IIHF Update- Division 4

Division 4-A
Ireland- 3-0
Greece- 2-1
Luxembourg- 1-2
United Arab Emirates- 0-3

Division 4-B
North Korea- 3-0
Armenia- 2-1
South Africa- 1-2
Mongolia- 0-3

-Ireland and North Korea are promoted to Division 3 for 2011.

-As a follow up to the last post, Spain finished its Division 3 tournament undefeated, and will play in Division 2 next year for the first time in its history. Meanwhile, Turkey was relegated back to Division 4, as expected.

-Check back later this week for 2010 Division 2 results.

IIHF Update Part 2

Updated Division III standings:

Division A:
Estonia- 5-0
Romania- 4-1
Iceland- 3-2
New Zealand- 2-3
China- 1-4
Israel- 0-5

Notes:
-Estonia will return to Division II in 2011 after a three-year hiatus.
-Israel is relegated to Division IV for the first time in its history.
-Both Iceland and New Zealand achieve the highest finish in their histories.
-China suffers the worst finish in its history.
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Division B
Spain- 3-0
Belgium- 3-1
Australia- 3-1
Mexico- 1-2
Bulgaria- 1-3
Turkey- 0-4

Notes:
-Having already defeated Belgium and Australia, Spain has an excellent chance to be promoted to Division II for the first time in its history.
-Turkey, all but certain to be relegated back to Division IV, has never won a Division III game in its history.

IIHF Update

Keeping my eyes closed to the NHL playoffs until further notice, but the IIHF World Championships are going on right now, and provide a welcome diversion. The top level, of course, will not get started for a few more weeks, but there are in fact four divisions of tournaments each year, reaching all the way down to include nations like Mongolia, South Africa and Luxembourg, made up entirely of recreational players.

The Division III championships are currently in full swing. Some of the best players from countries that comprise this division play in low-level pro leagues, but most are strictly amateurs. The standings as of now are as follows:

Group A
Estonia- 4-0
Romania- 4-0
Iceland- 2-2
China- 1-3
New Zealand- 1-3
Israel- 0-4

Group B
Spain- 2-0
Belgium- 2-1
Australia- 1-1
Bulgaria- 1-1
Mexico- 1-1
Turkey- 0-3

The top team in each of the two groups will be promoted to Division II for the 2011 World Championships, while the last place team in each group will be relegated to Division IV. Those four teams will be replaced in Division III by the two last place finishers in this year's Division II, as well as the top two seeds from this year's Division IV.

The great thing about following all IIHF tournaments is seeing the progression/regression of each of these countries on an annual basis, as countries fight for promotions while trying to avoid relegation. This format carries all the way up to the top level. From Canada to the United Arab Emirates, all IIHF tournament participants are part of the same ranking system.

The Division IV tournament is just kicking off. Check back for continued updates.

What he said...

Nothing I can say that hasn't been said already.

Classic Rangers.

Where were the millionaire forwards that make up the highest payroll in the sport?

Over 65 minutes of non-shootout hockey, our only goal was from Jody Shelley.

After the buzzer as MSG flashed the goalie stats, Sid turned to me and said, in reference to Lundqvist "This guy's gonna demand a trade!"

Not literally, of course, but Sid's point is well taken. How many times can you exhaust yourself for a team that doesn't take care of things on their end? Could you imagine if Henrik played for Philly or heaven forbid Washington or Chicago? Could you imagine how solid that team would be? Hank even admitted how wiped he was by the time the shootout came along and he wasn't his best on those three shooters.

But again our only SHOOTOUT goal came from a rookie AHL call-up. Where was Gaborik? Where was Drury? Since coach Torts didn't explain himself after the game I can only speculate that he was "saving" Gaborik for a sudden death 4th round. Which never happened.

Kind of like the Rangers presence in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Stanley Cup is the greatest tournament in sports. The multiple overtime thrillers. The incredible goaltending and clutch goal scoring. The late game face-offs . The game sevens. Think Ovechkin's not excited to light it up in Montreal? The Devils and Flyers won't grind each other into dust? Ryan Miller isn't ready to snare a few Chara blasts from the blueline? Sidney and Geno aren't ready to skate with Alfie and Spezz? Can the young Avalanche trip up the veteran Sharks? Can the Predators pull-off another Music City Miracle against the balanced Chicago attack? Can Jonathan Quick and his Kings out-duel the stacked Vancouver Canucks and their gold-medal goalie? Will the battle-tested Red Wings survive a spring trip into the desert? And will a run by the Coyotes save their franchise?

