Posts tagged ‘Steven Gelbs’

According to The Blueshirts Blog, Blue Notes and Rangers Report, the passion and intensity that was missing in last night’s embarrassment against the Kings, was out in full force during practice today. 

Apparently, Malik and Avery got into a shoving match and that quickly escalated into an all out, gloves off, fight between the two. 

According the the reports, Malik was the victor and as the two were being torn apart Avery was heard saying, “What are you, a bleeping tough guy? Why don’t you play like that in a game?” (A sentiment by the way, that is echoed by many fans)

Renney didn’t seem to have any problem with the fight and, according to the writers, went over to Malik after the tussle and said, “Good job, big guy.”

I personally agree 100% with Renney.  The biggest missing ingredient with this team has been that constant passion and determination.  Maybe they were as disgusted with last nights showing as I know we all were and it spilled over into hostility today at practice.

I love it.

Never again.  Never again this season will I have confidence in this team.  I don’t care if they go on a 26-game winning streak to complete the season, I just can’t trust them.

This was a game that the Rangers flat out couldn’t lose.  They were playing a team that sported the worst record in the league.  A team that was playing without Rob Blake.  A team that flat out STINKS!

The Rangers were a team that finally looked as though it had solved its problems.  They had won 5 of 6.  They had won 3 straight on the road.  They had showed some guts and grittiness. 

And then tonight, they showed why you can’t have faith in them.

An utter embarrassment is all that you can call tonight.  An utter loss for words is all that you can have tonight.  An utter lack of confidence is all that you can feel tonight.

An utter abomination…

Story lines abound as the Rangers take on the leauge worst L.A. Kings tonight:

According to Rangers Report and Blue Notes, Dane Byers will make his NHL debut tonight in the place of (justly) suspended Ryan Hollweg.  Byers will suit up along side Blair Betts and Colton Orr and here’s to hoping he impresses.  If Byers can prove he can play up with the big boys then it’s harder to justify keeping Hollweg around.  He is just as physical a player as #44, but unlike Hollweg has OTHER SKILLS to bring to the table.  Byers has recently proven down in Hartford that he has an offensive upside, tallying 7 goals and 5 assists since January 7th.  He also is a decent fighter, something that Holly is not.  Unfortunately, Byers will probably only have one game to prove himself, but if he can do something tonight to show the coaches his upside, it could go a long way towards ending Hollweg’s Rangers tenure.

Ironically, today marks exactly 1 year since Sean Avery was traded from the Kings to Broadway.  It’ll be interesting to see how “The Grate One” plays against his former mates.  My guess is Aves has a big game and makes the Kings look silly for the deal they made a season ago.

The Rangers badly need to win this one.  A win tonight will be four in a row and six out of seven of the Broadway Blues and honestly, who wudda thunk it?  The way the Rangers have been going, it seems like tonight should be a lock, which makes it all the more worrisome though.  A loss tonight would be a terrible blow to the line of thinking that this team has finally found their grove.  I don’t see it happening, but its been almost impossible to make correct predictions about the Rangers all season long.  We’ll have to see.

No live-blog tonight, but keep the comments coming down below. 

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In the ongoing Peter Forsberg debate, Stan Fischler has an interesting piece of news in his blog at MSG.com’s Game On section.  The Hockey Maven says that a close friend of Foppa tells him that Forsberg wants to finish his career on Broadway.  Take that for what you will, but its something I thought you all would be interested in.

Cally’s in for Shanahan tonight.  Good move.  No need to make his knee worse than it is.  So here’s my question for you all for today’s game: Which game gets higher ratings? This one at 2 or that football game at 6:30? Here we go…

2:15 p.m.: The Rangers are going to have to be smarter today.  If they keep taking those type of penalties, the Canadiens will capitalize on the  PP.

2:20 p.m.: The Rangers need to tighten up their game a bit right now.  They’re running around a little too much in their own zone.

2:39 p.m.: Have to stay out of the penalty box, just have to.  This team is way too good on the PP to give them opportunities.

2:54 p.m.: Terrible first period, but at least we got to see a heck of an intermission report. Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury do a hell of a job (cough, cough, note the sarcasm).  Wow, what a joke.

