From Blue Chip to Buffalo Chip...

Blueshirts Choke trying to nail Sabre Coffin...

Without too much time before what better be a rebounding win over the the Isles. We'll keep this short and sweet. A disallowed goal was all we allowed to stand between us and 2 badly needed points. In perhaps one of the biggest 4 point games of the season, The roof fell in on the Tortorella balls out offensive movement. It doesn't happen every game, but several times this year, the chip forward aggression tactic has come back to bite us in the ass big time as any team with a bunch of aggressive forwards and an endless supply of young legs have been able to beat us at our own game.

It was no mystery that our play would leave us with large defensive holes, that someone would have to fill. Our cloning efforts for the Girardi/ Staal tandem falling short, we had to rely on a long of young guys stepping up. Mistakes would be made, and painful lessons learned. Perhaps now is not the best time to revisit the merits on this system or the personnel decisions made regarding veteran presence on our blue line. One thing is clear about this season. The fate of the team always hangs in the balance as far as the fans are concerned. The realist outlook is that this season will go down as a rebuilding year or another disappointment with a pocket full of experience and youthful consolation prizes. Are we hopeful optimists or bitter perennial pessimists?

As we continue a run for the post season, we fight the urge to get too happy too soon .. or two sad without a backwards glance to see how far we've come. With young Chad Johnson possibly looking at some time in net due to the tweak that hobbled the king last night, we must treasure these moments. Its not destination (playoffs) but the journey and the rites of passage our young players must endure that makes this season special.

Till Next Time Rangers Fans,

J_Undisputed

Rangers keep things rolling

1 GOAL GAME NETS 2 MORE POINTS.

Emerging from the see saw battle with Florida with 2 points was crucial this time of year. More so because it keeps our momentum going for the final 8 games. 5 points up on Buffalo, 5 under Montreal, All is not safe. There were both signs of life and danger in last nights game.

Read the official recap here.

If there were lessons to take away from the scratch and claw win last night, they were these:

- our hard nose grinding style is not unique. In fact the Panther team we played did a pretty good job of emulating our style and matching our effort. Vokoun included, backstopped his team and gave them a chance to win by 1 goal also. Lots of other teams develop this kind of hard nosed play this time of year for when they're weapon of choice is not getting the job done.

-Our offensive weapon of choice seems to be trying to get into his groove, firing pucks and gaining back his scoring touch. But Gaborik is going to need alot of help. The lunch pail guys like callahan, dubi and prust and even Prospal can chip in goals, but they must channel their focus and refrain from getting too wild. Theres nothing that says they should forgo shots or look from Gabby every time he's on the ice, but keep in mind that this is player that once he started, he's very hard to stop. Having him fired up and shooting and passing with consistency could be the difference between the first and second rounds.

- Injury wise and for guys with a lot of wear and tear, the biggest favor we can do for ourselves is to secure a spot as early as possible and try to rest our hard workers.

- Everyone knows our playoff chances rest with Henrik. After a securing a spot, it might not be too bad to Let Chad Johnson get in a game or two. Sitting on the bench and playing doorman is doing nothing for the kids development. If it turns out we need him later.. it might be better to get the butterflies out of the way early.

-For consistency's sake, Leave the lines assembled and ride it out. Chemistry is not such a horrible concept. Last night it didn't prove to be too effective, but the random benchings have to stop... and the substitutions should be direct and not turn the whole line up over.

Till next time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

King(s) of New York

HENRIK MAKES 43 SAVES AGAINST DEVILS

It was fiercely contest game. Well the second half anyway. Despite assertions from on again/off again coach Lemaire that there was no rivalry till his team started playing better. The opinion either was the ramblings of a disillusioned soul or a strategic chess move from a would be evil genius.

Read the official recap here.

Apparently, we were too busy gloating from the beating we gave the other trespassers from Long Island to start this game full throttle. Its not often I find myself applauding anyone in a rangers suit for their honesty, but during the first intermission Sully hit it right on the head when we acknowledged we were being out played and getting "killed in the corners". I personally took as a bad sign when Girardi got hammered at the buzzer and moped away like it was nothing.

We were sticking close to the evils ones from jersey long enough to feel like applying ourselves and beginning the exorcism. Throughout the second we showed signs of life and and went 1 up off a lucky bounce and the tension started to build. Things would eventually Boyle over (pun intended) in front of the ranger net as Brian Boyle found himself paired up with Zubrus emerging from a scrum. After half a game of turning the other cheek, we had finally had enough and raised the level of our efforts completely shutting down Jersey in the final period.

Ron Dugay pointed out the exact difference between these two teams. "The Rangers can play without Marian Gaborik but the devils haven't found a way to play without Parise". It made all the sense in the world watching last nights contest. With cap problems abound, guys like Rolston being sent to the ahl and being rerun through reentry waivers in the hopes that someone would pick him up and ease the Cap Hell the devils are sinking in because Kovalchuk wanted prestige and notoriety as a hundred mil player. The last thing they need are returning guys like Arnott missing 2 chances at an open net and guys like Corrente stalking Avery while looking for blindside hits that haven't much to do with any plays developing in front of their net... and lastly, their aging backstop only showing glimpses of what earned him the leagues favoritism in seasons past. With one foot in the past and the other in the sh*thouse, maybe Lemaire was right. There is no rivalry. The domination of the islanders and sinking of the devils only alludes to the fact that we have risen to the top of the tri state area. While other teams we trampled regardless of the leagues favoritism will play each other in the winter classic, we may have to sit back and realize that the only thing standing in our way, is ourselves and that sooner or later .... There comes a time for every team to fulfill its destiny and recognize its own greatness....

First New York, then the Tri State Area, Next the Eastern Conference.... and soon Maybe the league.... Lets Go Rangers!!!!!!!

Till next Time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

P.S. -For those watching the Crosby Streak. It's over... we now return to your your reguarly scheduled sensationalized NHL marketing campaigns. :P~

Rangers escape with win despite attempted robbery at Igloo!

Well Rangers Fans, it was a close one! Soon after sewing up our win against the the greatest odds, did our netminder call the officials on their one sided performance by requesting to see the record for the last 5 seasons of penalty tallies in Pittsburgh.

You can get the official Report on the attempted Robbery here.