The Rangers have no place in this discussion. Even if they had snuck in, it may have been for the right to get steamrolled by the Capitals. But you have to be in it to win it. And New York didn't even qualify to have a chance.

Fire Sather.

Project Philly: Over and Out

Three weeks ago, I idenitified 8-2 as the necessary record over the final 10 game for the Rangers to make the playoffs, and the path with which to achieve that record. As we all know, they came up one point short.

We know as well that yesterday's game would not have reached a shootot -not even close- had Lundqvist not risen to the occassion, as he has done time and time again.

There was no forecheck yesterday. The breakout was stifled. The power play was DOA, as it was during most of Friday's game at the Garden. The Flyers were hungrier, faster, and better in every phase of the game.

It goes without saying that the way the game played out makes the shootout loss all the more painful. Surely, all observers believed, Hank could get the better of Boucher once it became a breakaway battle between the two.

That did not happen. It hurts to say that both Flyer shootout goals were the kind that Hank generally stops, but it should hurt more to realize that the Blueshirts failed to generate more than cursory offense against a goaltender who was there for the beating.

This year, John Tortorella was not part of the solution, but part of the problem. The same can be said of Glen Sather for the past decade.

9th Place: The First Loser

Hopefully the team and specifically the young guys can build from this. They fought hard to get there. There are some very fundamental dysfunctions on this team right now but we do have a core of some great and very likable young players. If Sather can somehow get rid or Rozi or Redden over the summer I think it would do wonders for us. Also the Gilroy experiment was a disaster. There is so much more I want to say but I think anybody who has watched this team this season could see this coming. That game was a microcosm of the season. Typical Rangers.

Its Now or Never

C'mon Blueshirts. It doesn't matter what you did until this point. It doesn't matter how many sloppy, un-inspired winter nights you spent losing to Boston, Buffalo, Montreal. It doesn't matter how many times you left your goalie out to dry. You lost the footrace to the puck. You missed your hit, whiffed on the one timer or let the puck hop over your stick at the point on the power play. It doesn't matter if you lost in the Olympics or lost Elisha Cuthbert. All that matters is tonight. Win tonight, stay alive. Philly won't go down without a battle. But New York's fate is in New York's hands. So remember, you play for the team that brought hockey to the big city. On the floor of Willis Reed. On the rink that belonged to Richter, Graves, Leetch and Captain Mark Messier.. What would they do? Would they let Philadelphia come into their house and go home happy?

Let's Go Rangers!

Pulling Out the Positives

The Rangers are one point ahead of the path to the playoffs that I laid out for them almost three weeks ago. Instead of needing to beat the Leafs tomorrow night at the Garden in order to control their own destiny heading into the home-and-home against the Flyers, the Blueshirts need only to take the game to overtime in order to enter the final weekend three points behind the Flyers.

Fact is, while it is absolutely essential that the Rangers get at least one point against Toronto tomorrow, the difference between entering the final weekend down two points to Philly, and entering it down three points, is minimal. What's more, the same can be said for the difference between one point and three points. Here's why: Whether down one point or three, the Rangers would need to win BOTH games against the Flyers in order to guarantee finishing ahead of them. The only difference is, if they are down three points, those wins must come in regulation. Given  the fact that only four Ranger wins all season have come via OT/shootout, AND given the fact that the Flyers beat the Leafs tonight, the Rangers did not lose all that much with their defeat against the Sabres. The only way the Rangers could have gained any serious ground tonight would have been a Ranger win coupled with a Flyer loss.

The Rangers have only three games left in the season. If they win them all, they will make the playoffs. They will either crash or cross the finish line in the next couple of days. Either way, the take-away going into the Toronto game is that Project Philly remains viable.

In the Thick of It

We essentially knew two weeks ago that the Rangers' current situation is the best we could have hoped for. The Rangers have taken care of business admirably in their past six games, but all the good feelings generated by the current string of wins can be tossed aside from this point on. As if to prove that point, the Flyers handed the Red Wings (who were kind enough to start Chris Osgood) their first regulation loss in 12 games earlier today.

If the hockey gods are on the Rangers' side, the Capitals will play to win against the Bruins tomorrow night, giving the Rangers the chance to snuggle into a three-way tie for seventh place if they beat Buffalo on Tuesday. That scenario aside, our focus in the coming days should be the same as it's been for the past two weeks: On Philadelphia.

