Game 61: Rangers vs. Toronto (And Some Oscars)

Let’s hope they put in a better effort than they did last night. Every game is a must win now, as the Rangers sit in 8th place. Even if they don’t win, at least put in an effort that would make Howell and Bathgate proud.

On the bright side, there’s always the Oscars. Heath Ledger better not get the shaft.

Update 7:50pm: I won a bet with myself, picking Rozsival’s new number (#33). It looks like Renney is making a game time decision with the lineup tonight. On the quick camera pans over the Rangers on the bench, it looked like everyone was dressed.

Update 8:24pm: Voros is in, Prucha is out. Voros gets into a fight. I’ll call it a draw.

Update 8:29pm: Bad penalty by Redden, followed by a too many men. Pay attention. What is with this team and ruining great nights? Howell and Bathgate would be ashamed.

Update 8:34pm: Ok, I flipped to the Oscars for a bit, Hugh Jackman is real talented. This opening sketch is great.

Update 8:41pm: And I’m back. I see no one has scored. Shocking.

Update 8:49pm: Penelope Cruz got the Oscar for best supporting actress. Good for her.

Update 8:51pm: Dominic Moore is having a fantastic season. He’s also wearing an A for the Leafs. How aboot that.

Update 8:55pm: Three bad penalties in the first period. What a fantastic start.

Update 9:23pm: That was some solid action going back and forth. That will end with the Ranger PP.

Update 9:29pm: Apparently Rozsival’s new number means a new Roszival. I don’t think I have ever seen him take this many shots in one game. I’m not sure how many actually hit the net, but he’s winding up a lot more.

Update 9:32pm: Good lord Natalie Portman looks amazing.

Update 9:36pm: Little by little Staal is getting confidence in his offensive game. Line update: Dubinsky on the wing with Gomez and Naslund, and Renney not playing the 4th line as much.

Update 9:50pm: No score after two. Surprising.

Update 10:08pm: Heath Ledger gets the best supporting actor, and a standing ovation. The academy got it right this time.

Update 10:12pm: So who was supposed to be covering John Mitchell? That’s the problem with Renney’s system, one defensive mishap and the game is all but over. Hank has to get a shutout every game.

Update 10:15pm: At least the youngins are showing some life.

Update 10:16pm: HUGE goal by Gomer. Great passing, great speed, great shot. That’s what we all thought we were getting from him last year. Gomer gets the goal from Dubie and Roszy. 1-1.

Update 10:18pm: You have got to be fucking kidding me. You just tied the game, and now you let Ian White just waltz right in. How about you stop giving the other team a goal right after you score. This is fucking unbelievable. 2-1 Leafs.

Update 10:23pm: No call on Finger? Are you kidding me? This isn’t the WWE.

Update 10:34pm: ANOTHER TOO MANY MEN?!?!?!?!?!?! I’m not live blogging anymore, I’m going to throw my laptop through my TV.

The last for a while…..

Alright…after only retiring 2 numbers (Gilbert and Giacomin) in the franchises first 70+ years, they have retired 6 in the last five years.  All deserving in their own way, however.  With that said, its certainly going to be a while until we see another retired jersey get raised.  The only person on the current Rangers that could possibly be considered at this moment in time is probably Lundqvist, but all that can change in a heartbeat if ya know what I mean..

Its nice to have all these retired jerseys though.  As an Original Six team, I always thought it was pretty strange that they only had 2 retired numbers.  Seemed that a lot of tradition was being pushed to the back-burner.  It certainly brings a lot of pride back to the fan-base and the retired players to have seen and played with these Ranger greats.  And if the current Rangers need to keep trying to find ways to motivate themselves (which we know has been like pulling teeth this season), seeing these numbers being honored should give them something to strive for.

Also, is there anything better than looking at “old-time hockey” players today?  There is something about the way these guys talk and the way these guys look that just sets them apart from any demographic of professional athletes.  Not only do they have an incredible amount of respect and knowledge of the game, but they share all that in their stories.  And they wear their stories on their faces, most noticeable by the scars that fill them.  You can tell the game was played with immeasurable amount of passion, devotion, and love…something that is void in professional sports todays.

Besides, some of these mustaches these guys have are just plain awesome…..

Andy Bathgate/Harry Howell

Obviously, I wasn’t born when either of these two Ranger greats donned the Ranger sweater. That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate everything they have accomplished.

To many, Graves’ number shouldn’t have been #9, that Bathgate should have had his number retired long ago. Bathgate, a fan favorite then and now, and a Hall of Famer, ranks 4th all time in Ranger history in the major scoring categories:

Goals – 272 (4th all time)

Assists – 457 (4th all time)

Points – 729 (4th all time)

Although he never won the Cup in NY (not many have), he helped Toronto to a Cup in the 1963-1964 season. He is also a Hart Memorial Trophy winner in the 1958-1959 season.

