From 1997-2004 people were embarrassed to call themselves Ranger fans and wear any kinds of team paraphernalia out in public.
Then in the blink of an eye, the 2005 New York Rangers become the best team to wear blue since 1997, and all of a sudden, there are fans again. People flock to games, buying up both tickets and merchandise.
Then when Sean Avery was acquired in 2006, the bandwagon became so crowded it was hard for everyone to stay on.
As I walked around Madison Square Garden, I remembered the days of being able to walk up to the box office on game day and buy a ticket for almost any section I wanted. Now tickets sell out in five minutes.
When you've been a fan for so long, you know who's a real fan and who's just rooting for the team because their good. Just by the things they say, you can tell.
Sean Avery was loved by the Bandwagon Rangers fans like no other before him.
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No matter what he did, he was a God. Even when he made bad plays or very stupid mistakes, he could do no wrong in their eyes. Yes, I liked Avery too, but not to the point where I would offer him the money he was asking.
I would over hear people saying, "Oh just give him whatever he wants because he's Sean Avery." Even after he made a play in overtime against the Flyers, which cost the Rangers the game, people did not care. They let it slide. Had the same play been made by Marek Malik, the Garden may have been burned to the ground.
Every bandwagon fan had to have their Avery jersey. I swear, I saw more No.16's floating around MSG in 2007 then I did Messier or Leetch jerseys from 2000-2004.
But now that Avery's gone, what are these fans to do?
The jersey, unlike that of some former Rangers like the aforementioned Leetch and Messier, is absolutely worthless. Avery said that he, "Bleeds blue and that the Rangers were the only team he wanted to play for."
Well after this week, he was clearly telling the truth because he bled so much blue, he signed with Dallas.
Rangers message boards, buzzing for the last two weeks with nothing but Avery talk, have grown silent. It just amazes me, instead of fans expressing there anger towards him for leaving, they just decide to be quiet themselves and leave all together. Anything they do say is negativity directed towards Glen Sather, who I believe made the right choice.
With Sean Avery leaving, there is both good and bad; the bad is that we lose a very skillful player who could agitate like no other. The good, we get to see how true blue some Rangers' fans really are.
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about 1 month ago
great article greg. he will be missed by the rangers, but surely not by me lol
about 1 month ago
I liked Avery... but it can't be denied... the guy disappeared in BOTH the Rangers' second round losses to Buffalo and then to Pittsburgh. If he wanted to be considered an elite player, he needed to play harder when it meant the most. Behind the hard nosed play of Brendan Morrow and Steve Ott, I don't believe he'll have as much responsibility as he had here, and will probably flourish because of it.
about 1 month ago
As a lifer and not a bandwagon jumper I have to disagree with your take on Avery.
Now is Sean Avery a $4 million dollar per year player? Probably not. But he got his money from Dallas and I wish him well there. But sometimes players are more valuable to a particular team than they are on the open market. Sometimes a guy is just a right fit. Sean Avery was that type of player to this team.
Now did he play flawless hockey? Nothing even close. Did he hurt the team in some instances? Sure. But on balance you can't deny that the Rangers were a more successful team with him in lineup than they were without him.
Avery will never score 30 goals, he'll probably never even crack 50 points. But he'll always bring passion, grit and a desire to win every night to the arena. He can fire up a crowd like no other and that includes bangwagoners and lifelong fans like myself. He's not the flashiest or the most talented. He's not even the most likable. But you can't argue that the Rangers would've had more success in the past two years without him than they did with him.
As for this years playoffs you're discounting Avery's 3 goals and an assist against the Devils and the fact that he only played 3 of the 5 semifinals games.
about 1 month ago
One of those three with a lacerated spleen no less.
about 1 month ago
People argue that the Rangers record is so much over .500 with him in the line up.
The stats are almost identical when Marek Malik was in the lineup.
about 1 month ago
The is exagerrated, I'm a life long Rangers fan and I was a HUGE Avery fan. Mostly because my own style of play is similar to his and because he was the edge the Rangers hadn't had since the lockout. The article is acting as if the Rangers are the New Jersey Devils. What are the fans to do who bought a Shanahan jersey? What about those fans that bought a Jagr jersey?
Not only that, it's not as if Avery walked away from the Rangers and got a huge payday. His yearly salary is $3.8M, Sather pushed him out. He made him not welcome, he had no choice but to leave. Between the arbitration hearing where Sather unnecessarily bad mouthed him and the lowball contract offer from which he wouldn't budge a few 100K, why should Avery stay? I don't blame him for leaving.
And Avery was great in this years playoffs, as well as the year before.
I really have no idea what your trying to say.
