Here’s my column from The Journal News and LoHud.com today:
NEW YORK — It is the quote of the season for the Rangers, because it is everything they are about.
Brandon Prust, the tough-as-shoe-leather winger, had been playing with at least two bad injuries — a bum shoulder and a banged-up hand — two things you don’t want when part of your job description is to fight.
On Saturday, he had blocked a shot off his foot and he toughed it out, limping the rest of the game. He had gone for X-rays, which were negative, and on Monday his foot was still in terrible shape but there were games to be played that night and the next.
Prust was being asked if he might play, and he told reporters:
“It’s just pain.”
It’s Just Pain. That should be the Rangers’ team motto, as “Heave Ho” was in 1993-94, as “Ya Gotta Believe” once was for the Mets, and “We play today, we win today” once was for the Yankees.
These Rangers hit the six-day NHL All-Star break with a 29-20-3 record after a league-high 52 games played (30 remaining). They have won five more games, and recorded six more points, while scoring 13 more goals and allowing 15 fewer after the same number of games last season.
But anybody who’s paying attention knows that the improvement, the marked difference, from last season to this, isn’t nearly that close. Unfortunately, not many are paying attention. New York fans have been distracted by the Jets. Distracted by the Knicks. Well, these Rangers are as good a story as the Jets, minus all the foul-mouthed yapping and bragging and bad behavior.
These Rangers are as good a story as the resurgent Knicks, though they more closely resemble the blue-collar Oakley-Starks-Mason Knicks.
These Rangers have made their mark despite having lost 193 manpower games to injury.
It’s Just Pain.
They’ve plugged hole after hole with minor-leaguer after minor-leaguer and haven’t skipped a beat. Their lineup Tuesday night: average age 24.9, and that includes the 34-year-old captain.
They have had guys such as Prust and Brian Boyle, two grinders, out of nowhere become key producers and leaders.
Their best line this season featured wingers Ryan Callahan, who has missed the last 19 games with a broken hand, and Brandon Dubinsky, who has missed the last five with a stress fracture in his leg. They’ve been without their second-best scorer from a season ago, Vinny Prospal, for this entire season, and survived the loss of their top scorer, Marian Gaborik for 14 games.
But the most compelling thing about this team, perhaps, is that its injuries haven’t been all the residue of bad luck. No, the Rangers are, in a crazy sense, designed to be injured, the way they hit, the way they block shots, the way they play from national anthem to final horn, and sometimes beyond.
Coach John Tortorella kind of said that when asked Tuesday night if the break came at a good time.
“Yeah. We’re beat up,” he said. “The guys that are playing are beat up. They’re beat up for the right reason. They should feel good about themselves. We always talk about that. If you play the right way, and you may not be able to practice the next day, you need some time off, you need to feel good about that because you’re playing the right way.
“I think for the first 52 games here, we’re pretty much there, as far as trying to play the right way. We’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way and had some ups and downs. But I think the mind-set, in how we have to play, has been there pretty consistently.”
That’s why we’ve seen so many players limp off after being hit with pucks — and often seen scenes like when Ruslan Fedotenko already felled by a shot and before he could get to the bench, diving in front of another shot. Why we’ve seen Dubinsky play for two weeks on his broken leg.
Because these Rangers play for each other, play the right way, and play the way few teams play, the way few Rangers teams have ever played. And if you have to go for X-rays, wear an ice bag in bed or miss a few games or weeks?
Well, it’s just pain.
——————
AP photo, above.
378 Comments
Good morning, boneheads!
Great write up, Carp! It’s just pain! Gotta love this!
Amazing, 5 more wins, but only 6 more points? Shootouts!
It’s Not Just Pain, it’s injuries. As fun to watch as these guys are, if they don’t learn how to play tough without getting injured, they may not make it very far in the Spring. You can only keep your head above water for so long…
That said, LGR.
Sean Avery is certainly better than pretty much every 4th liner in the NHL and when the other players come back from injury, that’s where we will be.
They have won five more games, and recorded six more points
——————-
i don’t get it… how’s five more wins equals six more points?
GREAT writeup Carpfather!
Great stuff Carpy, great stuff.
Great column, Carp. Along with “It’s just pain” motto, I’d also add Torts’ description of his warriors: “This team is easy to like”. Probably that’s why many of us are so reluctant to accept any trades- the fear of interfering with team’s chemistry…
These Rangers are making me proud (and thirsty)!!!!
but the questions still remains :
How do you approach a long layoff?
That’s a stupid question, Tony.
How many inches of snow did you get today?
Great article Carp, what an inspiring and hopeful year it has been so far. I love this team. I have been a Rangers fan for about 24 years and I would say other than the Cup team, that this team has been my favorite year to watch and be a fan.
Since you asked – we got 14” of sunshine.
How’s NY – still snowing ?
I’d guess 70, Carp. Except Tony measures it in Fahrenheit, not inches…
This team is a pleasure to watch compared to recent teams under renney and Torts.I think its the influx of the young guys and and the scarcity of the overpaid underachieving ,high expectation from the fans, vets. I wish dreary could be dumped, I expect less from prospal..
CCCP, you’re meshing the 5 wins and 6 points together. What he’s saying is the team has won 5 more games, and recorded 6 more points, than this point last year. Remember, we had a LOT of OT games last year.
WoWo is correct. 5 more wins but 4 less ot losses equals a 6 point increase.
It’s stopped snowing. We got another foot and a half overnight. had about 5-6 inches yesterday. In some drifts there’s about five or six FEET on the ground with all that has fallen since Christmas, with plow piles much higher than that.
But it’s a dry heat.
Avery goes offsides way too much…his shot accuracy is terrible…
that said he is an important player for this team in many other ways and I hope he can find his offensive touch before the playoffs…
PS: Great read, Carp.
Great piece Carp, I enjoyed that and agree whole heartedly… When you have buy-in across 4 lines you can make something special happen. Congrats to Torts for aligning the boys around a great attitude and passion for the game.
Great article, Carp.
Did you ever publish your mid-term grades in the paper or on the blog? Just curious if I missed it or not.
You know why everybody is giddy over this team even though they are barely in the top 8 and only 6 points better than last season beside the fact that these guys hustle? It’s because we can look at the big picture and see guys like Stepan, AA, MZA, Sauer, McD, DelZotto, etc. are good players that will just get better with more experience.
When they were going through the rent-an-overthehill-vet phases was there any chance that those guys were going to get better? None. They had their time and were on the down slope.
The future’s looking pretty bright for Rangers fans.
>>...and that includes the 34-year-old captain.
If you must know, that’s 51 in Drury years.
Good afternoon all! Carp, I think I may just cry…...geez that was an awesome piece.
>>...and that includes the 34-year-old captain.
If you must know, that’s 51 in Drury years.
———————————
34 is only almost 5 in dog years… so he’s still young!
oh and thanks for explaining the point thing for me, guys
Mista Carp – EXCELLENT ARTICLE. You hit it on the head, my man.
I’m proud to be a Rangers fan.
PS – have to say, between Brooks (love him or hate him), Carp, Gross, Spector…. we have some pretty damn good writers covering the Rangers in the NY metro papers.
Great job, as always Carp!
With all the talk of injuries and being banged up, in made me recall two words that were used quite often in the late 90s.
“Hyperbaric Chamber”
Back then, I recall (Sam or JD) talking about Richter spending time there. I was always left imagining what this chamber was and how it helped…even more so, if it was even a chamber.
Anyone know whether this practice is still in use? How it works?
Maybe the rangers should all be spending time there, during the midseason break.
(Half kidding)
Great article Carp, that got me all fired up… too bad there’s no hockey!
Prust= WARRIOR/MONSTER
Prust > Pain
They say there is no chin under Prust’s beard… only another fist.
From Twitter: Chuck Norris watches Brandon Prust movies.
Great article, Carp!
And it’s true that almost all the Rangers play from anthem to final buzzer, except for that Sean Avery. He starts his game at the pre-game skate!
Oger,
The chamber pumps pure oxygen, which is good for the body/blood, and promotes faster healing.
There are easier ways of doing it now.
Chuck Norris wears Brandon Prust pajamas.
Ha! Awesome Gift of Gab!
I was just thinking how much Prust reminded me of Hulk Hogan. No matter how beaten down he is his hand never drops to the mat. (Thankfully he doesn’t do that puffy face thing).
It’s just Tiki!™
When Chuck Norris needs a beating, he calls Prust.
Rumor has it Prust once broke Chuck Norris’ nose just by looking at it.
