A Ride to Remember

Former New York Rangers' Captain Ryan McDonagh is headed to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the inevitable rebuild of the New York Rangers coming to fruition in the past couple of weeks, one of the most central pieces of the team has been sent to the top team in the NHL. Defenseman and ex-captain Ryan McDonagh is heading to the Tampa Bay Lightning and reuniting with former teammate and defense partner Dan Girardi. The two men have gone to battle together in a Rangers' uniform for well over one hundred playoff games and for what seems like an eternity of regular seasons. Now, they look to achieve the one goal they could not accomplish with New York in a Lightning uniform; lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. McDonagh has been one of the most important pieces of the Rangers' puzzle the last handful of years, outside of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and his departure is solidifying the fact that the run with what's been the core group of players the last five plus years is coming to an end. Forward's Rick Nash and J.T. Miller were traded as well, as Nash went to the rival Boston Bruins and Miller was sent with McDonagh to Tampa Bay. The Rangers are entering a period that they have not been in for a long time. They have been a perennial contender for over a decade and have only missed the postseason once since the 2005-06 season. They have won the President's Trophy, reached the Eastern Conference Final on three separate occasions and the Stanley Cup Final once in 2014. But throughout that time, they were not able to finish the job and win the Stanley Cup. Which, despite a host of amazing wins and great memories, is the fact that people will remember about this group. It's unfortunate to see all of these familiar faces leaving Madison Square Garden, but the way this up-and-down, lackluster season has gone this change was only a matter of time. The team's management knows they need to trade, rebuild and stockpile draft picks in order to go through the necessary process to eventually return to a place where they can legitimately contend again. This leaves the face of the franchise, Henrik Lundqvist, in a position where he knows that he will most likely not win a Cup with the Rangers. This is a tough pill to swallow for a man who's poured everything he has had into an organization that came up just short of reaching their ultimate goal.

It's tough not to reminisce when one of your favorite teams goes into a rebuilding phase. I was fortunate enough to go through all the emotions and ups and downs as a passionate fan, including being at some of the best playoff wins and losses from 2012-2016.  I saw forward Carl Hagelin's game winning goal to clinch the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Five in overtime in the 2015 playoffs. I also saw the Washington Capitals win Game One of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals in agonizing fashion when forward Alex Ovechkin made a ridiculous pass skating behind the net to Joel Ward who buried it for the game-winner with one second left in the third period. There is nothing like Madison Square Garden after a win like the one against Pittsburgh nor the loss versus the Capitals. The highs and lows, the great playoff runs and the memories made, despite not achieving the ultimate goal will stick with me for a lifetime. Hopefully the Rangers can get back to the final stage in the future and capture the Cup, but now is a time to appreciate a group of players who gave their all to bring a title to some of the most passionate fans in the NHL.