Robert Edwards-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/19f6c385-cc85-4176-8b01-6029bae555f8.jpeg] Robert Edwards-Imagn Images It's one thing for Islanders fans, Devils fans – any NHL fans for that matter -- to put down the Rangers. In a sense, that's what rootring is all about. Root for your team but not the Blueshirts. It's the norm. But something rare has happened this season. It began during the horrendous autumn slump suffered by the Blueshirts and grew from there. Egad! What a cad! We have Rangers fans putting the rap on the team in unprecedented numbers and with the utmost intensity. Insults such as "Fat Cats," "Quitters," ":Lazy" and – well, you get the point – have gone over the internet and under the table. One of the most interesting examples of despair came by way of an email to The Maven from a lifetime Blueshirt supporter, author and – while he's at it – Ranger fan. Having known Patrick Hoffman for years, I can vouch for his integrity and insights, not to mention his passion for the men skating in Blue. That's why The Maven was taken aback when Hoffman wrote that his favorite team "does not deserve to make the postseason." That utterance alone caused me to do a double-take but Pal Patrick was not kidding around. He supported his blasphemous remark this way. "For starters, the effort has not been there on a nightly basis. Secondly, not enough players have stepped up for the team this season. Alexis Lafrenière's play this year has been particularly worrisome." Then, he gave Mika Zibanejad a third-degree burn: "No one is quite sure what to make of him." Nor did mistake-prone K'Andre Miller escape Hoffman's scythe. "He often looks lost in his own zone and no longer looks like an NHL-calibre defenseman." Hoffman details the negatives as easy as he inhales and – no surprise – the blame for "poor defensive play" has to stop at coach Peter Laviolette's desk. "Lastly," Hoffman concludes, "the team does not seem to want to make the playoffs." IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be aware that The Maven is not disputing Patrick's point. What I do challenge is his statement that the Rangers DO NOT DESERVE TO MAKE THE POSTSEASON. How dare he utter a seditious statement such as that? Checking through the NHL's Constitution, I find no clause devoted to whether or not a team "deserves" to get into the postseason The Rangers either will get in or not get in based on their won-lost record from here to April 17th. "Deserving" is not the issue here. No way! Here's my clincher. As a passionate Maple Leafs fan during the 1948-49 season, I was sad that the defending Champs barely squeezed into the playoffs with an UNDER.500 RECORD. But they made it to the postseason and nobody – certainly not I was running around saying, "The Leafs don't deserve getting into the playoffs. The point is that Toronto got in and the city was glad. Like others, I hoped for the best when the playoffs – the brand, new season – began. Well, guess what? My Leafs knocked off the Bruins in a five-game semi-final and then humiliated the first-place Red Wings with a four-game sweep. Just like today's Rangers, those Leafs were assailed by doubters. After sipping champagne following the clincher, Leafs right wing explained: "Anybody who knew us knew the Leafs were much better than we showed in the regular season. We weren't a below .500 club really. Anybody who considered us that way was way out of their minds" Yeah, Patrick, Meeker and his fellow Leafs deserved to make the postseason and win their third straight Stanley Cup as well. Give it a little thought, Pal, and after your Beloved Blueshirts beat Minnesota on Wednesday night, lemme know if you change your mind. That is, about this "deserving" business!
