Anytime the Icelanders score three goals in a game, those attending can redeem their tickets for a free bowl of chili at participating Wendy’s locations on Long Island.  And, considering that the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Mausoleum was almost sold out last night, Wendy’s must have been dishing up plenty of free chili today.

The Ranger fans filled up the joint to the rafters. I’ll bet Wang will be petitioning Bettman and the Governors to go back to eight divisional games after last night. I’ve been to about 6 Fishstick games this season.  Usually the dump is half empty, never a line for the restroom and you can park close to the entrances. Not so last night. It was like a Ranger home game.

I don’t pay to go to Islander games. My buddy Fred invites me when he gets his company’s tickets.  Teams playing the Islanders usually will face the Rangers shortly thereafter. I used to root for the visiting team but one of the other guys from Fred’s company, an Islander fan, took umbrage at my vocal support for the opponent. This season I politely sat and scouted the Islanders and the visitors.  

In fact, before last night  I had not set foot in the Mausoleum for a Ranger Islander game since the spring 2006. I swore I would not give The Fish another dime of  my money because crazy sh*t always happens (usually to the detriment of the Rangers) whenever I set foot in that concrete tomb the Icelanders call home. Low and behold, less then two minutes into the first period and the Rangers take a TMM penalty. The Fishsticks go up 1-0. See, crazy sh*t.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the Rangers took another boneheaded and costly TMM penalty, to add insult to injury it was scored by that puck moving defenseman that Sather passed on in 2008, Mark Streit. Streit has 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 points and a +1 on a dog team like the Icelanders. Streit makes $4.1 million per season. Redden has 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points and +6 at $6.5 million. Rozsival has 3 goals and 18 assists for 21 points and +0 at $5 million. Ranger fans who guffawed at the idea of Garth Snow as GM can put that in their pipe and smoke it. He’s cleaning up Milbury’s mess nicely.

The next Fish goal was a crazy bouncing puck that made it’s way over Henrik’s shoulder. See, more crazy sh*t.  Bammo! The Icelanders are up 2-0 and it looks like a typical Ranger lose in the making a little over half way throught the first period. I was cursing myself for not telling Fred, “thanks but no thanks, I’m washing my hair”. I thought that somehow the Fishsticks had read my blog asking them to whoop up on the Rangers. But it seems that the Rangers have infected the Icelanders with Dreaded Two Goal Lead-itis.

Miracle of miracles, the sleeping Ranger veterans awoke in the second period and decided to put three pucks behind Roloson. Ollie “Mr. AWOL” Jokinen finally scored a goal and an assist after scoring just 2 goals in his previous 11 games. Vinnie “All Heart” Prospal scored as a mea culpa for the TMM penalty at the beginning of the game. Lastly, Gaborik scored his fortieth goal for my buddy Fred, who was wearing the Gaborik jersey I got him for Christmas.  Early in the third Mark Staal, taking a rare shot, added the fourth goal (perhaps to make up for his rough game on D).

Head to head the Rangers stats were abysmal against the Fish. They lost 60% of their faceoffs. They were outhit 36 to 26. They were even out shot 28 to 27.  Still, the Rangers managed to hold on despite Blake “Gretzsky” Comeau’s second goal of the game with 6.5 minutes left.  Mark Streit’s slap shot made the loudest clang off a crossbar I’ve ever heard. Give the Fish credit, they didn’t roll over. Truth be told, they never do. For that, I give them much credit.

Perhaps if the Rangers hadn’t rolled over in so many games this season, they”d have already secured a playoff spot instead of watching the scoreboard to see how Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta are doing.  Boston and Atlanta both won last night. If the Rangers had lost, I’m sure the “Fire Sather” chants would have reigned down from the rafters of the Mausoleum. You can bet I would have lent my voice. Instead the Rangers lived to play another day of status quo hockey. Damn you, Fishsticks!

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a big shout out to some of the members of the 2006 St. John the Baptist Varsity Ice Hockey team in attendance (Go Cougers!) at the Mausoleum last night. Ryan Antonik, Bobby Bassett and Eric Mauer, Ranger fans all!

Last but not least, thanks to my Slovak brother, Flying Freddie Jurena, for all the fun and the Islander tickets! D’akujeme Dude!

Posted under New York Rangers

I originally wrote this piece on December 17th begging the Fish to win so Sather might be fired. Just to spite me the Icelanders lost to the Rangers 5-2, perhaps forestalling the promised firing of Glen Sather (as reported by that hockey brain WFAN’s Craig Carton from his “impeccable” source). Fast forward four months and I still want the Fish to win, only for different reasons. 

