It’s rare that two fan bases that hate each other due a heated rivalry can agree on something. However, a rare occurrence took place during last night’s final regular season meeting between the Rangers and Devils.
Fans from both sides of the bitter Hudson rivalry came together. The reality of our teams is they’re both out of the playoffs in the same year for the first time in the history of the rivalry. That dates back to 1982 when the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey and became the Devils. Even during the Dark Ages, the Devils carried the torch from ’97 thru ’04 until the Rangers returned to the postseason in ’06.
It’s a odd thing when fans who have had arguments over everything and even the occasional fight in the stands, can agree on one thing. Both teams suck. Here is the highlight from Monday night:
If you cannot share a good laugh and see the humor in our current situation, then you might need a good therapist. Losing sucks. That much has been made clear from all players whose teams didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Connor McDavid will once again be staying home despite a third straight 100 point season. The game’s best player must feel jinxed. Imagine having two superstars in the class of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who both eclipsed 40 goals and 100 points, and still aren’t in the postseason.
Exactly. The Devils have been without Taylor Hall the whole second half. Last year’s Hart winner hasn’t played since before Christmas. He had 37 points in 33 games. Basically, their season ended before the New Year. A bitter pill to swallow off their surprising postseason appearance in 2018.
The Rangers are where most expected they’d be. Fully committed to a rebuild, they traded Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes for draft picks. Brendan Lemieux also was acquired from Winnipeg in the Hayes transaction. With 75 points and three games left, they continue to play hard for David Quinn. The league’s youngest roster has given a good effort.
Both Hudson rivals will be in the April 9 NHL Draft Lottery. That’s in exactly a week on NBCSN. The Devils have 70 points and should be higher in terms of the odds. We’ll see what happens.
At least for one night, both Rangers and Devils fans agreed on one common thing. “We Both Suck!!!!!”