A Healthy Gaborik

Here we go Rangers fans -- the world around us is waiting for Marian Gaborik to get injured this season -- but let us not think such heresy as "#10....you are our only hope!"  With all this talk just before the season opener, let us optimistically celebrate 'A Healthy Gabs'.

A Weekend With Wade

So with John Tortorella literally skating all 400 invitees to camp (just kidding, more around 60), one player named Wade Redden is proceeding as planned - making $6.5 million, told that he could lose his spot on this season's roster, but reassured by the brass that if he proves himself in camp he will remain a Ranger.

Knowing that the entire blogosphere and any fan of the Blueshirts wants this guy buried in the minors, and the very fact that on the first day Mr. Redden was buckled over and winded 2/3 through the suicide sprints, one would think he'd be trying on Wolfpack jersies to accommodate the new shoes (or skates for that matter) for his inevitable trip north to Hartford - leaving behind his NHL career, 29 other NHL teams unwilling to give him a look or consider a trade. Sucks to be him.

But....

Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy feels different than you and I, so I share in full his take on the Redden that we all know and loathe.  Maybe Yahoo is right or maybe Ryan is a Yahoo for daring to challenge the faithful.  Give it a look: 

Rangers fans vs. Inevitability

 I know it's a difficult truth to wrap one's head around, but there's almost no way Wade Redden(notes) sets foot in Hartford this year, unless Madison Square Garden burns to the ground two hours before a scheduled game.

The Rangers rumor mill, which always specializes in a particular brand of wishful thinking, heated up this summer as several emerging defensemen appeared poised to at least compete for a spot with the big club. This, many decided, was the year Redden's contract -- which has for so long hung around the club's neck like Coleridge's albatross -- got muscled out of the lineup and down to three years of bus-riding.

But this isn't going to be the year for Ryan McDonagh(notes) or Matt Gilroy(notes), at least not at Redden's expense. He's owed $6.5 million for each of the next four seasons, and while ownership might have been able to justify burying that much in the minors for one season, the term and money are both too long to stuff it in the minors.

Whether or not you find the idea repulsive (and you should), Redden is going to be a part of the Rangers' blue line for the rest of his comical contract. You may as well start dealing with it now.

How are you feeling now Rangers fan? Shoot me a note and let me know how this makes you feel. (I know already). If you ask me, I think he's wrong and Redden is already preparing his Russian hockey career.

Some other nice posts regarding camp this weekend:

* Frolov dominating the first couple of scrimmages here.

* Great recap of Day Two at camp here.

* Derek Stepan centering Frolov and Gaborik making an impression here.

This Thursday marks the first pre-season game as the Blueshirts will meet the NJ Devils and it'll be the first hockey in a long time -- it will be fun to watch what combinations work and don't work -- one thing to look out for is how hard these kids will play for the Garden faithful, the true test of how NHL ready any of them truly are.

Let youth be served this week and let Wade Redden determine his own fate. Let's Go Rangers!

tdr

'Hockey Terrorist' Glen Sather Finally Agrees With Fans

Since the NY Post's Larry Brooks interviewed Glen Sather last week, many are now speculating that GM Glen Sather is finally on thin-ice this season, talking points including 'keeping the squad young" and "moving forward in building the organziation", and more poignant "not over-paying for free agents" (A.K.A. "We don't have any money left because of the over-inflated contract deals I've made over the last three years...")  These talking points are that of the fans --- building an organization one piece at a time.

NYRBlogger from Blueshirt Banter did a great job summarizing this topic.  (The full article is here) or here is an excerpt:

An entire decade and all Sather can brag about as far as his career in New York goes is two measly playoff series wins. There is not much else to his name in the Big Apple. He traded away a legend in Brian Leetch, he tried going in multiple directions with this team and just repeatedly failed, and now he has run out of options and is taking whatever leftover scraps from other teams that he can find. And not only has he done that, but he has handed those players all-star salaries to do, well, close to nothing.

Just take players like Wade Redden, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Donald Brashear and Ales Kotalik. Granted he got himself out of two of those contracts, but two of them still remain and are coming back to bite him down the road. Don't forget Michal Rozsival, who was re-signed at $5 million when he was probably worth around three million, if that. At least in the "Dark Years" as they are termed by the Ranger faithful, Glen was reeling in marquee names such as Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure. Although they were washed up by then, there was still some sense of direction as far as what he was trying to do. Following that, it was the European era with Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Michael Nylander leading the offense. Now, what is his aim? What direction is he moving in? We have seen so many attempted rebuilds fail so what should make us believe that the one they are currently in the middle of is going to be any better?

It will be interesting to see what tricks the part-time Jedi-master has up his sleeves this off-season.

Moreso this season than in years past, the Rangers organization is no longer affiliated and relying upon CABLEVISION to subsidize their acquiring of big-names and big-contracts, as Cablevision is no longer attached to Madison Square Garden.  Currently, the Garden, Radio City Music Hall and The Beacon theaters, plus the two sports franchises (Rangers & Knicks - both didn't make the playoffs this year) are the sole sources of income for this new spin-off organization.  It may not be public knowledge that the MSG's touring shows (RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, BANANA-SCHPEEL and WINTUK) have not been as profitable lately in a bad economy around North America and in NYC, plus unknowing season-ticket renewal returns this coming season are still a big-question-mark!!!

So with all this change, MSG has to corporately put the heat on Glen Sather for delivering a first-rate product. With the NY Rangers still maintaining the "2nd most profitable hockey team in the NHL" (Toronto being the first), accountability and good management is thrown out the door when folks don't have the money for bad product.   The Rangers will lose paying customers (all of us in the 200's, 300's, & 400's) if we get the "Rags" over the "Rangers" this coming season.  Our pockets are getting empty, the economy is tanking, there will soon be no edible seafood on the planet in a couple of years --- this shit is stinking and we want 'good' hockey to pick up our spirits --- THAT's why we keep coming.  When all else is failing around him, there is no one else to blame but the guy who is ultimately responsible for it.

