Rangers Report Blog

C is for Hank

It’s been a tough couple of years for our Blueshirts, and it’s been even tougher for the Garden faithful. Every thing this proud franchise has worked for since its existence seems to be unraveling before our eyes, yet we’re too loyal of a fan base to look away.

The end of the 2009-10 campaign was a microcosm of the whole season. Had we won just one or two more games, this may not have happened, but our hearts were torn in two watching our Rangers fall in a shootout. There was no emotion in their game, no heart: just empty eyes all around the bench. The only emotion we saw from our team was the anger and frustration of our goalie Henrik Lundqvist, an anger that should’ve fired up the rest of the team but didn’t (not even Torts could wake this team up). Where are our leaders? Where are the Rangers we once knew?

There are hundreds of things wrong with this Rangers team. They need more offense, better defense, better coaching, and better management. Yet, the one thing they need more than anything is a true leader – a leader who embraces his team, his city, and is not afraid to carry both on his shoulders. In 1994, the Rangers had four of these caliber players (you know who they are): Leech, Graves, Richter, and Messier. They were New York, and they were true Blueshirts; they bled red, white, and blue. It’s no coincidence that they’re numbers are forever immortalized in the rafters above our heads at the Garden. These guys were our guys. They had the “it” factor, and they knew what a proud franchise this team is.

Where are these types of players now? Well, while we may not have four of them, there is one person that shines and plays his guts out in EVERY game. Whether or not the team in front of him is alive, this man plays his heart out through thick and thin, just like the previous mentioned players. This man is Henrik Lundqvist, and the only thing missing for him is a capital “C” on the top right of his sweater.

How many times do we watch games and think, “What more can Henrik do?” This man has stood on his head for this team numerous times, so much so that he is physically and mentally drained by the time March comes around, and it’s so frustrating to me that the players in front of him can’t do the same back.

Chris Drury, your time as captain is up. Give Hank the “C”, because he can handle the pressure and the spotlight that Drury obviously can’t. This is something that is long overdue! The man is becoming a legend in New York, but if we’re not careful, he may become more appreciated somewhere else. Why give him the C? Not only does he have the numbers to back it up, he is the embodiment of a Ranger and a true leader. Plus, Henrik knows what it’s like to win a championship — he’s been there. Hank carried a whole country on his shoulders during the 2006 Olympics, proving that he is born for this opportunity.

Hank loves this city, and the city loves him back; we believe in our goalie, and he believes in us. This city deserves a new hero, and Lundqvist can be our red, blue, and white knight. So, listen up John Tortorella: it’s time for a change. Make this a proud franchise and dominating force once again. Make Henrik Lundqvist — our franchise man and New York hockey’s sweetheart — the 26th team captain of the New York Rangers, and let him lead our team the way he deserves to.

The female sports fan (hockey included)

I’m going a little off the topic of the Rangers here, but they’re here, just in a round-about way.

One of the most interesting and fun aspects of being a part of the family here at Ranger Report is that I’m one of only a handful of females, or “blogettes,” if you will. It leads to some unique exchanges at times. Yet, I’ve never felt disparaged because of my gender and, in fact, I’ve always felt welcome here. That has not always been the case, whether in an on-line forum/blog like this or in person at a bar or any gathering.

I’ve been a sports fan for most of life and the reactions I’ve gotten have ranged from puzzled to insulting to welcoming. Those are just from the various guys I’ve encountered and known over the years, which is what I want to focus on. And for the record, this is NOT going to be a post where I bash guys; I just want to talk about my experiences as a female, self-proclaimed sports nut.

When I was younger, I was just a baseball fan (the Mets in particular) and for the most part, the reactions I got were of the ‘awww, how adorable’ kind. At the time, those comments never bothered me, but then when I got to high school, I became a Rangers and hockey fan. That was when I started really getting into the games, learning stats and which players were on various teams and becoming more knowledgeable about both hockey and baseball. By my college years, I was a full-fledged sports nut and could keep up a conversation about anything sports related.

That was when the more “interesting” comments began cropping up. There has never been anything particularly negative said towards me when I mention that I’m a sports fan. More of the surprised reaction is what I get, especially when I start arguing with a fellow fan about why the trap was bad for hockey or why Player X is not a good fit for the team. It’s after those types of conversations that I would get a negative reaction and I attribute that to the fact the guy in question was hurt that he lost a sports argument with a girl.

It’s the other reactions that I get that both annoy and surprise me. Those are of the ‘you only like sports because of the guy’s look/bodies’ or, in other words, the accusation that I’m just a pink hat fan.