Because the Flyers own the tie-breaker, any single point won by the Rangers or lost by the Flyers between now and the start of the upcoming home-and-home will guarantee that the Rangers can finish ahead of the Flyers by sweeping the home-and-home. (A regulation or overtime loss today by Philadelphia would have done the trick.)

The Sabres still have much to play for, so the game in Buffalo on Tuesday night will be an enormous test. Despite the desperation of the situation, any points gained in Buffalo must be seen as a precious bonus. One night later, the Rangers host the Maple Leafs, the same team that the Flyers will face when the Rangers play the Sabres. The Leafs are a wild card, but if the Rangers play their game, this should -must- be a win.

The best thing we can mathematically dream about now is a two-point lead for the Rangers heading into the final weekend; Disappointing when compared to the hypothetical scenario had the Wings beaten the Flyers, but something we'd clearly have taken in a heartbeat two weeks -or even one week- ago.

The Rangers' wins in Florida are history. The Flyers won their last game. Points cannot be left on the table. The most important game of the year is Tuesday night in Buffalo.

Lundqvist Needs a Rest

You don't have to tell me the importance of sweeping the upcoming Florida excursion. Anything less than four points in the Rangers' next two games could be disastrous. That is why John Tortorella needs to be willing to allow Alex Auld to start one of the games this weekend.

The Rangers had a young backup in Chad Johnson who had acquitted himself perfectly well in his few starts after replacing Stephen Valiquette. Yet, Glen Sather felt it necessary to spend cap dollars on an experienced backup for Henrik Lundqvist. If Auld does not spell Lundqvist either in Tampa or Miami this weekend, it will have been still more wasted cap money.

But, more importantly, Lundqvist has played more than any goalie in the league since the start of the Olympics, and right now, it shows. The fact -and it's a troubling one- is that The King has given up three soft goals in the last 65 minutes of play. Last night against the Islanders, it was Lundqvist's teammates who bailed him out, not the other way around.

John Tortorella needs to show his team that he believes they can win with someone other than Lundqvist in net. Lundqvist, meanwhile, needs a much deserved rest. And the Rangers? They need two wins this weekend. The chances of that happening is increased by the simple, time-tested decision to split the goaltending duties in back-to-back games.

Project Philly Revisited

Since the last post, the Rangers have gone 2-0-1 (cruelly close to a clean 3-0 in Toronto) while the Flyers have gone 1-2-1.

The Flyers have just four games left before the home-and-home finale, and currently sit at 82 points. Let's look at a scenario in which the Flyers beat the Islanders and Leafs while losing to the Red Wings and Canadiens, thereby entering the final weekend with 86 points.

The key for the Rangers is to enter that weekend within three points of the Flyers. If they can do that, a REGULATION sweep of the series would put them one point up in the standings. This is critical, because the Flyers would likely take the first tie-breaker by virtue of more wins.

The Rangers currently sit at 76 points, and have one game in hand on Philly. Of the Blueshirts' five games before facing the Flyers, four of them are against Tampa, Florida, the Isles and the Leafs. Can they defeat these four highly beatable teams? If so, (allowing a loss to Buffalo) the Rangers will enter the home-and-home with 84 points- two points behind Philadelphia and directly within striking distance.

Brian Boucher must falter. When they face the Canadiens, the Habs must play like they mean it. The Wings must play like the title condender they've looked like since the Olympic break.

And the Rangers must take care of business. The must play defensively the way they've only occasionally done this year. They must get their forecheck going every night. Their breakout must be effective, so as to make sure they have the territorial edge, because their D-men cannot win a war a attrition against many teams. -- And Lundqvist must be Lundqvist every minute he's in the net the rest of the way.

This is where we stand. This is the math. It's not over yet.

New Plan: Catch The Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have to ride Brian Boucher the rest of the way. Since he was forced into duty following Michael Leighton's high ankle sprain, the Flyers are 0-2. When the Flyers are healthy, Boucher is third on their depth chart.

The Rangers are currently eight points behind the Flyers. Each team has 10 games left. The two teams finish the regular season with a home-and-home two game series.

