And I can’t get it out of my head,
No I can’t get it out of my head.
Now my old world is gone for dead,
‘Cos I can’t get it out of my head.

-Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra

I cannot fathom how a man who has won three Stanley Cups and four Vezina trophies can let the New York Rangers and their fans get into his head the way Martin Brodeur has done.

Here is a guy who kept his composure while going through a very personal and public separation during the playoffs in 2003. His then estranged wife taunted him that she was having affairs with his opponents.  It had so little effect upon him that he and his team went on to win the Stanley Cup. 

The gist of Martin’s personal life has been grist for the mill of taunting Ranger fans ever since. And while all the listeners to the Versus broadcast may have heard last night was “Maaarty”, fans in the Garden could hear chants of  ”Uncle Daddy” and “Al-i-mony” reigning down from the rafters of MSG.

Brodeur is currently involved in a law suit with his ex-wife who is seeking longer and larger alimony payment’s from Martin. Uncle/Daddy will have to work for as long as he can to support two families. I doubt he needs to be reminded of this but Ranger fans stick it to him at every opportunity.

Among the other chants I heard were, “Marty —–  his sister-in-law, do dah, do dah” and “Fatso”, the later courtesy of Sean Avery from last years playoffs. So, the media may think that it is only Sean Avery in the heads of Marty and the Devils but in actual fact, the Ranger fans in MSG are as much there as Sean.

Last night Sean Avery, the bad boy of the NHL, the anger management poster boy, fashionista bad boy, retained his composure while Marty and the Devils lost theirs. Oh yes, the fact that most of the Ranger players were engaged in the game and John Tortorella backed his defense away from his “safe is death” policy had something to do with the victory.  

But, deep down the whole Brodeur vs Avery rematch was in the hearts and minds of the Devils.  It was put there by the media and the fans. The fans are the Rangers seventh man whenever they play the Devils, be it at the Garden or the Rock.

Unlike 2006, should the Rangers make the playoffs, I live in hope that the first round is against the Devils. Question is, based on their late season slump, will Sutter still be behind the bench or will he be Lamarilloed?

Posted under New York Rangers

Updated 3/30/09

The assist on Crosby’s game winning goal was from Fedetenko, not Talot, though I thought  that was what  I heard on the broadcast.

Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember this song by Leslie Gore. I even wore my hair in a flip back in the day, just like Leslie.

For the last month I have been loathe to criticize John Tortorella in any way lest I be accused of sour grapes because I was and am a Renney supporter. But this blog is my party and I’ll cry out if  I want  to.

As the last month has unfolded, I have seen John Tortorella  do some of the same things that got Tom Renney fired. Wasn’t the biggest indictment against Renney his failure to hold players accountable? Wasn’t lack of accountability one of the chief complaints of the Renney haters out there. Renney let the high priced, underachieving players continue to play big minutes. One Wade Redden comes immediately to mind.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not here to crucify Tortorella. I just find it a little ironic and unfair that Tortorella can make himself off limits to the press and doesn’t have to explain his decisions, good or ill. Accountability should start with Tortorella.

The fact is that there are soooo many sub-plots in Ranger hockey now that you may as well be watcing One Tree Hill. Dolan wants as much season subscription and playoff money as he can get. He pressures Sather to fill the seats and make the playoffs. In turn, Sather goes out and pulls the trigger on marque players and overpays them and hog ties the organization with long, no movement contracts.

Sather turned around and handed a stacked deck to Renney, who in his 3+ years as the head coach accomplished his mission. Renney was able to keep peace in the valley while juggling tempermental players, the press and the fan base. In order to do that, Renney had to be the ultimate diplomat. He couldn’t scapegoat players. He couldn’t tell the press to f*ck off and he couldn’t scream and curse at the officials.

Because Renney approached every aspect of his job in a calm, well prepared way he was accussed of being Coach Butterscotch. He was boring. His system was boring and both the players and the fan base wanted him out and to see run and gun, exciting hockey.

Unfortunately, you can’t play exciting hockey without a good defense to cover for the lack of defensive responsibilty by your forwards. Renney knew that. And despite the fact that there were 6 defensemen on his roster, he really had only 3.5 decent defensemen. He rolled four lines playing a boring, defensively conservative game for that reason. And, until the players bought out of that system, the Rangers were winning games 2-1 and in shoot outs. But, they did WIN.

