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The Chase for NHL Rookie of the Year
18, Mar 2010Coming into this NHL season, John Tavares and Victor Hedman were drawing most of the attention in the rookies department.
Those two, the first two draft picks of 2009, along with “The Monster” Jonas Gustavsson who was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to compete with Vesa Toskala between the pipes, were the most likely candidates to earn the Calder trophy.
So now that the season is driving through its final stretch, there’s no surprise that a goalie, a forward, and a defensemen are amongst the discussions for the Rookie of the Year—but it’s not those three.
Either Matt Duchene from Colorado, Jimmy Howard of the Red Wings, or Tyler Myers the gigantic blueliner from the Sabres are most likely going to bring home the award this season.
We’ll start with Howard from Detroit.
The Red Wings have clawed their way back into the playoffs as they currently sit in the eighth spot, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames. If they do hold on, and make the playoffs like they have for the past 18 years, Howard would be one of the main reasons.
Since he was drafted in the second round in 2003 from the University of Maine, Howard has spent most of his time manning the pipes of Grand Rapids of the AHL. He has made some spot starts for the Red Wings over the years, but this was his first true test carrying the load of an NHL franchise. Thus far, he hasn’t disappointed.
Howard is 27-15-8 and has started every game for the Wings since Jan. 29. Since Dec. 3, Howard has only been on the bench for five contests.
He currently ranks fourth in SV% and sixth in GAA of all goalies in the NHL.
He’s a little old for rookies, but at 25, he’s the normal age for a goaltender to emerge as a starter.
If Howard does win the award, it would be the first time since 1951 that goalies have won the title in back-to-back years, when Jack Gelineau and Terry Sawchuck took the honors. Columbus’ Steve Mason won last year.
Ironically, the last three Red Wings to win the Calder trophy have all been goalies.
Next up is Colorado’s Matt Duchene.
Many had Duchene slated as the best player in the 2009 draft, even though he was selected third overall behind Tavares and Hedman respectively.
I knew he was going to be good, but not this good.
At only 19 years old, Duchene has made the jump from juniors to the NHL almost seamlessly. Only 70 games into his NHL career, Duchene is already drawing comparisons to NHL greats Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman by analysts.
His vision on the ice is far above average and he possesses the play-making abilities of a seasoned vet. He is currently second on the Avalanche in goals and third in points.
As far as rookies are concerned, Duchene leads all his colleauges in scoring with 23 goals and 49 points. He also averages just over 17 minutes a game. Not bad for a first-year player coming straight out of juniors.
The last two Avalanche to win the trophy also played center. Some guys named Chris Drury and Peter Forsberg, ever heard of ‘em?
Finally, we have Tyler Myers.
Jonas Gustavsson might be nicknamed “The Monster,” but Myers is a beast.
When the Sabres took Myers 12th overall in 2008, Lindy Ruff and Co. knew that Myers would be a huge part of their blueline corps—just not this quickly.
Myers and his 6′8″, 222-pound frame have taken the NHL by storm.
Through 68 games, Myers has emerged as the Sabres’ clear-cut No. 1 defensmen, logging almost 24 minutes and 28 shifts per game.
Myers leads all rookie defensemen in scoring, with 36 points. The next closest is Michael Del Zotto with 29.
Having Myers patrol the blueline for more than a third of the game is a major reason why the Sabres sit atop Northeast division and third in the Eastern Conference.
Defensemen that win the Calder trophy come few and far between—only two have won the trophy in the past 20 years—the last being Barrett Jackman in 2003.
Could Myers be the third? We’ll find out on June 23 when the NHL hosts their awards ceremony from Las Vegas.
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It may sound almost sacrilegious to question the Rangers’ goals, assists, and points leader, but it is about time for Marian Gaborik to show that he really is worth all the money he is being paid in this, the most important stretch of games the Rangers have played in more than a decade.
Spare me the excuses of what was just mentioned above, about how if it was not for him the team would not be anywhere near where they are.
Fact is, they’re there, and they need to face what lies ahead.
The rest of the way is no easy task for the struggling New York Rangers, and now more than ever they need their superstar Slovakian winger to step up. I have been saying all season that even with all the goals and points, Gaborik is not the player he was when he was healthy in Minnesota, as rare as that was.
Gaborik has not shown that explosive speed that became his trademark, no matter how many times Joe Micheletti wants to bring up that he has “such a powerful stride.” After Gaborik’s monstrously amazing start to the season, he has cooled off considerably this month.
He has been battling injuries all season long, and the fact that it has not been announced by the team still does not dissuade me from that sentiment. He is a wounded animal, but the team could not afford to have him rest, so he played on.
It stems from more than the team needing him to play. Gaborik himself tried to show fans he isn’t the oft-injured “could be” but the healthy and limber “gonna be.” In the process, he ended up further injuring himself.
