“You think Gomez and Drury should be on the same line? Two marquee centers playing side by side. Put the bong down”

learn something about hockey before you talk to me.

“Hossa – Straka – Jagr is a good line? Who’s the natural center there?”

learn something about hockey before you talk to me.

““Betts sucks at center?â€? Name the guy with the best faceoff percentage on the team last year. Name the top 5 shot blocking forwards in the league last year please”

learn something about hockey before you talk to me.

“One thing I am already getting tired of is the MSG jerkweeds saying how great a job Mara and Strudwick are doing by being mic’d up and teaching the younger guys things. Tell those two guys to do a little less coaching and a little more playing hockey. Or, take off the skates and get behind the bench. Enough of the “Mara and Strudwick are such good guys they should be on the team.â€? That is a joke.”

good, you are learning something finally.

New York Rangers (42-30-10): Better.

As you know, Rangers GM Glen Sather turned a heck of an offseason double play, landing top pivots Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. When any team can add two talented centers with championship pedigree, I have to think they’ll be better—maybe, a lot better.

On paper, Gomez and Drury make the Rangers a more dangerous team. Of course, we don’t play on paper. If we did, it would look pretty strange! It will be very interesting to see how both players fit into their new high-profile surroundings.

In particular, I’ll be curious to see if Gomez finds chemistry with superstar right winger Jaromir Jagr. In the past, Gomez has worked well with snipers like Alexander Mogilny, Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta. He’s a playmaker who likes to distribute the puck to his wingers.

Logically, he should fit nicely with Jagr, who shared a natural chemistry with departed pivot Michael Nylander (the free agent signed with Washington); but we won’t know for sure until Gomez and Jagr get to work with one another for a while. If they don’t fit for some reason, coach Tom Renney will have to go to Plan B, which would likely be Drury or Martin Straka centering his top line.

Drury, meanwhile, is a versatile type who can be used in any number of situations. I figure Renney will have him on the ice for just about every important moment of a game.

Sather did pay a significant price in both term and dollars for both players, but because both are still in their prime, I think it was worth it. Sather was able to pull it off because he’s not paying full price for Jagr. (Thank you, Caps owner Ted Leonsis.) Washington continues to pay half of Jagr’s salary, and the Rangers only have to claim their half (approximately $4.94M) against their cap. Without that quirk, Sather wouldn’t have been able to sign both Drury and Gomez.

I do think the Rangers will miss Nylander, but I would have made the same decision.

The club also decided to deal center Matt Cullen back to Carolina to clear a little extra cap room. Cullen is a versatile player and a terrific skater, but you can’t pay $2.8 million in a salary-cap league to someone who doesn’t figure in a key role. Well, I guess you can, but it really doesn’t make sense.

Sather also allowed role-playing forward Jed Ortmeyer and backup goalie Kevin Weekes to leave via free agency. Ortmeyer brings energy, and it would have been nice to keep him. Sather must have believed he didn’t want to pay much more than the minimum for a fourth-liner. Weekes, meanwhile, felt slighted by management when he wasn’t used as the No. 2 goalie when he returned from injury late last season. His departure was no surprise, nor will it have much impact on the club’s performance in the coming season.

The Rangers certainly figure to better their 94-point total of last season. The expectations will be skyscraper high, though. If they don’t fall victim to the hype, they could make it a longer spring for hockey fans in New York.

Hyena….I just don’t get all the crap you spew. Think more, write less is something you should consider.

Hossa – Straka – Jagr is a good line? Who’s the natural center there?

“Betts sucks at center?” Name the guy with the best faceoff percentage on the team last year. Name the top 5 shot blocking forwards in the league last year please.

You think Gomez and Drury should be on the same line? Two marquee centers playing side by side. Put the bong down.

For all you other clowns on this blog saying Gomez and Drury suck, give it a frickin rest. We are 2 games into the PRESEASON! And we played with a split-squad in both games.

One thing I am already getting tired of is the MSG jerkweeds saying how great a job Mara and Strudwick are doing by being mic’d up and teaching the younger guys things. Tell those two guys to do a little less coaching and a little more playing hockey. Or, take off the skates and get behind the bench. Enough of the “Mara and Strudwick are such good guys they should be on the team.” That is a joke.

Am I correct in saying that tonight’s game will not be on TV at all?

followed by death by firing squad