Rangers Report Blog

From the NHL:

MESSIER, RICHTER AND DEVELLANO

TO RECEIVE 2009 LESTER PATRICK TROPHY
NEW YORK (September 18, 2009) – Hockey Hall of Fame center Mark Messier, New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter and Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Jim Devellano have been named recipients of the 2009 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

The award, one of the most prestigious in hockey, was presented to the National Hockey League by the New York Rangers in 1966. It honors the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a player, coach and general manager and was a pioneer in the sport’s development.

The recipients will be honored at an evening reception at Gotham Hall in New York City on Tuesday, October 21. Further details on the event will be announced at a later date.

Universally acknowledged as one of the greatest leaders in all of sports, Messier already had won five Stanley Cups as an Edmonton Oiler when he arrived in New York in 1991 with the task of ending the Rangers’ five-decade championship drought. Following the lead of their captain, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, putting hockey front and center in the consciousness of the United States’ largest city and gaining for the NHL unprecedented publicity and attention throughout the country.

A native of Edmonton who began his career as a rambunctious role player, Messier developed into perhaps the greatest power center the game has ever seen. In a 25-season NHL career that began in Edmonton and included two stints with the Rangers as well as three years in Vancouver, Messier piled up 1,887 points, second all time to Wayne Gretzky. His 1,756 games played were second all time to Gordie Howe’s 1,767. And the combined 1,992 regular season and playoff games in which Messier appeared are the most in League history. His jersey number 11 was retired by the Rangers on Jan. 12, 2006 and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, 2007.

A remarkable big-game goaltender, Richter backstopped the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup and the United States to the inaugural World Cup of Hockey title two years later. He was brilliant on both stages, providing the acrobatic foundation that enabled that Rangers team to play an attacking style and stunning the star-studded Canadian team in the three-game finals of the ’96 World Cup.

Richter’s 666 games played and 301 victories are the most by a goaltender in Rangers history. His 42 victories in 1993-94 are a single-season record for the franchise. He was a three-time Olympian who won a silver medal with Team USA in Salt Lake City in 2002. His jersey number 35 was retired by the Rangers on Feb. 4, 2004 and he was inducted in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Oct. 10, 2008.

Entering his 28th season with the Red Wings and his 43rd overall in the National Hockey League, Devellano continues to be a driving force behind Detroit’s success, as well as a strong influence in the evolution and improvement of the League itself. Devellano was the first individual hired by owners Mike and Marian Ilitch after they purchased the Red Wings in June 1982. He was the team’s general manager for eight seasons before ascending to his current position as senior vice president on July 13, 1990.

Devellano’s pioneering work in developing a strong European scouting staff helped build Detroit into an NHL power and four-time Stanley Cup champion from 1997 through 2008. He also was responsible for bringing the Entry Draft to the United States for the very first time on June 13, 1987 at Joe Louis Arena. In all, he has won 14 championship rings as a scout, general manager and team executive. That includes seven Stanley Cups – three as assistant GM of the New York Islanders.
————————————
Here are the official Rangers game notes. You might want to check out the downloadable complete game notes package on all game nights.

Enjoy the game.

Here it is … Somerset, I penciled you in for Wednesday, but if I don’t hear from you by Saturday, I’m going to the bullpen.

Remember, folks, I need your guest blog the night before via e-mail (rcarpini@LoHud.com). If there’s a game that night and you want to write your post after the game, that’s fine. But please send it to me before you go to bed. Also, be sure to put the name you want used in the post. Most people are using their screen names. On game nights, I may put up a blank evening post for game-related comments and discussion.

Have fun with it. Try to keep it hockey related, and not too long … 8-10 paragraphs is ideal.

So, the schedule for next week:

Sunday 9/20: Colorado Mark
Monday 9/21: Noah
Tuesday 9/22: The Mouth
Wednesday 9/23: Somerset
Thursday 9/24: Laurel Babcock
Friday 9/25: The Real MikeyNJ
Saturday 9/26: AdamZ
Sunday 9/27: Me.