Tortorella comes in and lets the team loose and they do score more goals. But instead of winning 2-1 or in shootouts, they lose 4-3 and in shootouts. Tortorella says he doesn’t need to roll four line like Renney did but he does anyway. And, for some inexplicable reason, he doesn’t use one of his best players in the shoot out. He is also shortening his bench to four defensemen. In my opinion, that’s a prescription for disaster.

If you look at Crosby’s goal yesterday in microcosim, you see why having all three forwards down low on that play lead to disaster. Renney’s five in the frame might have helped there. Avery was being tied up by Orpik, who hooked Avery in the corner. Zherdev plays the puck around the boards to Dubinsky who gets beat by Talbot. Talbot passes to Crosby at center ice who then splits the defense. Unfortunately, two of Rangers slower defenseman were at the points. Redden should have used his head and tripped or grabbed Crosby and taken a good penalty for a change.

Maybe if Sauer was on the ice instead of Redden, he might have been able to catch Cindy. We’ll never know because Tortorella only played the kid for two minutes for the entire game. But God forbid giving Redden fewer minutes.

I’m telling ya, the more things change the more they remain the same.

Posted under New York Rangers

Saturday was my first game back in the Garden since the Avalanche game on February 28th. I refuse to humor MSG and NBC by giving up my entire Sunday to encourage their ridiculous schedulers. No professional hockey game should be played at 12:30 in the afternoon.

Of course after such a long absence, one has to catch up with their section mates. Since last I posted nearly two weeks ago, the Rangers have gone 4-2 in  their last six games. In fact, since John Tortorella replaced Tom Renney as coach the Rangers have gone 7- 4- 1 in 12 games.

I asked the couple who sits in front of me, George and Joanne,  if they thought that John Tortorella was the difference maker in the Rangers recent success. Was the new style of play the reason why the Rangers were winning? Or, were the players putting in more effort since they had gotten their way when Sather fired Tom Renney? I was not prepared for the answer I received.

Joanne, very insightfully, said it really wasn’t possible to say whether or not the Rangers would have had less or more success under Renney. Tortorella had the benefit of the trade deadline acquisitions of Avery, Antropov and Morris. Out of the mouth of babes. I mean that in the most flattering way. Joanne is a babe. I don’t usually associate hockey acumen with babehood.

But, her response gave me pause. She comes to almost all the games with George. George coaches hockey. Joanne goes to those games, too. Of course she would make an insightful response. There are many intelligent, knowledgeable and passionate women hockey fans out there. Sometimes I forget that because the vast majority of the fans in the stands and on the messageboards are men.

So George, if you read this, you better realize Joanne’s a keeper. She’s cute. She understands hockey and she likes you. What more could a guy want?

Posted under New York Rangers

Unless the Rangers can win eleven of their final fifteen games this season, they will be out of the playoffs. Considering how tight the race is in the Eastern Conference, I feel they’ll need 98 points to secure a playoff spot. Based upon the last game in Carolina and the difficulty of their upcoming schedule, I do not believe in my heart of hearts that they will make it. Frankly, I’m past the point of caring if they do.

I usually dread this time of year. The clocks are moved ahead. St. Patricks Day is upon us. Spring summons the end of winter and thus the regular season. This year is especially more of burden for me because I have been sick with bad cold for the last two weeks. Then to top it all off, the exit of Tom Renney has secured me in the knowledge that the rebuild is over. All the good feeling built up over the last three seasons seems to have slowly drained out of my body.

And while some may accuse me of being melodramatic and negative, the only people I feel badly for  are the die hards and the “Kid Rangers”. I feel sorry for the fans in the Garden and on my favorite messageboards. And even though some of these very same people were among those calling for Renney to be fired, I don’t think they realize the full implication of that request.

Now both of the real architects of the rebuild, Renney and Maloney, are gone. In their wake we have Schoenfeld and Sather and a “leadership” group of players that I have no faith in or respect for. Somehow I can’t see Schoenfeld as the nurturer of young talent. Sather certainly hasn’t done a bang up job in drafting or signing talent, either. Tortorella might work out to be a good coach but that remains to be seen.

So, for those that still care about this season’s outcome, I sincerely hope that the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference Final. I will be there to support the “kids” on the ice and wish them well. I’ll be there to support my kids in the section and cheer with them. I’m just sorry it can’t be with the same enthusiasm as in the past three seasons.

Posted under New York Rangers

Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I loved them all.

