Flyers Embarrass Themselves Silly

Flyers lost to the Florida Panthers 0-5 last night.  Doesn't it warm your heart?  Thought I'd just lay that out there.  Now onto our game last weekend.

So it's Tuesday, three painful days after our Boys in Blue lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, 1-4 and it's been enough time to digest and accept what happened last Saturday in Filthy-delphia at the Wells Fargo Center.

If you're looking for stats and who scored and who didn't, today you won't find it here, because I don't want to re-live it over and over -- but there are recaps of the game here, here and here.

Interestingly enough, let's first look at how the Rangers organization portrayed the game's results to the fans:

MSG's take on losing to the Flyers:
"There's a reason why the Flyers have the best record in the NHL, and they showed it. But the Rangers were in a one-goal game until the final 10 minutes and had great stretches of sustained pressure that often left the league's top team scrambling."

DARK's take on losing to the Flyers:
"You win some and you lose some, but the Flyers somehow know how to push the right buttons the last couple of seasons when they play the Rangers.  It doesn't matter the standings when the Blueshirts play the Flyers -- it always carries high emotions and the games always build & destroy confidence.  For some reason on Saturday, we forgot to show up."

Even though our current team is much deeper than previous seasons, it is hard to match the firepower and depth of the Flyers - Saturday's game validated this and I simply hate them more than I ever have.  The game sucked and the Rangers never had a shot, as Philly controlled the neutral zone, had better goaltending in Brian Boucher, and dominated our zone well throughout the three periods.  Though, if it weren't for a lucky questionable goalie-interference call and Lundquvist in net, the score might have resembled a Flyers/Rangers match one year ago, another much larger embarrassment against the Flyers.  

Confidence and momentum can carry a team well into the playoffs and win a Cup (look at the Flyers last season, oh...right....they didn't win the Cup), and it's vital for Coach Torts to instill that confidence within the locker room after three-big-wins last week and excuse the Philly anomaly as a fluke - if that's possible.  Without Ryan Callahan leading the young'ens and now out for the next 4 to 5 weeks with a broken hand, Torts needs to call on the vets to take them on the same journey and rely on them - just as the young ones have done over the last ten games.  Marian Gaborik has been the invisible man the last three games and he knows what he needs to do.  With Chris Drury back in action, he is an essential piece of this equation and will lead by example (10 bucks he breaks another finger against Tampa on Thursday!!?).  The return of Vinny Prospal (out injured all season, thus far) is anticipated to return soon, which should (on paper) make Gaborik look good again.

The realities of a faster game in the entire NHL and the ensuing injuries is more obvious to the Rangers this year.  Drury, Gaborik, Prospal, Callahan, Boogard, etc. have all sustained prolonged injuries that have effected the team - and ironically, sometimes for the best.  

The Rangers are the "Broadway's Spiderman" in hockey - injury prone and still moving forward.   

 This level of injury was bound to happen, especially for playing Tort's unforgiving game of "grit & hit" - but I have to admit that I'm enjoying this season; the chemistry between young players that 'want to win' has always been entertaining to watch.  There is a consistency to their game, and Tortorella is relying on whoever brings the most to the ice. At the start of the season when our marquee stars were sitting in the stands, we all witnessed a blossoming of the '20-something young' that was promised to us in the off-season - echoes of Torts numerously quoted as touting "The Youth Will Be Served."  

But without Cally now (pretending to be Chris Drury) on the ice, it will be up to that youth movement (Prust, Dubinsky, Boyle, Avery, Girardi, Staal) to rebound and show the surging Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday that they are still a threat.  

We forge ahead, brush off a fluke win in Philadelphia and look forward to the Parade (or is that in Toronto?).

Onward,

TDR

Leaft behind...

RANGERS ESCAPE FROM TORONTO WITH CONSOLATION POINT

The Rangers seemed to be continuing their streak as they started the game fast scoring on a goal from Hartford promotion, PA. Parenteau. At first the call ups of Parenteau for the injured the Callahan, and Erikson for the scratched Gilroy, (reinsertion of the Voros plug for the revolving door on the 4th line) didn't seem to be having adverse effects on the effort.

Get the official recap here.

Tensions were high from the beginning of the game as Avery , made his rounds in the pregame warm-ups, Taking verbal jabs Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuff and forward, Phil Kessel. The Rangers would eventually make it a 2 nothing game. By all accounts, the Rangers didn't play as hard as they could have and were lucky to have the lead going into the second period. However, the lead would be shortened at the beginning of the second period as 'lazy back checking' led to a goal for the Leafs. Sitting at the bottom of the East, Toronto relished their role as a spoiler in this game and used their hard playing style to send wave after wave of mixed bag talent at the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist.

The game would sit at 2-1 in the Blueshirts favor for a while, but anyone watching the game could see that the Leaf tenacity would eventually wear down a thin ice skating Rangers team by the end of the game. And it did, as eventually the Leaves would catch up on a Rangers team that scrambled back in desperation to thwart rushes, but didn't always have enough discipline to have someone pick up the extra man or support their goalie on their second chance opportunities. This game was symbolic of the Ranger's struggle thus far this season... as they got outplayed down the stretch by a team lower in standing but higher in attitude. The "nothing to lose and everything to gain" mentality played by the opposition, exposes a missing element in the Rangers personality. The Rangers would lose another part of their personality as Sean Avery, on a race for a loose puck with a Leaf player, would go into the end-boards a little awkwardly and wind up limping to the locker room - not to return.