Gaborik was ridiculous in his decision to participate in the Olympics after missing the previous two games before, and it caused him to miss two games after. Ironically, the Rangers averaged four goals a game in his absence, which is substantially higher than when he actually plays.
When Gaborik is out of the lineup, John Tortorella rolls four lines and there is flow to the game. But for some reason, when Gaborik does play, Tortorella only plays three and ends up shifting players back and forth all game long.
Since Gaborik has returned to the lineup, he has one goal and three assists in six games. He has not been skating well or showing any flashes of what he did earlier in the year. In fact, he has been coasting for more than half a season. It got to the point where I had to stop mentioning it, because people do not want to face the truth that their superstar is not healthy and is not playing up to par.
I suspect he will not get healthier as the season goes along, and he will continue to coast because the lower body injury will prevent him for surging.
The Rangers are in a catch-22. They will not finish good enough to make the playoffs or do well, but they will not finish bad enough to get a good pick. I wrote at the beginning of the season that this team had 10th place written all over it. Right now, it looks like that may be a close finish—right smack dab in the middle of mediocrity.
Tortorella would never even consider what I am about to suggest, but if the Rangers want to have a shot this season, then Gaborik should sit. The team plays better without him than with him, as strange as that sounds. When the playoffs roll around, if the Rangers make it, Gaborik can then be inserted into the lineup because playoff atmosphere is a whole different game.
The Rangers face off against the St. Louis Blues tonight. Gaborik will be in the lineup. The team is coming off a game where captain Chris Drury called them out for being immature and not winning important games. If the team does not respond to that tonight, then all is lost. If they win, I still fear it will be nothing but false hope.
I, like everyone else, will be awaiting Gaborik’s next move with bated breath, to see just what is going to happen the rest of the way.
Please visit my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco.”
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- Tags: Hockey, Marian Gaborik, New York, New York Rangers, nhl, NHL Atlantic, Opinion
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Well, this is something I never imagined waking up to in the morning. The game on March 24 between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders will be broadcast in 3D, making it a landmark event; the first ever 3D hockey game.
From Richard Sandomir of the New York Times:
“MSG Network will show next Wednesday’s Islanders-Rangers game in 3D, the first time a hockey game has been carried in the technology, the network said. It will be available to Cablevision subscribers and offered to other providers.
The game will also be shown on a screen at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
For the game, five 3D cameras will be set up on platforms lower down in the arena than for high-definition broadcasts. ‘You produce 3D games differently,’ said Mike Bair, the president of MSG Media. ‘And you have to hold shots longer and not cut as quickly.’ Kenny Albert and Dave Maloney, the Rangers’ radio team, will shift to the 3D broadcast.”
However, for most of us, this will not be able to be viewed on television; you will have to pay $20 and attend a viewing party at the Madison Square Garden Theater. Find out more about it here .
Although it is a cool idea, I am not a huge fan of this as I do not think 3D television will go over well in the future as many are predicting.
Remember VHS tapes and eight-tracks? Well, I know they are not as glamorous as 3D, but they were once predicted to be that next great piece of home entertainment.
As for the viewing party, would it have killed the Dolan’s to allow free admission? I know the camera setups cost money, but do they really need it that badly?
Allowing a couple hundred fans in for free would not have even put a wrinkle in their pockets, and this is just another way for them to squeeze in some more money, in a season where they will more than likely lose playoff revenue.
Please check out my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco” .
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It’s that time of the year again, when we honor our Irish-American heritage by eating salty, stroke-inducing corned beef and everyone’s favorite vegetable—cabbage.
But it doesn’t have to be all bad; it’s time we honored the greatest Irish hockey players to ever lace ‘em up for the New York Rangers. It took a while to sift through the list of every player to ever play for the Rangers, but, as you can expect, I hit pay-dirt once I got to the Ms.
7. Ryan Callahan (2006-present)
It was no surprise that Callahan’s best game as a Ranger came three seasons ago in a game versus the Boston Bruins on St. Patrick’s Day. The Rangers went on to win 7-0, and the game was dubbed the “St. Patrick’s Day Massacre.”
Callahan had both his first NHL hat trick and fight that night, in a game I’ll never forget. Callahan continues to be a very important Ranger, killing penalties alongside Olympic teammate Chris Drury. If he plays a few more seasons here, you can be sure his ranking among the Irish greats will rise.
6. Brendan Shanahan (2006-2008)
No other player to play for the Rangers in my lifetime wore his nationality on his sleeve like Brendan Shanahan. The beloved “Shanny” always had the “Irish Jig” played for him when he scored goals in Detroit, and that was played a few times during his tenure with the Rangers.
His mother speaks with a slight Irish accent, but I do not know if she was actually born there. During his two short years with the Rangers, he was the voice in the locker room the team needed and was a part of the Rangers’ 600-goal club that included Jaromir Jagr—and each netted his milestone goal within a few games of the other.