-John Lennon/Paul McCartney

I know that many Ranger fans out there aren’t as old as I am. I have seen many of my favorites players traded from the Rangers. From Ratelle and Park, to the Maloneys to Leetch. We all have our favorites. They traded the best looking Ranger ever, Pat Hickey,  for Barry “Shoot the Puck” Beck.  Yes, Pat was better looking then Duguay. It turned out to be a bad trade in both the hockey and handsome sense. But, I digress.  

I know many are upset about all of the changes that have transpired in the last week or so.  I revered Tom Renney and was saddened and angry to see him go before Sather.

Today, many are  angered to see Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes, two former cornerstones of the Rangers youth movement, traded for a rental, a salary dump. Even if Derek Morris proves to be the second coming of Brad Park, losing Prucha has hardened many a heart.

My heart will always be True Blue. But there are times when  a little Red Wing seeps in there. And that’s okay.  We can like and admire other players and other teams as long as it’s not  the Islanders, Devils and Flyers. You just can’t root for your alternate teams and players over the Rangers.

If the Rangers fail to make the playoffs or get tossed in the first round, pick the team you want to see advance and sit back and enjoy their ride. You can watch in stress free peace. It’s just hockey. 

Good luck and God’s speed Tom Renney, Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha and all our favorite Rangers whereever they are.

In my life, I loved them all. 

Posted under New York Rangers

The New York Rangers picked Sean Avery off waivers from the Dallas Stars at high noon today. Just  in time for Casino Night. So, what was Dallas’ problem is now Glen Sather’s. Avery also becomes the problem of Jim Schoenfeld, John Tortorella and the Ranger players. 

As if  their performance against the hapless Avalanche on Saturday night wasn’t enough of a side show both during and after the game, the return Avery surely spells the addition of another ring to the circus that the New York Rangers has become. Why it’s enough to turn this previously ”Vanilla” team into “Rocky Road”.

My only question to Sather is, WIIFU? We have taken a huge problem off Dallas’ hands.  And although they still must pay half of Avery’s salary, surely something more must be coming the other way? So, what’s the deal? Are anymore shoes going to drop between the Rangers and Dallas?

Rumor had it that a plebiscite of the players was taken and Drury told Sather the players were unanimously against bringing back Avery. What does it say that Sather still claimed him despite the disapproval of the players? Was Sather’s decision made before the Dallas game in early February? What did he decide and when did he decide it?

Tortorella expressed his dislike for Avery on the air when he was commentating on the “Sloppy Seconds” situation back in December. Tortorella was brought in by Schoenfeld.  He’s Schoenfeld’s guy. Perhaps Sather sees Avery as his quid pro quo. In Avery, Sather has a thorn that he can bring up or send down at will. No other team in the NHL  will touch Avery.  Is Avery Sather’s scale tipper  in the balance of power?

And you all thought the Circus wasn’t coming to the Garden until March 26…

Posted under New York Rangers

While the Rangers may have played with conviction as a team  last night, the play of Gomez, Drury , Naslund and Redden only served in my mind to convict them of their duplicity in the demise of Tom Renney.

You can’t tell me that Jim Schoenfeld’s method acting strategy, having the players lay on the ice and imagine themselves pucks, made such a difference in scoring production.  The simple fact of the matter was that the “leadership” on this team finally decided to show up and play hockey.

It doesn’t hurt that the Rangers defeated one of the worst teams in the NHL. With 57 points on the season, the once mighty Avalanche are in line for the 3rd pick in the draft.  They have lost all the games they have played so far on their east coast road trip. A Ranger team with it’s present talent should absolutely beat a team like the Avs, no less run up  a score of 6-1.

In a way it’s too bad that the Rangers have no more games before the trade deadline to showcase  Gomez, Drury, Naslund and Redden. It diminishes the chances of  Sather moving one of these slackers and getting a big contract off the books.  No trade and limited movement clauses be damned, the only way Sather can redeem himself in my eyes is to move or buy out one of these guys either now or after the season is over.

Finally, last night’s histrionic displays by some of the players and by Jim Schoenfeld was just enough of a smokescreen to placate the fans in the stands who believe the team lacked heart under the Renney regime. What some of the players on this team lacked under the Renney regime was a spine.

 What some of the players on this team lacked under Renney was the loyalty they were shown by their coach. So, if Gomez, Drury, Naslund and Redden think they can slack under the new regime, they should waive their no trade/limited movement clauses now and get the hell out.

Last night may have been an aberration. Unless and until I see this team play every single game left the way they “played” last night, they aren’t going anywhere and frankly they don’t deserve too. It’s just to bad that the good kids on the team have to suffer because of the bad decisions of the few.

Posted under New York Rangers