Nothing could be farther from the truth in my case. And I suspect in the case of the other “blogettes” here. We are sports fans because we love the sports themselves. We love seeing a breath-taking combination of passes on the PP that results in a goal, we love to see the tough guys on a team get into a scrap, we love to see the punishing open field hit on a receiver, we love to see the simple beauty of a well-turned double play. We can talk sports with the guys just for the sake of talking sports with the guys. Because we actually know the sports and can recite the stats and argue about line combinations. We LIKE doing these things whether they are in a bar, in our own living room or on a blog such as this.

And if we happen to mention out loud or notice that a certain player is good looking? Well, we’re still red-blooded females, and not dead, and we’re not going to ignore that just because we are sports fans first and foremost. I consider that an extra perk of being a female sports fan and one that I do not plan on giving up anytime soon :)

Good morning all! Good morning, Sally!
Just like last summer, before he left for his long meeting with Mt. T, and me with you for two weeks (oy, July blog management!), Carp badgered, um, asked me, if I’d post a post this week, and I just can’t say no to the blogfather, so here I am. (I’m certainly no “guest” though, so I took that out. Blogmama perogative.)

But what to say, what to say? Not even going to try to match Mitch or Paul on prospects, CR snagged Mess, and you all have covered most of the major topics and news. And besides, is there really anything left to say about Staal?? So, to keep your summer-addled, hockey-less minds sharp, I thought we’d just have some fun. (Of course, you’re also free to talk about anything else, as per usual, and we will post new news if by some miracle there is any, but if you’re up for it….)

Now, obviously this first idea doesn’t work in reality. I’m aware. But we talk so often about divisional rivalries, and what a pleasure our division is, and how certain teams are going to come out of their divisions based on their rosters to make a Cup run, I thought … what if you could remake the league? What if we didn’t have to worry about Philly and Jersey and, ugh, Pittsburgh, but say, Detroit or, better yet, the Blue Jackets!

So, Challenge 1: Remake the NHL’s team groupings to your liking. Who’d you like us to play less, or more? If you don’t want to do the whole league, just remake the Eastern Conference, or just the Atlantic Division. But remake something, involving the Rangers, naturally. And explain your rationale.

Challenge 2: Build your own Rangers. And don’t just go by star power, please. From anyone now playing in the NHL, or prospects, who do you think would work best together to make the ideal Cup-winning, great to watch, in-your-dreams dream team? No capologist skills needed, no salary worries. But here’s the real part of the challenge: You must keep Hank, Dubi and Avery. (That’s my fun). So choose your lines. You can have a back-up goalie, but lines without the other two don’t count.

If any of the challenge answers particularly inspire me, you can have the book about cats I got sent in the mail that’s been sitting on my desk for months, courtesy of the sister blog!

In closing, thanks to all the guests so far, and to the ones coming (MickeyM tomorrow, Yergs Saturday, and ilb Sunday). It’s hard putting yourselves out there, I know, but Carp and I sure appreciate it, and so do most visitors here…TA!

We Will Win Tonight

“I’m going to take my talents to South Beach…” With these words, LeBron James shocked not only the basketball world, but the sports universe as a whole.

Now, ‘heads, you might be asking yourselves what this has to do with the Rangers. Allow me to clarify things for you. In the months and weeks leading up to LeBron’s “Decision,” there was rampant speculation by the media as to where LeBron would choose to play. Many reasons were bandied about ranging from money, loyalty, championships and friendship, to even the big stage of New York, but the one factor Lebron should have focused on was the perception of his legacy. And if ever there was a poster boy for the influence of that perception, Mark Messier is it.

Messier won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, one following the departure of Gretzky and the preceding four while shouldering the burden of leadership, allowing Gretzky to mature into the legendary player he became. However, Messier is remembered in the sports world for winning a mere single Stanley Cup with the Rangers and is known as the greatest leader the NHL has seen, being the only player to captain two different franchises to a Stanley Cup. Why? Because it occurred in New York and it ended the Rangers’ 54-year drought without a Cup.

How did Messier become the sole proprietor of the 1994 Stanley Cup when the Rangers had other great players on that team, including Conn Smythe-winner Brian Leetch? The answer is simple: Messier stepped up on the biggest stage — like Joe Namath did with the Jets — guaranteeing victory when the Rangers needed it the most and then living up to his word by fulfilling that promise with a hat trick in the decisive third period.

Had Mess stayed in Edmonton, it is likely that he would be beloved in Canada but largely unnoticed in the USA. However, because his success was attained in the biggest city in the world, that one Cup coupled with “The Guarantee” changed the ultimate perception of Messier’s legacy. With his leadership and performance in that fateful spring of ’94, Messier became the King of New York, something he might have had to abdicate had LeBron chosen the Knicks and ended their long drought.

