Lights, camera, action
-
- September
- 22
The preseason officially began in Ottawa on Saturday night, but to me, a game at Madison Square Garden—with its proud history, passionate fans, and life-threatening pre-game meals—is when it really starts.
Aside from the Victoria Cup game in Bern next Wednesday, which at least has relevance to European club champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk, none of these preseason games amount to anything. If the Rangers go 0-8 but get a good look at everyone and feel like they’re actually ready for the regular season, they’ll be content.
That said, there is something to be said for the likes of Markus Naslund, Wade Redden, and Nikolai Zherdev all getting their first twirl on the Garden ice as Rangers. It’s a chance to show the crowd what they can bring this team, and perhaps to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.
In other news, Larry Brooks confirms that Brendan Shanahan was officially invited to training camp on a tryout basis, but has thus far refused. I don’t blame Shanahan for that, but I can’t imagine the Rangers at this point blindly offering a contract without having him in camp.
This entry was posted
on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 am by Sam Weinman.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
Josh Thomson Josh, who is 26 and a native of Carmel, graduated from Boston University in 2002 and began working for The Journal News the following March. 
from last thread…
Staal Wart September 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
Beer…I always have hockey eyes…lol
with “half my brain tied behind my back†hehe kidding of course.
Now eyes to filter through the posts…thats another story.
True Fans…why did you automatically think I’m talking about your posts…one of many is more like it…
”...but I can’t imagine the Rangers at this point blindly offering a contract without having him in camp.”
They had a decent look at him in the 2 weeks before camp started. If they were keen enough to be watching. He’s been more than accomodating to the Rangers during the offseason. I’m starting to lose interest in this just like the Sundin Saga. The Sundin/Shanahan Saga is still in full swing with a flight to Europe just a week away.
I just hope Hank looks sharp tonight. I don’t want to have a chunk of the season in which he has a down in his play. If he played the whole season as we know he can, he will win the Vezina.
Shanny,
Has this guy been revealed as a fraud or what? He wants a garunteed contract? Didn’t Sather OVERPAY him last year with a similar deal? If Shanny doesn’t come back on a tryout basis that’s his problem. If we didn’t give him that stupid deal last year, we could sign another guy to play for us this year. I was giddy when Shanny came to NY, but not so much anymore. Good riddence.
Nasty,
without a question he would win the Vezina. Man so who else is still excited… it coud be that I’m wearing rose colored glasses… or just that I need one thing going right and hockey is my last hope, but I was happy wiht the performance we saw form our split squad.
Cally Dubi and Voros, that looks like a solid third line if not second. We’ll see becuase I also liked the Drury Dawes Prucha chemistry. Rozsival and Staal were solid, except for one flub (yes bad one Rozi) where he was the trailer and lost the puck at the blue line. Part of me says the other d man should be back, but what do i know, I never played. I also imagine the first game after hip surgery might be a little slow, but again I’m trying to take the positives… he did soe great pking especially holding the puck along the boards!
Mara was solid and I am glad he came back. When asked wy he wnted back to the Rangers his answer was two words… Stanley Cup… I like that belief!!
Can’t wait to see the rest of the squad tonight!
BTW I tried to leave a message on Dellapina’s blog but it wouldn’t let me sign in… :( I am going to miss him terribly. THat newspaper is the one we get, I relied on him every day for my hockey news (well he and Sam of course!!)
I wish him well, but I’m sorry to see him go.
I know that I am excited that there is going to be hockey on almost every single night this week. It is like a dream come true, ha. I know it is just pre-season, but still.
Yeah, it gives us all the chance to get back into the ‘swing of things’ as far as game day ‘rituals’ go. Get home, feed dogs, get changed, make dinner, watch game.
I was just thinking about seeing Hank in net tonight. And I agree Nasty, that we don’t need to see the ‘down side’ of Hanks game this year. Last year he had his dads health hanging over his head. Not to mention at the worst possible time when they did the ‘fathers road trip’ thing. That couldn’t have helped.
The TSN preview of the Rangers mentions something along the lines of ‘if he stays healthy, and on top of his game he could win the vezina this year’. When the guys on, he’s on.