Maybe there should be a rally?  Oh shit....right!

tdr

Blueshirts Actually Make Larry Brooks Say Nice Things

Sat.  NYR 1, St. Louis Blues 4

Sun  NYR 6, Montreal 2

Take a breather folks and fellow Blueshirt Groupies, if your weekend was at Bernies like mine then you've arrived back to a hairball of emotions.  Having traveled the last six days (and missing posts -- sorry fans, it won't happen again - I promise) I woke up this morning to Larry Brooks of The Post saying great things about The Rangers after their blitzkrieg of goals against the Montreal Canadiens last night.  When have you heard the 'Torts-busting-his-chops-unhappy-since-1994' Rangers columnist says nice things like the following?:

"First the Rangers rocked.  Yes, the Rangers. And then the Rangers rolled to six consecutive goals over the final 40 minutes to bury the Canadiens at the Garden 6-2 in a rollicking game of old-time hockey. Yes, the Rangers." -Larry Brooks, NY Post

So there you have it from our creepy hockey uncle of The Post.  Take a breath.  Relax.  Enjoy.  Keep him away from your kids. 

Saturday official recap here (no need because the game sucked)
Sunday official recap here.  (no need...just believe!)

Having only seen the Rangers in 60 late last night post-game, I cannot speak to much of the above with authority, but friends at The Garden last night proclaimed it even more exciting than the shootout loss to New Jersey last week -- two equally exciting games, but this time with goals!!!!   Sam Rosen of the MSG network declared post-game the 'end of the Rangers drought', which frankly is jumping a little ahead of himself.  Yes...we are hopeful fans and it is optimistic to think our Boys in Blue have gained back a smidgen of confidence in their skate -- LOOK MA, THEY CAN SCORE!, but another 3-4 games of scoring more than 2 or 3 goals would be worthy of such proclamation. 

So for fun here's a friend's take on last night at The Garden (not a literal translation, but I tried best to articulate):

"First period, F*ck this shit, Michael Cammaleri and Brian Gionta score first period goals - that was a high-stick goal...friggin refs...calling it their way, Henrik is off his rocker again.  What is it with this team already?  Next thing you know Mara and Gomez are going to score against The King, I mean...the Prince....  (Second period & third period) Wow Callahan just scored from a delicious Gaborik feed....maybe there's hope, but another one of these merry-go-round games when.....Mama help me, Dubinsky just scored throwing himself to the net...and another....WHAT?  Lisin defending himself AND WADE REDDEN DROPPING THE GLOVES??????  AM I DREAMING?  WHAT IS HAPPENING?  CAN YOU FRIGGIN BELIEVE THIS?  GRIND MY GEARS, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!  ANOTHER SWEETIE BY CALLAHAN... ANOTHER BY GABORIK..... PULL MY FINGER, CAUSE I GOTTA SHIT SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT!  LET'S GO RANGERS!!!  (air drum, air drum, air drum)....LET'S GO RANGERS?   WHAT?  CHRIS DRURY SCORED 2 ON 1?  THE CLUTCH MAN ROCKS.....send this guy to the Olympics!"

Where is this fist going?  It wasn't pretty, but Redden dropped 'em (I mean the gloves)

You have to appreciate die-hard Rangers fans.   I know, just like the guy who sits next to your seats.

Here's an alarming fact from last night. The Rangers snapped a goal-scoring drought at home of 147:02. The six goals were one more than they had in the previous five games combined, five more than they scored over their 0-2-1 run in the previous three games and the most since they had seven against Columbus at home Nov. 23. So there is much to be done and much more to prove to themselves before we can rejoice our new scoring Blueshirts of 2010. Against an Original Six rival like the Montreal Canadiens, a blowout of this magnitude was atypical of how we've historically played this team -- a role reversal, so we will watch with enthusiasm as we play the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night (Tuesday). As both teams have shown 'the skids' over the last months, the Rangers sit with a 23-19-7 record sitting unstable in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. We are dreadfully two losses away from 11th place in the standings so a win tomorrow night would be nice to further the distance from the non-playoffs.

Sean Avery rocks.  Brushed off two penalties in the first period, shouted back at Torts and ignored him and lit it up to defend everyone on the team.  He defies his reputation and plays great old time hockey.  Dubinsky and Callahan are two of the hardest working guys on the team --- we are finally seeing the potential....may it continue God willing.

So that's the crude recap from a killer game folks.  Check in post-Tuesday as J_Undisputed will hopefully say 'Larry Brooks'-like things about our beloved Blue-Men post-game.

tdr

One-Two-Three-Four Punch!

NYR 5,  Dallas Stars 2

One-two-three-four points, that is.  The team that made Mr. Avery a multi-millionaire were reminded last night of why they originally awarded him the $3+ million per year contract last season before trading him back to New York and willing to pay for half the contract, as our resident agitator decided to show-up and give The Garden a taste again of what we've come to expect from the 'Most Hated Player in the NHL'.  I can only affectionately describe the guy as the following:  A gnat (see Brendan Morrow).  A bully (12 penalty minutes last night).  A good hockey player (1 goal, 3 assists).  He is certainly worth the $1.9 million for the next couple of seasons.  Keep the heat up on the ice, Sean -- because we embrace it when you take off the Torts-shackles and show a little 'First Blood' (and for God's sakes --- tell your PR guy to stop with the Sean Avery bar updates -- we don't care).  Just play good hockey and we'll all be happy fans.

I thought I'd share some interesting quotes from last night:

"I would have loved to have seen that delinquent do that for us last year, I didn't think four points was possible. He has a good shot and he always has worked hard. His intelligence on the ice has always been an issue, and was with us when he was here."
 - Marty Turco (Dallas' crappy goalkeeper)

"It is a pretty good night when you have four points against a team that didn't want you a year ago,"

- Henrik Lundqvist (NYR Goalkeeper of The Gods)

"There has been no leash or handcuffs on Sean Avery. We have really tried to push him the past couple of months in trying to get his game back and to play this way. I want Sean Avery on edge ... when he crosses the line, it is my job to try to bring him back." TDR footnote: I wonder if he actually believes his own soundbite -- this is contrary to his actions as a coach all season, so this statement makes him look stupid if you ask me.

 - John Tortorella (Micro-Managing Coach of the Blueshirts)

Official recap here.