This could have been a big opportunity for an Aaron Voros/Brandon Prust/ Jody Shelley player to pick up the slack and make a strong case for keeping them around next season. Though a player like Prust has had a strong showing thus far (in my opinion), it's a situation that part of the downward spiral the team has been on after a fast start at the beginning of the season. The attitude of this team has dampened many a players heart with the questions of where they fit in; handicapped a coach with its lack of depth(besides at 3rd and 4th line so-so players) and fire; depressed fans that pay through the nose to witness such inferior efforts and disgusted old timers with its lack of proper respect for its 'Original Six' uniform. A player like Prust should have been called on to do his best Sean Avery impersonation, as soon as the Grate One limped away. With the teams Moxy already waning, there should have been some stop gap measure improvised on the spot to fortify the Blueshirt resistance to the rising tides of the Toronto high energy, low skill offense. Instead the Rangers scrambled to keep up and failed to realize that even though the two-goal lead is said to be the most dangerous in hockey, its also sometimes the opportunity to realize that sometimes.. just sometimes, the difference between winning and losing is just having the discipline to finish the race. With the game tied and going into OT, the importance of both points seemed to become an afterthought.

With Boston winning their game yesterday and leaving us further behind them; Philly dropping back and Atlanta inserting itself somewhere in the mix, its conceivable that the post season chances of the Rangers hinges on those final two games of the season. Lets hope it's realized in the Ranger locker-room before it is at Tee off time on the first green, this summer.

Announcement! Devils welcome Kovalchuk.

NOW YOU CAN TOO! 

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.

Lundqvist Stands On His Head For The Win! NYR 2, Flyers 1

Dark here, folks, on a delayed train during a blizzard returning from the Wachovia Center in Philly with Little Dark hoping to make it back to the Big Apple sometime before midnight.

Decked in Ranger jersey Blue, it was safe showing our colors this afternoon in Kill-adelphia as the beer drinking lunatic Flyers fans were at a minimum, half of the WC was empty at best due to the weather.  The attendance reminded me of any recent game at MSG.  Needless to say, any serious hecklers kept a distance due to my kid in hand, but I digress.

Move over Big Apple Circus!  Eat your heart out Barnum & Bailey!  Goalkeeper "King" Henrik Lundqvist stole this game from the Flyers with 36 saves total, 12 of them in the last period.  He flipped, juggled, dove, made-out with 3 ice-girls and sanitized a creepy 'Orange and Black wave onslaught' leaving the Flyers with another loss and now the 3rd worst team in the Eastern Conference for today.  Lundqvist played like The King as we know him.  The one we expect.  He showed up and left Philly fans depressed and in awe.  

With two-wins in a row, the Blueshirts managed to slide up to the 9th position, although only 3 points ahead of the ailing Flyers; the battle for playoff positioning is 'too close to call' with too many games ahead of us to get confident.

If you want the stats, go here for the boring stuff.

Is it too early to credit coach Torts for a turn around?  How many wins does he need to prove that his "Speak Loudly And Carry a Really Big Stick" philosophy actually works?  As for me, two more wins and he'll have me back.  You?

Aside from one of the better Lundqvist performances of the season, there were absolutely too many Ranger penalties but they were generally fought off hard with active forechecking and a desperation in their eyes.  The special Torts-reserve hot coals and Blue pitchfork were waiting at the bench otherwise.  A good job on the p-kill! (Or be killed)

The second award today goes to resident agitator Sean Avery - where even in Philadelphia he is hated by all, kids of all ages screaming their version of "Avery Sucks" homage to our Dennis Potvin chant at MSG.  Nice one, Philly - a true original.  Avery's effect was evident throughout the first period, throwing even the likes of Chris Pronger into a bad mood.  Boy, they hate our guy.  When Flyers fight-boy Daniel Carcillo attempted to play fisticuffs with our Marian Gaborik - seconds later Avery shot back a message with a subtle slash to Carcillo's shins.  Good to see Torts letting him do his thing.

Sitting on the ice level this game (we just moved down because no one was there) there were things you see that the camera doesn't catch --- our boys hustled today and it showed.  Being up close, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan are marvels -- I have always enjoyed what they've individually brought to the ice, but this Torts thing is getting to them and they are playing smarter and stronger because of it.  A huge effort from them.

Congrats Chris Drury on the first goal during the first period.  Nice shot.  Who knew?

So there is always more to say and I'll leave it with that.  We are just passing Trenton on the Penn line and, wow, it's only taken us 2 hours.  Maybe Rudolph the Red Nosed Ranger will guide us home safely!

TDR

"There Were Good Chances, But It's Getting Old"

NYR 2, Atlanta 3 - SO

These were the words of Henrik Lundqvist last night after the Blueshirts lost in the skills competition (a.k.a. the shootout) to the Atlanta Thrashers last night.  We've heard it time and time again from our dear once-kicked-ass coach John Tortorella, 'how the boys are playing good hockey and there were many chances and as long as they stick with the plan things will turn around and they'll begin winning games again.' 