For us at the Dark Ranger, We know what happened and don't need it dressed up by the league or the officials. After a hard fought first period, where we tried to match the intensity of the Pittsburgh team, it became apparent that we just weren't controlling the puck enough and our offense while well intended was fairly one dimensional...The Gaborik line alone was a little puzzling as his linemates seemed content to kick back and let Gabby enter the zone solo and try to split 4 defenders on his way to the net. Quick Note: Kudos to Cally for dropping the gloves and shutting Comrie the hell up and later force feeding Skidmark Sid some glove during a scrum.



The second brought more of an effort and intensity, as did the third. Interesting enough that we never got a call in the entire game, but once again diving seems to be popular in Pittsburgh. You have to love how a kid like Malkin is revered as big, strong and fast and so steady on his skates but somehow gets overpowered and thrown to the ice by little Ryan Callahan. Once again, demonstrating the Pittsburgh motto of:"if you cant beat em, cheat em..." The officials of course, fall in line with this mentality making up calls along the way, justifying them with stupid smiles.


For as much tampering as there was, it added a bit of excitement to the game and even managed to royally piss off Lundqvist who played a spectacular game and tried to remain calm despite being tripped and later threatened by a tantrum throwing Crosby. It would eventually boil over as one mystery penalty too many pushed Henrik over the edge and resulted in him breaking his stick over the crossbar following the second Pens goal. Then Henrik attempted to get some boomerang action going with the broken handle, in the direction of the officials.

If not for the effort of the first line and a Marc Staal joining the play, all would have been lost. Instead, tied and going into overtime, our boys in blue decided to flip off the posterboys from Pittsburgh, the corrupt officials and the rest of the Gary Bettman circus. As much as I ride Dubinsky for that contract play at the beginning of last season, he did make a great Datsyuk-ian move to avoid the sprawling defensemen and feed Cally that winning goal.

Till next time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

Bruins and Devils Fall This Weekend

Sat NYR 3, Bruins 2

Sun NYR 3, Devils 1

Woh.
Are you as stunned as I am?  This weekend the New York Rangers treated us to some of the hardest working and hardest hitting hockey we've seen all season; all this without Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury, all out on injured reserve. 

We may now be witness to the realization of the Utopian John Tortorella system and the kids are listening while the overpaid watch on the sidelines.  With these kind of results, what is a coach to do when your injured are feeling better?  Play Gaborik, sit Prospal & Drury?  I'm just sayin....

Ryan Callahan has been kicking ass the last 3 games

Tonight's win against the NJ Devils at home makes for three wins in a row (4-2-1) erasing earlier worries that we couldn't be a playoff contender.  I know, I know, it's too early to even go there, but our weekend warriors pounded our opponents - the Bruins Saturday night (Official recap here) and tonight against the NJ Devils (Official recap here).  On both occasions, the Rangers outworked our opponents, played aggressive forechecking two-way hockey for 60-minutes each game (Yeah, really!).   It makes everyone believe for a moment or two or three (wins) -- they are united and they know what they need to do.   Even Micky Rozsival played solid hockey (with the exception of that Kovalchuk goal in the 3rd period tonight).

I couldn't be more thrilled and we'll get to more on the games after this Kovie update:

Kovalchuck, in the first season of a 15-year, $100 million deal, returned tonight to New Jersey's lineup against the Rangers a night after he was benched by coach John MacLean for undisclosed reasons.  The NJ Devils proceeded to lose to Buffalo 6-1.

Okay, so let's back up and read that again.

Trouble in paradise NJ Devil's GM Louie Laminated?  Karma catching up to you 'ya salary cap dodger?'  Did the bionic $100 million dollar man have words with Devil's coach McLean before the game?   Perhaps Kovie is blaming everyone else around him for the Devils slumping season -- or perhaps the rest of the team is pissed that he was paid circles around what they're making?    I simply love this.  This is picturesque.    This will continue to be a problem for the Devils.  So much Devils talk for a Rangers blog, but this small digression absolutely has everything to do with the Rangers...

...because we won tonight.  Even more than that, we controlled them tonight.

Kovalchuk back in the lineup had ZERO effect on the game, with the exception of his one goal.  NY's Ryan Callahan played Kovie man-to-man much of the game, and very effectively at that, and the Blueshirts shut them down.  Not until the last four minutes did we see a threatening force attacking the Rangers goal and waking up a hibernating Henrik Lundqvist.  The only redeeming force on the Devils side tonight was Mahhh'ty Brodeur in goal.  That's it.  He prevented numerous Rangers scoring opportunities, but our boys never let up and never stopped believing.  Pound the net, push forward and shoot...and shoot....and shoot.....  "Gooooaaaal......."

Those last 30 seconds of defensive hockey were awesome.  Thrilling, adrenaline inducing and proud moments for a fan.

The King Henrik is back with Prince Biron at his side. 

Last night against Boston and tonight against the Devils are the perfect examples that we have finally left the days of the Jaromir Jagr perimeter-hockey system - or simply, the 'play the outside and look for the perfect shot' system.  Even Rozsival & Dubinsky seem to be moving toward the net with more frequency.  We have now entered 'dirty goal heaven' where you shoot no-matter-what and dig and grind your way in.    It also appears that Tortorella's message of 'stick up for your own' is having an effect on the boys, as there haven't been many hesitations on our end to stick up for a player that might have been wronged.  Yes - there were a couple of clean hits that we retaliated against (i.e. Sean Avery/Boston) but it sent the right message to not f*ck with us and keep the game fast and clean.  But most importantly, we are seeing the results of "LET YOUTH BE SERVED" a bold statement made by coach John Tortorella in the off-season.  We are seeing just that and these kids want it and are earning it.   Amen.

We all acknowledge it's early in the season - the Rangers sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference (NJ is 15th) but it is this crucial time that a team develops the chemistry necessary to pound through another 75 or more season games together.

Things are looking up for this young Rangers team and, for the moment, we are proud fans and proud devotees of this very special Original Six franchise.

Let's Go Rangers and see you Wednesday against The Thrashers.

tdr

Always A Favorite Picture of Mine....he he eh eh  MAAHHHHH-TY

Will The Flyers Determine Our Fate?

Does the madness end in Philadelphia next Sunday?

