How many view the half season cup win by the devils in 95 with an asterisk because it was the devils? How many of you will view this year's cup winner as a tainted one? Personally speaking, the shortened season doesn't do anything to damper my mind for the prize that awaits the winner. The 48 game season just puts a different spin on the season. All of teams will still play their hearts out and the eventual winner will have earned a place on the Stanley cup.

For me, part of the quest for the Cup is not just the talent but the long journey to get there.
Whoever wins this year, would certainly get my respect - but I imagine I'd be thinking to myself, "Well..it's only 48 games, not 82."
Yes, in my mind they'd get an asterisk due to the half-season - even if it's the Rangers.

quote:

Originally posted by PG67:
For me, part of the quest for the Cup is not just the talent but the long journey to get there.
Whoever wins this year, would certainly get my respect - but I imagine I'd be thinking to myself, "Well..it's only 48 games, not 82."
Yes, in my mind they'd get an asterisk due to the half-season - even if it's the Rangers.

I get it, but it still will take the same amount of playoff games which in my opinion is where it really matters.

I think it might be harder to win in a 48 game season than a full season. No Allstar break, no time to recover if hit by the injury bug.No time for slumps. No thinking we can take a game off here or there, lots of games to make up for it. Pedal to the metal for 99 days, just to get in.

Good points, guys.

It's not an 82-game grind, though.

i have always liked the fact that it is a long grind to win a cup and that is what makes hockey so good in my eyes but i also liked that short season back then because they played every other night and it was action packed that year.
they may have less games but all the teams have less room for error as well as the better teams will not be able to pull away like they can in a longer season.

you go into a 5 to 10 game skid with only pulling out a couple wins and that will bite you in the butt come seasons end.

at the time i busted chops with the devils that season but it was mostly because it was the devils and i am a ranger fan so you always wanted to have something to say to diminish it.

but someone has to win it and it might as well be the team i root for and at the very least it can serve two purposes for me as a ranger fan.
it will end the drought and it is another time for the team to get their name on it and anytime you can get that chance you take it. short season or not.

who's to say you can't come back the following season and do it again to prove your the real deal?
this team is getting better every year and we still have a ways to go and not even peaked as a team.

As long as we win the Cup I don't care if its in 82 games or 48. A Championship is still a Championship

NYR Stanley Cup Champions 2013

To say it is harder or easier to win a during a 48 game season is up for debate. Its a different type of season, but the same stanley cup.

I do not view a shortened season as a deterrent. What I will struggle with is how the fans have been treated and how long it will take for the bitter taste to go away. I'm psyched for tomorrow, but my heart isn't in it 100 percent...yet.

quote:

Originally posted by RZ Bure:
I do not view a shortened season as a deterrent. What I will struggle with is how the fans have been treated and how long it will take for the bitter taste to go away. I'm psyched for tomorrow, but my heart isn't in it 100 percent...yet.

for me, attending a parade in the canyon of hero's in june would be a good way to permanently remove that bitter taste from my mouth and all will be forgiven.

It's definitely tainted, ask any Ranger fan that commented after the Devils win in 95(the same fans who chanted "We don't want you" last year but will cheer wildly for Nash tonight).
How about 'speak now', no using the shortened season as an excuse if things go wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by PG67:
Good points, guys.

It's not an 82-game grind, though.

Agreed. I would say it's not the exact same achievement. That doesn't mean I'm going to root less for them to win it all.

quote:

Originally posted by kc1313:
It's definitely tainted, ask any Ranger fan that commented after the Devils win in 95(the same fans who chanted "We don't want you" last year but will cheer wildly for Nash tonight).
How about 'speak now', no using the shortened season as an excuse if things go wrong.

i don't think it will be tainted and even though i root against the devils it did not taint them as being one of the better teams in the league for the last 18 years.

if things go wrong then they go wrong, that is the way the cookie crumbles and every team takes that chance and if the rangers have a bad season and go backwards then i don't think a extra 34 games will make a difference.

they are either gonna pick up where they left off or they are gonna take a dump.

also just because most ranger fans downplayed the devils winning that cup, it will not give the devils fans any fodder on us because they won it that way too and to say we accomplished very little by doing so then they will be finally admitting after 18 years the same towards their own team.

i am not gonna go and count my chickens before they hatch but if by some chance it did end with the rangers on top it would be kind of like a poetic justice because i think the shortened season back in 95 screwed the rangers out of defending their title.
the team lost players from the cup that year but by the time 96 came around they were a significantly different team on the roster and coaching staff.