No one can deny that the Rangers had a great 2023-24 season, They reached the Eastern Conference Finals after a 114-point season with a 55-23-4 record.
The Rangers held their home opener over the weekend, and have been under fire for their opening ceremony. They raised a banner with "2023-24 NHL regular season champions", in the Madison Square Garden.
Many people didn't like that banner, as the Rangers aren't the champions, the Florida Panthers are. Even if they won the Presidents' Trophy, they didn't go all the way in the playoffs.
Spittin' Chiclets' co-host Ryan Whitney was among the people to criticize the Rangers organization.
During a podcast episode, he shared his honest opinion about the banner, saying a team can't do that if they haven't won the Stanley Cup.
Watch his full intervention in the video below:
The Rangers can be proud of their great season last year, but by writing "regular season champions" they're going over the top.
On X, a lot of people agreed with Whitney and shared their thoughts under his post:
While it's not unusual to see teams putting up banners for their accomplishments, this one is generating a lot of heat, only because of the Rangers' choice of words.
The Rangers haven't won a Cup for 30 years. It's no secret that in the NHL, Stanley Cups measure the success of a franchise. Fans are hoping to see the team reach their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 16 | 133 ANSWERS New York Rangers under fire for new banners raised to the rafters of Madison Square Garden Do you like the New York Rangers' controversial banner? | ||
Yes | 28 | 21.1 % |
No | 105 | 78.9 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 22 | 18 | 4 | - | 36 | |
Devils | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 31 | |
Wild | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 | |
Golden Knights | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | |
Capitals | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 29 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 20 | 13 | 7 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Conference | Cumulative |