ATTENTION ALL RANGERS FANS: This is your forum – your turn to weigh in on the Rangers. Take it away – and with no holds barred: * "I can't believe they played Blake Wheeler," writes Zach Weinstock, co-author of Rangers-Islanders Rivalry. "Plus, they need to get ("Bagel Man") Adam Fox some lox! And, yeah, they choked! They definitely had the talent to beat Florida. But a great goalie is a great equalizer and the Panthers' Bob is no slob!" * "The Rangers represented the biggest missed opportunity of a New York sports team in the last 20 years." WFAN Radio, Shaun Morash. * They need big and tough scorers," David Perlmutter, New Rochelle. * "Sam Bennett killed the Rangers," says Alan Greenberg from Sunrise, Florida. "New York was outshot, out-hustled and out-nastied." * "Artemi Panarin was practically invisible," says hockey analyst and author Patrick Hoffman. "The Rangers were outshot in every game. Rempe was a healthy scratch in two out of the six games. He should have been given more of a chance." Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG * "Florida was built for the playoffs," notes Brooklyn-based author-blogger, Sportsology, Matthew Blittner. "They were heavy on the puck and when they didn't have the puck, they were tenacious getting it back. The Rangers need a major change because the present core is not the answer. Paul Maurice pushed all the right buttons and his team was motivated and made the right adjustments when necessary. It's also Drury's fault. Laviolette had a shortened bench so that – at times – he had only two-and-a-half lines per game. In the end the Rangers were as phony as a three-dollar bill. Gold-plated but not actual gold." * "When you compare the 1994 Cup-winners with this team, there are a lot of differences," says Mark Linde of Manhattan. "In the Cup year GM Neil Smith made many moves, bringing in previous Cup-winners from Edmonton like Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish and Kevin Lowe. Smith was proactive whereas Chris Drury made no meaningful moves. As for Peter Laviolette, he couldn't stoke a fire under his team.He should have played the kids when fresh legs were sorely needed. Florida outplayed them in every way." * "I was concerned about the Blueshirts five-on-five play all year and my worries reached a peak against Florida. For the Rangers it will be a long way back," Radio sportscaster Rich Ackerman of Brooklyn. * "The Rangers were lucky in the previous rounds. Washington was easy and Carolina would have beaten them if the Canes had a better goalie. In the end, the Rangers were completely outplayed." My son, and certified USA Hockey coach, Simon Fischler.