3:13 p.m.: That’s a terrible penalty to take by none other than Strudwick.  He’s just too slow and clumsy to be an NHL player.

3:14 p.m.: Penalty shot – there’s a good chance that this determines the game.

3:14 p.m.: Wow what a rocket by Kostitsyn.  Every goal has been a power play goal.  Its simple…give this team man-up opportunites and you’re going to lose.

3:20 p.m.: Big goal.  If you’re going to give up 3 PP goals, you have to capitalize on your own opportunites. 

3:22 p.m.: And there’s another one! Wow, the last two Dubinsky goals have been absolute beauts.  We’ve got ourselves a game.

3:36 p.m.: Brian Leetch was back out there! Well maybe not, but Marc Staal certainly showed some great moves on that goal.  The key to that goal though, Jagr wreaked havoc in front of the net and Gomez cashed in the rebound.

3:38 p.m.: If Ryan Hollweg plays another game for htis team it is an absolute joke!! You’re right back in the game and then the player who defines “bringing nothing to the table” takes an unbelievably stupid and selfish penalty that will no doubt put the Rangers down a man for five minutes.  To give this power play, that kind of time and this point is inexcusable.  Cut him now!

3:48 p.m.: Heck of a period.  Really unlike any that we’ve seen so far this year.  They need a big time kill to start the third, but we’ve got ourselves a game going folks!

4:22 p.m.: See, I guess all that Drury needed was for Eric and I to talk down about him for a couple episodes.  All jokes aside, the guy has been phenomenal in the last three games (as has Nigel Dawes…what a pass).  What a gritty game by this team so far.

4:36 p.m.: Shocking, just shocking! Again, see what happens when you get traffic in front and shoot the puck.  This could be one of those games that defines a season.  We haven’t seen the Rangers have the ability to comeback from one goal down, let alone three.  They’ve now won 5 of 6 and three straight on the road.  Gotta keep it going…

According to Steve Zipay’s blog, Blue Notes, Ryan Callahan is in Montreal for the game today against the Canadiens.  It’s unclear where (or if) he’ll be playing today.

Here we go folks.  Tonight and tomorrow night will determine a lot as the Rangers look to climb back into the Atlantic Division race.  Two wins and they’re right on the cusp; two losses and you may as well start booking the tee times.  Personally, I’m not too optimistic, but we’ll see. 

The key to tonight’s game (and the rest of the season for that matter)–GET DIRTY!  They need to get pucks to the net, crash and put in second and third chances.  The Flyers are good, but its all about who wants it more and grinds it out.  Again, I’m skeptical that will be the Rangers, but again who knows.

 Here we go…

7:11 p.m.: Anybody suprise by this start?  You shouldn’t be.  Terrible penalty by Orr and lethargic first 2:30.  Vally’s been good so far…he’ll have to be.

7:20 p.m.: Hit the net Staal! When are they going to learn that if a defenseman jumps up on the rush and nobody covers for him, he MUST hit the net!

7:21 p.m.: Wow, just wow! What a move! Dawes continuing the theme of youngsters delivering.  Nice play by Dru as well.

7:38 p.m.: What did I say before the game?  Drive to the net and put home second chances.  Exactly what happened there and voila – 2-0 Rangers.

7:42 p.m.: Good first period, but we’ve said that before.  Gotta keep it up.

8:04 p.m.: Who is that team and what have they done with the Rangers?!! Drury is having a heck of a game right now and that was a great 2 on 1.  Talk about capitalizing on opportunities!

9:52 p.m.: Sorry guys.  My internet konked out and just got back up and running.  Anyway, that was an absolutely fantastic game.  I really didn’t expect that and (thankfully) they proved me wrong.  Again though, this only means something if they do it again tomorrow night in Jersey, and again Sunday afternoon in Montreal, and again Tuesday against L.A., etc. 

Now I’d like to pose a question to you all before I end this.  Do you give Vally the nod again tomorrow in the Garden State?  I have to be honest, I wouldn’t mind it.  Last year when Henrik was struggling at the start of the season, Weekes came in, played well, and got a couple games in a row.  Honestly, against a low scoring team like the Devils it really couldn’t hurt.

