After watching the Detroit Red Wings dismantle the Eastern Conference Champion Penguins in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, many Eastern Conference fans want to know why and how Detroit came to be so good. How did this team come to be so dominant in every aspect of the game? How did this confluence of offense, defense, special teams and goaltending come about?

Here is one answer. The management of the Detroit Red Wings has invested time and patience in their players. The perfect case in point are their two Selke nominees, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Zetterberg and Datsyuk. They go together like a horse and carriage.

Neither Datsyuk or Zetterberg were drafted in the first round. They were diamonds in the ruff found by the man Brenden Shanahan once dubbed the most important person in the Detroit organization, their European scout.

They came over and worked their way on to the team and into the lineup like any other prospect. They were given the golden opportunity to paired with Brett Hull ( Two Kids and A Goat line). While with Hull, D&Z did not take the body, they did not hit much. While their plus/minus numbers were nowhere near the respective +41 and +30 they are today, they weren’t third line grinders either.  How did these players come so far?

Patience.

Time and patience was not only invested in Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Franzen and Hudler have been afforded the same opportunity. Let’s look at these player’s career numbers:

Year/Team/Games Played/Goals/Assists/Points/+- 

Zetterberg

2002-03 Detroit 79 22 22 44 6

2003-04 Detroit 61 15 28 43 15

2005-06 Detroit 77 39 46 85 29

2006-07 Detroit 63 33 35 68 26

2007-08 Detroit 75 43 49 92 30

Datsyuk

2001-02 Detroit 70 11 24 35 4

2002-03 Detroit 64 12 39 51 20

2003-04 Detroit 75 30 38 68 -2

2005-06 Detroit 75 28 59 87 26

2006-07 Detroit 79 27 60 87 36

2007-08 Detroit 82 31 66 97 41

Franzen

2005-06 Detroit 80 12 4 16 4

2006-07 Detroit 69 10 20 30 20

2007-08 Detroit 72 27 11 38 12

Hudler

2003-04 Detroit 12 1 2 3 -1

2005-06 Detroit 4 0 0 0 0

2006-07 Detroit 76 15 10 25 16

2007-08 Detroit 81 13 29 42 11

Each year, each player has gotten better both offensively and defensively.  And, by farming their home grown talent and getting maximum value for their money, the Red Wings are able to judiciously go out and buy the key free agents they needed. Hasek in 2001 and Rafalski in 2007 are but two examples.

Can the Detroit model apply to the New York Rangers? In his first five seasons as general manager, Glen Sather tried to buy a high priced team of free agents. We all know how that worked out. Since just before the lockout, Sather, Maloney and Renney chose to adopt the “homegrown” philosophy. But, knowing the Ranger fan base’s penchant for marquee names and immediate results, Sather is poised on the precipice of sacrificing promising youth for a much needed puck moving defenseman.

The first name that comes to mind as trade bait is Petr Prucha. I think it would be a mistake to  lose any of the following youth to get that puckmoving defenseman. Now is the time for Sather to BUY. These four Rangers are of comparable size and talent to the four aforementioned Red Wings. Their early career numbers are not dissimilar. With time and patience, Prucha, Callahan, Dawes and Dubinsky could well work out to be players of the caliber of Datsyuk, Franzen. Hudler and Zetterberg for the Rangers.

Prucha

2005-06 N.Y. Rangers 68 30 17 47 3

2006-07 N.Y. Rangers 79 22 18 40 -7

2007-08 N.Y. Rangers 62 7 10 17 3

Dubinsky

2006-07 N.Y. Rangers 6 0 0 0 0

2007-08 N.Y. Rangers 82 14 26 40 8

Dawes

2006-07 N.Y. Rangers 8 1 0 1 -4

2007-08 N.Y. Rangers 61 14 15 29 11

Callahan

2006-07 N.Y. Rangers 14 4 2 6 5

2007-08 N.Y. Rangers 52 8 5 13 7

The only decent UFAs on the market, in my opinion, are Brian Campbell,, JM Liles, Mark Streit, Mattias Norstrom, Brooks Orpik, Steve Montador and Jeff Finger, more or less in that order.

G A PTS +/- 2007-08 Salary

8 54 62 +8 Campbell $1.75

6 26 32 +2 Liles $1.4

13 49 62 -6 Streit $600

2 11 13 +3 Norstrom $4.25

1 10 11 +11 Orpik $1.075

8 15 23 +1 Montador $800

8 11 19 +12 Finger $475

Brian Campbell (29)

Assets- Is an extremely gifted offensive talent. Has plenty of creativity and intelligence with the puck. Owns excellent mobility.

Flaws- Can get easily knocked off the puck at the NHL level. Needs to play a tighter game in the defensive zone, so as to avoid being labeled a specialist.

Career potential - Power play quarterback.