Don't be so sure of yourself Coach.  Stick with the plan and we're going to continue to lose games.  Let's look closer.  Captain Chris Drury is invisible and non-scoring, Chris Higgins is forever trade-bait and non-performing, Ales Kotalik our sniper lost sight of the puck during the crucial shootout last night, Sean Avery has been neutered by your forceful words and benching methods, Matt Gilroy was sent north furthering your actual disbelief that the youth will prevail and learn on this team, Michal Rozsival & Wade Redden continue to horrify fans of hockey with plenty of ice-time, Vinny Prospal has lost his scoring touch, Henrik Lundqvist has no support and is slowly losing his confidence.  Oh yeah...and we don't have a backup goalie.

A handful of Blueshirts are out-performing everyone else:  Marian Gaborik is dynamite & healthy (knock on wood, folks), Ryan Callahan has the best work ethic on the ice, scrambling, bruising, and beating his way to the puck on every shift, Michael Del Zotto (though many missed opportunities) has a hawk's passing eye and finds the holes that make goals (and he's 19!!! -- watch the highlights from last night's game where he found Ryan Callahan on a beautiful feed), Marc Staal continues to impress but cannot control the blueline with limited shifts.  Donald Brashear, strangely, is playing decent hockey and is deserving of the $1+ mill per year he is getting, minus the gooning.

Official recap here.

So the negatives right now outweigh the positives.  Not a happy place as a Rangers fan.  With Gilroy, Valiquette and Parentheau all being sent up north to the minors there has been much chatter about a big move that is yet to happen -- some alleged magical trade that will revamp the team and help it find it's confidence once again.  Sorry to disappoint, but things look grim RANGERS HOCKEY FANS as we cannot clear enough in the salary cap to find that impact player we so desperately need.  Can't we just start over?  I am certain Sather is calling his old buddies in St. Louis or Phoenix soliciting many wise-tales and great opportunities, but even his persuaded-in-the-past dear friends now want something in return -- which means a Brandon Dubinsky or a Ryan Callahan.  No dice Gee-Emmy.  During the off-season, Sather was publicly cheered for his dumping of the Scott Gomez contract to Montreal, which to this day I still cannot believe he did it - a Jedi in action, but I think the magic of General Manager Glen Sather is coming to an end.  With The Hockey News finally declaring Sather a sham, maybe his time is near.  One can only hope.

So if you're still watching the games (and God forbid reading these posts) I thought you'd get a kick out of the MSG spin on last night's game.  Remember:  MAKE THE NEGATIVE A POSITIVE.

New York Rangers Official Site:

STAT OF THE GAME
The Rangers outshot the Thrashers by a whopping 48-27 margin, which shows just how strong Johan Hedberg was in the net. Red-hot Hedberg truly stole both points on a night when the Rangers had a strong performance from start to finish.

Now here is the sad reality - New York recorded a season high in shots, but lost for the seventh time in eight games (1-5-2).  The Rangers scored fewer than three goals for the 11th time in 13 games.  We are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference (11 out of 15) with a record of 14-15-3.  We are less than .500 and dropping.

No "P.R."-spin for those stats.

Maybe a back-to-back with our rival Islanders this week will fire off all cylinders and the puck will actually go in the net, as opposed to bragging about how many shots on goal we had after losing yet another friggin game.

Watch it with a grain of salt and maybe we'll all be surprised Wednesday night.  Or maybe just crank out another Curb Your Enthusiasm episode to enjoy the negative.  Your choice.

Once thing is for sure, it's getting awfully DARK in this room.

tdr

Our Captain Chris Drury in between a THRASHED SANDWICH.....

Blueshirts Outdress Blue Jackets

And the game winning goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets was a timeout?  I'll later explain...

NYR 7,  Columbus 4

We are the goon squad and we're coming to town....beep, beep.   No I'm not talking about Sean Avery and his obsession with shoes and fashion, I am talking about how John Tortorella and his New York Rangers decided to raise the roof and give themselves and the fans a little taste of the ooh laaa laaa we got used to at the beginning of the season - a fashionable undressing from top to bottom. 

If you were in need of further suffering and decided to watch tonight's game against the surging Columbus Blue Jackets, led by former Philadelphia Flyers coach Kenny Hitchcock, you would have noticed two things in the opening nine minutes of the first period.  First, the evenly matched game left the Rangers down 0-2, spectators filled with that 'ole familiar feeling', the foreshadowing of another loss that was yet to come.  Secondly, admirable Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock appeared to be more overweight than usual.   I think the guy ate Nik Antropov this afternoon!!?

So things half way through the first period didn't look good for the Rangers, so Coach John Tortorella called a spontaneous and unexpected timeout - a moment that would last a lifetime (or realistically until I finished writing this blog entry).  With nine minutes left on the clock, Torts kept his cool (or so it looked from the 200's section) and reminded his boys that there was plenty of hockey left to be played, the game was early, they had played well up until that point and he wasn't about to point fingers.  When Chris Higgins accidentally called him Tom Renney, it might have gone a different direction, but Torts didn't mind it - keeping his cool and encouraging his boys to continue playing good hockey (I made up the Higgins story part of it).