Funny how so many Ranger fans still at polar opposites with regards to their viewpoints on Avery. He is either a very under-rated valuable, nearly irreplaceable player or he is overrated and belows on the 4th line and is only not there because of injuries.
IMO, he’s someone inbetween.
What he isn’t is an offensively skilled player (most goals in a season is 15) and that’s has been glaringly evident lately as we’ve watched him miss numerous very good opportunities where it’s not a case of a goalie making an amazing save – it’s Avery not even getting shots off at times.
What he is is a strong skater and with a decent ability to carry/hold on to the puck and the willingness to take a hit to make a play. I find him to be deceptively crafty when it comes to working the corners – it so often looks like he is about to hit and have to engage in a battle for the puck, yet he manages to avoid that hit and continue working the puck.
He’ll also come to the aid of a teammate from time to time.
His me-first antics are probably the weakest part of his game (and that’s all mental – it’s got nothing to do with his physical abilities obviously). I find it incredible that frequently, when the camera pans the bench, he is sitting at one end, totally detached from his teammates. What the heck is up with that?
To me, you put up with the behaviour (and even then quite reluctantly) when the player is someone like JJ – a true difference maker on the ice. When it’s a 3rd or 4th liner (and that’s what Avery truly is) I say the sooner he’s gone the better.
How interesting that lately he’s not been sulking at the end of the bench – he is sitting and conversing with his linemates.
All in all, Avery right now is a solid contributor to the Ranger cause, even if he’s not scoring. Can he keep it up? If not, it’s only a matter of time before he’s back on the 4th line or worse, in the pressbox.
Great read Carp.
Here is another really interesting article at Business Insider.com about the Rangers, thought you guys would like it.:
http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-rangers-trailing-after-two-periods-win-2011-1
You’ll learn to love Avery. So said Sather told Torts…..
One thing to remember amid the lovefest is the Rangers still have trouble scoring.
They haven’t had a full lineup once since the addition of Wolski along with emerging of Zuccarello and McDonagh. But they will soon.
They also haven’t maximized Boyle’s offense, and they’ll forceably have to limit Prust (cause he won’t do it himself) if they want him @ playoff time.
So I wouldn’t mind seeing them try a few things down the stretch here for an extra offensive boost. They can always re-unite Fedetenko-BB-Prust and juggle whomever.
But basically by asking Zuccarello to switch sides, which I think he’s capable of, their lineup could fall into place and be well-balanced.
Zuccarello-Boyle-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Wolski-Stepan-Prust
Avery-Drury-Prospal
morning ILB and all!!
Carp
great write up!!!
LW
ok, good. You had me worried.
Just pain=just desserts, i.e wins
Females have XX chromosomes and common males have XY. Prust has YY, because he is twice the man than the common man.
I`m not one to blow smoke up someones arzz but this guy Carp should be in the running for the Longfellow Award
Prust should wear the “C” on this team. Seriously.
Great article. I like the “From the anthem to the final horn, and beyond” line. A much better way to describe this team’s effort than cliches like “a full 60 minutes.”
Here’s the article from today’s Times about Meche of The Royals turning down his own contract. I think we, the fans who buy the tickets, pay for the cable tv to watch the games, buy the jerseys – everything – deserve to ask Chris Drury to do the same. His contract prevents any action on Ranger management’s part, and that’s Sather’s fault. We just can’t pay this guy this much any more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/sports/baseball/27meche.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage
Brandon Prust went swimming in the Loch Ness, and the monster got out.
Give the “C” to Avery… he deserves it because he is simply the best of the best! :)
DJK
I’ve been saying he deserves a letter for quite a while, so I agree with you obviously (though maybe just an A, don’t want to slight drury)!
give the C to CCCP….oh wait , he already has a few, nevermind!
I was cutting and pasting that very article and you beat me to it!
Naslund had class…wish Drury did.
Redden was in it for the money, wasn’t he? We can say that now. If it was about playing to win he’d have asked out of contract and played for less elsewhere.
Look at Vickers, Hodges, Barry Beck, all the old NHL’rs -very few played past early thirties. Why GMs think it is different now is beyond reason. People peak and fade.
so is Prust our new “The most interesting man in the world”?
Hi wicky!
Great story and writing, Carp. Very inspiring. Except for one line :)
Mao!
LMAO @ Loch Ness monster reference, Carp! Oh, you’re the best!
Thanks wicky! funny boy :)
Prust doesn’t need a teleprompter to speak to his adoring followers
CCCP – Dont know. But one sure thing is, Drury is the least interesting man in the world.
His Prustbyterians.
At the risk of sounding like Tiki – Ain’t Carpy the best !
What’s wrong with sounding like Tiki?!
Carpy is indeed the best, as well as Mama, Sally, ilby, and Mao!
And the following may start controversy, but I have to leave in a few, so I wont be around for it :) .....
Any Rangers “fan” that dislikes Avery is just another of those New York “fans” that has NO LOYALTY. There should not be one Rangers fan that dislikes Avery. And if you do, you’re just a disloyal piece of carcillo!!
Avery is New York. Avery is wonderful, wrongly hated by many, misunderstood, awesome, a great teammate, a great person, a great lover, a winner. Avery embodies everything about New York.
CCCP- I heard Prust can speak Russian. In French.
Prust doesn’t always drink… but when he does… he prefers the blood of his opponents.
Stay Monster my friends.
great write up Carp
and
great line:
Gift of GAB-orik and the All Star Break so we can heal! January 27th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Rumor has it Prust once broke Chuck Norris’ nose just by looking at it.
this may have already been posted
and from some comments in the past couple of days
in regards to Mama
it’s now becoming clear.
if you’re slow to it as i, obviously, am
well here’s a link to the Sean Avery t-shirt
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/sean-avery-naked-skin-cancer_n_814580.html
btw,
you think cc will find some way to suspend him for actions detrimental to the league?
Maybe Prust is Chuck Norris’ son. Anybody think aboot that?
Or in some sick twisted turn of events, Chuck Norris is Prust’s son.
If only Torts would bench Dreary and Eminger at the same time. Wow!
Are you asking which came first, the Norris or the Prust?
And among all the Prust-love today, Ales Kotalik gets put on waivers by the Flames (again?)...
Boom Boom , what’s wrong with Emminger. I think he’s doing a great job.
Rumor has it Prust was thrown out of a bank for using the wrong kind of ‘check’. In his defense, it was a clean hit.
Carp, nice article. Glad you posted it as I did not get my paper today. Hmm, wonder why…could have been those 14” of snow NOT sunshine…Tony you are a funny guy.
Carp, not for nothing, I could have done without the comparison to the Knicks, although I know where you are coming from. Those players and that Knicks team are actually from a time when I considered myself a real Knicks fan, so I guess I let it slide…anyways…
Also, if Avery was on any other team, we would all hate him…but he’s OURS…so we love ‘im.
LGR!!!
nice follow up to my comment, Carp!
LW, too bad they had to give up kotalik and higgins to get prust.
What’s wrong with Eminger? He started off slow, but he’s been pretty solid.
Prust deserves all the love
but not a thought on the Avery shirt?
(or is just old old old news?)
we should claim Kotalik… remember? he’s got a bomb of a shot, which we can use on PP… oh wait…we did and it totally failed! lol
Geez, imagine? We can get Prust AND Kotalik for Kotalik and Higgins! Sather=Monster!
I watched that movie “Love & Other Drugs” last night. That Anne Hathaway is really climbing up my list. She has sweet gonzagas with another plump to make a statement.
Pretty good movie. She’s a babe.
2 tickets for 2/1 Penguins @ Rangers for sale:
Section 303, Row D 9-10
$130/pair. Please let me know. I can’t go.
steve at blacks4 dot com
jpg, the shirt is very old news. Krissy was the first to find that for me ages ago, bless her Norwegian heart :)
you guys are cracking me up today….
hey tiki
cccp
there is only one most interesting man in the world and he is already on this blog!
tiki, you are one loyal pup :)
I heard Prust hammers nails with his fists to warm up.
Sather = Monster! LOL
i tell you…NYR does ruin careers of many players…just look at Higgins and Kotalik. They were pretty decent players before they came to NY…now, nobody wants them!
wicky
and who would that be? :)
Prust once stopped and ask the energizer bunny if he needed a jump
Thank you wicky
“Any Rangers “fan” that dislikes Avery is just another of those New York “fans” that has NO LOYALTY. There should not be one Rangers fan that dislikes Avery. And if you do, you’re just a disloyal piece of carcillo!!
