint over till it's over" Call me a optomist, but untill there is no mathmatical way they can get in I will continue to hold out hope.
I like your sig, but it's not a few more years...my son is 12, my daughter is 10. Neither was old enough to be paying attention the last time we won a playoff game. 12 years old and he hasn't seen a playoff win!!!
I knew there was going to be a bad season in store when the Rangers won the second game of the season against the Flyers in Philly 5-4 in a shootout. I realized that it was way too early for this team to be playing like the playoff swept version of the end of the last season.
I didnt think it was over then, but definately some foreshadowing.
