From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS - Providing For The Common DEFENSE, And Promoting The Blueshirt Welfare.
"Hey, hey Paula..., I wanna marry you!"
That little diddy was sung by Boone and his girlfriend Katie in the movie Animal House, while they were getting high at their college professor's house. And that's how I feel right now - high, and with a need to sing.
"Bye, bye Redden..., we're finally through with you!"
The New York Rangers will work out the terms to finally waive useless defenseman Wade Redden, and rid themselves of a financial albatross. He no doubt had to be one of the highest paid players in AHL history! In a nutshell, terms of the new collective bargaining agreement allow each team to jettison two costly club mistakes. This was the big break the Rangers needed. Damn the cap hit..., the season is a resounding success already.
Six years at thirty nine million dollars.... What the hell was Glen Sather thinking? Those were the years Sather was possessed by the devil himself; Mike Milbury. Redden, Scott Gomez; Chris Drury; - need I say more? By the way, Montreal called, they want their defenseman back. If I said it once, I said it a thousand times. If you want to pat someone on the back for turning this organization around, credit Gordie Clark and John Tortorella. But if you must, credit Sather for hiring Clark after Don Maloney left to work for Wayne Gretzky in Phoenix. These two have kept Glen Sather on the straight, and narrow, and have made him look far smarter than he deserves credit for. But hey, that's just me.
With or without Wade Redden, a compressed schedule poses a challenge for the Rangers blue line. The third and fourth lines are more important than ever. The onus will be on guys like Stu Bickel, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy (who recently agreed to a deal), and Anton Stralman to gain Coach's trust, and share the burden he places on Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are no doubt kicking themselves in le posterior, after handing Scott Gomez a pink slip and watching Ryan McDonagh develop into a blue line star. And now that Michael Del Zotto is signed, we know the Rangers are confidently three lines deep. The trick will be in creating a good fourth line pair. Here's a nice stat that should go a long way. All eight Rangers defensemen are below the age of thirty.
On a more distressing note, I think Michael Sauer's career might be over. He is still unable to shake the effects of a concussion suffered back in December 2011 when Toronto's Dion Phaneuf checked him into the boards. Sauer missed the rest of 2011-2012, and all of last season.
I think the Rangers have the best collection of defensemen in the division. Sure the Penguins still have Kris Letang. But without Jordan Staal, I think they are substantially compromised. Philly's defense corp is unsettled. They are trying to infuse some youth among a collection of fossils like Kimmo Timonen and returning dinosaur, Chris Pronger. The Islanders? No, stop. Really.... But the Devils are the Devils. Their defense will be stout and physical. They played in the finals for a reason.
Mike.BTB
Showing posts with label Michael Sauer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Sauer. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
N.Y. Rangers ~ N.J. Devils; Battle of the Hudson - V
from the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
Battle of the Hudson - V
Series Tied 2-2
I - NYR 4; NJD 1
II - NJD 4; NYR 3*
III - NJD 1; NYR 0
IV - NYR 1; NJD 0
*shoot-out
NEW YORK RANGERS
vs.
New Jersey Devils
From,
THE ROCK
Brick City - Newark
NEW JERSEY DEVILS: In Spite of Their Current Struggles, a Strong Season Has Served the Devils Well. Winning Just One Game in Their Last Six, New Jersey Still Commands Sixth Place in the Eastern Conference.
Recently, I've been extolling New Jersey and proclaiming here come the Devils. Now it's more like - There go the Devils. New Jersey and the Penguins have swapped roles. Pittsburgh is hot, and the Devils are not...; anymore. Ever since joining the seventy-point club and creeping into second place of the Atlantic Division, the Devils have had a hell of a time getting any further along. They are 1-5 in their last six games. Over that time they've been outscored 13-12, and were shut-out twice by their local rivals; the Islanders and Rangers. Their only win over their last six was a 5-0 trouncing of the Capitals. But for Washington, what else is new? In spite of their recent slide back to fourth place in the division behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the Devils still have seventy-seven points which is good enough for sixth place in the Conference standings.
Rangers vs. Devils:
The Devils still have a chance to be the first team to defeat the Rangers three times this season. They'll have the advantage of playing in Newark tonight in game five of the Battle of the Hudson. The season series is tied at two apiece. Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist have taken turns shutting each other out in the last two meetings between them. On February 7th, Brodeur added to his All-Time records for wins and shut-outs when he handcuffed the Rangers 1-0 before a dismayed Garden crowd. I know, I was there. Then in the teams' last encounter, Henrik Lundqvist added to his NHL season leading shut-outs total by tuning out New Jersey 2-0, also at MSG.
The Devils (65) have played one more game than the Rangers (64) this season, and have scored exactly one more goal (180 to 179) than the Blueshirts. But it is on the defensive side that the Rangers continue to dominate the League along with the Blues. Speak of Family ties - no surprise John Davidson is running things out in St. Louis. They have given up 131 goals this season. The Rangers have allowed 133 goals, and New Jersey 175 thus far.
And here's your difference heading into tonight; in the last four games, the Rangers have secured seven more points in the standings since the trade deadline. The Devils gained one over the same stretch. The Rangers have extended their overall Eastern Conference lead over the Boston Bruins to twelve points now. While the Devils have slipped to fourth in the division.
Regardless of tonight's outcome, it is now the Pittsburgh Penguins who pose the biggest threat against the Rangers; and the Devils for that matter. After the Rangers, the Penguins are only the second Eastern Conference team to reach the eighty point plateau. Led by the NHL's scoring leader; Ivgeni Malkin; Pittsburgh is in a full blown surge.
NEW YORK RANGERS: LOOK WHO'S NUMBER ONE.
Who Ever Said Grinding Was Pretty? The Blueshirts Lead the NHL With Ninety-One Points and it's Beautiful!
Since last Monday's passing of the anxiety riddled trade deadline, the Rangers are 3-0-1 with seven points. They did well to keep the Devils, Carolina, and most importantly, the Bruins, all down, while suffering only an overtime loss to Tampa. But don't look now, the Penguins are only eight points away with eighty-three points.
The Rangers did not make the big move to secure Rick Nash which means they have to get scoring from whom they have. And in their last four games since last Monday, they have scored twelve times, and allowed nine against. They defeated New Jersey by a two goal margin. But the other three games were all one goal differences.
Who's scoring? The Blueshirts' skill player, Marian Gaborik is. He has three goals in the last three games. Carl Hagelin keeps making Coach Torts play him more and more. He has two goals in the last four games and has twelve goals since becoming a regular forty-six games ago. He has twenty-eight points and is a +18 on the season. The Pruster, Fedotenko, and Stepan have all chipped in also. And they've been doing this in the relative absence of Ryan Callahan who is nursing a welt from yet another blocked shot.
In the tough love department, Artem Anisimov survived Coach's earlier season attitude adjustment, and has upped his play accordingly. He too has two goals over the last four games. Then, of the players who've scored over the last four games, we are left with Brandon Dubinsky. Man did he piss-off Coach against Carolina. But that was one big goal he scored against Tampa, even if it went for not.
The Rangers are getting a little bit from every one; every one except Brad Richards. If the Rangers didn't have ninety-one points..., lets say the Rangers only had eighty-points, he'd be getting targeted by the Garden crowd by now like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury did before him, wouldn't he? Funny how winning covers up real issues.
There is still no word on Michael Sauer. We may have lost him for the remainder of the season. But to end on a more positive note, with every minute of ice time, Marc Staal is steadily becoming one of this team's elite players again.
Let's Go Rangers!
Mike.BTB
Friday, January 13, 2012
N.Y. Rangers ~ All Stars; a Shut-Out; and Toronto
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS: Blueshirt All-Stars Named;
My Notable All-Blueshirt Mentions; and a Forgettable Game Against the Ottawa Senators.
Chalk one up for a real stay-home defensemen, and for one of the over all good guys in Hockey. Dan Girardi will take his place amongst the NHL's All-Stars this season when they all descend upon Ottawa, Canada. For the un-drafted defenseman, it's been a long road. Coach Torts came here and thought enough to trust the kid. That trust has just been rewarded in a sense, as his selection is very well deserved. If he's now an All-Star by NHL standards, then in the absence of Marc Staal, he's been a hero to the Rangers and Fans. Girardi has been having nothing short of a stellar season, and as far as I'm concerned shook off a largely exaggerated reputation for being soft. That's a separate discussion though. For now, he's been throwing his body around quite commendably this season.
Joining Dan Girardi in the NHL's mid-season classic will be goalie Henrik Lundqvist and forward Marian Gaborik. Turn a blind eye to Thursday night's shut-out loss against the Senators, and the least we can say about Henrik's season is he's been sharp as a razor blade. Suffice to say, Henrik Lundqvist is among the elite goalies in Hockey today. Marian Gaborik; the healthy Marian Gaborik; the real Marian Gaborik; is third in the NHL in goals, and leads the Rangers in points. He's skating with speed; has been very decisive with his shots; and is firing off lasers at the League's goalies.
In the spirit of the All-Star Game, here is my list of Honorable Blueshirts:
1) - Marty Biron - He's only the best back-up goalie in all of Hockey and we're damn lucky to have him. He's a mere 8-2 this season with non-ranked .922 Save Percentage and a 2.66 Goals-Against Average. The man has been brilliant.
2) - Brian Boyle - The guy has done absolutely everything a coach can ask. But the poor guy couldn't buy a goal in a flee market right now. No one ever accused him of being a consistent goal scorer, but to say he's behind last season's pace is putting things mildly. But then again, that's why Gaborik is here...right? Boyle has been as solid as granite. No goals is no problem.
3) - The Defense - Until now they've been without their leader; Marc Staal; all season. His return comes just in time as Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger continue to miss games. Led all season by All-Star Dan Girardi, guys like Sauer; Ryan McDonagh; and Michael Del Zotto in particular have all stepped up their games like ten year vets sporting playoff beards. The thing is, these guys can't even shave yet but collectively are among the league's elite defensive units. Then you have to marvel how guys like Anton Stralman and Stu Bickel have seamlessly fit in and played very well.
4) - Carl Hagelin - He looks like such a keeper.
5) - Brandon Prust - For his willingness to drop the gloves on what seems like a nightly basis.
As for Thursday night's game against the Senators, it was their first loss of the new year and I've moved on already. After a loss like that, it's usually best to hit the road anyway. What else are we going to do, be mad they didn't win six in a row? After back-to-back losses to St. Louis and Dallas, the Rangers went on a 9-1 run before facing Ottawa. As for getting shut-out, the Senators played a defensively brilliant game. Sometimes we have to credit the other teams ya know. And I'll be honest, this morning when reminded we were playing Ottawa, my first thought was..., loss. And for no particular reason either.
I was looking ahead to Saturday anyway. I've been looking forward to this trip to Toronto ever since Deon Phaneuf put Michael Sauer out of commission with a concussion. On that note,the Maple Leafs have pounded us in two previous meetings this season by identical 4-2 scores. Through victory or defeat, we'll know far more about this Rangers team after this Maple Leafs game.
We're catching Toronto at a time when they've been playing very well of late. And there's something a little unsettling about getting manhandled this season by Northeast Division teams. Ottawa has owned the Rangers at MSG for years, and after Thursday's game, this season is no different. Add in the two losses to Toronto and splitting games with Montreal, and the only real success we've had against this division came against Buffalo. And don't look now, but the big showdown against the Boston Bruins looms ahead on January 21st.
Get ready Rangers Fans, I hope no one thought this was going to be easy considering how well we've played thus far. We've only now just entered double digit losses for the season. That's an incredible benchmark for this team and a testament to the work John Tortorella has done. But I'm still committed to calling this a rebuilding team...., that's still trying to get better.
Let's Go Rangers! Bring on the Maple Leafs!
Mike.BTB
NEW YORK RANGERS: Blueshirt All-Stars Named;
My Notable All-Blueshirt Mentions; and a Forgettable Game Against the Ottawa Senators.