Avery is New York. Avery is wonderful, wrongly hated by many, misunderstood, awesome, a great teammate, a great person, a great lover, a winner. Avery embodies everything about New York.”
LMAO. I dislike avery because the team is better without him. if that means im not a fan then so be it. great teammate? they chased him out of dallas, and the kings didnt mind seeing him go. a great teammate would not sit his butt at the end of the bench away from his line mates. i guess when you have no plan on the ice you dont really need to communicate with your line mates tho, eh? great lover? ill take your word on that one. idk how you can say hes a winner…what has he done? also, somebody brought up how the whole “record with avery in the lineup” thing is BS. then went on to say that you could say the same about mara. ive always thought it had more to do with girardi joining the team. ive loved his game ever since they brought him up. but it seems like most people on here didnt even want to resign him. and even then, people wanted to trade him right away lol
They say Prust can’t ride the LIRR anymore. The last guy who told Prust he needed to punch his ticket still hasn’t recovered…
so cheesey
actually, higgins has been on fire lately. i wish him the best. he always gave everything he had on every shift, just couldnt buy any luck.
Higgins is from my hometown… I wanted him to to well so badly… poor guy couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, let alone hit the net. He seems to be doing ok in FLA.
that was supposed to say wanted him to do well… not to to
avery is garbage
your last post is pure speculation that this team is better without avery…..we will NOT know that until he is gone, whenever that may be!!
later assens!!
p.s. tony you’re welcome!?
The people who are hating on Avery are probably the same knee-jerk people who wanted to trade Gabby and Hank earlier this season.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions… even if statistically they are wrong.
The best thing Higgins ever did for this team was bring Brandon Prust in the trade. Don’t you think your logic is a bit strange, avery is garbage? So Higgins gave everything he had on every shift, just couldn’t score. And it’s ok with you, yet he was brought here for secondary scoring. On the other hand, Avery isn’t here to score goals, but he does everything else, including playing in every situation he is asked to play. And yet, he is garbage?
A rattlesnake once bit Prust. After five days of excruciating pain, the rattlesnake died.
higgins was not a turnover machine. higgins could successfully send and receive passes on a consistent basis. higgins did not take stupid penalties. higgins did not sit at the end of the bench away from his teammates. higgins killed penalties, while avery cannot be trusted in that situation. avery is near useless on defense, higgins was not.
oh, and higgins understood how offsides works
Jesus can walk on water, but Prust can swim on land.
Carp. Great post!! Thank you. Very inspirational.
There really is no other place for Avery to play hockey. He is perfect for this town and I never want him to leave.
He’s having an off year goal wise, but all players go through this in their career.
LGR!!
Jeff- before the snake died, it said: “It’s just pain”. It was in Prust’s venom…
“avery is garbage” is the same guy who hid under “nose picker” name and wanted Dubinsky off the team no matter what…
now, he can’t really say anythign about Dubi, since you know, he turned into a great player for us….so, what does this person do? He picks an easy target…a guy who everybody (apparently not everybody) dislikes..Avery! So predictable and lame.
OK, last one:
The continets didn’t drift away from each other, they just found out that Prust was gunna be on america so they all ran away.
thought so Mama
wondered why there was talking in regards
to sleeping with shirts.
whatever floats your boat….as they say…(whoever they is)
ilb2001 – very good!
“Any Rangers “fan” that dislikes Avery is just another of those New York “fans” that has NO LOYALTY. There should not be one Rangers fan that dislikes Avery. And if you do, you’re just a disloyal piece of carcillo!!
Avery is New York. Avery is wonderful, wrongly hated by many, misunderstood, awesome, a great teammate, a great person, a great lover, a winner. Avery embodies everything about New York.”
LMAO. I dislike avery because the team is better without him. if that means im not a fan then so be it. great teammate? they chased him out of dallas, and the kings didnt mind seeing him go. a great teammate would not sit his butt at the end of the bench away from his line mates. i guess when you have no plan on the ice you dont really need to communicate with your line mates tho, eh? great lover? ill take your word on that one. idk how you can say hes a winner…what has he done? also, somebody brought up how the whole “record with avery in the lineup” thing is BS. then went on to say that you could say the same about mara. ive always thought it had more to do with girardi joining the team. ive loved his game ever since they brought him up. but it seems like most people on here didnt even want to resign him. and even then, people wanted to trade him right away lol
Avery is garbage…
Explain to me how Avery has the third most assist on this team with playing almost entirely 4th line minutes for most of the season?
maybe avery is garbage is
just a troll
or really
gary bettman
or
marty turco
or
chuck norris
or
dionne phaneuf
or
on his ex-girlfriends
or…
pile of poop?
Brandon Prust can kill two stones with one bird.
“Any Rangers “fan” that dislikes Avery is just another of those New York “fans” that has NO LOYALTY. There should not be one Rangers fan that dislikes Avery. And if you do, you’re just a disloyal piece of carcillo!!
Avery is New York. Avery is wonderful, wrongly hated by many, misunderstood, awesome, a great teammate, a great person, a great lover, a winner. Avery embodies everything about New York.”
C’mon Tiki. Get real. I have a really hard time taking anything you say seriously because it seems you just say things to be provocative.
You know full well that your statement was ludicrous.
Yyyeah. Howabout those “resurgent” Knicks?....TWO games above .500! Losers of 7 out of their last 10! Pshhhh. They’ll make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record (or, maybe they’ll actually win 42 games) and then when the Rangers are actually making noise in the post-season, all the coverage (back page stories) will be on the Knickerbockers. Ugh…speaking of pain…
Honestly i just cant understand how you can be a Ranger Fan and not like Avery, i just dont understand it at all.
2.2 shooting percentage. Bad defensively. Leads the team in minor penalties.
I am sorry that Avery actually shoots the puck from any were on the ice! He is bad defensively that i will give you but he isn’t meant to be Mike Richards…
yup, im a pile of poop. you got it. or am i some dubi basher? idc, think what you want. but in reality, im just a guy who mostly reads but doesnt post. you want to know why he has the 3rd most assists? injuries. how many were primary assists? look, you can go by the stat sheet if you want, but if you watch the game, you’ll see all of the things ive been pointing out. and when he got an increase in ice time lately (21 mins the other night!) what did he do with it? except take excessively long shifts for no apparent reason. its like he thinks hes gretzky
My distaste is for the blind adoration of Avery’s fans. To them his miscues are absolutely acceptable. Giveaways, excessive offsides, missed scoring chances and lackluster defensive play etc seem to be ignored or maybe offset in their minds because he “entertains” them. The kicker though is that these same fans tend to be hypercritical of other players.
Case in point regarding Avery:
“He’s having an off year goal wise, but all players go through this in their career.”
I’m not calling Avery garbage. He’s played fairly well lately but far from great as many here believe.
Punches guys while they’re down.
Someone here once said “cheer for what you have”
We have Avery – I cheer.
I got the best news ever today: Krisy is planning to come here in April for the end of season!!! Whooo hoooo! Between tiki, Fozzy and now K, I’m digging the hostessing of out-of-town boneheads!!!
C3, maybe you can put aside the batteries for one outing eh?
Methinks we need the games to start up again real soon.
ddebened, I’m with you on that, big time.
true blue mike, you should be sorry. It’s not a good quality to just shoot from anywhere. he’s also missed 34 shots. 6th on the team in shots on goal, 8th in missed shots, near the bottom in goals scored.
What does Avery do that Prust can’t do while also killing penalties and scoring more goals?
Yes, Doodie, he does. And i dislike him for that. And other things…
I do believe that next year will be his last year as a Ranger. They will not resign him. But I wouldn’t call him garbage. He’s played well in different roles, and has filled whatever position he’s asked to..
“Someone here once said “cheer for what you have”
We have Avery – I cheer.”
Oh I definitely cheer for the guy. I cheered Rozsival and even cheered Redden on the rare occassions they did well. You don’t boo your guys.
That said, when the games aren’t being played, I have no problem skewering a guy that’s overrated.
sigh. this same old conversation is making me thirsty, and bored…..good time to run some errands.
the Rangers record with Avery is well over .500 In fact, the Rangers havent won a playoff game without Sean Avery in the lineup since Gretzky was still here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQc6p4slPp0
If you scroll to 2:01…that’s what everyone wishes Avery could still do.
actually my mistake, the Rangers did win game 4 against Pittsburgh without him but regardless Avery is an important member of this team.