Of the eight games the Rangers play between now and the regular season's final weekend, six of them are against:

Tampa Bay
Florida
Islanders (twice)
Maple Leafs (twice)

For the sake of argument, let's say the Rangers win these six games, while losing the other two. (against New Jersey and Buffalo) If, during that time, the Flyers go 3-4-1, the Rangers would then need to win BOTH games against the Flyers to finish one point ahead of them in the standings.

They would then need to hope that Atlanta plays no better than .500 hockey the rest of the way.

If all of the above happens, The Rangers will earn four nights on the town with the Capitals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sickening note of the day: Thus far, John Tortorella has shown himself to have more in common with Ron Low than Mike Keenan behind the Rangers bench.

game over man

Rangers suck, season's over, moving on.

Three Point Swing

The worst thing to happen to the Rangers last night was not Kaleta's bank shot off Lundqvist's pad to give Buffalo an overtime win. (though how two Rangers defensemen managed to entangle themselves on the wrong side of the net on the play is a depressing mystery)

The worst thing that happened last night- by far- was Montreal's stunning comeback against the Anaheim Ducks, whereby they erased a two-goal defecit in the final two minutes of the third, en route to a 4-3 shootout win.

Instead of gaining a point on eighth place following their second straight night of hard work, the Rangers lost two. The bar for making the playoffs was raised by two points as a result of Montreal's "Miracle at the Pond." The Rangers lost ground in the playoff race last night- a frightening thing to do in mid-March.

Nothing To Be Proud Of

The third period of tonight's game was painful to watch, not only because each second seemed to last an hour, but because it is not fun to watch your team so thoroughly manhandled and immasculated as the Rangers were throughout the entire game tonight, but especially in the final 23 minutes.

Starting with the coaching staff, every Rangers except Lundqvist needs to take a long look in the mirror. John Tortorella, who once preached "safe is death" while leading the Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004, allowed his team to play the entire period waving white flags and begging for mercy. It was nothing short of sickening to watch the Rangers line up at their own blue line, not even breathing on a Penguin until he was over the red line. Not since the days of John Muckler have we seen the Rangers bury their head in the sand over the final stanza the way they did tonight.

When you play not to lose, you've already lost. The Rangers showed no determination -perhaps no INTEREST- in generating a forecheck or slowing the Penguins down in their own end. On the rare occasions when they found the puck on their stick in Pittburgh's zone, they looked nervous. They spent the period chasing Pittsburgh immaculate cycle and and relying and save after save after save from a heroic Lundqvist.

What is equally trouble is that Tortorella is losing Del Zotto. Del Zotto should have realized after a few shifts that his 100-foot passes were not going to connect without Gaborik's powerful stride to receive it. Yet Del Zotto seems to be so frightened of making a mistake these days, so worried about making a mistake, that he is overthinking every shift. The good news is that this kind of slump is normal for a neophyte defenseman over the course of his first 82-game season. The bad news is that, whereas Tom Renney often proved to be a calming influence when his young players stumbled, Tortorella has not shown the same tact with the most important defenseman on the Rangers' roster.

They'll take the point and run, but they'd better ask themselves what will happen two nights from now, when they play the only offense in the league more dynamic than Pittsburgh's. The King aside, each and every member of the Rangers' organization should have the taste of humiliation to motivate them in Washington. 

He's Still Got It

I love the Olympics because you get to watch former NHL stars like Ziggy Palfy and the great Jaromir Jagr. Last night, we got to once again witness the magic of Jaromir Jagr. Though he celebrated his 38th birthday earlier this week, JJ turned in a masterful performance last night that reminded a lot of New Yorkers just how fortunate we were to watch this legend don the Rangers sweater.

Relying more on his hockey smarts and instincts as opposed to the sheer power and speed he would use to dominate in the past, JJ was able to overcome a shaky first period and lead the Czechs to a 3-1 victory.

Some people said Jagr was over the hill, that he could no longer compete at the NHL level, or that he simply wanted too much money. In my opinion, he is a still a force and could easily contribute at the NHL level. There are very few players who can take over a game the way Jagr can.

Do I think that one of Sather's terrible contracts would have been better suited going to Jagr? Absolutely.

Do I wish the current NYR Captain could show half the intensity, heart, ability, skill, or timeliness of our previous Captain? Yes, but that's a whole lot to ask out of an undersized checking center, no?

Jagr: How you like me now, Glen?