Chalk one up for a real stay-home defensemen, and for one of the over all good guys in Hockey. Dan Girardi will take his place amongst the NHL's All-Stars this season when they all descend upon Ottawa, Canada. For the un-drafted defenseman, it's been a long road. Coach Torts came here and thought enough to trust the kid. That trust has just been rewarded in a sense, as his selection is very well deserved. If he's now an All-Star by NHL standards, then in the absence of Marc Staal, he's been a hero to the Rangers and Fans. Girardi has been having nothing short of a stellar season, and as far as I'm concerned shook off a largely exaggerated reputation for being soft. That's a separate discussion though. For now, he's been throwing his body around quite commendably this season.
Joining Dan Girardi in the NHL's mid-season classic will be goalie Henrik Lundqvist and forward Marian Gaborik. Turn a blind eye to Thursday night's shut-out loss against the Senators, and the least we can say about Henrik's season is he's been sharp as a razor blade. Suffice to say, Henrik Lundqvist is among the elite goalies in Hockey today. Marian Gaborik; the healthy Marian Gaborik; the real Marian Gaborik; is third in the NHL in goals, and leads the Rangers in points. He's skating with speed; has been very decisive with his shots; and is firing off lasers at the League's goalies.
In the spirit of the All-Star Game, here is my list of Honorable Blueshirts:
1) - Marty Biron - He's only the best back-up goalie in all of Hockey and we're damn lucky to have him. He's a mere 8-2 this season with non-ranked .922 Save Percentage and a 2.66 Goals-Against Average. The man has been brilliant.
2) - Brian Boyle - The guy has done absolutely everything a coach can ask. But the poor guy couldn't buy a goal in a flee market right now. No one ever accused him of being a consistent goal scorer, but to say he's behind last season's pace is putting things mildly. But then again, that's why Gaborik is here...right? Boyle has been as solid as granite. No goals is no problem.
3) - The Defense - Until now they've been without their leader; Marc Staal; all season. His return comes just in time as Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger continue to miss games. Led all season by All-Star Dan Girardi, guys like Sauer; Ryan McDonagh; and Michael Del Zotto in particular have all stepped up their games like ten year vets sporting playoff beards. The thing is, these guys can't even shave yet but collectively are among the league's elite defensive units. Then you have to marvel how guys like Anton Stralman and Stu Bickel have seamlessly fit in and played very well.
4) - Carl Hagelin - He looks like such a keeper.
5) - Brandon Prust - For his willingness to drop the gloves on what seems like a nightly basis.
BRING ON THE MAPLE LEAFS!
As for Thursday night's game against the Senators, it was their first loss of the new year and I've moved on already. After a loss like that, it's usually best to hit the road anyway. What else are we going to do, be mad they didn't win six in a row? After back-to-back losses to St. Louis and Dallas, the Rangers went on a 9-1 run before facing Ottawa. As for getting shut-out, the Senators played a defensively brilliant game. Sometimes we have to credit the other teams ya know. And I'll be honest, this morning when reminded we were playing Ottawa, my first thought was..., loss. And for no particular reason either.
I was looking ahead to Saturday anyway. I've been looking forward to this trip to Toronto ever since Deon Phaneuf put Michael Sauer out of commission with a concussion. On that note,the Maple Leafs have pounded us in two previous meetings this season by identical 4-2 scores. Through victory or defeat, we'll know far more about this Rangers team after this Maple Leafs game.
We're catching Toronto at a time when they've been playing very well of late. And there's something a little unsettling about getting manhandled this season by Northeast Division teams. Ottawa has owned the Rangers at MSG for years, and after Thursday's game, this season is no different. Add in the two losses to Toronto and splitting games with Montreal, and the only real success we've had against this division came against Buffalo. And don't look now, but the big showdown against the Boston Bruins looms ahead on January 21st.
Get ready Rangers Fans, I hope no one thought this was going to be easy considering how well we've played thus far. We've only now just entered double digit losses for the season. That's an incredible benchmark for this team and a testament to the work John Tortorella has done. But I'm still committed to calling this a rebuilding team...., that's still trying to get better.
Let's Go Rangers! Bring on the Maple Leafs!
Mike.BTB
Sunday, December 25, 2011
N.Y. Rangers ~ The Blueshirts Have Arrived
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Blueshirts Seize a Share of First Place. Their Methodical Climb Through the Standings Validates Three Years of Building.
Make that five consecutive games and counting in which Coach Torts banished Sean Avery to the Island of healthy yet Misfit Scratches. It's a shame too. The maligned forward has been as composed, and has played as effectively in his minimal ice-time this season, than he has in all his time here.
I still believe there is a role for this player and that he can serve a team well if he comports himself. And this year, he has. But I now know that role will never be with the Rangers; not anymore. It's clear there is no role for him here. After spending much time defending and championing Sean Avery's plight, I now understand he never stands a chance of playing meaningful minutes for the New York Rangers ever again, only unless some most unfortunate calamity should befall the Rangers. And even then, there's a question as to whether Coach Torts would turn to him..
The list of players Sean Avery must now climb over in order to receive any meaningful ice-time is starting to cast a rather lengthy shadow on his Ranger career...again. The first time was because he was still largely out of control and seething with internal anger. He proved too damaging to the team building concept. Most of all, he never stood a chance under Coach Torts. So, he was shipped off to Dallas. Glen Sather brought him back for a second run of the off-Broadway drama after another disappointingly meek exit from the playoffs and because Avery came at a cheaper price this time. Then just before this season got started, Coach blind-sided Avery with a demotion to Connecticut. Coach Torts flatly stated at the time, the organization simply had better players than Sean Avery. That rang very hollow with Ranger Fans.
Sometime before 10:00 p.m. on the evening of December 23, 2011, the Head Coach of the New York Rangers stood triumphantly on the bench behind his team fully justified in his stance, and totally correct in his conviction. Alas, the Coach has been proven right and that should be duly noted.
The mountain Avery must climb for ice-time features the most obvious forwards; Richards; Callahan; Dubinsky; Boyle; Gaborik; Fedotenko; Prust; and Rupp. Young players like Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov have already skated light years ahead of Avery on the pecking order. And here's where the Rangers' reconstruction effort has made Sean Avery a relic in the new Madison Square Garden - the Rangers' pipeline from Connecticut is flowing at full force now. It just pumped out another player like Carl Hagelin. And another pick-up like John Mitchell stepped in and played tough, smart, disciplined, complimentary hockey of late. They come to play without the reputation which precedes a guy like Avery, and they arrive without all the baggage as well. And we won't even speak of the need to maintain another defenseman because of the rash of injuries taking a heavy toll on the Rangers' back line.
For Sean Avery, anger management and a re-commitment to being an effective hockey player while dressed in a Blueshirt came too late in the Rangers' and John Tortorella's grand scheme of things. Mood management might have served him more wisely a few years ago. A Sean Avery with a clearer mind back then could have made the whole difference in his career as a Ranger. There still might be a team he can play very well for. But due the Rangers' rebuilding effort, and the surging quality of hockey being played by too many young hungry and moldable players make it virtually impossible to throw Sean Avery valuable minutes out of compassion now. I am an unabashed soldier in the Avery Army. But the new young Rangers have passed him by. Like Coach Torts said back in October, this team has better players than Sean Avery.
The teaching; the drilling; and the patience by the organization are all starting to pay off. The methodical rise of the New York Rangers started with the nurturing of Ryan Callahan, Brian Dubinsky, Marc Staal; and Henrik Lundqvist. Those are the four men Coach Torts defined as his Core.
Artem Anisimov and the second wave of Derek Stepan, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, and Michael Sauer; are all coming together around that core. Guys like Stu Bickel, Tim Erixon, and Anton Stralman, being led by Dan Girardi who is the grizzled young vet now, are making life without Marc Staal, Michael Sauer, and Steve Eminger possible.
On Christmas Eve, the New Young Rangers woke up tied for first place in the Atlantic Division. They achieved that by resoundingly defeating the first place Philadelphia Flyers. They scored first on a brilliant deflection by Derek Stepan and never looked back. Then Ruslan Fedotenko scored again and the place roared with appreciation over what was transpiring on the ice. Our boys were growing into men before our eyes.
Then the star showed up. Marian Gaborik nailed his twenty first goal of the season. A New York Ranger forward is leading the League in goals? Yes. How apropos is it that he should score his league topping goal on a night the Rangers secured a share of first place against a long standing rival, whom for many decades remained a more physical team than the Rangers.
The Rangers' ascension to the top of the Atlantic Division started three years ago with a grass roots; down-home; honest, True Blue effort and a player named Ryan Callahan. He himself is still a young player. But as such, Coach Torts named him Captain this season of a very young team. In the third period of Friday evening's game, the Rangers' Captain was set-up in front, right where he should have been. He nailed home the Rangers fourth goal of the night, and put an exclamation point on a message received loud and clear by the Flyers.
Led by their Captain, the New Young Rangers treated the crowd to a throwback classic night at the Garden. They showed the Broad Street Bullies that whether by skills or fists, the new group playing the Garden these days isn't inclined to put up with any of their crap. And for that, the Garden roared with appreciation like it did in the old days.
So no, ultimately, Sean Avery will be hard pressed to bring his old act to the newest off-Broadway hit. That curtain has fallen. Look no further than Friday night as to the reason why.
Mike.BTB
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Blueshirts Seize a Share of First Place. Their Methodical Climb Through the Standings Validates Three Years of Building.
Make that five consecutive games and counting in which Coach Torts banished Sean Avery to the Island of healthy yet Misfit Scratches. It's a shame too. The maligned forward has been as composed, and has played as effectively in his minimal ice-time this season, than he has in all his time here.
I still believe there is a role for this player and that he can serve a team well if he comports himself. And this year, he has. But I now know that role will never be with the Rangers; not anymore. It's clear there is no role for him here. After spending much time defending and championing Sean Avery's plight, I now understand he never stands a chance of playing meaningful minutes for the New York Rangers ever again, only unless some most unfortunate calamity should befall the Rangers. And even then, there's a question as to whether Coach Torts would turn to him..
The list of players Sean Avery must now climb over in order to receive any meaningful ice-time is starting to cast a rather lengthy shadow on his Ranger career...again. The first time was because he was still largely out of control and seething with internal anger. He proved too damaging to the team building concept. Most of all, he never stood a chance under Coach Torts. So, he was shipped off to Dallas. Glen Sather brought him back for a second run of the off-Broadway drama after another disappointingly meek exit from the playoffs and because Avery came at a cheaper price this time. Then just before this season got started, Coach blind-sided Avery with a demotion to Connecticut. Coach Torts flatly stated at the time, the organization simply had better players than Sean Avery. That rang very hollow with Ranger Fans.
Sometime before 10:00 p.m. on the evening of December 23, 2011, the Head Coach of the New York Rangers stood triumphantly on the bench behind his team fully justified in his stance, and totally correct in his conviction. Alas, the Coach has been proven right and that should be duly noted.
The mountain Avery must climb for ice-time features the most obvious forwards; Richards; Callahan; Dubinsky; Boyle; Gaborik; Fedotenko; Prust; and Rupp. Young players like Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov have already skated light years ahead of Avery on the pecking order. And here's where the Rangers' reconstruction effort has made Sean Avery a relic in the new Madison Square Garden - the Rangers' pipeline from Connecticut is flowing at full force now. It just pumped out another player like Carl Hagelin. And another pick-up like John Mitchell stepped in and played tough, smart, disciplined, complimentary hockey of late. They come to play without the reputation which precedes a guy like Avery, and they arrive without all the baggage as well. And we won't even speak of the need to maintain another defenseman because of the rash of injuries taking a heavy toll on the Rangers' back line.
For Sean Avery, anger management and a re-commitment to being an effective hockey player while dressed in a Blueshirt came too late in the Rangers' and John Tortorella's grand scheme of things. Mood management might have served him more wisely a few years ago. A Sean Avery with a clearer mind back then could have made the whole difference in his career as a Ranger. There still might be a team he can play very well for. But due the Rangers' rebuilding effort, and the surging quality of hockey being played by too many young hungry and moldable players make it virtually impossible to throw Sean Avery valuable minutes out of compassion now. I am an unabashed soldier in the Avery Army. But the new young Rangers have passed him by. Like Coach Torts said back in October, this team has better players than Sean Avery.
The teaching; the drilling; and the patience by the organization are all starting to pay off. The methodical rise of the New York Rangers started with the nurturing of Ryan Callahan, Brian Dubinsky, Marc Staal; and Henrik Lundqvist. Those are the four men Coach Torts defined as his Core.