Avery is the perfect 4th line player.
oleo – i know msg occasionaly puts up the graphic with the record with avery in the lineup, but is there somewhere else that has it? id like to plug in another player and see the differences. id love to know what it is with girardi vs avery.
i disagree. i always thought betts was the perfect 4th line player. he could jump on for a quick faceoff, he isnt a 20 goal scorer but hes alright with the puck, and hes an exceptional penalty killer. thats what i look for in a 4th liner
Thunder is merely the result of Brandon Prust getting angry.
(i’m going to ignore the nonsense Avery talk and keep making Prust jokes)
I’ll say this about Sean Avery:
He’s a ‘different cat’.
Prust’s dad hit him once. ONCE.
Gabby…mama love! Your jokes are making me thirsty and happy!
Gabby, that Prust, he sure can bantam (too obscure?)
If South Korea wants to negotiate peace with North Korea, they should send Brandon Prust in to negotiate.
For results of the Prust-Jong Ill meeting, google image nuclear explosion.
haha keep it up mama!
Rumor has it Death once had a near Prust experience…
ok i am officially dropping out of “he said she said” Avery argument… i am little sick of it already.
now, check this out
“Masters of plastic puck! International Table Hockey Championship! Moscow Cup”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rErmr-X_MP8
its in Russian but ill tell you this… that table hockey commentator > Joe M
GOALS me too…
Brandon Prust once participated in the running of the bulls. He walked.
Laurel
who’s Krisy?
Clint Eastwood says about Prust “He made my day…”
LMAO, found this on FB through ‘94 Parade – NY Rangers/Hockey Humor Blog
nyc.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/priceless-audio-from-last-nights-islanders-game/
the 2nd video of PAP is too hilarious…”PA Parenteau drops what has got to be the leading candidate for the NHL’s Rhetorical Question of the Year award.”
Great post Carp – always feel this team will come back – NYR hockey is fun again! Love the Prust jokes.
Nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole exept Brandon Prust, he eats black holes; they taste like chicken!
lol@ he walked… good one Jeff!
C3, Krisy from Norway…...she posts here often during games when the time difference allows it :)
Whether you like him or hate him:
Anyone ever consider that maybe Avery sits at the end of the bench, away from some of the other guys so that his antics (which are part of his role) don’t distract the guys on the bench? He also usually sits closest to the opposing team, so that he can compliment them as they get on and off the bench.
Prust visited The Virgin Islands. Now they’re just The Islands.
Osama Bin Laden hates the USA because he is envious that Brandon Prust is there.
Good afternoon, Carp!
You guys are killin me with the Prustisms! So funny!
Tony, LMAO!!!!!
OK, I think I said I had to run some errands….so off I run…later Prustbyterians!!!
lmaooooo Tony!
Sally, you kill me with the It’s Just Sally…..:)
If Brandon Prust punches water, he seperates the Hydrogen from the Oxygen.
“In fact, the Rangers havent won a playoff game without Sean Avery in the lineup since Gretzky was still here.”
I could say the same thing about Michael Rozsival and Henrik Lundqvist and it would actually be true, instead of wrong with Avery.
Prust knows what Bo doesn’t.
No one is arguing that Avery is better than Lundqvist or even Rosival, we are just saying there is no need to hate or even dislike him if your a Ranger Fan.
Brandon Prust destroyed the periodic table, because the only element he understands is the element of pain.
Brandon Prust DOES mess with the Zohan.
Sorry Mike, but Avery is a puke. If he played on Philly, I’m sure his name would already be a Boneheadism.
The boogeyman checks under his bed for Brandon Prust.
Brandon Prust once won a fight without even being there.
Idc what anyone else says even if Avery left the Rangers i would still like him. When he went to Dallas i wasn’t mad and i didn’t hate him. I don’t like some of the things he does like punch guys at the end of a fight when both players are on the ground but every player takes cheap shots. He is a good enough player in my mind and im going to continue to be glad he is on our team until he isn’t.
“but every player takes cheap shots”
No, only dirty players take cheap shots.
Brandon Prust’s tears cure cancer, to bad Brandon Prust never cries.
Beware of Prusts bearing fists…
Your right so almost every player in the league is a dirty player because pretty much every player once in the career has taken a cheap shot, some worse or more often than others.
If Prust could re-write the alphabet… he’s put two fists in there too.
Chuck Norris is just Brandon Prust wearing a cowboy hat
Brandon Prust can squeeze orange juice from a banana.
I eat cereal for breakfast, Brandon Prust eats the bowl.
Brandon Prust’s mom accidentally dropped her gloves one winters day…
Later she picked them up… along with her teeth.
She hasn’t done that since.
Godzilla is a Japanese rendition of Brandon Prust.
Prust is so tough his girlfriend is now a lesbian.
Brandon Prust is behind you, it’s to late to run.
I don’t think every player takes a cheap shot. Every player may commit a foul, but only a few commit cheap shots.
There are no races, only countries of people Prust has beaten to different shades of black and blue.
When Prust goes swimming he doesn’t get wet… the water gets Prust.
The grass is always greener on the other side, unless Brandon Prust has been there. In that case the grass is most likely soaked in blood and tears.
haha… oh man, you guys are awesome. I wish Prust reads this blog… he wouldn’t crack up… but the screen would!
“but every player takes cheap shots”
No, only dirty players take cheap shots.
———
Messier was dirty then.
Doodie, do you think Messier was a dirty player?
Ice cream screams for Prust.
CCCP great minds think alike.
The Deer in headlights would rather get hit by the car then by Brandon Prust.
When Bruce Banner gets mad, he turns into the Hulk. When the Hulk gets mad, he turns into Brandon Prust.
Prust can touch MC Hammer.
Great way to sum things up to this point Carp I really can’t remember a ranger team like this ever even in 94 when they much more talent then this team but in almost every game I never feel like the rangers are going to lose, boy have I missed that feeling. Keep up the great work and by the way do I still get my consolation prize for guessing the 7-1 ranger win? Be well Scott
A car is given a 5 star safety rating if it holds up to a Prust punch.
Prust gave birth to his mama :)
did messier initiate the dirty play or retaliate with it? like carps story from a few days back about him beating the life out of player x after he was cheap shotted. that is fine with me. there is a big difference
Brandon Prust can beat Halo 3 on Legendary…with a guitar hero controller!
Jeff… False, Prust > Hulk never turns into the hulk.
Oooooops nvm read that wrong. Messier gave cheap shots…
Brandon Prust can destroy whole continents. Ever heard of atlantis? nuff said
TBM—ha ha Hulk ‘fraid of Prust.
Once Brandon Prust coincidently set on his girlfriend’s engagement ring with a huge diamond as a centerpiece stone and of course didn’t even notice it. After her polite request, he stood up with apologies and to the total horror to both parties found small and twisted metal scrap where once was the ring and graphite dust instead of diamond. Talk about bad luck and hard arse.
Good afternoon, Sally!
Gurdow, actually, when the Rangers are making noise in the playoffs, all the coverage will be on the Yankees and Mets.
Brandon Prust once went to Wendy’s and ordered a Big Mac…and got one.
“Messier was dirty then.”
Yes, Messier was a dirty player, especially back in the Edmonton days.
But there’s a few differences between Avery and Mess.
Just a few.
Brandon Prust stared evil in the face, and it backed down
Doodie – If you have something to say, attack my opinion, not me. My opinion was ludicrous? You get real.
I DO NOT say things to be provocative. I say things because I have loyalty to my teams and my players and loyalty to the greatest place in the world. I say things because I have 100% conviction in my statements.
I am so disgusted with the lack of loyalty of New York fans.
Avery is New York. Avery was made for New York.
Just as I will always stick by Lawrence Taylor – the greatest defensive player in NFL history, whom I personally knew once upon a time – and Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie and Plaxico Burress.
If people on here want to think badly of me for the things I say, so be it. All I can do is be honest and share my beliefs.
♥ Avery. A great man, a great leader, a great personality, a great lover, a great teammate, a great humanitarian, a great New Yorker.
At 1.9 million a season, Avery is just fine on this team.
Doodie
i never compared Avery to Mess…that would be dumb of me…and Avery can’t even scratch the “dirty player” surface that Mess walks on…you know what i mean?
Prust can move Drury’s NMC
I’d rather have Kris Newbury on the 4th line than Avery. Newbury takes faceoffs and is plenty pugnacious, at about a quarter of the cost of Avery. Once Christensen, Dubinsky, Callahan, and possibly Prospal return, I’d really prefer to see that happen.
You mean Antonio Cromartie who was wearing his gang hat on breakup day and talking about how the NFL and players union should realize money’s not important (I can’t even paraphrase, his English was so bad) ... let’s see what a wonderful guy he is, and if money shouldn’t be so important, when he becomes a free agent this off-season.