With the Blueshirts (36-32-10) picking up another two points against the Florida Panthers 4-1 this past Saturday, rounding out a total of four of four points on their Florida trek, they remain in 9th place knowing exactly where they are in the standings and trying to ignore it.  This is just the type of pressure that tenses up their style, paralyzing the Tort's puck-moving-forward system.  When this team thinks about it, they lose. 

For a recap of the Panthers game (or just call it the '3rd period only Rangers Blitzkreig'), go here.

So the current points-a-plenty run of 5-0-1 is coming from a Blueshirts squad most of us are unfamiliar with this season - one whose current position is that they don't care about where they stand (or so they say) and are approaching each game as their last.  Frankly, I don't buy into this mentality or press angle and think much of this winning surge is due to our much criticized coach.

For months we all felt that John Tortorella was washed up as Motivation Director in Blue, but it is obvious that it may be simply a matter of players finally getting comfortable actually playing for more than 20 minutes a game.  Torts has been more recently critical of veteran players not giving their all, assaulting the media and (sometimes) benching them (players and, ah em...the media - i.e. see Larry Brooks), our controversial coach hasn't been afraid to substitute harder working minors from The Wolfpack in Hartford over the much greater paid roster.  The experiment is working and much deserving commuters P.A. Parantheau and Aaron Voros have added the much needed sparks, an element of desperation every game -- a motivation that has fired-up all cylinders with the entire team.  Even defenders Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have risen from hibernation, feeling more comfortable pushing the puck forward -- in many ways Torts has allowed them to learn it and make their own.  Even 'The Horrible' Wade Redden is not as dreadful as the first 2/3 of the season, (I take back comparisons to Marek Malik -- a MUST-SEE goal by the way, M&M) - and his sidekick Rozsival still stinks as far as I am concerned.

It is refreshing to see the Rangers making a desperation run with eyes on the final playoff seed of the conference, trailing the ailing Philadelphia Flyers.   After the Panthers win on Saturday, our hopes of Phllly's continued losing streak came to an end as they miraculously beat the Detroit Red Wings yesterday afternoon - giving them a 2-points advantage with three games left in the season.  The Rangers have one game in hand.  So providing the Rangers win one game against either the Buffalo Sabres (tomorrow night) or the Toronto Maple Leafs (Wed night) - and assuming the Flyers win vs. Toronto tomorrow night --- the Rangers will need to sweep the home & home series this coming weekend to make the playoffs.

We've done it before.  We'll do it again.  To the death.   One positive outlook for the Rangers is Philadelphia's goalkeeper problems -- starter Ray Emery is out for the remainder of the season and even their backup Michael Leighton is out as well.  Some half-ass minor goalies are in net, and that is a huge thing to take advantage of.  If you can get past the monster Pronger line, the Rangers need to shoot twice the shots as they normally have and something is bound to go in.  With the Wall in net also known as Henrik Lundqvist, our beloved goaltender will need to stand on his head and withstand what is sure to be an offensive onslaught of Orange and Black.  Hang in there Hank -- it's going to be a long weekend.

And if you've ever wished a player to get hurt this week (and not that The Dark Ranger would ever wish this to happen to anyone) keep names like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in your thoughts....

Let's go BLUE and show 'em how to play playoff hockey in season....  Sabres tomorrow night, expecting the win.

tdr

Rivalry... Brings out the Devil in Rangers.

FOR TWO PERIODS ANYWAY...


I tried to be the good soldier when it comes to being a fan. A few wins and I treaded softly as to not kill everyone's buzz. After the loss against the Debbis last night, all bets are off.

For the first half of the game, we hung with those bums from Jersey. Goal for Goal. They got one, we answered... and it was beautiful. The game has a real run and rung feel to it. Trading opportunities and saves. Then the reality set in.

Read the official recap here.

While the finger could be pointed at a number of factors for the loss; from our part time defense to bad calls by the ref to our inconsistent scoring... it's nothing we haven't been over a million times...and ... As much as it doesn't seem so, these are not issues other teams don't have to deal with.

Despite us scoring 2 goals on our own goalie *face palm* -- that alone sealed our fate. Its not a bad thing whenever your players get their sticks on a puck that's on the way in. Lets face it.. the difference between a block and a deflection can be a few centimeters. Anyway.. despite that ... sigh... the difference in last nights game was the effort and discipline. It needs to be said that both teams have been through their ups and downs and dropped 3 places in the standings from the last game played against one another. The obvious difference on the ice is when our Blueshirts started looking for an out... with their sideways, keep away passes... the Debbis were looking for an Up... A way to advance the puck up ice, a teammate in prime real estate and push harder for results. There was no dependence on Kovulchuk for scoring... nor a wait for their turn at offense. (those b@st@rds...)

It's no secret that we have trouble scoring consistently. While the goals aren't consistent, the effort should be. Having a team with half the talent of the premiere teams in the league means trying twice as hard to keep it together. What each player lacks individually, they find a way to compensate for collectively. Last nights game is a prime example of what happens when you keep effort on the shelf and think you can summon it whenever you feel like it. We got outplayed down the stretch by a team that's used to trying harder because they're forced to. The shelf was bare in the third period and instead of effort, there was only confusion. I don't think I have ever seen Henrik as frustrated. There was no consoling the goalie who had been pulled (probably for his own protection) because he failed to stop pucks from the opposition AND HIS OWN TEAMMATES.

Again, this is about more than one game. This is about who has the heart to the wear the sweater and the discipline to play and standout every night.. regardless of how anemic the rest of the team looks. A group of hard chargers that are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, can be guided to a Stanley cup. That being said, who's actually earning their keep so far? While its subjective to opinion, lets look at last nights game for and idea of who could stay on this team and actually keep it going as our hatchlings earn their wings through a development phase. (We'll forgo the obvious keepers- Lundqvist, Callahan, Gaborik-- and the albatrosses, we'll never get rid of barring a lucky bolt of lightning ... the Reddens, the Drurys, the Rosivals... and focus on the borderline guys)

Alex Auld - I'd keep this guy. As much as I liked Chad Johnson, lets face it. the only thing chad was developing was a case of hemorrhoids from driving back and forth between here and the sticks. Auld is pretty decent backup that can sustain us in case of an injury.

Brandon Prust- Can be a high energy guy without all the penalty liability of a Hollweg level player. He can win fights too. Not a scorer, but made a sound play last night in getting to a rebound and putting it in.