Artem Anisimov and the second wave of Derek Stepan, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, and Michael Sauer; are all coming together around that core. Guys like Stu Bickel, Tim Erixon, and Anton Stralman, being led by Dan Girardi who is the grizzled young vet now, are making life without Marc Staal, Michael Sauer, and Steve Eminger possible.
On Christmas Eve, the New Young Rangers woke up tied for first place in the Atlantic Division. They achieved that by resoundingly defeating the first place Philadelphia Flyers. They scored first on a brilliant deflection by Derek Stepan and never looked back. Then Ruslan Fedotenko scored again and the place roared with appreciation over what was transpiring on the ice. Our boys were growing into men before our eyes.
Then the star showed up. Marian Gaborik nailed his twenty first goal of the season. A New York Ranger forward is leading the League in goals? Yes. How apropos is it that he should score his league topping goal on a night the Rangers secured a share of first place against a long standing rival, whom for many decades remained a more physical team than the Rangers.
The Rangers' ascension to the top of the Atlantic Division started three years ago with a grass roots; down-home; honest, True Blue effort and a player named Ryan Callahan. He himself is still a young player. But as such, Coach Torts named him Captain this season of a very young team. In the third period of Friday evening's game, the Rangers' Captain was set-up in front, right where he should have been. He nailed home the Rangers fourth goal of the night, and put an exclamation point on a message received loud and clear by the Flyers.
Led by their Captain, the New Young Rangers treated the crowd to a throwback classic night at the Garden. They showed the Broad Street Bullies that whether by skills or fists, the new group playing the Garden these days isn't inclined to put up with any of their crap. And for that, the Garden roared with appreciation like it did in the old days.
So no, ultimately, Sean Avery will be hard pressed to bring his old act to the newest off-Broadway hit. That curtain has fallen. Look no further than Friday night as to the reason why.
Mike.BTB
Thursday, December 08, 2011
N.Y. Rangers ~ All Hail The Broadway Softies
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS: Note on Winning Streaks; Stay Away From Canadian Teams.
GLEN SATHER: Would You Kindly Keep Your Hands Off Our Team Please?!
Sacre Bleu! For the second time since October 31st, the Rangers embarked on at least a five game winning streak only to have them both ended by a team from Canada.
To kick-off the initial seven game winning streak, the Rangers must have struck a nerve against the San Jose Sharks. A certain Mr. Joe Thornton apparently took exception with losing to a "soft team" as he called us. No matter; the Broadway Softies proceeded to win their next six against Anaheim; the first meeting against Montreal; Winnipeg; Ottawa; Carolina; and the Islanders. The streak was stopped cold in Montreal as the Canadiens took a game back from the Rangers. Call it Win Streak-Lite because the heavy stuff was still to come.
After a second flop in Florida, the schedule stopped rubber-necking on us, and the latest five game winning streak was born. In our most recent game however, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended it. Unlike when Montreal ended the last streak, this loss was a little more concerning to me as we are now 0-2 versus Toronto. The Maple Leafs won both games we've played against them by identical 4-2 scores. That's not two losses, that's a pattern.
But I'm not doing that..., as this is more about the wins; where we are; who we are; and where we're going. This coming Thursday night's game against Tampa Bay will be game number twenty-five of the season. And without getting carried away, it's not too early to feel good about the state of the Rangers. As a matter of fact, it's a very fair time to start expressing pleasure with the team. The reason is because we've been methodically building-up to our present situation for a few years now. And well Ranger Fans, our patience is finally starting to pay off. Before Wednesday's night's games, the Rangers were tied for fourth in the conference with thirty-three points. And if you toss the Maple Leaf's loss aside, the Rangers are still in the midst of winning twelve of their last fifteen games. Their most recent five game win streak was punctuated by wins over Washington; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Carolina; and Tampa Bay; in that order. That's a hell of a run.
I do not believe the Rangers are inside their typically fast early start before their struggle for eighth place starts in earnest later in the season. This Rangers team is for real, and capable of sustaining this level of play. I say that because this team was built the right way.
There are many different ways to characterize thirty-three points after twenty-four games played. In the Rangers case, theirs are characterized by having organizational patience in developing their young talent and letting a core group of players grow together. Then, smartly made acquisitions get made to compliment the overall completion of a team. In the case of Brad Richards, that smart acquisition may finally have been made after so many inconsequential imports before him. And all together now, these Broadway Softies are a pretty damn good bunch.
How can you not be happy as a Ranger fan right now? Well..., there's one way to prevent that - turn the conversation towards Glen Sather. I can't even begin to express my relief about the rumor the Rangers were considering trading for Anaheim's Bobby Ryan have remained just that; trade rumors, and getting more quiet by the day. When I started hearing about a two-for-one, involving a combination of Brandon Dubinsky; Michael Del Zotto; Derek Stepan; or Michael Sauer; I damn nearly crashed my car! I'm not sure what really squashed the speculated deal; whether it was the hiring of new Ducks' coach; Bruce Boudreau; and him slamming on the brakes, or if THIS organization had a sudden epiphany just in time to think better of it. Either way, I hope that rumor goes away.
I still hold firm to my notion we are in the position we are in because of John Tortorella, and what I believe is the influence he exerts on Glen Sather; and interestingly, not the other way around. In typical Tortorella style, he's been a real hard-ass about this rebuilding effort, and all I can say about that is - Thank God; a god; any god... but thank something omniscient because Glen Sather is never going away and it will take a miracle to get Jimmy Dolan to ever fire him. Because lets be honest, the only reason Glen Sather reinvested this organization's efforts into the draft is because of the salary cap he's now forced to operate under ever since the Lock-Out.
The methodical building of this team from the ground up is starting to pay big dividends. But if Sather truly had his way, all these kids would be gone. I'm not saying the Blueshirts are Stanley Cup material right at this minute. Who knows...maybe we are. But what I am saying is that the plan is working. Don't get fidgety now.
We must remain vigilant and always......Beware the Sather!
Update - 6:00 p.m.
Michael Sauer will not play tonight due to concussion symptoms resulting from a hit sustained in the Rangers' last game versus Toronto.
NEW YORK RANGERS: Note on Winning Streaks; Stay Away From Canadian Teams.
GLEN SATHER: Would You Kindly Keep Your Hands Off Our Team Please?!
Sacre Bleu! For the second time since October 31st, the Rangers embarked on at least a five game winning streak only to have them both ended by a team from Canada.
To kick-off the initial seven game winning streak, the Rangers must have struck a nerve against the San Jose Sharks. A certain Mr. Joe Thornton apparently took exception with losing to a "soft team" as he called us. No matter; the Broadway Softies proceeded to win their next six against Anaheim; the first meeting against Montreal; Winnipeg; Ottawa; Carolina; and the Islanders. The streak was stopped cold in Montreal as the Canadiens took a game back from the Rangers. Call it Win Streak-Lite because the heavy stuff was still to come.
After a second flop in Florida, the schedule stopped rubber-necking on us, and the latest five game winning streak was born. In our most recent game however, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended it. Unlike when Montreal ended the last streak, this loss was a little more concerning to me as we are now 0-2 versus Toronto. The Maple Leafs won both games we've played against them by identical 4-2 scores. That's not two losses, that's a pattern.
But I'm not doing that..., as this is more about the wins; where we are; who we are; and where we're going. This coming Thursday night's game against Tampa Bay will be game number twenty-five of the season. And without getting carried away, it's not too early to feel good about the state of the Rangers. As a matter of fact, it's a very fair time to start expressing pleasure with the team. The reason is because we've been methodically building-up to our present situation for a few years now. And well Ranger Fans, our patience is finally starting to pay off. Before Wednesday's night's games, the Rangers were tied for fourth in the conference with thirty-three points. And if you toss the Maple Leaf's loss aside, the Rangers are still in the midst of winning twelve of their last fifteen games. Their most recent five game win streak was punctuated by wins over Washington; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Carolina; and Tampa Bay; in that order. That's a hell of a run.
I do not believe the Rangers are inside their typically fast early start before their struggle for eighth place starts in earnest later in the season. This Rangers team is for real, and capable of sustaining this level of play. I say that because this team was built the right way.
There are many different ways to characterize thirty-three points after twenty-four games played. In the Rangers case, theirs are characterized by having organizational patience in developing their young talent and letting a core group of players grow together. Then, smartly made acquisitions get made to compliment the overall completion of a team. In the case of Brad Richards, that smart acquisition may finally have been made after so many inconsequential imports before him. And all together now, these Broadway Softies are a pretty damn good bunch.
How can you not be happy as a Ranger fan right now? Well..., there's one way to prevent that - turn the conversation towards Glen Sather. I can't even begin to express my relief about the rumor the Rangers were considering trading for Anaheim's Bobby Ryan have remained just that; trade rumors, and getting more quiet by the day. When I started hearing about a two-for-one, involving a combination of Brandon Dubinsky; Michael Del Zotto; Derek Stepan; or Michael Sauer; I damn nearly crashed my car! I'm not sure what really squashed the speculated deal; whether it was the hiring of new Ducks' coach; Bruce Boudreau; and him slamming on the brakes, or if THIS organization had a sudden epiphany just in time to think better of it. Either way, I hope that rumor goes away.
I still hold firm to my notion we are in the position we are in because of John Tortorella, and what I believe is the influence he exerts on Glen Sather; and interestingly, not the other way around. In typical Tortorella style, he's been a real hard-ass about this rebuilding effort, and all I can say about that is - Thank God; a god; any god... but thank something omniscient because Glen Sather is never going away and it will take a miracle to get Jimmy Dolan to ever fire him. Because lets be honest, the only reason Glen Sather reinvested this organization's efforts into the draft is because of the salary cap he's now forced to operate under ever since the Lock-Out.
The methodical building of this team from the ground up is starting to pay big dividends. But if Sather truly had his way, all these kids would be gone. I'm not saying the Blueshirts are Stanley Cup material right at this minute. Who knows...maybe we are. But what I am saying is that the plan is working. Don't get fidgety now.
We must remain vigilant and always......Beware the Sather!
Update - 6:00 p.m.
Michael Sauer will not play tonight due to concussion symptoms resulting from a hit sustained in the Rangers' last game versus Toronto.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Tampa Bay Lightning
vs.
THE BROADWAY SOFTIES
FROM
Seventh Avenue at 33rd Street
NYC
NYC
Mike.BTB
Thursday, October 27, 2011
N.Y. Rangers ~ Home, Home on the Rink
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Long Road Home For Tex's Rangers Ends Tonight.
You can take the Rangers out of Canada, but the schedule makers aren't letting Canada get away from the Rangers just yet.. After a four game tour of the Great White North, the Toronto Maple Leafs will help the Rangers re-christen their partially renovated, old arena tonight in the Blueshirts' home-ice opener.
Finally, right? Now let's just hope the 7th Avenue road-warriors don't become strangers in their own house. Maybe with a new look to the place, they can start a new trend of playing better Hockey at home. Because if they don't, even with a sprucing up of the joint, the jeering will still sound the same, if not angrier because fans would now be anteing up even more cash to see them stumble at home.
Making a welcome return to the blue line tonight should be Michael Sauer who's been out with a bum shoulder. And while Marc Staal remains sidelined, maybe the Rangers can get back to utilizing more traditional pairings with Sauer back on ice; not to say that we've been defensively challenged lately...
...The Rangers are still waiting for their forward lines to punch through. Punch through? They couldn't stick their way through a wet paper bag right now. So the second call from this blog goes out again: Calling all Forwards! Calling all Forwards! Come in Forward Lines? We need you. Over.
Three things come to mind regarding tonight's first game at MSG-4 1/2. We get to see Ryan Callahan sporting the C on his jersey for the first time. It's been a nice ascension through the ranks from Rookie to Captain for him and for us fans to watch.
Secondly, it's probably best for Brad Richards if this game gets played and put behind him as quickly as possible. He's still yet to provide a glimpse of the play-maker we hopefully signed to a ridonkulously lengthy contract. But having to prove his worth all in one night; the first night at home after seven games of pedestrian play on the road; is probably sixty-minutes I'd rather fast-forward. Then in home-game two with all the extra-fan fare and pomp out of the way, maybe he can finally get around to commanding the first-line and power play for us. But of course in order to make that happen, we must stop committing dumb penalties ourselves. I digress.