Liles (27)

Assets - Has plenty of offensive acumen. Isn’t afraid of the rough going. Plays with supreme confidence when in possession of the puck.

Flaws - His smallish frame will always be an issue at the NHL level. Needs to prove he can raise his level of play with more ice time.

Career potential - Power play quarterback.

Streit (30)

Assets - Moves the puck swiftly up the ice. Is capable of playing the point on the power play. Owns plenty of international experience.

Flaws - Lacks size for the blueline position at the NHL level. Must play with more confidence in the defensive zone.  

Career potential - Power play specialist

Montador (28)

Assets - Makes the most of his ability and has decent offensive skills. Shoots the puck with aplomb and can also deliver big hits.

Flaws - Must make quicker decisions in order to play a regular role in the NHL. Is prone to making mistakes with the puck.

Career potential - No. 6 or 7 defenseman

Finger (28)

Assests - Plays a steady game from the back end and usually limits his mistakes. Can log plenty of ice time and is a solid team-first player.

Flaws - Has never put up great offensive numbers and probably never will. Isn’t a physical player, despite his 6-1, 205-pound frame.Career potential - Top six defenseman.

Norstrom (36)

Assets - Knows his role as a stay-at-home defender and takes care of business in his own end first and foremost. Loves a rough-and-tumble game. Is a fabulous hitter and solid leader.

Flaws - Is not offensively skilled at all. Has virtually no point shot to speak of. May struggle at times against the speedier forwards in the league. Career potential - Defensive defenseman.

Where do people sit who just want to watch the game? Is there a section in any stadium for us? Invariably you either have to sit in a section with obnoxious, loud drunks or you have to sit in a No Alcohol Section with a bunch of squirming, annoying little children. 

Last night I went to the Met game and paid $5.00 each for two seats in the upper deck. I opted for the “No Alcohol” Section because I do not like sitting near beer swilling drunks. No sooner had we sat down when a swarm of little boys and their chaperon dads arrived. Seriously, there had to be about 30 boys ranging in age from 10-12. At any given time, 5 or 6 of them were crawling all over the section. It was like sitting in the middle of a pile of Mexican jumping beans. By the third inning, we elected to move down to an empty section of upper boxes.

No sooner had we sat down there but an usher came over. He asked to see our tickets. I told him we had moved down from Section 16 because we couldn’t enjoy the game surrounded by 30 disruptive and annoying little boys. The usher looked up and over at Section 16. He told us it was okay to sit there and left us alone. After the usher left, we noticed the group of young men sitting across the aisle. There were several dozen empty beer bottles at their feet. As the game went on their obnoxiousness level increased commensurately with their alcohol consumption. Profanities galore.  You know the drill.

There is no happy medium for the average working stiff. If you sit in the cheap seats, you  have to put with “the great unwashed”. This is why it’s good to be rich. One can insulate oneself from the rabble by sitting in expensive seats. They have plenty of security to shut the drunks up and to make the kiddies sit down and behave themselves. Their parents won’t.

I listen to Boomer and Carton on WFAN in the morning. I like Boomer. He’s a Ranger fan. He gives hockey more time then most of the other “personalities” on the Fan.  Craig Carton is only barely tolerable and, with his whining voice, only slightly less obnoxious the Chris “the Mad Dog” Russo.

Boomer and Carton were sitting in the cushy blue seats behind home plate tonight watching the game. They had the VIP seats. They were probably comped. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Anyway, they are being interviewed by the young blond guy who does the  color interviews at the Met games.  Carton turns around as tells his kid to pipe down and dammit, the kid actually listens to him!  How refreshing! 

Too bad the obnoxious, foul mouthed drunks don’t have a parent with them at games to tell them to sit the hell down and shut the hell up. When the Mets actually play well and win, one has a higher annoyance threshold for bad behavior. However, the assaults to one’s sensibilities from “the fans” make staying at home and watching on television a more attractive option.

Even though the Rangers are out of the playoffs, there is still plenty of hockey to watch. Break Up Day for many Ranger fans means popping on to their favorite message boards for some hot stove buzz. Not this hockey fan. I am intrigued by each Conference Final. The best part of watching the rest of the playoffs is that I can enjoy it without that knot in the pit of my stomach. I do not have a vested interest in who wins or loses. This makes makes for dispassionate, calm viewing. No pressure, just fun.

Sure, Ranger fans still viewing may have their preferences as to the outcome of each series. Personally, I would like to see the Flyers take down the Penguins and the Red Wings give the Stars the gate. I want the Flyers to take down the Penguins because of the bad taste left in my mouth after the Rangers series with Sid the Squid diving and whining. But this Flyer team should be less loathsome to Ranger fans than anytime since its inception. The tainted paw prints of Bobby Clarke are finally off this franchise. 

