If You Were The Blackhawks Third String Goalie You Would Have Been Rooting Against Them Too

Apparently @ARaanta31 wasn't too pleased sitting in the press box during playoffs last year. Quite a stetement here http://t.co/FqHPXBO3Tu

— Vesa Rantanen (@vrantanen) September 2, 2015

Says Raanta: "With fingers crossed I hoped NSH would beat us (CHI) in four so I could get back to Finland sooner. I was so pissed."

— Vesa Rantanen (@vrantanen) September 2, 2015

Raanta had wanted to play AHL playoffs insead being black ace with big club. Yet he was really happy to hoist the Cup in Finland later..

— Vesa Rantanen (@vrantanen) September 2, 2015

Raanta statement is, softly said, odd - even from a Finnish goalie.

— Vesa Rantanen (@vrantanen) September 2, 2015

I am going to let everyone in on a little secret here. Given the fact that many people think being a backup quarterback is the best job in the world, it may come as surprise. The athletes that are talented enough to play their sport professionally want to compete. They want to play. When you aren't playing, you just aren't nearly as invested in the success of the team. We aren't talking about a guy like Scott Darling that was a couple of terrible Corey Crawford goals away from showcasing his talent in the playoffs. We are talking about a guy that was sitting in a press box. A guy that would have needed a minor miracle to see the ice. He literally contributed nothing to that team when it mattered, how could he really care if they won or not? 

Correct me if I am wrong here, but if you aren't on the active roster for a single game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I am pretty sure you don't even get your name engraved on the Cup. If your team wins the championship, but you are barely acknowledged as part of that team, then why would you give a shit about their triumphs? Now, you probably shouldn't be actively rooting for an organization that employs you to get swept, that's a little excessive, but let's just hope that part was lost in translation. Think about this for a second. Antti Raanta wanted to go back to the AHL so he could continue playing hockey. That's what would have been best for him and his career. Why find yourself concerned with what's best for a franchise that isn't looking out for what's best for you? This isn't a guy that was butthurt because he thought he should have been the starting goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks. This wasn't a guy that was a distraction. This was a guy that WANTED to go back to an inferior league, where the players travel by bus and get paid significantly less, just so he could play the sport that he loves. You can hate him for that if you want, but I respect the hell out of his competitive spirit. 

Now, with all that said, I'm glad this guy is a New York Ranger. Lundqvist is getting up there in age guys. Might not be a bad idea to do a full split of games with the goalie that doesn't care about winning. The buttery soft goaltender that values his own playing time over the success of his team? He'll fit right in at Madison Square Garden. He'll probably be besties with Rick Nash. They can give each other Dutch Rudders on the bench while neither of them are contributing anything of significance during the postseason. Hopefully Ricky doesn't have a roomie on the road yet. They can stay up to the wee hours talking about all their regular season glory. Reinforcing each other's views that the playoffs don't matter. Just generally being the anchor that holds their team down from rising to the surface. In my opinion, this is exactly what the Rangers need. More mentally detached passengers that are idlely weighing down the back of the train. Yo Finland, you got any selfish forwards that are wiling to speak out against their own team? The Rangers got a few spots to fill.

Dinner's ready!