5. Lynn Patrick (1934-1946)
If you’re allergic to the name “Patrick,” now is your chance to turn the page, because the next three players all share the same last name.
Lynn played 455 games with the Rangers, spanning 10 seasons. He won two Stanley Cups with the Rangers, led the team in goal scoring once, and won the team MVP award twice. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 1980.
4. James Patrick (1983-1994)
When one thinks of defenseman James Patrick, they think of longevity. Patrick played from 1983 until 2004, suiting up for four teams and appearing in 1280 games.
Patrick started his career with the Rangers, though, and played 671 games in blue, notching 104 goals and 363 assists. He was a part of the many battles between the Rangers and Flyers and Rangers and Islanders during the mid-’80s, which remain some of the most intense hockey games ever played.
3. Lester Patrick (1927)
Lester Patrick would only play one game in his career with the New York Rangers, but it was enough to seal his name in the annals of hockey history forever.
In the deciding game of the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals, Rangers goalie Lorne Chabot was injured and had to leave the game. When the Rangers could not find a goalie to replace him, the 44-year-old Patrick, who was coach at the time, donned the goalie equipment and finished the game, which went to overtime with the Rangers becoming victorious on Frank Boucher’s winning goal.
2. Dave Maloney (1974-1985)
When Dave Maloney was given the captaincy in 1978, he became the youngest captain in Rangers history. The defenseman appeared in 605 games for the Rangers and was as much of a scrapper as he was a good offensive defenseman.
Four seasons in a row, Maloney recorded 10 or more goals and more than a hundred penalty minutes. He currently serves as color analyst for the Rangers radio team on 1050 ESPN.
1. Don Maloney (1978-1989)
Dave’s brother Don gets the nod as the greatest Irish player in Rangers history. Don Maloney scored 20 or more goals five times in his 11 seasons with the Rangers. He also experienced playoff success on very unsuccessful playoff teams, recording 57 points in 85 games.
Six years after retiring from the NHL, Maloney became the Rangers’ assistant general manager, a position he held for 10 years. This makes him the longest-tenured Ranger, at 21 years with the franchise. Lester Patrick served 20. Don Maloney is now general manager for the Phoenix Coyotes.
Honorable Mentions
Have to give shout-outs to Buddy O’Connor, Angus “Scotty” Cameron, Kilby Macdonald, and Bruce MacGregor, just because of their last names. Rob McClanahan also deserves a mention because he scored 20 goals as a Ranger once and was on the 1980 US Olympic team.
The final mention goes to a player that should have never even been in the NHL, but, nevertheless, left a lasting impression. I do not know whether or not Ryan Hollweg was of Irish descent, but who could forget this idiocy…err, I mean, patriotism, three years ago before the Rangers’ 7-0 win over the Bruins on St. Patrick’s Day?
Please visit my sports blog: From New York to San Francisco
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Nothing To See Here
17, Mar 2010Last night’s game should have came with a personal apology from the home team.
The New York Rangers, in a fight for their playoff lives, came out and absolutely laid an egg in front of yet another sellout crowd, as the visiting Montreal Canadiens skated out of Madison Square Garden with a 3-1 victory. The story [...]
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***Warning: The following is satire and is not based on any true events…yet.***
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—Rangers owner Jim Dolan has announced today that due to the likelihood that the Rangers will be missing the playoffs this season, he will be forced to take action.
In order to make up for lost playoff revenues and the fact that he will not have an excuse to raise ticket prices next season, he announced that the team will be selling Breathing Passes next season to all fans, and they will be mandatory at the start of the 2010-’11 season.
If you do not have one, you cannot enter the building.
These passes must be separately purchased from the tickets and will be scanned at the main entrance. They will not become active until once you actually enter the arena. The technologically advanced cards will measure how many times you breathe.
Fans will have to pre-pay how many breathes they want, and when the amount runs out, oxygen supply to the brain will be cut off until they are renewed.
Plans Available Are
Lifetime Unlimited. Cost: $100,000 and your first born. These passes will allow you to breathe without worrying as they will never expire. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Rangers losing.
Single Season Unlimited. Cost: $25,000 and your body donated to medical science upon your death. The same as above; do not worry during the course of the season, but they must be renewed every September.
Single Game. Cost: $500. These are ingeniously crafted. Because the average human breathes 70 times per minute, and 4200 times per hour, the Rangers will assume you will be at Madison Square Garden for three hours and thus, you get 252,000 breathes. If you run out during a game, better get to one of our ATM/renewal stations in time, or you could slip into a coma.*
Single Game with Rollover. Cost: $1000. These are the way to go! Don’t breathe as often as the average human? Spend the extra dough and have the breathes you don’t use during a particular game rollover when you make your next purchase.
