Speaking Of The Fight Culture.....

It happened last night three minutes into the rematch against The Toronto Maple Leafs at the A.C.C, you know that place where the the polite audience only claps and shouts when the LCD tells them to.   "Everybody...clap.....your hand...."  (clap)  (clap)  (clap)   Don't drop your sushi Leaf fans...

So I digress...

The long awaited match with former Ranger now Leaf enforcer Colton Orr was on a mission and instigated  Derek "the Boogeyman" Boogaard into a fight.   Clearly, Boogey shook up Orr's head and made connections a couple of times - and you can see the fear in Orr's reaction; until Colton tugged his jersey and threw the big man down.  Those at the A.C.C. declared the bout won by Orr, but look again...   The video doesn't show the load in Colton Orr's pants after the bout.

Hockeyfights.com gave the bout to BOOGEY.  Given this was the first real fight we've seen this season, last night was probably worth about $300,000 in Ranger's salary cap.  Woo hoo....

Results

Derek Boogaard		54.6%
Colton Orr		23.5%
Draw		21.8%
From 119 votes with an average rating of 6.0

Goon Match at the Home Opener? Will Orr get taken to school by the Boogeyman?

Two season ago Colton Orr left NY for Toronto for that eternal optimism of Leaf fandom... Smug and secure he had made the right decision minutes into free agency when looking at his older, slumping, often injured pug faced replacement. Many of us cursed the management for not jumping at the chance to retain our resident knockout artist, but the truth is Colton Orr was not thinking about staying, he wasn't waiting or negotiating.

Fast forward - This season, there's a new sheriff in town. He's paid more than the most knuckle-draggers in the game and that causes some concern for some Blueshirt fans for the minutes he'll play... But Derek Boogaard, if nothing else, has what he needs to patrol the ice at the garden. In fact with the exception of one year (last year) his tenure in the NHL has been spent looking out for one man, if no one else... Marion Gaborik. Outside of the hockey fight school he runs with his brother in the off-season, the Boogeyman has had some difficulty finding a dance partner ... especially in the preseason and the first 2 season games. That could be attributed to his limited ice time or the fact that many guys (like Leblonde out of Jersey) suddenly remember a promise they made to their mothers not to fight, when paired up with Boogaard outside the face off circle. Even at -30 lbs this season at the insistence of Torts, Boogey is still bares a striking resemblance to an Cadillac Escalade in a Rangers jersey.

While many have trouble finding their spines when confronted by Boogaard, Orr's never been one to back down from a fight. In fact when they met in the Juniors, it appeared that Orr may have even gotten the better of the scrap. That was then though and this is now. Orr's a real tough guy and he'll be forever endeared to our hearts (well mine anyway) for splattering Fedoruk across the ice to send a message and for cross checking Ovie the kneecapper in retaliation, and folding him like a cheap suit in that game against Washington years ago... That being said, dare I say Colton's could be already on the slide. He hasn't seemed to elevate his game at all and wins as many fights by chucking bombs with bravado and reckless abandon...as losing as many on strategy as he has in the past. That always limits the longevity of an enforcer's career. It shows as Orr was apparently KTFO'd (Knocked the Fu... well you get the picture) earlier this week by some kid out of Pittsburgh that out-chucked him, so to speak, and landed a chin-checking sledgehammer right on the button.

There still could be a showdown tonight, but for Orr's sake, it might be best if he suddenly remembers a promise he made to his mother...

'Old Time Hockey' Promised Tonight!

Two teams I despise are playing tonight - The Toronto Maple Leafs and The Philadelphia Flyers, but if you are a fan of 'old-time hockey' (think Broad Street Bullies, 70's and bench clearings), if you watch tonight's game you are GUARANTEED a pre-season brawl like no other.  7pm EST.