So beyond the hype of Sean Avery and the media's obsession with him and how he saved the Rangers last night and how the Blueshirts' world is now going to change, let us remind ourselves that our game is back probably due to the continued staying-power of our world-class goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist.  Yes - he dipped mid-way through the fall, but last night he made 25 saves, including one during Dallas' 5-on-3 power play in the second period.  He continues to defy gravity with numerous back-flips, hits to the head (thank you Brandon Dubinsky for not letting that one go) and a remarkable knack for saving games when our D-men go into their caves to contemplate the programmed "Torts-want-to-score-more-goals" philosophy.  But last night was an exception as our Blueliners pulled out some terrific defense -- special mention to Dan Girardi and Matt Gilroy.  We have an extremely young blueline that will put us closer to 'elite status' over the next couple of seasons, as long as we can hold onto their contracts and keep them on Broadway.  (hear that Slats....don't go horse-trading your family members for tired and used Redden parts, okay?)

Oh yeah, and that Marion Gaborik guy is pretty good too. Right...he currently leads the NHL in goals.  Nice to have you on board Oh-Great-Not-Hurt-One.

Here are the stats:

GOAL SCORERS

DAL:   B. Richards (02:17 - 1st) , J. Lehtinen (02:07 - 2nd)

NYR:   S. Avery (PPG, 05:39 - 1st) , M. Gaborik (15:47 - 1st) , A. Kotalik (08:23 - 2nd) , C. Drury (08:57 - 3rd) , R. Callahan (EN, 18:55 - 3rd) 

(Can you believe Chris Drury scored again? WTF?)

So our Blueshirts sit in the 7th slot in the Eastern Conference as of today with a record of 21-17-5.  It appears we're coming out of the slump, but the reviled and surprising Atlanta Thrashers are next on our card tonight --- they always seem to beat us since we thrashed them during the playoffs seasons ago, so perhaps a bit of this mojo will carry into the chilly deep south where hockey was historically never envisioned.  

Let's Go Rangers and keep the faith Blueshirt Brethren!


tdr

P.S.   if anyone watched the live broadcast, you might have caught Joe M. on MSG make the following statement while referring to Marty Turco's assist after the first goal, "You know, Sam....Turco is one of the finest passers in the game."  Too bad nobody told Joe that Turco was the Stars' goalie.  Oops.

TEAM CANADA and USA HOCKEY OLYMPIC ROSTER (predictions)

Part-time contributor to the site - BlueNationLeafs - has assembled his version of what both Team Canada and Team USA will look like come February, 2010.  Let him know your thoughts on his picks:

*******************************************************************

Dear Dark Ranger,

Let’s put together a 4 line 6 defense and goalie team for the 2010 Olympic in Vancouver.
We’ll also include a 4 man taxi squad in case of injuries.

TEAM USA

Forwards
Parise - Stastny - Kane
Ryan - Gomez - Kessel
Malone - Drury - Brown
Kesler - Modano - Langenbrunner

Defense
Rafalski - Martin
Suter - Johnson
Whitney - Orpik

Goalies
Miller
Thomas

Taxi Squad – Anderson, Bogosian, Pavelski and Van Riemsdyk.

vs

TEAM CANADA

Forwards
Nash - Crosby - Iginla
Marleau -Thorton - Heatley
Lecavallier - Getzlaf -  Perry
Carter - Richards - Doan

Defense
Niedermayer - Pronger
Keith - Weber
Regehr - Boyle

Goalies
Brodeur
Luongo

Taxi Squad – Fleury, Phaneuf, Stamkos, Toews

Notables not to make the squad – Green, Gagne, St Louis, Stall and Smyth.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHO WINS IN A DEATH-MATCH BETWEEN THE TWO?   CANADA  or  USA ?????

- BlueNationLeafs

iSpy a Stanley Cup!

Here is a pictorial exclusive* for The Dark Ranger and it's readers, in all it's glory. *exclusive until the kid posted her shots on Flikr, ya little shit.

The Lord Stanley Cup is taking a dip in the pool with various Penguins and friends as part of Mario Lemieux's celebratory mansion barbecue last week.

The pictures depress me. How about you?

It reminds us how far our Blueshirts are from this moment captured. Is it conceivable that someone like Jimmy Dolan or Glen Sather would ever welcome someone who worked for them into one of their homes, let alone swim in their pool? I think not. Furthermore, as much as I dislike the Penguins, it did remind me that they won as a team and their manager and owners were with them every step of the way (maybe not the coach...he eh eh eh e). Christ..., the very fact that Sidney Crosby has been living in Mario's home since puberty shows a display of 'caring for a star player' that our Slats & Gang would never have shown to Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan or Sean Avery (maybe the latter isn't a good example). Not to suggest that Shanny or Jagr needed housing, but a phone call during free agency would have been nice.

I don't begrudge Pittsburgh from having fun with the Cup, so in tribute, only once, I will pay a compliment to Sid and his team followers:

"Well done on stealing the Cup, Birdmen of Allegheny County. No 'Diving' jokes for now as we're in the off-season and you are one-year-older than underage drinking. Bottom line is - you and your boys are now swimming with the Cup. Others are not. When September rolls around, I will again hate you with vitriol and rivalry. " (tipping The Cup)

tdr

It's Going To Be A Fun Filled Free-Agent Frenzy

Here's my list of the notable free-agents that will become available less than two-weeks away --- we all know what the Rangers are currently lacking and free agency is the perfect destination to find those missing pieces (albeit our missing salary cap space). The full list of free agents is much greater than my list, so I excluded a number of players that are virtually guaranteed a spot on their current roster (i.e. Callahan, Dubinsky). One thing is for sure --- I think we are all done talking about where and who Forsberg is going to play for! Ouch...my heel!

Whoever said the off-season was boring in hockey? I think these are exciting times with the draft happening this week, free agency a blink away, and, next thing you know it, our boys are in a military camp swimming laps across the Hudson. I suppose Torts will send our boys somewhere else than West Point!!? Either way, enjoy the list below -- hope is upon us. (I also hope they leave Wade Redden and his contract in Hartford at the beginning of the season).