The last item to ponder is Marian Gaborik. Is he the scorer from what seems like the ancient past? Or is he still the apparition from last season? And what frame of mind will the fans be in with regard to their phantom forward? Will the Ranger fans show up ready to pounce if he provides flashbacks of the Invisible Man? Will the home crowd make him feel as if he's skating in soup if he looks even slightly ineffective? Or, will True Blue fans attend this home stand with an open mind and risk being pleasantly surprised by letting him play with something to prove without us dumping on him? Then again, since when did four goals in seven games (one of those goals came on the PP) stop Ranger fans from... anything?
We'll see. In the mean time, Calling all Forwards! Your Liege needs help.
The Blueshirts' Odysseus-like odyssey to get home finally ends tonight indeed. But instead of Odysseus reclaiming his queen, the Rangers get us.
Hah!
Let's go Rangers!
SLAP SHOT: Hey! With an almost one billion dollar renovation under way and the lower bowl work complete, I hope the historically atrocious ice surface at MSG was also studied and addressed. With all that money being spent, and taking into consideration all the reconfiguring MSG's ground floor must undergo to accommodate all the events it hosts, the hope is some new method has been adopted to keep the puck from bouncing around like a Harlem Globe Trotter's prop. Because while what the Globe Trotters do is intended to be funny and entertain millions, many times the old ice surface at MSG just made the Rangers look plain stupid in front of us.
Mike.BTB
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Long Road Home For Tex's Rangers Ends Tonight.
You can take the Rangers out of Canada, but the schedule makers aren't letting Canada get away from the Rangers just yet.. After a four game tour of the Great White North, the Toronto Maple Leafs will help the Rangers re-christen their partially renovated, old arena tonight in the Blueshirts' home-ice opener.
Finally, right? Now let's just hope the 7th Avenue road-warriors don't become strangers in their own house. Maybe with a new look to the place, they can start a new trend of playing better Hockey at home. Because if they don't, even with a sprucing up of the joint, the jeering will still sound the same, if not angrier because fans would now be anteing up even more cash to see them stumble at home.
Making a welcome return to the blue line tonight should be Michael Sauer who's been out with a bum shoulder. And while Marc Staal remains sidelined, maybe the Rangers can get back to utilizing more traditional pairings with Sauer back on ice; not to say that we've been defensively challenged lately...
...The Rangers are still waiting for their forward lines to punch through. Punch through? They couldn't stick their way through a wet paper bag right now. So the second call from this blog goes out again: Calling all Forwards! Calling all Forwards! Come in Forward Lines? We need you. Over.
Three things come to mind regarding tonight's first game at MSG-4 1/2. We get to see Ryan Callahan sporting the C on his jersey for the first time. It's been a nice ascension through the ranks from Rookie to Captain for him and for us fans to watch.
Secondly, it's probably best for Brad Richards if this game gets played and put behind him as quickly as possible. He's still yet to provide a glimpse of the play-maker we hopefully signed to a ridonkulously lengthy contract. But having to prove his worth all in one night; the first night at home after seven games of pedestrian play on the road; is probably sixty-minutes I'd rather fast-forward. Then in home-game two with all the extra-fan fare and pomp out of the way, maybe he can finally get around to commanding the first-line and power play for us. But of course in order to make that happen, we must stop committing dumb penalties ourselves. I digress.
The last item to ponder is Marian Gaborik. Is he the scorer from what seems like the ancient past? Or is he still the apparition from last season? And what frame of mind will the fans be in with regard to their phantom forward? Will the Ranger fans show up ready to pounce if he provides flashbacks of the Invisible Man? Will the home crowd make him feel as if he's skating in soup if he looks even slightly ineffective? Or, will True Blue fans attend this home stand with an open mind and risk being pleasantly surprised by letting him play with something to prove without us dumping on him? Then again, since when did four goals in seven games (one of those goals came on the PP) stop Ranger fans from... anything?
We'll see. In the mean time, Calling all Forwards! Your Liege needs help.
The Blueshirts' Odysseus-like odyssey to get home finally ends tonight indeed. But instead of Odysseus reclaiming his queen, the Rangers get us.
Hah!
Let's go Rangers!
SLAP SHOT: Hey! With an almost one billion dollar renovation under way and the lower bowl work complete, I hope the historically atrocious ice surface at MSG was also studied and addressed. With all that money being spent, and taking into consideration all the reconfiguring MSG's ground floor must undergo to accommodate all the events it hosts, the hope is some new method has been adopted to keep the puck from bouncing around like a Harlem Globe Trotter's prop. Because while what the Globe Trotters do is intended to be funny and entertain millions, many times the old ice surface at MSG just made the Rangers look plain stupid in front of us.
Last Shots of What We Can Officially Now Call - The Old Garden:
Mike.BTB
Monday, October 17, 2011
N.Y. Rangers ~ Travelling In Search of a Win
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
NEW YORK RANGERS: Spanning the Globe in Search of Their First Win. Welcome to Opening Night; Part IV.
OK, make that three games I'm going to ignore now. The two games in Sweden and Saturday's game on Long Island make eleven periods of Hockey I'd care not to discuss outside of the Islanders game. Because, who didn't see that coming? It wasn't a question if being off for a week would affect the Rangers. The only question was, how? Then we got our answer. Saturday's stinker manifested itself in a steady stream of sloppy penalties.
So welcome to Opening Night; Part IV!
I hope you enjoy your Hockey like your bacon; Canadian style. The Rangers have four more games in the Great White North before the schedule makers allow the Blueshirts to come home.
In the mean time.... Calling All Forwards! Calling All Forwards! Uh...Come in Forwards. Over?
The Rangers have scored five goals after eleven periods of combined regulation and overtime Hockey while allowing an alarming nine goals against thus far. But that's somewhat understandable considering Marc Staal hasn't played yet and Michael Sauer sat out last game with a hurting shoulder. The Forwards however, have no such crutch to lean on. And just to rub salt in wounds, they looked pathetic in the shoot-out also.
Part of the short circuit stems from having to kill-off too many penalties to start off the season. But back in Sweden, when they really could have used a clutch goal in either game, none materialized. It's a moment, place, and time, that still felt too familiar from last season. But after just three games, who's really going there?
Defensively, Michael Sauer should be back for Tuesday's game to help Dan Girardi, who's holding down the fort. Girardi is due to break one-hundred minutes played in just four games if he keeps this pace up. Last game against the Islanders, he was by far the team leader with twenty-six plus minutes of ice time.
I thought the Rangers were going to start Biron in net against the Islanders. Guess not.
Being rusty Saturday was expected and it showed in every-one's game. So now that the season will finally gain a sense of normalcy with this trip through Canada, now it's really, really, really, time to see how well our new star can shine; how well our new Captain can lead; and how much of Marian Gaborik we're getting back.
Aye?
NEW YORK RANGERS: Spanning the Globe in Search of Their First Win. Welcome to Opening Night; Part IV.
OK, make that three games I'm going to ignore now. The two games in Sweden and Saturday's game on Long Island make eleven periods of Hockey I'd care not to discuss outside of the Islanders game. Because, who didn't see that coming? It wasn't a question if being off for a week would affect the Rangers. The only question was, how? Then we got our answer. Saturday's stinker manifested itself in a steady stream of sloppy penalties.
So welcome to Opening Night; Part IV!
I hope you enjoy your Hockey like your bacon; Canadian style. The Rangers have four more games in the Great White North before the schedule makers allow the Blueshirts to come home.
In the mean time.... Calling All Forwards! Calling All Forwards! Uh...Come in Forwards. Over?
The Rangers have scored five goals after eleven periods of combined regulation and overtime Hockey while allowing an alarming nine goals against thus far. But that's somewhat understandable considering Marc Staal hasn't played yet and Michael Sauer sat out last game with a hurting shoulder. The Forwards however, have no such crutch to lean on. And just to rub salt in wounds, they looked pathetic in the shoot-out also.
Part of the short circuit stems from having to kill-off too many penalties to start off the season. But back in Sweden, when they really could have used a clutch goal in either game, none materialized. It's a moment, place, and time, that still felt too familiar from last season. But after just three games, who's really going there?
Defensively, Michael Sauer should be back for Tuesday's game to help Dan Girardi, who's holding down the fort. Girardi is due to break one-hundred minutes played in just four games if he keeps this pace up. Last game against the Islanders, he was by far the team leader with twenty-six plus minutes of ice time.
I thought the Rangers were going to start Biron in net against the Islanders. Guess not.
Being rusty Saturday was expected and it showed in every-one's game. So now that the season will finally gain a sense of normalcy with this trip through Canada, now it's really, really, really, time to see how well our new star can shine; how well our new Captain can lead; and how much of Marian Gaborik we're getting back.
Aye?
TUESDAY NIGHT
NEW YORK RANGERS
vs.
Vancouver Canucks
From
The Great White North
Mike.BTB
Saturday, October 15, 2011
N.Y. Rangers vs. N.Y. Islanders; The Rivalry, Game One
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS
Marty Biron I believe is getting the start in net tonight in Long Island against the Islanders. And that's just fine with me. With the way goalies have been falling prey to injuries in this town lately, why risk Henrik with all the bad karma hovering over the metropolitan area.
Marty Brodeur of the Devils will miss a few games with a bad shoulder. But the bigger news is that Islanders' goalie Rick DiPietro is out with a concussion. Had he suffered a broken arm or something other than a concussion, I might be more inclined to poke fun at him, and the Islanders for sign him to that ridiculous contract a few years back. But ever since the study when medical researchers actually went back and studied brains of deceased former athletes and encountered astonishing new details on how much damage is actually being caused by these head injuries, I'm less likely to poke fun now. Rick DiPietro also suffered a pair of concussions back in 2007 within less than two weeks of each other. And before that, there was a first concussion to speak of in 2005.
In net for the Islanders tonight will be old Rangers' farm-hand; Al Montoya.
*UPDATE: Evgeni Nobokov will start for NYI - Not Al Montoya.
The Rangers aren't without injury problems of their own. In early October, the team talked about Marc Staal perhaps returning to action by tonight for their first game state-side after returning from their European Tour. Today, Marc is not ready to play. His own concussion problem stemming from the hit he absorbed courtesy of his brother back in February is still not resolved. Marc Staal may very well miss a substantial portion of the season. He still suffers from symptoms such as headaches. This will be the Rangers only (relatively speaking...) "home" game, as they will embark on a five game Canadian swing that will be also be air-travel intensive. I don't know....But I think it's unlikely the Rangers will make him fly with them.
In Marc Staal's absence, Dan Girardi clocked in a ton of minutes during the two opening games in Sweden. He's about to be asked to clock-in even more now. That's because Michael Sauer will not play tonight against the Islanders with a bad shoulder. That leaves the Rangers with one top defensive pair; Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Watch their minutes tonight.
The Rangers will look towards the Kids for help again, just as they have been pressed into doing for two seasons now. Tim Erixon, and fresh-meat Jeff Woywitka, will be tasked with helping out Steve Eminger and Mike Del Zotto. Anything after that.....I have no answers for you. We need help on the blue line. It's as simple as that.
The Rangers might be over their European jet-lag, but rust after being off for a week may appear obvious to us at times tonight against the Islanders who are playing their fourth game. At least that's what I'm expecting. The Rangers were pressed into scheduling oddities this season because of the ongoing MSG renovations. So in effect, the Blueshirts are restarting their season. Then after tonight, it's off to Canada for five games. In truth, I'd be happy to get out of this game with no injuries.
Islander fans.......; you guys got a nice package of youngsters over there. You guys can definitely hang with teams. However, you're not ready to punch through into the first division yet. But c'mon...., does it ever stop with Rick DiPietro?
The situation in Long Island and their ability to retain it's Hockey club brings this rivalry into a different light now. I still believe this is a three team Hockey metropolis. And I believe one of them should always remain on Long Island. So I sincerely hope the Islanders and Nassau County can still make something happen that ensures a competitive Islander franchise stays and thrives in Long Island.
Let's drop the puck and start getting some regularity into this season. For the Blueshirts, it starts "again" tonight.
