Attention All Shrinks in Rangerville, your help is urgently needed in the next 24 hours as the Oilers-Cats playoff game unfolds tomorrow night in Florida. These are trying times for the followers of Peter (often known as Pistol Pete) Laviolette. (Hey, trying times for Uncle Pete as well since he needs to look into the nearest mirror and decide if he sees a real, playoff coach out there.) Sean Avery Illustrates Rangers Perfect Shift Meanwhile, the vexing question: Dare a Blueshirt booster root for the Florida Panthers who never have won a Stanley Cup? Or should they cheer for the Connor McDavid cartel which threatens to match an 82-year-old record held by the Maple Leafs? The Maven makes no bones about it – nor do I need a shrink – because I'm hoping hard for Florida; and here's why: At age ten in 1942, I was a passionate, Brooklyn-based Toronto fan when the Leafs were down – Zip-to-Three – and then marched on to win four straight for the coveted Stanley Cup. (Imagine what a lifetime gift to get three years before my Bar Mitzvah.) What those immortal Leafs accomplished never has been done since in Cup Final history and, frankly, I don't want it to happen again. (Never ever. Get it!) And I say this despite the fact that I love the best Jewish player in today's game, Zach Hyman, who has helped McDavid become king of hockey. (I daresay, I hope you're listening, Adam Fox.) As for rank and file Rangers fans who are younger than me, I hauled out The Maven's trusty Thought Recording Machine (TRM) to determine what's going on in their fertile minds. (Here's what TRM learned.) THE RANGER FAN ROOTING FOR EDMONTON: "Why should I root for Florida? The Panthers kicked out arse but we coulda done it had Fox, Trouba, Lindgren and Vesey had not been hurt. Oh yeah, and it KK ever awakened and The Big Three had realized the Cup Final didn't end in the second round!" THE RANGER FANS ROOTING FOR FLORIDA: "Why should I root for Edmonton? That village is so far north, its suburb is called "Santa's Workshop." Besides, we need a winner from nearby Miami Beach so those Canadians stop saying that Hockey can't work in a "Non-Traditional Market." THE RANGER FANS WHO ARE RIDING THE FENCE: "I'm so disgusted that my Blueshirts didn't win The Cup that I'm going to watch "Seinfeld" reruns all Monday night. Ever since that Drury genius passed on grabbing Guentzel I seriously considered rooting for the other beloved New York team, the Americans.(At least the Amerks never choked!)
