Prelude To The Blueshirts Win

What helped our boys in Blue yesterday was a fight-filled night between the Penguins and The Islanders on Friday night.  This is mandatory viewing; with Pittsburgh physically taking advantage of The Islanders this season and with Rick DiPietro getting knocked out by Pittsburgh's Brent Johnson only weeks ago, as the laughing stock of the league - the Isles were no longer willing to watch their guys take any crap from the Penguins. 

Friday's game, won 9-3 by the Islanders, featured 346 penalty minutes, 15 fighting majors and 11 game misconducts. The Islanders were fined $100,000 by the league, and two of their players - if that's what you call Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin - were suspended for 10 and four games, respectively. Pens' Eric Godard was suspended the mandatory 10 games for leaving the bench to join the fight.

The videos below outline a brawl of a game.  So for once in my hockey lifetime, I'd like to tip my DARK hat and thank The Island for a dirty game well done.

PERIOD ONE


PERIOD TWO



PERIOD THREE (yes...there are still more fights)


So who feels bad for Talbott?   Ha ha ah aha ha .....

tdr

Blind Aggression No Match for Puck Possession

Well Ranger fans,

With everyone wondering whether or not the team would be worn out of the road trip, the Rangers surprised everyone, starting the game with an up-tempo aggressive checking style. But like a an arrow without feathers, you're not hitting anything if you can't keep it straight.

Read the official recap here.

Speaking of misses,despite the energy brought by the team and feisty style, there was an obscene amount of Ranger shots (when being taken) that were deflected. A large percentage of the non-deflected shots still went wide of the net. We were a team hell bent on showing off our brass b@lls. While we darted in random directions, chipping pucks and then chasing them down .. only to work the puck around the boards trying to buy time for a shot... our opponents followed and waited for a mistake... We didn't disappoint them as we were caught deep in our own end, out of possession and even managed to get in our own way sometimes. It seems there may have been a good bit of false bravado in that comeback win last time that convinced us that we only had to be aggressive for long enough to see the more tender underbelly of the tuxedo'd poultry... and then we'd go in for the kill.

They say survival is a game best suited for those who can adapt. Adaptation became the fulcrum on which last night's game teetered... as will the rest of the games in this series. A game of chess in which we have exhausted our resources and sacrificed all our pawns thus far on the direct approach. It's indeed a dangerous game to play as it not only wears us thin, but it exposes us as 'one trick ponies' and demonstrates the way to beat us. The aggression is good if it can be bottled and applied when and where needed. It should be a means of channeling our offense and defense, and not our whole game. It becomes more apparent as we play the more hyper and bigger teams, that they know just where to wait for us and will attempt to outwork us along the boards. Thank God we're not playing on a pond, we'd never get anywhere without the boards.

We are now a younger team with younger legs, there's no reason to linger around the perimeters of the zone, using the boards as training wheels. I wouldn't mind seeing this team take the puck off the boards and practice their passing and puck handling in open ice... where it could ignite the skills of players like Gaborik, Stepan, perhaps Frolov..

Kudos go out to Prusty for taking on a much bigger man in Rupp, Avery for punching Kennedy and Roszival for not showing signs of rust. Still for the toughness factor, it's much better when it means something and is perhaps topping off a win. Even the most aggressive of Blind aggression is still Blind.

Between my periodical calls to my local pastor to see if hell has frozen over yet, I manage to check the NHL website to see if any disciplinary action, or hell, even an admission that the league witnessed Skidmark Sid slewfoot Callahan.   I guess I really only need to be checking one to get the answers to both.

Till next time,

J_Undisputed

Dubinsky Shines Over The Predator(s)

There is nothing better than a horrible photoshop job....so there.

NYR 2, Predators 1 SO

As an old friend said recently, "Two out of three aint bad" an unexpected and pleasantly optimistic viewpoint of the Blueshirts recent roadtrip as the New York Rangers dropped a bomb in Tampa, followed by a perfect shutout of the Florida Panthers and ended with a hard-earned shootout win against the Nashville Predators.

Official recap vs Nashville here.

