John Tortorella announced that he’s gotten the OK from doctors, trainers and the player for Marc Staal to return from his concussion issues today at 3 p.m.
Tortorella said Staal with play on the third pair, but wouldn’t say who comes out (obviously either Stu Bickel or Jeff Woywitka).
We’ll have It’s Go Time! later.
Enjoy.
144 Comments
FIRST!!!!
Bickel has to stay in because you know there will be fights in this game.
good news.. Staal is a stud. Give him about 5 to 7 games and we will have another horse on the blueline.
I sit woywitka and keep Bickell in there..
Torts said Staal will play with Bickel!!! OK! Whatevs!
Weeee!
Carped and a BANJ for good measure
Wicky©”suspend the hittee..LW compliant version” January 2nd, 2012 at 1:00 pm
staal
no offence to carp and his $1.25 per, but stop posting and get ready for the game!!
This is a stupid and terrible decision. Why bring him back in a outdoor game against the Flyers. If he has a reoccurrence this will be Torts fault.
God I hate these Philly accents on TV. Does NHL Network know that the Rangers are playing, too?
orr
my long lost brother, how are you?
Any time you can play Staal as your 5/6, you know your team is in good shape :-)
Carp
I thought it was phantoms vs phylers today?
ILB
LMFAO
Mike – Do you think they are rushing him? I don’t. He seems ready to go. He wouldn’t be playing if he had symptoms…
staal is only playing like a 5/6 D man, TRADE HIM!!!
Who’s going to be the first Flyer to take a late run at Staal?
I’d go with Talbot, 1940!
Max Talbot or Scott Hartnell, 1940.
why would it matter if staal was playing indoors or out? he had to be cleared by the medical staff. I expect the doctors and management to do the right thing and assume Staal is 100% healthy.
1940
clarke or maybe parent in the runway
in other words, the usual suspects…
NickPerri_SNYRB NickPerri
Sean Avery takes his first shift of the game, wins the face-off.
CHARACTERTorts would not play Staal without approval of management and the medical staff.
Staal is a 25 year old stud under contract for 4 years, the Rangers are not that stupid. BTW they are in first place this is not exactly a panic move…....
You can’t blame the coach if the doctor, trainer and player say he’s ready. ...
but … it’s always scary when a player comes back from a concussion, and you know the Flyers will go after him.
That’s why he is probably playing with Bickel. I hope his eye has fully healed. He may need it again…:-)
Could Kevin Weekes kiss Bettman’s aasen any more?
Hahaha, Wick. I could see Clarke doing that. I thought he was gonna go after Mess the other day.
Actually it will probably be one of the sneaky dirty flyers like briere or meszaros
What great news!
Working his way back as the third pair with Stu Bickel!!
I doubt he’s being rushed back, he’s been practicing with contact for a while.
I feel bad for Woywitka, though, getting scratched in the last hours.
carp
IKR, this is sickening
good nes the Flyers 4th line is actualy skilled today no Shelley or Rinaldo..
COncussions are the unknown. He can play the next 8 years with no issues or get hurt in 2 weeks. Giroux missed 4 games.. Staal 40 and cindy 70 games.
Winston
great point, you do have to feel for Woywitka—-> (or who does come out…healthy)
Staal’s medical chart notes him as “difficult”.
Does anyone else think they do a piss-poor job of dressing up the area around the rink? It’s such a big stage and every year it looks like a construction site covered with a tarp.
Staal’s playing because his orange hair is a perfect tribute to the great city of Philadelphia. No other reason.
lmao – LW
Hey, ILB, I served my country on active duty overseas, too, except I don’t brag about it, nor try to use it to “intimidate” or “impress” people with my “combat skills.” lol.
And by the way, if our national defense is down to clowns like your Little Buddy “Wicky” defending this nation, it’s time to scramble for a permanent cot in Somalia, or some place where it is, you know – SAFE! Because if that’s the case this country is truly down to “Third World” status, sooner than we have been thinking.
Now go crawl into you hole and enjoy the game. lol
I’m doing great, Wick!
LMAO @ blaming Torts.
The AHL game up in Portland today features former Ranger greats Sean Avery, Ryan Hollweg, and Aaron Voros…
Which crayon would you like, wicky?