It is the prestige of Messier’s legacy that the current Rangers need to use to their advantage. We have been hearing that Messier is being groomed to take over the Rangers’ general manager job. This transition needs to be expedited with the utmost alacrity. While Messier’s promotion would provide a huge upgrade in the competence department, it would also bring something else the Rangers have lacked since Messier retired … cachet. Many Knicks fans were recently horrified to hear that Isiah Thomas was used in an unsuccessful final attempt to convince LeBron to join the Knicks. What they failed to realize is, Isiah — inexplicably, given his track record — has cachet with the younger players in the NBA. Those players — whether we fans agree with this assessment or not — look up to him as a leader, father figure and role model. It is this quality that Messier can bring to the Rangers when attempting to lure players to New York.

What player would not want to make a mark in New York when being courted by the man who exemplified how the city treats a conquering hero? Who better to teach leadership to the young, up and coming Rangers than the man the NHL named their Mark Messier Leadership Award after? With the media relegating the Rangers to non-contender status in the near future and the fans tiring of management and ownership’s ineffectiveness, who better to rise again to lead the Rangers in an attempt to restore relevance and respect to their franchise in a city dominated by baseball, football and basketball, than the Captain himself?

While LeBron may be remembered for taking his talents to South Beach, Messier will forever be known not only for “I guarantee we’ll win tonight” but for actually making it happen! If Messier can rejuvenate the hopes of Rangers fans and produce another Stanley Cup for this franchise, his status would be elevated beyond a king, to a god. If anyone could live up to such lofty expectations, Messier can.

Who knows, maybe Messier can lure the Jaromir back! :)

Because, at my age, I could not possibly understand this team with the same depth as many of you, I have opted to share my favorite Rangers memory:

The day? May 27, 1994.

The background? I was 26, an eighth grader at George Fisher Middle School and a budding hockey fan.

The setting? My parents basement in Carmel.

Hockey, in all its splendor, only began to appeal to me a couple years earlier, slotting just below a few others on my fandom radar. I’d toggle between Ranger and Knick games all winter as both teams proved they were juggernauts worthy of our attention. The ‘93-’94 Knicks prepared for a trip to the NBA Finals behind Patrick Ewing, John Starks and a few sharp elbows. The Rangers — a little history in their sights — stormed toward a Presidents’ Trophy with Mike Richter, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch swirling around Garden ice in their absolute primes.

But even the hockey season trudged on, I remember knowing enough then to know this: the Presidents’ Trophy meant nothing. I probably started following hockey closely two years earlier in what registered at the time with me to be a colossal flop: How could the best team do so poorly in the playoffs? The 1991-92 Rangers were bounced by Pittsburgh (a team, with a superstar, I absolutely hated) with hardly a whimper.

To be fair, looking back I didn’t understand the singular importance of momentum in hockey. Sure, other sports weren’t foreign to a team enjoying a hot streak, but the best teams seemed to always win the NBA, NFL or MLB playoffs. Even college basketball, with the UNLVs and Dukes kicking tail every March. So if the 1991-92 Rangers were the best, why the @#$% didn’t they win?

With the lesson learned, I looked toward the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs with a cynical eye. Did I listen and watch? Absolutely. I remember straining to hear a scratchy radio in the dark as Howie Rose (ironic to think it now) sent the Islanders off to a date with Mr. T. It probably only lasted that (very short) series for me to say, screw it, I believe again.

The day Game 7 of the conference final finally arrived, I spent the school day daydreaming about the game, watching time creep along like a row of newborn chicks crossing the street. If I asked a question in Earth Science that day it may have been the ubiquitous, “Are we there yet?”

Friends of mine were pumped for Game 7, too, and one of them, John Gug, hatched a plan: I would invite him and another friend of ours, Bodo, over to watch in my basement. To this day I’m not sure why or how my house and my little sports war room was chosen. Or how I played the role of bystander in its selection. But the details hardly mattered. The idea appealed to me and that was that. A quick chat with mom after I came home from school that day confirmed it: the viewing party was on.

My friends showed up later that afternoon and the games began. In my house, my brother and I formulated dozens of games from nothing. A personal favorite among me and friends was hockey played with wiffle ball bats wrapped in electrical tape, one of those stuffed indoor basketballs (wrapped in duct tape), furniture as goals and full-on checking. You may be surprised to learn this was never my mom’s favorite indoor game, although she occasionally allowed it. So we mostly played when no one else was home.

On this day, bastardized Thomson hockey played Third Eye Blind to Game 7’s Springsteen, a poor opening act for a legendary main event. Of course, we had fun; Game 7 turned out to be just that good.

As you know, Mark Messier delivered the Rangers back to Garden ice by guaranteeing Game 6. But Game 7 became something to behold on its own.