Needless to say, the timely timeout was the game changer.   Official game recap.

And there began the onslaught of Rangers' offense of seven goals in a row - a phenomenon not seen since October when the Rangers were on top of the league, defying and proving chemistry on a squad can be coached by arrogance and accountability.  Each goal symbolic of the early seven game winning streak last October (ohhh, my nostalgia bubbles over).  Largely carried by Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaboriks' scoring throughout the season, tonight we saw a strong effort and results from Sean Avery (2 goals), Artem Anisimov (1 goal), Michael Del Zotto, (dare I say) Wade Redden, Marc Staal and Matt Gilroy - 1 goal -  (and let us not forget Vinny (1 assist) and Marian (2 goals, 2 assists) - who did their usual part).    Sean Avery was a standout tonight -- he fought, he agitated, he scored, and for all that, he was given more ice time to prove himself even further.  I hope this is a readjustment for Avery.

Tonight was Sean Avery and coach John Tortorella's victory (oh yeah, and that healthy dude we picked up from the Minnesota Wild last summer).

Our goaltending King Henrik Lundqvist played as Prince tonight, not his usual self as he let through a couple of clunkers at the wrong moments, pulling out the win having let four goals through.  Not great but no one should complain.    Aaron Voros won anonymously in a punching match against Jarod Boll's jersey, and because the jersey lost the bout, the Blue Jackets never changed the tenor of the game.   Later in the third period, Columbus surged ahead with two more goals, making the evening slightly reminiscent of a 'never to be mentioned again' Montreal game seasons ago, but it never went further than a fleeting awful thought.

The sweetest goal of the night, as there were many for the Rangers, was the third goal where Michael Del Zotto took back a puck, carried it over three lines weaving in and out of three Blue Jackets - at the time unassisted - carried it forward and scored.  It was sweet and I look forward to more of those.

So the New York Rangers are now 12-10-1, tied with 25 points in the Atlantic Division with Philadelphia and the Islanders.  We can all hope this will remind our boys that they have it in them to score goals and are built as an offensive machine with a system behind them that provides scoring opportunities.  Tonight's victory is the 'first of a five-game stretch, all in one week', next up a rematch against the Florida Panthers.

Tonight was fun, but Wednesday means more.  Let's show them Wednesday that hockey doesn't belong in Miami Sunrise, FL!

tdr

Adrian!!!! Henrik???? Oh Crap, A Bear....

How will the Blueshirts respond when they've been beat into chum?

With the New York Rangers recently getting baited, flipped and filleted by the San Jose Sharks 7 to 3 -- the real question is how the Blueshirts will respond to our rival Devils of Newark tomorrow night, 7pm EST.

The prophet coach John Tortorella said this before Monday's Jim Jones exhibit, obviously seeing vulnerabilities in the team:

"We're teetering on going the wrong way here."

How right he was.  It would have been interesting to know how he addressed the team privately -- and not through the NYR fan channels -- and the first period will tell everything as we all look forward to one of the greatest Rangers Rivals --- Marty the Fatty VS. Sean the Pest.  

I say Avery takes another goalie interference five minute penalty, as a response to how much he adores Mr. Famous Unctuous Goalie - with permission from Torts.  Coach Torts has taken the high-road by asking the league to look at how many teams have taken-out our King Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist through spontaneous slides, & runs at the net.

As the league prizes their prize goalkeepers and record holders, the Rangers are bound to test the physical and mental limits of M-A-A-R-R-T-T-T-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y straight out of the gate.  Expect a brawl with Mah-tee in the first period and a newly confident team working hard for every goal.

See you then and Let's Go Rangers, friends!

tdr

Muzzled in the Matinee.

I suppose I could fill this post with ditto marks as nothing as really changed from the last game in Carolina. Anyone who's had the volume up on the broadcasts during the past couple of games, is probably sick of hearing "blah blah blah... The rangers played a good game, but just couldn't score... and (insert opposing team here) simply just scored when they needed to as the Rangers couldn't..." So with that I will spare you of having to recount the details of that good effort turned bad waste of time (and 2 points) when we just couldn't score one freakin goal.

For those masochists out there, you can get the official Recap here.

The only part of the game I think I will talk about is the incident between Tim Thomas and Sean Avery. For anyone who missed it...


Many people are shaking their heads and saying "same ole Avery". Me? well while no one saw it, (they actually had to go to the replay to see it and then start handing out minutes.) I have to argue that while it was cheap, it was genius. Before the hockey purists start to rain down jeers from their Ivory tower, let us recap the aftermath... Avery was escorted from the bench to the penalty box and Thomas, the Bruins best player, was assessed a penalty too. Right after, Gomez was taken down near the boards (didn't take much, did it Gomer? ;P)and we had a 4 on 3 for almost a minute and a half. It was perhaps our best chance to tie things up. Avery did what he set out to do. He went out looked around and gave a little tap to the back of the fiberglass around Thomas' head which turned him from league sweetheart to vengeance driven penalty taker. What bothers me is that Avery was the only one who saw we weren't winning this game by doing the same thing over and over again and something needed to change. Whether it be getting the goalie off his game, getting us a 4 on 4... or possibly a 4 on 3 depending on the retaliation, but most of all make the guys on our team feel like they had an opportunity to seize and change the course of the game.