More tomorrow…

According to The Sporting News Peter Forsberg has informed his agent that he wants to play in the NHL this season and he should start to negotiate with various clubs. 

So the obvious question is: Should the Rangers make a play for Foppa?

I think the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  So on the logical end, the answer is a resounding no.  This line of thinking would say that signing the injury riddled, 34-year-old, former superstar would be a continued regression back into the dark days of 1998-2004.  This line of thinking would also say that signing the fading star would just take away valuable minutes from a youngster who could benefit from the time.  This line of thinking would say that adding another huge name would only disrupt even further the already obvious lack of chemistry on this team.  This line of thinking would probably be right.

But the funny thing about sports and sports fandom is that sometimes what’s logical isn’t always right and I think that might be the case right here. 

I say, unless the Rangers go on a run over the next two weeks where they reel off 6 of 7 and do it in consistent, dominating fashion, they should just take one more chance and go for it.

I mean really, why the heck not?!  What’s the worst that could happen?

Let’s for a second say that the Rangers just stay with the status quo.  Even if they tinker here or there, the odds are that they’ll be fighting for the 8th seed from here on out and its a 50/50 shot at best that they get it.  And even if they do, you’re delirious if you think they’re winning the Cup.  So whether they don’t make the playoffs or they lose in the first or second round, they’ll be in the same place come late May.

Now think about this.  A first line of Straka-Forsberg-Jagr and a second line of Shanahan-Gomez-Drury.  Right there you get Jagr back with his European center and move Drury to the pressure-reduced role of winger.  Right there you give the opposition two completely different styles to defend against.  Right there, you have quite possibly two of the sexiest lines ever drawn up on the same squd.

How can you not be intrigued?

Now the article on The Sporting News’ website says that Forsberg will be asking for two-years.  If that’s the case then I probably pass on the big man.  But if you can get him for the remainder of this year with maybe a club option for the second year then I think you have to do it.

In that scenario, if you think logically, there’s really no risk.  You don’t have to part with any of your own talent (as you would in a trade for Sundin or Vyborny) and the worst that happens is Forsberg’s a bust and you cut ties with him when the season’s over.

So you’re all entitled to your opinion, but know this.  If the Rangers don’t do anything, the season’s down the tubes.  So it may be worth it to take that one final shot at accomplishing what so many predicted this team would.

Taking that one final shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup.

That’s right, the live blog is back!  Big night (as is every night from here on out).  Same lineup as the last two games.  Malik sits out (no suprise there).

7:08 p.m.: Avery catalyzed last year’s playoff run; looks like he’s trying to do that again.  Wish I could of seen the fight, but MSG’s having technical difficulties.

7:12 p.m.: Great start.  Power play goal (see what happens when you shoot!) and Shanny breaks 8-game pointless streak… 

7:18 p.m.:  NOW THAT’S A CAPTAIN!! That’s what you want to see.  One of your top guys gets a cheap hit put on him and the man with the ‘C’ on the jersey sticks up for him.  This amount of intensity and passion is great to see and they need to do this night in and night out!

7:23 p.m.: Ridiculous that Avery’s out of the game.  This instigator rule is a joke.  Now the Rangers need to kill this 5 on 3.

7:36 p.m.: Jagr is playing ike a man possessed tonight.  This is why it’s so frustrating when he’s not going like this.  Keep it up.

7:39 p.m.: Good.  Avery’s not out of the game…he just got 17 minutes.  Bad job from MSG for not getting that to us quicker.

7:43 p.m.: These refs are brutal.  That dive on Jagr was ridiculous and the Gomez non-call was a joke.  But the fire is lit under Jagr’s butt so I still love it.

7:55 p.m.: Yes the Rangers are only up 1-0, but don’t underestimate just how good a period that was for the Rangers and their captain.  They played with a passion and intensity that we haven’t seen yet this season and Jagr was playing like we all know he can.  If they keep that up, they’ll win much more than they lose.

8:22 p.m.: That’s why you can’t miss the net on an odd man rush if you’re a defenseman. 