*Disclaimer: Madison Square Garden is not liable for any person who suffers brain damage or slips into a coma. All bodies in vegetative state that go unclaimed after 30 days will be put to work in our Public Relations Office.
Upcoming Events for Next Season
Blood Drive Night (Oct. 12): We don’t want your blood for a cause, just for the sake of taking it! For each gallon of blood you donate you will receive one free knish at any 400’s level concession stand.
Donate a Kidney Night (Nov. 15): Fans in attendance will have the chance to show their support of the team and give a kidney that will be taken out right on the concourse! You don’t even have to miss one moment of the game. For each kidney you donate, you will receive half off of one ticket*. Thus, if you give us both your kidneys, you get to go to a game for free!
Tracheotomy Night (Dec. 23): Celebrate Christmas by showing us how true a fan you are! Leave the breathing passes at home and have a tracheotomy done right in the comfort of you own chair! We just make one little incision and stick a bendy straw down your throat, and you’ll be breathing comfortably all night.
Merchant of Venice Night (Jan. 2): Lose weight and watch the Rangers all in one sitting! Receive one free ticket* for each pound of flesh you give us.
*Offer does not include games where the Rangers are facing the Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals, Red Wings, and Blackhawks.
Please visit my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco.”
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Canadiens Outplay, Defeat Rangers 3-1
16, Mar 2010Although technically the Rangers were in it from start to finish, they never really had a chance as they were severely outplayed by the Montreal Canadiens. The final score of 3-1 does not accurately display just how bad the Rangers were tonight, who were out-shot 35-19.
The Rangers fell behind less than four minutes into the first period on a powerplay goal by Glen Metropolit. Other than that, it was a very boring and uneventful period.
The Rangers would tie the game in the second on an early goal by Sean Avery, his third in the last two games. The Rangers would also get out-shot 18-5 in the middle frame and never had an offensive flow.
The Canadiens would score the go-ahead goal and seal the deal when Sergei Kostitsyn scored with traffic in front of Henrik Lundqvist, who ended up not even with his feet in the crease when the puck entered the net.
An empty net, shorthanded goal by Tomas Plekanec with just over thirty seconds to go would cap off the scoring for the evening.
With six seconds to go, Avery and Gomez would go at it and Avery would end up being penalized five minutes for slashing. This will be reviewed by the league and he could end up with a suspension. Scratch that, he’s Sean Avery so he will get a suspension.
This was a very important game for the Rangers, especially since the eighth place Boston Bruins won tonight, moving three points ahead of the Rangers. That will make Sunday’s matinee matchup all the more important.
The Rangers next game will be a home game against the St. Louis Blues. The Rangers need to take a good look at themselves here and figure out a way to get two points.
Rangers also need to play every game like a road game, because they try too hard to put on a show at home and fail to get enough shots through. On the road they seem to have no problem in that department.
Please visit my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco” .
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After losing four in a row, the New York Rangers find themselves on a two-game winning streak after defeating the Thrashers 5-2 on Friday and the Flyers 3-1 Sunday afternoon. Both wins mean a lot because the team is still on the outside looking in. The Rangers currently sit in the ninth seed, just one point shy of catching the Bruins, a team they will face on Sunday, who are in eighth.
The Rangers played with an abundance of physicality on Sunday, and they will have to keep that up even against teams like the Canadiens, who are not as physical. They will also need solid goaltending from Lundqvist and hope that the defense in front can play the way they have in the previous two games; not allowing lots of chances and alleviating the stress on their goaltender.
These are tonight’s projected line combinations for both teams:
Rangers
Vaclav Prospal—Olli Jokinen—Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky—Artem Anisimov—Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery—Chris Drury—Erik Christensen
Jody Shelley—Brian Boyle—Brandon Prust
Marc Staal—Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto—Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy—Wade Redden
Canadiens
Tom Pyatt—Tomas Plekanec—Andrei Kostitsyn
Benoit Pouliot—Scott Gomez—Brian Gionta
Travis Moen—Dominic Moore—Sergei Kostitsyn
Maxim Lapierre—Glen Metropolit—Mathieu Darche
Andrei Markov—Josh Gorges
Jaroslav Spacek—Ryan O’Byrne
Hal Gill—Roman Hamrlik
Henrik Lundqvist will be in net for the Rangers while the Habs are expected to start Jaroslav Halak, as Carey Price has struggled all season long.
Michal Rozsival also played his best game of the season Sunday night, scoring his first powerplay goal of the year. He should get more playing time on the powerplay unit because in the previous four seasons, he has scored a total of 19 goals with the man advantage. Wade Redden also looked sharp and hopefully he can keep it up; his veteran experience will be needed down the stretch.