As eighth graders we were easily distracted by games of our own, watching the Rangers and Devils play deeper into night as we passed time with various modes of basement destruction nearby. But the longer it went, the more focused we became. With every minute we swung a bat or bounced a ball less. The Rangers led 1-0. The Stanley Cup was minutes away, then seconds. We were ready to share one of those awkward moments of spontaneous hugging like Rocky and Apollo in Rocky III, the Sistene Chapel of awkward male celebrations.

Boom. Not so fast. The Devils scored with 7.7 seconds left. A freshly sharpened dagger was stuck into our hearts in the cruelest moment of my sports fandom to that date.

“This wasn’t basketball,” I thought. “Teams just don’t score in the final seconds!”

Right after Valeri Zelipukin scored, it was like our ol’ friend Ira K. Doom slipped through the garage door and stretched out on the couch with his feet up. Did Ranger fans believe their team could win? I sure didn’t. Imagine the 30, 40 or 50-somethings who had never seen them win the Cup.

Heck, I was only 26. It could’ve been worse.

Still, the next 20-plus minutes of hockey tortured us, each chance bringing fans closer to heaven or hell and nowhere in between. When the Rangers finally won as Stephane Matteau poked one past Martin Brodeur, my friends and I had our Rocky III moment. I believe I still clutched the bat in one hand. Whether it hit something or someone while I flailed around celebrating I still don’t know. Or care. It must have. But the Rangers were playing for the Cup!

I don’t even know how long it took, only that the identity of the goal scorer was a mystery at first. For those of you tuned in on the radio, you knew. Matteau played 16 total seasons but his Game 7 winner is the second sentence on his Wikipedia page only because they listed his name and birthplace first.

Despite my Bart Simpson-like qualities, my sports fandom has felt like Groundhog Day. The buildup, the company, the agony and the ecstasy turned May 27, 1994 into a unique day, one I’ll never forget.

Of course, at my age, it seems like only yesterday.

While we’re waiting for Josh, 26, to get his thoughts together, this just in:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent forward Alexander Frolov.

Forward Alexander Frolov scored his first NHL goal at Madison Square Garden and ranked MSG as his favorite NHL arena in last year’s Kings media guide. Frolov has surpassed the 20-goal plateau in five of his seven NHL campaigns, including two 30-goal seasons in 2006-07 and 2008-09. Frolov, 28, has skated in 536 career regular season contests with the Los Angeles Kings, registering 168 goals and 213 assists for 381 points, along with 210 penalty minutes. He has recorded 24 multi-goal games in his career, including three career hat-tricks.

“Alex is a highly skilled player who we feel will play a key role in improving our offense and play in all situations,” stated Sather. “He is strong competitor and has the ability to play either wing position.”

In 2006-07, Frolov established career-highs in games played (82), goals (35), assists (36) and points (71). He led the Kings in goals and game-winning goals (six) that season, and finished second on the team in points. He was one of only two players on the roster that appeared in all 82 games, and tied for third on the team in shots on goal (195).

In 2008-09, Frolov led the team in goals (32) and power play goals (12) while finishing second on the team in points (59) and power play points (25). It marked the third time in his career that he led the Kings in goals, having previously led his team in goals in 2003-04 and 2006-07. Frolov also led the Kings and ranked sixth in the NHL with an 18.2 shooting percentage. He registered 14 multi-point efforts, leading Los Angeles to an 11-1-2 record in those contests.

On January 21, 2009, Frolov tallied two goals at Colorado, including his 20th of the season to become the first Kings player to record at least 20 goals in five straight seasons since Luc Robitaille registered eight consecutive 20-goal seasons from 1986-87 to 1993-94. Frolov finished the season strong, tallying 30 points (14 goals and 16 assists) in his final 32 games.

Alexander Frolov won a silver medal with Russia at the 2010 World Championships in Germany, where Rangers center Artem Anisimov was his teammate. As a rookie in 2002-03, Frolov tied for third in the league among first-year players in plus-minus rating (plus-12) and ranked fourth in shots on goal (141). He made his NHL debut on October 9, 2002 vs. Phoenix, and tallied his first career point with an assist on October 19, 2002 vs. Vancouver. He notched his first career goal at MSG on October 25, 2002 vs. the Rangers.

The 6-2, 210-pounder appeared in 81 games with Los Angeles last season, registering 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points, along with 26 penalty minutes. Frolov registered two, four-game point streaks during the month of October – from October 3 vs. Phoenix to October 10 at St. Louis (one goal and three assists), and October 22 vs. Dallas to October 28 at San Jose (three goals and four assists) -– and finished the season’s opening month with 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in 13 games.

He registered 10 multi-point performances, including a season-high, four-point effort on March 8 vs. Columbus (one goal and three assists). The seven-year veteran appeared in his 500th career NHL game vs. St. Louis on January 9.

