After last night’s disappointment, I needed some inspiration to write anything today. After sitting in work all day in a funk, this smug Islander fan I work with taunted me that the Rangers were finished after blowing Game 5 in the final seconds. I really dislike this guy and by doing that he even lowered my opinion of him (didn’t think that was possible).

Some fans feel better pointing the finger of blame. Others are ready to concede defeat and throw in the towel. Others, like myself, are just numb. I looked to my past entries for some comfort, some shread of the optimism I felt in the wake of being down two games to nil after the first two games in Buffalo. Ah, the good old days when optimism was possible. Last Saturday the Sabres, after all, still had to win two more games. The Rangers must win tomorrow or their season will be over.

As I was leaving work, I received a phone call from out of the blue. It was my friend Scott. Some of you may know him as RedlightNYR from Hockeybird. Scott reminded me of how far this Ranger team has come, of how hard they have worked. They haven’t given up and neither should we. He reminded me of all the ups and downs of this season, what a wild rollercoaster ride it has been. Finally, he reminded me that after a drought of 9 seasons, the Rangers made the playoffs last year and have gone even further this year.

These are the things that should fuel our optimism. He urged me to get on the Bus and go into the Garden tomorrow just as pumped up as we were last Sunday. Nothing is over until the Rangers say it is. Even if the puck doesn’t bounce our way, the Rangers and their coaches can be proud of the job they have done. Our future is bright and filled with young, eager and talented kids who want nothing else but to prove they are capable of proudly wearing Broadway Blue, of playing in the big show.

Win or lose, we must show our team that we are behind them now and for the future. The dark days are well behind us. Our future is brighter then it has been in a long time. They have their work cut out for them and so have we. It may be a little tacky to quote oneself but I must repeat what I wrote a mere week ago tomorrow:

“Tomorrow is the time to show the Buffalo Sabres that when they play the New York Rangers, they are playing more then just 23 men in Blueshirts. They are up against 18,200 people who support their team through the best and worst of times. They will have to play in front of a house full of people who want the Sabres to lose.Tomorrow is the time for the fans to be so loud and so intense as to be a distraction for the Sabres. Tomorrow is the time for the fans to put Miller and the Sabres off their game. Tomorrow is the time for us to lift the roof off the Garden.I will never forget the final playoff game last season. Inspite of being swept by the Devils, the True Blue fans gave the Rangers one last cheer in appreciation for the season. It was the classiest thing I have ever witnessed in sports.God’s Speed Boys.