Let's Go Rangers!
NEW YORK RANGERS vs. New York Islanders
The RIVALRY Resumes; 2011-2012
Marty Biron I believe is getting the start in net tonight in Long Island against the Islanders. And that's just fine with me. With the way goalies have been falling prey to injuries in this town lately, why risk Henrik with all the bad karma hovering over the metropolitan area.
Marty Brodeur of the Devils will miss a few games with a bad shoulder. But the bigger news is that Islanders' goalie Rick DiPietro is out with a concussion. Had he suffered a broken arm or something other than a concussion, I might be more inclined to poke fun at him, and the Islanders for sign him to that ridiculous contract a few years back. But ever since the study when medical researchers actually went back and studied brains of deceased former athletes and encountered astonishing new details on how much damage is actually being caused by these head injuries, I'm less likely to poke fun now. Rick DiPietro also suffered a pair of concussions back in 2007 within less than two weeks of each other. And before that, there was a first concussion to speak of in 2005.
In net for the Islanders tonight will be old Rangers' farm-hand; Al Montoya.
*UPDATE: Evgeni Nobokov will start for NYI - Not Al Montoya.
The Rangers aren't without injury problems of their own. In early October, the team talked about Marc Staal perhaps returning to action by tonight for their first game state-side after returning from their European Tour. Today, Marc is not ready to play. His own concussion problem stemming from the hit he absorbed courtesy of his brother back in February is still not resolved. Marc Staal may very well miss a substantial portion of the season. He still suffers from symptoms such as headaches. This will be the Rangers only (relatively speaking...) "home" game, as they will embark on a five game Canadian swing that will be also be air-travel intensive. I don't know....But I think it's unlikely the Rangers will make him fly with them.
In Marc Staal's absence, Dan Girardi clocked in a ton of minutes during the two opening games in Sweden. He's about to be asked to clock-in even more now. That's because Michael Sauer will not play tonight against the Islanders with a bad shoulder. That leaves the Rangers with one top defensive pair; Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Watch their minutes tonight.
The Rangers will look towards the Kids for help again, just as they have been pressed into doing for two seasons now. Tim Erixon, and fresh-meat Jeff Woywitka, will be tasked with helping out Steve Eminger and Mike Del Zotto. Anything after that.....I have no answers for you. We need help on the blue line. It's as simple as that.
The Rangers might be over their European jet-lag, but rust after being off for a week may appear obvious to us at times tonight against the Islanders who are playing their fourth game. At least that's what I'm expecting. The Rangers were pressed into scheduling oddities this season because of the ongoing MSG renovations. So in effect, the Blueshirts are restarting their season. Then after tonight, it's off to Canada for five games. In truth, I'd be happy to get out of this game with no injuries.
Islander fans.......; you guys got a nice package of youngsters over there. You guys can definitely hang with teams. However, you're not ready to punch through into the first division yet. But c'mon...., does it ever stop with Rick DiPietro?
The situation in Long Island and their ability to retain it's Hockey club brings this rivalry into a different light now. I still believe this is a three team Hockey metropolis. And I believe one of them should always remain on Long Island. So I sincerely hope the Islanders and Nassau County can still make something happen that ensures a competitive Islander franchise stays and thrives in Long Island.
Let's drop the puck and start getting some regularity into this season. For the Blueshirts, it starts "again" tonight.
Let's Go Rangers!
Mike.BTB
Friday, October 07, 2011
N.Y. Rangers ~ The Two Kings of Europe
From the desk of: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE BEST
GAME ONE
Ranger Fans..., we know this team. We know them well. We've been taking baby pictures for three years now. This team is last year's version, just a year older, wiser and hopefully healthier. With some new signings, we hope they'll be a little more lethal too. And lastly, being a little luckier doesn't hurt either.
I don't know your take. I'm actively following this team since the mid-to-late 70's. But there is already something tangibly different about this year's Blueshirts even before they take to the ice together in Sweden Friday to open the 2011-2012 season. The franchise's 86th year of operation already has a certain character to it; un-felt, and unheard of during the Glen Sather regime. It smells of youthful spirit, and cohesion; and unity; and stability; and as sappy as it sounds, it feels like family; - A Blue Rink of Brothers. And they have a dominant, alpha-male, head strong task-master for a coach, that continues to develop; promote; and demand accountability from his emerging grasshoppers.
Since coming on board, Coach Torts always talked about building up his core of young Rangers. He has them. Some of his boys are men now. Specifically, Ryan Callahan is the newly named Captain. The fact Brandon Dubinsky is still here speaks volumes about the "new" team building concept being drilled into Glen Sather's thick skull by Coach (I believe that..). And before I go there, the third and now most concerning member of Coach Torts' envisioned Core-Three is Marc Staal. However when Marc is ready, for the three, the Broadway Spotlight is all theirs.
It's been eight months since our top-line defenseman fell victim to some overly aggressive love. Marc Staal is still experiencing head-aches as a result of the hit he sustained thanks to his brother last season and has been dealing with concussion symptoms since. Marc did not make the trip to Europe with the team for the remaining exhibition games and regular season start. And no, his playing status isn't exactly clear; no pun intended. Will he be rejoining the team when they get back state-side? Yes. But there's little debate in saying he is a fragile player right now. The Rangers must proceed cautiously with their emerging defensive star.
Brandon Dubinsky stepped up his play in last year's playoffs. And as a result, his presence and stature on the team grows exponentially because of it. It wasn't just the playoffs that signaled an arrival of sorts for Brandon last season. It was that mustache man! After he grew that 70's porn-mustache, his game got a lot dirtier and sexier too. But seriously speaking, ...There's officially real scoring expectations on Dubinsky now. It's time to be a consistent 30 goal man. After all, what the Rangers lacked most last season was scoring. But, the problem existed for many more reasons than just looking at Brandon Dubinsky.
Part of being offensively challenged also had to do with missing Ryan Callahan for what seemed like an eternity to Blueshirt fans. But say hello to the Good Guy! Our new Captain is Ryan Callahan; and rightfully so. It was a natural fit and in my opinion came a year too late. But here we are. Callahan will wear the C on his jersey; and it is good.
If I may, I would suggest the Rangers made only one mistake. Brandon Dubinsky should be wearing the other A along with Marc Staal; not Brad Richards. It's nothing against Richards...(yet). But, having built a team from the farm, up, like the Rangers have, and not bestow a player who's toiled, troubled, and stayed resilient under Coach Torts the way Dubinsky has, it seems to me the young Ranger Pride member should have been given(!) the responsibility of wearing the A and charged with a bigger role among his fellow home grown Blueshirts - as opposed to rewarding it to a carpetbagger named Richards based on his previous resume.
Artem Anisimov; Michael Sauer; Derek Stepan; Ryan McDonagh; Dan Girardi; Mats Zuccarello; -These are the players who will skate, and support, and follow The Core blindly. They are kindred. They are True Blues. Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle are the Tom Higgins's of la famiglia - they are the adoptive children we also love like blood brothers, who do all the family's dirty work in the corners and along the boards.
But no talk of the Rangers' Core or family feel is complete without Henrik Lundqvist; their liege. The King is obviously Core member Four in Coach Torts' grand True Blue scheme. King started the most games of his career last season. Hopefully he and Marty Biron can establish a better pattern this season there-by keeping Henrik finely tuned early on and late into the season. What matters most to me however is the consistent flow of traffic in front of Henrik Lundqvist and the constant contact other teams feel free to make with our goalie. That must drop dramatically. And many players, not just the defensemen, need to police up the liberties teams take with our goalie.
Ranger Fans, that is your TEAM. That is the body. The rest are the accessories.
Brad Richards is like having a nice set of rims on your ride. For some people, it's the difference between scoring, and going to bed frustrated yet again. Was he a good signing? It was a necessary signing. Which makes the first question moot. However, the contract we signed him to is insane and utterly inane. It's our side of the Hudson's version of the Ilya Kovalchuk signing. But you know what? Blame Gary Bettman for that. This is what teams are finding necessary to do these days in order to lock up "star" players.
But was he a good signing? I don't know. We've been down this road before under Sather. Go back to Eric Lindros, fast-forward to Scottie Gomez and Chris Drury, and ponder everyone in between. Will Richards be the next one of those? Let's freakin hope not. What I trust with the acquisition is that Coach Torts trusts him. And for now, that will have to do. If he rewards us with 30 to 35 goals and makes things happen (anything happen) on our Power Play - that hasn't happened since Sergie Zubov manned the point, it will undoubtedly have been worth it. Anyone who can breath life into a dead PP is surely worth a nine year deal. No? I just can't get myself beyond his contract. It's a ponderous deal.
He will no doubt be on the first line with the team's returning avatar; Marian Gaborik. The hope is last season's lack of anything from him was an aberration. The Rangers are hoping the 40-goal Gaborik is the real Gaborik, and returns to the team this season. The other hope is that he and Brad Richards will mesh together.
Who will the third member of that Richards/Gaborik line be? I guess we're going to find out Friday (locally at 1pm). I still feel Avery could have been that guy. But that's behind us now. Besides, Coach Torts said, "..we have better players than him..." The fact remains someone is still going to have to win battles and feed those two guys pucks. I just can't help remembering how effective Avery was at winning battles along the boards and in the corner, and what a tremendously good passer he was from from behind the goal line. Wojktek Wolski is a big dude who can throw his body around and score some. But he's not a first line answer on the wing. It may not sound like a good idea, but Ruslan Fedotenko might actually be a very effective fit for them. I doubt Coach goes that way. And breaking up Prust and Boyle is a mistake in my opinion.
Will Coach reunite Callahan/Anisimov/Dubinsky on the second line? I'd like to see it. And maybe try Wojtek Wolski with Prust and Boyle? Then again with Torts, none of this matters. He's usually mixing and matching five minutes into a game anyway. He's a hot-handed Coach; plays the hot players.
Michael Rupp is now the new Vinny Prospal who skates a little better. Even though Prospal lost a bunch of time to injury last season, in my view Rupp is a huge downgrade in the steadying influence department. But he's still a smart player who's been on teams that have done nothing but win. The former Devil/Penguin and guys like him are useful and prove savvy late in games when perhaps a younger player is unsure as to how to close out games. Mind you, he is only thirty-one years old. But that's where a guy like Rupp will help most. He'll give the team 'calm and cool' off the bench while testosterone is raging in the younger guys and they do ill advised things late in games.
On Defense, for as long as Marc Staal is a question, Ranger Fans be suffering head-aches also. If Staal is OK and plays, that means Steve Eminger gives us depth on the blue line. If Staal is compromised, and Eminger has to take on a bigger role and more minutes, that's trouble.
It's also high time Dan Girardi stepped up his physicality. He no doubt will block a ton of shots. That part of his game is admirable. But he absolutely needs to use his body more. I get he's young. But like I said in opening, he's a year older now. If he has to go to GNC and start using Met-Rx...do it. Time to man-up son and give Henrik room in front of his net.
I really like the McDonagh/ Sauer pairing. Or, do I just really really like the Michael Sauer part of that? We have third-pair options on the blue-line. But our fourth pair is a something short of a mystery to me. That's another thing we'll find out in Friday's game.
What's most stunning about this year's team is that I dare to think Glen Sather has quite possibly assembled his best team as GM of the Rangers. This team has a very interesting mix going. And the most important part of this current team's construction has been the patience the organization has exercised and adherence to the plan. A great majority of that plan, and instigation to adopt it and stick to it, I still feel comes from Coach Tortorella. But because the name on the GM's door says Sather, the dollar goes in his tip jar. Silver-back Sather aside, it's still worth saying, I already like the dynamic of this season's edition of the Broadway Blueshirts.
We aren't a clear Stanley Cup contender. But I do think we will be watching a more assertive, smarter, and cohesive bunch that comes along with another year of maturing together; with 'together' being the key word. I'm not making any predictions for the team. We know what kind of team we are already. However, this edition should accomplish more than has been won here during Glen Sather's reign. That would entail getting beyond the second round of the playoffs.
The question this season is the same as last - Can we, and will we score more goals? Our big money top line center acquisition will go a long way towards answering that question for us. So let's drop the puck and see.