One more thing, in this market 35 year old Brian Rolston got $4M from the Devils to play. Sean Avery got $3.8M, whose more valuable.
from about 1 month ago
I would take Rolston over Avery, but in the non-cap era, I'd take both of them.
about 1 month ago
Its the cap era, Avery is worth that contract. Thats his fair market value. Avery's still young, hes 28 and he fills a role that very few people can fill in the NHL. He's valuable.
about 1 month ago
I have to agree with most of the comments here. I am a longtime fan, and while I despise the fact that I have not paid less than double face value for a ticket in a few years now I blame that on online ticket resellers and people's opportunistic mentalities rather than "bandwagon fans". I agree that there were a lot of Avery jerseys in the crowd when I am at MSG, but what is wrong with that? What's wrong with a player finding a great fit in a city and on a team? I don't know if you spent the time to watch all the player interviews where they talked about their favorite teammates, but Sean Avery was far and away everyone's favorite (in many categories). So what's the real issue here? Do you really have a serious problem with a hard working gritty player who captured the hearts of his fans and teammates, or are you just pissed because you don't get to feel like the only "tortured" Rangers fan anymore? Oh, and for the record Sather is a moron, and if he hadn't been such a jerk to Sean, we'd still have him on our bench (something that has been great for us since day 1).
from about 1 month ago
CJ
I so agree with you
Sather is a moron - he put his own personal grudge ahead of what was best for the team.
The fans wanted Avery - who does that jerk think pays the bills?
Bandwagon and LifeLong fans are the ones who support the team whether it is through season tickets or merchandise/food purchases at MSG.
about 1 month ago
It's always Sather's fault...
from about 1 month ago
Not always, it's unfair to think it is. But in relation to Avery leaving the team, it IS Sathers fault.
about 1 month ago
I don't mind Avery going and getting his pay. The Rangers really did nothing to lure him back. I've said it before, and I say that it was just as much about politics as it was about money. Sather wasn't a big fan of Avery. My biggest gripe is that Renney's coaching style caters to a lineup that doesn't have the big superstars and that it's a consistant and even contribution from many players, than why did an uninspired and aging Markus Naslund get signed instead of Avery who was obviously a worthwhile player in Tom's system.
about 1 month ago
PS- I had an Avery jersey even after watching the years of mediocrity or worse and I'll still wear it. I liked the guy a lot...and jerseys aren't exactly being given away.
about 1 month ago
All I'm saying is, some fans are walking out on the team because Avery wasn't re-signed. A die-hard would not do that, only a bandwagoner. This article wasn't meant to insult anyone cause if your reading it, chances are you're a die-hard...
about 1 month ago
avery , lol , ok so he is gone . he is a very good player , but wasn't the best . i for one , will definately miss watching him play . DEFINATELY WILL MISS HIM AND MARTY GONING AT IT... shannahan took a pay cut to stay in ny last year , that is a true blue shirt . avery went were the money was , and went to an equally if not better team then the rangers are , but remember. this is hockey and this happens every year with some player and or team. i really like some of the guys we got . i always like zherdev , and reddening . zherdev is def, a guy the rangers can build around , if he stays healthy and consistant .... rangers definately boosted up there D and we have some up coming stars as well as those from last year , that we can make something happen this year ... i for one would have loved to see them make an effort at hossa and i am extremely ticked that they can't re-sign brendan shanahan... i don't beleave that naslund was the best player out there , we could have definately gotten better and i say that reguardless if he scores 50 goals or not... i am equally ticked that we didn't get rid of that worthless dman malik in trades last year ... i watched every game last year . and he fanned on more passes in one season then any hockey player did in there entired carreer .... i am so glad he is gone , malik be gone and stay gone ,, u should concider retiring !!!!!! cause it don't get any worse then you!!!!!! LETS * GO * RANGERS!!!!!
about 1 month ago
YOU KNOW . i read every bodies posts and i agree with most of you. as a gm , you don't get rid of players who got you to the playoffs . so what we didn't win the cup . but if anyone says avery wasn't a big part of the rangers getting to the playoffs , you simply don't know what your talking about . as for anyone comparing the stars to the likes of marek malik , dude get a reality check . malik sucks , and always will ... lol but in all fairness , the rangers as a whole , with the exception of shanahan , drury , and maybe one or two other players . the rangers stuk the first half of the season ... i am so sick of hearing how jagr was man handle by a dman so he couldn't find open ice or score a goal ... give me a break , this guy is supposed to be one of the best there is ... he didn't fight for anything until the end of the season ... i still wouldn't have let him go , just because of one bad season ... then they let shanahan and avery go . i mean give me a break . yeah we got some good guys and much needed dmen ... but if you look at the team in the second half of the season , they really started to come together . jagr started moving and fighting for that open space . the rookies learned alot and put up some good #s . and then we get rid of them and sign a guy who hasn't gone nothing in two years ... and everyone making a big deal about him all of a sudden .. i know im off the article writen hear ... but it looks to me like another repeat of bad gm making even worse decisions , that has plaqued ranger fans for decades now ... almost every player we had and got rid of has had better years since leaving the rangers .... but the rangers are still in the same boat ... new caoch , new gm ,,, new team .... we got the new team , now we need to get rid of everything else... lol don't hold your breathe on that .. it wont happen . UNFORTUNATELLY
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