The 2007-2008 Flyers are a rags to riches story that the NHL should be selling the hell out of. Paul Holmgren and the coaching staff have done a tremendous job with this team. The Flyers are in the Eastern Conference final one year after finishing dead last in the league. They had to fight tooth and nail just to make the playoffs. They played a terrific series to eliminate Ovechkin and the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The Flyers then defied all odds by eliminating the mighty Montreal Canadians in five games.

What can you say about the Detroit Red Wings? Year in and out they finish at the top of the league for a reason. From their owner on down, this is the classiest organization in the NHL. While they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 2002, they have won the President’s Trophy four times since. What the Wings have more them any other team in the league is balance. Even if the Wings are down by three goals in a game, you can never count them out.

In the first of the Conference finals games, the Wings trounced Dallas. It was a pretty embarrassing game which the Red Wings won 4-1. It was like watching the Red Wings take Turco and the Stars to hockey school. While some may think total domination is boring, the vacationing Rangers should do themselves a favor and watch the Red Wings powerplay.  They could learn much.

I’ll be checking in here to comment on these playoffs as they move forward. I am rooting for the Red Wings to take it all so I can watch the amazing play of Franzen, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Kronwell et. al. well into June. Enjoy the Playoffs!

Continued

With many players becoming unrestricted free agent on July 1, the burning question becomes who will return in September. Let’s do this alphabetically.

Avery

For sure, the Ranger have more wins when Avery is in the lineup then not but at what cost do we resign him. I am not in favor of paying Avery $4million for four seasons. Lacerated spleen aside, he has proven to be injury prone. He disappeared in the second round of the playoffs and unwittingly made the Rangers the laughingstock of the league with his antics in front of Marty Brodeur. Some are saying those antics were worse then Cindy Crosby’s diving. I am not in favor of having an overpaid, loose cannon on the Rangers with no one to reign him in. (Shanahan). I would take him back but no more than $3million tops four years.

Jagr

Anyone who has read this blog before knows that I am not the biggest fan of Jaromir Jagr. Great player, yes. First ballot Hall of Famer, undoubtedly. 2008-2009 New York Ranger, No. I predict Jagr will not come back and I will venture a guess that it is by his design. Jagr’s play during the lion share of the regular season begs the question, did he even want to make his contract triggers?  Would I re-sign him for one year for $5million plus incentives, maybe. But the way I see it, it’s time for the Rangers to bite the bullet and bring up more youth. Spend the money on better defense and maybe another sniper.

Malik

There’s nothing left to say but Adios to Harry. 

Mara

Paul Mara is an enigma to me. He is large enough but not tough enough. He has a decent shot but he doesn’t really shoot a lot. He doesn’t step up. At 29 years of age and coming off a $3million dollar contract, I do not see a raise being warranted. I’d offer him 3 years at $2.5 million only after locking up the best available defensemen out there. (either via trade or free agency.)

Rozsival

The Rangers need to let Rozsival walk. Even if he does come back to be a Ranger killer on some other team, not having him on the Ranger’s is addition by subtraction. I think of all the player’s in the playoffs I am most disappointed by Rozsival.

Shanahan 

If I knew Brendan personally, I would beg him to retire. He has been and always will be my favorite hockey player but it is clearly time for Shanny to hang them up. Because of the Cup, Messier was able to come back to the Rangers and play four dissolute seasons without destroying his legacy. I fear such would not be the case here for Brendan. I am eternally grateful to the Hockey Gods that I got to see him play as a New York Ranger. Now, if the Hockey Gods could just make him Commissioner, all my prayers will be answered.

Go raimh mile a mah agat, Brendan agus Slan.

Straka

Marty Straka has been a player’s player while a New York Ranger but it is time for Marty to follow his heart and go back home and raise his children in the Czech Republic. All the best to a guy with the heart of a lion. 

Strudwick

After seeing Jason Strudwick in a Ranger uniform for the better part of three seasons, I would not be adverse to seeing him come back. He wouldn’t be a big hit on the cap. He has proven to be reliable and willing to play or not play as instructed. Unless or until Baranka, Sauer or Sanguinetti are ready, keeping Strudwick isn’t the worst idea.

I do not wish to even address trading the players we presently have signed. It is an exercise in futility until we see how the Draft pans out and deal with our unrestricted free agents.

Two days have past since the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs. I finally feel able to put my thoughts into words.

Of course, I am unhappy that the Ranger’s season came to a close on Sunday to such an unworthy opponent. I will make no apology when I say that the Pittsburgh Penguins are unworthy. They are unworthy for no other reason then their poor sportsmanship. They may have talent but they have no class. I guess Crosby really is learning his tricks the feet of Mario Lemieux. I’d bet money he wouldn’t be a whiner or a diver if his mentor were Steve Yzerman.