Brandon Dubinsky once again demonstrated his all-around game - though not on the boards against Nashville, he is showing signs of a leader on the team and his stats are proving just that; the all around efforts by him and Ryan Callahan are getting the attention of the league and we're beginning to see opposing teams double covering Dubie, 'as if' he were some Marian Gaborik or something....  Oh, and did I mention that Gaborik didn't play on Saturday night either?  Again?  This time out with flu-like symptoms, our core team of Dubie, Callahan, Fedotenko, Prust, Sauer, Girardi, Staal, Boyle and Sean Avery are defining this team with a hard working ethic that is mostly winning games.

Henrik Lundqvist in goal the last two games had a strong showing - a blanking against Florida and a terrific shutout whitewash against Nashville, but let us not forget Marty Biron, who is becoming as important as anyone on this "Black & Blue" squad - one that never gives up despite the score and generally manages to deliver a solid effort.  If Henrik can adapt to a two-way goalie system, then we're better for it.

Sticking up for a foul Christensen hit, Sean Avery stepped up and had his head handed to him by Nashville's Tootoo.

Michal Rozsival played a damn good game.  How's that?  After coming off a nine-game absence, he was surpringly in line with the system and played hard as if it were a playoff game.  So there.  I'm still Rozzy-agnostic, though, so don't celebrate too hard, but credit is due to a solid performance.

So with six minutes in the third period left on the boards, Ryan Callahan scored to tie-up the game, which led to overtime, which led to the shootout.

Erik Christensen was the first player called to take part in the shootout, and he beat Pekka Rinne with an aggressive move before slipping the puck just inside the left post.   It turned out to be the game winning goal as Henrik Lundqvist did the rest by denying three subsequent Predator attempts.  Amen.

It was a well deserved win that kept this young and rookie team in the sixth slot in the Eastern Conference with a 14-10-1 record, 3rd in the Atlantic Division behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

I'd say we have a damn good team, not great.  But they're getting better.

Tonight we host the Penguins (15-8-2) at MSG and, dammit, I look toward another win against this franchise --- it's always fun to see Sid the Kid Crosby banging his stick on the ice, hitting the post in frustration and losing --- each of the Rangers last three games vs. the Penguins have gone into overtime, dating back to a 3-2 win on Feb. 12, 2010 at Pittsburgh. The Blueshirts are 2-1-0 over the span, so luck will be on our side tonight.

See you at MSG...

tdr

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

A Tribute To Sidney Crosby

It is with such pleasure that our Atlantic Division rivals never showed up for their Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens last night, so we here at The Dark Ranger felt we should look back and re-post some of the tributes we've made over the years to our good friend Sid the Kid.

Yeah, kid -- you made a stupid penalty in the first 10 seconds last night that led to a scoring binge through the unexpected likes of Mike Cammaleri and Scottie Gomez (he eh he heheh), and after you were down four goals, you almost came back but to no avail. 

Don't get upset, Kid.   Take a trip back with us, a journey over your accomplishments and enjoy the summer with Tiger Woods (he's looking for a friend too) and learning the fine art of cliff diving.

Pictures make the man.  So enjoy.

Which then became.....

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

HEART'S not Enough..

RANGERS FALL TO PENS, DESPITE ARTISAN EFFORT

Artem Anisimov’ first 2-goal game opened some eyes from fans wondering when the youngster would finally live up to the potential he was rumored to have before being brought up to the Rangers. Last night, its hard to say he didn’t do his best to live up to that. His cut across the middle and using the defensemen as a screen was definitely pro move on the 1st goal and the effort on the second goal is something the Rangers should be looking for in their young players. Unfortunately , it wasn’t enough.

Official recap here , if you can stomach it.

So here we are again Ranger fans… A good effort from few players and the rest of the team that took turns being invisible. It was kind of expected, wasn’t it?  I mean we can all act surprised now and go, "I can’t believe that one got away from us…". Or we can admit to feelings going in that we were going to get run ragged by a Pens teams with a balanced offense and all that fancy stuff, like guys that stick to their defensive assignments, make intended passes and an offense that sets up immediately and follows the plan. Trivial details on a team such as ours, where our D-men do just fine being steamrolled along the boards every 5 seconds and our forwards break out like packs of Vietnamese soldiers trying to outrun a firestorm. All this complaining is still getting nowhere… Unfortunately, as fans, its sometimes all we’re left with and it is the tie that binds us. So maybe it’s time we start taking stock in this team.

