If anyone had told me before last night’s game that the officials would call two 5 on 3′s against the Penguins, I would have told them to put down the crack pipe.

Despite the fact that they turned a blind eye to the many text book infractions perpetrated by the Penguins in the first period, the refs started blowing the whistle against the Crosbies in the second period. Why, it makes you wonder if the refs received some instruction from Toronto during the intermission. Perhaps the refs were told to call the game by the book and stop pandering to the Poster Boy and his flock of dirty birds.

It’s about time the Penguins were put in their place. I’m glad it was the Rangers who did it. Of all the teams in the league Ranger fans love to hate, it’s the Penguins. The Islander, Devils and Flyers not withstanding, the Penguins have become the team to hate in this division (the league), because everyone is sick and tried of them having the ice tilted in their favor. Let’s hope the time of Penguin entitlement is over.

As far as the play on the ice, the Rangers were very close to embarrassing themselves again by blowing another dreaded three goal lead. And, although they did score two powerplay goals, the Rangers blew two 5 on 3 opportunities where they could have put the game away. The Rangers allowed yet another late period, game changing, goal because Ryan Callahan’s boneheaded boarding penalty on Robert Bortozzo. The Penguins completely undressed the Rangers defense on the ensuing goal by Malkin.

The score may indicate it was  a close game but the stats say otherwise.  Even though the Rangers failed on  a multiple opportunities to score (Marion Gaborik missing a couple of wide open nets, the Rangers abysmal 5 on 3), the good news is that on paper the Rangers soundly outplayed the Crosbies. The Rangers had 43 hits to the Birds 23. The Rangers ruled the face off circle winning seventy percent of the face offs. 70%. Against the Penguins! That’s astounding. It’s a good thing the Rangers ruled the circle because at the end of the game they kept icing the puck.

The Rangers were lucky to win this game. Hopefully, they will walk away from this game with two points and some lessons learned.

Posted under New York Rangers

The Rangers victory over the Flyers yesterday afternoon couldn’t have gone more perfectly if it was scripted.

Wait a minute. Maybe it was scripted. Prust’s two fights with preseason transgressors Rinaldo and Simmonds. Refs swallowing whistles. A shut out for Henrik Lundqvist.  John Tortorella telling the press that Prust has “balls as big as this building”. Carl Hagelin scoring his first goal. Action and sound bites just made for HBO’s 24/7. Makes ya go, hmmmmmm?

Whatever. HBO aside, the Rangers were able to shake off the rust and defy their abysmal matinee record by prevailing in back to back day games. After some of the longest early season gaps in the schedule in recent memory, the Rangers played 3 games in four days and won two out of the three, giving some credence  to my “rust” theory.

And while it is true that the Rangers were able to prevail against Philadelphia’s depleted roster. no Pronger, no Van Reimsdyk, no Jagr, I prefer to look at this game as the glass being half full. The Rangers did manage to shut down Ovechkin on Friday and Giroux and Briere yesterday. Give this team some credit.

While it may be premature to call Carl Hagelin the real deal, the young Swede might be the best first round draft pick of Sather’s tenure. What a game for this kid! Mitchell deported himself well. Our third and fourth line bubble boys better watch out. The new kids are breathing down their necks.

Nice to see some of the Ranger “Legends” in attendance at the game last night acknowledged as the roster for the Winter Classic Alumni Game  was announced.  I realize that while they may not be fit to play, the Rangers organization might have committed a serious faux pas in not asking other Ranger greats like Ratelle, Park and Hatfield to be in Philadelphia. Actually, Hatfield just underwent open heart surgery so he probably wouldn’t be able to go even if asked.

Let’s hope that organization reaches out to favorite Rangers of the past like Pete Stemkowski, Walter Tkaczuk. Eddie Johnstone, Jim Neilsen, Steve Vickers, Mark Pavelich, Gilles Villemure (insert you favorite Alum here _______). They should reach out to all former Rangers and invite them all to the party. Truth be told, I’m more excited about seeing the Alumni Game then the Winter Classic.

The older guys may be rusty but they should be loved none the less.

Posted under New York Rangers

It’s better to burn out
Then it is to rust
My My Hey Hey

There is just a touch of iron-y to the fact that the Rangers played in Montreal last night and their winning streak ended. Oddly, one can attribute the drubbing they received at the hands of the Habs to an Ontario native’s popular song.

It is clear to me that in spite of all reasons the Rangers usually lose in Montreal (terrible officiating, the curse of the Bell Center, Hockey Night in Canada), last night’s loss can be primarily attributed to the Ranger’s long lay off between games. They were rusty.