Thanks to the guys who put this info in the comments earlier. Here’s the official word from the Rangers (sadly, The Moustache is gone):

 

RANGERS TRIM TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY 20
34 Active Players Remain With The Club 

            New York, September 17, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has assigned the following 15 players to Hartford (AHL): goaltender Miika Wiikman; defensemen Trevor Glass, Brent Henley, Sam Klassen, Mike Sauer, David Urquhart, and Nigel Williams; and forwards Andres Ambuhl, Daniel Bartek, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Dan LaCouture, Matt Maccarone, Justin Soryal, and Dale Weise.  In addition, the Rangers returned five players to their respective junior club: goaltender Scott Stajcer (Owen Sound, OHL); defenseman Tomas Kundratek (Medicine Hat, WHL); and forwards Ryan Bourque (Quebec, QMJHL), Roman Horak (Chilliwack, WHL) and Ethan Werek (Kingston, OHL).

Forwards Tyler Arnason, Dane Byers, Corey Locke, Jordan Owens, and Patrick Rissmiller will continue training camp with Hartford.  Including these five players, the Rangers now have 34 players remaining in training camp, including four goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 20 forwards.  New York continues their exhibition schedule tomorrow, September 18 at 7:30 PM when the team will travel to Detroit to face-off against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

The Rangers will cut down to 29, 30 or so today. Some thoughts after a couple of preseason games:

1) The Avery Rules are in effect even for preseason games. I mean, geez, he knocked over a goalie last night, but the puck was already in the net, and then he got punched in the face by Mike Mottau. The result: Goal disallowed, two minutes for goalie interference and two more for yapping to the ref. Why not give him one of those phantom Colton Orr major penalties, and suspend him, too? At the very least, the goal should have counted and Mottau should have gotten two minutes.

2) Matt Gilroy will not be one of the cuts today or ever. The guy is on the team, and if what he’s shown so far is real, he’s here to stay for a long time. So kudos have to go to Glen Sather and his hockey people for signing Gilroy as a free agent. He may be the most gifted D-man the Rangers have had since you-know-who.

3) Evgeny Grachev looks like he belongs, but we have to see more before we know he surely does. Same with Del Zotto,who is on the bubble. I don’t mind the way Potter is playing at all.

4) The Rangers sure have some XXL-sized guys now. Unfortunately most of them aren’t very good.

5) How about Ochocinco? Chad Johnson should change his number to 85. I don’t know if he beats out Valiquette for the backup job, though, but he looked pretty good. Except that he got beat on the first shot he saw, and long before the pathetic Prudential Center p.a. guy realized there had been a change in goal.

5) Hate to say it, but Redden looks decent.

6) They should have shootouts at the end of every preseason game. Then none during the season.

7) The Rangers really barely have enough players to start the season, especially if Gaborik and/or Dubinsky don’t.

Here’s the official game summary.
———————-

I’m going to put out the guest blog schedule for next week, and just want to check: Somerset and ZzZz, are you guys planning to volunteer? Last time you were both interested, but I haven’t heard from you.
———————-

AFTERNOON UPDATE, 12:52 P.M.: Got to go to a football game soon, and the cuts are expected around 3 p.m., so I won’t be able to post them. If you guys spot them on another site and want to put them in the comments, great. But please credit the site from which you, ahem, “borrowed” them, i.e. Andrew Gross or Steve Zipay or whomever. OK? Thanks.

I’m still waiting to hear from Somerset. The clock is ticking.

That means time for a blank slate for all your comments.

Here it is. Enough said.

(Oh, and I never did get a chance to speak with Tortorella today. I got called away for another assignment.)

Hey, they just showed the AT&T commercial with little Dubinsky and little Drury in the back seat of the car before coming on the air on MSG.

Well, it was fun while it lasted but I might be getting the hook for another assignment that just popped up.

I watched the workout for the guys who are playing tonight, had a few words with some of the players, then went to watch the workout for the guys not playing tonight and now I may have to leave.

So not much to report other than: Nothing new on Dubinsky.

Cuts tomorrow, down to the low 30s in numbers. The team goes to Detroit Friday (not traveling the day before the game, as they normally would) then to Boston for Saturday afternoon. So a lot of guys (probably the young guys) will have to play both of those games.

Sanguinetti, for those who asked, is not in the lineup tonight at the Rock, and didn’t play last night. I don’t know what’s up. I don’t think the team thinks he’s ready to be one of the many young defensemen ready to play now, though, or at least make team. I’d think Gilroy, Del Zotto and Potter, for sure, are ahead of him, and probably a few others. There are obviously only two spots on defense open.