8:24 p.m.: This is a rule that really has to be implemented.  The Rangers just dominated Carolina for about a minute and wore down the 5 Hurricanes on the ice.  They in-turn iced the puck, but because of a TV timeout get a chance to regroup.  There needs to be some sort of rule prohibiting TV timeouts following an icing.

8:27 p.m.: Unbelievable.  This is why you can’t get too excited about one period, one game, etc.

8:44 p.m.: It’s very simple folks…if you don’t capitalize, you don’t win.  The Rangers get plenty of chances, but they don’t put the biscuit in the basket.  Carolina on the other hand (and pretty much every other team the Rangers seem to play) finish their opportunities.  The Blueshirts gave the Hurricanes two golden chances and that’s why they scored two goals that period.  The Rangers had 3 or 4, yet there’s a big goose egg on the board for that period.

9:08 p.m.: Girardi caught pinching and Strudwick’s the only one back.  The result, an odd-man break for Carolina and they CAPITALIZE!! This is not good folks.

9:36 p.m.: The story of Drury’s season right there.  Captain Clutch has become Captain Klutz.  He couldn’t score right now if he was standing all alone on the ice with nobody in goal and the puck on his stick in the crease.

Here’s what I make of this game.  The Rangers are just flat out are a bad team.  It’s really that simple.  I really cannot remember a team that has such little ability to capitalize on any opportunity they are given.

The first period was great, but once again they couldn’t string together a full sixty-minute effort.  And let’s be honest, if they had they still probably would have won this game in a shootout or eeked out a one goal victory. 

Which begs the question: if when you’re playing your best you still have to sweat until the last second, are you really a good team?

The answer: NO!

The Rangers are not a good team and unless something changes and changes quick (though there’s no indication that it will) this team, with all the hype and expectations, will be watching the playoffs from their respective living rooms.

Well everybody we’re back!  Eric and I took a little bit of an All-Star Break ourselves, but the website will be back an running from here on out, including another live blog tonight for the Carolina game!

So the All-Star Break has come and gone and despite all the off-season moves the Rangers find themselves in exactly the same position they were in last season at this time. 

With 31 games to go, the Blueshirts have 54 points just as they did a year ago.  Last season it took a 17-8-6 stretch by Renney’s boys just to sneak into the second season. 

Do they have another run like that in them?  Time will tell, but in the meantime lets look at some reasons why we should be optimistic and some others why we shouldn’t.

On the plus side…

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s a winning streak!: The Rangers are coming out of the break on a two-game winning streak after beating Atlanta in back to back games.  Now the Thrashers certainly are not to be confused with a juggernaut and the Blueshirts may not have necessarily played great in both tilts, but the bottom line is they got four points.  The biggest problem with the Rangers these last few months has been their inability to gain any sort of “traction” so maybe winning two straight can inject some good feeling back into the room.

The Kids are Alright: Those hard working kids are finally starting to reap the benefits of all their effort.  Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes, and Petr Prucha have combined for 16 points in the last 7 games and are looking better each and every night.

The King Takes Back his Throne: After a six-week period in which Henrik Lundqvist looked more like Mike Dunham then himself, the King is showing signs of regaining form.  He has given up a goal or less in four of his last seven games and certainly looked like the Lundqvist of old when he stopped all 3 shootout shots against Atlanta on Brian Leetch Night!

Man-Down Going Down: After a seemingly endless string of games where the Rangers down a man (or two) 8 or 9 times a game the Blueshirts are starting to become more disciplined.  Over the last three games, the Broadway Blues have only been on the penalty kill a combined 8 times and they even scored a shorthanded goal during the stretch.

Captain Rising?: After an extremely slow start to the season, Jaromir Jagr’s been re-energized by center Scott Gomez.  In the 19 games since the duo was reunited Jagr has racked up 24 points (8 G, 16 A).  If the Rangers are going to make any sort of run, they’re going to have to rely on Jags to keep it going.

They’re Hurting Healthy!:  For one of the very few times this season, the Rangers are completely healthy right now.  With a fully healthy lineup for an extended stretch, it’s hard to imagine this roster not at least sneaking into the playoffs.  The idea that they can stay healthy for an extended stretch though is a stretch within itself.