Erik Christensen- I'd hang on to this guy too. Good hands and if their was hockey equivalent of a best supporting actor, this guy could be a nominee one day. Players like Christensen are best when the spotlights not on them and they are allowed to do their work and the step up occasionally.

Olli Jokinen- I'd let him walk. He's a good player and seems to have more of a desire to play hockey that many of the players we have. His experience is also valuable with a lot of young players around. The problem? The money. The money this guy would get for his play would be criminal. It's not his fault. He could only do so much without the elite kind of players he needs to elevate his game. The experience factor could be negated with a resigning of Prospal.

Vinny Prospal-. I'm waiting on this one...Turned out to be the bargain of the off-season for this team. He came here with something to prove to all those people that thought he was over the hill. Aside from the injury and seeming a little flat here and there;he proved his point. Its too bad that people will dilute that by using the context of a team that couldn't score to deflate his numbers. The question remains how much would he has to prove next year if he's picked up?

Jody Shelley- Where's he been? This guys been like Brashear part too. Now to be honest, he did seem to take some responsibility as far as after whistle pileups near the goalie. However, hes not on the ice very often and when he has been, he appears bound by the same gag orders as Avery, Brashear and Prust seem to be on. With the boogieman's contract ending in Minnesota, I would look for him or try to deal for John Scott (not a premiere d-man but chucks bombs like a beast)

Voros & Lisin- I think the fact that they were put on waivers (Voros for 2 seasons in a row) and passed through says about all that needs to be said.

That being said I don't think we should start cleaning out our lockers for the season yet, but I would look forward to getting some of the above mentioned guys some playing time.

Who Won During Oscar Night?

NYR 1,  Sabres 2  OT

Things are hurting at The Garden. 

The playoffs are looking further away from reality, with ridiculous inflated ticket prices in bad times, our star player has a cliched' groin injury, the Olli Jokinen experiment is a bust, the Fire Sather rally had only 100 or so passionate fans bitching about bad trades and an unsavory future, Sean Avery is invisible and doesn't win us games when he's on the ice anymore, Chris Drury left it all on the table in Vancouver and we lost another winnable game making it three losses in a row. 

In dropping to the Buffalo Sabres last night, they looked like the Rangers of two seasons ago - a team that doesn't consistently score and perform under pressure, a team that is so scared to take risks that they spend the majority of the time defending their own zone, at times unable to even clear the puck.  In other words, nail-biter hockey.

Official recap here.

Marian Gaborik was back on the ice last night against the Buffalo Sabres, having slashed his thigh before the Olympic break and during the Games supposedly played despite the injury and further damaging his stereotypical groin (the much known, much-joked-about groin injury while playing for the Minnesota Wild season-after-season).  For whatever reason, Gaborik - much like Jagr in the later years - seemed to have some strange non-scoring effect on his teammates.  While hurt, The Blueshirts managed 16 goals over the two-games prior to the Olympic break and two-games after without Gaborik on the ice.  A strange phenomenon.  Coach Torts attempted to shake-up-the-lines (familiar Renney tactic) to realign the chemistry to no-avail.  Gaborik is obviously in no condition to play as of yet, so it shouldn't take a Don Cherry to tell you to rest and bench the guy.  'Hurt History' is a telling thing.

The scoreless first and second periods were business as usual for Blueshirts fans -- many opportunities on both ends, good hockey followed by horrible hockey (especially the droopy dog second period), until Sabres' Adam Mair gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead with 5:57 left in regulation.  The teams played fairly even, Buffalo trailed 22-21 in shots during the scoreless 40 minutes and had the only two power plays.

Dubinsky rescued the Rangers from a second shutout in two days when he crashed the net and scored his 16th goal to make it 1-1 with 1:23 remaining. New York had gone 149 minutes 30 seconds without a goal, dating to the second period of a 5-4 home loss in overtime to Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

'Team In a Box' Henrik Lundqvist was out-dueled by rental-USA Team and full time Buffalo goalkeeper Ryan Miller, Henrik 30 saves to Miller's 35 saves. 

The Rangers (29-28-9) are sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference - 2 critical points away from playoff eligibility, with about 4-5 teams all fighting for the 6th, 7th & 8th slots.  The odds are stacked against us as Philadelphia, Montreal and Boston seem to be getting stronger in the league, while we continue to 'change up the lines' and further seek for passion & chemistry.   John Tortorella is beginning to show the hopelessness in his post-game comments, frustration overcoming strategy, but an honesty of how his veteran players are not coming through for the organization.  Sorry Torts, the supernatural Garden curse will always win.

So with a little hope, the Rangers will entertain THE ROCK in Newark on Wednesday and light up the place as we have historically done against the NJ Devils.  DARK will be there hovering over M-ARRRRR-TTTYYYY with two-dozen ribs dangling over the net --- if Avery is no longer willing to go there, I'll do my part.

tdr

Blueshirts Battle For Another Point

NYR 4, Pittsburgh 5  OT

Let me simply say, 'All Hail, King Lundqvist!!!'

With less than 20 games left in regulation, a playoff-like atmosphere already churning, and having won three-games in a row, the New York Rangers crawled their way into an overtime match with the Pittsburgh Penguins last evening, the opposition led by Mr. Diver himself - "The Man That Saved Canada in The Olympics", Sidney Crosby.  Lundqvist can only do so much...

Official recap here.

Though we lost in OT, a valuable point was gained in the standings (29-27-8: 9th in the Eastern Conference) as the Blueshirts managed to show they cared and battled through a disproportionate number of shots against our own goal vs the shots we took against Pittsburgh.  In fact, Marc-Andre Fleury only stopped 8 of 12 shots, whereas on the flip side, our goal-blocking demi-God Henrik Lundqvist had a career-best 50 saves (though letting in 5 goals).  Even more alarming to anyone reading this, Pittsburgh held the Rangers to 16 shots overall and only one after the second period.

The only forward puck moving Ranger on the ice during the 2nd and 3rd periods was our goalkeeper, The King Lundqvist-Team-In-A-Box.  This must change in order for any potential playoff spot.  Coach John Tortorella obviously will be making the necessary changes to address this, as the trade deadline is.......was.....oh right, we didn't make any changes.  Rather,  try 30 Hail Marys and four daily martinis to make things feel better.  Either will work in the short term.

