Marc Staal Sheds Tears of Blood

When I opened the NY Post this morning and read about NYR GM Glen Sather not signing 'getting to know you' fan favorite Jody Shelley, I got a little perturbed, frankly.  When Brandon Prust, another free agent, will hit the free market this coming July 1 (Thursday) and command just about anywhere else more money than what Slats is willing to pay, we will see another potential asset flushed down the toilet.  UPDATE: as of 6:17pm, Steve Zipay is tweeting that the NYR Rangers are offering Prust a qualifying offer, and not to Christensen.

And now Sather is going to battle with Bobby Orr -- the now manager of many hockey players including our very home-grown Marc Staal.  Brooks did a piece on this last week.  As a restricted agent, other teams have the option to submit an offer to Staal, giving the home team the first right to match.  But it seems to me that as our most valuable asset on the blueline should absolutely deserve half of what you believed in contracts awarded to Chris Drury or Wade Redden.

The future of Staal on the Rangers' blueline is unquestionable from a performance aspect and he wants to be suiting up in Blue every game --- unless he's not making enough.  Gone are the days of Slats and the 'buddy system' between General Managers when they historically let their restricted players deal with the home team first, and come in to make an alternate deals when things become hopeless -- Brian Burke has made this abundantly clear in his days at Anaheim. this 'business is business' trend in general managers continues to this day.   But it seems to me a Marc Staal request for a 3-year contract for 3.5 - 4 million a year is reasonable; it is essentially a non-cap-issue now that the maximum cap has been raised significantly, and instead of Slats using disparaging phrases like 'there is a chasm between where both parties are at' doesn't help the situation, you might reassure them that you'd like to get this done, speak to the press favorably on how important Marc Staal is to the Rangers organization and negotiate like humans beings that talk to each other (and not through the press you dingbat).  Try it.  It might be the better way to go?

Slats is living in a dream world.  One where he answers to no one.  One where no one is looking in.  We may not have a consistent roster, but one thing is for certain.  Glen Sather is constant.  

It is one thing for the fans to be told to wait for the new season to open and let the experts do their negotiating and picking.  It is another thing as a fan to sit here paying for your hedge bet and watching you create mediocrity year after fucking year.  There is less than half the roster signed for this upcoming season and with free agency approaching this Thursday (noon EST), it will be surprising if there are any significant trades.  The NY Rangers are better to not make rash decisions (i.e. Gomez, Drury, Redden) and awarding bad contracts to mediocre or over-valued players, but Marc Staal is part of our Blueshirt future and once you start fucking with the psychology of a player's head -- they don't want to play for you anymore, even if you actually do come to terms with them (i.e  Brandon Dubinsky).

The leverage of playing for New York City is huge, unless you are a Hermit introvert that sits with the fat-cats and never listens to the people and you happen to run a hockey organization at MSG.  Plus your management upstairs is putting all their eggs in the LeBron James basket on the same day (NBA free agency - noon).  It pissed me off to see Mark Messier inviting LeBron to come to New York and joining in on that mess.  Speaking of Mess, why isn't he recruiting Kovalchuk to cross the river?  Why isn't he calling me the season-ticket holder with four-God-damn-seats thanking me for losing money every year?

You're all pissing me off, MSG.   Sign Marc Staal.  Sign Jody Shelley.  Sign Prust.  Get this shit over with, sign what is important to the team and hope for a fruitful free agency day.

..and talk to the press once in a while Fatty Slats.  I demand more for my money.

tdr

Give Them Free Food, They Will Come

So The Dark Ranger and his Dark Juniors spent the day at the Rangers Fanfest in Tarrytown, NY at the New York Rangers training facility, a free to Season Ticket Holders (that use their Amex cards) event designed to get us excited for the upcoming season.

Prior to our leaving, my 4-year old Dark Junior (pictured below) and I reviewed last year's team program to decide who'd we like to see at the FanFest.  Ironically, most of those players he wanted to see were no longer on the team.  In fact, there were only four or five players listed in the souvenir program that still remain on the team (with the exception of the unconfirmed 'Dubie Bran-Bran').  I know, I know...he'll be signed.  I subsequently attempted to explain that he'd need a PhD to know, let alone pronounce, all the new players on our newly assembled Blueshirt squad, but perhaps his blank look was the result of being only four years old.

Once we arrived, I realized this was an event built around NYR fans with KIDS ONLY - basketball hoops (great for a hockey event), a merchandise shack, liability waiver forms, pickup street hockey rink with plastic hockey sticks, oversized number 9 for obvious Adam Graves pictures later in the day, and plenty of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and free sponsored drinks galore!  So with kids, I was in luck.  Arriving sharply at 10am, we slowly worked our way into the event and took advantage of everything they had to offer. 

What was a bit surprising were the number of grown-ups without kids, die-hard fans getting face painted!!?  Most of them wearing jerseys, many fans wearing jerseys with their own names on the back (bad, bad form and just not right - though, I could be wrong if anyone's ever heard of 'Rubenstein' as a Ranger).   It was an expected party-planner party with mounds of food, prizes for all and a fan-forum tent where you were treated to Sam Rosen from MSG interviewing the regulars:  Adam Graves, Ron Duguay, and a very different looking Nick Fotiu (than the much younger headshot he was signing for fans).  It was full of the usual questions (SAM:  "So what we're missing is a big Center this season....how do you think the Rangers will compensate for this missing piece.  Is Dubi ready for the job?"  This question was answered by all alumni at the forum with the expected answers on believing in the new Coach Torts system and believing in our youth, yada, yada, yada).   I am one jaded Rangers fan, obviously, as most in the tent seemed to be hearing this garbage for the first time.  Apparently, Mark Messier later showed up for Sam's avant-garde questioning and quickly disappeared before he was savagely assaulted by overstuffed, face-painted jersey wearing adults without kids.