Boom Boom – Go outside…
Let’s go Rangers!
@ LW- LOL!
Doc doing a great job as always. TRUE PROFESSIONAL!
What a lineup, NYR!
Boom Boom- you continue with unsubstantiated attacks on person who you have no idea about. I think we should drop the issue…
LW- I might need one too…Is purple still available?
Now I’m nervous rather than excited.
I only have orange today, ilb.
LGR!Or, you mean Doc Rivers, right? Aha aha!
Orr**
All guys name Doc are true professionals!
Celtics! Bird! HOF B-Ball player AND father! Don’t care what anyone says!
NickPerri_SNYRB NickPerri
Bourque-Avery-Voros has looked really, really good. Lots of energy.
Bring up this Voros kid!!!
We want AV! We want AV!
With all kind of medical permissions, still first game for Staal hence elevated higher risk – inevitable bad ice, unpredictable gusting wind and predictable philthy hyenas bunch on a head’s hunt. Bad, unnecessary decision in my book.( even if McD still have a flu).
Hot Tip Dept.:
For those of you who like the overs (and the total is five goals), take it because the “Little Whistles” are going to be blowing like Moby Whale all day for TV mug time, so we will have power play/PK time, galore.
For those of you who like the unders, take it because with all the whistle-tooting and network commerical time-outs, which will rival the game for equal time, there will be no flow to the game.
So that whatever you like, overs or unders, take it because it’s a good bet you will win!
FWIW Staal won’t be playing against Hartnell or Talbot if he’s playing 3rd pair D minutes
For me personally, all brouhaha around this totally overhyped and cheaply commercialized event they call WC is so oversaturated, that leaves a dry carsillo in residue. Hope at least it will be worth a Win.
No LW you want AV, lol
LW
orange of course!
Boom Baby
“clowns” duly noted! (let me take off my big red nose before I continue), while it is truly great that you served and a sincere thank you for it. You are so off base here it isn’t even comical. I made a comment about a song with religious overtones that SHOULD NOT IMHO be played instead of the National Anthem at the beginning of the game (but it is philly, so of course they are screwy). You then go straight to personal insults in your initial response and insinuate lack of “patriotism” in said response.
Therefore, I replied with a statement that I thought would hopefully put an end to that line of thought for you. I have clearly underestimated your level of ignorance with your last post and your apparent over zealous mythological beliefs as well.
To each their own and freedom of speech. Those are some of the reason we serve!
Now on another note and I am going to keep this clean for carp and everyone else here, but I have never once glorified ANYTHING about combat nor do I even discuss it for that matter.
And also a nice big FU you disrespectful, ignorant, POS from every single person serving in the military right now..(i’m paraphrasing a bit)
Dear Tortorella
Please don’t play Staal any more than 12 minutes a game for now. Give him the exact same minutes as Woywitka and GRADUALLY play him more…
Staal will be fine. Unless the Flyers managed to trade for one of his brothers this morning.
anyone else think we should have brought back our “secret weapon” Steve Valiquette for this game?
And what’s wrong with a Philadelphia accent? I have one and my best “Little Buddy” at the French Line in NYC, where we both worked, used to tell me how much he envied it. (Given his Brooklyn-Jewish accent, that was well understood.)
My “Little Buddy” Jack from Brooklyn used to tease me about the way I pronounced “Boom Boom” (as in Geoffrion, in those days), and the word “because,” which I pronounce “Be – Cuz” not “Be – Cawwwwse” or something, like a caw caw bird. Hey, I really didn’t fit in there, either. lol.
Can you imagine me, with my personality and Philadelphia accent working for 10 years in offices in New York City? It was tough on everybody, not just me. lol.
Great memories.
we should get a pool going: first fisticuffs. Time and combatants.
carp
on the blog or on the ice?
Hold on. Staal is playing for the Rangers, right? Or is he staging a miraculous comeback in honor of, and for, the great city of Philadelphia and its might Flyers?
Guys, please, stop pickering…in a face of dangerous archenemy.
“Virtus unita fortis agit” or “United we act stronger”. It is right time for it.
Yeah, the best seats are the ones farthest from the rink. right Heidi. You hockey expert you.
wicki/Boom boom at 1:52
hey guys. cant wait for this game to start. i think staal in the lineup is bad move. he hasnt played a game since last april. he will probably not do any better than woywitka would have since hes been playing and conditioned. shouldve started him in fla if he was this close.get a full game in first.
