Mark Messier

the opportunities, but unless you're really in there and knowing what the actual deal was.

Look, I think Jake Gensel is an amazing player.

I think he's one of the most underrated players in the league.

All he does is score wherever he goes.

You know, he played some great players with Sidney Crosby and he's in a good position now in Tampa.

But he ends up in the Eastern Conference with these teams and he kills the Rangers.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But getting back to the Ranger fandom, I'm, you know, look, I felt that

responsibility and energy my first game at Madison Square Garden I'll never forget sitting there going wow this is really something and the responsibility that I felt coming here with the expectations to try to win a Stanley Cup after at that time 51 years and the weight of it

And I think the expectations that you get when you play in New York, and certainly for the Rangers, are one of the things that makes it so special.

It's that fan base that cares, and sure, they hold you accountable, but to me, that is a positive as a player.

I want to be in an environment that expectations are high, they're demanding.

I'm not going to be let off the hook if I don't perform.

I have to be ready to play.

I have to put the work in.

I have to put, you know, the time and to try to build the team around me.

It's just part of playing in New York.

And if that is too much, then so be it.

But that's what New York demands.

That's what the New York fans demand.