Posted under New York Rangers

The only way for the New York Rangers to move forward is for Dolan to fire Sather and Tortorella immediately.  Jim Dolan needs to man up and take some responsibility for this mess and do the right thing by his subscribers and fan base.

When Sather fired Tom Renney last season, the Rangers were in the middle of a 10 game losing streak. The players supposedly had tuned out their coach.  But the team was still the playoffs at the time of Renney’s departure.

If that warranted Renney’s firing, then surely failing to make the playoffs should signal the departures of the worst GM in Ranger history and Renney’s antithesis, John “Ask Me No Questions” Tortorella.

For the interim Dolan should replace Sather with Cameron Hope and put Jim Schoenfeld in Tortorella’s spot behind the bench. Then, those two need to bring every possible kid up from Hartford to be evaluated before the end of the season.

Between now and free agency and the NHL draft, Dolan can look for a new GM and Coach. Hope and Schoeny can evaluate who will be drafted and who will stay on this team next season. I’m ambivalent whether Schoenfled and/or Hope stay. Just getting rid of Sather and Tortorella will be addition by subtraction.

The rebuild was derailed by the modicum of success the Rangers had post lock out. Clearly this team took a step backward this season and needs to develop a new plan for the future, sans Sather and Tortorella.

At this point, it doesn’t matter who Dolan gets. Anything has to be better then what we saw this season with Torts and Sather at the helm.

Now is not the time to wallow in misery. Now is the time to move forward.

Posted under New York Rangers

After watching the pitiful performance of the Rangers last night, someone should sign the  “do not resuscitate order”.  According Hockeyrodent’s Berthwatch, the Rangers have a 15.2 % chance of making the playoffs right now. Things haven’t been this grim since the final game of the season before the lockout, Messier’s last.

The crowd was so apathetc that they couldn’t even muster a decent Fire Sather chant. In speaking to my fellow subscribers, many are  actually hoping the Rangers do not make the playoffs. Sather and Dolan don’t deserve a dollar more of our money for the inferior product we have seen on the ice this season. Making the playoffs would insure Dolan gets his pure profit for at least two home games. He might also use making the playoffs to justify raising ticket prices again next season.

Since we started taking a full season subscription 4 years ago, ticket prices for the 400 level seats have increased by almost 30%. Apparently Jim Dolan has no clue that we are in a recession. Our salaries certainly haven’t increased by 30%. If the long threatened renovations to the Garden finally commence this off season, Dolan will be looking to pass along that cost to Knick and Ranger subscribers as well. With the teams he is fielding, he is going to have a lot of empty seats in the Garden next season.

The Garden propaganda machine would have everyone think that they are selling out every game and that there is a long waitlist for season tickets. I’m not buying that (no pun intended). At every game they hawk the suites and single game tickets on Gardenvision. Ranger Ticket Exchange was intended to help fans recoup some of their season ticket investment by allowing us to sell games we can’t get to. The on ice product has been so bad this season that subscribers can’t even resell their games for face value (the least amount the Garden will allow).

I haven’t had my subscription very long. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that if people are having difficulty laying off their tickets, many won’t be able to afford to continue to subscribe. I know somebody on that elusive waitlist will probably be taking my seats. Last season we were contemplating not renewing on principle (Renney was fired). This season the economy has taken the decision out of our hands. We can no longer afford to subscribe at the prices Dolan is going to ask. I doubt he would roll back his prices by even 10%.

With 11 games remaining and the Rangers playing like the post fire sale team of 2004, it’s time to stick a fork in this turkey. The Rangers are done for this season. And, unless we win the lotto, we are done subscribing. I will always be a fan of the sweater but I don’t have to support a bad owner, a bad general manager and a bad coach with my hard earned money anymore.

DNR/NYR

Posted under New York Rangers

According to an interview by my fearless leader, Joe MacDonald at NY Sportsday, Captain  Chris Drury chalked up last night’s loss to immaturity. In fact, Drury said, in so many words, most of problems with the team this season can be attributed to immaturity which in turn has lead to inconsistency. Because the quality of the sound was poor, I could not hear the audio file  of the Drury interview provided with Joe’s article.

I wish that Drury would expound on what his concept of maturity is? Is he referring to the fact the the youngsters on the Rangers are inexperienced and have not matured into full blown NHL players, ie  Del Zotto, Gilroy, Dubinsky Anisimov and Lisin, to name a few? Or, is Drury calling the behavior of his teammates immature leading to inconsistent play? If it is the former, time will help that, If it’s the later, then Drury really needs to turn the mirror on himself and the other veterem players on this team and look at the inconsistency there. 