With the publicly lauded Brian-Burke-Brawler-Bully-Leaf-Machine revamping now in place in Toronto and Philadelphia's rebuilding of it's blue(collar)line with the addition of 'The Wall' Chris Pronger, sparks will fly when the first puck drops.  Last night against the Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Leafs there were four fights and plenty to prove by the recently acquired veterans and the newbie prospects attempting to impress the Burke-ism Philosophy.  Old-time hockey still remains a vital part of what the fans want in the NHL -- and both teams tonight will not disappoint.

Pension Plan Puppets in response to Toronto's new appetite to fight, states it nicely:

And if you think there's a chance this is going unnoticed by the Flyers, think again. Is there a reason Matt Clackson made this trip? Are you naive enough to think that it was just a coincidence last night when Riley Cote, Dan Carcillo, and Arron Asham all sat out last nights game in Detroit?

There are going to be fights tonight, and there are going to be lots of them. Get ready.

So New York Rangers fans....watch this game tonight, because it will certainly demonstrate how our Blueshirts need a little more than just a veteran defenceman and someone to center Gaborik on the first line.  Colton.....Colton......Where Art Thou, Colton?

Some fun facts about The Philadelphia Flyers that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to keep in mind:

Philadelphia was the NHL's most penalized team last season, averaging 17.5 minutes per game in the box, but it didn't really hurt the Flyers because they had the sixth-best penalty-killing unit in the league. They were so good that the Flyers managed to score a league-high 16 short-handed goals. And Philadelphia's other special team wasn't too shabby either, with the power-play unit ranking sixth in the league as well.

No one calls the Flyers the "Broad Street Bullies" anymore, but some of the numbers suggest it might still be appropriate. And that's even without cheap shots from Pronger. Philadelphia's lineup will include Daniel Carcillo, who led the NHL with 254 penalty minutes last season; Arron Asham, who had 155 minutes; and Ian Laperriere, who led the Colorado Avalanche with 163 minutes. Don't forget Riley Cote, either. He averaged less than five minutes of ice time but led the Flyers in fighting majors with 22, the fourth-highest total in the league.

May the best fighters win tonight!

tdr 

'A Wolf In Wolf's Clothing' Named Brashear

The criticism of Donald Brashear must come to an end.

We know what and who he is and he will serve an important purpose on the Rangers roster this season.

For fans of professional hockey in North America, Donald Brashear is an imposing 6-foot-3, 235-pound forward, one of the sport's most recognizable enforcers, a man whose skating and stick skills have been dwarfed by his ability to pummel opponents with his fists.

For now, he is wearing Blue on Broadway for the next two seasons and is the NYR resident enforcer. Not since before the lockout has the Rangers had a full-fledged fear-factor on the roster; we’ve had years of watching our star players get destroyed without collegial retaliation - let us not forget Jaromir Jagr getting man-handled year-after-year without anyone stepping in to send the right message. Let us not forget that Tom Renney relied on rookie enforcers and the NHL’s new rules to referee the physical misdeeds of the game.

We have watched Colton Orr grow into our enforcer over the last couple of seasons – it has been fun getting to know him, to watch his early Rangers years ‘enforcer-training’ getting his ass kicked to becoming a more confident low-salary-cap-eating player who had his heart in the game first. This past year he became a hard-working, okay-dokey hockey player, but mostly, a solid enforcing fighter. The new coach didn't like his level of play, so he left for free agency. What now Rangers fans?

We get one of the scariest of enforcers on the team during free agency, though Rangers' media and bloggers have spent the last three weeks labeling him a criminal, unwilling to accept the signing to our beloved Blueshirts. They have seen this as a bad thing and yearn for the Orr days of past and refuse to accept the ‘free agent Tortorella deterrent’ named Donald Brashear because he’s too brutal.

3 words: Get Over It!

For the redundant background, if you recall during our 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the April 26, 2009 game against Washington, Caps enforcer Brashear was given a 6-game suspension for both a pre-game altercation with NYR enforcer Colton Orr and a very obvious late hit on Rangers center Blair Betts (of which Betts suffered an orbital eye socket fracture as a result of the hit). Not cool.

