Maybe Alain Vigneault delivered his plea because he never has been in this situation, in this city, and has yet to understand what comes with this complicated and wonderful thing.
As Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals is set to commence at the Garden on Thursday night in prime time, Vigneault finds himself as the coach of a Rangers team that has now moved into the void, has become the team of New York, the team taking over this overstimulated metropolis with the Knicks and Nets home for the summer.
Carrying a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series after going up to Montreal to take both games in the Mecca of hockey, Vigneault’s hope was the Garden faithful would live up to the second part of their moniker.
“Having fan support is obviously huge at this time of the year,” Vigneault said after Wednesday’s practice. “Unconditional love, it’s something that’s really beneficial to a team.”
The Rangers as a team are cool and calm behind the demeanor of Vigneault. They are led by cover-boy goaltender Henrik Lundqvist playing at an all-world level, guided by the brains and experience of veterans, defended by a heart-and-soul defensive corps, flushed out with grit and skill — a team well-rounded, well-composed, and primed to make this sports-crazy town remember what it’s like to have hockey into June.
“Just talking to friends around the city, people can tell,” said man-about-town Brad Richards.
“They want to get on …” he stopped before using the word bandwagon. “They want to get behind us. We’re excited to get out there and perform in front of them.”
The Rangers have played just one of their past five games at the Garden, Game 6 of the second round against the Penguins on May 11. As Richards pointed out, when they walked off the ice that night, they didn’t know if they would return.
“You just always try to learn that these opportunities don’t come along too often,” said Richards, who along with Martin St. Louis are the only players on the roster to have participated in a Stanley Cup final for a team that won. “How close and how fine-line things can be when you get this far …”
Richards trailed off because there is little to add at this point. The games finally are all that matter.
“It’s a good feeling, but we know we have accomplished nothing yet,” said St. Louis, who has been the focal point of the sentimental galvanizing of the team following the death of his mother on May 8. The Rangers have not lost since.
“So we’re trying to prepare for a Montreal team that is going to come out with a lot of energy,” St. Louis said. “We know that. This is a big game for everybody. We know where the series is at, and it’s a big opportunity for us.”
Though optimism is the reigning emotion, the Rangers have not forgotten how they were treated in their own building in Game 4 of the second round, getting booed off the ice in what turned out to be their most recent loss. But this is New York, and now they’re the team.
Two wins away from the Stanley Cup final, six wins away from winning it all, and the city is all theirs.
“I think the Rangers have been around long enough that it doesn’t matter what other teams are doing, it’s going to be a great fan base,” Richards said. “Original Six team playing the Montreal Canadiens — we’re just excited we get to do it this time of year.”