Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesThe Anaheim reunion with Rangers castaways Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba last night at Honda Center had very little to do with the score.
Plenty about the personalities and respective teams.
The Ducks' Kreider-Trouba sextet not only won 5-3; Trouba – whose career temporarily was ruined by his beloved former GM Chris Drury – was voted one of the three stars of the game.
More than anything, this contest symbolized the hapless hopelessness of the Rangers. As much as I lean toward optimism, I no longer can with these bozos who blew four minutes of huge power play time near the end.
Naturally, they came away with a big zilch, followed by the obligatory open-netter.
This latest passion play – a hapless Chris Drury production – has hopeless Mike Sullivan looking for Rangers culture in the Garden's Lost and Found department.
The loss had plenty to do with the rise and fall of the Rangers with Anaheim's much admired Kreider and indomitable defender Trouba the key protagonists. Kreider did little other than remind the Blueshirt Faithful that he once was loveable.
Meanwhile, Jake The Rake was all over the place, torpedoing Rangers and their hopes left and right.
"No surprise," says The Old Scout, "Trouba always played with more passion than the other Rangers. "Nice that he picked up an assist."
As we know only too well, the manner in which President-GM Chris Drury indelicately handled the dismissal of those two genuine heroes poisoned the clubhouse spirit – or what was left of it.
How bad are the Rangers compared to Anaheim?
Last Fall the Hockey News Yearbook had the Rangers finishing fourth in the Metro Division. (They are now dead last). The Ducks were picked to finish fifth in the Pacific Division. (They now look like a playoff team.)
After 50 games, the Rangers have 48 points and remain under the .500 mark. After 49 games, the Ducks have 53 points, are above the .500 mark and are fun to watch.
Rangers fans who've been around a long time are stunned to the core by the club's disintegration.
Even worse, it has besmirched what had hoped to be a celebrity-filled glorious Centennial year. Glorious? Nay.
Gory? You bet!