Here goes nothing...I have bolded players that will probably be on Slats radar:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTA THRASHERS
F Eric Perrin
F Marty Reasoner

BOSTON BRUINS
F PJ Axelsson
F Mark Recchi
F Stephane Yelle
D Shane Hnidy
D Steve Montador
G Manny Fernandez

BUFFALO SABRES
F Maxim Afinogenov
F Dominic Moore
F Andrew Peters
D Teppo Numminen
D Jaroslav Spacek
G Mikael Tellqvist

CAROLINA HURRICANES
F Ryan Bayda
F Erik Cole
F Chad LaRose
D Dennis Seidenberg
D David Tanabe

FLORIDA PANTHERS
F Radek Dvorak
F Ville Peltonen
F Richard Zednik
D Karlis Skrastins
D Jay Bouwmeester
D Nick Boynton
D Jason Cullimore
G Craig Anderson

MONTREAL CANADIENS
F Saku Koivu
F Tom Kostopoulos
F Alex Kovalev
F Robert Lang
F Alex Tanguay
F/D Mathieu Dandenault
D Francis Bouillon
D Patrice Brisebois
D Mike Komisarek
D Mathieu Schneider

NEW JERSEY DEVILS
F Brian Gionta
F Bobby Holik
F John Madden
F Michael Rupp
F Brendan Shanahan
D Johnny Oduya
D Niclas Havelid
G Scott Clemmensen
G Kevin Weekes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS
F Dean McAmmond
F Mike Sillinger
F Andy Hilbert
G Yann Danis
G Joey MacDonald

NEW YORK RANGERS
F Nik Antropov
F Blair Betts
F Colton Orr
D Paul Mara
D Derek Morris

OTTAWA SENATORS
F Mike Comrie
F Chris Neil

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
F Mike Knuble
D Andrew Alberts
G Martin Biron
G Antero Niittymaki

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
F Craig Adams
F Ruslan Fedotenko
F Bill Guerin
F Miroslav Satan
F Petr Sykora
D Philippe Boucher
D Hal Gill
D Rob Scuderi
G Mathieu Garon

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
D Marek Malik

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
F Boyd Devereaux
F Brad May
G Martin Gerber
G Curtis Joseph
G Olaf Kolzig

WASHINGTON CAPITALS
F Donald Brashear
F Sergei Fedorov
F Viktor Kozlov
G Brent Johnson

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ANAHEIM DUCKS
F Todd Marchant
F Rob Niedermayer
D Francois Beauchemin
D Bret Hedican
D Scott Niedermayer

CALGARY FLAMES
F Todd Bertuzzi
F Mike Cammalleri
F Jamie Lundmark
F Andre Roy
D Adrian Aucoin
D Jordan Leopold
D Andrew Pardy
D Rhett Warrener

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
F Martin Havlat
F Samuel Pahlsson
D Matt Walker
G Nikolai Khabibulin

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
F Chris Gratton
F Manny Malholtra
F Michael Peca
F Jason Williams
D Christian Backman
G Wade Dubielewicz
G Fredrik Norrena

COLORADO AVALANCHE
F Tyler Arnason
F Ben Guite
F Ian Laperriere
F Joe Sakic
D Daniel Tjarnqvist
G Andrew Raycroft

DALLAS STARS
F Steve Begin
F Jere Lehtinen
F Brendan Morrison
F Mark Parrish
D Darryl Sydor
D Sergei Zubov

DETROIT RED WINGS
F Marian Hossa
F Darren McCarty
F Mikael Samuelsson
D Chris Chelios
G Ty Conklin

EDMONTON OILERS
F Ales Kotalik
G Dwayne Roloson

LOS ANGELES KINGS
F Derek Armstrong
F Kyle Calder
D Denis Gauthier

MINNESOTA WILD
F Marian Gaborik
F Stephane Veilleux
D Marc-Andre Bergeron
D Kurtis Foster
D Martin Skoula

NASHVILLE PREDATORS
F Radek Bonk
F Vernon Fiddler
F Scott Nichol
F Steve Sullivan
F Joel Ward
D Greg de Vries
D Ville Koistinen
D Greg Zanon

PHOENIX COYOTES
F Brian McGrattan
F Steve Reinprecht
D Dmitri Kalinin
D Ken Klee

SAN JOSE SHARKS
F Mike Grier
F Travis Moen
F Jeremy Roenick
D Rob Blake
D Kent Huskins
G Brian Boucher

ST. LOUIS BLUES
F Dan Hinote
F Keith Tkachuk
F Brad Winchester
G Manny Legace

VANCOUVER CANUCKS
F Taylor Pyatt
F Daniel Sedin
F Henrik Sedin
F Mats Sundin
D Mattias Ohlund
D Ossi Vaananen
G Jason Labarbera
G Curtis Sanford

Who do you like?

tdr

Prepare To Be Thrashed! Tonight 7pm, MSG

The Atlanta Thrashers have much to prove to their entire fan base (see picture) as they take on our New York Rangers at our self-proclaimed most famous arena this evening. Knocking down "The King" - goaltender and league standing - would mean everything to this small sector of Atlanta season-ticket holders.

New York Rangers fans can expect one of the more exciting games of the season as we attempt to win four-in-a-row, maintain the lead in the division, conference and league. A win tonight would bring our totals into double digits. Currently, Atlanta is second to last place in the Eastern Conference and they were recently humiliated by the fellow ailing Philadelphia Flyers this week 7-0 - it is guaranteed that the entire league is watching to see if our Blueshirts will fall prey to a team that needs the win more than we do.

“We’ve got to take that whole game and throw it in the garbage.”—Thrashers D Niclas Havelid, on Atlanta’s 7-0 loss to Philadelphia.

There is no better route to improving team morale by knocking down the first-place league leader. Watch out, NY Rangers....just as we approached this week's win against the ailing moronic Islanders, we again must maintain a humble confidence, play the system and never remind ourselves we are sitting in first-place complacency.

Dubi, over at Blueshirt Bulletin, points out "If you're getting a deja vu right about now, that's because one year and eleven days ago, the Rangers met a Thrashers team that was fresh off a 4-0 rout in Philly that left them 0-6 to start the season. Guess what happened? A complacent Ranger team was beaten 5-3 on three early goals."

