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

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?

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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.

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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

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

Hopefully, this is the move Sather makes that will finally get him fired.

And, to those disloyal players currently on the Rangers (and they know who they are) who quit on Tom Renney and engineered his firing, enjoy your new head coach.  

Never mind bag skates and benching, Tortorella will call you out in the press and embarrass you publicly.

I can’t wait for the next time Torts tells Larry Brooks to go f*ck himself at a press conference.

Tortorella will throw chairs on the ice, verbally abuse officials, get fined and tossed out of games.

Sather, those players and Tortorella deserve each other. Dignity and respect has walked out the door with Renney.

This franchise is going to devolve into “Desperate Housewives”.

PS. I guess Avery isn’t in the plan after all. If he is, this will really turn into a three ring circus when Torts and his buddy Avery lock horns.

Posted under New York Rangers

Nine years of incompetence is long enough. How much longer is Dolan going to allow this over-the-hill fraud to continue to screw up this franchise with his lousy signings and poor draft picks?

The wrong man was fired today. Until Sather goes, and his bad contracts are bought out or traded if possible, nothing is going to change. Right now the Rangers are in the playoffs. If the Rangers fail to make the playoffs, Dolan must fire Sather.

The Isiah situation with the Knicks was allowed to fester for far too long. When is Dolan going to wake up and smell the coffee with Sather?  I’ll bet it won’t be before Sather costs the Dolans millions more by signing John Tortorella as his new head coach.

Posted under New York Rangers

Thanks Tom for all the good you have done while Head Coach of the Rangers. Good Luck in all your future endeavours. Blessings to you and your family.

Posted under New York Rangers

The Rangers actually followed the advice I gave them after their last game  against the Caps. The defense, and some of the forwards , actually used their bodies and hit their opposition. They made the Caps pay to touch the puck.

Granted, the Caps played without two of their best players, Kozlov and Semin, thereby making them easier to play against. But, their number one player, Alexander Ovechkin, was stymied all night by Ranger defensemen Mara and Staal.  AO was indeed growing more frustrated as the game went on. Holding the league’s leading scorer scoreless in regulation is no easy feat.

Not only did the Rangers take the body, they actually took some shots. Fans around me in 409 were feeling a little fatigued from all the goal celebrations.  For a team that has only scored 4 goals in their last 4 games, 4 goals in regulation was a pleasant surprise. Too bad the jubilance didn’t last too long.

After each hard fought goal, we saw the Rangers get scored on by the Caps with equal alacrity. I guess you have to give something to get something. If the Rangers are going think and play more offensively, it might come at the cost of  their defense first play. 

It just irks me that the Rangers always seem to get scored on late in periods.  Their heads seem to go out of the game as periods come to an end. The Caps goal at the end of the first period was the result of  the failure of  Gomez  to pick up the check on Fehr who was behind him. The Rangers were lucky to get out of the period without getting scored on again.

The Rangers tied the score at 3-3 in the second. They then scored a fourth goal to take the lead. With one minute left to play in the period, three Rangers were chasing Nylander with the puck. No one was near Green as he came off the bench.  Nylander dishes to Green and he scores his second goal of the game with 58 seconds left in the period.  C redit where due,  it was a great shot by Green. That made two long shots that Henrik missed. Very un-Henrik like.

The Rangers held the Caps to six shots in the third period but they had only nine themselves. Ordinarily that stat would seem good. But  the Rangers had a full four minute powerplay in which they only managed to get one shot on goal. One shot.  Truly sad.

The Rangers ratcheted up the entertainment value for that portion of the fan base that they continually bore. They earned two points for the fans who care about their position in the standings. Most importantly, they proved that they can win if they follow the game plan. Get shots on net and give and take hits to make plays.

Maybe  the threat of Avery coming back put the fear God (Glen) into them.  It’s amazing what can be done when most of the team shows  up.  Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy were each a +1 tonight. Woo-Hoo.

I hope the geniuses that run the NHL were watching tonight. The two bouts at the beginning of the game clearly illustrate why there is a need for fighting in hockey. When a gorilla like Brashear tries to set the tone before two minutes have gone by, your team needs to answer the bell. 

Colton Orr did just that. I gave the bout to Colton on points. We don’t have to play the Caps again in the regular season but we might see them in the playoffs. Hopefully a message was sent. Colton can take Brashear.

Voros was the clear winner of his fight  but most fans still wonder why he is out on the ice in the first place. He was a -2. He had one shot one goal and two hits. Spending 5 minutes in the box doesn’t show toughness nor is it an indication of value.

If  it’s all about putting pucks in the net, Voros should sit and Prucha should play.

Posted under New York Rangers

As the Rangers ran out of gas in the third period and allowed the Penguins to run the board, you can look back at all the opportunities the Rangers pissed away in the first two periods. Both at even strength and during their three powerplay opportunities, the Rangers failed to bury the biscuit. But that isn’t where the story ends.

What really ticks me off is that the Rangers allowed themselves to be embarrassed again by the Penguins, the lesser team. The Rangers played two decent periods and got blown out in the third for two reasons. Lundqvist’s head was still in Montreal and the Rangers failed to exact pounds of flesh from the Penguins on a night when Crosby was hurting. 

If my team is down 4-1 midway through the third period, I would be telling them to pound the snot out of Crosby, Malkin, Satan and Sykora at every opportunity. When you’re down by three goals, defense first doesn’t matter. Sometimes you’ve gotta just cut your losses and say WTF . They should have started running the opposition’s talent and made them pay every time they touched the puck.

I don’t want to hear any crap like the fluky goal by Sykora, tying the game at 1-1, took the wind out of the Rangers sails. That’s weak BS. The Rangers stopped skating and stopped hitting in the third period and that’s why they lost. Lundqvist had a bad third period. So what. It happens. How many games has he saved for them this season? It’s a team game.

The problem with this team is that they rely on Lundqvist too much. They did not take responsibility for the game individually or as a team. The  entire team let the Penguins walk all over them. I don’t want to hear that they were tired after playing Carolina last night. Carolina wasn’t hitting at all last night. Physically, the Carolina game was a walk in the park . The Rangers coasted to a 3-2 win in a lightly contested game. So, no one should play the “tired card”.

This game was a test of the intestinal fortitude of the Rangers and they failed miserably to a miserable team. How many more times this season will the Rangers let themselves be embarrassed like this?  For God sake, this team needs to man up and go down fighting. They had no edge in the third period tonight. No meanness. No snarl. No discernible passion.

Maybe they do need someone like Avery back to shake them up and get under their skin and the opposition’s skin.  After watching this debacle tonight, maybe they should just cut their loses, concede Saturday’s game in Boston and save themselves and everyone else the grief of seeing them get their butts kicked again.

All this said, I would rather watch the Rangers win a “boring” game then watch them get their asses handed to them by Cindy Crosby and Crue.

Posted under New York Rangers