Wade Redden On The Rocks?

Joe Fortunato over at the stellar Blueshirt Banter dug up some potentially uplifting Blueshirt news:

Arthur Staple wrote this article, talking about whether or not Glen Sather will finally retire his itchy trigger finger. But towards the end of the article Staple writes this

There is more room on defense, where Wade Redden is almost certain to be waived and sent to Hartford when training camp ends. "He's been discussed," Sather said. 

This is from a guy who writes for Newsday, remember, which is owned by the Dolan's and Cablevision. Like Staple or hate him, this is information he would be able to obtain; and he certainly wouldn't just spew that little quote out there for no reason at all. Especially since the Redden signing is an embarrassment to this team, and making a statement like this could make Newsday look very, very bad. So this holds some weight with me, even though I'm not believing in miracles just yet.

 Now this would be huge news, as camp will weed and filter out those that shouldn't be on the starting roster -- so there is hope Rangers fans, there is hope.  

I have a feeling there is much news ahead for us this week.  My comrades in DARK, Graying Mantis and J_Undisputed will be covering July 1 - free agency day with ongoing commentary - so be sure to check in often as The Dark Ranger will be updated throughout the day, this Thursday!!!

Let's Go Rangers! and maybe Wade Redden will be reunited with his old comrade Donald Brashear up in Connecticut.  Here's hoping...

tdr

Anyone Surprised?

Here is the link.  Now our part-time enforcer Donald Brashear is on waivers and it is most likely that no one in the NHL will claim him.  So....look out Hartford!!!?        tdr

Brodeurs 2, Rangers 0

Stings doesn't it, Ranger brethren. 2 nights a row we were shut out by Brodeurs, first by the flopper and now by an AHL goalie in his second NHL game. While many of us took solace in the effort we put forth against the division/conference leading devils. (and truth be told.... niether goalie deserved to lose that game... ok maybe Marty did because he's a bit of whining d**che.. but anyway I digress.) Either way, from a night where the fans of this team could settle for the point from getting to overtime and the self satisfaction that came with hard work... Last night was a rude awakening and the Ottawa Senators came to town to tell us that our best wasn't good enough. Facing a team that was three points behind us in the standings, we failed to show... and rightfully at the end of the first we should of and could have been down 4-0 if not for the specatcular play of Henrik Lunqvist, who grew eyes in the back of his head and had a full time job just keeping himself aware of the presence of former Ranger, Alex Kovalev.

Read the official recap, here

Perhaps we were just worn out from all that work we did against Jersey... but more over, my logic and history as a Ranger fan, tells me that this team was riding high on the effort... and stumbled into an ambush last night as we prepared to face an Ottawa team that was in the midst of a losing streak and 3 points behind us in the standings. I'm not accusing any of this team with being happy with a loss, but I know if theres one thing that tends to be more consistent on my team, more than anything else, it's playing up or down to the level of competition. We can beat the best of the league on one night and lose to the worst the next. Perhaps it would be best if we kept the schedule a mystery to the team so they would have to prepare for the worst case scenario all the time.

Our boys in blue stunk up the place pretty bad in the first and heads snapped and jerked in different directions trying to catch a glimpes of the Ottawa players whizzing past them with the puck. Bewildered and alone, our blueshirts floated aimlessly hoping for a break. There were faint signs of life after the Ottawa skaters did our job for us and cycled the puck back into their zone and turned it over. We were quick to jump on those wells of opportunity, hacking away in the Ottawa crease only to come up dry. Was it the bizzaro Brodeur in goal for the Sens that turned us away? Nay... In fact, it was hard to find any Rangers shots that made it past the forest of legs gathered in front of the Ottawa net or could be taken before being turned over on an intercepted pass. In essence this was a typical Rangers game vs. the Sens; where the Sens cruised the passing lanes, salivating and waiting for the next pass from a paniced Ranger. Add to that, the typical blindsiding display from Chris Niel as he riccocheted from corner to corner pasting Ranger after Ranger .... after Ranger (Girardi and Anisimov are probably wearing smelling salt necklaces today to stay vertical). Ok I'll admit I'm jealous and wish Niel has taken our offer in the off season. But its ok, because we got Brashear... and he struck fear into to the Ottawa team last night by being powerslammed to the ice in a early scrap with Carker and showed his resiliance by finishing what he started and getting in a few noogies before he was reintroduced to the ice by a Carkner right hand in round 2.... making himself the example of what happens to Rangers that fight back... (a secret that all the other Rangers must have known and kept from Brashear)

Yes the tone was set early in the first, kiddies. As our saving grace in net gave coach Torts enough time to call one of those early time outs to attempt to right the ship.. Tortorella, probably 2 steps from the looney bin after watching the horror unfold in front of him, probably let out a nice.. "WTF?!?!?" and let everyone gathered around the bench, absorb it and take a moment for a self reflection. Really, what else could be said at that point? Even the most elementary of observations would have been helpful, yet so comical. "Get the puck" ... "Hit back" ... "stop turning it over" or maybe just a simple "TRY HARDER!"

Yes in fact, if I had to choose a theme of the night and of the lesson learned from last night's demoralizing brutality... It would be try harder. Because sometimes your best isn't enough. (no matter how many times its claimed and blurted into microphones around the lockeroom after losses like last nights tha the team did it's best.).

I can't begin to even speak about the 2nd and 3rd period, though we did seem considerably more concious in the final stanza of the game. I could be guilty of jixing us with remark to the other dark writers about the assignment of covering the game and the all heartstopping moment that occurs whenever Kovalev makes a return to the garden, gets the puck on his stick and we scream NOOOOOOO! in slow motion. I strangely get the feeling though that I am not alone in that sentiment and if its something you were thinking too, its just as much your fault as it is mine.


Your partner in Crime,
J_Undisputed

Betts Your Bottom Dollar

So I'll make this a double-Flyers posting day, as everyone is now reporting that Brashear-bashed Blair Betts will be joining the Philadelphia Bullies in training camp next week.  This obviously frees up more cap space for The 2009/10 New York Rangers and our 'alleged acquiring of every important free agent left' mantra (see Dany Heatley, Phil Kessel, Mats Sundin, etc.) as we approach our own training camp.

Gee speaking of which, we sure will miss Tom Renney and the West Point cadets tackling the New York Rangers during pre-season training camp, which always seemed strangely related to the premise in the movie Mystery, Alaska (without the skates and pond hockey) -- big bad professional team comes to local institution and challenges the locals.  Maybe it's just me.   But so I digress...

Wishing Betts the best of luck, as some say Philly has a chance at the Golden Cup this year.  It is not a terrible idea to play for the City of Brotherly Love --- someone named 'The Donald' will be ready for your return to the Garden.  When that moment happens, there will be at least one Rangers fan at The Garden cheering for you Blair Betts....and cursing his own NYR enforcer to hell and back (his name rhymes with Motty Trockey)!!!

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