Rome wasn't built in a day

It always amazes me how impatient and bipolar Ranger fans are. (I've heard this is true of NY sports fans in general, but since hockey is the only sport I follow, my experience is limited to what I see there.) At the beginning of the season, people were planning the Cup parade, and now, with the team on a downward spiral, people are instead planning on a complete firesale of the team, wanting to get rid of everyone from Voros to Lundqvist to the coach. There never seems to be a middle ground.

I've said it once before and I'll say it again - this just might be a retooling year for the Rangers. I know that's not what fans want - they want to win it all and they want to win it NOW - but sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward. We have Gaborik and Lundqvist for several more years. We have a good core of young players. We have one of the best groups of prospects in the league. Would I like to see the Rangers win it all this year? Of course I would, but as long as the organization lets the kids develop, I'd be just as happy to see them win a few years down the line.

Somewhat relatedly, one of the complaints I see most often is about Tortorella, how he's not getting results, how he's already a failure as a coach because the team isn't winning. I have to wonder - do those people think he turned Tampa Bay into a championship team in one season? If I remember correctly, in his first year, they missed the playoffs and were one of the worst teams in the league. A few years later, they were raising the Cup.

I know some people will see this and think, 'Yeah, like that'll happen to the Rangers. The Bolts had Lecavalier, Richards, and St. Louis.' To that I say, exactly. That team had much more talent than the Rangers currently have, and it still took time before Tortorella could mold them into champions - and mold them he did, considering how young Richards and Lecavalier were, and that St. Louis was a little over one year into his NHL career. How can anyone reasonably expect him to do that in NY in less than a season?