BLUESHIRTS WILL LOWER THE BOOMER

N.Y.’s No. 1 FAN says Rangers are team of destiny

IS RAISING THE Stanley Cup our destiny? Many of us die-hard Ranger fans certainly think it is, especially given the unlikely set of circumstances this year’s team has had to confront and overcome along this magical ride.

Last year at this time, many of us thought Glen Sather made a terrible decision to fire coach John Tortorella. My fellow Tortorella supporters and I were convinced “Torts” himself was the biggest reason why the Blueshirts had become so competitive and successful.

He was the man who had helped them overcome their offensive shortcomings by playing a defensive-oriented game — sacrificing their bodies to block shots and protect their world-class goaltender. No one epitomized this style more than the team’s universally admired former captain, Ryan Callahan. (Who could forget how he broke his ankle blocking a Zdeno Chara slap shot three years ago!)

I also felt that Tortorella held the players accountable and did his best to limit their off-ice distractions. And believe me there are a ton of them here in New York — most of which take place late at night. Some players seemed to accept and appreciate the discipline, while others resisted. In the end, there was a mutiny. Now, I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit I was flat-out wrong.

Sather certainly knew this team better than we did. Whether it was the players laying down ultimatums or the realization that Tortorella’s tactics could only take the team so far, it is now obvious that “Slats” made the right call. Not only that, but hiring Alain Vigneault to replace Tortorella turned out to be the stroke of genius that enabled the Rangers to finally take off.

A.V., as he is affectionately known, possesses a more subtle personality than Tortorella, and he’s done a masterful psych job on this team. Vigneault coaches with an edge that allows for younger players such as Benoit Pouliot, Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard to make mistakes while figuring out what it t a ke s to become complete NHL players.

I guarantee you that if Tortorella was behind the bench this season, there would be no way that Pouliot would be playing today — not after his miserable start and his penchant for committing mindless penalties. But A.V. nurtured Pouliot and was his biggest supporter during his earlyseason struggles.

When you see how important Pouliot, Brassard, and Zuccarello have become as the team’s third line, you can really appreciate the difference that Vigneault's coaching approach has made.

While the new coach emphasizes skating and speed, he never loses sight of the fact that defense still wins championships. The finest example of this came during that epic final period against Montreal in Game 6. Vigneault’s Blueshirts put on a clinic in two-way hockey, without laying back.

A.V. has also stood by last year’s big-time acquisition, Rick Nash — asking the fans to show the former Blue Jacket unconditional love. (Imagine if Bruce Coslet, my former Jets head coach, had asked for that!)

When hockey players struggle and are afraid of making mistakes, they are said to be “holding their sticks tight.”

You could see that with Nash as the playoffs got underway. Despite his continuing struggle to score goals, however, he was still a defensive presence. Rangers fans could see that two-way effort which, in my estimation, exemplifies this year’s team.

Vigneault has also allowed all of his players to have some skin in the game. Many times in the playoffs we hear about coaches “shortening the bench” by giving a smaller group of players increased ice time. T his Ranger team is unselfish in that regard. Many shifts last less than 40 seconds — and every player gets his chance in a big spot. Also, when there are injuries or suspensions, A.V. doesn’t hide his players. If you are dressed, you will play significant minutes as long as you are responsible.

In addition to the major impact of the coaching change, Sather also made moves that brought in the key “final pieces” to the roster puzzle, starting with the decision to elevate Cam Talbot to back up Henrik Lundqvist. Talbot was 12-6, with a 1.64 goals against average. He provided a much-needed alternative in the pipes when the King was struggling.

Signing players such as Dominic Moore and Pouliot has also paid off. Moore had been somewhat of an NHL nomad, having played for nine different teams. Yet after taking a year off to cope with the death of his wife, Katie, Moore — who scored the series-winning goal vs. Montreal — has been a revelation this season.

Trading Michael Del Zotto to Nashville for defenseman Kevin Klein in January was big for three reasons: He’s a righthanded stick, which gives the Rangers three righty sticks and three lefty sticks for their defensive pairs. His salary is not a killer. And he’s good enough to be a second-pair defenseman who isn’t intimidated the way Del Zotto seemed to be. Klein is a total NHL pro.

Similarly, adding Raphael Diaz was critical. He gives the roster a seventh defenseman with significant NHL experience. Diaz was sol id in Game 6 against Montreal. Remember, he hadn’t played since the Penguins series. But he was suddenly out on the power play — and played 11:35.

Another January trade brought the Rangers Daniel Carcillo — from the L.A. Kings. Then on March 5, the Rangers boldly made a huge midseason move. They traded their captain — Callahan — for aging future Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis. Talk about rolling the dice to win now, especially since St Louis didn’t fit in right away while Callahan enjoyed instant success in Tampa.

Finally the playoffs arrived — and need I say more? The inspirational story of Marty St. Louis is widely appreciated. All I know is that he found his place and has become the player he was in Tampa. I personally believe that St. Louis’ regular-season struggles coincided with Chris Kreider’s wrist injury. When Kreider returned against the Penguins in the playoffs, all off a sudden the Rangers were a three-line team — and the scoring started coming from all angles.

With Kreider going to the first line and St. Louis going back to the second line, opposing teams faced a "pick your poison" situation: Should they put their best defenders on the Brassard line, which has been the most consistent, or on the Derek Stepan line, which has the most explosiveness, or on the second line, which features two first-ballot Hall of Fame Stanley Cupwinning players plus a skating dynamo who gets to most pucks. The ice has now opened up for him — and for everyone else.

The bottom line for these 2014 New York Rangers is that no one expected them to be in this spot. From the foundation players, such as Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Brian Boyle, Stepan and Lundqvist to the unexpected gems, including Moore, Anton Stralman, John Moore and Brassard, to the old pros, Brad Richards, Nash and St. Louis, this has been an amazing run to witness.

I, for one, hope they can now finish the job against t he t a lented Los Angeles Kings and fulfill their destiny.

Boomer Esiason, a former NFL quarterback for the Bengals, Jets and Cardinals, is a Rangers season ticket-holder and the co-host of WFAN’s “Boomer and Carton Show” with Craig Carton.