This season has the kind of bitter disappointment that will not fade away quickly. It's been a long meandering, and all too often, rocky road for NY Islanders fans.
This season also was the final swan song for Long Island. The end of an era began to loom large as we reached the playoff climax.
Then it was over with a lackluster game 7 playoff series loss versus the Capitals that won't wash away. It left another bruise of disappointment on a battle-worn downtrodden fan base that can only stare at the wreckage.
All good things come to an end.
The Islanders at Nassau Coliseum was a glorious star of victory through a rare gem of a dynasty. It faded to a whimper in the late 1990's. It was replaced by a craziness and lunacy that no fan should have to go through of bad lease deals, bad owners, bad management, bad politicians and political mayhem.
For the Islanders organization's long years of patience, several mistakes, a rebuild has yielded a flawed yet upstart team this season that deserves accolades, warts and all.
If we take a moment to remove ourselves from this blinding pain, we can perhaps see a bit more of what was a positive season on the ice.
After the 2013-14 season, every Islander fan would have jumped for joy if told that the next season would be 101 points and playoff berth.
Instead, it got added to the heavy burden of this season's emotional theme. It only built up as an undeniable misery. Fans began to understand that we would have to close a curtain and walk away.
The show at Nassau Coliseum has ended.
Turn off the lights.