Internationally, Frolov has represented Russia in several major tournaments. Most recently, he captured the Silver Medal with his native country at the 2010 World Championships.

In 2006, he made his Olympic debut for Russia at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Frolov also won a Gold Medal with Russia at the 2002 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. He led the team and ranked second among all tournament skaters with six goals, and tied for the team lead and third overall with eight points.

The Moscow, Russia native was originally Los Angeles’ first round choice, 20th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

There has been a lot of talk this off season about the need for scoring. One of the biggest oversights has been the addition of Mats Zuccarello Aasen. Along with the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings were all keeping an eye on this kid while he played for Frisk, MODO or for his country in various tournaments. Scouts were flying over to Stockholm just to convince him that their club was a perfect fit for him.

By the end of March the news had leaked. It was made official after the IIHF World Championships. The New York Rangers had won this year’s “Fabian Brunnstrom” as some people call it, signing him to a two-way ELC for 2 years at $900,000 a year plus bonuses (mandatory two-way contract). So what can we as Rangers’ fans expect from Aasen? Anders Hedberg, who is the Rangers’ head professional European scout, has some pretty high expectations for Aasen saying, “We did not recruit him because he will play on our fourth line or on our farm team, but we expect him to fit in in one of our top five.”

The scouting report on Aasen states he has fantastic technical skills, great passing ability, and is a magician who can do spectacular things with the puck. He has great vision and can man the power play point, is defensively responsible and doesn’t mind heavy traffic. He is gritty for his size and shows a lot of heart, creating scoring chances by himself, while a player like Brunnstrom would be more dependent on his environment.

Mats started out his professional career in the GET league, a Norwegian ice hockey league, playing for the Frisk Asker Tigers. During his time there he played 98 games over 4 seasons with 63 goals and 68 assists. His role started out on the 3rd line and over the next couple of seasons he was given more ice time and more responsibility. In his last campaign with Frisk he was named the Norwegian Player of the Year while his team finished first overall, winning the regular season, but losing in the finals 4 games to 2 to the Storhamar Dragons.

After losing in the finals, Mats signed a two-year contract with MODO Hockey in the Swedish Elite Leage. When he first showed up on the scene he was considered to be a 3rd or 4th liner who had potential. After some pre-season games that changed. In his first season, an ankle injury kept him sidelined for 10 to 15 games, yet he still managed to notch 40 points while playing on a line with ex-ranger Niklas Sundstrom and fellow Norwegian Per-Age Skroder. They were considered the top line in the league that year.

In his second year with MODO he continued to develop in all areas, throwing the team on his shoulders when key players fell to injury. Just as with Frisk, with great play came more ice time and more responsibility. He led all forwards in ice time averaging 22 minutes a game and at one point led the league in hits. In 55 games he scored 23 goals and had 41 helpers. This season was among his most successful. He was awarded Most Valuable Player as voted by the players.

Qualifying for the Olympics for the first time since they hosted it back in 1994, Norway was back in the spotlight. Aasen may have only had 1 goal and 2 assists but it was more his ability to play on a smaller ice surface against the “world’s best” that opened up a lot of scouts’ eyes.

Recently it was the World Championships where Rangers’ fans may have seen Aasen play. Before the tournament opened, rumors started to swirl about him signing, or reaching an agreement with the Rangers. In the 6 games Norway played he had 3 goals and 1 assist. Norway beat the Czech Republic for the first time in 70+ years and Aasen, along with his linemates, had a lot to do with it. They made it to the qualification round but ended up finishing 5th.

This all sounds great doesn’t it? With all the positives come negatives. Aasen tends to carry the puck too much at times. In the NHL he will need to adjust to carrying the puck less. Then there’s his size, and that seems to worry a lot of fans.

The jury is still out on Mats Zuccarrello Aasen, and his talent transferring from the SEL to the NHL. Some players leave the SEL with much fanfare and don’t always live up to the hype. One thing I am certain of, Mats Zuccarello Aasen is offensively gifted, has vision, and can make plays. He has the best opportunity for a top 6 role by coming to New York and I expect nothing less than that.

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Evening update

I’m late, sorry, but have been out of pocket for a bit. Thanks nyrguy for the link earlier. Here is from the team:

New York, July 26, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today the preliminary roster for the 2010 Traverse City Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The annual prospect tournament is scheduled to begin on September 11 when the Rangers’ prospects face-off against the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospects. This marks the fifth consecutive year that a team of Rangers prospects will be going to Traverse City for the eight-team tournament.

A group of 22 prospects will represent the Rangers next month at the annual Traverse City Prospects Tournament, which the Blueshirts won in 2007. Nineteen of the 22 members of the 2010 roster are players whose NHL rights are currently owned by the Rangers. Eleven players are Rangers draftees from the past two years, while eight others have already signed their first NHL contracts with the team.

