In case anyone was wondering, the Rangers are in first place

This is a bit of a sensitive topic to write about.  I grew up a New York sports fan; I rooted for the Yankees, Giants and Knicks mostly because of the influence of my dad (my dad is actually a met fan but the first World Series I remember was in 1996 when the Yankees beat the Braves).  I remain a fan of all three today.  Every morning I wake up and read about each of them.  I tune into WFAN in listen to what they have to say and I watch television to see what all of their input is on the recent developments.  I would consider myself to be a pretty avid and loyal fan not just of the New York teams but of each sport.  I do have a pet peeve though.

Where is all the love for the Rangers?

There was one team I left off of the aforementioned list and that was the Broadway Blue Shirts.  I have always been a big Rangers fan.  The team that won the cup in '94 is nothing but a scrapbook memory for me.  I was a little too young to appreciate how special it was.  I vaguely remember the Gretzky years when they battled the Flyers in the Conference Finals with Messier, Graves, Richter Leetch.  So for pretty much my entire life has been filled with the signings of over the hill, over priced superstar signings and bad teams.  They've made some post season appearances but have never really been a true competitor.  Basically hockey's answer to the Mets.

The past few years though, the Rangers and infused their roster with young, home grown talent like Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi.  They've also added key veterans like Marion Gaborik, and Brad Richards to help bolster the squad.  GM Glen Sather has worked hard to put together a contender that as of Tuesday afternoon leads the Eastern Conference with 93 points and for the first time in years is a touted Stanley Cup favorite.

A lot of the credit for the recent success should be given to head coach John Tortorella who has come in changed the culture of the franchise.  They are scrappy, they play hard and they don't quit.  The Garden is 'rockin every night as sell out crowds cram the arena to cheer on the home team.

So with so much excitement surrounding this storied franchise, why do they still have to fight for back page headlines?

We as a city and a society give so much attention to baseball, football and basketball so why not hockey?  I understand the appeal of the Knicks with Linsanity and Melo and Amare and all of that.  I am guilty of it for sure.  I am fan through and through, win or lose so I get caught up in all of the hype.

But why not the Rangers too?

It isn't like there aren't fans out there who want to talk and read about it.  Hockey is one of the most exciting sports in the world.  Sure that's subject for debate but it's fast paced, hard hitting and keeps you at the edge of your seat, especially when your team is winning which the Rangers are doing.  I think New York media has to open up its eyes and see that.  The Rangers don't have to be the focal point of the city but a little love wouldn't hurt.