Red, White and Blue Again

Vol. I,  No. 23

    VERSUS  

An intense rivalry is underway again tonight in Newark. It's another Battle of the Hudson (or Newark Bay).

The New York Rangers are on a road trip, playing against the New Jersey Devils.  The two teams are meeting for the sixth time this season. The team that plays on the west bank of the Hudson (and the Passaic River for that matter) has won 3 out of 5. The team that plays on the east bank of the Hudson is struggling to overcome a 5 point deficit, behind 8th place Boston in the Eastern Conference standings.

If the Blue Shirts wind up in ninth place, their season ends on April 11. If they can pull out a win tonight, they go into the final eight games of the season with more confidence.  5 points in 9 games is not an impossible margin to make up, if the Rangers get hot and the Bruins cool off (along with the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers, who are also in contention for the last playoff spot).

Beyond the importance of one game, is the peculiar nature of the competition. In a league with 30 teams, no other "market" has three teams in one place. New York and its surroundings enjoy the distinction of being swamped with professional hockey teams. Two have been phenomenally successful in the past three decades. One has not.

In the five years between 1979 and 1984, the New York Islanders competed in five Stanley Cup finals  and won four.  Founded in 1972, the Isles are an expansion club.  The 1980s Islanders are considered to be a dynasty, along with the likes of the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.

To the west and in another state, the expansion New Jersey Devils arrived in 1981 (in the midst of the Isles heyday).  Between 1994 and 2003, the Devils have appeared in four Stanley Cup finals and won three times.

In between these two franchises are the New York Rangers, one of the NHL original six.  In the 72 years since 1938, the Rangers have appeared in four Stanley Cup finals, and won only two times (1940 and 1994).  They have had a long time to suffer in the shadow of the newer, more successful clubs nearby.  

The Isles - Rangers rivalry has subsided over time, since the days of strong Islander teams are 30 years past.  But the Devils are another story.  Their success is recent.  They have been in the NHL playoffs twenty times since 1988, including the past twelve consecutive seasons. So the Blue Shirts always have a thing to prove when they play the team in red.

This rivalry plays out in the stands at the Prudential Center.  The crowd is mix of red and blue.  The blues are concentrated in the upper balconies, and at the ends of the rink, where lower level tickets are available each game.  Crowds from New York get on the train and come accross (or under) the river.  

So, it is a patriotic occasion. The Reds of Newark, the Blues of New York and the White of the ice.  No matter what the standings are, it is always an intense contest.  The Rangers demolished the Islanders last night, 5 - 0.  Can they repeat the same performance?  By 9:30pm or so, the New York area will know which team comes out on top.

P.S. 10pm game review.  A closer contest is hard to imagine.  After 3 - 3 in regular time, overtime ended in a stalemate.  Henrik Lundqvist then out-dueled Martin Brodeur, blanking three Devils in the shootout.  Brodeur let in an amazing shot which hit two goalposts and crossed the line. The Devils emerge with 1 point, tied for the lead in the Atlantic Division (with a game in hand on the Penguins).  The Rangers emerge with 2 points, trail 8th place Boston by 3 points.  The race is on.

Hockey Rules.