Hang in there Blueshirt brethren -- tonight is going to be one hell of a doozy!

tdr

Tonight Against the Horrible Isles

So with the "pull out of our a**" win against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday night (official recap here), our Blueshirts head into our first rival meeting tonight against the NY Islanders this season.

There is every reason to think our boys will pull through and slaughter this AHL squad, especially given the 15-year awarded franchise Isle goalkeeper Rick DiPietro is out for tonight's meeting and backup Joey MacDonald (2-3-0) is his replacement (I hear echoes of Wade from Russia!!?). Perhaps 'wetting his pants against a first-place team' caused Ricky D to check into a doctor this afternoon, despite coach Scott Gordon's insistence that he is doing just fine. Isles fans surely are unhappy.

Not only is tonight's opponent in last place in the Eastern Conference (2-5-0), without former Ted Nolen behind the wheel as premiere coach (fired this season unexpectedly), they are generally considered one of the worst teams in the League - recently pummeled by Buffalo 7-1.

If the Rangers play the system properly and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is in "normal" mode, then all will fall into place. I cannot imagine opening the paper to a 9-2-1 record tomorrow morning!

But then again, as we've seen over the last couple of seasons and no matter where they are in the standings, the NY Islanders have our number and tend to play competitive and winning hockey against us.

The curse of that ridiculous Potvin! Who keeps that stupid chant alive anyway?

TDR

Renney Wakes Up Puzzled Saying "Yes, Jaromir!?", NYR 3, Columbus 1

New York Rangers Coach Tom Renney saw his past, present and future before him in one WHACK! as he took a direct hockey stick swat to his head, middle of the second period last night against Columbus. He'd be delighted to learn that his Blueshirts dominated throughout, properly rotating and checking and controlling Ken Hitchcock's Blue Jackets from start to finish. Maybe the dent in his head will keep him from moving around the lines for tomorrow's first season meeting against the Pittsburgh Penguins!!?

Official recap here.

Nikolai Zherdev was a Blueshirt wonder and an ugly Blue Jacket reminder that Columbus made a bad trade with the Rangers last season, as he earned three points with the third goal and two assists. Dan Girardi scored a beauty and Brandon Dubinsky was credited with the 2nd goal, which more or less was a skate redirection -- controversial - YES - but our goal nevertheless! D-U-B-I-E!!!!!!!

As usual, the Ranger newbies are dominating the game -- and Captain Chris (Drury) is yet to make it onto the books. Without question, all are contributing to the game and in due time, Mr. Drury's dry spell will come to an end.

Short & sweet kids.....our boys are looking good at 7-2-1 for the season - and one can only hope we remain without injury and without anymore horrific Kalinen defensive blunders. Everything is excusable when we win games, but last night's Kalinen line looked comparable to how Tom Renney must have felt right around the 3rd period.

tdr

Benedict Arnold Returns To The Garden, NYR 1, Dallas 2

Dark here...

So we lost another one. Ouch. The New York Rangers are now 6-2-1, a great position to be at the start of the season and after tonight's lackluster performance, we are beginning to look like a normal team that has it's ups & downs. It is made worse in that this was the first game against Sean Avery as a Dallas Star and the first game where "The King's" Dallas twin brother Lundqvist was responsible for setting up the game winning goal to defeat the Rangers.

For the official recap, go here.

Sean Avery pre-game was quoted on the Rangers Organization:
"I extremely enjoyed my time in New York playing for the Rangers. Jim Dolan runs a first-class organization. The fans are as passionate and as tough as they come, and they make MSG a very special place to play and call home. I wish the Rangers all the best.. I have no animosity towards anyone in this organization for not bringing me back."

"High road" words from some guy named Sean Avery who showed up during the pre-skate mouthing off to Henrik Lundqvist, Stephen Valiquette and anyone within ear range of his big mouth. It doesn't matter who this guy instigates. There is no rhyme or reason to his bullying. When he successfully played for the Rangers for a season and a half, he was OUR bully. Now he is someone else's bully. In The Dark Ranger's book, 'plain & simple' this just makes him a PUNK. Everyone has shtick and a hook if you want to succeed in life, I guess. It's no wonder Sean Avery has no friends. He certainly isn't a friend of The Garden anymore.

Yeah, I know Benedict Arnold was a traitor, someone who turned on his people, ratting out the good guys and some of you will say that it was MSG and the Dolans that didn't renew with Avery - it was widely reported that the difference between Dallas and NYR was just under a million a year. Avery as a Ranger on the ice vs when not on the ice demanded his re-signing. You cannot dispute the facts.

I am a supporter of Sean Avery. I like his honesty and what he always brings to the game. But a case could be made that Sean Avery is the ultimate traitor to the game of hockey in general. He follows the money. As long as he continues to find new teams in the NHL willing to pay for his 'on-ice' dirty mouth, 'in the locker room' and his outrageous 'off-the-ice' antics, he will never find long-term loyalty of his teammates, the protection from his team and, most importantly, the honor one gets when you play for a franchise long-term. A thug-for-hire. Ultimately, he will never have a loyal fan base as he is guilty of having too many jobs in the short term, and realistically, this guy will end up hurt badly as someone is soon to punish him for his career behavior.

When you declare your love for the team - you tell your agent where you want to be and do whatever is necessary to stay. Even NY Ranger Paul Mara re-signed with the Rangers for significantly less than he would have received in free agency because he believed in the franchise. Probably the best example of not following the money and believing in the game is the entire Detroit Red Wing 2008-2009 roster -- veteran All-Stars, including sought-after Marian Hossa, all believe in the game, rather than the money. The dumbest example might be Mats Sundin turning down a 2-year/$20 mill offer from Vancouver because he wanted the right team/retirement.

Dallas might have won the game tonight -- they played terrific defensive hockey in the last half of the third period and shutdown my Blueshirts -- but they proved that it can all be done without the infamous Sean Avery - who did nothing to contribute to his team's win. He is 'half-a-Star' in my big bright book and 'an official hockey whore' having taken a better deal in Dallas and deceiving our MSG fans.

Unrelated but just as exciting, The Dark Ranger is penning a new mystery short story entitled, "Where In The World Is Chris Drury?" - so I hope that all fans of the blog will channel positive thoughts toward our dear Captain! If good thoughts & cheer don't work for our Captain against Columbus on Friday, I expect all of you to pre-order an advanced copy and drink heavily.

tdr

So Long Jags! Where Did My Team Go?

I like what I see.

He may not be the presence and comedian of Jaromir Jagr and he may not have the points, goals and assists as our three-year Captain, but one thing is for certain.....our newest New York Ranger, former Vancouver Canuck Captain Marcus Naslund plays his best hockey game EVERY game! This is already an improvement.

Yes....Jags was brilliant in the playoffs and that was reason enough to re-sign the Captain. In both rounds he played hard and it reminded us of what he can/could still be when he wants to.....but do NOT forget that we complained about his will and desire all the way to the playoffs. Not only did Mr. Perimeter (thanks Pundit) hold us in his clutches of lazy, he held back the team with his 'perfect-shot' perimeter play. Enough is enough. Slats gave some of us our wish. Thank you for bringing the Blueshirts back to 'legit' on Broadway, Jags -- but it is time for that Russian contract where you can play half-a-game most of the season and still make the big bucks tax-free. Run with it. Skate with it. Play with it. Gamble it. We love you, Jaromir - but not for another two-years. Love hurts.

Marcus Naslund is our new guy -- Battle of the Potential Captains with Chris Drury (my vote), Scott Gomez and now former Canuck-Captain Naslund, plus a couple of new kids on the block and an actual blue line to support our Hank. Our Staal, Girardi, Callahan and Dubinsky kids aren't babies anymore either.

I think I like this team.

Here's the official Canadian press on Naslund -- and it's worth hitting the Vancouver blogs -- who are very upset over his leaving.
tdr

THE CANADIAN PRESS Thu Jul 3, 6:51 PM ET NEW YORK - Markus Naslund is heading to the Big Apple.The former Vancouver Canucks captain has agreed to an US$8-million, two-year deal with the New York Rangers. "It's not an easy thing," Naslund said on a conference call. "I've been in Vancouver a long time. I've been a captain there for the last eight years. I have very fond memories of playing in that city and all that comes with that. "The fan base that's there, the organization has treated me first-class all the way. It's definitely a big step but it's a step that I'm excited to take." The Canucks released a statement thanking him for his years of service. "As an organization we would like to thank Markus Naslund for his 12 exemplary seasons in a Canucks sweater," said Canucks GM Mike Gillis. "Markus is one of the greatest athletes to ever represent the Canucks both on and off of the ice. His on-ice success sees him leave the organization among the club leaders in almost every offensive category. "We are very grateful for Markus' commitment to our community, our fans and our team over the years. Markus and his wife Lotta have given generously of their time over the years to many worthy causes ..." Naslund's new contract, which includes a $1-million signing bonus, will pay him $4 million next season and $3 million in 2009-10. "I think for anyone who dreams of playing in the NHL, playing for one of the Original Six teams with the history and tradition, it's special," Naslund said. "It was very appealing to me and my family to live in New York and be part of what's going on there. ... The overall picture was very appealing to me." The 34-year-old unrestricted free agent forward had 55 points (25-30) in 82 games with the Canucks last season. Naslund was drafted by Pittsburgh with the 16th overall pick in 1991. He has recorded 823 points (371-452) in 1,035 career games with the Canucks and Penguins.

Searching For A Captain To Right The Ship

4:44pm, 2nd day of free agency
Not to get DEFENSIVE or anything, but.....who is our CAPTAIN and who is taking care of our team at the moment? Disappointed Rangers fans across the globe unite!

Never to question the brilliance and arrogance of Blueshirt GM Glen Sather, we have signed Wade Redden from the Ottawa Senators and re-signed Michal Rozsival to reinforce our blue line. Despite Redden's play last season, I do believe this to be a solid addition to our lineup --- the Senators suffered in spotty goaltending and at a certain point in the season, everyone gives up -- Wade's track record is one of a solid top five defenseman to play quarterback to Staal, Girardi, Tyutin and Rozzy. Maybe Bobby Sanguinetti may be ready for the big leagues. Fine.

Where is the goal scoring?

Either we re-sign Jaromir Jagr now or we wait for Mats Sundin to decide what is happening with his career. Here is the problem in waiting for Sundin.....HE IS THE ONLY GUY LEFT. Everyone else in our''wish list' are signed with other teams at this point. Let's take a snapshot, simplified look at what's happened in the last 17 hours:

No Sean Avery (accepted the 16 million - 4yr offer from the Dallas Stars. we are idiots)

No Martin Straka (back to Czech-land)

No Brian Campbell (now a Chicago Blackhawk)

No Marian Hossa (one year in Detroit -- wants to win a Stanley Cup)

No Brian Rolston (now a NJ Devil)

No Mark Streit (now a NY Islander)

No Brooks Orpik (still a friggin Penguin)

Though, we did sign Aaron Voros (a Sean Avery wannabe) & Patrick Rissmiller. Who? This is the operative question as we are more-or-less a skeleton of the 2/3 full team we were last season. Rangers fans are screaming and we can only hope that Sather and the DOLAN Empire has made a secret deal with both Sundin and Jagr (brillliance if so) -- and are playing hard to get with the media to draw attention to it.

If all of this is an act and Sather & Co. have secret deals in place, then good press never hurt anyone. But if this is all we have.....

...does someone want 2 season tickets in the 117 section?

tdr

What Will Our Team Look Like?

Straka-Less

Martin Straka is no longer a New York Ranger.

Claiming he has not accepted his new deal (TSN) and will make the decision July 1, last night he apparently signed a deal with his former Czech Republic club, HC Lasselsberger Plzen to leave the NHL entirely - as the free agency deadline approached this coming Tuesday without any offers or consideration from Blueshirt management. Slats and gang were not interested in re-signing the three-year New York Ranger.

How might this effect the re-signing of Jaromir Jagr?

The answer to that will reveal itself no earlier than next Tuesday (July 1), but it sure doesn't bode well for maintaining Jagr's player 'support system.' As Glen Sather and Co. are looking to strengthen and rebuild the NY Rangers this off-season, they have made it clear to Captain Jagr their desire to bring him in under their terms, financially and expectation of play, for one more year. As it stands, Jagr is looking for two years extension.

