One of the main reasons for the excitement stems from the fact the Rangers, after years of subpar play, have gotten off to a strong start this season.
Entering Wednesday, the Blueshirts are ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, winners of their last three contests including an 8-2 trouncing of the Oilers over the weekend and an impressive win over the Penguins on Monday.
Rangers fans have plenty to be happy with this season as well. Not surprisingly, goalie Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best netminders in the league while Marian Gaborik is earning every penny of his big-money contract, punctuated by a hat trick on Sunday.
The Rangers have been to the playoffs more often than not in the past several years, but it’s been quite some time since they were a power in the NHL. They, of course, took the hockey world by storm and rejuvenated a rabid hockey market with their 1994 Stanley Cup win and their initial improvements this season have their fanbase excited for the season.
New York’s return to the top of the Eastern Conference could actually help the league, especially if it’s the Rangers and Bruins fighting it out at the top. A rivalry between two competitive teams like the Bruins and Rangers could be good for hockey, especially when you factor in big personalities like New York’s Sean Avery and Boston’s Milan Lucic.
While it’s unlikely that Lucic will be heading into the stands and beating someone with his own show a la Mike Milbury on Wednesday, a rekindled rivalry between the B’s and Rangers may also spark more interest in the league.
The Bruins have their share of rivalries, but as we’ve seen in both baseball and football, the Boston-New York rivalry does nothing but improve the product on the field, or in this case, the ice.
Not only could the NHL benefit from a strong team in Manhattan, but it could spark interest even more back home in the Hub.
Would rekindled Bruins-Rangers rivalry be good for the NHL?survey software