Now before I start, I am not saying the defending cup champs (that were practically escorted to and through the cup finals) are the model team. In fact, taking a look around the league, there are a few young teams (like Chicago) that are showing a lot of promised and proving themselves a force to be reckoned with. So how is it that stalks of youth players are shooting up all over the league and ours is growing slowly and unevenly? It’s common knowledge that a seedling growing in the shadow of an old tree will never get enough sun to reach full size, if it survives at all.

Our youth right now is growing in the shadow of more experienced teammates that play a soft game. The money and the contracts dictate that these vet players are important. That might be true if there were used effectively to bring along and teach the fine points of the game to the youth. Instead, they dictate the pace of the games, and the pace of the practices and breaks (hear about anymore Tortorella bootcamp practices lately? Yea me neither.) Moreover, they are dictating the mood of this team on the ice. Earning a contract on star power and then playing the diva that has had their ego shattered by a tough crowd at the garden has gotten to some of these players and they are setting a bad example for their younger counterparts.

What’s more telling is that the younger players are full of energy with nowhere to go because they have no idea where they belong… in the play, on the ice, or on this team. Young Anisimov is a classic example of this. Last night, he either sat around waiting around for someone else to score or he took upon himself to do it. Too often these young kids are waiting for their older counterparts to lead the way only to hear the final buzzer and think “$hit… I could have done that…”. The vets on team don’t do crap because they are either afraid of getting yelled at or can’t be bothered. What is clear is that, they need to be turned before anyone else. It’s no secret that of the players that stood out on this team this season.... Callahan, Gaborik and Lundqvist aren’t waiting to be told to do what they know how to do … And between the other two, Avery yelled back at the coach during the game and Prospal told the coach where to stick his criticisms once upon a time in Tampa Bay.

The others however are looking for validation and correction and it needs to be dished out with authority. Young teams like the Pens, Chicago and LA have drafted well, but their players are made well aware of what they need to do to stay in the NHL and get ice time with their respective teams. How is it that rebellion of youth can accept guidence and take direction better than proven NHL players. The answer must be in the delivery of the directions.

If We Can't Beat 'em, Make Fun of Them

 Maybe I'm being PREMATURE (he he eh eh) about not beating the Penguins tonight, but maybe the following 'separated at birth' headshot resemblance and the following (PG-13) link from youtube.com will make you laugh and feel better.   Come 'on Sid...you can play hockey but can you truly control your stick (he he he).   If you've already seen it, then enjoy it again.  Go here.

tdr

See this?!?!?! GOOD, now remember it!!!!

