Rangers Dream Run Ends In Heartbreak

*AP Photo

The New York Rangers' 2014 Stanley Cup chase ended the exact way I have dreamed about them winning it for years: a goal in overtime that sends the home crowd into an absolute frenzy. And, boy, did this one hurt.

Perhaps it was bad karma for me to think ahead and dream about a storybook ending. Perhaps it was just coincidence. Regardless, it was undoubtedly the toughest loss I've experienced in my life as a Rangers fan in a season and playoff run that this city has waited for for 20 years.

It most certainly was not your typical bad loss by the Blueshirts. It wasn't a 5-0 blown lead at the Bell Centre. It wasn't a game where a future captain tied it with 6.6 seconds left and then losing in overtime. It wasn't a game in which a trade-deadline acquisition was turned aside in a shootout on the regular season's final day.

It was a game in the biggest series' the Rangers had been in since before Y2K was a thing. It was a game where the Rangers played much, much better than they have in memorable losses of the past. It was a game where the Rangers played up to their competition and nearly stole one on the road (on a few occasions) to bring the series back to Madison Square Garden for a crucial Game 6.

While coming up on the short end in the Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings, it's hard to say this team played poorly in the series. The Kings were most certainly the better of the two teams, but the Rangers hung with them in four of the five games as well as any opponent could. After falling 3-2 in overtime in Game 1, I said the Rangers could play alongside the Kings and they proved my point.

Three of the four losses came in extra frames, all games in which the Rangers held a lead. They had four power plays in the five overtime periods played in the series (stop blaming the referees). Henrik Lundqvist proved he is worth every single dollar he's ever earned and, at one point, I thought he had a good shot at becoming the first Conn Smythe Trophy winner in a losing effort since Jean-Sébastien Giguere in 2003.

That's what makes this loss so tough to swallow. Even though the Rangers were playing with house money since their 3-1 series comeback to the Pittsburgh Penguins, they were oh so close to hockey's top prize. The Rangers were right there with the Kings and were a bounce or two away from being up or tied in the series multiple times.

This team is absolutely one to be proud of, however. Players like Carl Hagelin, Dominic Moore, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider all stepped their games up offensively while guys like Brian Boyle, Derek Dorsett and Anton Stralman held their ground in the faceoff circle, fourth line and defensive end respectively.

An offseason full of questions lies ahead for New York with question number one surrounding the contract of Brad Richards. Getting back to the Stanley Cup Final will certainly be another uphill climb.

Sidenote: My favorite three (or four if you count the two in the first clip) goals that I'll remember from this great run: