I have been a fan of the New York Rangers since 1963.
Yes, that’s how old I am.
I consider myself the quintessential Rangers fan. No matter how good the season is going, I am waiting for it all to turn to goo.So, when I saw a Twitter post, and yes I still call it Twitter, referring to the recently published book, The Franchise: New York Rangers: A Curated History of the Blueshirts, I was intrigued to say the least.
It IS a history of The Franchise. It has been wonderfully crafted by beat writer, Rick Carpiniello who covered hockey in the New York City metropolitan area for 45 years.
After contacting Carpiniello, I received a hardcopy of the book, and then purchased a digital version to make it easier to read.
The book covers the Rangers from their difficult lead up to the Stanley Cup in 1994, and then the cold, dreary generation following that Cup win.
Carpiniello leaves nothing to chance, and writes from personal and professional experience as a sports writer in New York City and the surrounding environs.
As you might imagine, from the preamble above, I am going to focus on the Stanley Cup lead up, and 1993-94 run, to the Final.
For me, it had been 30 years of following The Franchise, with nary a taste of Stanley Cup. Yes there was the Montreal Canadiens series, but that outcome was a foregone conclusion. Remember, I said was a quintessential Rangers fan.
The near misses, and collapses, leading to to the horrors of 1992-93 season are expertly narrated by Carpiniello.
The regular season in 1991-92, was glorious and the Rangers mowed through the schedule, only to fall prey to the lack of intensity and commitment that still shows 30 plus years later.
The 1993-94 season was different for the healthier performance of Mark Messier, and the addition of Mike Keenan as head coach.
By the way, if you enjoy sausage, but hate knowing how it is made, then The Franchise is the sausage maker narration of the Rangers.
What was compelling for me about The Franchise, was the detail, the angst, intrigue, chaos, failure, and success that went into the Cup year, before 1993.
It was especially compelling for me, because in 1994, as the Rangers were completing a magical regular season, I was ensconced in Alamogordo, New Mexico, working on AIDS vaccines on Holloman Air Force Base with a collection of chimpanzees and monkeys.
I had to steal time to find scores and clips of the season, especially the back half of the campaign.
Carpiniello gives the reader the history and atmosphere.
I managed to catch some of the playoff action in Alamogordo, which is not really in the middle of nowhere, but you can see nowhere from the back porch. Hockey was a foreign concept really.
As my work site started to implode from malfeasance, my fellow researchers and I were seeking exists from the facility, and all I had to relieve the stress was the Rangers’ Stanley Cup Final series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Imagine balancing work stress with the stress of thinking the Rangers would some how find a way to lose the chance.
Well, Carpiniello gives the reader all they want to know about just how close the organization came to buggering up that chance.
To read the accounts from the years prior to the win, to the end of the Cup chase in 1994, will activate every bit of your angst and nervous anticipation of them losing.
I tell this story, to give you an idea of how well The Franchise is written and narrated by Carpiniello.
I found myself reading intensely, and waiting for the final loss of the season, not the Final win.
The Franchise is more than a reminiscence of a Stanley Cup win.
Carpiniello covers what he calls, The Dark Ages, and the rise of Henrik Lundqvist as the King and savior of the franchise itself.
Carpiniello was a sports writer for 45 years before retiring in 2021. All that experience is wrapped up in a really terrific read.
I did not begin my own hockey writing until two years after the Cup. As a Rangers fan in Jersey City, I recall many influencing writers, including Rick Carpiniello.
The Franchise: New York Rangers: A Curated History of the Blueshirts is available on Amazon.com via this link as a hardbound book or kindle version.
The kindle edition is perfect for that holiday gift for the New York Ranger fan in your life, or just a hockey fan.
It made my year for sure.