We'll commence the season on an extensive road trip starting in Sweden as time is needed for clean up and making Madison Square Garden habitable again during the on-going renovations.
Let's go Rangers!
Mike.BTB
GAME ONE
October 7, 2011
NEW YORK RANGERS
vs.
Los Angeles Kings
From:
Stockholm, SWEDEN
NEW YORK RANGERS: Season Opener; Game One
KING HENRIK and "TEX's RANGERS"
take on the L.A. KINGS in EUROPE:
take on the L.A. KINGS in EUROPE:
Ranger Fans..., we know this team. We know them well. We've been taking baby pictures for three years now. This team is last year's version, just a year older, wiser and hopefully healthier. With some new signings, we hope they'll be a little more lethal too. And lastly, being a little luckier doesn't hurt either.
I don't know your take. I'm actively following this team since the mid-to-late 70's. But there is already something tangibly different about this year's Blueshirts even before they take to the ice together in Sweden Friday to open the 2011-2012 season. The franchise's 86th year of operation already has a certain character to it; un-felt, and unheard of during the Glen Sather regime. It smells of youthful spirit, and cohesion; and unity; and stability; and as sappy as it sounds, it feels like family; - A Blue Rink of Brothers. And they have a dominant, alpha-male, head strong task-master for a coach, that continues to develop; promote; and demand accountability from his emerging grasshoppers.
Since coming on board, Coach Torts always talked about building up his core of young Rangers. He has them. Some of his boys are men now. Specifically, Ryan Callahan is the newly named Captain. The fact Brandon Dubinsky is still here speaks volumes about the "new" team building concept being drilled into Glen Sather's thick skull by Coach (I believe that..). And before I go there, the third and now most concerning member of Coach Torts' envisioned Core-Three is Marc Staal. However when Marc is ready, for the three, the Broadway Spotlight is all theirs.
It's been eight months since our top-line defenseman fell victim to some overly aggressive love. Marc Staal is still experiencing head-aches as a result of the hit he sustained thanks to his brother last season and has been dealing with concussion symptoms since. Marc did not make the trip to Europe with the team for the remaining exhibition games and regular season start. And no, his playing status isn't exactly clear; no pun intended. Will he be rejoining the team when they get back state-side? Yes. But there's little debate in saying he is a fragile player right now. The Rangers must proceed cautiously with their emerging defensive star.
Brandon Dubinsky stepped up his play in last year's playoffs. And as a result, his presence and stature on the team grows exponentially because of it. It wasn't just the playoffs that signaled an arrival of sorts for Brandon last season. It was that mustache man! After he grew that 70's porn-mustache, his game got a lot dirtier and sexier too. But seriously speaking, ...There's officially real scoring expectations on Dubinsky now. It's time to be a consistent 30 goal man. After all, what the Rangers lacked most last season was scoring. But, the problem existed for many more reasons than just looking at Brandon Dubinsky.
Part of being offensively challenged also had to do with missing Ryan Callahan for what seemed like an eternity to Blueshirt fans. But say hello to the Good Guy! Our new Captain is Ryan Callahan; and rightfully so. It was a natural fit and in my opinion came a year too late. But here we are. Callahan will wear the C on his jersey; and it is good.
If I may, I would suggest the Rangers made only one mistake. Brandon Dubinsky should be wearing the other A along with Marc Staal; not Brad Richards. It's nothing against Richards...(yet). But, having built a team from the farm, up, like the Rangers have, and not bestow a player who's toiled, troubled, and stayed resilient under Coach Torts the way Dubinsky has, it seems to me the young Ranger Pride member should have been given(!) the responsibility of wearing the A and charged with a bigger role among his fellow home grown Blueshirts - as opposed to rewarding it to a carpetbagger named Richards based on his previous resume.
Artem Anisimov; Michael Sauer; Derek Stepan; Ryan McDonagh; Dan Girardi; Mats Zuccarello; -These are the players who will skate, and support, and follow The Core blindly. They are kindred. They are True Blues. Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle are the Tom Higgins's of la famiglia - they are the adoptive children we also love like blood brothers, who do all the family's dirty work in the corners and along the boards.
But no talk of the Rangers' Core or family feel is complete without Henrik Lundqvist; their liege. The King is obviously Core member Four in Coach Torts' grand True Blue scheme. King started the most games of his career last season. Hopefully he and Marty Biron can establish a better pattern this season there-by keeping Henrik finely tuned early on and late into the season. What matters most to me however is the consistent flow of traffic in front of Henrik Lundqvist and the constant contact other teams feel free to make with our goalie. That must drop dramatically. And many players, not just the defensemen, need to police up the liberties teams take with our goalie.
Ranger Fans, that is your TEAM. That is the body. The rest are the accessories.
Brad Richards is like having a nice set of rims on your ride. For some people, it's the difference between scoring, and going to bed frustrated yet again. Was he a good signing? It was a necessary signing. Which makes the first question moot. However, the contract we signed him to is insane and utterly inane. It's our side of the Hudson's version of the Ilya Kovalchuk signing. But you know what? Blame Gary Bettman for that. This is what teams are finding necessary to do these days in order to lock up "star" players.
But was he a good signing? I don't know. We've been down this road before under Sather. Go back to Eric Lindros, fast-forward to Scottie Gomez and Chris Drury, and ponder everyone in between. Will Richards be the next one of those? Let's freakin hope not. What I trust with the acquisition is that Coach Torts trusts him. And for now, that will have to do. If he rewards us with 30 to 35 goals and makes things happen (anything happen) on our Power Play - that hasn't happened since Sergie Zubov manned the point, it will undoubtedly have been worth it. Anyone who can breath life into a dead PP is surely worth a nine year deal. No? I just can't get myself beyond his contract. It's a ponderous deal.
He will no doubt be on the first line with the team's returning avatar; Marian Gaborik. The hope is last season's lack of anything from him was an aberration. The Rangers are hoping the 40-goal Gaborik is the real Gaborik, and returns to the team this season. The other hope is that he and Brad Richards will mesh together.
Who will the third member of that Richards/Gaborik line be? I guess we're going to find out Friday (locally at 1pm). I still feel Avery could have been that guy. But that's behind us now. Besides, Coach Torts said, "..we have better players than him..." The fact remains someone is still going to have to win battles and feed those two guys pucks. I just can't help remembering how effective Avery was at winning battles along the boards and in the corner, and what a tremendously good passer he was from from behind the goal line. Wojktek Wolski is a big dude who can throw his body around and score some. But he's not a first line answer on the wing. It may not sound like a good idea, but Ruslan Fedotenko might actually be a very effective fit for them. I doubt Coach goes that way. And breaking up Prust and Boyle is a mistake in my opinion.
Will Coach reunite Callahan/Anisimov/Dubinsky on the second line? I'd like to see it. And maybe try Wojtek Wolski with Prust and Boyle? Then again with Torts, none of this matters. He's usually mixing and matching five minutes into a game anyway. He's a hot-handed Coach; plays the hot players.
Michael Rupp is now the new Vinny Prospal who skates a little better. Even though Prospal lost a bunch of time to injury last season, in my view Rupp is a huge downgrade in the steadying influence department. But he's still a smart player who's been on teams that have done nothing but win. The former Devil/Penguin and guys like him are useful and prove savvy late in games when perhaps a younger player is unsure as to how to close out games. Mind you, he is only thirty-one years old. But that's where a guy like Rupp will help most. He'll give the team 'calm and cool' off the bench while testosterone is raging in the younger guys and they do ill advised things late in games.
On Defense, for as long as Marc Staal is a question, Ranger Fans be suffering head-aches also. If Staal is OK and plays, that means Steve Eminger gives us depth on the blue line. If Staal is compromised, and Eminger has to take on a bigger role and more minutes, that's trouble.
It's also high time Dan Girardi stepped up his physicality. He no doubt will block a ton of shots. That part of his game is admirable. But he absolutely needs to use his body more. I get he's young. But like I said in opening, he's a year older now. If he has to go to GNC and start using Met-Rx...do it. Time to man-up son and give Henrik room in front of his net.
I really like the McDonagh/ Sauer pairing. Or, do I just really really like the Michael Sauer part of that? We have third-pair options on the blue-line. But our fourth pair is a something short of a mystery to me. That's another thing we'll find out in Friday's game.
What's most stunning about this year's team is that I dare to think Glen Sather has quite possibly assembled his best team as GM of the Rangers. This team has a very interesting mix going. And the most important part of this current team's construction has been the patience the organization has exercised and adherence to the plan. A great majority of that plan, and instigation to adopt it and stick to it, I still feel comes from Coach Tortorella. But because the name on the GM's door says Sather, the dollar goes in his tip jar. Silver-back Sather aside, it's still worth saying, I already like the dynamic of this season's edition of the Broadway Blueshirts.
We aren't a clear Stanley Cup contender. But I do think we will be watching a more assertive, smarter, and cohesive bunch that comes along with another year of maturing together; with 'together' being the key word. I'm not making any predictions for the team. We know what kind of team we are already. However, this edition should accomplish more than has been won here during Glen Sather's reign. That would entail getting beyond the second round of the playoffs.
The question this season is the same as last - Can we, and will we score more goals? Our big money top line center acquisition will go a long way towards answering that question for us. So let's drop the puck and see.
We'll commence the season on an extensive road trip starting in Sweden as time is needed for clean up and making Madison Square Garden habitable again during the on-going renovations.
Let's go Rangers!
Mike.BTB
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
N.Y. RANGERS ~ NHL Playoffs; Round One Preview
2010-2011
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS
NEW YORK RANGERS
8th Seed ~ 44-33-5 ~ 93 Points ~ 3rd Place Atlantic Division
VS.
Washington Capitals
1st Seed ~ 48-23-11 ~ 107 Points ~ 1st Place Southeast Division
GOALS FOR:
Rangers 16th ~ 233
Capitals 19th ~ 224
GOALS AGAINST
Rangers 5th ~ 198
Capitals 4th ~ 197
POWER PLAY
Rangers 18th ~ 16.9%
Capitals 16th ~ 17.5%
PENATLY KILL
Rangers 10th ~ 83.7%
Capitals 2nd ~ 85.6%
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Rematch!
Blueshirts Seek Revenge Against Washington for 2009 Playoff Elimination.
Two years ago in the opening round of the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs, we held a three games to one advantage over the Washington Capitals. Then four things happened to us that ruined our season.
ONE - Washington's Coach Bruce Boudreau yanked his starting goalie; Jose Theodore in Game 4 and inserted a rookie; Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov played in six games for the Capitals during the entire 2008-2009 season. Did I say SIX games?
TWO - Coach John Tortorella benched Sean Avery in Game 5. He was arguably the Rangers' best player that series.
THREE - Coach John Tortorella received a well deserved one game suspension in Game 6 of that series.
The Rangers blew a three games to one lead. They lost three in a row. They lost the series four games to three. They lost. I like the pain of being repetitive and saying we lost as many ways as I can. I say, Embrace The Pain! Because we'll know not to do it again. Perchance to dream...
NEW YORK RANGERS: PARTNERS IN GRIND
For me personally, the move of the series was Coach Boudreau swapping out his goalies. What a bold move. And Varlamov, the rookie, played like a ten year Pro in return for the opportunity. This season, Coach Boudreau triggered an equally bold move similar to the way he inserted Varlamov in-series two years ago during the playoffs. Coach Boudreau demanded the Capitals play defense for a change, from the mid-season on. We caught the Capitals in mid-lesson a pair of times this season. Learning a new defensive system didn't come to the Caps right away. But just in time for these playoffs, they seem to finally get it. Hurray for us.
POWER PLAY
Rangers 18th ~ 16.9%
Capitals 16th ~ 17.5%
PENATLY KILL
Rangers 10th ~ 83.7%
Capitals 2nd ~ 85.6%
NEW YORK RANGERS: The Rematch!
Blueshirts Seek Revenge Against Washington for 2009 Playoff Elimination.
Two years ago in the opening round of the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs, we held a three games to one advantage over the Washington Capitals. Then four things happened to us that ruined our season.
TWO - Coach John Tortorella benched Sean Avery in Game 5. He was arguably the Rangers' best player that series.
THREE - Coach John Tortorella received a well deserved one game suspension in Game 6 of that series.