Dear New York Rangers,
Remember it every time you’re coasting through the neutral zone behind the play and think, “I’m tired…” or “I’m sore…” ; remember it every time you choose to use a half hearted poke check instead of ripping into an opposing player with a hard bodycheck; remember it every time your goalie is run and laying under a pile of opposing players. Remember it every time you look down at your chest and see the “C” or “A”. Remember it whenever you see a call up hustle his ass off, hoping to get a position you’re already in and taking for granted.
Most of all, remember it when you’re whining about your 6 figure paycheck; walking around the greatest city in the world or into an arena to see your name stitched across the shoulders of people that break their backs to make the smallest fraction of what you make yet still find a way to spend 250 bucks to pay homage to you; remember it when you’re making reservations at fine restaurants and you say "of the New York Rangers" after your name; remember it when you're cruising in your exotic sportcars down the street and people are pointing; or lying next to the supermodel flavor of the week in afterglow… because you’ve hardly proved that you deserve any of this and are playing like nobodies.
This above is the image that will haunt you in your sleep. The wuss many of you voted as the biggest whiner in the league, still managed to score 3 goals on you and along with the rest of his team (5 F*CKING GOALS), remain unscathed. The torrential downpour of cheap give away hats hurled by watered down, mainstream Bettman manufactured fans… celebrating him and his band of league protected cronies, making you look like fools. The worst part of it is, they weren’t even trying that hard. This is not about the inconsistencies of youth, nor the lacking abilities of a backup goaltender… Every team suffers a drubbing at one time or another. This is about whether the loss (along with your collective @$$) was gift wrapped and handed to you or if it had to be crammed down your collective throats. What I saw was a team that had something to say but didn’t want to cause a stir, so they (except for a few) took the abuse, hung their heads and walked away.
My congratulations go out to Avery, Brashear, Callahan, Voros and every other player, like Matt Gilroy (in tampa), who managed to dig down deep (into their cups and rediscover they had a pair.) It wasn’t pretty and sometimes downright ugly, but they knew their job… they knew the jersey were wearing and defended it… and win or lose… for the minutes spent sitting in the locker room or the penalty box, only thought “and I”D DO IT AGAIN!!!” This should come as nothing new to the rest of you, yet you seem to stand around bewildered as if you have forgotten what it means to play with an edge and so you don’t become someone’s B*tch ... even if that means going out on your shield sometimes
This Sh*bird team has your dignity in their back pockets! Whether they took it or you handed it over will be argued (for about 20 secs), and I say with the most heartfelt sincerity as a fan, GO GET IT BACK… and don’t leave the building tonight until you have… pansies.

-J_Undisputed

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

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

Two Bad! NYR 3, Penguins 4

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

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

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

Official recap here.

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

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

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

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

tdr

"I Don't Know What Happened...."

"...but right now, I could destroy this locker room!"

- were the first words out of NYR goalkeeper "The Prince" Henrik Lundqvist after dropping six goals to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins last night, most zooming through during the third period. NYR 2, Pittsburgh 6. Ugly night indeed.

Official recap here.

The Rangers fell to 5-2 in their last seven games, with both losses coming at this cavernous rink that has become a house of Blueshirt horrors. They are 1-9 in their last 10 visits to The Igloo and for whatever reason, the Penguins have our number. With the exception of one home shutout this season, we now know how the NJ Devils might have felt last season every game against the Rangers -- both relatively good teams (or good standings for that matter), but completely one-sided. Perhaps it's the 'ole Jagr Curse that was given to Slats and Tom for not re-signing him...

Henrik later continued,
"I just played terrible. That's what happened. I can't explain it. As a team we played great the first two (periods) and I played pretty good, I think, and I make a mistake on the second goal and then they get another one on the power play. I just lost my game in the third, totally, and that's definitely not good enough. I didn't stop the puck in the third. I'm upset with myself right now."

Uh oh.

With Henrik shrugging off another disaster -- including the meaningless All-Star game -- a loss of confidence at this stage of the season could be a very, very bad thing, as we cannot rely on superstar Wade Redden and Kalinen ( ;) ) to tighten up the blueline.

Without Hank in net performing miracles, as my 3-year old says while Dad is in net... 'me no play no playoffs'.

TDR

The Diver Falls Deeper While The King Lives! (UPDATED)

Sidney Crosby - the NHL's poster child and alleged fake-diving-penalty-drawing leader - was held without a point for the third straight game, and Evgeni Malkin - the NHL scoring leader - has only two assists in seven games. HA HA AHA HA AH AHA Ha.

The New York Rangers spanked the Pittsburgh Penguins blanking them 4-0, in a surprising display of 'playing like a real hockey team.' Everything clicked. We gave the slumping Penguins a real treat in the form of power play points (really?), scoring more than 1-2 goals and shutting down "The Diver" Sid Crosby and the menacing E. Malkin.

Official recap here.

The Garden was wild last night and it was undoubtedly the best performance we've seen from our Blueshirts this season. By the fourth goal, section 118 was harmonizing the 'Goal Song' (we are a creative bunch!) and some Dad showed up parading around in a full diving outfit. The game was foreshadowed by some 80-year old dude in front of me wearing a Colton Orr jersey. Now THAT is 'f*ck-you money'.