On the blog would be too easy, wick :)
watch it be jagr who boards staal, LOL
Grabby!
Oh, please, Richards had a tough time making his decision. give me a break.
carp
LMAO@heidi
IMO, playing Staal today is not a panic move or a bad move by any stretch
Marc Staal is a leader on this team, the cornerstone of our defense. And giving him his season debut, albeit with limited minutes, gives our team a HUGE boost today.
Dubinsky is starting to get going. And we all know how much he hates the Flyers.
I have a good feeling about today. The Rangers are ready to send a record number of Flyers fans home disappointed today.
LETS GO RANGERS!!!!
i pick wicky to beat boom boom’s boom boom. of course, i dont know if bom boom is a heavyweight like wick or a trained assassin. but it should make for a great fight. an then we can all hug and drink beer together and sing the kazakstan national anthem
Well said, CJ.
I think the best seat is in my house on the couch, not freezing, not eating crappy Philly food, not so far away that I can’t even read the numbers. Who are the Flyers playing?
LMAO Grabby!!! AhahahA!
Where do I get the hat that Prust is wearing?
Good question, Staal Wart. I didn’t know there is another team involved. If there is, there shouldn’t be. This is all about Philadelphia, the city so nice they named it once. Just trying to come up with new ways to honor Philly in NYC today.
Maybe Marc Staal will wear a Bobby Clarke jersey.
I’m not sure inserting Staal into the lineup today is the greatest move either, but I am excited to see him back. I am just worried that an overhyped Flyer will do something stupid. Let’ GO RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Staal, I ordered mine here the other day:
http://www.fansedge.com/New-York-Rangers-Reebok-2012-Winter-Classic-Player-Reversible-Knit-_1208960408_PD.html
Great mojo CJ
LGR!
Beat those Fithy bastages!
carpy!!! hah ive been here alot, just couldnt post much. im back for goodthough. got a new computer. i missed chattin with u guys everyday. feel like part of my family.
Grabby
how you been?
At least they don’t have that piece of carcillo Carcillo anymore!
Thx NYR FAN…thats the only thing I’d want…
If that lady fell, she’d deflate…
I’m totally devastated; just learn that I can’t switch infinitively byfuglien TW to any other carrier in our coop building. Freakin’ monopoly? What happen with anti-trust law? Why came I in this country from soviets…expecting freedom of choice? What should I do to see my Rangers, whom I watched even being clinically dead! Where is Olga, when I need him/her, to folk all of them!
Awesome….the Filthydelphia Flyer pin lady is on NHLN!
nyr- how dos it go? “kazaksan has the best potassium in the world” all other countries potassium is inferior”??
LMFAO at this…
Buccigross John Buccigross
As I first reported a year ago, Barry Melrose has lost his Canada card. It’s 40degrees in Philly and he’s cold. #soft
Hey Grabby – Have another “pink lady,” it’s on the house.
Glad to read that Torts went to Staal and asked him if he was ready to play, letting Staal know Torts wasn’t concerned with everyone else’s opinion. Because if there is one lesson the last few seasons has taught the NHL community it’s that players know what is best for them in these circumstances.
4ever
that sucks!!
im doin ok wick. me, you and cccp are tied for first place in your league. not bad! and sallys not far behind., it was nice of cccp to let sally beat him so he got his first loss. go sallys nosens!!!
Wicky, buddy
it’s much more then that – it’s MY LIFE!!!! ...for Mr. Big byfliegen sake…
4ever – get the NHL package on NHL.com. You get every non-nationally televised game streaming live to your computer. Then if you want to, you can link your computer to your HD-TV. This is what I’ve done since moving to D.C. two years ago and it has worked great.
Pat Sajack?! Alright!!
WHEEL. OF. FORTUNE.
Is there a spot on the net to stream the game?
Grabby – “I like”
grabby
LOL, You have been killing it…sally scares me, that beard, showing her balls…I think she coat checked CCCP
Oh, and BTW, Wicky,
I don’t know about your other skills, but one I can definitely learn from you – that’s art of calmly and clear express yourself under militant pressure. …”white”(good) envy.