Our Fearless Captain

Captain Chris Drury is really rounding out into Olympic form. How did you guys like that CLUTCH goal yesterday at the Garden? The Rangers had that dreaded two-goal lead with less than a minute to play so Captain Clutch did what he does best. He stepped up in a big spot and fired a LASER low stick-side to make it 5-2! What a competitor! What else do you expect from a guy who's been a winner at every level of competition?

"The Miracle On Dirt" circa 1989

In all seriousness, Drury has probably played his best stretch all season and the NYR are undefeated in the post Brashear-era. Let's hope we can pick up where we left off in two weeks. Any Olympic predictions? I'm going with the Russians.

A Fine Mess

I came across this while looking for Sather pictures. Words are not necessary.

Uncle Glennie Strikes Again

Jody Shelley. Is anybody surprised by this? This is the man WHO SIGNED DONALD BRASHEAR in the first place! This is the man who traded Brian Leetch and Adam Graves for scrubs and draft picks! This is the man who gave Rozsival and Redden a combined 10 years 59 million dollars and let's not forget Captain Crutch's sweet 5 year, 35.25 mil deal. Do you guys know how many pizzas Drury can make with that kind of $$$? Delivered in 7.7 seconds flat or it's on the house.

Do you ever notice how the only time Sather ever does anything right is when he is correcting something he previously fucked up? Like trading Kotalik or Gomez. Sure he signed Jagr and Gaborik but those were both no brainers.



He's laughing at you, Ranger fans. Remember this: Uncle Glennie does not give a fuck

Never let an Opportunity to Waste a Roster Spot Go To Waste

Less that 24 hours after putting waste-of-space Donald Brashear on waivers, Glen Sather has struck again, dilligently trading for one of the few NHLers who plays Donald Brashear's role as uselessly as Brashear does.

Welcome to New York, Jody Shelley.

Maybe Brandon Prust was brought here to be more of an agitator/energy guy than a pure fighter. So be it. But why Sather felt the need to sacrifice a draft pick for one of the leagues most talentless players, when he could just as easily called up Dane Byers, is beyond me.

Gone-ald Brashear

Well at least Brashear is gone now. Or if he clear waivers, the Don likely gets buried in Hartford where half of this team belongs. 1.4 million for this year and 1.4 next year for this washed up 4th line "enforcer" who can't even fight. Good luck trading him. Thanks a lot Sather.

Kids have been D-ficient

Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy have been awful against Nashville tonight. The Del Zotto double-minor is only a small part of it.

Gilroy was beaten twice to create great Nashville chances early in the second, and Del Zotto's play with the puck has completely deteriorated. It was unfortunate that the two young defensemen were caught on the ice together - something the Rangers coaching staff should not have allowed to happen - on Nashville's first goal. Gilroy's ill-advised reversal of the puck behind Henrik's net caused the turn over that led to Joel Ward's redirection past Lundqvist.

Look for Tortorella to shorten the bench on D the rest of the way tonight.

Rangers 3 Devils 1

Last night was great.

I was lucky enough to be at The Garden and the place was buzzing from before the drop of the puck. Its strange how now matter how lethargic the Rangers can look on the ice, the fans never mail in a shift. And something about the cross-river rivals ratchets up the tension. Fans in red and blue were sniping at each other on the frozen sidewalks around MSG, the escalators and of course in the seats.

I would love to focus on congratulating Hank, who was TREMENDOUS against Jersey and clearly bounced back from an AWFUL performance Thursday night, as documented by my linemate below. The King snatched up several glove side drives that looked ticketed for the back of the night. It was, in many ways, a typical Devils-Rangers affair, in the sense that the Devils really did get the better scoring chances, and wound up also statistically bearing this out with their 42 shots on goal. But Henrik slammed the door where Marty didn't.

But my biggest question of the night stems from an incident at 2:16 of the 3rd period. With the Rangers up 3-1 it would have taken a real quick turnaround for the Devils to tie or win the game. Only problem is, the Devils have done it before, and by before I mean the previous night against Toronto. As the teams lined up to take a draw in the Devils zone, the newest Devil Ilya Kovalchuk plowed through the officials and attacked Sean Avery.

Ilya's arrival in New Jersey three games earlier sent shockwaves through the NY/NJ hockey community and the Eastern Conference. This trade could have tipped the balance of power at the top. But at 2:16 of the 3rd period, the dynamic veteran who had only played 3 games in anything other than an Atlanta Thrashers uniform, snapped under the bright lights of the big city and presumably as a result of the mouth of Sean Avery.

