So Chris Drury is packing it in after cashing in with the Rangers. Nice of him to retire after being bought out. The problem that some fans had with Drury is that he never lived up to the high expectations signing a $35+ million dollar contract brings. My problem with him was that to me he never looked like he really tried.

This guy came to the Rangers with Gomez as part of the continuation of Glen Sather’s “greed is good, let’s buy everyone we can” campaign. It’s not Drury’s fault that Sather paid to much money and gave him a full no movement contract. Drury was put in an untenable position and he was unable to deliver the goods.

All that being said, no need to pass me a hanky. And Drury shouldn’t let the screen door hit him in the ass on the way out. I thought he was a bad signing from the get go. Sather signed the wrong Sabre. Glen should have thrown that money and more at Briere. Instead he picked up two players who I hold responsible for getting one of the best Rangers coaches in recent memory shit canned. But let’s not dwell on the past. It’s Renney under the bridge.

In addition to lack of production, Drury has to go down as the worst ever Captain of the Rangers. Just because a guy is a star and has seniority in age and salary doesn’t make him good Captain material. Drury’s stoic (dispassionate) personality and “I’m not going to let this loss ruin my Christmas” approach showed a supreme lack of leadership skills.

As we close this chapter of Ranger history, let’s hope Tortorella doesn’t make the mistake Tom Renney made in appointing both Jagr and Drury Captain. Neither were successful in that role. Brad Richards needs to produce and assist on goals, not lead the Rangers.

Tortorella must appoint Ryan Callahan the next Captain of the New York Rangers. It’s what the majority of the fan base wants. He has the temperament and the leadership skills of a young Steve Yzerman. Okay, so he’s not near as skilled as Stevie was. That’s what Sather is paying Richards and Gaborik to do.

And, I’ll lay down another gauntlet. John Tortorella, do you have the cojones to play Avery with Richards and Gaborik? If you do, Avery might surprise us all.

Posted under New York Rangers

Updated August 18, 2011

Let it be noted that Sean Avery has been exonerated of any wrong doing in this whole situation. Looks like some people owe Sean an apology, starting with the LAPD, the New York Post and TMZ.

Sean, don’t hold your breath.

The story you are about to hear is true. The names haven’t been changed because Sean Avery is already presumed guilty.

Sergeant Joe Friday and his sidekick, Officer Frank Gannon, were working in the Noise Complaint Division/Hollywood Hills precinct of the LAPD Thursday night. They received a 1013 call that an officer was in trouble, being shoved by that infamous criminal, door slammer and name caller Sean Avery of the New York Rangers.

Friday and Gannon responded immediately to ascertain “just the facts, ma’am, just the facts”. Too bad the NYPost’s West coast report Helen Kumari, aided and abetted by NYPost New York reporter Dan Mangan, decided to run a headline like “Ranger’s Avery Busted in LA Cop Fight”. Really Helen? Really Dan? I guess these two assholes learned fair and responsible journalism at the feet of their fellow New York Post sleaze ball reporter Larry Brooks.

Was there a “fight”? That’s not what has been reported by the other news outlets. Could  that be construed as libel? Avery settled a libel suit against Toronto Radio reporter Howard Berger out of court.  Guilty or not, I hope Avery goes after the Post for blowing this whole situation out of proportion before all the facts in this matter are disclosed.

Look, Sean Avery may be the NHL’s loose cannon but who’s to say these cops weren’t over zealous dicks, and I don’t mean detectives. I don’t know all the facts and Sean Avery hasn’t been an angel. But giving LAPD all the benefit of the doubt in this situation is like letting Phillip Garrido (Jaycee Lee Dugard’s kidnapper) babysit for you.

Need I remind the world of the Rodney King incident. Or, how about LA Detective Mark Fuhrman, of the OJ Simpson case. He’s another fine example of the caliber of people that have been employed by the LAPD.

Guilty or not, Sean Avery is entitled to due process and presumption of innocence.

Lastly I say, Jesus Christ Sean, can you stay out of the headlines for five minutes? You only get so many “get out of jail free” cards. If you piss off Gary and the Governors enough, not even your good buddy Brendan will be able to bail you out.

Posted under New York Rangers

The voters in Nassau Country resoundingly rejected the Islanders/Wang’s new arena proposal yesterday. Where does Charles Wang go from this defeat? I contend that the answer has been under Wang’s nose the whole time. Charles should bring his team home to Suffolk County.

I just don’t understand Wang’s fixation on keeping his team in a location that was ill conceived from the get go. Nassau Coliseum is in one of the most congested suburban areas in the region. It has no access to sufficient public transportation. There is only one major roadway in and out of that parking lot. Why re-site a new arena at the same location as the defeated Lighthouse proposal?

It has always been my contention that Wang should team up with Heartland Corp. (whom I believe is the current holder of development rights to this property) and build his Lighthouse on the the site of the old madhouse, the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital near Brentwood. This tract of land sits astride the borders of  Islip, Huntington and Babylon Townships in Suffolk County. This enormous property had been zoned for mixed use and was previously approved for the development of a sports complex.

The site can be accessed by a major parkway, the Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow Parkway, a stretch of which joins the Northern State Parkway, the Long Island Expressway and the Southern State Parkway. There is also an LIRR branch line that sides off the Deer Park station and runs through the property. What more could one want in terms of access?

Finally, and most importantly, Suffolk County and nearby Nassau are the hockey hotbeds of the tri-state region. The high school and travel teams in the region are flourishing. Long Island has produced current NHL stars like Mike Komisarek, Chris Higgins, Rob Scuderi and Matt Gilroy (Higgins and Komisarek are Suffolk boys). In the last 5 years the Towns of  Oyster Bay and Huntington have built new state of the art rinks to accommodate the growing number of kids playing hockey.

Kids who play hockey are your future ticket buyers. They will go to Islander or Ranger games, depending on what teams their families support.

If the residents of Nassau County don’t want the Islanders, Wang should bring them home to Suffolk.

Posted under New York Rangers