The Rangers Need to Foster a Culture of Togetherness
Tensions are boiling over in the New York Rangers' locker room as a fractured culture and strict management policies drive players apart, derailing their season. Can the team rediscover the camaraderie that fuels champions before it’s too late?
Fractured locker room dynamics are starting to get to the New York roster.
After the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup parade this summer, head coach Paul Maurice took to a stage and thanked fans before turning his back on the crowd. “I got one more word for ya, and actually, this isn’t for you,” he said. “This is for you, [expletive].”
Facing his players, his arms outstretched, he cried, “Freedom!”
The year before, the Vegas Golden Knights embraced each other on the ice after their win, and aerial shots of the hug showed players standing in the outline of a heart, creating an iconic image of victory.
Three-time Stanley Cup winner Pat Maroon said the most important part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success was their bonds off the ice – drinking in the hotel during the bubble, hanging out with the guys, becoming a family.
For a game so wrapped up in numbers and charts and moving the right pieces into place, there is an undeniable human element to hockey that matters just as much as building the right roster and training hard.