With 2:16 to go, Avery took a couple of decent shots and wound up on the ice. He and Ilya were dragged off to the sin-bin with 4 minute roughing penalties for both.

As a result, the Devils latest acquisition, the man who's scoring touch and playmaking ability was supposed to send the Jersey Boys into the next stratosphere, had taken himself off the ice for the rest of regulation.

New York survived the last two minutes and wrapped up the victory.

My question, that I can't get over, WHAT could Sean Avery have POSSIBLY said to set off Kovalchuk? The New York Post reports that it had something to do with Marty. Was Ilya standing up to defend his Hall of Fame goalie? Was he trying to make a good impression on his new teammates? In a perfect world, Avery would go public with it, but that's not Avery 2.0. Maybe we'll find out after he retires and writes his tell-all book.

Last note of the day; Ryan Callahan was the game's number 2 star, after The King. He had a goal and an assist, which is great, but he also blocked some seriously difficult shots, won a lot of battles in the corners and went toe-to-toe with Kovalchuk on numerous shifts. Cally obviously means a lot to his teammates and coach as evidenced by the A on his chest, despite his young age. But Cally's has become a beloved figure by the New York fans. In many ways he exemplifies what we wish we saw more of from the rest of this team.

Callahan's Team USA swag, as well as Henrik's Team Sweden and Gaborik's Team Slovakia are now available. For a hard working New Yorker like Ryan to find himself in an idiosyncratic but elite category like that is a testament to his dedication and success.

God Save The King

We're suffering through a stretch right now in which "The King" is looking positively pauperesque.

We all know the Capitals have the most dynamic offense in the NHL. That's not the point. Right now, Lundqvist is making himself small in the net. He is doing this primarily by playing very deep in his crease, which voluntarily cedes territory to the Mike Knubles and Ryan Smyths of the world who try to screen him. The area just in front of the crease must be protected not only by the defensemen, but by the goaltender. The goaltender does this by pressing up against the screening forwards. This does two things: One, it gives the fowards less room to maneuver as they attempt to keep their sticks free. Two, it increases the chances of stopping the shot if it is redirected, because there is less space available for the puck to change direction between the stick and the goaltender. The way Hank is playing now, we will continue to see "hope for the best" shots from the point finding holes in his armor.

His deep stance also amplifies his weak glove hand. From the Kings' first goal last night to the Capitals first goal tonight, Hank was beaten three times in a row on shots to the high glove. As long as he plays back in his net - a timid way to play if you ask me - those kind of shots will keep going in. If you drop to your knees as often as he does, you MUST aggresively cut down the angle.

By the time the Rangers lost to the Penguins 3-2  early last week, it was clear that Hank had slipped into one of his trademark funks. He has yet to come out of it. Until he does, this deeply flawed Ranger team will continue to lose games.

Henrik Lundqvist is on his way to becoming the greatest goalie in Rangers history. He is - and always will be - The King. Unfortunately, there is no separation of powers in this monarchy. When Hank falters, the Rangers have no other backbone to pick up the slack. Hank is irreplaceable. This means that when Hank struggles, the team struggles too. Hank must therefore understand the pressure that is on his shoulders every night. His mistakes will be amplified. His off nights will result in defeat. Such is the burden of being a King.

 

Keystone Cops

The incompetence we just witnessed by the Rangers on LA's shorthanded goal is astounding.

The blame starts first and foremost with John Tortorella. It is almost unheard of to put five forwards on the ice for a power play. It is exponentially more stunning when one of the two forwards playing the point is playing his first game with the team. Foolish coaching decision. Rarely is it so easy to trace the blame for a goal directly to a coach.

As for Jokinen's little display in defending the two-on-one, it is difficult to know what on Earth he was thinking. One would think he had never received a lesson in defending a two-on-one in his life. One can only assume that he thought that Drury would somehow make up the three strides on Kopitar to negate him. But this is grasping at straws. 

Beyond hesitant, Jokinen looked lost and confused. It was all too easy for Kopitar to exploit Lundqvist's deep stance, when given a free ride to the net. Kopitar himself was surely taken off guard by the amount of room afforded him by Olli Jokinen.

A Trick and a Trade

Hours after Marian Gaborik single handedly defeated the surprisingly good Colorado Avalanche, I read about the Kotalik trade. Late last night, after even more irritating behavior by Ales Kotalik, the trade was finalized. In sending away Kotalik and bringing in Olli Jokinen, Glen Sather killed two birds with one stone.

