Limited Tickets Available For Our Sold-Out Game!

As a die-hard NY Rangers fan and a season-ticket holder for a decade, I am alarmed at this offer below that shows up on the newyorkrangers.com site every game and every piece of RANGERS INSIDER email correspondence I receive daily:

BE THERE AT MSG TONIGHT
A limited number of tickets are available for tonight's Rangers-Lightning game. Be there for the follow-up to Sunday, as  head coach John Tortorella looks for his first career win vs. the Tampa Bay team he once led to a Stanley Cup championship.
• GET TICKETS

It seems that every game this season a limited number of tickets are becoming available for purchase (and a pretty lame sales pitch behind it), 'direct marketing' from a supposed SOLD-OUT venue called The Garden --- and if this is happening to the second most successful hockey franchise in the league, then I cannot imagine how the expansion teams are dealing with 30% capacity houses (see Phoenix, Carolina, Atlanta).  The economy.  The economy.  They scream.  I agree, but maybe it starts from the 'inside to out' and how you build and maintain a franchise.  Folks still have cash in hand for hockey...good hockey rather, so think about it.

Also, stop friggin undercutting my loyalty with this BLUESHIRTS UNITED bullshit --- how non season tickets holders can buy into privileges that no one else can get.  It's insulting to your loyalists, Garden management.  Don't make OFFICIAL BLUESHIRT FANS over the Garden Faithful -- because we are the ones that come every year despite the rag-tag rosters you assemble, we are the ones to rub your backs, we are the ones that serve your food.  Most importantly, as a whole we are the ones that can get you fired!

And by the way, if anyone wants tickets , make sure to come to the DARKside first (because no one is buying 'em from me either).  Support the fan first. ;)

tdr

Armageddon In The Desert

All hockey fans are watching closely as to whether or not NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will lose the fight to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Phoenix, AZ and in/out of the hands of Blackberry-creator Jim Basillie.  The result will mark Bettman's greatest victory or greatest failure in his tenure running the league.  No middle ground here, folks.  This is serious stuff because it essentially vaporizes Bettman's expansion plans for the NHL and questions how the league has essentially controlled their own legal system.

Greg Esposito of Ultimate Faceoff did a nice recap:

And then there were two.
According to court filings by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the third bidder in the Coyotes saga, IceEdge LLC, has in formed the NHL that they do not intend on taking part in the auction for the team scheduled for Thursday. That means the bankruptcy auction is down to a Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed-type showdown between the NHL and Canadian Superhero billionaire Jim Balsillie (not quite sure who is Balboa and who is Creed, but $140 million is certainly the underdog to $212 million).
With both Jerry Reinsdorf and IceEdge out, bidders are officially dropping faster than pants in Paris Hilton’s house. Or for you die hard hockey fans, they are dropping faster than personal references in a Jeremy Roenick press conference.   More here.

Slightly larger than MSG suing the NHL for a website, more interesting than wherever the hell Dany Heatley will play, and, most importantly, this entire Phoenix to Hamilton debacle has nothing to do with the New York Rangers and Glen Sather.  Whew.  Truth be told, if you like him or not, Gary Bettman is one mean son-of-a-beech when he needs to be, but can money ultimately beat the small-man's iron fists!!?

Enjoy the grudge match from a distance.

TDR

Eastern Muscle and More Heatley Thoughts

from Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com,

Toronto, once the epicenter of hockey, has missed the playoffs the past four seasons, including last season’s 81-point debacle. Nobody knows if the near-term future holds a playoff berth for the Leafs, but Burke promises that his team will give its all to return the Original Six franchise to its former glory.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs next year; we’re going to have to make some changes to do it. We’re going to be a different team,” Burke said this summer. “I like a lot of hitting. I like a lot of fighting. We have a passive group. All year long, when a trainer was on the ice—it was always our trainer—that really bothered me.
“It will be a more hostile group in the fall.”

With New York Rangers John Tortorella's speed skating system in place, certain members of the Blueshirts (Gaborik, Avery, dare I say Brashear) will be competing against a much tougher class of competition this season -- the most obvious being Brian Bionic Burke's Leaf Muscle Machine he has assembled this off-season, including our once very-own-enforcer Colton Orr (who will be looking to accumulate more PIMs than Avery has words).   The Philadelphia Flyers with the addition of Chris Pronger has added some fire and brute on the blueline, making them one of the biggest contenders in the Atlantic Division (still looking forward to that Chris Pronger slamming Sidney Crosby into the boards highlight reel).  Our Blueshirts need to 'look out' and hit back and defend their own. 

As to the rumors of Dany Heatley going to the Los Angeles Kings -- talk has been muted and no one appears to be spilling anything further. We seem to have caused enough panic on both coasts and up north as our post Dany Heatley To The Kings? drummed up more hits and page loads than ever before on this site.  It goes to show you that people do care where Heatley lands.  I think this Heatley-trade-me-because-I-am-Not-Appreciated off-season debacle is something comparable to watching Britney Spears.   We are sick to death of her and her antics, but as the hockey equivalent we cannot get enough --- all waiting for the next misstep, to find out who is stupid enough to engage in Murray's trading tactics, bow our heads as Edmonton continues to display inferiority in their own roster, etc...  More, more, more....   If you are sick to death of hearing about it and it is getting all blown out of proportion, then stop reading about it you sycophants!!!  (and also, The Dark Ranger welcomes sycophants)

tdr