The heart of @thenyrangers fans never dies. I’m down but not completely out!

— The Coop (@Coopz22) May 24, 2012

Thus, the launch of 50+ retweets and several “favorited” and close to 800 followers now for me.  Thank you to the @thenyrangers twitter feed.

Let me just say, that was a tough tweet to write.  But when I started to see so many people still so upbeat and positive after the roller coaster of a game five…I was inspired.

Mostly, though, it was me.  I hate how people are comparing this to 1994 when this is nothing of the sort.  True, comparisons will happen but that’s just being lazy, in my opinion.  But I came to a few conclusions tonight.

One was that while the Mets torture leads me to post-traumatic Mets disorder, the Rangers are the Five Rangers of Loss and Grief.  Yet in the real scale of the Kubler-Ross schematic, I’m already at acceptance.  I’m at the acceptance level of whatever happens, happens.

If that means the Devils win, so be it.  I don’t have to like it, but I didn’t exactly set my sights that high.  I did say that they needed to make the Eastern Conference Finals, that would be enough.  I didn’t say anything about winning it, and maybe that was my flaw. My expectations might not have been high enough.

But I was inspired by the fans.

@thenyrangers walking back from MSG I’ve been told “well get em Friday” 12 times, NYC believes #NYR

— Eric Schneider (@EScott94) May 24, 2012

#NYRNJD Tortorella: “I have a tremendous amount of confidence in how we’ll react to this.”

— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) May 24, 2012

I have no problem with people upset with the loss tonight. We all should be. It’s those saying the series is over. Really?

— Kevin DeLury (@TheNYRBlog) May 24, 2012

You guys, it’s not over yet. #comeback #NYR

— JD (@Section518) May 24, 2012

I don’t want to bring up 1994, because that was then, and this is now.  But I will say this: during the conference finals and the Cup finals that year, my dad and I picked up a lot of key phrases that we still use to this day.

Not. To. Worry.

No doubts.

JD from Section 518 was right: it’s not over yet.  But you know what?  No matter what the outcome of this series, I’m extremely proud of this team, and I’m excited about the future from this core.

I’m not in denial.  I’m not angry.  I’m not bargaining.  Not depressed.  But I’m at the acceptance level.  And I’m accepting any fate from Friday’s game.

Even to the point that I’m not going to the Mets game on Friday, just so I can watch Game Six.

Cause I’m not missing anything.  Even a loss.

I bleed Ranger blue.