Chris Drury, Artem Anisimov, defenceman Michel Rozsival and Dubinsky scored for New York. Rozsival's first goal in 38 games gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead they couldn't hold.  On his hands & knees, Captain Drury scored the marvelous third, contorting his body while on the ground and scooped a back-handed goal past Fleury -- THAT was the clutchman we bought and got last night.  Go here for the replay.

 

The Clutch-man Cometh

And now Brandon Dubinsky & Henrik Lundqivst are another step closer to the fans' hearts -- they are Sid-haters.  After Marc Staal was whistled for interference on Crosby in the first period, Lundqvist jawed at the Penguins captain behind the net and then received a cross-check to the chest from Crosby. Dubinsky rushed in to deal with Crosby to create a big scrum. One thing is for certain, it's awesome seeing the boys finally stick up for each other as a team.   I wonder if Dubie again called Sidney 'a baby', words used to describe The Kid when the Rangers beat the Penguins pre-Olympic break.   Henrik and 'The Diver' also exchanged jabs after Lundqvist made a save in the third. Crosby gave Lundqvist a slight slash, and Lundqvist returned the shot with his stick.



If we're going to lose a game to Canada's hero, take the Sean Avery approach to dealing with your nemesis on the ice -- make fun of them and call him things like 'The Diver', 'A Baby' - stupid little words that wouldn't normally describe someone like Sidney Crosby, who is undoubtedly one of the best hockey players in the game. 

I am not a fan of Sidney Crosby.  I never have been.  Never will.  So that makes two more Rangers as Captain Penguin haters.  Next...

So overall, aside from the lack of shooting on the Blueshirts side -- they are determined looking and you could see the true disappointment of not winning the game after the battle and onslaught of the third period and subsequent OT.  They are certainly turning it up as we approach the playoffs, but as a fan I still have that 'hold-on-just-another-minute feeling, before...' the inevitable catch-up or 2-goal vanishing lead' takes over, something we have grown accustomed to as a Rangers fan.

This is our story.  Like it or not.  We show up.  We cheer or we hate or we cry.  We remain DARK-Rangers!

tdr

The Kid Couldn't Take The King

NYR 3, Penguins 2 OT

Heard the news?  The New York Rangers 'had game' last night at The Igloo in Pittsburgh. 

With a smorgasbord of 'everything Canada' happening during the Vancouver opening Olympic ceremonies and Canada's very own Sidney Crosby scoring two goals, perhaps the Rangers win was a foreshadowing of Sweden's future gold medal over Canada in the Winter Games!!?  NYR Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist - who serves as Sweden's amour-propre -  was extraordinary.  Two Olympic heroes battling for pride & country;  a diving finesse player versus Ultra Man in goal.   Blue country won last night.

Official recap here.

It was the end of an era at The Igloo for the Rangers, as it was their last regulation game at the arena.  No doubt about one thing - The Igloo was a place of many Ranger losses over many seasons - a dreadful place for Blueshirt fans and players alike.  The only now lasting impression is of Henrik holding his ground and fending off acrobatic odd man Penguin rushes to his net, with little help on his own blueline -- a feat of demi-God proportions, now etched in the memory for all.  In my imagination, I saw Mike Richter tipping his glass after Henrik's inspirational performance.  I also saw Fatty Brodeur eating another piece of dripping gristle, but back to the game... 

The Blueshirts' goals were sweet, the first at the beginning of the second period - a Chris Drury backhanded feed to a cycling Brandon Dubinsky.  Goal one.  The second a beautiful Anisomov feed to hardest-working-Ranger Vinny Prospal.  The much deserved game-winning-goal in overtime, a gift from newbie Ranger Olli 'Twist' Jokinen -- who played well throughout and earned the privilege of disappointing the Penguin faithful.  So there.. Igloo poo...we won our final Igloo game f*ckers!

There were plenty of Ranger-post-shots (tilts) in the second period, so the score could have been dramatically different if some of them went in, but it is reassuring that our forwards are, at the very least, now aiming for the net.   Boy, the Penguins are damn good, but we beat 'em.

I cannot say the Rangers were the better team last night, but there were moments when they controlled the tempo, got in on the forecheck, battled hard and, unquestionably, had the better goalie.  Recently thigh-injured Marian Gaborik opened the game but after four minutes left the game unable to continue.  Shortly after "big mouth sit-on-that-side-of-the-bench Torts whipping boy" Michael Del Zotto sustained an injury to his abdomen -- also a significant laceration, as later reported.   So even without our only consistent goal-scoring now injured Wild-wonder and our playing-better-hockey-19-year-old removed from the game, we rose to the occasion and stepped up our play for the win.

Did Chris Drury actually drop his gloves and fight Cooke last night?  I must have been dreaming.   Did Gilroy and Anisomov throw themselves to defend cheap shots on our goalie?  This isn't my team!!?  Did they commit less than 2 penalties?   The Rangers?   Momma Torts must have had a talkin' with our boys because this was a very different level of game.  It had discipline.  They left some beating heart on the ice and walked away with a girlfriend - a win.

I only wish that Brandon Dubinsky charged Sidney Crosby right after the second period.  With Brandon being held back by an official on ice, Crosby leaned over and tapped Dubie's stick as a challenge (mind you, while being held back by Bettman's black-&-white stripemen).  I do love that Dubie was quoted as saying "Not sure what was wrong with Sidney, but he is such a baby sometimes out there..."  We love you Dubinsky....speaking our language. " 5-hole posts the videos here.

"Hey Sid, don't hurt those knuckles today as it might effect your signature in Vancouver..." - tdr

The Blueshirts currently reside in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, only one win away from the final eighth slot.  With over 20 games left, there are eight teams that will be battling for the final three slots of playoff qualification -- we need to be greater than a .500 team, winning at least 12 to 15 of the next 20+ games.  Possible?  Probably not.  But there is hope & desire.  If they can play every other game like they played against Pittsburgh, we can look forward to that eighth slot.   And do we even want that last slot? 

Still in shock here.   A win.   A win?   Uh huh.  A  WIN!  Say it over & over & over and it might just come true.

tdr

Lessons Of Failure

NYR 3, Penguins 8

Failure does not mean I'm a failure;

It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

(Chris Drury)

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.