If we take a good look at the team dynamic. We can still see that Zherdev plays according to his moods, Antropov sometimes does the same. Redden has two gears (crappy and less crappy-- for the money, anyway). Gomez can still weave his way through 2/3 of the ice just before turning it over. And the only thing clutch about our captain these days, is his purse. Yet the one guy that people agonized over bringing back, and people swore he wouldn't fit in with the coach and called a disruption in the locker room, is out performing all of those guys that called him selfish and a distraction to the team. Its become apparent more than ever that this team needs more players like Avery. Am I the only one who see him kind of rubbing off on Callahan? Is it the snarl, or the attitude... or just the hard work. Doing something for the sake of saying they did something whether it needed to be done or not... a lot or a little... pretty or dirty. I'll say I have started to take a bit of a liking to Morris too. Its players like these that will allow the coach some stability when it comes to guiding this team.

It's unfortunate that Avery's plan didn't reap its intended rewards. It unfortunate that it kind of backfired because in all his agitating greatness, he also somehow became one of the top scorers on the team since his arrival and the teams other top forwards couldn't managed to scrape together one goal without him against only 3 defenders. Its unfortunate that the way this team is going, there's a chance we'll have to wait till next year for Torts to truly be able to sort things out without the pressure of inheriting a team on the slide, trying to make the playoffs, not being able to bench too many people because of injuries and getting a sense of who could serve you well enough in the future than you could push for a contract for them. Unfortunate indeed. One things for certain, whether its next week or next season... it will be the "lunch pail" guys who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, that will determine how far this team goes. Here's to hoping we can stretch this season a little further... LET'S GO RANGERS!

- J_Undisputed

The Devil Wears Prada

REPORTING FOR DUTY: Sean Avery started his internship at Vogue on Monday, and already staffers at Condé Nast Publications Inc. are buzzing about the New York Ranger star's presence at 4 Times Square. Observers say he's involved in all sections of the magazine, including features and accessories, and attends edit meetings. And while Avery pulled down $2 million last year with the Rangers, he's earning minimum wage for his time at Vogue, a magazine spokesman confirmed, denying speculation Avery was being paid $5,000 for his summer job. While Vogue has been mum on the specifics of Avery's internship, insiders say there's been talk of the hockey hard man attending the couture shows in Europe next month along with Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and editors André Leon Talley, Hamish Bowles and Sally Singer (which would be sure to raise the eyebrows of jealous Voguettes). No word yet on if he'll be filing reviews on the shows, or, like tennis star (and Wintour favorite) Roger Federer, appearing on an upcoming cover of Vogue or Men's Vogue.

Not sure I understand this venture from Ranger's bad boy....it is the most unlikely venture thus far, but I wouldn't be surprised if Marty Brodeur -- who is at the end of his career -- follows in Avery's footsteps by making appearances on Sesame Street or leaves hockey entirely to become the fifth member of The Wiggles. You never know.

tdr

An Open Letter to Glen Sather

Dear Slats,

Bet you never thought some kid from High River, Alberta would become the general manager of the most prestigious hockey organization in North America?........You did.

As a lifelong and loyal New York Rangers fan, I want to congratulate you on everything you've done through now. I am most impressed in how you've morphed our beloved team into a 'once again' true contender in the NHL post-lockout. You've surprised your critics with your ability to adapt to the new-NHL and ridding us with the moniker of "veterans come to the New York Rangers organization to die." The veterans you have added of recent have contributed and added much-needed depth to the team over the last couple of years.

Though, your biggest challenge is now.

Knowing who the free agents are this summer and as you sit in your little bungalow with NYR brass this week, you must find yourself in a bit of a pickle? Turns out the entire roster of Blueshirt free agents are declaring their love of New York, MSG, the fans and leaving it to you to decide their fate. You 'aint called the Big Cheese for nothing, because my future Stanley Cup team rests in your chubby and overfed hands, Herr Sather! Scotty Hockey has some great ideas to start.

Maybe we should start with the most obvious?

As a former hockey player with the Memphis Wings, the Oklahoma City Blazers (giggle) and soon after the Boston Bruins, you gained your own young reputation with a gritty style of play- others referring to you as 'Slats.' Even as a successful coach in Edmonton, you followed through with your antics and no one got in your way. Maybe this is the time for a change? For once in your career, 'we the people' are beginning to see that you are threatened by a similar thug -- one who has become the 'Bigger Man' than you dear Glen "Slats" Sather.

There are times in a career that you need to hire the guy that is more talented or visible than you - THAT is good management; hiring the people that make you look good. You may not like Sean Avery. He probably doesn't like you either. Despite how well you've done thus far, his record when playing for the Rangers speaks louder than yours playing "THE MAN" upstairs; with the big free-agent changes ahead, we need to at least hold onto our team attitude & troublemaker. Until you have found a 'real goon' on the squad that respects you, he's the best and most affordable even at $3.5-4 million per year, and no one can argue that with Sean Avery on the ice, we win games. Plain & simple. I know, I know, Glen - "it's the placebo effect when he plays and if you don't listen to him he has no effect"....yada, yada, yada. Stop your head from spinning, Glen, and do the right thing for the team. For the team. The team is first.