Marty Straka leaving the Rangers may be revealing a little of how this team is looking to open the season this fall. How do you think Marty will feel watching his former Rangers from the stands opening in his home town of Prague this October?

The heat has been turned on slightly higher....

tdr

First Over A Rangers Website, Now This...

As "Schmuck-Egg-In-The-Face Bettman" addressed the league’s board of governors in New York last week, Gary Bettman admitted he had no clue that two of his closest NHL confidants – L.A.’s Philip Anschutz (responsible for last year's England opener debacle) and Minnesota’s Craig Leipold – had lent San Jose banker Boots Del Biaggio (alleged deadbeat and bankrupt NHL owner) a combined $17 million (U.S.) to help him pay for a $25 million stake in the Nashville Predators.

NHL owners were speechless, according to a source who attended the meeting, as Bettman grumbled he had been in the dark. Neither Anschutz nor Leipold had made him aware of the cozy back-door deal. In corporate North America, Bettman would be forced to find his 'exit strategy' with such blunders - honorable discharge - and he was obviously absent from his weekly NHL hourly broadcast as he had to attempt to keep his position as Mr. Know-It-All-of-the-NHL.

In other news, the NHL trade happened over the weekend. We acquired yet another no-name to send to Hartford -- funny that many of the current bloggers posted with "Who Cares?"(see jibblescribbits) or "It goes to show you it doesn't mean anything".....I just find the entire event premature and a little boring.

Mats Sundin a Ranger? Larry Brooks of the Post suggests that after Montreal has exclusive rights to discuss a potential free agent acquiring of the Maple Leafs beloved Captain, the New York Rangers are of interest to Mr. Sundin and discussions are already taking place. How ironic. The Dark Ranger was tipped last fall that there was interest from the NY Rangers camp on acquiring Sundin come last February during the trade deadline:

(The Dark Ranger sent the following email to Fabio, a Leafs enthusiast, the day after the Rangers slaughtered the Leafs, October 2007) The Dark Ranger sent:

"A heads up. Sundin's has always wanted to play for the NY Rangers, and is talking to NY Ranger management today (who wouldn't after last night!) -- discussions of trading Straka and Callahan and a first and second round pick - for a potential answer to our offensive challenges. Don Meehan, agent for Sundin approached the Rangers. He has told Sather he wants to play next to Jagr and Drury. Hate to ruin your day, but these talks are happening..... I am putting it on the blog later this afternoon when my source gets me confirmation of talks, launching The Dark Ranger site before Spector or HockeyBuzz knows anything about it."

I won't even post his offensive and "hockey-racist" response. As any Toronto Maple Leaf fan would do, it was filled with stereotypical cliche's about how great their losing team is --- and plenty of swearing. Regardless, it is fun to look back and verify that the people, we, hockey bloggers know within the depths of hockey organizations sometimes actually know 'inside' dirt. You will hear it here if there is anything to discuss that the mainstream columnists and bloggers aren't already talking about.

Next Tuesday is free agency day -- and perhaps we will see some important re-signings (Avery, "some would say Jagr") and some new acquisitions on the team; the likes of Brian Campbell, Mats Sundin, Brian Gionta, Ryan Malone and other potential dreamy free agents becoming Blueshirts would be a pleasant and unexpected surprise. As we saw the Rangers acquiring two of the three most-sought-after free agents last summer (Drury & Gomez) it is entirely possible that Slats and the Blueshirt management are smarter than we think they are.

One can only hope.

tdr

The Dark Ranger Is Not Alone!

from www.hockeyanalysis.com this morning:

The Bettman Cartel
June 19th, 2008 by David Johnson

Sometimes (ok, more than sometimes) I wonder if the NHL has a clue what it is doing. The latest breaking story is that the NHL is threatening the New York Rangers owners (Madison Square Garden, MSG) with possible expulsion from the league for accusing the league of violating antitrust laws. The background is that the Rangers sued the NHL claiming that the NHL had no right to take control of the Rangers website and other marketing and promotion programs. Last year a judge agreed with the NHL and said the NHL was well within its rights to take control of the rangers website.

But instead of accepting victory in a dignified way, as any reasonable organization would, it decided to fight back and “asked a judge to agree MSG has breached its contract by challenging league rules and that it can force out MSG.”

Two thinks come to mind when I read this story:

1. MSG is one of the best owners the NHL could possibly have and in a time when good law abiding owners are seemingly very hard to find (see NY Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and recently Nashville Predators), it seems very counter productive to be booting out one of the best and most stable owners around. Not only is MSG stable, but they are one of the biggest media outlets in New York and even across the United States. For a league that is starving for hockey coverage in the United States, booting out one of your better owners and media partners seems counter productive too.

2. It seems like this is just further evidence of a Bettman cartel in the NHL where Bettman will do everything he can to get pro-Bettman owners in the league (see Williams ”Boots” Del Baggio) and do everything possible to keep independent minded owners out of the league (see Jim Balsillie). With this action the NHL is trying to send a statement to all other owners in the NHL: “Do what we want or you’ll be gone”. I am no lawyer but it seems to me that this must break some sort of anti-trust laws.

So far Bettman has been successful in keeping tight control over the NHL and silencing those who might want to challenge him and his rule. One has to wonder if and when this might come back to bite him in the foot. Challenging a media giant like MSG with expulsion is a bigger battle than he has undertaken in the past and one wonders when he will have bitten off more than he can chew. Now that the players get a fixed share of revenue I expect the NHLPA is going to want to have a say in matters like this since such moves will potentially affect league revenues. If MSG, Balsillie, NHLPA and possibly other big market owners choose to fight back it could be wildly lopsided fight that Bettman and his cronies are sure to lose. It will be interesting to see how this will unfold.

THE DARK RANGER says: the draft tonight will be special. Every time Bettman speaks, the crowds will 'BOO' him. No one likes a bully. At the very least, this counter-lawsuit will keep talk at an all-time high regarding the NHL -- and you know the Dolans are going to strike back in a big way over the next couple of weeks. Thank the hockey Gods that we can finally now talk about something other than Sean Avery's speedo and Vogue internship.