Seventeen of the 22 players participated in the Rangers’ annual Prospect Development Camp earlier this summer. This includes 2010 draft picks Dylan McIlrath, Christian Thomas, Andrew Yogan, Jason Wilson and Randy McNaught.

Forward Evgeny Grachev, the Rangers’ 2008 third round selection, will be returning to the tournament for the third straight season. He will be joined by fellow 2008 third round draft pick, defenseman Tomas Kundratek, who was a member of the Rangers’ Traverse City team last summer. Five players from the 2009 draft class – forwards Ryan Bourque, Ethan Werek and Roman Horak, defenseman Daniel Maggio and goaltender Scott Stajcer – are also back from the 2009 team, as is defenseman Sam Klassen.

Competing in the tournament’s “Gretzky Division”, the Rangers will play round-robin games against Carolina, Columbus and Minnesota, beginning with a September 11 tilt against Columbus’ prospects. Their placement in the round-robin will determine who they face in the championship round that concludes the tournament.

2010 Traverse City Prospects Tournament

RANGERS SCHEDULE

Day Date Opponent Time

Saturday Sept. 11 Rangers vs. Columbus 3:30 p.m.

Sunday Sept. 12 Rangers vs. Carolina 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday Sept. 14 Rangers vs. Minnesota 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday Sept. 15 Placement Game TBD

2010 NY RANGERS TRAVERSE CITY PROSPECTS TOURNAMENT ROSTER

Forwards

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Age 2009-10 Team (League)

Ryan Bourque LW 5-9 171 19 Quebec (QMJHL)

Evgeny Grachev RW 6-4 222 20 Hartford (AHL)

Roman Horak C 6-0 171 19 Chilliwack (WHL)

Colin Martin LW 6-2 206 19 London (OHL)

Chris McKelvie RW 6-1 195 25 Bemidji State Univ. (WCHA); Hartford (AHL)

Randy McNaught RW 6-4 220 19 Saskatoon (WHL)

Brendan Shinnimin C 5-10 176 19 Tri-City (WHL)

Derek Stepan C 6-0 187 20 Univ. of Wisconsin (WCHA)

Christian Thomas RW 5-9 164 18 Oshawa (OHL)

Ethan Werek C 6-1 195 19 Kingston (OHL)

Jason Wilson LW 6-2 206 20 Owen Sound (OHL)

Andrew Yogan LW 6-3 203 18 Erie (OHL)

Defenseman

Lee Baldwin D 6-4 205 21 Univ. of Alaska Anchorage (WCHA)

Sam Klassen D 6-2 199 21 Saskatoon (WHL)

Tomas Kundratek D 6-2 200 20 Medicine Hat (WHL)

Daniel Maggio D 6-3 202 19 Sudbury (OHL)

Brandon Manning D 6-1 195 20 Chilliwack (WHL)

Ryan McDonagh D 6-1 222 21 Univ. of Wisconsin (WCHA)

Dylan McIlrath D 6-4 218 18 Moose Jaw (WHL)

Jyri Niemi D 6-2 208 20 Saskatoon (WHL)

Goaltenders

Scott Stajcer G 6-3 200 19 Owen Sound (OHL)

Cameron Talbot G 6-4 205 23 Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville (CHA)

Silence is Golden

We all know the same old story. When are the Rangers going to make a big splash in free agency? Well maybe this year we stick to our guns and try to see who makes the team, and we don’t bother with any UFA’s. Is that a good thing, bad thing, or are we still hoping to make some kind of splash?

Well, No. 1, it appears one way or another that Kovy is off the market. I can’t see the Rangers getting involved here even if they wanted to. The Rangers would have to move Redden or Rosival to have any hope of landing Kovy. Of course moving both of those guys would be a great off season even if they got a bag of pucks in return.

One thing I think would be a great idea is for the Rangers to try and sign Mike Modano. I know we have Prospal, but Modano and Prospal splitting time, would make a decent first line and both can definitely feed Gaborik the puck. Modano would come cheap, but again after signing Prospal, I’m not sure the Rangers would do this.

Another available player is Marc Savard. The Bruins are begging for a taker. I believe why he hasn’t been dealt yet is that no one is sure he has or will recover from his concussion. I think that’s pretty obvious, but the Bruins aren’t asking for much, so that has got to be what’s going on. Should the Rangers take a chance? Remember the rumor about why the Rangers moved Savard to begin with. He supposedly had a bad attitude, and wasn’t very good in the locker room. Has he changed?