If you were to listen to some of your critics (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) you'd just sign the f**king guy! Sorry to get harsh, but you are beginning to annoy all of us and becoming a detriment to OUR TEAM. Soon we will be calling you 'The Malik of GM's.'

Back to good news, Brandon Dubinsky with a hat-trick in the worlds competition? Slatty baby, gotta hand it to you in the prospects department as we have more than a handful of young'ens that stepped up to the ice this season and provided much-needed support in some of our lazy veterans. We are all thrilled to watch the improvements of Dubie, Callahan, Girardi, Dawes, Staal and the risings of Bobby Sanguinetti and Cherapanov (we'll wait another year for the Russian).

Take care of our superstars Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan this summer. Respectfully decline their invitations and find some Gomez-supporting forward, another front-line mega-star and add two defensemen (one goon and one offensive-minded). Rozzy should walk, Malik is sawdust, and Valiquette deserves a potential starting position if needed on another team (otherwise, we should keep him).

I will not and cannot tell you who is appropriate for the team -- that is your job. Just be respectful in handling our franchise and, especially, the franchise players. They keep you in the holy-high office, so look no further than your own hockey family as a starting place in re-building the New York Rangers this off-season.

I feel privileged to be a Rangers fan and blogger. Others agree with me. We know you will make the 'right' decisions this week and pursue the 'right' path for our Blueshirts.

Good luck and "don't eat that third cheese danish"...

Warmest regards,

The Dark Ranger (a.k.a. 'tdr')

Brodeur Allegedly Lacerates Avery's Spleen!!!

Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Sean Avery suffered a lacerated spleen in Tuesday night’s game, and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

He was taken to St. Vincent’s hospital after the game, and was admitted following a CT scan. He is expected to make a full recovery during the off-season.

The Rangers return to action tomorrow, May 1, when they face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.)

Rumor has it that Marty Brodeur of the Newark Devils may have had something to do with it and could not be reached for comment and has not been able to provide a reasonable alibi.

tdr

Brodeur Not Amused By Avery's Chicken Dance

Turns out after the Rangers loss on Sunday was only half of the news. The Canadian media has had a field day with Sean Avery's face-to-face shield dance with NJ goaltender Marty Brodeur, and Devils coach Sutter didn't like it one bit.

So much that he personally called NHL Commissioner Bettman to complain about it. And guess what? The League actually created a new rule (from now on) to prohibit such behavior. You can imagine how relieved goaltenders across the world must now feel?

The Avery Rule Principle.

As long as Sean Avery continues to score goals throughout the playoffs (3 goals in 3 games), I don't give a damn at how he embarrasses himself. He is a good hockey player and an exceptional theatrical magician. If players were to avoid him, he wouldn't be effective.

Let them play hockey, Bettman, even if it's at the street level. You are more radical than Avery by bowing to the Canadian press and changing the Leagues laws, and your Utopian self-righteous 'vanilla and honey' hockey league will not hold the fans in the long run. What's next? Ban fighting?

Let 'em play Bettman...let 'em play!!!

TDR

The Marty & Sean Show, Part II

It's playoffs time, folks and coming off a ridiculous SO loss to the New Jersey Devils yesterday, our New York Rangers do not have home-ice-advantage going into the first round this week and we end the regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Official recap here.

Beyond that, the game was a wash - a preemptive look at what this first-round NY Rangers/NJ Devils will look like: defensive hockey, stellar goaltending, and Sean Avery grating on Marty Brodeur! Though Avery was 'below the radar' during most of the game, this week should see the return of the most famous instigator/goaltender rivalry we've ever seen between these two organizations. We should also look toward some pretty hard hitting from the start. The first period of yesterday's game the Devils dominated with physical force, which the Blueshirts immediately adjusted to come the second period.

With the Blueshirts winning 7 of the 8 meetings this season against the NJ Devils, and with Marty Brodeur looking mortal lately, it should be a fantastic series in the world of professional hockey. With the first games in Newark this upcoming Wednesday, April 9 (first game) and Friday, April 11 (second game), MSG will look forward to it's first home games on Sunday, April 13 (third game) and April 16 (fourth game). Hopefully, the Rangers will not need more than the first four games to close out the series (IT'S OKAY TO BE WILDLY OPTIMISTIC......WE MADE THE PLAYOFFS FOR GOD'S SAKE). Let's go Rangers!

As The Dark Ranger is wildly bias these days, especially at the opening throngs of the first round - I share with you a terrific hockey blogger Faux Rumors' comments that put into perspective how Rangers fans are feeling these days:

Faux says, "If we were Ranger fans we'd be happy with our matchup. Sure we'd be wary of any team led by Brodeur, but he's human. Just do what worked 7 times this year. Also, last year Marty started to look a bit weary from all the work. Perhaps it'll happen again? This Ranger team is NOT the same as last season. Drury is on your side this time, AND there are some very hungry young guys. Should be a great series!"

