The Playoff Push, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Last Month of the Season

There are many things that characterize Rangers fandom.  Of course, there is the pride inherent to supporting an original six franchise with a rich hockey tradition and a few championships under its belt (include one after World War II!).  There's the Garden itself, a hallowed venue that seems to shake from the roar of the crowd.  There's the regal colors of the Rangers jersey and the team's crest , both tributes to the history and future of the franchise.  And there are also the less-than-glorious facets of loving the Blueshirts.  There's nine-dollar Bud Light, the Silence of the Suits in the expensive seats, and Dancing (Homo) Larry.   Much like the rich tradition of the Rangers franchise itself, these things will never go away.  And as fans, we have adapted these things.  We have learned to live with them.

And so too, have we adapted and learned to live with the newest Rangers tradition: the Annual Furious Push for a Playoff Spot.  Every season since the lockout, the Rangers have finished their season with a last-ditch effort to squeeeeeeeze into the postseason, hoping for a chance to upset a higher seeded team in the first round and throw the dice on the semifinals.  

Usually, in late February or early March, there is an event that serves as a harbinger of the impending Push.  Last year, it was replacing moderately successful coach Tom Renney with noted asshole John Tortorella, who dismissed any fears we fans may have had regarding his mettle by dowsing Captials fans in water and menacingly brandishing Aaron Voros' stick at them.  The year before that, Jaromir Jagr initiated the Push by announcing the press that, after resting for the first 70 games of the season, he was now prepared to really devote himself to the scoring of goals.  This year's harbinger of the Push is twofold.  The first prong is Sean Avery's two-goal game against Philadelphia, in which he drew four penalties and deftly hid Braydon Coburn's stick from him.  The second is Avery's performance against Montreal, during which he slashed Scott Gomez's leg hard enough to earn a game misconduct.  Much like Jagr's explicit announcement that he would begin actually exerting individual effort during games in order to carry our team to the playoffs, Sean Avery has announced to the world that he will act like as much of an asshole as it takes to get this goddam team to the post season.  And thus, Rangers fans, our Playoff Push begins.

Many fans have come to loathe the Playoff Push.  "Why," they cry out, "does this happen every fucking year!?!?!?  Why can't they just clinch a spot early on!"  And these fans are weak.  Loving the Rangers is not about taking the easy way out.  A high seeding in the playoffs secured weeks before they begin?!  NO THANK YOU, KIND SIR.  Unlike the those diving, top-seeded girly men (here's looking at you, Sid), gazing down their noses at us from the top of the Conference standings, the Rangers will take a down-and-out Springtime dogfight to for that 8th seed any day of the week.   And that's just fine with this guy.  If I can't watch Hank hoist this team onto his brave Swedish back for the entire month of March to lock down the bottom seed of the playoffs, then I don't want to watch the playoffs at all.  The sweetest victories are the ones that are the hardest-fought.  The Rangers make the playoffs because they refuse to not make the playoffs. 

If you want an easy ride to the conference finals, buy yourself the Center Ice package and watch all the Penguins games from now until April.   But then you would miss Hank summoning his superhuman resolve to win, Avery terrorizing every team on the Eastern seaboard, and Callahan murderously throwing himself at anything that moves in the other team's jersey.  The Rangers might not make it past the first round, and they might not make the playoffs at all.  But, despite Wade Redden's best efforts, they won't roll over and say die at the end of the season.