But all is fair in 'love & war', as this past month Brashear agreed to a free-agent contract with the Blueshirts for two-years at @$1.2 million per year to fill our need of an enforcer after Colton Orr signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years at just over four million dollars.

After the altercation with the Rangers in the previous post season, NYR General Manager Glen Sather was asked why he chose to sign Brashear. He said, "Donald is a great player and we need a guy to fill the tough role. He is a tough guy and the man we need. He certainly will be the man his teammates can go to and I have no doubts in my mind his new teammates will accept him."

This I do not doubt, as for many hockey fans, “the fist” is an essential part of the game. Sean Avery has been an important component of the verbal necessity in the game, and distracted our opponents in a mental and physical fashion --- and in some strange way, he satisfied the fans need for blood & smack-talk (excluding crude non-hockey ex-girlfriend comments) and he won over the fans because his antics helped us to win games. He is our on-ice verbal enforcer. Donald Brashear, on the other hand (the left one specifically) serves the physical necessity in the game and distracts our opponents through fear and force. He is on the ice to protect our key players. He is our on-ice physical villain. He, too, will help us win games. No one can dispute this.

Every New York Rangers fan should expect our first home game against Ottawa to be an 'all-out fist-ballet' between Chris Neil and our very own Donald Brashear, and the Don will win in the eyes of Rangers’ fans everywhere. This has to happen and Donald knows he needs to win over those blood-thirsting 300 & 400 section die-hards. Just as Shanny dropped his gloves to then Washington Caps Brashear to win the hearts of the Garden faithful seasons ago, “The Donald” will find his audience in NYC. Some critics and purists will continue to curse his name and label him, but when it all comes down to it – we know what he is and he is one that we’d rather have on our team than face him with fists flying. This is a guy who has trained with boxing legend Joe Frazier and continues to train with legendary UFC Champion James “Hoss” Skelton.

As Donald Brashear was quoted as saying during this year’s playoffs, "To tell you the truth, I never liked fighting. I always wanted to be the type of player that plays hard, hits, body checks and scores some goals. But that's not what they wanted me to be."

And we wouldn’t want him to be anything other than what he is. Our enforcer.

The Dark Ranger embraces “The Donald” with a platonic, non-threatening bear-hug and welcomes this thug as ‘our thug’. Onward…

tdr

Two Bad! NYR 3, Penguins 4

1. Two bad games in a row
2. Two points we didn't get.

The Dark Ranger and The Blueshirts are in a tight spot these days and after the second loss with only six games remaining in the season -- we find playoff qualification hardly a sure thing. Those deep conflicted feelings we all share about our Blueshirts are beginning to show once again - yes, they are a fast moving, puck pushing attack hockey team AND yes, they are certainly a better team with Sean Avery, Nik Antropov and (dare I say) Nik Zherdev actually playing hockey these last few months, AND yes, we have a fast no-nonsense talking coach in Torts that gives our players and the fans confidence that 'lazy' and 'defense hockey' is a thing of the past.

But....the defense cannot secure the center. This was the case this afternoon and it has been all season. Our D-men cannot hold back the onslaught of a playoff-minded Atlantic division rival. Roszival is out for another couple of weeks due to injury, Paul Mara looked like a version of Rocky IV and we are in desperate need for blueline recovery and much needed support. Ooh...look for call-ups from Hartford to secure our 'D'-needs, Corey Potter or Bobby Sanguinetti to take on the role at the most crucial and honest point in the season. That should be fun to watch against the final two games against the Philadelphia Flyers!!?

Official recap here.

The Blueshirts have six games remaining, all against teams that are higher in the standings than the Rangers - so it's going to be a tough road ahead. No doubt, but I do believe they have it in them to be contenders in the final stretch. Everyone plays differently in the playoffs. Aside from some of the most atrocious referee calls and nine penalties called against the Blueshirts (all killed, thank you kindly), without discussing the moments of the game that led to our loss I wanted to fundamentally discuss the state of the New York Rangers.