Perhaps Bathgate’s greatest claim to fame was his feared slapshot. His shot was the driving force behind goalies starting to wear masks (see: Plante, Jacques).

As for Howell, well his #3 being raised is a long time coming. Ranger fans love their bruising, stay at home defensemen now, and it was no different then. Howell, the Ranger leader in games played (1160), and 3rd in PIMs (1147), spent 17 years wearing Ranger blue, one of the longest tenured Rangers ever and was a 7 time All Star.

Howell too never won the Cup as a Ranger. His time finally came in 1990, when he won the Cup as a scout for the Oilers.

Sunday will be another fun night at the Garden, these two Ranger legends will live forever in the rafters, and I must say, it has been a long time coming.

Consistency? Anyone? What is Consistency?

Consistency: Reliability or uniformity of successive results or events.

The Rangers are to consistency as the Islanders are to winning.

Game 60: Rangers at Buffalo, A Must Win

As of today, the Rangers sit in 5th place in the East, 1 point ahead of the Canadiens, and 2 points ahead of 8th place Buffalo. A loss to Buffalo today drops the Rangers to 6th (at a minimum), with Buffalo leapfrogging over 3 teams to take 5th.

A loss would also stop any momentum built from a well played game against the Islanders on Wednesday.

In a shocking development, Petr Prucha will not be the odd man out tonight. Aaron Voros will sit in the press box, and the Korpedo will return to the lineup after missing a game with an upper body injury, taking Voros’ spot on the Zherdev line.

Hank in net tonight, no surprises there.

It’s a Saturday night, no live blog from me tonight.

Update 6:30pm: With Montreal’s win this afternoon, the Rangers sit in the 6 spot at the moment. A loss tonight drops them to the 7 seed, just 3 points ahead of the 9th place Hurricanes, and 4 points ahead of the 10th place Penguins.

Islanders Begin The Firesale

The Senators have struck first, grabbing Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli from the Islanders in exchange for Dean McAmmond and SJ’s first round pick (either #29 or #30).

Personally, I think the Sens got the better end of the deal. McAmmond is oft-injured and a UFA after this year, and I always thought that Campoli would have been good on a better team. He did well under Ted Nolan, granted that +/- could use some work.

But hey, a first round pick is a first round pick, and this draft is looking to be strong.

I hate to say it, but in a few years, the Islanders will be good again, assuming DiPietro can get healthy.

Mara’s Injury Not That Serious

We all cringed when Paul Mara, one of the few bright spots on the porous Ranger blue line, went down with what looked like a severe shoulder injury. Zipay reported earlier in the week that there was no structural damage on the shoulder, and he will be back within 2-4 weeks.

That’s great news for the Rangers. They will need Mara back if they want to make a serious push to stay at that 5 seed.

Side note: I, like most of the fans, have really overlooked how lucky the Rangers have been with injuries. This is the first post I’ve ever had to make about a “serious” injury. Let’s hope luck stays on our side.

What About Columbus?

It is no surprise to anyone that the Rangers have a glut of centers. They have four on the roster, with two knocking on the door. Assuming the Rangers resign Betts and no one offers Dubi an outrageous offer sheet, they will have 6 centers for the foreseeable future.

Columbus GM Scott Howson confirmed on Toronto’s Fan590 that his team has interest in acquiring a center, and will be buyers at the deadline. It is safe to assume that their first choices would be players that don’t have long term contracts, such as Nik Antropov. However, and I’m just being an irresponsible rumor mongorer here, they have the cap room to absorb the cap hit of a higher priced center, like Scott Gomez, and still be able to resign their key free agents.

While I don’t think Gomez is going anywhere, it’s still fun to talk about. Thoughts?

Some Games To Watch

Well, with the Ranger win and the Montreal OT loss last night, the Rangers own sole possession of 5th place in the conference with 68 points, 1 point behind the 4th place Flyers. The Flyers have 4(!!!) games in hand though. That could change tonight, with Montreal, Florida and Buffalo all in action tonight, along with the two teams on the cusp: Carolina and Pittsburgh.

Carolina takes on the Islanders tonight, the game is on MSG+. I’ll be watching that, and as much as it hurts to say this, I’ll be rooting for the Islanders.

Buffalo is in Philly tonight. This also hurts to say, but I’ll be rooting for Philly. Those games in hand are a possible 8 points. I don’t see the Rangers catching Philly at all.

Florida hosts Chicago tonight. This is a no brainer, Chicago is easy to root for.

Montreal is in Pittsburgh tonight. I’m hoping Mellon Arena collapses.

Alex Ovechkin is Unreal

Did you see that goal last night? Absolutely unreal.

The video is all over TSN.ca and NHL.com. I can’t find it on YouTube, once I do, I’ll embed it here.

But wow, just, wow.

Update: Found it. The goal starts at around 45 seconds.