(Aaron Voros)

Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

(John Tortorella)

Failure does not mean I have disgraced;
It does mean I have dared to try.

(Donald Brashear)

Failure does not mean I don't have it;
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

(Christopher Higgins)

Failure does not mean I am inferior;
It does mean I am not perfect.

(Michal Rozsival)

Failure does not mean that I should give up;
It does mean that I should try harder.

(Wade Redden)

Failure does not mean that I will never make it;
It does mean that I need more practice.

(Bobby Sanguinetti)

Failure does not mean that you have abandoned me;
It does mean that you must have a better idea

(Tom Renney)

Official recap here.

The Blueshirts were a disgrace tonight for the second game in a row - a failure from top to bottom, from the coaching to the confidence.  May it stop.  Please stop the bleeding.  This could the beginning of something profoundly bad.    Try to enjoy the remaining bit of the holiday and get ready for the Pittsburgh rematch at MSG this Monday.  Expect retaliation from the Blueshirts and an extremely physical rematch -- their pride is slowly being taken away from them. 

Though, you never know.  This is hockey and every game is different from the next.  Stop giving me the blues, Blues...

tdr

Blueshirts Hold Down The Bruins

NYR 1,  Bruins 0

There is nothing like family day at the Garden between two Original Six teams and lucky for all with young children attending Sunday's 1pm game NY Ranger Donald Brashear was a scratch and Boston's Milan Lucic was luckily labeled injured reserve.  My four-year old kid was safe for now.  With Bruin's Marc Savard also out injured and our often-injured NYR sniper Marian Gaborik starting the game, things were looking up prior to the puck dropping.

Coming off a two-game slump against two of the worst teams in the NHL (The Minnesota Wild followed by The Islanders), the New York Rangers got back to normal against the Bruins taking a win by one lone goal of the afternoon.   It was a good effort by a team that wanted the win, holding a one-goal Marian Gaborik lead - a lovely 'we missed you Gabs' goal fed by Vinny Prospal in the second period - and NYR goalkeeper Henrik "King" Lundqvist back to form - shutting out a third period onslaught of B's storming the net, making 21 career shutouts in the NHL.   Oohhh, the love of a win.

Official recap here.

Games like yesterdays remind me of the barely-nostalgic Tom Renney coaching days - modeled off of the Lou Lammy winning NJ Devils -- DEFENSE is EVERYTHING pre-Tortorella campaign.  Looking back, defense is everything if you play it well, but somewhere in the cortex of my memories I recall we didn't play defense very well which led to Mr. Renney's tenure as assistant coach in some very-far-north Province of Canada.  Current coach John Tortorella demonstrated yesterday that his blueliners are not only able to score many, many goals, but also when properly focused, control the neutral zone and contain the game.  One could look at yesterday's game as average, but I watched the replay after being at the game and the blueline's control of the puck the latter half of the game was masterful.  Despite Henrik Lundqvist's continued brilliance in net, the D-men stepped up their game and looked confident again.  If I had a nickel for every time I said that this season, I'd have 10 cents.

It seems that every team this season has it out for Henrik Lundqvist and one of these games 'the injury' will be real -- note to fellow Blueshirts....THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.  DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.   We Rangers fans are sick of seeing no retribution for these cheap' hit the goalie' parlour tricks.  The Animal Known As Brashear is not the only person assigned to paying back the team that attempts to break down your castle.  Hey, Chris Higgins...if you're not going to score any goals --- drop the gloves!  Do something.  Enough, enough, enough.

We can thank Gaborik, Lundqvist and coach John Tortorella for the win yesterday, where the third period Blueshirts fought back and played defensive hockey -- a responsibility shared by all - defenders and forwards and an elite goalkeeper.  Coach Torts lighted up his physical presence as a symbolic player on the ice, with his cranking Rangers keeping things tight on the blueline, controlling the neutral zone and a return of a low-scoring defensive game.

In a nutshell, 2 points to us.  Thanks Torts.

tdr

Rangers Shoot Stray Prairie Wolfs

NYR 5, Phoenix 2

Yes.  The Rangers were up 4-0 against the Phoenix Coyotes midway through the second period.

Yes.  The Rangers yet again lost sight of the win allowing 2 Phoenix goals in the latter half of the second period, every Blueshirt fan rubbing our heads with that 'ole familiar feeling.

Yes.  Whew! We won the game 5-2, but....

With 7:25 minutes left in the final period, Marian Gaborik left the Rangers bench limping, leaving the game early.

NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe by the time you are reading this, Marian Gaborik is taking a spontaneous midnight skate, proving to Coach Torts that he has nothing to worry about.  Amen for that.   Assuming everything is okay and the Blueshirts are not another league-wide groin joke, onward to discussing tonight's game that broke the Rangers three-game losing streak, positioning them fourth in the Eastern Conference with an 8-3-1 record (at the time of this writing 10:12 EST).   Official recap here.

The "we'll give you free tickets if we lose" Phoenix Coyotes (6-3-0) came into The Garden tonight with expectations of a win, eager to prove to all in Phoenix that there are more fans than investors willing to buy the team. 

Opening the first period, NY Rangers Anisimov scored a 'sick' goal reaching back to corral a pass from Brian Boyle, spun around in the circle with his back to the net, and twisted to put in a shot as Coyote Zbynek Michalek tried to cover him. No luck 'Zip-neck' or however you pronounce your name....nice try.  That nine-year-old YOUTUBE sensation would have been proud of the goal and would have tipped the glass for Artem if he were legal.    Gaborik doubled the lead 7:39 later with a power-play goal, perfectly assisted by Dubinsky who streaked down the left wing into the Phoenix zone, carried the puck behind the net and found Gaborik in the slot for a quick one-timer.

The onslaught continued in the second period.  Marion Gaborik and Vinny Prospal ran a give-and-go with Prospal cutting to the net, shifting to his backhand and beating Bryzgalov for the Rangers third goal, while then-healthy Marion Gaborik struck again on the power play; young'en Michael Del Zotto moved the puck to Prospal, who drew attention from Coyote D-dogs in the slot and found Gaborik in the middle of the circle for another one-timed goal.

Then while resting, the Coyotes caught the Rangers sleeping the latter half of the second half scoring two against NYR Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, goals by Jovanovski and a Fiddler (On the Roof).  I couldn't help myself..