I too understand why Shanny ain’t coming to camp…it’s a matter of pride, IMO. You don’t go 21-plus years as one of the most dominating scorers in the league, only to get cut by a team in tryouts…but with this said, I think it’s Shanny’s funeral as a Ranger to not offer the club a chance at seeing where he’d fit into this lineup.
for the people (more last post than this one) who keep saying “its only 1 preseason game, relax”, all the talk comes from FINALLY getting some hockey for the 1st time in months and wanting to dissect it. I agree, 1 preseason game doesn’t make a season, but its ACTUAL hockey, and we’ve been bottled up for over 3 months now.
also, anybody looking to go to the game tonight? I’m going and got 1 ticket available. in the 300s, for face (about $50).
One stat that I really like from the game the other night was the total shots on goal. 36-18 the Rangers outshot Ott. Even with all the time we spent short handed, we still managed the game pretty well in periods 2 & 3.
Limited shots has been a huge part of one of the best goalies to ever play. Yes, Farty Brodeur. Remember those games you’d see the box score and he’d have an ‘amazing’ shutout where he had to stop a whole 12 shots?!
Limiting the chances will keep your goalie fresh.
Two tix avail for tonight if anyone is interested. Section 326.. face value (100 for the pair.
email me
joseph.lore@bnymellon.com
2 things I noticed about the game Saturday:
1. the HORRIBLE officiating. How is it a hooking call when the blade of your stick doesn’t even TOUCH a jersey, let alone hook against it? They need to stop calling it every time a stick goes parallel to the ice.
2. did anybody hear near the end of the 3rd period, there was a HUGE cheer for absolutely NO reason at all? Either Giannone or Micheletti said something about them piping in crowd noise. if that’s true, that’s PATHETIC, especially for a Canadian team.
According to Zipay:
On paper, looks like Dubinsky, who scored twice on Saturday, gets another chance. Things could change…
G: Lundqvist, Zaba
D: Redden debuts as a Ranger with Girardi; Kalinin, too, with Sanguinetti, and Pock-Fahey.
F: Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev
Fritsche-Dubinsky-Weise
Voros-Nedved-Parenteau
Korpikoski-Anisimov-Orr
Can’t wait to get a look!!!
SAM – Any word on Renney?
jeever – re: crowd noise. I heard them say that too, and I don’t doubt that it was ‘pumped in’. Remember what 2 idiots we’re talking about though. There were 17k+ in that building for the 1st preseason game. I hope we can represent like that tonight.
If mercenaries like Shanahan were not overpaid beyond sanity they could retire with dignity, not try to hold on with no gas left in the tank – an especially sad ending for a Hall of Famer.
I wish you good luck, Brendan, you are too classy to be a fourth line “digger,” or don’t you know that? You had a better career than the Hollweg’s and Strudwick’s of the world, why would you disgrace yourself to skate on a line with baloney and cheese lunch pail guys like that? Say goodbye, please!
beer – wasn’t the 17K “announced attendance”? meaning that 17K tickets sold for the game, but it could have been a lot less people ACTUALLY there? like if they have 17K season ticket holders that HAVE to buy those games, but don’t show…? I don’t really remember them showing the crowd for us to judge that way…
I read it on tsn this a.m. It said something about ‘in front of 17,xxx fans in attendance.’
Don’t see the article from Brooks on the post’s website re: Shanny try-out. Can someone post the link please?
Thanks!
Beer- the article on TSN said, “in front of an announced crowd of 17,616.” From what you can see of the lower level during the play it looked a little barren, and you could hear the nice echo of play in an empty-ish arena.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=250150&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl
ahh…thanks. I should wait until at least 7a.m. before reading ANYTHING! Or have a cup of coffee first.
What’s the over/under on attendance for the NJD preseason games? 25…35 people? NOT including the players or officials.
25-35 if you include all the food vendors so Doc Emerick has something to talk about during the game.
Yes Doc is still stuck in the paraphinalia of Marty Brodeur.
Brandon
It was in today’s paper (The Shanny tryout) Brooks titled it “Shanny getting the Bernie Treatment”
Trying to equate a guy who was on two 2nd round exit teams in two years to a guy who was o 4 world championships teams and played here for 16 years
Even though I love Shanny, and want him back, there is NO COMPARING the two situations