Let us also hope that the Rangers’ top line of Prospal—Jokinen—Gaborik will remain together the entire night because they played very well Sunday. Although Jokinen did not score, he was surging all game long, driving to the net and shooting the puck whenever he got a chance. Sean Avery also needs to get back to his gritty self, and he showed flashes of that in the last game. If one is looking for something positive in this latest stretch, then maybe the last game will be the much-needed turning point in this Rangers season.
Please visit my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco” .
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New York Rangers To Wear Third Jersey Next Season?
15, Mar 2010According to a source, the New York Rangers are going to be sporting a third jersey for the 2010-11 season.
Supposedly, this is not a contemplation—it’s definite.
The only information I have on the matter is that the jersey will be dark blue and will read “New York” down the front.
This information has not been confirmed by anyone, but it looks like it may be announced soon—or after this season is over. This move is clearly being done to boost apparel sales—which is the only reason any team produces new jerseys.
The routine normally goes as follows: Wear the new jerseys for a few years, and when sales dwindle, make them defunct, only to replace them years later—or, at least, that’s what most teams do.
If the design is as described, it will look just like the jerseys the Rangers wore in the mid-1980s—sort of like the picture in this article, only I expect the background to be a lot darker, much like the navy blue as it was in the latest third jersey with the Liberty shield.
Once again, this is unconfirmed, but I felt it warranted passing on the information, anyway.
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When the post-mortem is conducted on this year’s Rangers’ season, there will be plenty of blame to go around.
The construction of the team wasn’t ideal, with just one pure goal-scorer.
The defense was very young, and the two experienced defensemen weren’t very good.
And the forwards were too small, with the team not getting any bigger until the season was pretty much gone.
The coaching was, at times, erratic.
But a fair question to ask at the end of the Rangers’ season, whether it ends in regulation or early in the postseason, is if coach John Tortorella got everything he could have out of his team.
Someone will need to ask if Tortorella did everything he could to take a below-average team and make them relatively competitive some of the time.
And when that question is asked, people will look to Avery’s performance against the Flyers Sunday.
Avery had a huge, two-goal game against Philadelphia with three shots on goal, the same number he took in his previous four games.
Avery was coming off of being a health scratch in the Rangers’ previous game against the Atlanta Thrashers. Against the Flyers, he looked angry and focused and determined, characteristics that hadn’t been seen since Avery’s huge four-point game against the Stars, January 6.
Avery had played for Dallas, who waived him so he could be claimed by the Rangers, so desperate were the Stars to rid themselves of Avery.
Avery responded to the snub a season later with one of his strongest games of the year.
And so we see, Avery is quite capable of being an on-ice factor. While he doesn’t have a great shot, much speed, and isn’t that strong, Avery is good at being a pest and getting teams off of their game plan and focused on his antics. And Avery has had some success at using these distractions as an opportunity to score.
But for much of Avery’s time playing under Tortorella, he hasn’t played like the Avery of previous seasons.
Avery has been tentative. Much of this probably stems from Tortorella’s scratching of Avery during last season’s playoffs.
Avery had taken some bad penalties in the playoffs, and Tortorella was trying to hold Avery accountable, but the experiment backfired as Avery lost his edge after being held out of Game Five of the playoffs against Washington.
Avery never got that edge back this season, with some exceptions like the aforementioned Dallas and Philadelphia games.
Avery often played like he was scared of getting scratched again. But without that edge, Avery wasn’t effective.
He didn’t distract opponents. He didn’t get inside people heads. He didn’t force opposing coaches to deal with his antics.
And without all of that, Avery didn’t do much for the Rangers. Avery’s playoff scratch didn’t teach him personal responsibility—it taught him to try not to bother anyone on the ice.
Could Tortorella have handled things differently?
Perhaps. Maybe he could have made Avery comfortable enough to play with some sandpaper. Maybe he could have helped Avery understand where the line was that he couldn’t cross. And maybe Tortorella could have been more understanding that a player like Avery is going to draw some bad penalties at inopportune times.
But it seems like Tortorella didn’t do any of this. It seems like he just ignored Avery’s struggles, waiting until Game 68 of the season to try and get Avery going by scratching him once again.
The move worked, but wouldn’t it have been better to have done it earlier in the season? Wouldn’t it have been better to have gotten Avery going while the Rangers could still maintain playoff position, rather than having to fight for it?
Now that Avery might have found his edge, and that really remains to be seen, perhaps Tortorella can, in good conscience, say he did everything he could to make his team as competitive as possible. But he won’t be able to say he did it as quickly as he could have.
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The fans at MSG chanted Sean Avery’s name this afternoon as his two goals helped propel the Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Old time hockey made it’s long-awaited return to a Rangers’ game as the tilt was chippy from start to finish.
The Rangers fell behind early when Danny Briere scored just over four minutes in to get the Flyers on the board. As usual, the Rangers got off to a slow start in an afternoon game. They never seem to have their heads and legs in the game for these early games, but they would get better as it moved on.
