Thank God we got that monkey off our backs!

I'd resisted posting anything New York Rangers-related until now, because they had a great pre-season (as if that ever meant anything) and then started off with back-to-back wins, against Washington and Philadelphia. Anyone who's ever talked hockey with me for any significant amount of time knows I'm ridiculously superstitious when it comes to the Rangers. Let me give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

The year was 1994, when the boys were making their fabled run to end the 54-year championship drought, and they met the Canucks from Vancouver in the Cup Final. I hadn't recorded any of the games in the first 3 rounds, because recording a game, for me, is just asking for them to lose! But they were in the Final, facing a team that finished well down in the standings in the regular season, and they'd just eliminated the # 2 team in the NHL, the Devils. They were 12-and-4 up to that point, and I figured it was safe to hit Record on my VCR when the game started. What harm could that possibly cause?

So after they lost Game 1, I calmly rewound the tape and silently put it in the pile of "Tape Over" tapes and swore to never record them playing a playoff game again. Fastforward to Game 5, after the Rangers had won 3 straight games and taken a 3-1 stranglehold on the series (and the Cup). I'd stuck by my "no recording" rule for 3 games, and all was well. But now they were about to start Game 5, at MSG for God's sake! so how could I not record what could be history in the making? So I did. And watched the game go into the 3rd period with the Canucks up 1-0 (not terrible), only to see them score 2 quick goals to go up 3-0. I stopped the recording. But then the good guys scored 3 quick ones of their own, to tie the score! On went the VCR again (what's a little 5 to 10 minute gap in the recording? it never did Nixon any harm, right?), just in time to record the Canucks score 3 more goals, and win the game 6-3. Sigh.

You'd think I'd have learned, but no, there I was again, 2 nights later, recording Game 6 from Vancouver. Another loss. And now the series was tied, and the hands were distinctly around the necks of the Broadway Blueshirts as they headed home for one last game, two games after it should already have ended.

And if you think I even touched the Record button at any point during that Game 7, then chances are you've never met me. Seriously.

So anyway, back to the present. 2 games into this season and NYR is 2-and-0. I'd been keeping my mouth shut. No jinxes happening here, my friend. No way I'm going to be responsible for ending their season-opening winning streak. But tonight, they broke the goose egg and coughed up the game to those same Flyers they beat on Sat night, which means sigh they're not really going to go 82-0-0 this season like I'd hoped. But that's OK. They know what they have to do, and this fan can only hope they go out there and do it. They met, but sadly didn't exceed, my expectations for them last season, after 7 disappointing seasons in a row. Just keep improving, lads, and it's all good!