“What do the New York Rangers and the Titanic have in common?” (hockey joke)

“What do the New York Rangers and the Titanic have in common?” a popular hockey joke begins. The punchline: “They both look great until they hit the ice.”
 
“Why are the Rangers like the Titanic? They look great until they hit the ice” was cited in The Village Voice (New York, NY) in 2002. The joke has been told about many other hockey teams, but most usually about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 
   
Wikipedia: RMS Titanic
RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US. The sinking resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 passengers and crew making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The RMS Titanic, the largest ship afloat at the time it entered service, was the second of three Olympic class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line, and was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast with Thomas Andrews as her naval architect. Andrews was among those lost in the sinking. On her maiden voyage, she carried 2,224 passengers and crew.
   
The Village Voice (New York, NY)
Sports
Tuesday, Oct 15 2002
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Why are the Rangers like the Titanic? They look great until they hit the ice.
     
The Pipe Band Forum
drumpretzel
17-08-06, 11:37 PM
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Q: What do the Leafs and the Titanic have in common?
A: Both look great until they hit the ice.
 
Twitter
JesseChisholm
‏@JesseChisholm
What do the Oilers and the Titanic have in common? They both look good until they hit the ice.
9:17 PM - 24 Feb 2009
 
Twitter
tammys
‏@tammys
Per Ranger Rants- sign at Igloo “The Rangers are like the Titanic, they both look good until they hit the ice.” http://tinyurl.com/dz5hh8
1:21 PM - 28 Mar 2009
   
MaidenFans
Prisoner Of Maiden, Oct 25, 2009
What do the Leafs and the Titanic have in common?                   
They both look great until they hit the ice.
 
Straight Dope Message Board
Guinastasia
05-04-2010, 07:10 PM
What do the Capitals have in common with the Titanic?
They both look great until they hit the ice
(Originally I saw it on a banner about the Flyers, but I figured it would work with the Caps too)
 
Google Books
Toronto 2011 with Niagara Falls & the Niagara Wine Region
Edited by Cate Starmer
New York, NY: Fodor’s Travel Publications
2011
Pg. 21:
What do the Leafs and the

have in common? They both look great until they hit the ice. Cue rim shot.
   
Geocaching
Stingsabres
08/30/2012
Found with ease!! TNLNSL So here’s a joke!
 
What does the Montreal Canadians and the Titanic have in common?
They both look great until they hit the ice!! Haha!!! Go Sabres Go!!!
   
Twitter
kyle snow
‏@kylesnow25
@NHL What do the Anaheim Ducks and the Titanic have in common? They both look good until they hit the ice. #StadiumSeries
9:14 PM - 3 Feb 2015
   
Montreal Gazette (Canada)
Toronto Maple Leafs fan sings about his sorrow
STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE
Published on: February 5, 2015Last Updated: February 5, 2015 12:40 PM EST
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The Leafs’ most recent struggles remind me of the old joke: What do the Titanic and the Leafs have in common? They both look great until they hit the ice.