Brandon Prust’s fists have a one way contract. To face.
The thing is, Messier, for his era, wasn’t particularly dirty. He was a big mean dude who could back things up, but he wasn’t really cheapshotting guys. Avery routinely hits guys while they’re down. That’s Bush league.
NICE!
You’re not going to rile me up, Carp. I know, accept, and respect the beliefs that you have. You think Cromartie, Edwards, Taylor, Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Len Bias, and Bill Belichick all are/were pieces of carcillo. That’s fine with me :)
This is a hockey blog, and I will stick with hockey and defend Sean Avery.
There’s no player I want to see more than Avery – not even Jaromir or Lundqvist as a Ranger – hoist the most sought after prize in all of sports, the Stanley Cup. I pray that one day, Avery will win the Cup as a Ranger, and his teammates will send Avery out there to take the Cup from Bettman. And for Avery to give Bettman a hearty middle finger, tell him to go Byfuglien himself, and raise the Cup like the champion he is!
wow!!!
here’s something to take your minds off of the Avery back and forth
a more in-depth article in regards to the Jewish hockey player’s lawsuit
including excerpts of the apology letters
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nhl/news/story?id=6065644
leave LT out of this. theres a difference between being a dirty player…when youre the greatest linebacker of all time and being a dirty player when you’re a borderline NHL player.
”? Avery. A great man, a great leader, a great personality, a great lover, a great teammate, a great humanitarian, a great New Yorker.”—————- again, not sure where youre getting any of this
Jeff in CT
either you’re typing out pages and pages of the chuck norris
books or
you’re snowed, losing your mind
and pumping out genius
either way
thanks for the laughs!!!!
much needed!
I wanna be like Prust!
Actually, I take that back about Mess. He was dirty. But I don’t need to rattle off the ways Messier was superior to Avery. Avery is just bush league. I’m so sick of his apologists.
And Tiki, you DO say things to be provocative. Your excessively anti New England viewpoint, your commentaries on your attractions to different hockey players or other athletes, its all just attention grabbing Carcillo. I, for one, am done giving it attention. Make all the ridiculous statements you want.
cmon…we all know that Mess was an “elbow master”... and that’s cheap!
so Avery threw a punch or two while the guy is down (those “punches” never even landed) so what? Is that more cheap than knocking guys into the alternate universe with shoulder to head hits? Or is it worse than uppercutting a non-fighter guy?
so if punching a piece of carcillo Flyer player while he’s down is the worst you can call Avery on…then i have nothing else to add to this convo.
Once I see Prust with a black eye and start believing in mighty aliens, who else could do that on Earth? If it’s not, I want have the guy who did it on my team.
CCCP, he REGULARLY hits guys once they’re down. It wasn’t just Cooke.
Avery is imho as follows a above avg skater, instant energy @ times, more skilled passer than most, erractic shot, punk, wise ass, metrosexual, poor defensive, better than avg fighter, hits you when your down type of guy, spot picker, best aggitator in the league, diver, but yet takes extreme punishmentas well and last but not least NY Ranger and as long as he’s hitting a flyer when he’s down i’m cheering. A total head scratcher just what he likes… keep em quessing
but CCCP!!!!!
Avery has said words that hurt players’ feelings
because
it’s more manly to throw elbows and shoulders to the head
and suckerpunch a guy to the back the head while he’s skating away
Q: Was Prust parents The Transformers? And what his kids will be made of?
And again CCCP, Messier’s hall of fame career gives him a little bit more leeway, don’t you think? If Avery was scoring 20+ a season, I’d be able to overlook some of the bad. If he’s not bringing offense to the table, he’s just bringing his bush league antics.
i saw him do it maybe twice… and that was in his last two fights
usually after Avery fights momentum swings our way…which is another valuable asset Avery has.
6th on the team in shots, but only Drury has less goals among NHL regular forwards.
And Boogaard, if you want to count him as an NHL regular.
CCCP: this season he did it to Smid, Kennedy, Hendricks, Cooke. He even sort of did it to Stuart, although they were both kinda going down when he threw the punch.
It’s bush league. Even Carcillo noticeably stopped throwing when Gaborik went down.
2.2 shooting percentage. Most minor penalties on the team.
He’s just a 4th line player, easily replaceable with about half of the 4th line players in the league.
Oh, so we should leave LT out of this? Because he is a greatest whatever? Would like your kids to grow up like him? Or Cromartie? I agree, we should leave them out of this. Because their names should be an offense to the word “garbage”...
Absolutely. There’s a line between rooting for an athlete on your team and a guy who is just a bad person.
I agree. We should leave the names Brady, Bird, and Belichick out of this. Their names are indeed offensive to the word “carcillo.”
Doodie – I say nothing for attention-getting purposes. Nothing at all. I say things out of excitement, anger, and many other emotions. So please quit with your amateur psycho-analysis.
You don’t like Avery. That’s fine. You’re just another in the long of line DISLOYAL New Yorkers. Such is life, I guess. The greatest place in the world is sullied by such disloyal inhabitants and fans.
“bad person” is in the eye of the beholder. Just like “beauty.” I’ll leave it at that. The only mature and right thing to do is agree to disagree.
Great blogpost.
I’d like to add something about pain, that I heard from the Norwegian cross-country natinal team during Tour de Ski: “Pain is just cowardice leaving the body”. I guess a guy like Brandon Prust could embrace such a statement too.
i never said Avery is irreplaceable..but i also won’t sit here and pretend that Avery is garbage either.
Pain once hit itself against the table…pain said “Oh, it’s just Prust”
Just got back in from spliting firewood for the wife. Snowed in lost my mind and typing out of Chuck Norris books!
NHL Network mock Draft tonight at 8 p.m.
All-Star captains Eric Staal of the hometown Carolina Hurricanes and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings have some tough choices to make Friday night, but on Thursday at 8 p.m. it will be NHL Network analysts Kevin Weekes and Mike Johnson going head-to-head to select this year’s All-Star teams in the NHL Network 2011 All-Star Mock Draft.
As part of the network’s All-Star coverage, draft architect Brendan Shanahan will take viewers through the selection process and both Staal and Lidstrom will make appearances to offer last-minute insight and tips.
NHL On the Fly host Brian Duff will hosts the program.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=550801
Carp thank you for a great read I sooooooo look forward to your post Are you sure your not a “closet ” rangers fan ? LOL Thanks for all the laughs Goals for Gab & Jeff ct & everyone else who participated in the Bonehead /Prust comedy fest you all brought tears to my eyes & streaming down my face
Although it is not common knowledge, there are three sides of the force, the light side, the dark side, and Brandon Prust.
Shovel, shovel, toil and trouble…
I think today’s blog spontaneously becoming Prust Comedy Club is just hilarious. IMO,
Carp should set up a “Prust Like Toughness” Prize for short story/phrase reflecting it at best.
There are so many brilliant and funny; he can do like 3 tied of each Olympic gold, silver and bronze.
i said leave LT out of it because he is one of the greatest players EVER. if avery redefines his position, he can be as nasty as he wants. not sure what its got to do with my kids…and i wasnt even getting on avery for being dirty, i was getting on him for being a bad hockey player.
and uh…not liking a player does not make me disloyal…im not sure you understand the word. loyalty is rooting for the team through thick and thin, recording and watching every game religiously, and rooting for the TEAM to win above all else, even if you despise certain players.
Bradon Prust doesn’t get pulled over.
Brandon Prust doesn’t flush the toilet, he scares the Carcillo out of it.
espn’s pierre lebrun keeps reporting
all these new contracts from other teams
wondering why sather rarely negotiates a contract
until it’s ended. (i can think of Hank and not many more)
is it more than just a matter of him holding on to all the $$ for
july 1 ufa day…?
avery is garbage – You do have a point re: loyalty. But my point is Avery is New York. He loves New York, created a quiet get-together bar in New York. He also helps this team and for a minimal salary, unlike Chris Drury. He defends his teammates, he played through an entire game with a ruptured spleen in the playoffs for us. What’s not to like about Avery?
Brandon Prust AND Chuck Norris like Avery so Shudd-up!
So “avery is flogging a dead horse” would like to know the stat for the Rangers record with Girardi out of the line-up? Er, would that not be 1-1, the record in the last two games that were well-publicised as being the first Girardi had missed in his career.
