And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game 

-Joni Mitchell

The Rangers may have won their first two regular season games in Prague but the season really starts for the Garden Faithful at the Home Opener. A few of the regulars, the die hards,  go to the preseason games but the opener is where you see who is back for the start of another season, full of hope and promise. Sadly, you also find out who is not coming back.

Tomorrow, I will find out who is sitting next to me this season now that my surrogate sons, Bobby and Ronny are gone. Ron got married. It’s too hard for Bob to go solo to games. The economy is bad. Ticket prices are higher. Priorities are different. I know that once I moved to out to Long Island and had my children, my game going days were over for the better part of 20 years. It’s all part of the life cycle of a Ranger Fan.

I do not mean to minimize the worth of the other people I sit around. Nick, John, Kevin, Tim and George are all great section mates and I love them dearly. But, Bob and Ron put up with all my craziness and made every game a party. I will cherish the two seasons I did get to sit with them and learn more about the sport of hockey from the brothers.

People and players come and go but some will always have a special place in the hearts of their friends and their fans. Tomorrow, many will see the new faces among the Rangers. There will be new people sitting in your section. Embrace them both.  

We are all Rangers.

Posted under New York Rangers