And then there was free food...tons of it -- the least MSG could do for those of us loyal enough to stick around during the 21st Century Depression.  My family ate the equivalent of $455 worth of food at The Garden.  So thank you Mr. Dolan.  We appreciate the give-back.

The training facility opened late at the event - around 3pm - so five hours worth of attendees were disappointed -- and we were all sad not to hit the ice as expected, but....

In my book and overall, the event was pretty awesome if you were one of three things:

1. A huge Rangers Fan (and you stayed past 3pm for the pickup games with Cally and Girardi)
2.  A Kid
3.  Or Father of a Kid.  

As a season ticket holder for almost ten years, I thought the timing was right for this to happen pre-season and I actually commend all of the Garden employees that worked a Saturday to be interested in 'the everyday season ticket holder' - to ask what section I sit in, and how long I've been there...and mostly to thank me for continuing to support the franchise.  I was proud as Father DARK and I was proud of the organization (for once).  Mostly, this event with my kids reminded me how proud I am to be a Rangers Fan.  Thanks guys!

(indulge me with some pictures with my very own Dark Junior at the Ranger FanFest):

 Dark Junior & Ron Duguay doing an impression of Michal Rozsival & Wade Redden. 

Dark Junior & Tyler Arnason in a Death Match playing NHL10

Tyler actually programmed himself on the Rangers' first line.  Dark Junior stole the puck from him a number of times, which in itself, is not a good sign of Tyler actually making the cut this season.  Hello Hartford!

Dark Junior actually said, "Take That Marty! on this shot"

Confused, I told Dark Junior that this is what was left of the NY Knicks...

TDR

Mess Is In!

Even before he became a New York Ranger on Oct. 4, 1991, Mark Messier already had the credentials of a future Hockey Hall of Famer.

He did, after all, have five Stanley Cup rings, a Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP, a Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, four postseason All-Star selections and eight All-Star Games under his belt.

But it was the work that Messier did over the next several seasons with the Rangers that made the eventual decision to put him into hockey's hallowed Hall a complete no-brainer. On Thursday, Messier earned hockey's ultimate honor when the selection committee announced that he would be one of four players inducted at a ceremony in November.

Also voted into the Hall of Fame on Thursday were former Hartford/Carolina and Pittsburgh star Ron Francis, longtime New Jersey Devils captain Scott Stevens, one of two defenseman honored along with former Calgary and St. Louis blueliner Al MacInnis. In the builder's category, the committee honored longtime NHL executive Jim Gregory with induction.

Of the four players, none could have been an easier choice than Messier, a winner of six Stanley Cup championships and the NHL's second all-time leading point scorer behind Wayne Gretzky. Messier's 694 career goals place him No. 7 on the all-time goal-scoring list, and his 1,193 career assists rank at No. 2.

In two stints with the Rangers from 1991 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2004, Messier continued to add to the amazing resume he brought with him from Edmonton. As a Ranger, he would win another Hart Trophy, another postseason All-Star selection and play in five more All-Star Games.

"On behalf of the entire Rangers organization, I would like to congratulate Mark on being selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. From our time together with the Edmonton Oilers up until our reunion with the Rangers, I have witnessed Mark's incredible impact on the game of hockey and the city of New York. His leadership skills, both on and off the ice, have been exemplary to our organization," said New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather.

It was also in a Rangers jersey that Messier passed Gordie Howe to become the highest-scoring NHLer not named Gretzky, and it was within months of his Sept. 12, 2005, retirement that he became only the fourth former Blueshirts star to have his jersey retired.

Of course, the one Messier accomplishment that no Ranger fan will ever forget was the role The Captain played in leading the team to its first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Because on June 14, 1994, Messier accepting the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and ended a "curse" that had hovered over the franchise for half a century. That achievement alone could only have been the work of a future Hall of Famer.

"He was the prototypical player," said longtime teammate Adam Graves, who played on Stanley Cup champions with Messier in both Edmonton and New York. "If I could build a hockey player physically, skillfully, emotionally and tangibly, then Mark would be that player. His ability to connect with his teammates. His ability to intimidate. His ability to score. His ability to skate. His ability to control games and his ability to meet the challenge at the most appropriate times in the biggest games makes him the most complete all-around, emotional leader and player that I've ever seen."

Messier's fellow Hall of Famer Stevens echoed Graves' sentiments.

"Mark could play in any situation and do it with the best of them," said Stevens. "There wasn't much he couldn't do."

Messier, Steves, Francis and MacInnis all played their final NHL games prior to the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and were Hall-eligible for the first time on Thursday. While this impressive group made it into the Hall, they rounded out the maximum number of four players allowed in any given year. That meant some big names missed the cut and will be prominent on the ballot again next year.

The group that missed out on this year's Hall voting includes Adam Oates, Igor Larionov, Phil Housley, Dino Ciccarelli, Doug Gilmour and former Ranger Glenn Anderson.

While the selection of new members took place on Thursday, the induction ceremony is not scheduled until the weekend of Nov. 9-11, 2007, in Toronto. That weekend is sure to see a large group of the Garden Faithful on hand to salute The Captain on another remarkable achievement in his legendary career.

"It's great to see him enter a place where he obviously belongs as one of the greatest players to ever play the game," said Graves.