Is this a team that can get past the first round in the playoffs? Are they capable of actually reaching the Cup? How might one answer without carrying the pessimism of the last seven months?

On a tangent, I was participating in one of the NHL media junkets where they typically interview someone important or relevant in hockey and allow media and bloggers to ask questions live. Because of the "critical Rangers' nature" of this site, The Dark Ranger has never been given permission to participate in a Rangers interview, but I was present when the Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ken Hitchcock, was asked about how it felt to potentially reach the playoffs for the first time in Columbus. I took interest in his words (also because he successfully coached the Philadelphia Flyers for years) and I enjoyed that he was non specific in his answers. He described what it felt like getting into the playoffs, the pride & glory of the experience, and the vindication of having worked so hard and being given the chance to win the Cup. He wasn't even sure his team could get far into the playoffs, but he did describe "those teams that you know really want it -- you know what I mean?....the teams that are playing their hearts out, burning up the ice with a knowing that there are bigger things ahead. Fear. Guts. Pride. You know which teams have it and which teams don't have it. My team has it!" Now this was Ken Hitchcock talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets.

What is John Tortorella saying? Do we have it? Can we WIN it?

tdr

Happy Boxing Day, Rangers 4, Hurricanes 2

There was more to the evening than Ranger's Colton Orr checking Matt Cullen across the face and the return of Sean Avery's antics (major and minor punishments galore) in this special, magical time of year.

Knowing young Tom Renney wanted nothing more than to beat a Red and White Rider Pump carbine action, five-hundred range model hockey team, he was told pre-game there was one more present behind the wish tree. Suspiciously, he didn't change anything in his lineup and still got want he wanted. A win. Spoiled kid.

Jagr broke out with two tallies (you heard that right!) and Brendan Shanahan set up a pair of third-period power-play goals to help the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night. Chris Drury and Dan Girardi also scored for the Rangers, who snapped a three-game losing streak, winning for only the third time in the last 11 games. Official recap here.

The Rangers were at it again, a defense-first minded team and stuck with their guns. Although there were sloppy turnovers in the first period, the team was generally solid - crashing the net and outshooting Carolina 2 to 1 throughout the game. In fact, 'one-game rejuvenated' Captain Jaromir Jagr scored his first goal of the evening by planting himself on the far-end of Hurricane Cam Ward's net - a Euro-Dirty-Goal. Congrats to our Jagr for playing hockey on the boards, as opposed to playing European style. Whether it was Tom Renney, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury or Dancing Grandma, Jagr took his lead from someone and we are all grateful. Forgive my repetitiveness, but a "don't get my fingernails dirty" A-level player like Jaromir Jagr does not crash the net, so it was refreshing to see.

Marek Malik started the game and did a decent job. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi continue to amaze Blueshirt fans -- this youthful depth will only benefit the NYR franchise this year and seasons to come, or until Slats trades them this February for an aging potential Columbus Blue Jacket veteran?

Joking aside, rumor has it that the Blueshirts are trying to pry either veteran Adam Foote or top-four defenseman Rostislav Klesla from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Petr Prucha. Some of our young'ens may be thrown into the deal -- none of us like the sound of this. Just for fun, throw in Malik & Hossa for 'shits & giggles'....we triple dare you Slats.

According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, "...The 36-year-old Foote, a physical presence the Rangers so obviously lack on the blue line, is on the final year of a three-year contract at $4.6M per that contains a no-trade clause he would have to waive in order to come to New York. If willing, the two-time Cup-winner with Colorado will become one of the prime rentals on the market as the Feb. 26 deadline approaches. Hence, the Rangers' attempt for a pre-emptive strike. Klesla, the multi-dimensional fourth-overall selection in the 2000 Entry Draft who will turn 26 in March, is under contract through the 2009-10 season at $1.6M per. "

Though teams are frozen through the New Year, we can expect some major trades throughout the NHL come January and February. The Blueshirts will be dumping some of our assets to strengthen that blueline. We all knew this last summer; we just didn't realize how valuable such rookies as Staal and Girardi would be and how they need to remain on this team. So here lies the mystery. (CORRECTION: Will anyone take Malik and how much of that salary will the Rangers continue to pay? - As pointed out by Scotty Hockey, this is no longer allowed as part of the collective NHL salary capping. Players can trade at the full salary only.)