While the second period ended, as Rangers fans I found myself in a similar psychology, elated by a 4-0 lead and a pure dominance by the team I love, but an 'all too familiar Rangers team that frequently loses four goal leads every season for three seasons' -- It happens.  We hate it.  So while I was preparing myself for yet another disappointment in hockey -- the Rangers of old, the Tom Renney Rangers...

 ...the Blueshirts pull out of the intermission and kick some Phoenix tail.

The third period opened with the John Tortorella New York Rangers squad out-shooting, out-playing, out-checking the Phoenix Coyotes, and Enver Lisin pushing New York's lead to 5-2 at 11:47 of the third - it was obvious we'd take the two points and end the losing streak.

Then FOUR MINUTES & TWENTY-TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIFTH GOAL, GABORIK LEFT THE BUILDING....  oh no.

Other than the goal-scorers, I see strength and confidence in most of the D-men -- but honorable mention tonight goes to Marc Staal who singlehandedly prevented many goals in the third period and played like a veteran-who-deserves-to-make-six-mill-a-year.  The newbies again outplayed the vets on 'D', but what else is new?

Until we hear otherwise, the roster is healthy and we see the NY Islanders and John Tavares for the first time this season.  See you then 7pm EST and hang in there Rangers fans -- Coach Good For Us is improving our team and I hear he finds groin injuries unacceptable behavior.  Let's see what Marian thinks of that.

tdr

Blueshirts Brian Burkie Buffet

NYR 4, Maple Leafs 1

I could get used to this.  Seven wins in a row.  Official recap here.

The red-hot Rangers brought a complete game to the Air Canada Centre tonight against the ailing and sorry-ass Leafs, leaving the building with another dominating performance against the league-wide and Ontarian city-wide embarrassed Toronto franchise.  Leaf fans finishing their sushi platters only realized this with five minutes left in the third period, as the polite folks of Ontario proceeded to 'boo' their own team.  (and you cannot blame them having paid $250 dollars for a 300 section seat).  So for the Rangers - that makes seven wins in a row, a first place team in the league and, most importantly, another blow to Brian Burke's Bionic Magnum Opus.

The irony of it all.  Listen, I am not buying into the hype of our Blueshirts being unstoppable -- they played strong and as-they-were-told-to-by-Torts, but the irony of how during the off-season the Leafs were to become the team it was always destined to be, almost crowned a playoff-contender by blowhard'ing Brian Burke; on the flip side during the same off-season, the Rangers and GM Glen Sather were horribly criticized having done a terrible job paying for the injury prone Gaborik (knock on wood) and re-vamping the team, generally ranking the pre-season Blueshirts somewhere in the low 20's, missing the playoffs and many players (mostly Sean Avery) unable and unwilling to adapt to a coach Torts system.   It's a long season, but how wrong they were.

To some degree, I think even Burkie was buying into all his own verbal swill.  Remember the pre-season quotes?

The Star, June 24, 2009, before the season begins:

General Manager Brian Burke is about to begin remaking the Toronto Maple Leafs and will use every tool in his arsenal – draft picks, salary cap space and trades – to build a team that will hit and fight. "Our goal is to make the playoffs next year, we're going to have to make some changes to do it," Burke said yesterday. "We're going to be a different team.   I like a lot of hitting. I like a lot of fighting.  It will be a more hostile group in the fall."

It appears the only hostile group right now are the fans.  The above quotes cracked me up re-reading them, because the The Leafs that we beat twice now were completely non-physical, with the exception of a taunting (very sad in dark blue) Colton Orr getting refused by a largely well skating Donald Brashear.  Burke was right in that these Leafs are very different - they look worse than they ever have - far from playoff contender and, truthfully, a creation of the man that created them - a Burkie Frankenstein hockey team.  It could be said that various limbs have been sewn together through free-agency and trading to create a 'hitting and fighting team, just one without any support on the blueline and missing a goaltender resembling elite status.  This 'Burkie form of the Leafs' just doesn't have enough weapons, they don't get enough shots on net, they can't finish a play and they gave up too many opportunities.  With the exception of our Lundqvist in net, I very well could have been describing the New York Rangers of last season.  Again...how ironic.


If you tuned in to Leafs Nation during the game, you could count on both hands how many times broadcasters mentioned how Phil Kessel in November will supposedly turn around this shabby franchise, one of the many reasons why they haven't performed and fully justifying why Burke-brain gave away all their draft picks for years to come.  One word comes to mind.   Jackass.

So back to the Rangers.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT RANGERS FANS?  I couldn't be happier -- not only for the standings, SEVEN WINS, but mostly because of the possibilities of this team.  The defensive corp continues to impress, scoring goals and controlling the neutral zone.  

Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist.  Marc Staal, Michael Del Zotto and Enver Lisin also had goals for the Rangers (7-1-0). Marian Gaborik added two assists to give him points in all eight games he's played since joining New York over the summer.  Henrik Lundqvist remains a rock in goal -- The KING made 34 saves and continues to demonstrate elite status in the league.

I enjoyed the game thoroughly -- and I felt that the Blueshirts mostly controlled the pace of the game throughout.   This was not the Blueshirts that opened the new season, and if not addressed by the Torts machine we could be headed in the wrong direction (i.e. losses) -- but I suspect Tortorella is aware that we allowed the Leafs to build some confidence in this game.   In the end, two points is two points.  The Rangers won and they earned it.

I will add that there have been too many opposing rushes at our prize goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, and one of these games someone will damage The King -- there has been virtually no retaliation for hitting or running into Henrik over the last four games -- and maybe it's time for our newbie 'D'-men to grease up their knuckles and show more than their ability to score goals.  It's time for some PIM's.

MAKE THEM PAY WHEN THIS HANDLE YOUR GOALKEEPER!

Monday night will be a different level of game against the San Jose Sharks.  The West Meets The East, as we attempt to continue the winning streak against the projected Stanley Cup winners.

See you then...and a big jovial 'LET'S GO RANGERS' to get you to bed. 

tdr
(and having a better day than Burke today)

'Vally' High....Again, NYR 5, Flyers 4 SO

I wanted to title this entry 'Vally' High, Hank Low, but it would be misleading because The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers in shootout 5-4, thanks to backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette. Hmmm, that would be five out of six wins against the Philadelphia Flyers this season. Nothing 'Dark' about that!