Is it all coming back to you now?
FOUR - ...and out the door. The New York Rangers lost Game 7.
The Rangers blew a three games to one lead. They lost three in a row. They lost the series four games to three. They lost. I like the pain of being repetitive and saying we lost as many ways as I can. I say, Embrace The Pain! Because we'll know not to do it again. Perchance to dream...
Warm-Ups ~ Rangers vs Capitals; 2008-2009 NHL Playoffs
NEW YORK RANGERS: PARTNERS IN GRIND
For me personally, the move of the series was Coach Boudreau swapping out his goalies. What a bold move. And Varlamov, the rookie, played like a ten year Pro in return for the opportunity. This season, Coach Boudreau triggered an equally bold move similar to the way he inserted Varlamov in-series two years ago during the playoffs. Coach Boudreau demanded the Capitals play defense for a change, from the mid-season on. We caught the Capitals in mid-lesson a pair of times this season. Learning a new defensive system didn't come to the Caps right away. But just in time for these playoffs, they seem to finally get it. Hurray for us.
Two years ago, the experts kept reiterating over and over again that if Sean Avery turned out to be the Rangers' best player on the ice, they'd lose the series. They turned out to be right. But the fact remains, Sean Avery was staging a clinic against Washington. But both he and Coach Tortorella decided to lose their minds at the same time and well....., we just spiralled into the toilet. There's little chance of that scenario playing out again. Coach Torts has limited Sean Avery's minutes all season long and made him a healthy scratch several times down the stretch. There is little to no trust at all on Coach's part to work with. With Chris Drury back, there's no reason to believe Coach Torts will allow Avery to skate meaningful minutes throughout this series.
But you know what? Both Coach and Avery are unpredictable. Avery can very well squeeze himself into the line-up if Coach remembers just how good he was against the Caps two years ago. But before we say there is hope for the embattled forward, ask yourself if Coach Torts is willing to exponentially increase his risks of putting Washington on the power play? Put that way, it's not so personal anymore.
But you know what? Both Coach and Avery are unpredictable. Avery can very well squeeze himself into the line-up if Coach remembers just how good he was against the Caps two years ago. But before we say there is hope for the embattled forward, ask yourself if Coach Torts is willing to exponentially increase his risks of putting Washington on the power play? Put that way, it's not so personal anymore.
The quality and quantity of young Rangers called upon to fill needs over the last two seasons makes that Washington series two years ago seem like a very distant memory. We finally got around to at least start disassembling that team of two years past. Those who remain suffered injury riddled seasons. But that season was presented to you by the Ranger's Old Guard.
Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Marc Staal were still under different tutelage then. Today they are the young vets driving the New Ranger Guard. In this year's version of the Rangers, the older veterans compliment them. True, Ryan Callahan will be lost for what could be the remainder of the playoffs, but the quantity of young, gritty hockey players on this roster, might be able to over-come his loss.
The question in this series is which team adapted faster and is better adjusted to their Coach's demands? Have the Capitals mastered the defense Coach Boudreau asked of his team more quickly than the young Rangers have gained maturity to be strong minded enough in order to meet the physical challenges of NHL playoffs?
Stepan, Zuccarello, Sauer, Anisimov, and McDonagh are all pretty much entering the Unknown Zone. The regular season was just a quiz compared to the test they will start taking Wednesday night. Get plenty of sleep and eat your Wheaties, Boys. This won't be easy.
The Rangers won the season series against the Capitals three games to one. If that gives the Rangers nothing else, it gives them confidence they can tame Washington long enough to win four games before they do. But if we do something stupid like think we are their equal...? - We will surely lose. A tally of the end of season numbers indicate the Rangers and Capitals are very close in most offensive and defensive categories. But we seem to play best when we appear over-matched on paper. So, the Rangers must stay true to the plan and take care of all the little things, so that the bigger things will take care of themselves. Cliche'? Yes, But in our case, - True.
As a Rangers fan, because Callahan is out, you have to be thinking, - if only Chris Drury can ride the wave of his goal scored against the Devils into and through the playoffs. A blast from the past performance by the Ranger Captain would be most welcome. He's certainly been through this before and will be able to shed a lot of light as to what it takes to win playoff games and impart some of that knowledge on the young guys. But remember I said this; - IF Chris Drury is skating upwards of 19:00 minutes a night, it means we're killing off too many penalties. That's just food for thought.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Coach Torts have done this before also. There will be growing trust in Fedotenko moving forward. Likewise, I see Vinny Prospal getting a lot of ice-time. He's been on fire since returning from a bad knee finishing with twenty points in the last twenty games. He scored in his first game back this season and went on to score the last goal of the regular season for the Rangers against the Devils. If his knee is up to the grind, he may lead the Rangers in minutes over several of these games.
This team is still in dire need of the occasional goal from Wojtek Wolski, Brandon Prust, and Brian Boyle. They will all have to score at least a goal each in this series if it goes deep. Marian Gaborik is still yet to perform like the 40+ goal scorer of last year and it appears as if Coach Torts is losing more confidence in him by the day. Gaborik was increasingly benched for long periods during games down the stretch. I am terribly interested to see what line the beleaguered forward gets put on. But if there's a time for last year's Gaborik to show up, there's no better time than now.
Outside of Ryan Callahan, I have left "the core" for last.
This may sound bold, but I am expecting Marc Staal to have a HUGE series. Great players need great moments to unfold before them. Then, they seize it. I think the challenge of these playoffs will bring out the animal in Staal and that our back-line star is about to become unleashed. I think he has finally grasped the concept of anger. Enter Alex Ovechkin and all that's left is to drop the puck and watch it happen.
The challenge of the playoffs is also knocking on Brandon Dubinsky's door. These playoffs may very well determine whether or not Brandon Dubinsky is a New York Ranger for the long term. Round One and any subsequent playoffs for the Blueshirts are now his ocean to sink or swim in. He is the Rangers' leading scorer this season, but I think it's hardly a representative number. I am not picking on Dubinsky. I'm merely stating there is another level of play that must be achieved by our beloved forward, and it needs to be tapped into now; when the team needs it most, and while his Partner In Grind is down with a busted ankle. Is Brandon Dubinsky the core player that Coach Torts always says he is? Brandon Dubinsky needs to prove that out right now.
And of course, our biggest weapon against the Capitals is obviously our goalie; Henrik Lundqvist. I apologize for wasting a lot of your time. All I had to say was everything starts and ends with Henrik and we could have called it a night.
Can anyone see Coach Torts giving Chad Johnson a start? ...Didn't think so.
After riding Henrik Lundqvist for seventeen consecutive starts to end last year's season, he needed treatment on his knees after amassing 73 starts in total. He was breaking down more-so than we knew. After Marty Biron's injury this season, Henrik has started twenty-seven consecutive games to end the season. Playoff game one, will be number twenty-eight. But Marty Biron still enabled Henrik to keep his starts at a lower number than last year before he went down. The King looks, and says he feels great. His 36-27-5 record; 11 shut-outs; 2.28 GAA and .923 Save percentage back that up. The bottom line here is that our goalie is better than their goalie.
Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Marc Staal were still under different tutelage then. Today they are the young vets driving the New Ranger Guard. In this year's version of the Rangers, the older veterans compliment them. True, Ryan Callahan will be lost for what could be the remainder of the playoffs, but the quantity of young, gritty hockey players on this roster, might be able to over-come his loss.
The question in this series is which team adapted faster and is better adjusted to their Coach's demands? Have the Capitals mastered the defense Coach Boudreau asked of his team more quickly than the young Rangers have gained maturity to be strong minded enough in order to meet the physical challenges of NHL playoffs?
Stepan, Zuccarello, Sauer, Anisimov, and McDonagh are all pretty much entering the Unknown Zone. The regular season was just a quiz compared to the test they will start taking Wednesday night. Get plenty of sleep and eat your Wheaties, Boys. This won't be easy.
The Rangers won the season series against the Capitals three games to one. If that gives the Rangers nothing else, it gives them confidence they can tame Washington long enough to win four games before they do. But if we do something stupid like think we are their equal...? - We will surely lose. A tally of the end of season numbers indicate the Rangers and Capitals are very close in most offensive and defensive categories. But we seem to play best when we appear over-matched on paper. So, the Rangers must stay true to the plan and take care of all the little things, so that the bigger things will take care of themselves. Cliche'? Yes, But in our case, - True.
As a Rangers fan, because Callahan is out, you have to be thinking, - if only Chris Drury can ride the wave of his goal scored against the Devils into and through the playoffs. A blast from the past performance by the Ranger Captain would be most welcome. He's certainly been through this before and will be able to shed a lot of light as to what it takes to win playoff games and impart some of that knowledge on the young guys. But remember I said this; - IF Chris Drury is skating upwards of 19:00 minutes a night, it means we're killing off too many penalties. That's just food for thought.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Coach Torts have done this before also. There will be growing trust in Fedotenko moving forward. Likewise, I see Vinny Prospal getting a lot of ice-time. He's been on fire since returning from a bad knee finishing with twenty points in the last twenty games. He scored in his first game back this season and went on to score the last goal of the regular season for the Rangers against the Devils. If his knee is up to the grind, he may lead the Rangers in minutes over several of these games.
This team is still in dire need of the occasional goal from Wojtek Wolski, Brandon Prust, and Brian Boyle. They will all have to score at least a goal each in this series if it goes deep. Marian Gaborik is still yet to perform like the 40+ goal scorer of last year and it appears as if Coach Torts is losing more confidence in him by the day. Gaborik was increasingly benched for long periods during games down the stretch. I am terribly interested to see what line the beleaguered forward gets put on. But if there's a time for last year's Gaborik to show up, there's no better time than now.
Outside of Ryan Callahan, I have left "the core" for last.
This may sound bold, but I am expecting Marc Staal to have a HUGE series. Great players need great moments to unfold before them. Then, they seize it. I think the challenge of these playoffs will bring out the animal in Staal and that our back-line star is about to become unleashed. I think he has finally grasped the concept of anger. Enter Alex Ovechkin and all that's left is to drop the puck and watch it happen.
My picture from 2008-2009 playoffs vs Washington.
The challenge of the playoffs is also knocking on Brandon Dubinsky's door. These playoffs may very well determine whether or not Brandon Dubinsky is a New York Ranger for the long term. Round One and any subsequent playoffs for the Blueshirts are now his ocean to sink or swim in. He is the Rangers' leading scorer this season, but I think it's hardly a representative number. I am not picking on Dubinsky. I'm merely stating there is another level of play that must be achieved by our beloved forward, and it needs to be tapped into now; when the team needs it most, and while his Partner In Grind is down with a busted ankle. Is Brandon Dubinsky the core player that Coach Torts always says he is? Brandon Dubinsky needs to prove that out right now.
And of course, our biggest weapon against the Capitals is obviously our goalie; Henrik Lundqvist. I apologize for wasting a lot of your time. All I had to say was everything starts and ends with Henrik and we could have called it a night.
Can anyone see Coach Torts giving Chad Johnson a start? ...Didn't think so.
After riding Henrik Lundqvist for seventeen consecutive starts to end last year's season, he needed treatment on his knees after amassing 73 starts in total. He was breaking down more-so than we knew. After Marty Biron's injury this season, Henrik has started twenty-seven consecutive games to end the season. Playoff game one, will be number twenty-eight. But Marty Biron still enabled Henrik to keep his starts at a lower number than last year before he went down. The King looks, and says he feels great. His 36-27-5 record; 11 shut-outs; 2.28 GAA and .923 Save percentage back that up. The bottom line here is that our goalie is better than their goalie.
Nothing we do is easy. But we do many things well.
It's going to take all seven games and it may not always be pretty,
but I'm picking the Blueshirts in Seven.
ENJOY THE REMATCH
LET'S GET OUR REVENGE
From 2008-2009 NHL Playoffs
LET'S GO RANGERS
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Monday, April 11, 2011
N.Y. RANGERS ~ The Blueshirts are a Tale of Two Teams
NEW YORK RANGERS
The Story of the Blueshirt's 85th Season is a Tale of Two Teams
NEW YORK RANGERS: How It Started; Where It Wound Up; and Where Do We Go from Here..