Avery would net his first of two less than two minutes into the second period, when Wade Redden took a shot from the point that took a crazy bounce off a defender in front and landed right on the tape of Avery’s stick.
Three minutes later, Michal Rozsival would score his third goal of the season (first on the powerplay) when he took a bomb of a slapshot from the point that went off the post and in. That would be Rozsival’s 20th powerplay goal as a Ranger, over the course of the last five seasons. Erik Christensen would assist on both goals while Redden and Drury added one each as well.
Toward the end of the second period, Scott Hartnell would cross-check Avery and as the two skated around during the shift, they locked up at center ice. Hartnell would drop his gloves and look to fight, but Avery did not. Hartnell would be penalized on the play as Avery did what he does best; agitate.
With five minutes to go in the third, Avery would score his second of the game and seal the deal for the Rangers. He took what looked like a harmless wristshot from the half-boards that Michael Leighton missed, giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
Girardi and Drury would add assists. Brandon Dubinsky would later fight Mike Richards, and beat him, making that his first winning fight in a long time. Henrik Lundqvist had a fairly easy night and stopped 17 of 18 shots.
When the buzzer ended, Staal and Hartnell would go at it but gloves stayed on. As Sam Rosen pointed out during the broadcast, Avery has the ability to take over a game and put on a performance like this. However, he also has the ability to disappear for weeks at a time. He was scratched in the last game and hopefully that served as the motivation for him to play this type of game the rest of the way.
Please check out my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco” .
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I know I said I was going to take a week-long hiatus from writing hockey, but just like battered-wife syndrome, I keep coming back for more. The occasion is up to par though; can’t beat a Rangers/Flyers afternoon game with so much on the line. The Rangers need this game much more than the Flyers, because they sit three points out of the eighth spot in ninth, while the Flyers are in sixth with a seven point edge on the Rangers.
Obviously the Rangers will need goal scoring, and they came though in that department on Friday night in a 5-2 win versus Atlanta. But what has become the epitome of this season is inconsistency. I would very much like to see coach John Tortorella keep the lines together for more than a period, heck, how about the whole game, maybe?
With the offense, though, the Rangers will need to show toughness. In the Rangers last battle with the Flyers, Dan Carcillo got locked up with Marian Gaborik and the two ended up fighting, with the superstar Gaborik taking the beating.
Dan Girardi, who was just five feet away, did nothing to stop it and no other teammate would go after Carcillo, save for the proverbial punching bag Aaron Voros in the third period. Donald Brashear, who fans grew to dislike, was a healthy scratch that night, and even his biggest haters will say that would prove to be one of Tortorella’s biggest mistakes this season.
Now Brashear is gone, banished to Hartford and the Rangers will need new enforcer Jody Shelley to keep things under control. Shelley finally got into his first fight as a Ranger when he dropped the gloves with Pierre “I have 25 middle names” Leblond of the Devils, Wednesday night.
Scrapper Brandon Prust will also be playing in his first Rangers/Flyers skirmish. If Aaron Voros is in the lineup today, the Rangers will have three able-bodied fighters to match the Flyers, who can put a one on the ice at any given time, with a choice of Carcillo, Asham, Lapperierre, and Hartnell.
Win or lose, this should prove to be an exciting game with an “Old Thyme” hockey feel. I’m not in the business of giving score predictions, but I can actually see a high scoring game this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
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Please check out my sports blog, “From New York to San Francisco.”
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Yes, you just read that correctly. No, it’s not what you think.
While reading Newsday yesterday—yes, newspapers still exist and people still read them—I came across an interesting stat: The Rangers scored 16 goals in Gaborik’s four-game absence, and only one during the two since his return.
Now I’m not saying that Gaborik is to blame because he’s not putting the puck in the net. What I think is happening is that the players surrounding him are so accustomed to him scoring that they are playing with less assertiveness in the offensive zone.
Besides his freak injury in practice with the leg laceration, and the time he missed with a lower-body injury following the Olympics, Gaborik has had a pretty healthy first year in New York.
He’s pretty much been producing the way we all knew he could, with a dry spell here and there. There’s no way to say that he’s not holding up his end of the bargain.
While Gaborik was on the shelf, nine different Rangers helped pitch in for those 16 goals. Chris Drury, Sean Avery, Ryan Callahan, Vinny Prospal, and Erik Christensen all scored two goals, while Brandon Dubinsky netted three.
The problem is, when he is on one of those dry spells, which all players go through, nobody else steps up.
Gaborik hasn’t scored a goal since a 3-1 victory over the Devils on Feb. 6.
When was Gaborik’s last drought, you ask? From Jan. 21-27 he went pointless. During that stretch, the Rangers played four games: three goals, four losses, twice shutout.
It’s no secret that the Rangers lack serious secondary scoring. But when Gaborik isn’t in the lineup, it’s as if the Rangers magically have a new-found element of scoring.