Let the flogging now recommence…
I’m pretty sure that if we’ll got some 9-10 best Prustisms, just print them nicely and present to him by Carp somehow, he will greatly appreciate that and will entertain locker room for humorous relief, not to mention let Rangers know, that they have the best on the world intelligent fan base support in RR.
avery is garbage – And on a personal note, since you said you record all games…Do you have regular season games from the 1993-94 Rangers?
Ive been trying to collect their entire Stanley Cup season (preseason and regular season)
And a note about my rant today. My rant today was because of the emotion, “anger.”
Im like a kid on Christmas that opened up his box and got a lump of coal. Im angry. All Ive ever wanted was for New Yorkers to remain loyal to each other, to their state, and to their teams. But it’s apparent that that will never happen. And it upsets me.
I will say this, in an attempt to try and change some of you. Boston fans are so much greater than New York fans. They stick by each other through thick and thin; they are united by their teams, and they will always defend their teams and players.
Tiki- did you just praise Boston anything? What’s your address, I’m calling 911….You must be highly febrile ‘cause you’re hallucinating :-)
4ever, that’s a gtreat idea.
C3…LMAO “Prust can move Drury’s NMC”
Voldemort refers to Prust as “You know who”
Carp
read your story on blackberry earlier
just re-read it.
actually, i’ll upgrade to excellent work
now, how the byfuglien am i supposed to
get any writing done after that?!?!?!?
jpg, learn from the master :)
jpg- ask Prust to help you..
That was really funny, ilby! Seriously :)
My address is:
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215 ;)
Honestly, Im just jealous of their fans for the reasons I listed above. Tiki Two always tells me that “us 2 were born to be Boston fans, but we thankfully gravitated towards the class and greatness of New York”
hey Mama!!
are you still on facebook boneheads page?
if so, send me a message with email or leave it
here.
wanted to tell you more about editor but not
in this space.
make you head spin and laugh.
“What’s not to like about Avery?”
2.2 shooting percentage, too many penalties, poor defensive play. I feel like we’ve been saying it all day and you are just ignoring it.
And what loyalty? He bolted for Dallas as soon as they ponied up the money he wanted.
Tiki, you have some warped sense of loyalty. I’m loyal to America. But if I dislike the President, that makes me disloyal? I love the Rangers. I love their tradition and I love their history. But to say not liking one of the guys on the team is disloyal is truly asinine.
I guess you loved Poti, Redden, Ozolinsh, Malik, Kamensky, Malakhov, Holik, Carter, Mironov, Dunham, Purinton, LaCouture, Fata, LeFebvre, Karpa, Pilon, Grosek, Ulanov, Jessiman, Brendl, Lundmark, Daigle, Hatcher, Quintal, Stevens, Robitaille, McClean, Tamer, Dube, Driver, Keane, Skrudland, Eastwood, Berg, Cairns, and coaches Ron Low, John Muckler, and Brian Trottier as well? And anyone who didn’t is disloyal? I guess you are the only loyal fan in the history of the Rangers then.
Also, typing that list made me sick.
jpg, lbabs@aol.com
tiki – i dont doubt that avery’s heart is in it, as evidenced by him playing through the ruptured spleen. i just dont think he is a very effective hockey player. and 1.9 mil is not minimal, though compared to drurys it is. cant believe he banked 10 mil the first year of his contract. when i said i record the games, i only save them on the dvr till i watch, then they get deleted. i used to do this only when i was not going to be home during the game, but now i do it for every game to avoid the commercials and micheletti.
LW – it was more of a wishful thinking that there was some kind of a tool online where i could select dates and players and play around with it that way. it always seemed to me that msg blew averys worth out of proportion, while minimizing the contributions of “quieter” players like dan girardi during the same time period
Doodie, thanks….I was about to have dinner…not after that list.
I agree 100%
The Carpfather !!!
this chat = boorrinnnnnggggggg. Jeff, come back with more jokes!
thats quite a list. i loved anson carter…he barely played before we flipped him for jagr
garbage, I’d previously done the numbers when they first started doing that lineup stat. They were talking about how good the team was down the stretch that first season they acquired him. If you do the same thing for Paul Mara (acquired a couple of weeks later), their record was much better than if you do it going back to when Avery arrived.
Maybe it was just cutting Aaron Ward out of the locker room.
That’s not my philosophy, Doodie. It’s difficult to explain it over the interwebs. I’ve been advised to let it go by a very important RRer, and I shall let it go.
Is Superman Jewish ??? Up, Up and Oy Vey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PLlXnx5Wyg
I bet it’s difficult to explain in person too since it’s nonsense. If you say disliking a player makes you disloyal, then every single fan over the last 15 years has been disloyal.
We’re loyal to the team. We have differing opinions on what would be best for the team, but at the end of the day, we all hope the team wins. I’m loyal to the name on the front, not on the back.
Mama!!
sent you email
with all the haiku
spreading of letters and words
and sentences.
“Prust can touch MC Hammer”
That just made my day! lol
Carp, that was a terrific article… thanks for keeping me pumped up…
I spoke with someone in my neighborhood today for the first time and randomly talked about the Rangers without either of us knowing we were fans… about a half hour later… I came home and read this… there is definitely a different feeling about this group of players. Can’t be more pumped up about this team right now, and it’s really going to be interesting by the end of February when all are healthy and pieces need to be placed.
Can’t wait for Tuesday… and I worship weekends…
@@
Okay Doodie we understand your argument behind Mara we aren’t stupid, but just stating a premise that since Mara was in the line up the Rangers had a better record doesn’t necessarily mean Mara was the reason the Rangers won. Yes, i know “so it also doesn’t mean Avery’s presence was the reason the Rangers won” but the difference is Avery changed the whole way the team played and put some heart into the New York Rangers team went he got here and he played well. I much rather have him on our team rather than Chris Drury, wouldn’t you?
Over Drury, yes. Over Newbury, no.
Carp I enjoyed this article so much that I owe you that bag of Walter’s even without the tickets lol
jpg, i’m on phone now but will read later. I can talk and blog but not really talk and read at same time :)
doodie, please, I’m begging you….mama is having a snooze over all this non fun jibberish and personal hoo ha. basta!
Why is that? Avery had the element were he can win a game for you… Newbury (although he is a good player and worthy of a spot on this team as of now) just doesn’t have that ability. He is a good grinder and a decent role player but Avery is all around better to have on your team.
When BP had the oil spill Prust could of closed that pipe with a single punch
but he didn’t because he was busy eating nails and fighting gorrilas.
Prust’s heat caused global warming.
Brandon Prust doesn’t wear a condom because there is no such thing as protection from Brandon Prust.
My dinner was officially postponed til next week…
ilb, LMAO! this blog makes a great diet plan sometimes!
Brandon Prust will never have a heart attack. His heart is not nearly foolish enough to attack him.
Brandon Prust once traded to NY by a very stupid GM.
the Rangers were nothing but patsies for years when they played NJ, until Avery arrived. when he started agitating Fatboy Brodeur things changed, the Rangers got some cojones against the debbies, and started winning most of the time instead of being patsies for them. Plus now you can add Kovalsuck to the list of debbies who are taken off their game by Avery. no, that is one important and obvious example of how Avery has changed the Rangers for the better.
*was once
Brandon Prust.
True, LMAO!
Brandon Prust is so tough his beard is made of steel wool
Brandon Prust doesn’t need to wear a seatbelt; accidents avoid him.
Semin signed one-year extension with Washington:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-capitals-semin
Carp
Thank you so much what a great article and so very true and inspiring. I’m all fired up, but have to wait 5 days for a game, you should repost on Tuesday.
Thank you
All Hail Doodie has spoken puke puke I really like to read what everyone has to say here because it comes from the heart unlike doodie a spewing arrogant terd! How come youre not a GM or Coach you think you know everything The name Doodie fits you well because after my coffee in the morning I equate what happens next to any real value in your words
“Avery had the element were he can win a game for you” – ohh? what element is that? why doesnt he use that element anymore? i dont think he is the reason why the devils dont own us anymore. and that reversal started after the lockout, years before he was on the team. averys greatest accomplishment as a ranger was taking kovalchuk out of the series vs atlanta. he did a great job getting in his head. has he done that since? i was embarrassed when he pulled that bush league crap against marty by waving his stick in front of his face. but hey, at least then he was in FRONT of the net on the powerplay ;)
avery is garbage – Avery waving his stick in front of Marty’s face is one of the top 10 things Ive seen in sports history. It was awesome, it was Avery, it was perfect, and scored later on in the power play. Unfortunately, though, we lost that game :(
lmhao kurt!