Gary Bettman and the league want Cindy Crosby and the Penguins to succeed at all costs. They pander to them by allowing the diving and the slew footing to go uncalled. I find that incomprehensible coming from a league straggling behind Nascar and Poker for television viewership. The officiating and the decision making from the war room in Toronto has rendered the product less believable and less palatable than professional wrestling. One needs no better illustration of that then the Ranger/Penguin series.

I am not going to enumerate the uncalled offenses. Everyone saw what happened. Suffice it to say that the next team to play Pittsburgh will have a much easier time because they will know what to expect. I fully expect the Flyers to exact more then a pound of Crosby and the Penguin’s flesh. Let’s hope Darien Hatcher is more successful at it then was Ryan Hollweg.

As far as the play of the Rangers themselves, one need look no further than their nonexistant powerplay. One can’t be disappointed over something they never had. The Rangers had no consistent powerplay all season.  The reason the Rangers had no powerplay is two fold. They did not have anyone to quarterback their powerplay; the Rangers have no one who could honestly be considered an No. 1 NHL defenseman. That is not the coaching staff’s fault nor is it the fault of the players. The only player who has any promise of being a top pair defenseman for the Rangers on the present team is Marc Staal.

Dan Girardi is decent but not top notch. Fedor Tyutin regressed this year. Paul Mara would be a better player if he were tougher and took more shots but he cannot be considered a top pair defenseman. Jason Studwick is better than Backman and Malik but that isn’t saying much. The person I am the most disappointed in is Rozsival. He has a good shot but doesn’t take it. He can hit but he doesn’t. I have a hard time categorizing him as a number two defenseman. The whole kit and kaboodle don’t clear the crease and take out the opposition. The Rangers defense was pretty much useless. With a defense like this, it’s a a miracle they made the playoffs, no less the second round. Yikes, what does that say about the New Jersey Devils.

Tom Renney preached “defense first” without a No. 1 defensemen. That’s like trying to get bread to rise without yeast. Getting a topnotch puck carrying defenseman who can quarterback the powerplay should be Glen Sather’s number one priority this off season. Not re-signing Jagr. Not re-signing Avery.

To be continued….

If  it’s time for me to sing, at least I get to pick the song.

They Can’t Take That Away From Me (words and music by George and Ira Gershwin)

The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No, no, they can’t take that away from me

The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can’t take that away from me

We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I’ll always, always keep the memory of

The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can’t take that away from me
No, they can’t take that away from me

After watching the Rangers play badly on Tuesday and go down 3-0 in this series, walking in to Madison Square Garden last night felt like walking in to a wake. I pride myself on being an honest person. I’ll admit that I thought the Rangers would not prevail last night. 

I give my friends Bobby Granger and Scott Wolke tremendous credit. They never stopped believing. I give no credit to certain of my seatmates from 409 who sold their tickets and bailed on last night’s game. They know who they are. Shame on them. They missed a great game and a lot of fun. I still love you guys anyway.

I felt badly on Tuesday that there were no balloons raining down from Section 409 at the start of the national anthem. Maybe it was bad karma that we failed to do the balloons.  Maybe it was a bad omen that John Amorante didn’t sing the anthem. Ordinarily I am not a superstitious person. I didn’t wear my Canterbury Cross on Tuesday either. It was a triple whammy.

Last night I made sure the balloons went down, the cross was around my neck and I was relieved to see Amorante walk out with the Color Guard to sing.  John was in good voice. Last night I quelled my nerves and commiserated with my Section mates about the Rangers predicament as we blew up a couple of hundred balloons. Keeping busy is the best remedy for anxiety.

The fans in the Garden did not disappoint their team. They were just as loud and brash as they were on Tuesday and during the Devils series. The Rangers didn’t disappoint their fans. Captain Jagr and his team showed their true colors while exposing the Pittsburgh Penguins for the cry babies and poor sports they are.

Evgeni Malkin slew footed Mara twice at the end of the game. That’s a suspendable offense. Predictably, there was no call by the on ice officials and no comment by the NHL. This same cheap shot artist was awarded a penalty shot on a phantom penalty. He was pushed in the back by the stickless hands of Ranger defenseman Dan Girardi. The puck forced in the net by Malkin’s diving body was declared a no goal. Malkins penalty shot attempt was soundly foiled by our Vezina candidate. Boo-hoo Pengiuns.  

Last night, no Ranger committed an egregious error or took a bad penalty that resulted in a goal. The Rangers played their game and Henrik Lundqvist posted a shut out. Amorante may have sang but this fat lady didn’t. The team without home ice advantage has to win two games in the building of them team with it. The Rangers still have to do that. I think they can.

The most important part of the game last night was the Rangers stick salute and the stars of the game, Lundqvist, Jagr and Dubinsky. If last night was the last time we will see this Ranger team on the ice at Madison Square Garden,  at least Ranger fans got to show their appreciation for these players and another successful season.