This can’t be a coincidence.
By no means am I saying that Gaborik shouldn’t be playing, but it’s up to the coaching staff and the veteran leadership on this team to motivate these players the same way that they are when No. 10 isn’t dressed.
It’s almost as if they have a feeling that it’s okay if they don’t finish, or make that extra effort on a play when Gaborik is out there, because, after all, he’s Marian Gaborik and will put the team on his shoulders.
We saw the same thing with Jaromir Jagr. When he wasn’t producing, the Rangers might as well have not even come out on the ice.
It’s not a matter of having the secondary scoring, it’s using them to their full potential.
It’s not like Capitals, Penguins, Sharks, and Blackhawks where they are four or five deep in potent scoring options. The Rangers need to grind their way into every opportunity they get.
If the Rangers want any success either now or in the future, they must take some of the pressure of Gaborik and play the way they do when he doesn’t take the ice.
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Yesterday was the day, the day for New York Rangers fans to vent their frustrations and angers at yet another lackluster season due to the front office ways of the organization.
But first let’s give credit to the organizer of “The Fire Glen Sather Rally” yesterday, Mike Zippo.
Zippo has had enough of watching seasons that are basically wasting his time, along with other Rangers fans, while the cash flow continues to mount up against the organization. There is a saying, at least for the Yankees, that money buys championships.
In hockey, that couldn’t be the farthest from the truth.
Hundreds of fans turned out, holding up signs and of course being the true New Yorkers they are, being extremely loud to get their points across. The fans of the New York Rangers have had enough—enough of the free spending by Glen Sather, or bringing in talentless players way past their primes, or signing a player who couldn’t even cut it on the worst team in hockey.
But when are the Rangers fans going to actually get smart about this and do the logical thing?
The rally happened and guess who is still the general manager of our Blueshirts today? You got it right, the man who is sitting in his office right now with his feet up on the desk and a cigar hanging from his mouth who never even does an interview for hockey outlets and even the teams home outlet Madison Square Garden Network.
Are you shocked that the rally had no effect? I’m not.
It’s time to do the logical thing, Rangers fans. You can scream out your chants all you want at the games, start rallies, sign petitions, and even make a web page, but it’s not going to yield any type of results.
It all starts with a wallet. Yes, a wallet. Effect their pockets and changes will happen.
The organization is loving this because even bad publicity from the fans is good publicity for hockey. It’s getting the sport into a limelight they rarely ever see.
Keep buying tickets and spending money at the arena and they will keep putting out this brand of terrible hockey because they feel the fans are okay with fighting for the playoffs and exiting after the first round.
I, for one, am definitely not happy with this brand of hockey which is why I have yet to go to a game this year and I won’t until changes are made.
Sather does not know how to put together a winning hockey club. This is not 1980s hockey. It is 2010 and with the rule changes the game of hockey also changed. It became faster, but also a tad bit weaker.
No money being made will equal to changes being made.
But money being made, and a lot of it, will equal to absolutely no changes being made. And of course, the same brand of hockey being put out on that Garden Ice that you, the fans, keep paying to see.
Get a clue, stop paying to see it.
Stay home from the next game, don’t even open your wallet to buy a ticket and you will see how fast theirs close.
Jonathan Ragus is an analyst for MVP Gotham. You can read more of his New York Rangers content at MVP GOTHAM
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Caps Clamp Down Defensively: Caps 2 / Rags 0
6, Mar 2010©2010 On Frozen Blog. All Rights Reserved..
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Clinching is the Easy Part
Although it wasnât pretty, the Caps did manage to squeak out a timely victory over the Lightning on Thursday, barely beating them 5-4.
Despite the rust, the Caps earned their 43rd win of the season thanks to a marathon 3rd period that saw newcomer Scott Walker provide the heroics. Walkerâs back to back goals, his 4th and 5th of the year, came during an a…
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New at The Prose: Can the Hurricanes Make The Playoffs?
Two plays from last night’s action has drawn some criticism the way of Max Lapierre of the Montreal Canadiens, and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the first video, Max Lapierre absolutely smokes Scott Nichol of the San Jose Sharks in a play that went unpenalized, seemingly against all odds. Todd McLellan called the play ext…
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Henrik Lundqvist Stops 50, Rangers Lose
5, Mar 2010Hank Lundqvist made a career-best 50 stops last night in a performance that drew comparisons to Mike Richter’s 59-save effort in Vancouver some 19 years ago (a feat which Adam Wodon was immediately reminded of). But then Wade Redden had to go and ruin it by hooking Jordan Staal in overtime. Staal scored the game winner on the resulting power play to give Pittsburgh two points and sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Rangers picked up a point in defeat and are now tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta. Both teams have 66 points, but the Thrashers have a pair of games in hand. The blue shirts travel to Washington tomorrow night to face a Capitals club that hasn’t lost at home since Dec. 28.
