Renney fired
According to Jane McManus, the Rangers have fired head coach Tom Renney and assistant coach Perry Pearn. No word on their replacements yet, but the John Tortorella rumblings can’t be far away.
The move comes on the heels of a stretch in which the Blueshirts went 2-7-3, picking up just seven of a possible twenty-four points. The team was outscored 43-21 during that stretch, and have dropped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points out of ninth.
Well, we certainly can’t say it was a surprise move, this has been anticipated for weeks. The next head on the chopping block is likely GM Glen Sather’s, who’s built a team with little roster flexibility and serious cap issues down the road. With the trade deadline just over a week away, we’ll see how Sather reacts to the heat.
Update 1:00pm (Dave): New coach will be John Tortorella. Sather got this one right. Let’s hope Tortorella lights a fire under this team’s ass.
Update 3:50pm (Dave): As per Steve Zipay, the Tortorella deal is all but done. The league is helping broker a deal with the Lightning, who want compensation because he still has time left on his deal with Tampa.
By Dave, February 23, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
About damn time.
By MaddMatt, February 23, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
Wow, I really didn’t think it would happen…and not cause I didn’t want it to, but because I just figured Sather would wait it out.
Interesting, but you’re right, Sather is now the man at fault. After the GM fires the coach, a coach he hired, the GM becomes next in line.
By Adam, February 23, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
Thank god….Renney was a great coach for a young Rangers team with low expectations coming out of the lockout but is not the coach this team needs now. Where is Iron Mike when we need him?
By Dave, February 23, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
This team needs Tortorella, but will probably get Schoenfeld as the interim.
If Sather goes behind the bench, I’m becoming a Blackhawk fan.
Mike A. Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Yikes. I didn’t even consider the “Sather goes behind the bench” possibility.
***shutters***
By Matt, February 23, 2009 @ 12:44 pm
Well, uh, where do we go from here?
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Schoenfeld probably. Hopefully Tortorella.
Maybe they will make the right decision and put Renney as head of player development.
Hopefully Dolan will fire Sather too.
MaddMatt Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Yeah, this is only part of the answer, Sather, like Isiah, needs to go.
If Dolan and whoever else runs the Rangers can’t see that this situation mirrors the Knicks, then they are blind.
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I wouldn’t say it mirrors the Knicks, I mean, the Rangers aren’t the laughing stock of the league.
Dolan is an absentee owner, so don’t expect anything soon.
By Dave, February 23, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
Tortorella!
By MaddMatt, February 23, 2009 @ 1:08 pm
I disagree Dave, it’s just the Rangers haven’t fallen as far as the Knicks did.
Look at it though. A coach that evaluates young talent well, but doesn’t coach well overall, a GM that is bogged down with the bad contract he handed out.
And while the Rangers are better record wise, they still like the Knicks will never be bad enough to pick in the top 5 and get that elite player…
By Matt, February 23, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Well I’ll give them credit. While I really have no qualifications to pass judgment on the hiring on Torts, at least they were smart enough to have it all together before they canned Renney.
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
They did the right thing by replacing Renney with a coach that has the complete opposite personality.
By Yankee1010, February 23, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
How in the world does Mike Pelino stay on board? I guess they figured he was doing such a great job in charge of the power play.
By Dave, February 23, 2009 @ 1:47 pm
Getting Pearn and Renney out was a start. I’m guessing Pelino won’t last long.
Yankee1010 Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I agree that it’s a start. It’s just curious that they would get rid of Renney and Pearn but keep the guy in charge of the most putrid PP imaginable.
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I guess they wanted some continuity from old regime to new regime. That could have been accomplished with just Allaire though.
By MaddMatt, February 23, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
This team won’t get turned around until Sather is out, or he changes the way he builds teams.
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Sather is untouchable right now, which is really unfortuante. Dolan has such a hard-on for him.
He doesn’t go on road trips, and the game has passed him by.
By MaddMatt, February 23, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
Does the Torts signing have any effect on Avery returning to Broadway?
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I don’t know. I would assume Torts wouldn’t want Avery around. Avery is still Stars property as of now.
By Mike A., February 23, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
I wonder if Tampa would take Redden as compensation?
***wink wink***
Dave Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I would throw a kegger for all Ranger fans at my apartment.