Gagne is a goner, but it would have been a nice pick up. Even if he is often injured it would have been nice to add some kind of scoring. We are in need of some scoring and although I thought it would be nice to pick up Modano, he is not the only answer. So we may wind up making no moves whatsoever. We appear to be heading in the direction that some of these young guys are going to make the team, and management thinks they can solve some of our scoring problem.

Which brings me to this next topic. If the Rangers were to move Redden in a package do you think it would be worth it to move Dubinsky? I know he’s one of our young guns, but he seems to be lacking in the fact that he can’t play the No. 1 center. His scoring is okay, but he seems like a 20 goal a year guy. If we could move Redden would you include Dubinsky for the sake of moving Redden? We probably wouldn’t get much in return, but we could finally lose Redden. This is a deal that I would do, considering all the other prospects we have, and considering some of them appear to have better scoring ability. So if we were to break our Silence during this trade deadline, this is a deal I would do. Would you consider a move like this a successful off season? Is this move a good move? A decent move? Or a move that you wouldn’t even remotely consider.

When I started out the question was is Silence Golden? Are the Rangers going to sit back and run with the roster as it is? Maybe we make a minor splash, kind of like getting Eminger. One thing is for sure Sather is trying to run things differently but is differently really a good thing right now? We’re running out of options as far as UFA’s, would we dare to do another Sakic move? Right now it looks like Sather is in fact sitting tight but keeping the feelers out there just in case. We need to sign Staal, but other than that unless some trade that knocks his socks off comes along, we may do nothing this off season. Doing nothing is not a bad thing. One good thing is apparently there is a plan to take care of Redden which that in itself is a big deal. Like I stated early moving him, or losing him in some way is a home run of an off season. Just remember Sather is the one who stamped that contract and he can always do it again.

So maybe the Silence is Golden.
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Updated guest blogging schedule for the coming week:

Monday, July 26: Paul.
Tuesday, July 27: Josh Thomson, age 26.
Wednesday, July 28: CR9.
Thursday, July 29: TBD (but she/he knows who it is).
Friday, July 30: MickeyM.
Saturday, July 31: Yergs.

Youse guys will have to send your posts to Blogmama at lbabcock@lohud.com the night before it is scheduled. Mickey and Yergs, please let us know via e-mail that you’re still willing and able to guest blog this week.

So when did you realize you were a Rangers fan?

First of all, sup Boneheads, both silent and vocal. We all want to see the team do well, and hopefully win, at least for me, another Cup in our lifetimes. How the team moves from where we’re at now to where we want to be is a topic worthy of serious debate. Some want us to go all in with youth. Some want us to “release the Kovalchuken!!!!!” into a Rangers jersey on MSG. Most want something in the middle. Me? I’m just glad Sather didn’t go trying to sign everything in sight. We filled obvious holes in FA with Biron + BOOgaard. How much we paid them can be debated till opening night, but they were holes worthy of being filled.

But today’s post isn’t about that. It’s about when you first realized you were a Rangers fan. I grew up as a black guy from Flatbush. Hockey wasn’t exactly the thing to watch in the fall, to be honest. That was Knicks season. Time to beat Jordan season. Time to destroy Reggie Miller season. That was my thing back then. Both my cousin and I had a Sega Genesis, and one day I borrowed his NHL ’94. I wanted to try something different. I remember playing the the New York Rangers against the Penguins, and #11 getting  into a fight with someone from the Penguins. After that, I was hooked! I slowly began learning about hockey, then realized that I could simply watch the game on TV instead of reading about it. I learned about Messier, Graves, Beukeboom, Tikkanen, Kovalev (my personal favorite) and other fan favorites. I started casually watching games during the regular season. But then the playoffs started.

To be honest, I don’t remember much about who we played in the first and second rounds. But I remember playing the Devils in the conference finals. I remember Messier with “The Guarantee”, then going out and making good on his promise. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he made that guarantee . He could’ve said that he was re-creating MSG from scratch with popsicle sticks in one night, and I would’ve believed him after his performance that night. Side note: I did not realize until making this post that Ed Olczyk was on that team. Now back to our regular story. I remember the announcer screaming “Matteau, Matteau!!!!” when we finally beat Brodeur and were making our way to the Finals.

If I was a casual fan up to the conference finals, I became a full fledged FANATIC when the Finals arrived. I refused to miss a game. I can still see Richter in my head stretching his right leg with everything he had to stop Bure on the penalty shot in Game 4.  I watch that clip now and still feel a tingle up my spine. Side note: Its funny how Leetch, headed back to his blue line, basically just gave the puck away to Bure to start that sequence. Really hope Del Zotto doesn’t learn THAT from him.

I taped Game 7 of the series, and still watch it from time to time. I remember the feeling that came over me when the final horn sounded and everyone literally went crazy. That’s when I knew I was a fan and I’d be forever hooked on hockey. I’ve stayed a loyal fan, even when I moved away. So glad my cousin bought/rented/“acquired” that game.