If I were looking for an inconsistent player in last night’s game, I would clearly point the finger at Drury himself.  Drury lost 60% of his faceoffs, including that key faceoff at the end of the game. The Rangers were 6 on 4 with Lundqvist pulled and Montreal’s Pouilet in the box for hooking. It  may have been immature for Del Zotto to try and stick check the puck away from Plekanic instead of taking the body but he wouldn’t have been in that situation if his Captain had won the damn face off in the first place.

 In fact, if Drury hadn’t lamely lost the face of to Scott Gomez on the Metropolit powerplay goal, the Rangers wouldn’t have gotten burned on the bogus holding penalty called on Prust.  Drury can’t be inconsistent because he’s immature. He’s a veteran in this league. He’s just inconsistent because that’s all he’s shown since he donned the Ranger sweater.

If the truth be told, the most immature and inconsistent person on the entire team is the coach. The bottle throwing incident in Washington last playoffs not withstanding, Tortorella’s arrogant, immature attitude with the press and his inconsistent treatment of some players has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he might be the biggest problem of all on this team.

Posted under New York Rangers

Signs signs everywhere there’s signs
Blocking up the scenery breaking my mind
Do this don’t do that can’t you read the sign?

I’m not talking about the M. Night Shyamalan film. I’m talking about John Tortorella’s “Structure” sign that he hung in the Rangers locker room to motivate his players. Torts, like Joaquin Phoenix’s character Merrill in the film, obviously is wearing a hat made out of aluminum foil. No one can figure out what’s going on inside his head. I know I certainly can’t. Apparently, neither can his players.

If Torts calls what happened on the ice last night in Atlanta “structure”, he needs to look up the word in the dictionary. Judging by what happened last night, Torts hung up a “chaos” sign in the locker room, not “structure”. After the going up 3-0 in the first period on a lackluster performance by Johan Hedberg, the Rangers were out played, out hit, out hustled and out brained by the Thrashers.

Having played the night before, the Thrashers were rope-a-doped by the Rangers in the first half of the first period. The Thrashers were unable to come all the way back. but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. And, the Rangers almost let their hosts do just that with their disorganized and chaotic defense. I got a few signs for Torts to hang up in the locker room. Back Check. Hit. Shoot. Score. Hustle. Fight. Cojones.

Speaking of cojones, congrats to Brandon Dubinsky for showing some sack by going after Boulton. Cap’n Puss in Boots goes over to the kid and chastises him for sticking up for himself. That’s really rich. Dubi would be eligible for social security before Drury would stick up for him or anyone. Oh Yeah, they need the points now. God forbid anyone put the team at a disadvantage by taking a penalty.

Recall that it was Captain Milquetoast who went over to Avery and told him to knock it off when Avery was harassing Marty, waiving his stick in front of him and prompting the Avery Rule. And, while we are on the subject, Tortorella ain’t gonna get an “Avery Effect” with Sean’s ass warming the bench.

Sean provides the spark that has gotten the Rangers fired up in past playoff runs. Sitting him is certainly going to make for boring hockey. What the hell do they have to lose? It’ not like they are going to make the playoffs anyway. I say let the dogs (Avery) out and go down fighting.

Finally, the single most important sign Torts should have had in the locker room all season is Renney’s “Six Points in Five Games” sign. Maybe if Torts and the Team had paid attention to that sign they wouldn’t find their asses in a sling now.

Is it April yet?

Posted under New York Rangers

The Fire Sather Rally got the attention of most of the Ranger’s beat writers. The demonstration last evening got a mention from Steve Zipay, Larry Brooks, Jay Greenberg, all of whom I actually saw at the rally, and from Andrew Gross and Rick Carpiniello whom I did not. Not too shabby. 

No matter that the cigar chomping President and General Manager of the New York Rangers we all love to hate was away from his 2 Penn Plaza Ivory Tower and couldn’t see the discontent of the Garden Faithful firsthand. Our point was made and, by all accounts, MSG got the message loud and clear. 

Sources tell me that Sather’s minions were looking down from 2 Penn and counting heads on the picket line. They were watching and monitoring  traffic on various and sundry Ranger websites and messageboards. Clearly this demonstration rattled a few cages in the front office. 

All things considered that is about all one could ask for. The organizers and attendees are not delusional. I’m sure we all know that Sather won’t be fired or retire because of a few hundred disgruntled fans walking a picket line. But 180 fans represents 1% of the18, 200  fans in the Garden. A one percent response rate is a mass marketer’s measure for success.

Kudos to Mike Zippo and the other organizers for hanging tough and getting this rally off the ground. Many thanks to all the fans who showed up to join us. Your passion and commitment to your hockey team does you all proud. 