This Rangers story is about the team Glen Sather gave John Tortorella to start the season with; what happened to that team; the team Coach Tort's turned them into; and how on the last day of the regular season, it all might have finally come together.
Seven to eight months ago, this team was assembled very differently if you remember. As far as the big club, Glen Sather was still taking his yearly huge swings in free agency and missing just as big, as has been his custom to toss MSG dollars about like candy-corns on Halloween. The teams he assembled along the way were just as scary as some costumes you'd might see on Halloween also. This season figured to be no different. At best, the experts predicted the Rangers to be an eighth place team. And Ranger fans could look forward to just bobbing along the schedule again with no clear plan for building a consistent winner.
The GM is still trying to reconcile letting Colton Orr go. He's spent far more money on futility than had he just given Colton Orr his money. First, Glen Sather failed miserably by signing Donald Brashear, who was still on the Rangers' payroll this season. He then followed that mistake with an equally huge gaffe and signed an overweight and out of shape Derek Boogaard for three years. Derek Boogaard was a horrible fit in Coach Torts' system to begin with, as evidenced by the three and four minutes a game he was getting before he got beat-up. And in every fight he had, he looked slow to the punch and usually wound up receiving more than he gave. This once formidable heavyweight champ of the Minnesota Wild was nothing more than a disfigured shadow of his former self. THEN he got hurt, and has never been heard from again. But he still has two years left on his deal.
Wade Redden was too obvious and glaring a mistake that even Glen Sather had no choice but to make him the highest paid AHL player, when, after passing him through the waiver process, demoted Redden to Connecticut (Wolfpack of Hartford at the time). The nightly negativity raining down on him would have been too much for everyone concerned had he remained on the roster. But he'll be back next season to present the same problem again.
With Redden gone, Michal Rozsival remained as the other overly priced, ineffective, old, fading veteran defense-man, polluting the Rangers' back-liners. Somehow, Glen Sather found a way to trade him for Wojtek Wolski. But Wolski and company are for later in this post. Rozsival was part of the original plan.
Think back. Remember the savvy Alex Frolov signing and the hope of 20+ goals from him?? i.e.; Aaron Voros...aka, Nick Zherdev? Yea; it's all coming back to you, isn't it?
The returning Sean Avery did not and never had a friend in Coach Tortorella. But Avery was thrown in the lap of Coach Torts by Glen Sather and was forced to just deal with it. And for most of that time, it hasn't gone well for Avery.
Vinny Prospal and newly signed Ruslan Fedotenko were the smart vets who would nurture and teach the young Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky how to negotiate the NHL. Marian Gaborik was another vet returning from a 40+ goal season the year prior. Gaborik made another Glen Sather mistake named Scott Gomez go away. Brandon Prust was a trade throw in and Brian Boyle was brought here to grind and help the Rangers possess the puck down low. These were the players complementing the Captain of the team; Chris Drury. This is the team Glen Sather gave John Tortorella.
This is the cast Glen Sather assembled for our entertainment in return for our hard earned dollars. And frankly, I get more enjoyment criticizing these moves than I did anticipating another Glen Sather creation back in September.
Behind the scenes, Glen Sather finally had things heading in a better direction. When Don Maloney was still part of our drafting process, we still drafted small. It's as simple as that. Prucha, Moore, Ortmeyer, Hollweg, Tyutin, Dawes, Montoya....even Dubinsky, Callahan and Staal were products of the prior drafting models at the beginning of the prior decade and who began playing after the NHL lock-out. But after Don Maloney took a job to work with Wayne Gretzky in Phoenix, Glen Sather made two key appointments.
Gordie Clark and Jeff Gorton are calling shots in player personnel for the Rangers now. As the Rangers' roster was crippled by injury this season, these two men were directly responsible for the club's ability to dip into the farm and promote some talent that not only kept the team afloat, the youngsters prospered and kept the Rangers in contention. In some cases, they came up with size; in other areas they brought skill; and other matters they brought smarts and grittiness.
Near season long injuries to Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal opened up opportunities. When Alex Frolov went down, it created another job opening. When Boogaard went down, it created yet another job opening. The disappearance of Rozsival and Redden opened up yet more opportunities on the back-line. Limiting Sean Avery's minutes meant someone else was getting that ice-time. And there were a myriad of other injuries the Rangers sustained all season long. After suffering one of those mid-season injuries himself, the latest and most devastating injury to hit home was Ryan Callahan being lost again after the Boston game. But prior to Callahan's second injury, all these factors and the surprisingly effective play of the call-ups had Rangers fans all buying into a rebuilding. Suddenly, costly and aging players no longer were in vogue at MSG.
The fans have never had Glen Sather's ear. Heck, he doesn't even have to talk to the Media. So we can scream "Rebuild!!" till we're BLUE in the face and it won't matter. It's never been that way between Sather and the fan base.
Enter John Tortorella. When it was clear the Rangers had to make a break from Tom Renney, let's face it, John was the best available coach who just happened to be unemployed at the time. Based on the strength of a Stanley Cup victory, his volatile disposition could be over-looked in NYC....right? It had better; he was hired.
Coach came in and orchestrated a rather freakish ending to the 2008-2009 regular season and playoff series loss against the Washington Capitals. The coach himself earned a one game suspension in that series. But that's neither here nor there. He came here like a mason. From the beginning, he identified four players and dubbed them his core. He came here wanting to build something from the ground up. He wanted something built in stone. That's how you build a club that can sustain success; - By building from within and growing a core of players together over time, with patience and a discipline for sticking with the plan. Then you go about supplementing them with smart trades and perhaps ONE key free agent acquisition to fill a need.
John Tortorella identified Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist as his Core Four that all future Ranger efforts towards success should be built around. When the injuries started mounting, and more kids were called upon, John Tortorella took these kids and in quick fashion molded them into men on the fly. When they responded to his dictates he trusted them more. They proved themselves again and Coach gave them roles. And when they kids proved they could handle him and what he asked of them thus far, Coach Torts officially gave them jobs.
The trade deadline loomed for Glen Sather and John Tortorella. The Rangers had glaring needs on the power play; they needed a pure scorer on the wing or help at center; and could have used more size on defense. Of course, the call-ups were the only players other teams suddenly had interest in. And the first name to arise in any trade conversation was Ryan Callahan's. An organizational philosophy was either about to be adopted by Glen Sather if he sided with Tortorella and gave these kids the time and patience they needed to grow and develop or, and organizational philosophy would be brushed aside for more of Glen Sather's fantasy hockey league mismanagement and Salary Cap log jams.
It's my opinion, John Tortorella has been more influential on Glen Sather than the GM upon Tortorella. I believe Coach insisted the Rangers stay the course with the young players and not trade them away for quick fixes. I think the coming and passing of the trade deadline proved that out because there was so much interest in the new young Rangers. But Sather was still able to pull off a surprisingly nice deal to acquire Bryan McCabe from Florida for someone unknown to most Ranger fans; I'm sure. But make no mistake, Coach Torts asked the team to play a certain way and establish a certain identity, and they have collectively responded to validate their Coach on principle alone.
Coach Torts took four of the young, now veteran holdovers from before his time here; Callahan, Dubinsky, Staal, and Lundqvist and mixed in the even younger players together in continuously changing combinations and somehow made it work. Artem Anisimov; Derek Stepan; Michael Sauer; Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, and even Michael Del Zotto, have given the Rangers a whole new identity almost over night. Even Newbury and Weiss came up briefly and played well for a handful of games. Newly acquired Wojtek Wolski has provided sparks of his own. There is still depth in Connecticut and all reports are last year's draft picks are doing well.
The system Coach Torts demanded they play brought out the most in Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle. And by pairing Marc Staal with Dan Girardi, Coach is getting the utmost out of Girardi. Girardi is a lesser player without Torts and having Staal by his side. What's one of the pitfalls of Coach Torts' system? - Ryan Callahan's broken ankle. He demands his team block shots. The Rangers were number two in the League this year in that department.
But the feel-good about the newest Rangers on the rise and their success on the ice was a by-produce of Glen Sather's original plan being an utter failure. And let's not forget that. We already spelled out all the names. And if were not for John Tortorella, Glen Sather would have most likely dealt away many of our prospects long ago. But that's just an opinion.
The "Newer" York Rangers served notice to the Eastern Conference and the rest of the NHL they can play in this league. They left tell-tale signs all over the National Hockey League. The early going was sluggish. They played to a 5-5 record in October. In November before Thanksgiving, they went 7-5. And from Thanksgiving to the end of the year they played to a 10-7 record. They played down to some teams; or did they? But they pock-marked their 2010 portion of the season with victories over Chicago; Boston: Washington; Pittsburgh; Buffalo; Philadelphia; Calgary; and Nashville.
By the new year, injuries were really taking their toll on the team. In January they went 7-7 marked with victories over mighty Vancouver; Carolina; Dallas; St. Louis; Atlanta; and Washington again. February brought less welcome results. They suffered through a five game losing streak and were 4-8 in the month, but still showed gamely spirit against Pittsburgh; Carolina; Los Angeles; and Washington yet again.
Before Saturday night's news the Rangers made the playoffs, without a doubt, the way the Rangers played through March and April endeared this bunch of Blueshirts to their fans unlike many editions who came before this group. They rebounded from February to go 8-6 in March highlighted by huge wins down the stretch over Philadelphia; San Jose; Montreal; Pittsburgh and Boston. A long missed electricity returned to the Garden along the way also.
April - In the end, the Rangers did what they had to do. They put their backs against the wall by losing to Atlanta, but they wouldn't have been in a position to advance without a huge win over Philadelphia, a most glorious comeback against Boston, and closing out the season in convincing fashion against the Devils.
Vinny Prospal finally came back from his injury 20 games ago and has played like a man possessed. He has scored twenty points in his twenty games back and fittingly, scored the last goal of the 2010-2011 regular season for Glen Sather's new Rangers against the Devils Saturday afternoon. Vinny Prospal has indeed been a god-send for the team and his contributions should not go underspoken. He'll be even more important in the playoffs due to Ryan Callahan's absence.
So let's credit Glen Sather for Prospal, but only after finally making it back from a most lengthy injury. Let's also give him credit for acquiring Wojtek Wolski in a trade and shipping the little liked Rozsival away. When it comes to Prust and Boyle, Sather might have brought them here, but I believe it was Coach Torts that turned one of them into a 20 goal scorer and the other into an Officer Steven McDonald Award recipient. Additionally, I'd credit John Tortorella for guiding this team through an on-the-fly transitioning, as the roster flipped mid-season. Coach managed to get into the minds of the team quickly and molded them into a unit of one.
Then Saturday afternoon, something happened that both Coach Torts and Glen Sather can both be happy about. Glen Sather's much maliegned Captain; Chris Drury waited for Rangers' game #82 to score his most important and only goal of his very short season. In a blast from the past moment for Drury, he scored the Rangers first goal of the game which tied the score at 1-1 early in the first period. That goal did everything to keep everyone in the game; both players and fans at MSG alike. Then it was time for one of Torts' kids to be a hero. Ryan McDonagh scored his first ever NHL goal to put the Rangers up 3-2 against the Devils after Wojtek Wolski tied it. McDonagh's goal was the game winner.
The people's player, Brandon Prust gave the Rangers an insurance goal. And then the Ol' Glen Sather vet, Vinny Prospal slammed the door shut on the Devils with the last goal scored in the New York Rangers' regular season.
It seems as if finally, at least for a game a combination of the old team planned for this season joined forces with the new team that saved this season and came together as one to play the Devils and win the Rangers' most important game of the year on the final day of the season.
So depending on which team you're grading you might have a differnt outlook on 93 points and an eighth place finish. If you're considering Glen Sather's continuing riegn as the Master of Mediocre, 93 points might seem too much for us considering how miserably most of his acquisitions underperformed. If Zach Parise doesn't get hurt the whole season and the Devils play just a little better to begin their season, we might not even be having this conversation. If the Hurricanes win, we're definitely not having this conversation.
But if you're grading the team Coach Tort's is trying to build, 93 points and a spot in the playoffs is a tremendous uptick from last season. And I'm behind his method of building this team up from the ground regardless of my differences with his handling of Sean Avery. That's a situation where the results speak for themselves.
The Rangers Start Their Quest For The Cup Wednesday Night.
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