“The name Doodie fits you well because after my coffee in the morning I equate what happens next to any real value in your words”
This is the greatest line Ive ever seen on here! OMHG!!!
Doodie – I’m loyal to the name on the front, not on the back. BINGO !!!!
That should end this bull carcillo !
tiki – again, i disagree with you. i thought “brandon prust can move drurys NMC” was the greatest line ive ever seen on here. haha
Speaking of loyalty…..
Was it loyal of Avery to leave NY because Dallas gave him more money?
I appreciate his effort at times, but he’s the one player on our beloved Rangers that I tell my nine year old son not to act like.
I don’t think that makes me disloyal, I think it makes me a good parent:)
avery is …., i like that line too, and all the prustie jokes! Prust embodies everything that I love about New York sports. A guy who will put it all on the line to make a play for his teammates.
No, it was not disloyal of Avery to leave for Dallas and more money. Sports is a business, and the shelf life of most hockey players isn’t all that long. He had to get his money somewhere, and Slats would rather spend money on the Chris Drury’s of the world.
Im loyal to the names on the front and back of the jersey. As long as Tom Poti or Wade Redden are wearing Rangers jerseys or have a tie to the Rangers organization, I will take issue with personal attacks on them. I couldnt stand Wade Redden’s play with us just as I couldnt stand Mike Dunham’s play, but I will stick by them as long as they are a Ranger.
I dont like Drury’s lack of production any more than any of you, but I wont throw the guy under the bus and personally attack him. Ill hope he gets traded, but I wont call him garbage. He’s my player on my team in my city.
ARGH! Dang this AS break! We need a game here…..
Tony = mama love :)
As long as we can all define loyalty however it works best for us, then I’d say we’re all set and we are all loyal Rangers fans:)
And believe me, it’s not easy being a Rangers fan in Maine, sandwiched somewhere between Boston and Canada!
Winston, you know I feel your pain :)
You guys are cracking me up with the Prust-isms today. A plus comedy.
Avery is loved. Avery is hated. Avery is a god. Avery is carcillo. Blah, blah, blah. Same old rhetoric rehashed every few weeks. How bout this? Avery can sometimes be a good hockey players, he can sometimes be a bad hockey player, he can sometimes be a jerk, he can sometimes be a decent guy. In short, he’s the best and worst of all worlds all rolled into one package.
Mickey = mama love
Carp, that was a great article. Very nice summary of the season and team to date. Torts shoud take Prust’s words and post them all around the locker room, turn it into the official team motto, get t-shirts made (ala the 99 Mets and ‘Mojo’s Risin”).
It’s just pain, Mama.
Aww, danke, Mama. I’m just so tired of the Avery arguement ad naseum.
Doodie
I usually don’t respond to anything you say because you talk out of your arse most of the time. But I couldn’t let some of your anti-Avery drivel go unchallenged. First of, no one is claiming Avery is anything more than a pretty good third line player who can occasionally be moved up to either fill in or play a few games higher up in the lineup. But what he brings is hustle, energy,agitation,speed,physical play and he unlike many on this team in the past sticks up for his teammates.
As for his so called cheaphpshots, don’t make me laugh. Smid? Hendricks? The Smid thing was discussed ad nauseum. There was no cheap shot there.
As for Messier, here you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. He once took his
Stick and tomohawked Tomas Gradin of the Canucks so hard that he cracked his helmet and gave him a concussion. He also at the time received one of the longest suspensions in league history for it.
Mess to me is a hockey god for all that he did here to finally bring us the cup. But the fact is that when he was a first and second year player, he was nothing but a goon who eventually found his game to become one of the greatest players in history.
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=351317
Why can’t this be Drury?
Carp = Mama love is coming soon!
tiki, argh!
carp = double mama love
Mickey, right back at ya
czech – how can he be a pretty good 3rd line player when he doesnt play defense? i cant speak for doodies past comments, i read carps posts but not always every comments, but hes right on the money with avery. i listed several reasons and examples of what i dislike about his game and all anyone can come back with is the same old drivel that he brings energy and speed and hustle! hogwash!
trade Del Zotto and Grachev to Minn for Brent Burns, a big dman who can skate like the wind, can score goals, he plays the point on the PP, and is big and aggressive.
Burns=14 goals, 17 asst, 31 pts
all that done this year playing d, but he can also play the wing, as he has done occasionally in previous seasons.
Oh man just had a cup of coffee and I feel a good Machetto coming on Gotta go the Machetto poking his head out
Just reading the way he phrases his thoughts and sentences would anyone agree with me that Doodie is kinda ANAL That ones for you Tiki
its funny that the avery discussion has been going on alongside the prust comments. prust is better than avery in every way. HIS play is contagious, not averys. and, obviously he is a fan favorite. HE is the perfect 3rd liner. so who is more valuable to the team? would anyone say avery?
i wonder if we could keep the Prust-isms going
til the team practices again
and then maybe some organizing bonehead
can compile all of them and encourage
Carp to deliver ‘em to the Prust King himself.
and….it’s time for me to say, ta…geez….5 more days til a game….I’m almost looking forward to AS….see you tomorrow all! TA!!!!!
kurt – LMAO!!! “Im feeling a good Machetto coming on” The Machetto is poking his head out!!! Just too too too funny!!!
U are garbage
Avery has scored 40 plus points a few times in his career. He has also scored 30 plus points many times in his career including probably this year. A third line player is not just someone who only plays defense. His primary responsibility is to forecheck, take the body, agitate a little and chip in with some offense. Sean Avery does all those things and does them well.
Does anyone remember somebody with the middle name Stephen? Well, he is back. Beating a different type of dead horse this time, but with the same persistence. Even though it probably really doesn’t matter to him, he is just doing it because he needs to attract some attention. Well, he’s been getting plenty of it.
Prust is a fan favorite no doubt. But so is Avery. But you know this already unless you have never heard the Baden crowd chanting his name.
As for Prust being better than Avery, you apparently don’t watch the games. Avery is a lot more talented a player than Prust in every way. He is faster than him. He is a better passer than him. He is also a better scorer than him. And please don’t take this as a knock against Prust. It is just that he is what he is. A good fighter. And a good forechecker. He is also good as a penalty killer.
perhaps you should go back and read what i have been saying for the past 24 hours. if his primary responsibility is to set up shop behind the net and throw blind passes all over the ice then yes, he does it very well. secondary responsibilities include taking himself offsides and turning the puck over
My ‘problem’ with Avery isn’t with Avery himself, it’s pretty clear what he is (and it’s been gone over by many here). But his position on the roster is another thing.
The Rangers don’t have a premier shut-down defensive specialist in the Erixon mold, and maybe those guys just don’t exist anymore.
Can Feds-BB-Prust shutdown every top line in the league? Maybe, maybe not. We won’t know until crunch time comes.
For now, they can do a pretty good job, and they chip in offensively, so carrying Avery isn’t unbearable.
avery scored over 40 pts once in his career. the year he split between the kings and rangers. i have heard the garden chant his name, and i watch every game. avery is not a good passer. if you watched you would see that his passes are often too hard or in the skates. a better scorer? for his career yes. certainly not this season.
avery is garbage
and you don’t repeat yourself? how many times you brought up offsides and blind passes in the past 24 hours? A LOT! hypocrite…
RE Prust…Prust is getting major minutes, that is why he’s so effective
Avery gets no PP time, no PK time, sometimes plays 5 or 6 minutes a night… try be effective like that
CCCP- eto tot zhe kozel kotoryi kovyralsya v nosu i tak dalee. Ne obroshay vnymanye
Huh?
I just dont understand why people are still discussing this. There is no reasonable argument for Avery not being in the lineup on a given night. Obviously when players return from injury, he will be back on the 4th line.
As for comparing Sean Avery to Brandon Prust, Prust is the unarguably a better fighter, forechecker and more defensively responsible but Avery is unarguably better offensively, a better skater and as an agitator.
Nice article Carp. I was just reading another hockey blog and found this website which is a collection of funny Olli Jokinen pictures. Youse guys will love it;
http://jokinen.tumblr.com/
Poti, Redden, Ozolinsh, Malik, Kamensky, Malakhov, Holik, Carter, Mironov, Dunham, Purinton, LaCouture, Fata, LeFebvre, Karpa, Pilon, Grosek, Ulanov, Jessiman, Brendl, Lundmark, Daigle, Hatcher, Quintal, Stevens, Robitaille, McClean, Tamer, Dube, Driver, Keane, Skrudland, Eastwood, Berg, Cairns, Drury, Gomez, Higgins, Kotalik, Frolov, Kovalev, Nedved, Goneau, Fraser, Oliver, Rozsival,McSorley, Churla, Kurri, and coaches Ron Low, John Muckler, and Brian Trottier.