Official recap here.

So with the Rangers winning four consecutive games in a row, we may be turning the corner now, finding ourselves in a winning streak extending the surge to 7-0-2. Currently we are only five points from first place in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference and sit in seventh place below Boston and now two-points above Philadelphia.

Looking back at the game, with the first period ending NYR 3, Flyers 3 - it was simply a 'free for all' -- a game without defense and, especially, a game without effective starting goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist - in true Henk form - again demonstrated how scary a goaltender he can be as he submitted to three goals in only eight shots (by the way, he destroyed my weekly fantasy league standings in one God d*mn game) and was benched ending the first period. With our All-Stars and rookies actually scoring goals (and many of them), it is ironic that Lundqvist may be the stumbling block for the Rangers' future success this season. We know our defensive lines are inconsistent and learning (kids stopping big guys in the NHL), but of the three goals scored on Lundqvist two of them were 'soft' goals that should have been prevented. There are no more reasons why Lundqvist shouldn't be at the top of his game (i.e. father is recovering nicely, contract negotiations are complete, etc.) and we expect to see more from the 'King' we once knew. It is frustrating that there is no middle ground with Henrik - either you get the shutout or one-goal game, or you get the four or five goal letdown. I never thought that Lundqvist could be the reason why the Rangers do not perform in the playoffs....how times have changed.

The true hero of the game was our Blueshirt backup Stephen "Vally" Valiquette, who replaced Lundqvist in the second and performed magnificently, stopping 17 of 18 real shots on goal and ultimately stonewalling the Flyers in the shootout. This was his third victory over Philadelphia this season! "Hats off to you, Stephen....as you are more consistent than Henrik these days." Valiquette has proven himself to be a top-shelf goaltender and our dear 1/2-coach Tom Renney should be taking advantage of you more often. I don't recall Lundqvist stealing a game this season, and already you have stolen 'brotherly love' from that city three times this year alone.

Huge kudos go to Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes in the shootout with two of the most beautiful shootout goals this season -- additional kudos to 'My Man' Chris Drury who managed again to round out the team and, lastly, a 'pat on the back' to Jaromir Jagr who managed the puck well and let his comrades make the goals and official plays. Our captain is coming around.

The Rangers seem to fall apart playing our biggest rival, The NY Islanders, this season -- so tomorrow night should be a heated match -- everyone should be on the lookout for a guest blogger Jibblescribbits, an Avs fan, who will be covering the game and sharing an 'outsider's perspective on two-heated and playoff-hungry rivals. Give him the love he deserves.

Until tomorrow night, I leave you with one wise saying. (Flyers suck) ;)

tdr

A Wolf In Wolf's Clothing, NYR 4, Sabres 3

The New York Rangers (31-28-4) last night pulled out an important meeting against the Buffalo Sabres (30-28-4), largely in part to Sean Avery's gritty and relentless performance - his game winning goal in the final five minutes in the third period, ending the contest between two hotly contested Eastern Conference rivals. A goal and an assist reaffirms our knighting Avery a true New York Ranger. Folks, we have ourselves a true Blueshirt -- finally. Re-sign Slats...quickly. Official recap here.

What more could we ask for after Black Tuesday, as a 'win' against Buffalo answers the devastating loss to Montreal (we can try and forget that one) and puts a winning face back on the Blueshirts. Though still uneasy, the Blueshirts are on a bit of a roll lately at 9-3-2 in their past 14 games - maintaining their place in the playoffs, but as we all know anything can happen as they are eight points away from first place in the Eastern Conference and three points away from missing the playoffs. 'Cautiously optimistic' is The Dark Ranger's approach to the remainder of the season, while 'Anything Goes' is the operative slogan of this team. Currently the Rangers are tied with Boston in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo dropped to eighth, a point ahead of the New York Islanders and Philadelphia.

New York's goalkeeper money extraordinaire, 'Pauper' Henrik Lundqvist made some terrific saves and gave up some pedestrian goals. It was a mediocre performance at best and hopefully this evening we will see Stephen Valiquette take the net. Hank's nerves looked to carry over from this week's loss to the Habs. Time will show, but the money will be the same.

Jagr finally scored and after the game commented how well the Sabres offensively found the holes in the Rangers defense said, "I would love to play for Buffalo." Hopeful foreshadowing with two days left to the draft deadline, Mr. Jaromir will almost definitely remain a Ranger for now. The off-season is another story as Jags will most likely find a new home for his future hockey days. The Dark Ranger will happily thank Jags for revitalizing the Rangers organization post-lockout for a couple of years, shed one tear and look forward to the naming of a new Captain. You guessed it....Chris Drury.

Speaking of Drury and as would be expected, this was the first game against Buffalo in Buffalo for Chris Drury after becoming a NY Ranger -- so a large 'boo' rang through his former home crowd announcing the starting lineup, Renney choosing to start his line for this very reason. Every time he touched the puck, the crowd booed him....only making Sean Avery jealous of all that attention!

Tonight against the Florida Panthers at 7PM EST -- should be a 'win', but remember that we all know nothing.

tdr

Unanimous! Lundqvist Demoted to "Pauper"

The jury has reached a verdict.

Formerly known as "King" Henrik Lundqvist and subsequently hailed as "Prince" Henrik Lundqvist, this starting New York Ranger goalkeeper is now being made fun of by his former Swedish teenage hockey comrades. This comes as a huge disappointment overall to the Gästriklands Ishockeydomareklubb club, so famous for developing future hockey players and great huggers.

Fellow New York Ranger Sean Avery, unfamiliar with the custom of Swedes and their habitual hugging, rejected Lundqvist's need for a hug post the Blueshirts devastating loss to Montreal yesterday. Most of the team felt the same, with the exception of Colton Orr, Marcel Hossa and Petr Prucha who happily copped a feel from one of People Magazine's Sexiest.

The Olympic gold-winning goaltender for the Swedes, once celebrated for greatness and Swedish heirarchy has been dubbed 'rich and overrated' for the time being - and more importantly, unanimously demoted to the undesirable title of 'Pauper' throughout the blogosphere, first nominated by Scotty Hockey and supported by The Ranger Pundit. Others in support of this disgrace are here.

tdr