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….