It is exciting stuff and I am confident that Coach Tom Renney will remember to bench Marek Malik (after slamming our own goaltender Henrik Lundqvist yesterday) and, mostly, allow our forwards to break from the defensive posture and score some goals (exactly what they did after our system broke down after the first horrible period yesterday). The young guys will give it their all - we can count on that - the veterans have decided something is worth fighting for (i.e. Chris Drury body checking to make a point & Jagr scoring goals lately) and our goaltender has recently found his old self in net - the key to our Stanley Cup run. There.....I said it. The SC words.

Possible? Simply, yes.

tdr

The Ying & The Yang, NYR 1, Flyers 2 OT (UPDATED)

So perhaps New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather was right in not giving Sean Avery everything he asked for in their contract extension talks? With Sean Avery a free agent come July 1, there is little question that Sean Avery brings an atmosphere to the game that benefits the fans and the Rangers -- his track record when he plays severely outweighs the negatives, but... Last night was one 'hellava' negative.

Official recap here.

Reaching overtime for the second consecutive and back-to-back meetings against the Philadelphia Flyers, this time it was our 'wonder-kid' Sean Avery delivering a horribly misguided pass to Flyer Jason Smith that led to Phillys' Mike Richard's game winning breakaway. The Flyers dominated the OT and the Rangers were a victim of their own system; there were few opportunities to score to take the game. It was Sean Avery who made himself available on a 3-on-2 in the Philly zone when he made the lethal pass to Smith. He knew it. You could see it in his face after Philly scored, further evidenced by his broken hockey stick after subsequently slamming it down into pieces.

It can be argued that this was only one major mistake in a long season, but it can also be argued that when you are playing playoff hockey at the end of the season that these are the meaningful moments, when everything counts. Sloppy play is not tolerated when you are a 'loss and a half' from not qualifying for the playoffs. We gained a valuable point, but we ate two in a row to the Flyers. Damn it!

Last night Sean Avery lost some negotiating leverage come the off-season. Last night we lost the game because of (UPDATED)....Sean Avery, Marek Malik, Henrik Lundqvist, Bucklehead Backman and the entire team for their laziness, shortsightedness and lack of passion!!!!!!!!!!

tdr

Anonymous Canes Fan Is Forced To Wear Rangers Jersey, NYR 4, Hurricanes 2

The New York Rangers squashed the Carolina Hurricanes last night for the second time in four meetings this season, six wins for the Blueshirts in the last eight games.

Even better, a friend of mine from Raleigh, NC (see picture above) who happened to be in New York City stopped by the office wearing a Blueshirts logo proud & center. I have substituted his real face with 'how he felt, as to protect him from Canes fans on his return. "Oh Rod, where art thou Rod!"

Christian Backman - in his first game on defense for the Blueshirts was mediocre at best. You can take him 'back, Man!' Fredrik Sjostrom was terrific and I believe he will provide great speed to the team. One for two 'aint bad on the trading front.

NYR Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery both scored in the first period, launching the Rangers into safeville (though a three point lead with this team doesn't mean much these days), followed by another insurance goal by Chris Drury in the second. The fourth goal in the third period was a 'Brendan Shanny special' - a beautiful cross pass by Nigel Dawes and shot over Cam Ward's left shoulder for the goal. New York kept the Hurricanes off balance by controlling the puck throughout the entire game. It was a solid showing by New York and the tides may have turned -- every game means everything these days as a couple of losses could easily take us out of playoff consideration.

Official recap here.

We take on Philadelphia this Sunday on network tv!!!!!! Woo hoo. With Michael Richards, Simon Gagne, Lupol slightly injured and Nittymaki and Biron playing 'okay' goaltender, we should have a pretty good shot at two more points. As any DARK RANGER fan knows, the Flyers games mean the most to me. Watch for it....

tdr

Rangers Clips Buffalo's Wings, NYR 5, Sabres 1

I snagged the picture off the HockeyBuzz site only to demonstrate that this new "post-five-days-break" squad is finally working like a team - young, old and instigating. Also, it makes Callahan and Dubinsky both look 11 years old. (Eat your heart out Brian Campbell! Beat by a kid, eh?). The possibilities... For the official synopsis go here.

It was a fun game to watch, Sean Avery scoring within the first ten seconds of the game set the tone and the Buffalo Sabres never arrived from that point forward. After a five-day break, the Rangers came out strong and never let up -- our beloved coach Tom Renney did not take a defensive posture after two goals and the Ranger's offense continued to take advantage of a lackluster Sabres squad. This was the offensive prowess everyone talked about pre-season.Everyone in the media is declaring The Rangers are back for the comeback, but I am a little more hesitant to take this strong a position. They played a great game, few turnovers by our dear Marek Malik and our six-year goaltender Henrik Lundqvist looked to be in form once again (for now). The one Buffalo goal, by Thomas Vanek, was a soft goal on Lundqvist -- which is what scares me the most. He has an uncanny ability to make the brilliant saves and the disappointing habit of missing the 'soft ones.' All in all, he'll find his 'mojo' and step it up going into the playoffs. If....

Tearing Buffalo to bits yesterday was a great example what our Rangers need to do to turn the season around, and more importantly, our meeting against the San Jose Sharks this afternoon (1pm EST) will be a more important example of our newly found quest. This is the game that will mean everything as the Rangers have not won a game against the entire Western Conference this year. Sad, but true.

