by Timmy Corbett

It would seem comical, in fact absurd to even mention at this early point in the season. This slow start the Rangers have gotten off to will doom them. Is it too early in the season to think the schedule is useless to play out? The answer should be obvious. This is, however, the start of the seventh year when history has handed Ranger fans a pretty sparse serving of hope.

The pre-season was littered with words like accountability, discipline and responsibility. In the first few games it is nowhere to be seen. When the play of the social security collecting member of the club, Mark Messier would be a bright spot, the play of Carter, Rucinsky, Lindros, Kovalev, Holik, Hlavac… the list goes on, simply is not. Mike Dunham who has been left alone more than a foster child by the Rangers defense is another of the very few standout players.

We have all sat through seasons of maddingly inconsistent play, seen hours worth of squandered opportunities, open nets and missed checks. The last few seasons, the joke has been cruel and deep cutting… the season wasn’t a total waste. The last few weeks there was a slim glimmer of hope. There was the all powerful “if only”.

The problem of being a fringe .500 club, in years past, was the Rangers lost to “lesser” teams, teams who would not make the playoffs. It is easy to point at games and say the “rags” should have won them, but didn’t. This is a tighter eastern conference, with a mountain of things to prove, both to each other and the fans.

If the Rangers do not make the cut this year the games they should have won in the beginning weeks will be glaring not only on memories, but on the season ending sheets that decide playoff worthiness.