New York Rangers facing intense criticism for recent banner raised at Madison Square Garden

The New York Rangers have just raised a banner to the rafters of MSG during their home opener, and they are facing major criticism around the league.

The New York Rangers entered the 2023-24 season as one of the best, ultimately finishing it with a record of 55-23-4 for 114 points and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. Undeniably, the Rangers dominated this regular season, and at this juncture, there was every reason to be thrilled about both the on-ice performance this season and the future prospects of the club.

But controversy quickly kicked in during the Rangers' home opener at Madison Square Garden, with a new banner being put up. It was celebrating "2023-24 NHL Regular Season Champions," regarding their regular season. As great as that may be for the Rangers, this banner didn't sit too well with a lot of fans and the media alike.

The major issue was the wording. Many thought that referring to themselves as "champions" was deluding, more so because the Rangers did not win the Stanley Cup this season or even reach its Finals. Critics added that while winning the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular-season record is meritorious, it does not equate to being true champions in a league where the ultimate prize in view is the Stanley Cup.

So, all that lends itself to a bit of irritation voiced by Ryan Whitney, a co-star on the ultra-popular podcast Spittin' Chiclets. In last week's episode, he took the plain-speaking approach that a team shouldn't raise a banner calling themselves champions if they haven't won the Cup. And in quick order, his thoughts were met online by many fans who said similar thoughts.

Ultimately, with the Rangers having every reason to celebrate what has been a great season, it's a banner that has needlessly served to further contentiousness. The fans want to see, more than anything else in the world, the breaking of that 30-year Stanley Cup drought, and for some, their focus shouldn't be on anything but that until it finally happens.

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