Someone should tell the NHL schedulers that they aren’t doing any team a favor by giving them so many days off so early in the season. The Rangers had not played since Tuesday night on the Island. Before that game they had off three days after polishing off Carolina at home.

Give a bunch of young guys so many days off in a place like New York City, with its myriad distractions, and you take their heads right out of the game. Case in point, Brad Richards. The boy is playing on Broadway for less then a month and already he’s making headlines on Page Six with model/actress/celebrity Olivia Munn. That’s one hell of a distraction. Who knows what the other guys were getting up to on their days off?

And, to add insult to injury, the Rangers don’t play again until Wednesday on the road in Florida. They don’t even get to come home for Turkey. They have to play back to back games on Friday afternoon in DC and on Saturday afternoon at the Garden. Nice job schedulers.

The Rangers did not look sharp last night. They spent the entire game chasing Montreal. Montreal is a very fast skating team. Unless you are going to get to the puck first, you don’t have a shot against them. The Rangers let two annoying smurfs like Gomez and Gionta dictate the pace of the game. Had I not seen the bleu, blanc et rouge jerseys, I would have thought the Rangers were playing the Devils back in the Swamp circa 2003.

Marty Biron gave up at least one goal he’d like to have back, in an otherwise decent performance. I don’t blame Torts for playing hometown boy Biron instead of Henrik. You play your back up goaltender against the weaker teams. Biron couldn’t help that the team in front of him took only 17 weak shots and got beaten to every puck. The Rangers blew a game they should have won last night. Montreal’s defense has been decimated.

It’s unfortunate that the Rangers seem to always choose the biggest arenas on which to be upstaged. Let’s call this game their Montreal Mulligan for this season and hope they can move on.

The Rangers better not take Florida for granted. The Panthers are at the top of the Southeast right now with the same number of points as the Rangers.

The struggling Caps are always dangerous. Having lost their last 4 games and fans calling for Ovechkin’s head, the Caps would like nothing better then to beat the Rangers at home.

They then face the Conference leading Flyers at home on Saturday in the first of two games before the Winter Classic. It is imperative that the Rangers win one of the two games.

Two matinees in a row. The Rangers suck at matinee. These have the potential to be three very ugly games.

Out of the blue
and into the black
They give you this,
but you pay for that
And once you’re gone,
you can never come back
When you’re out of the blue
and into the black.

*My My Hey Hey – Lyrics by Neil Young

Posted under New York Rangers

Brendan Shanahan decided today to declare open season on NHL goaltenders. In a precedent setting decision NOT to discipline Milan Lucic in anyway for his cheap hit on Ryan Miller, Shanahan has put every goaltender in the league in jeopardy.

I find it curious that Shanahan has not produced a little video to explain this decision to NHL fans. I wonder if it’s because he couldn’t look the camera straight on and rationalize why Lucic, a repeat offender, is being allowed to get away with it.

Look, I’m a Ranger fan. What happens between other teams doesn’t usually mean a rat’s ass to me. However, I’ve seen other teams take countless runs at Henrik Lundqvist. If the league is going to allow cheap bastards like Lucic away with this, how long before we see Henrik taken off the ice concussed.

As I said yesterday, if Lucic had done this to MA FLeury or Marty Brodeur, Mario and Lou would be screaming bloody murder.  If one were a conspiracy theorist, one might think the Bruins get a free pass because Soupy’s son is on the team.

Shame on  you, Brendan Shanahan. You’ve made a bad, dangerous decision here. Very disappointing. If this is how you are going to operate, you should resign before you tarnish your legacy. You have always been a hero of mine but I see you have feet of clay.

Posted under New York Rangers

The Rangers are on a six game winning streak. Things seem to be going well for our boys in Blue this fine Sunday. But all is not well in the NHL. This past week more controversy has been heaped on the league and the game by both players and officials.

Teams refusing to play one another (bringing action on the ice to a virtual stand still), open season for running goaltenders, Sean Avery back in the game and scoring his first goal, I’m telling ya’ there’s more intrigue out there then on Desperate Housewives.

In the latest incident of league officials dropping the ball, we need look no further then last night’s game in Boston. Milan Lucic clearly took a run at Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller that was unnecessary, high and cheap. He received a two minute penalty for charging. That’s all. You really have to be booking to hit a goaltender and make his mask come off.

If it had been Marc Andre Fleury or, heaven forefend, Martin Brodeur, Mario and Lou would be screaming to Bettman and Shanahan from the rooftops. But when it happens to a Miller or a Montoya, they can’t defend themselves for fear of being penalized.

In the game on Thursday in Colorado, Al Montoya of the Islanders got run into while defending his crease. Montoya decided to stick up for himself, channel his inner Billy Smith, and lay some lumber on the offending Colorado player.

