“Fans” in other arenas, especially the Mellon Arena, boo Jaromir Jagr every time he touches the puck. They loudly support their team and lift them up, just like the crowd did in Montreal  during the game where the Rangers blew that five goal lead.  How come that doesn’t happen in the Garden?

It might have something to do with the fact that the fans who make the most noise at the Garden are the ones who get chastised for chanting politically incorrect sentiments and for the overuse of the “Potvin Sucks” chant. Hate that chant if you will, but it is the only rallying cry in the Garden that arouses any crowd enthusiasm.  

Someone in the Garden last night tried to be a little pro-active and hung some simple black and white signs around the 400 level that said “Boo Crosby” and “Sidney Sucks”. Not a bad idea to help generate some noise and give Crosby and the Penguins a dose of their own medicine. Some people picked up on it but it never got rolling. I chalk it up to general ambivalence.

Garden fans only tend to ramp up their vocal support when a goal is scored or during the playoffs. It seems they don’t want to put in the effort for a regular season game. Then, they are angry and surprised if their team mails one in. Case in point,  I read Ranger message boards and see entries like this after Sunday’s lose in Pittsburgh:

“I almost hope they don’t make it, and if they lose tomorrow as well, that’s not impossible. This is just such a half-assed hockey team - never that bad but never that good. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury in their primes. Veteran presence from Jagr, Shanahan and Straka. Decently talented youth like Dubinsky, Dawes, Callahan, Sjoestrom and Prucha. Huge game today. 1 goal. That’s all this roster can muster is one goal? Pittsbrugh scored 3 anyway, so what was the point with playing so conservatively all day??” 

I won’t reveal the author of the above sentiment but I will say that I know that this person hasn’t attended a Ranger home game since before the lockout. The author hasn’t invested an iota of  time or energy coming to see the Rangers. The author has no vested interest in whether the Rangers make the playoffs or not  but hopes that the Rangers don’t make the playoffs because they fail to meet his or her expectations. That’s insulting to those of us who sit there game in and out and are there in good times and bad.

This person is not a fan of the New York Rangers but weilds influence on a very widely read website. This site might be the microcosim of Ranger sites and blogs. If Ranger fans feel the way this person does, they should follow another team or sport and stop inflicting such negativism on those of us who support the Rangers, financially and vocally.

Let’s Go Rangers!