The Dark Ranger is thrilled with the win. Don't get me wrong - I love our team. Though, I still feel that Coach Tom Renney and his gum chewing needs to depart from MSG and find new employment; even with last night's stellar performance, we remain an inconsistent team with a horrible track record on the power play and a consistent team that loses two to four goal advantages. Despite our own DARK-stats, the Penguins were 0-for-24 on the power play in their previous six games and failed on all eight chances against the Rangers last night- including five in the first period when they fell behind 1-0. Pittsburgh had a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:59 that generated only one shot. Cringe worthy at best. S-I-D-N-E-Y S-U-C-K-S.....

Regardless, kudos to goaltender extraordinaire "The King" Henrik Lundqvist - who had a brilliant game with 27 saves, and has already achieved 20-wins this season. Nigel Dawes (and it hurts to say this) played an aggressive game and looked like he belonged on the ice. Drury had a goal and played like a pro. Scott Gomez and his speed scored on the 4th empty net, and huge kudos to secondary players Paul Mara and Colton Orr for enforcing nothing except fighting other enforcers -- and doing a damn good job of it. Even Tom Renney's power play coaches deserve a nod (once).

The only invisible player was Nik Zherdev. I don't understand this, but...

Here's to a great game that will, in all probability, not be repeated against Montreal tomorrow night at MSG. Looking forward to another win as our mediocre New York Rangers again take back the first place spot in the Atlantic Division.

Who knew? Who knows...

tdr

(For your enjoyment, various internet shots of SIDNEY THE DIVER....cheers! and LOOK OUT!)

Jagr Haters? Hardly.

Rumors are abuzz throughout the blogosphere that Avangard Omsk - the Russian hockey league - is offering New York Ranger forward Jaromir Jagr upwards to $12 million to play in this upcoming season, which puts our very own GM Glen 'Slats' Sather in quite the precarious position as he is currently negotiating with Jags, probably looking to secure some one-t0-two year deal for less than he was paying him this current season - with incentive bonuses. Stay tuned.

While we eagerly await our 2009-10 fate of whether Tom Renney will finally coach (for real) our team without Jagr or will he (pretend to) coach with Jagr in the lineup, I thought it was thoughtful to look back at the playoffs and see what the Pittsburgh fans really think of their ex-Pittsburgh Penguin Jagr , when Jags played side-by-side to Lemieux's #1 seating. The very fact that Pittsburgh fans boo'ed him every time he touched the puck this season is a good reading of 'Jagr Hating', but in looking a little closer the reality was very different. (As you know, The Dark Ranger has been accused of being a "Jagr Hater" myself (which I am not - "it's just time to move on...")).

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

from Mike244:
''I have been a Pittsburgh Pens fan all my life.''
You should be ashamed of yourself saying anything negative about Jagr after what this man did for your hockey team .You and the rest of the pitt boobirds should not be so quick to forget. Ask any Ranger fan if they ever booed Messier when he came back to the garden in a Cannucks uniform, Leach in a Bruins uniform. the answer is NO, Why Beacause Ranger Fans Have CLASS .something all of pitts. needs to learn .BTW IT AINT OVER TILL ITS OVER !!!!

from JGBerc:
I have never really understood the venom Penguins fans display to one of the all-time greats in Jaromir Jagr. It makes me very sad and cringe every time the igloo boos him. It seems like one, people forget what Jagr did while he was a Penguin, I don't. He carried this franchise during some of the darkest days of the Penguins era. Two, people also forget that Jagr, though vocal about his desire to be traded, knew there was no other option. Do people forget the team was in financial ruin? Do they forget this team was in danger of leaving the city?

It was not just Jagr who was victim of the post Howard Baldwin spending spree. Was he not supposed to take the money? Baldwin spent like a teenage girl with a credit card at Macys. Ron Francis, Martin Straka, Alexei Kovalev, and Robert Lang were among many players who simply had to be moved due to financial constraints. In the pre-salary cap NHL, many teams could not keep up with the free spending Red Wings, Flyers, and Rangers. Jagr saw the writing on the wall and personally, I think he asked for a trade because he knew there was no other options. Out of respect for Mario Lemieux, he took the role as bad guy. Could he have handled the situation better? Sure, but he and the Pens were out of options.