Montoya was penalized for high sticking. On the ensuing penalty the Rockies Avalanche won in overtime. Islander coach Jack Capuano said he didn’t blame Montoya for taking care of himself.

Note to Montoya: Go low! Billy Smith used to hack away a opposing players ankles.

The biggest controversy of the week involved the trapping incident in the game between Tampa and the Flyers on Wednesday night in Tampa.  Lightning coach Boucher employed  the 1-3-1 trap to slow down the Flyers. Not only did it slow the Flyers down, in a hissy fit the Broad Street Bullies decided not to advance to puck forward at all. The Flyers have never been known for their sportsmanship.

The 1-3-1 trap is a defensive play legitimized by the New Jersey Devils. It won them three Stanley Cups. It has made Marty Brodeur a legend, not so much because he was so great but because he saw so few shots. There is nothing illegal about the play.

There was nothing illegal about Sean Avery waiving a stick in front of Brodeur’s face either. The Avery stick waiving incident caused the league to come out with an Avery Rule after one game.

Tampa won the game in overtime on Wednesday. They earned two points in the standings At the end of the day winning games is what gets a team to the playoffs. Exciting hockey be damned.

Boring hockey is not the product the NHL wants to sell to NBC. But before the league enacts an “anti-trapping” rule, they should consider that while trapping may produce boring hockey with low scoring games, they usually lead to more shoot outs. The league loves the shoot out. They can’t have it both ways.

Instead of making up new rules, the league should just enforce some of the rules they do have and delete others, like the instigator rule. Punks like Lucic might think twice about running an opponent’s goaltender if he thinks he’ll get his ass kicked by  the oppositions enforcer at the moment he commits the crime.

Buffalo plays Boston 5 more times. Lucic better ask for compassionate leave next time the Beans play the Beefs. He’s got a well deserved target on his back. If I were Lindy Ruff, I’d make it a bounty on the QT.

Posted under New York Rangers

Sean Avery is headed back to the NHL after clearing waivers today, being recalled from the Hartford Whale. Did the NHL, Jim Dolan, Glen Sather or John Tortorella really think that die hard Ranger fans would not voice and show their displeasure about the burial of Sean Avery in the AHL?

On opening night the fans were so displeased by Avery’s exile they chose to hang banners from the balconies and reign chants down from the rafters of the “new” Garden, “We want Avery”! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like everyone has such a tremendous regard and unfailing love for Sean Avery, the man or the player. I think what Ranger fans are infatuated with is the idea of a Sean Avery. Some call it the “Avery Effect”.

When Avery first came to New York he made an immediate impression with the fans. He lit a spark on the ice and rallied the team to the playoffs. He was nasty. He took risks and chances. He got other players and teams off their game. Hell, the NHL had to make up a new set of rules just because of him (the Brodeur stick waiving incident in the playoffs).

While the holier then thou hockey know it alls out there have nothing but disdain for Avery, the majority of Ranger fans see the NHL’s treatment of Avery as a microcosim of how the NHL has treated the Rangers over the years. Okay, the “sloppy seconds” comment toward Phaneuf and others was a bit much. It wasn’t near as odious as what a villain like Bertuzzi did to Greg Moore.

One player can cripple or concuss another but God forbid they make an off color remark about someone.  After finishing the bullshit anger management course, Avery had a giant target on his back. Avery made himself a pariah around the league. I will never be convinced that the officials were not told to turn a blind eye when other teams targeted Avery.

Avery may never again get the benefit of any doubt but I believe the majority of Ranger fans are okay with that. They have come to expect it. If Sean can handle it, so can we. The league’s treatment of Avery is a metaphor for how incompetent the officiating has become, how slanted, perhaps even how corrupted.

I, for one, am glad Avery is back. I hope Tortorella has the balls to play Avery with Richards and Gaborik and doesn’t get away with burying Avery on the fourth line. I hope Sean is allowed to be Sean. I hope he can walk that fine line between the acceptable and the unacceptable. I hope that Avery will wear the Broadway Fedora many times this season.

I’m happy Sean is coming back because he has more talent then Tortorella’s choices to start on opening night. Mind you, I do not believe Sean is a panacea for all that ails the Rangers. But the fans at least deserve to see if Avery can have an impact playing with Richards and Gaborik. Tortorella’s arrogance and Avery’s antics should balance each other out. At the very least, the Rangers will be more entertaining with Avery. The Rangers have been a vanilla team so far without him.

Most of all, Avery coming back is a big FU to Gary Bettman, Bill Daly and Colin Campbell. I hope Sean lights it up on the ice and on HBO so all the haters in the league choke on it.

Posted under New York Rangers