Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, then returned in 1985. His SportsWatch column debuted on Sept.
The short-term pain was sharp last May 29 when the Rangers went out with a whimper against the Lightning in Game 7 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.
But even then, the hurt was complicated by a longer-term reality both fans and players understood, and it was this:
For a team that advanced to three conference finals in four years without a Stanley Cup to show for it, starting all over for the long march back to late spring can be a physical and psychological slog.