The Dark Ranger feels that management is finally addressing some of the depth problems with the team, and in the end, the Blueshirts are already ahead of where we were last season -- and the 'fire-power' on paper is still an improvement. So optimistically, this looks good and as long as the brass upstairs is continually improving the team, we have to jump on the bandwagon and support the team. As long as we play solid 'last-night knock-em-down-Carolina Hurricane hockey' throughout the season, we are a 'shoe-in.'

The next five games are all against Canadian franchises and we begin the trek with the Toronto Maple Leafs this Saturday night at the legendary A.C.C. in Toronto where tickets are not accessible and 'standing-room only in the rafter passes' goes for $125 a pop. Prepare for a revival of the most-famous Sean Avery/Darcy Tucker meeting -- tickets for that alone are sold-out and the potential pre-warmup alley fight will be available on pay-per-view, so watch for the agitation, check in with The Dark Ranger - more entertaining on a Saturday night than Die Hard 4!

tdr

Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Maybe

With training camp approaching and a Stanley Cup vision ahead, let us look back to one of the most unique players on the Blueshirts bench, Colton Orr. Standing at 6 feet, 2 inches and 220 lbs of Ranger, this $525,000 per this season 25-year old enforcer remains an odd force and a loyal hit-man for our Rangers coach Tom Renney.

Give this a read: Colton Orr appeared in 53 games with the Rangers, registering two goals and one assist, along with 126 penalty minutes ... Established career-highs in games played (53), goals (two), points (three), and penalty minutes (126) … Ranked third on the team and tied for 18th in the NHL with 126 penalty minutes

These stats will leave anyone scratching their head, and recently I read someone post a rant on "how in the world could any responsible franchise keep a guy like this on board for a third season straight?"

Let it be known that The Dark Ranger is a fan of Colton Orr! There, I said it.

For better or worse, for 'ass-kicking' or 'ass-kicked' - this guy has heart! He played 2/3 of last season's games and provided protection when needed, even if that required dropping his gloves to Donald Brashear of the Washington Capitals after Jagr received a couple of unnecessary jabs. He is fearless. He will take a beating to make a point. He is a New York Ranger team player.

For your visual enjoyment (if you've gotten this far), I have assembled some of my favorite Colton Orr moments of the last two seasons - some good, some bad. I attended the game when the Rangers played the Philly Flyers March 21, 2007. Fedoruk was knocked out unconscious and had to be carried off the ice in a stretcher; though a scary moment in hockey (and just not good), it cemented Colton Orr's place in seasons to come as a young and upcoming enforcer in the new NHL. The following clips are my own personal celebration of "The Guy That Will Never Be King (but will be really good friends with him)."

Press any link for a video clip and enjoy Colton Orr in action:

here vs. Todd Fedoruk - Flyers (RATED First-rate ass kicking),
here vs. Brashear - Capitals (RATED Complete ass-kicked, but A+ for fighting "the famous left hook"),
here vs. McGrattan - Senators (RATED Win, Orr kicks it)
here vs. Boulton - Thrashers (RATED tie, but Orr advantage)
here vs. Wade Belak - Leafs (RATED Loss, but kudos for fighting a very large man),
here vs. Jason Strudwick - Bruins (RATED Win, for beating up his now teammate),
here vs. Cam Janssen Round 1 - Devils (RATED Tie and note the complete deterioration of Janssen's jersey),
here vs. Cam Janssen Round 2- Devils (RATED Win and Justice).

tdr