Wow I think we can build an official “Most Disappointing Rangers Ever” list. Someone keep this copied somewhere.
ilb
ya znau! ya ego srazu raskusil! i just couldn’t help myself this time
Carp
ilb said he loves you very much!
hey no fair, no talking in another language behind someones back! yes, i have been repeating myself. the difference is im giving examples of what he does. im not using generalities like he plays hard. do you refute the blind passes and offsides? avery has been getting PP time, much to my chagrin. for the season, prust has averaged 2:17 more per game than avery, who has been seeing much more ice time the past 5 games.
avery is garbage
so what about the fact that Avery is 8th on the team in scoring despite playing far less minutes per game than any player in the top 15 on the team in scoring. If he is so bad, then how do you explain that?
That’s what I figured, CCCP.
“Avery is unarguably better offensively, a better skater.. ”
Umm, No. And No, though ‘better’ is a difficult word.
More effective? Prustie gets where he needs to be pretty darn quick, and certainly arrives in ill humor much more consistently.
That said, got better things to do then discuss Avery. If it were up to me – and Tortorella – he wouldn’t be here. But whatever.
He’d best not let any trouble find these kids at that club of his.
i blame that on secondary assists and injuries to players who are more offensively talented. he has put up 40 points once and 30 points two other times, he DOES have some skill. do those marginal skills make up for the things he takes away from the team? not in my eyes. as far as his agitation skills, those would be great if he drew more penalties than he took. or if players said “yeah, man that avery is really hard to play against”
YAAAWN!!
Beating a dead horse…It will never end until we stop paying attention. Even though there is no real argument anymore for a very long time, it will still continue. Stephen at his best. It’s called in medicine Attention seeking personality disorder, very often as a part of Histrionic personality disorder. Once we all let it go, he’ll go away. As he did in July/August (?). Until, of course, he decides to come back and use a different screen name.
ilb Is that like Mudbutt or COCKY-DOODIEITIS
So, uh, anyone got anything to discuss? The weather? Politics? The chances the Mets are somewere near 500 this year? Iphone vs Droid vs Crackberry?
i completely agree with what rod has to say on avery. no, we are not the same person. im also not some dubi hater as someone else speculated. i have sat here and never posted since i started reading this blog a few months back. i felt i had to discuss this with people to see if there was something i was missing. i dont want to ruffle the feathers of the regulars who mostly approve of avery and his style of play. obviously there are more pressing matters to discuss during a week long layoff and im boring everyone with my different perspective on #16.
nobody cares anymore…
heres something else to discuss mickey: this article by “the big short” author michael lewis on greece’s financial problems: http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010?currentPage=all
We can talk iPhone, Mickey. Get one!
I’m getting two iPhones! one for me and one for Mrs. CCCP! can’t wait till next month!
Excuse me?! Mrs.? When did that happen?
I love Prust but even in a down year, Avery is still on pace for more points. To say Prust is better offensively is not fair.
Tell me about the iPhone, dear ilb. They are only $49 right now…
Seconding the question of when the “Mrs” happened. Details man!
3Gs, I gather? You’ll love it. Even if you never had a smart phone, it’s very easy to use.
Don’t FIRE AVERY!
Anyone think that this ‘The Rite” movie looks beyond creepy?
Olga, where have you been? Is your family drunk yet? I think Sather mentioned your name a few times while you were busy..
Yeah, the 3G’s. I currently have a Samsung Impression and I love it. But it’s dying, and I’m three months from being eligable for an upgrade :(
oleo – perhaps better is not the word of choice when comparing the two offensively. i trust prust more though. avery will occasionally make a fantastic pass, but then flub his next one. consistency is the key.
We don’t drink anymore…
We don’t drink any less, either…
Olga- sorry to hear that…..
I haven’t had a drink in over 30 days…
Thank God for nights…
6 of Avery’s assists coincide with Gabby’s big games against the powerhouse Isles and Leafs.
He also had a pair of 2 assist games in games 1 and 3 of the season.
That’s 50% of his points in 4 games.
Ahh, the Folkyerself’s are here. An entertaining night is upon us, I’m sure.
Well, if you combine Torts’ and Prust’s wording together, it sounds like this long layoff will be just a lot of pain….
I will definitely agree that Prust is a much more reliable player and deserves to play on the 3rd line over Avery when everyone returns but that being said if you look at the other team’s 4th lines, you’ll find it very difficult to find players better than Avery.
You can’t convince anybody of a players value (or non-value) by quoting isolated statistics.
47% of all stats are made up on the spot, you know…
“anyone got anything to discuss? The weather? Politics? The chances the Mets are somewere near 500 this year? Iphone vs Droid vs Crackberry?”
The weather sucks. Politics suck. The Mets certainly suck.
My Droid doesn’t suck.
If he wanted to, Brandon Prust could create the world in 5 days.
Now Rod, the weather down here is pretty darn nice for late January (at least in my opinion, I’ve been told otherwise, lol).
As for the Mets, they dont suck, they’re just not good. At all. And I’m a Mets fan ;)
Rod, agree with you on the Droid! Can’t wait for the Xoom! ;)
BTW, great read Carp. It really is exciting to be a fan of this team right now.
So…
Avery.
Great Player or the Greatest Player?
Are we ready to vote?
oh sorry i meant FUTURE Mrs. CCCP! lol
iPhone is my wedding gift for her!
i kid i kid!
Well, don’t Russian to anything CCCP.
i’m not Russian! i mean, i am but i am definitely not russian :P
Well, “don’t Ukrainian to anything” wouldn’t make any sense at all…
well, if you Ukranian to anything that will make you Russian which as you said yourself makes no sense at all!
Royals pitcher pulls a Chris Drury – nay, not exactly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/sports/baseball/27meche.html?src=me&ref=general
kurt January 27th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
ilb Is that like Mudbutt or COCKY-DOODIEITIS
__
hahahaha! I read your previous stuff to Tiki Two during a phone conversation and he died in laughter too!
There’s just something about your use of words!
Theeeeere’s something on the wing! Could it be a Machetto crowning! Funny carcillo!
Man, with Rafa and Feds out, I really want Murray to become the first England (Scottish) to win a slam in 70+ years. Step it up, Andy!
Great article Carp. Hope you don’t mind – I posted my thoughts and a link to it over at Blueshirt Banter. http://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2011/1/28/1961815/carp-its-just-pain-should-be-nyr-motto
Team “Motto”???!!! Like every other NYR fan, I am hugely enjoying this season so far as we, for the most part, are playing hard every night with a very likeable, young, promising team, However, being proud of a team – or coach for that matter – with this motto or M.O is totally absurd! “Heave Ho” in ‘94 was about pulling together, working as a team, all for one and one for all, etc. It wasn’t about players recklessly throwing caution to the wind by putting their season in jeopardy every time they choose to “play goal” in front of a shot. Isn’t that why we have Lundqvist and Biron?? Those two are pretty damn good at it, so why risk a possible deflection or screen shot, let alone a serious injury, on the off-chance one single goal may or may not be scored. And this constant admiration of “playing with pain” is far from the same realm as “Heave Ho”. It’s actually quite the opposite if you stop and think about it. It’s one thing to play through pain as many players are forced to do in the Stanley Cup Play-offs (ref. Leetch’s frozen shoulder in ‘94.) At that time of year, it’s down to the wire so playing hurt is understandable. But, playing hurt during the reg. season is completely different, not at all team-oriented and just plain dumb! Take Dubinsky’s leg injury for instance. He played at least 2 weeks on it and, lucky for us, he finally made the intelligent decision to have it X-rayed. Otherwise, it’s very possible he could have been making the fracture worse each time he skated on it, trying to “be tough” or play with it “like a man”. In fact, the playing he already did do on it may ultimately impact his total rehab time. Who knows? The point is – this whole philosophy (and I blame Tortorella completely for this) of “playing big by blocking shots” or “playing with pain” is assinine. I’m all for total team commitment and working hard and playing tough, etc., but at some point, their needs to be some logic and long-term thinking applied when it comes to the players’ well-being. Enough already with trying to be “manly” . This sounds like the days when players refused to wear helmets or masks back before they became commonplace. It is so “old school” to think this way that it actually makes me feel bad for the players. I think this atmosphere makes them feel compelled to keep playing, when they would be better off rehabbing.
Anyway – here’s to an equally exciting 2nd half…Let’s Go Rangers!