This can be a cruel, tough, awful game. Pure joy turns to devastation on a hockey rink in the amount of time it takes a puck to hit a defenceman’s skate and ricochet into the top corner.

The one thing that separates the chase for the Stanley Cup from championships in other pro sports is the sheer level of attrition involved in winning it. Teams fall off one by one until eventually you are left with a survivor. The unbridled emotion you see on the ice whenever that beautiful trophy is handed out can largely be attributed to the length of the journey.

-Chris Johnston of Sportsnet on the plight of the New York Rangers. Read more at Sportsnet.