Perhaps today is a new day!!?

tdr

Dr. Jekyll Ranger Shuts Out Thrashing For A Living, NYR 4, Atlanta 0

Last evening the New York Rangers played like a solid hockey team should and blanked the Atlanta Thrashers four-to-zip. In typical Blueshirt fashion - a huge win can always be downgraded by a visit with Mr. Hyde Ranger, who could make an appearance this Thursday as the Rangers play a double-home-header against Atlanta twice in the same week.

The Dark Ranger is reserving comment on last night's victory and will address both games in one shot Thursday evening. Here is the official recap. As it stands the Rangers are last in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the Eastern conference -- but a string of wins could make them a contender, as they are only seven points away from first place in the Atlantic and second in the Conference. As stated before, the Blueshirts need to win 2 of every 3 games generally to insure a playoff run.

One comment worth mentioning is a reserved 'kudos' to the coach (this is hard for me) for finding the Avery-Gomez-Jagr line, as it appeared to have sparked a little speed in our dear Captain Jags. The Beast is Back! (or for a game at least)

tdr

Happy Boxing Day, Rangers 4, Hurricanes 2

There was more to the evening than Ranger's Colton Orr checking Matt Cullen across the face and the return of Sean Avery's antics (major and minor punishments galore) in this special, magical time of year.

Knowing young Tom Renney wanted nothing more than to beat a Red and White Rider Pump carbine action, five-hundred range model hockey team, he was told pre-game there was one more present behind the wish tree. Suspiciously, he didn't change anything in his lineup and still got want he wanted. A win. Spoiled kid.

Jagr broke out with two tallies (you heard that right!) and Brendan Shanahan set up a pair of third-period power-play goals to help the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night. Chris Drury and Dan Girardi also scored for the Rangers, who snapped a three-game losing streak, winning for only the third time in the last 11 games. Official recap here.

The Rangers were at it again, a defense-first minded team and stuck with their guns. Although there were sloppy turnovers in the first period, the team was generally solid - crashing the net and outshooting Carolina 2 to 1 throughout the game. In fact, 'one-game rejuvenated' Captain Jaromir Jagr scored his first goal of the evening by planting himself on the far-end of Hurricane Cam Ward's net - a Euro-Dirty-Goal. Congrats to our Jagr for playing hockey on the boards, as opposed to playing European style. Whether it was Tom Renney, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury or Dancing Grandma, Jagr took his lead from someone and we are all grateful. Forgive my repetitiveness, but a "don't get my fingernails dirty" A-level player like Jaromir Jagr does not crash the net, so it was refreshing to see.

Marek Malik started the game and did a decent job. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi continue to amaze Blueshirt fans -- this youthful depth will only benefit the NYR franchise this year and seasons to come, or until Slats trades them this February for an aging potential Columbus Blue Jacket veteran?

Joking aside, rumor has it that the Blueshirts are trying to pry either veteran Adam Foote or top-four defenseman Rostislav Klesla from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Petr Prucha. Some of our young'ens may be thrown into the deal -- none of us like the sound of this. Just for fun, throw in Malik & Hossa for 'shits & giggles'....we triple dare you Slats.

According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, "...The 36-year-old Foote, a physical presence the Rangers so obviously lack on the blue line, is on the final year of a three-year contract at $4.6M per that contains a no-trade clause he would have to waive in order to come to New York. If willing, the two-time Cup-winner with Colorado will become one of the prime rentals on the market as the Feb. 26 deadline approaches. Hence, the Rangers' attempt for a pre-emptive strike. Klesla, the multi-dimensional fourth-overall selection in the 2000 Entry Draft who will turn 26 in March, is under contract through the 2009-10 season at $1.6M per. "

Though teams are frozen through the New Year, we can expect some major trades throughout the NHL come January and February. The Blueshirts will be dumping some of our assets to strengthen that blueline. We all knew this last summer; we just didn't realize how valuable such rookies as Staal and Girardi would be and how they need to remain on this team. So here lies the mystery. (CORRECTION: Will anyone take Malik and how much of that salary will the Rangers continue to pay? - As pointed out by Scotty Hockey, this is no longer allowed as part of the collective NHL salary capping. Players can trade at the full salary only.)

The Dark Ranger feels that management is finally addressing some of the depth problems with the team, and in the end, the Blueshirts are already ahead of where we were last season -- and the 'fire-power' on paper is still an improvement. So optimistically, this looks good and as long as the brass upstairs is continually improving the team, we have to jump on the bandwagon and support the team. As long as we play solid 'last-night knock-em-down-Carolina Hurricane hockey' throughout the season, we are a 'shoe-in.'

The next five games are all against Canadian franchises and we begin the trek with the Toronto Maple Leafs this Saturday night at the legendary A.C.C. in Toronto where tickets are not accessible and 'standing-room only in the rafter passes' goes for $125 a pop. Prepare for a revival of the most-famous Sean Avery/Darcy Tucker meeting -- tickets for that alone are sold-out and the potential pre-warmup alley fight will be available on pay-per-view, so watch for the agitation, check in with The Dark Ranger - more entertaining on a Saturday night than Die Hard 4!

tdr

Tucker vs Avery - Part IV, Let the People Decide

The real reason Darcy Tucker hates Sean Avery.....go here.

tdr