Wonder what Barry picked out for Laviolette to wear?
I’m sure Torts will be wearing a Flyers jersey and headband
boom boom- u smell.
I’m impressed with Pat Sajak’s hockey knowledge.
They keep asking Richards a question that was relevant two months ago, Carp.
Both HBO & Roenick again yesterday. Not sure Richards can be blamed for answering.
Just a hunch; look out for Artie today.
He’s due to unleash a laser.
4ever
I don’t think we would make it without centre ice, is that something that is available to you?
1940,
thanks buddy, for advice, but what is the cost?
Judging by the amount of hot dogs they are planning to sell ( 10,000) they are not playing against the Devils, that is clear….Because Marty alone eats that many during the first intermission….
4ever
thanks, and I am awesome with orange crayons
is that Brett Favre?
“Maybe Marc Staal will wear a Bobby Clarke jersey.”
Ha. Like Clarkie is gonna let some head-injury-whiner like Staal wear his number.
I pay around $20 a month or you can pay for the entire season up front, not sure what that cost though.
I’m already on my phone, trying to figure out deal with TW NHL Center ice.
Thank you guys.
4ever- be careful, they black out NY Rangers games unless you’re 50 miles outside of NY.
yeah, i believe illb is right unfortunately
NY Ranger fan…. I don’t think they are rushing him but it scares me having him play his first game of the season outdoors and against the Flyers. I just don’t want a Crosby situation where he is out again with concussion like symptoms. This just scares me ALOT.
So happy to see Staal (Stahl? Stoll?) back today. I am as nervous as everyone but whether it was today or a tamer home game against the Blue Jackets, the feeling would be the same.
Has to be a huge boost to the team as well (as if they needed one).
I think we are all a bit “cautious/concerned” about staal
Hahaha…did youse guys here that Suban and Plekanec fought in practice today…hahaha Canadians in last…what a disgrace hahaha
Give me 40 more minutes of Heidi. Cannot care about Comcast guy or Barry.
oh my god, the NHLN coverage is like a total Philly Love fest…i feel sick.
My sources tell me Suban is a “clubhouse mentor” who brings good chemistry to the team.
ILB, BOOM BOOM “dont call me mancini’’ Bathgate, and Wickets: giving all three of you a timeout…let it go..and lets enjoy our Rangers’...didnt the beatles tell us that all we needed was the love? why do you guys seem to find happiness in warm guns? ...I know it is harder to be gentle and kind, but let’s try that… what does it say you guys? Duckbill doesn’t like fightings.
Avery’s mom is also a good clubhouse mentor and brings good chemistry to the team.
If Staal slept on Sobakawa pillow, I’m 99% sure he wouldn’t suffer from that pinched nerve…
ILB, no joke, I am 300 miles upstate from NYC and we are blacked-out here, too, even on the NHL network online streaming service. Wish it were just 50 miles black-out range. We have to settle for Buffalo games, most of the time. That is painful soup.
Duckbill- tell Duckbill we’ve already forgotten it all…
where is Orr?
EJ Hard-On. Dorky Isles fan!
there is orr
Boom Boom- it is 50 mile rule, unless you live in MSG area that covers Buffalo games…If Buffalo plays same time, NY Rangers are blacked out….
Now Snyder. Help me.
wooohhhooo here come our boys!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s Go Time!
I’ve heard the fishing is tremendously tremendous these days in Manitoba….Otherwise I’m sure they’d be able to interview Sather too….
You feel like part of my family, too, Grabby. Of course it is disfunctional, but you can’t have everything. lol
new post.
Are you the Grabby Hayes who used to be in the movies with Roy Rogers?
Hetting glare off panger’s head
“N.CountryNYRFAN January 2nd, 2012 at 2:24 pm
oh my god, the NHLN coverage is like a total Philly Love fest…i feel sick.”
You are so right! This should have been named the “Philly Classic” brought to you by the Ed Snider Hockey League. However, perhaps “slighting” the Rangers with the spotlight on the Filthy Flyers could be a good thing.
This game should have been in New York. What disrespect to an original six team. But hey, look who’s in charge, Big Man Buttman!!!!
Let’s Do it Rangers!!!!
who else just put the tv on mute ?
music selection = major fail