Look at it this way. If Jagr does not get traded...Pens never get Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. The Pens are likely playing in Kansas City or Seattle. Mario Lemieux is not the super-hero he is deservedly considered to be now for saving the Pens. We are not waiting for a beatiful new arena. We are watching another team dominate the NHL like no one has in a long time.

To anyone reading this who boos Jagr every time he touches the puck. Did you become a Pens fan after Sidney Crosby got drafted? Did you not watch Jagr play a critical role in winning two Stanley Cups? Did you not have the pleasure of watching the best player not named Lemieux or Gretzky for a decade? Next time you feel like being a dim wit and booing someone who was a victim of circumstance and the mismanagement of others, think about it and shut up. Im done ranting...Lets go Pens.

from GoHabsGo:
For anyone that boos Jags at the Igloo, you must be one of those Pens fans who didn't know any of the Pens' names 2 seasons ago. Jagr's a big reason the Pens won their last cup. I think you should go back to playing tiddlywinks. Bloody bandwagoners who suddenly think they know something about hockey.. ugh!


from The Burgh Blog:
I realize that the following are true:

• Jaromir Jagr is no longer a Penguin and hasn’t been one for a long long time.
• Jaromir Jagr had/has a gambling problem.
• As a good Burgher, I should boo and hate and possibly try to Juju-curse Jaromir Jagr, because he is a “traitor” and because he talks smack about Sid.
• However, all of the following are true as well:

• I love Jaromir Jagr. I always have and unless he hunts me down and sticks an angry pigeon down my shirt, I always will.
• If I wasn’t already dealing with the constant bickering of three very different imaginary self-united husbands, I’d totally self-unite with Jaromir Jagr, too.
• Jaromir Jagr is a fun name to say.
• When Jaromir Jagr and Ruutu were jawing at each other yesterday, and Jaromir threw some jesting kissy-kisses at Ruutu, resulting in Ruutu pushing him to the ice in anger … I loved Jaromir Jagr all the more. I love Ruutu, but come on, that was awesome.
• When the game was over and Jaromir Jagr didn’t just shake the hands of the Pens, but looked every single one of our boys in the eyes and congratulated them with sincere graciousness and a smile on his face … well, I wonder if Jaromir Jagr has any babies he’d like me to birth for him? (Coming up at 11:00!)
• As suggested to me by a reader, I completely agree that the Pens should sign Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract so that he can end his career as a Penguin.

from BolognaMan03:
I have never and will never boo Jaromir Jagr at a Penguins game for several reasons, about 429 of them. After watching his spirited play last night and his solid play throughout the playoffs I hope he doesn't go to the Russian Super League next year. Jagr is still a great player and should continue to play in the NHL. If the next game is perhaps his last in the NHL, as he stated, then I wish Jagr the best and hope he goes into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Penguins.


from PSUimu said:
If Jaromir Jagr hates Pittsburgh so much, then why does he maintain a residence in Muraysville PA and rent it to... you guessed it... Peter Sykora? They're really close friends. In fact, Jagr still stays there when he's in town against the Pens. Dateline...1992...conference semi-finals.... Mario Lemieux gets his wrist broken by Adam Graves. The ENTIRE WORLD believed that Mario WAS the Penguins, and just like Evgeni Malkin in this day and age, Jagr stepped up his game, helping the Penguins sweep the next 12 games and win the 1992 Stanley Cup. Certain Pens fans forget this. If you have questions about Jagr... just like the interview thanking his mentor, remember this...

J A R O M I R when rearranged spells MARIO JR.

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

So with that, there is some Jagr sentiment in The Igloo -- not that us Rangers fans need to cheer on the Atlantic Division during the Stanley Cup finals this weekend, but it was a surprise to see how much support Jaromir Jagr has received from his former fan base.

Let's go Red Wings and bring on the "Sid Haters", a more timely discussion point as the first game arrives this Saturday.

tdr