DECEMBER 28TH!
On a positive note, Chris Drury’s backhand-from-his-knees goal in the first period made SportCenter’s top plays this morning. It was quite impressive.
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It was a quiet trade deadline for the Rangers and for most of the NHL.
The biggest move the Rangers made was grabbing defenseman Anders Eriksson from Phoenix for goaltender Miika Wiikman and a seventh round selection in the 2011 draft.
They also traded AHL players Jordan Owens for Kris Newbury.
So the Rangers stand tied for the final playoff spot with less than 20 games left in the season, no significant help on the way, and Marian Gaborik out with a tweaked groin.
Still, having said all that, the Rangers can make a strong push into the playoffs. Here are five ways they can solidify their place.
5. Make Marc Staal and Dan Girardi the permanent shut-down defensive pair.
Staal and Girardi have occasionally spent time together as a shut-down pair, playing against opponents top lines and making sure no one gets too out of hand in terms of goal-scoring.
Coach John Tortorella doesn’t always use the two defensemen together for purely defensive purposes. But with the Rangers struggling offense, it’s time to admit this is a team that’s only going to win games when they smother opposing teams defensively.
Tortorella doesn’t have to match forwards against forwards, but he should at least make sure his two best defensemen are always out against opponents’ top lines.
4. Give Chris Drury a job.
Drury came out of a strong Olympics mostly due to Team USA Coach Ron Wilson giving Drury some clearly defined responsibilities: forecheck hard, win faceoffs, and make life difficult for opponents wherever possible. Drury was asked to do everything but score and with the pressure of scoring gone, Drury actually scored.
Now, back in New York, Tortorella needs to give Drury the same responsibilities. Drury needs to be used defensively and freed of all scoring responsibilities. And hopefully, with the pressure off of Drury’s shoulders, he’ll find scoring opportunities, just like he did in Vancouver.
And if Drury doesn’t score, at least he’s keeping opponents off balance. There’s some value in that action alone.
3. Make the defense younger.
The Rangers already have a young defense. Remove the struggling Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden from the line-up, and their oldest defenseman is just 25. And now it’s time to give those young defensemen the keys to the Ranger kingdom, in the form of minutes.
Redden and Rozsival need to sit. Maybe not nightly, but frequently, so that players like Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy can get experience. But Tortorella also needs to bring up some of his young AHL defensemen.
Why not see what Corey Potter, Michael Sauer, Ilkka Heikkinen, and even Bobby Sanguinetti can do with regular NHL minutes. Even new acquisition Eriksson has some NHL experience.
Why not see how he does in New York?
None of those AHLers can be that much worse than Redden and Rozsival. The fact that the two senior defensemen have huge contracts doesn’t mean they deserve a permanent place in the Rangers line-up.
2. Rest goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist has played in 55 of the Rangers first 63 games. Only Martin Brodeur and Jonathan Quick have played more games this year. On top of those 55 games, Lundqvist is coming out of the Olympics.
Last season, Lundqvist played 70 games and the season before it was 72. It’s just a huge workload. Eventually Lundqvist will buckle under all of the playing time.
If the Rangers want Lundqvist to last, not just into the playoffs, but long-term, they need to get him some help.
The Rangers claimed Alex Auld off of re-entry waivers. He’s a solid, if unspectacular, NHL goalie.
He needs some starts so Lundqvist can rest.
The Rangers might be able to ride a tired Lundqvist into the playoffs, but what’s the point if Lundqvist then finds himself too tired to play well?
1. Go to the net.
Every NHL telecast features someone lauding the benefits of going to the net. It’s a cliche, but it’s also true.
The Rangers lack finesse. The only way they’re going to be able to score consistently down the stretch and in the playoffs are by going to the net, creating traffic in front of opposing goalies, and knocking in any loose pucks they can find.
The Rangers went to the net Tuesday night against Ottawa and wound up with four goals, an amazing feat given Marian Gaborik was out of the line-up.
Also, by creating traffic in front of the net, there’s more of an opportunity for their defensemen to get some goals off of deflections.
Historically, the Rangers haven’t gone to the net since Adam Graves left. Tuesday night’s performance in the Ottawa crease was a revelation. It’s a performance they’ll need to repeat if they want to make a serious playoff run.
But if they can make it a regular part of their game, the Rangers should find themselves coasting into the playoffs.
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Travis Yost: Well, That Was Ugly
2, Mar 2010Anyone who knows my background is aware of how tough it is to watch a game between the Senators and Rangers. It’s a win/lose no matter which way you cut it, and more often than not, I just hope for a competitive game.
Unfortunately for myself and most of the Sens Army, we were subjugated to nearly sixty minutes of piss poor hockey and complete domination by the New York Rangers. It’s almost dep…
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