Speaking of which, it looks like Sean Avery is actively discussing a return to his LA Kings -- who in rumor accounts- will provide him with the $4 million per year he is seeking from the Rangers. Glen Sather has publicly stated he has no intentions of talking to Avery before July 1 and his offer is in Avery's agent's hands. Otherwise, no deal. It has been mentioned that Avery was potentially contemplating a move over to the Island of Ted Nolen -- which would be terrific in reinvigorating the rivalry between the NY Rangers and Islanders. Not since Dennis Potvin would we have seen such hatred in an ex-Ranger. Fun stuff ahead. Tonight the draft. In two weeks, free agency. Yee haw.

tdr

A Beginner's Guide to the Upcoming Season (UPDATED)

Jaromir Jagr craves a display of the Rangers’ affection for him. General manager Glen Sather says he is a fan but has yet to reach out to personally convey that sentiment to the sensitive captain.

So, with only 20 days remaining until Jagr can become an unrestricted free agent, it is anybody’s guess whether he’ll be in a Broadway Blueshirt when the club opens next season in his native Czech Republic. And because Jagr’s return or departure is the first domino that needs to fall before the Rangers can continue the process of assembling their roster for next season, such uncertainty at such a late date can’t be viewed as a good thing.

Of course, Sather has always enjoyed playing the cat-and-mouse game when his top players’ contracts come up for renewal. So his unhurried approach with Jagr is hardly out of character.

As long as Jagr’s situation remains not just unresolved but completely unpredictable, it seems difficult for the Rangers to make decisions regarding other potential unrestricted free agents, such as Sean Avery, Martin Straka and Michal Rozsival.

Season Highlight: Two springs after being battered by the rival Devils, the Rangers avenged that 2006 first-round sweep by eliminating New Jersey in five games in the 2008 first round. Lundqvist outplayed living legend Martin Brodeur—who was tormented by Avery shift after shift—and Jagr was a monster en route to leading the playoffs in scoring through two rounds.

Turning Point: A quirk in the schedule—back-to-back home games against an Atlanta team they own—produced 4-0 and 2-1 Garden victories (the second on the night Brian Leetch’s No. 2 was retired) to catalyze a playoffs-making 20-6-7 stretch run. Lundqvist was brilliant throughout the 11-week surge. Jagr routinely dominated games. And the Rangers capped a season in which they went an Atlantic-best 20-7-5 within the division by going 5-1-4 in their last 11 games, which all were intradivisional.

Notes, Quotes

• While Sean Avery remains in the news because his publicists have passed along word of every move he’s made as an intern at Vogue magazine this summer, his contract negotiations with the Rangers have yet to produce anything of interest. Avery remains convinced that he is a top-six forward who should be paid in the neighborhood of $4 million a year. The Rangers have yet to budge off their early season offer of $2.75 million per.

Quote To Note: “It’s clear Jaromir’s a good player. It’s clear that we like him. And it’s clear that we’d like to have him back also. There are so many other free agents that are going to be available. But if you have the option of getting Jaromir the way he played at the end of the year and in the playoffs, he was a pretty dangerous hockey player. And we could wind up with no one.”—Rangers GM Glen Sather

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: G Henrik Lundqvist battled through the most difficult of his three NHL seasons to lead the NHL in shutouts (10), finish fourth in wins (37) and sixth in goals-against average (2.23) and earn a third straight designation as a Vezina Trophy Finalist. Lundqvist was distracted midway through the season by worry about his father, who underwent emergency surgery in Sweden for a brain aneurysm, and had to fight to rediscover his form for the stretch run and playoffs.

Most Disappointing Player: Unable to develop on-ice chemistry with either C Scott Gomez or C Chris Drury, Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr went from averaging 110 points his first two seasons in New York to scoring a career-low 71. However, despite failing to approach the great expectations that are standard for him, Jagr mentored rookie C Brandon Dubinsky to a fine first NHL season.

Biggest Needs: The Rangers’ first order of business is to figure out whether RW Jaromir Jagr is coming back. Then they can deal with their free agents and work on improving their defense.

Free Agent Focus: The Rangers remain committed to upgrading their underwhelming defense corps—by adding offensive ability and/or physicality. And while finding a scoring winger who can skate with C Scott Gomez will have them at least expressing an interest in Marian Hossa, it remains unlikely that the Rangers will shell out the at least $7 million per he is expected to command on the open market.

Player Notes:

• D Michal Rozsival, whose play dropped off over the season’s second half and in the playoffs, was to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum muscle in his hip June 11. Though Rozsival scored a career-high 13 goals this past season, none came after Feb. 3. And the Rangers are considering whether to re-sign him—he’s likely to command at least $4 million per on the open market—or look elsewhere to upgrade the top end of their defense corps.

• LW Martin Straka is nearing the time when he must decide whether to sign on with a team in his native Czech Republic and effectively end his NHL career. Straka said last week that he is struggling with the decision, and it is unclear whether the Rangers want the classy, 35-year-old veteran back.

• RW Brendan Shanahan’s return for a 21st NHL season remains uncertain. The venerable winger, who turned 39 in January, sagged badly over the second half of the season. He blamed the effects of failing to give himself enough time to recover from a Jan. 5 collision with Dustin Penner that left him with a sprained knee and led to hip and back problems.

Breaking News!!! Rangers Sign Mini-Holmstrom

Swedish player Andreas Jamtin is now officially a New York Ranger --a free agent as of June 15. Previously tied up by the Detroit Red Wings, unsigned up until yesterday's deadline - Jamtin was once compared to Thomas Holmstrom (at the time he was drafted), except a meaner and faster version. That being some time ago and his having never played in the NHL, Blueshirt Bulletin suggests that his level of play is fast, with the attitude of Sean Avery -- unafraid to throw himself into any situation presented. Though his performance has been mediocre over the last couple of seasons in Europe, he is considered someone who might 'break out' once reaching the NHL level.

The Rangers management have not officially announced his signing, but sources at MSG have suggested that this will put much needed pressure on the Sean Avery re-signing over the next couple of weeks, as Jamtin the agitator is known by opposing teams as a 'gnat' and 'distractor' - someone who is highly disliked throughout the Finnish Elite League.

Add some speed and good shooting skills, Andreas Jamtin may just be one of the affordable components necessary to improve the Rangers' front lines. More to come...

tdr