James Dolan may own this team and Glen Sather may run it but at the end of the day it is the rank and file fans that make the New York Rangers one of the most profitable franchises in the league. 

It would serve Dolan and Sather well to remember that.

Posted under New York Rangers

Just in case you’ve been under a rock and haven’t heard, there will be a Fire Sather Rally tomorrow evening before the game:

Fire Sather Rally

March 7, 2010

 5pm

East side of 7th Avenue between 31st and 32nd Street

Tired of your team being mired in mediocrity for the last decade? Tired of  bad contracts, moronic signings and the stupid draft picks? Tired of increasing prices and decreasing quality? Tired of having to pay as much for playoff tickets as for a full season subscription? Tired of having to re-subscribe before knowing who will be on the team? Tired of watching the softest team in the NHL?

It’s time that all Ranger fans band together and let our voices be heard. James Dolan and the management, coaches and players of the New York Rangers need to know how you feel.

The time for suffering  in silence is over. Our opinions do count! Come out tomorrow and let your voices be heard.

Posted under New York Rangers

Canada’s favorite son and Olympic hero Syd “the Diver” Crosby proved again last night what a phony and a disgrace to the NHL he really is. Not once but thrice did Cindy Crosby dive to try and draw a man advantage for his girls last night at the Garden.

Finally, another player with more class and credibility then Crosby called Cindy out last night. Crosby took umbrage. Henrik  Lundqvist, the mild mannered world class goaltender for the Rangers, accused Crosby of diving to his face. Crosby, whining little baby that he is, lashed out and cross checked Lundqvist to the head.

I am sick to death of Gary Bettman, his officials  and the media fellating Crosby. The referees swallowed their whistles for the entire third period last night. They swallowed their whistle during the overtime while the Penguins were tackling Ranger players left and right. Then, Wes McCauley makes  a weak, bullshit, hooking call on Redden to give the Penguins the powerplay and thus the win in overtime. 

What I would like to know is why one expendable Ranger,  Boyle for instance, didn’t go over to Crosby and punch him in the face at the end of the game? Knocking out a few of Cindy’s teeth would be worth the suspension.  We have no more games left against the Penguins but then I doubt anyone else on this Ranger team, other then Dubinsky or Henrik, would have the cojones to go after Cindy.

The Rangers probably won’t make the playoffs but I’ll be rooting for any team or player that will knock out Baby Crosby and the Penguins.

Posted under New York Rangers

I look forward to the Winter Olympics every four years. Ordinarily, I am a little sad when the games are over. Not so this year. I am glad I won’t have to listen to the annoying  Bob Costas or see the cast of the Today Show in mittens and silly hats until 2014.

Commenting on the Olympics would take up too much time and space on this blog, so I’ll spare you all my diatribe. If you really care about what I thought about figure skating and hockey, go look at the Olympic threads on HockeyRodent’s messageboards. It’s over and the wrong team won the Gold medal. The only burning question I have about these Olympics is “why hasn’t Chris Drury ever played for the Rangers with the same amount of energy and passion as he played for Team USA?  

Now we have the last 20 games of this Ranger season to endure. Short of a miracle, the Rangers will not make the playoffs. The Rangers currently sit in tenth place in the Eastern Conference with 63 point. They are separated from Montreal, in eighth place, by one point with one game in hand. If 94 points is indeed the magic number to attain a playoff berth, the Rangers essentially need to win 16 out of their last 20 games to reach that last spot.

With John “Run and Gun” Tortorella at the helm, the odds of the Rangers going on a “Renney” run to  the finish line are long. On the season, the Rangers are a -11 in Renney’s “six points in five games” model. Last time I looked, Sean Avery is currently a Ranger.  He can’t be added to provide an Avery effect. Frankly, I’m afraid of what Sather might do to spark a playoff run.

His latest coup was to pick up Alex Auld to back up Henrik. If Henrik really has some sort of groin injury that has been plagueing him most of the season, Auld might be a good acquisition to backstop the Rangers until their first tee time on April 12th. Unless Sather can waive, unload or send down Redden, Rozsival, Drury (insert name here) at the trade deadline, I pray God he doesn’t do anything stupid by trading the Ranger’s future for a quick fix now. There is no quick fix for now.

The next most important move for Ranger fans is to wholeheartedly support Mike Zippo’s ”Fire Sather” movement by signing his online petition and/or attending the “Fire Sather” Rally outside the Garden this Sunday before the Rangers vs Buffalo game.

Fire Sather Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/firesather/

Fire Sather Rally Information:

 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=272851463916&ref=ts

Posted under New York Rangers