Gotta go. Hope to speak with Tortorella, but that might not happen.

1)  The plan is for me to head over to the workouts today. I don’t know if I can free up to go to the Rock tonight, but it’s on TV, so that’s fine. Hopefully I’ll have something from practice later.

2) Did anybody notice anything about the MSG renovation last night?

3) I’m starting the roll call: Anybody want to do a guest post next week? E-mail me at rcarpini@LoHud.com. Again, this is how it works: You write something and e-mail it to me the night before it is scheduled to be posted. Pretty simple. I’ll put out a schedule in the next day or two. Somerset, you’re already in, but e-mail me anyway just to let me know you’re still willing.
——————
PS, did you see that Zherdev signed yesterday with a Russian team. OK, I lied. Four quick things.

Just watched the Yankees-Blue Jays brawl. Pretty good one by baseball standards. Joe Girardi has a mouse growing under his eye.

Anyway, before I see Rangers in 60, here’s the official  postgame stuff:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES
September 15, 2009 – New York Rangers 1, Boston Bruins 2
(Pre-Season: Game No. 1, Home No. 1)
Click Here For The Official Game Summary

• Steve Valiquette started the game in net for the Rangers, stopping 18 of 19 shots in 31:17 of icetime. Matt Zaba replaced Valiquette in net during the second period, and turned aside 15 of 16 shots in 28:36 of icetime.


• Christopher Higgins notched the Rangers’ first goal of the pre-season with an even strength tally at 10:05 of the third period; he finished with two shots on goal in 15:24 of icetime.


• Forward Ales Kotalik collected an assist on Higgins’ third period goal in his Rangers debut, and finished the contest with three shots in 15:20 of icetime.


• Ryan Callahan tied for the game-high with six shots on net in 13:25 of icetime.


• Artem Anisimov, the Rangers’ second round choice (54^th overall) in 2006, won a team-high, nine of 16 faceoffs (56%) in 17:50 of icetime.


• Defenseman Alexei Semenov tallied the primary assist on Christopher Higgins’ third period goal, and logged 17:42 of icetime.


• Marc Staal logged a team-high, 21:23 of icetime; he also registered two shots and delivered two hits on the night.


• Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto tied for the team-lead with three hits in the contest.


• The Ranges return to action tomorrow, September 16, when they will face-off against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center (7:00 p.m.), in their second of four games in five nights; the game will be televised live on MSG.

POST-GAME QUOTES
John Tortorella … “As the game went on there were some good things. I don’t want to name names because I may forget someone but as the game went on I thought we played well. We switched the lines around a little and I think everyone contributed.”

John Tortorella on Christopher Higgins…“I thought he was one of our strongest players on the puck, especially in the second half of the game. If we’re going to be a good team and a competitive team, he needs to be a goal-scorer for us, he needs to be a penalty killer for us, he needs to be a top six forward for us and he needs to accept responsibility for that. Tonight was a good sign.”
Christopher Higgins…“I think we were a little slow to start. I think that was a byproduct of all of the conditioning we were doing. Guys were a little bit tired but I think you saw the product of that as the game went along. We played a little bit better. We want to keep the pressure on teams, wear them down. We didn’t get the second goal tonight but that is what we are looking to do.”
Matt Gilroy…“It was good. First period was a little shaky. In the beginning it was kind of hard to find my spots defensively but towards the end I got into a little bit of a rhythm.”
Matt Gilroy on playing in MSG and hearing the Star Spangled Banner… “I definitely got chills, and to hear that first ‘goal’ song go off was pretty cool too. It was my first taste of this and I want a lot more.”

Laurel here. Nothing to report but comment on the game tonight …start fresh with a new thread! The season has begun! There’s real hockey tonight!

Some of you guys will need seatbelts tonight. I can just tell that your excitement might be a little over the top. I don’t blame you, but I’ve never been part of this blog for the start of a season before.

No, Brandon Dubinsky isn’t going to be playing tonight. But you may have seen Larry Brooks’ story on the leverage issue in the Dubinsky situation. It was quality stuff (sort of what I’ve been saying all along, only probably better than I’ve said it).

I have an assignment tonight, so I won’t even be able to see the game live. I know you all will keep me informed as to what looks good and what doesn’t.

Enjoy. I’ll stop back in later on.