On the negative end…

Putrid PP:  The Rangers power play has been an absolute disaster as of late.  They are currently in a 2-for-38 slump with the man up and in this league that’s just not going to cut it.  You just can’t hope to win every game by outscoring the opponent during even strength.  With the fire power on this team, there’s just no excuse to not be winning games on the power play.

Malik the Malcontent’s Melodrama:  The Marek Malik saga finally came to a head when, in a blatant show of disrespect, he refused to shake coach Tom Renney’s hand after the 4-0 win over Atlanta on Tuesday.  What’s worse is all the players saw and reacted strongly against the defender.  His apology to the team and through the media yesterday seemed hollow and meaningless and if that’s the case its probably time to move him.  For a team that is still lacking very much in the chemistry department, a malcontent is the last thing they need right now.

Dreary Drury:  Chris Drury has not even come close to matching expectations this season.  Right now he seems to lack the confidence and swagger with which he played with last season.  He’s missing wide open chances and taking bad penalties, both of which are the antithesis of what is his calling card.  If Dru can’t pull things together, it’s going to be a rough road ahead for the Blueshirts.

No “Avery’s” Available:  The unbelievable run that the Rangers went on to make the playoffs last year was catalyzed by one of the most perfect trades in franchise history.  The problem is that those trades are very rare and it doesn’t seem as though there’s another Avery-esque move out there to be made.  But then again, who knows?

Strenuous Schedule:  The Rangers don’t get any breaks scheduling-wise coming up.  Of their next 8 games, 6 are on the road and the other 2 are against Western Conference foes.  The Blueshirts have been anything but Road Warriors so far this season, winning only 7 of 23 games away from MSG.  And however bad Renney’s boys have been on the road, they’ve been even worse against Western Conference opponents.  In 7 contests with the West this year, the Rangers are 0-5-2.

So what does all this mean?  It means…we’ll see. 

With 31 games to go the Rangers are certainly still right in the mix, but there’s no more room to wiggle.  A few game losing streak could be devastating, but a few game winning streak and they could be in first place. 

One thing’s for sure: it won’t be boring!

So it is now officially January 24, 2008, the day that you, I and every other Rangers fan had circled on our calendars since the announcement a few months ago.  In the spirit of Brian Leetch’s big night, I thought it would be fun and fitting for everyone to share a specific memory they had of #2.  Now it can be anything, big or small, but what I’d love to hear are some moments that may not be as imprinted on the psyche’s of Rangers fans.  Now by no means am I banning the Game 7 goals in the Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup Finals in ‘94 from discussion, but I think we’re all well aware of how that year went by now.  To me, it would be more interesting to talk about some plays that may not be as memorable, but may be just as good.

 For me, a very distinct moment stands out from the rest.  Now I can’t remember exactly what year it was, but it was sometime during the dismal stretch from 1998-2004 and the Rangers were fighting with the Islanders for the eighth and final playoff spot. 

The heated rivals locked up at the Garden on this particular night very late in the season and with time dwindling in the game the Rangers trailed the Isles by one goal.  A loss would have been a devastating blow to the Blueshirts’ playoff chances. 

With a couple minutes to go, Brian went on a typical “Leetchie rush.” Starting from behind his own net, he bobbed and weaved through all five Islander skaters and buried the tying goal with a beautiful top shelf backhand.  The Rangers ended up winning the game and keeping their post-season hopes alive for another day. 

Now we all know they ended up falling short of the playoffs, but that isn’t the point.  The point is that I remember thinking that Leetch had just decided that they weren’t going to lose that game; he wasn’t going to allow it.  Few players in the history of the game have ever had the ability to just decide they were going to take over a game and then go do it.  Leetchie was one of those few and to be able to watch him night in night out for the Rangers for so many years was a privelege and an honor.

So that’s one of many Leetch memories that stick out in my mind and now I want to hear yours.  Please use the comments section to share your memories and any other thoughts you have leading up to the banner raising for perhaps the greatest Ranger of all-time.