So that’s my Rangers fan story. What’s your “I knew I was a Rangers fan when….” story?

The coming of July 1st signifies the height of the summer; beaches, barbeques, and relaxation,  but during the last decade, the Glen Sather era has been an anxious day when Rangers fans hold their breath as they’ve become accustomed to the GM-For-Life overpaying mediocre unrestricted free agents with sometimes outrageous contract lengths and stipulations such as no movement clauses.

This summer seemed to be a change of pace as the Rangers made modest acquisitions by signing their in- house free agents and an affordable backup goalie in Martin Biron, but the 4 year deal at $1.625 million per for enforcer Derek Boogaard had professional publications like Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com laughing at Sather while fan forums including HFBoards.com and even here at Rangers Report are up in arms. The deal may be hefty, but having an enforcer with Boogaard’s resume will benefit the Rangers tremendously if he is used correctly.

Whether the Rangers have been in the Atlantic Division, Patrick Division, or as far back as simply the East and West, teams in the Northeast have always employed toughness and more often than not, it was at the Rangers expense when an enforcer was absent. The ‘70s saw the Rangers dealing with the likes of the Big Bad Bruins and Broad Street Bullies, in the ‘80s it was an Islanders team with Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, and Dave Langevin as well as a very tough Capitals defense anchored by Scott Stevens, Rod Langway, and later Kevin Hatcher and Al Iafrate by the early 90s. Having to presently deal with names like Clarkson, Konopka, Carcillo, and even cheap shot artists like Cooke (not to mention Chara and Lucic four times a year), having an enforcer isn’t as much an option as it is a necessity.  Even if he only sees 4-6 shifts a game, teams will think twice about taking liberties with Gaborik or running Lundqvist (that means you Jason Blake) if the 6’8’’ “Boogey Man” is creeping around.

Boogaard can be an invaluable momentum changer for both the regular season and especially playoffs. How many times during mid-December to late February have the Rangers sleepwalked through the first forty minutes of a game? A Boogaard hit or fight can change that. There have been several infamous moments in Rangers playoff history where a fight has single-handedly changed a game or series. Rangers fans should be familiar with Dave Schultz pummeling Dale Rolfe in 1974, and have better memories of Nick Fotiu chasing around the Flyers in their 1979 playoff meeting. How important was it when the 1981 team beat up the smaller Kings and gooned their way to the semifinals, or when George McPhee took on Rick Tochett in 1986 for that Cinderella run? Boogaard instantly gives the Rangers credible toughness and something an opposing coach will have to think about when making a lineup card.

There is no arguing that Sather overpaid for Boogaard.  But that is the nature of free agency.  The Rangers are a big market team who overspent by a few hundred thousand, yet essentially have unlimited financial resources. Fans should worry a lot more about secondary scoring and whether or not underachievers wasting valuable cap room like Redden, Avery, and even Boyle end up in Hartford than taking out their frustrations on the new, needed enforcer. Boogaard is still only 28 and in the prime of his career and will allow players like Callahan, Dubinsky, and even Girardi to concentrate more on their jobs than fisticuffs.  With carrying his salary and Brashear’s, the cap strapped Rangers will be forced during injuries or slumps to play their promising, younger options, rather than looking outside the organization.   One year from now Brashear, Eminger, and even Rissmiller will all be off the cap, the salary discussion won’t even be one, and some great team chemistry may have developed amongst that talented and hopefully thriving crop of youngsters.

The only danger of this signing lies in the broken promise from both Sather and head coach John Tortorella that more youth will be played. There’s no reason to play Boogaard every game. He is an asset that should be used only when needed and when teams lacking toughness or a true enforcer skate onto the Madison Square Garden ice, the purpose should be to develop younger players with greater potential whether they are Dale Weise, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, or perhaps Evgeny Grachev or Derek Stepan.

So Rangers fans, enjoy the rest of your summer, cross your fingers that Sather finally did July justice, and get ready for a lot of Boooooooo chants as Madison Square Garden this fall…just hopefully for the right reason.
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Hi boys and girls, it’s Carp, off the fairways (um, roughs, out-of-bounds, lateral hazards, etc.) for a few minutes.

Haven’t been in touch too much with what’s going on here, but I know Mama has her eyes peeled.

Anyway, here’s the guest blogging schedule through the middle of the coming week. I’ll put up the end of the week sked over the weekend.

Saturday, July 24: Joekuh.
Sunday, July 25: Cynar.
Monday, July 26: Paul.
Tuesday, July 27: Josh Thomson, age 26.
Wednesday, July 28: CR9.

See youse all later.