Some fans were critical of Chris Kreider before his heroic hat trick in the third period of game six on Thursday night, but Evan says the longtime Ranger should not be hearing any criticism considering his playoff history and what he has endured in his time in New York.
“I’m stupefied! I’m stunned that captain Chris Kreider - because he’s the real captain of the New York Rangers - put the team on his back and said, ‘Let’s go,’” Evan said. “He’s already a Ranger legend, but he took it to iconic status.
“He was through the Henrik Lundvist era. He was through The Letter era…it is rare for a New York athlete to be a part of that many eras in the same franchise.”
The longest tenured Ranger came up huge on Thursday, sending the Blueshirts to the Eastern Conference Final and avoiding a game seven after New York won the first three games of the series. It was a highlight moment for Kreider in a career that started 12 years ago in New York as the team’s 19th overall pick.
“I don’t know if we’ve appreciated Chris Kreider’s journey over the last decade and a half as much as we should,” Evan said.