Whoever in the MSG organization responsible for staging the “unrequited marriage proposal” stunt at the Garden yesterday afternoon need not have bothered. The Ranger game was entertaining enough. It was actually one of the more exciting games of the season. There was no need to divert the attention of the crowd away from the usual sub-par product on the ice surface for a change.

The stunt actually could have backfired and distracted the attention of the team away from the job at hand. The Rangers had managed to tie the score on Avery’s penalty shot goal and Prospal’s put home in the slot. It was an ill-timed and misjudged bit of tom foolery, to say the least. 

Erik Christiansen actually had a conversation on the bench with Vinnie Prospal about it.  Christiansen then went on to score the next two goals to give the Rangers the D2GL. He obviously didn’t care that some stupid guy got dumped by his girlfriend in front of 18,200 fans. It didn’t damaged his young psyche. I wonder if the same can be said about all the little children in attendance?

“Mommy, why did the lady get mad at the nice man who sent her the pretty card on the big screen?” What would you tell your child.  “Gee, Jimmy, the man shouldn’t have asked the lady such a question unless he was sure what her answer would be.” Please.

This was a 1pm game. There are always lots of kids in the Garden for matinees. Instead of hiring two actors to fake a marriage proposal, maybe MSG should have spent that money giving children a souvenir instead of a confusing and unwholesome memory at what might have been their first Ranger game. 

Even some of the most cynical and hardened denizens of the Blue Seats (the Homo Larry and Potvin Sucks chanters) thought it unfunny and downer. If this stunt was indeed staged by MSG, the employees responsible need to be fired. While they are at it, they should fire Sather, too.

Posted under New York Rangers

I absolutely love the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies and the Games and they get my undivided attention every four years. But I hope Canada is never awarded another Winter Olympics again. After watching this boring train wreck of an opening ceremony Canada put on this evening, I’m beginning to think Sochi will be better.

I am a native born American citizen of Irish, English, French Canadian and Native American descent and as such I was displeased by every single aspect of this spectacle. None more so then the insult to Irish/Celtic music and dance they disgracefully depicted.

In the prelude to this segment, the NBC narrators explained that the creative “minds” behind this “show” were inspired by what they saw in the many pubs of Newfoundland. It’s one thing to make “Newfies” the butt of every joke in Canada. It’s quite another to insult the ethnic customs and culture of the majority of the population of the Maritime Provinces on national television at an Olympic games.

Bob Costas tried to bolster this nightmare by asking the viewing audience to keep in mind that the Winter Olympic opening ceremonies are not meant to be as opulent as at the summer games, ie Beijing. Sorry Bob, but no amount of sugarcoating can get me to accept this mess as entertainment.

I am going to watch the entire program but I don’t expect it to get any better. At least they got one thing right by acknowledging the tragic death of the Georgian luger. Not even the sight of the Great One lighting the Olympic Caldron can save this program for me.

By the way, the Rangers beat the Penguins in overtime in Pittsburgh tonight after losing Del Zotto and Gaborik only playing for four minutes. Big Whoop. Like they’re really going to make the playoffs.

Posted under New York Rangers

After winning two games in a row and scoring a combined total 14 goals, I thought it was safe to take my annual vacation on January 21 and left the Rangers to pursue points and move up in the standings. Instead the Rangers went to hell in a handbasket and the villagers are calling for heads to roll from Redden to Tortorella and a few others in between. Why am I not surprised? 

The first thing I saw when I could access my email was an invitation from “Ranger Nation” to sign a Fire Sather petition and to attend their rally on March 7th to express the discontent of the fan base with the owernship and management of the New York Rangers. Excuse me, but do the organizers think such activities will really help. Like Marie Antoinette, Dolan’s simple answer to cries of the subscribers and fans will be a predictable “let them eat ….”.

I wholeheartedly support and agree with the sentiments of the organizers and the supporters of the “Fire Sather” protest in principle. In practice, they need to offer positive solutions to improve the lamentable situation the Rangers find themselves in. I agree with Jess Rubenstein when he cautioned the protesters not to compromise their credibility by turning this rally into an obscenity filled slanging match against Dolan, Sather, Tortorella, the players, (insert name here).

Unfortunately, even if the protest organizers come up with the most lucid, cogent plan to turn the franchise around by firing Sather, they do not realize that the future of the franchise is a fait accompli. My intuition told me so at one of the first preseason games where I saw Mike Keenan follow Mark Messier out of the Geico Suite and get on the elevator by Section 409.

If Sather retires at the end of the season to save face or if Dolan somehow does get sick of defending the decade long malfeasance of his mastemind and fires Sather, Dolan/Sather will tap Mark Messier to take over as GM. Moose will turn to Keenan and his old friends to help him “turn the franchise around” Graves will be a VP, maybe Assistant GM . Maybe Leetch could be an Assistant Coach running defense. Dolan’s only recourse will be to spin “the ’94 heros taking charge” to retain subscribers next season. Dolan’s made huge bucks with his dog and pony show number retirement ceremonies. Dolan had nothing to do with the 94 Cup but he continually milks it for every dime and good feeling he can to disguise a failing franchise.

I would put money on Messier replacing Sather.  I agree with the HockeyRodent. See his three part rant called “Entitlement” on 01/31/10. If the “Reign of the Moose” does come to pass, it will be the worst thing to happen to the franchise since the Ratelle/Park trade to Boston. Dolan either won’t exert the effort or doesn’t have the intelligence to do the right thing for his own franchise. He’s a bad owner.

Dolan needs to clean MSG of Sather and his cronies and rebuild his franchise. More’s the pity that Don Maloney was squeezed out and Tom Renney forced out by Sather’s inepititude. I do not intend any disrespect to Messier, Graves, Leetch or any other of the 94  team who might become involved with running the franchise if Sather goes. It’s just that they are still too close to Sather. They are not ready now. I do not believe the future of the franchise should be handed over to individuals who’d be receiving on the job training.

We can’t overcome
We can’t overcome
We can’t overcome today
Deep in my heart I don’t believe that
We will overcome someday

Posted under New York Rangers