When analyzing this trade its critical to remember the expiring contract factor. Jokinen has one, Kotalik does not.

Everywhere he's been, Olli Jokinen has been enigmatic at best, a headache at worst. Now on his 6th team, this former 39 goal scorer will likely move onto his 7th this summer. He's a rental for the Rangers. He may provide an offensive spark and be a skilled center on a line with Gabby or he may recede into the background. It almost doesn't matter.

The best part of this trade is the Rangers managed to get out from under the Kotalik contract. This gives them economic flexibility moving forward.

Its sad to lose Higgins and I was curious to see what he'd do in his second year in New York. But he's a worthwhile sacrifice given the circumstances.

And young Brandon Prust may provide some 4th line toughness and depth that will hopefully make New York tougher to play against and also keep Brashear off the ice.

So, not a bad couple of days for the Blueshirts. A win on the road, a hat trick for Gabby and a trade that could help in the short term, and will help in the long term. Now lets see if they can build on this in LA tonight.

Rangers vs Coyotes

I can go on about a lot of things. About how Drury is a worthless, overpaid, regressing, pathetic, sorry excuse for a captain. About how Tortorella has lost this team through constant line shuffling and singling out certain players for bad play (Kotalik, Redden) but letting others slide (Drury, Roszival), or how Hank is already exhausted and we have no depth at goaltending. I can go on about all these things but I'll keep it short and sweet. We all know what the root of the problem is. All I really want to say is this: Fire Sather

Say it with me now.....FIRE SATHER

He's Not All That

Ron Tugnutt, who was at best a slightly above average goalie, posted a modern day record 1.79 goals-against average with the Ottawa Senators during the 1998-99 season. In four seasons with the Sens, his GAA was roughly 2.30. Damian Rhodes, whose weaknesses were exposed in all their glory during his notorious Atlanta days, had a GAA of about 2.50 while playing for Ottawa. He was so highly regarded following his tenure with the Senators that virtually all observers originally felt that the Atlanta Thrashers had hit a home run in acquiring him for their inaugural season. And Patrick Lalime, a marginal backup on most teams, was made to appear a legitimate, perhaps even formidable NHL starter when he played in Canada's capital city. He even appeared in an All-Star game once during his Senators tenure.

Meanwhile, Scott Clemmenson, who couldn't beat out Andrew Raycroft to be Toronto's back up in 2007, steps into the Devils lineup last year in place of injured superstar Martin Brodeur and posts a 25-13-1 record along with two shutouts, a 2.39 GAA and a .917 save percentage before being unceremoniously sent to the minors upon Brodeur's triumphant return. Speaking of Brodeur backups, little-used Corey Schwab found his way into just 14 games with the Devils from 2002-2004. His numbers in those 14 appearances? A save percentage of over .940, a goals against average of roughly 1.25, and no less than three shutouts. This year the honor of serving as understudy in the New Jersey net falls on Yann Danis. Danis has made seven appearances, posting a record of 3-0, a 1.69 GAA, and, yes, a .940 save percentage.

So we come to the man himself: Martin Brodeur, owner of more than 552 NHL wins, 100 shutouts and three Stanley Cups. His career GAA over almost 1,000 games is an astonishing 2.20. His save-percentage is a good (not great) .914.

So, what might have happened had the Senators been able to sustain for 15 years the extraordinary team defense that enabled the likes of Tugnutt, Rhodes and Lalime to shine? And what if one of the three had somehow managed to remain Senator during that entire time? Or what if Brodeur had not returned from his arm injury as quickly last year, leaving Clemmenson to finish what he had started in New Jersey. (Bear in mind that folks were so impressed with Clemmenson's play that some wondered in all sincerity whether Scott Clemmenson would become the first goaltender in NHL history to earn a Vezina nomination in a year that he finished in the AHL)

It is rare that we run across team defenses like the one Ottawa had in the late 90's and early 00's. It is rarer still to find a team that sustains for 20 years this extraordinary ability to bottleneck any offense. Rarest of all (so rare that it has happened only once in NHL history) is one goaltender blessed enough by the hockey gods to play all 20 years of his career behind that kind of defense.

Martin Brodeur is an excellent goalie, with impressive staying power. He is not, however, as good a goaltender as Lou Lamoriello is a general manager. His ability to shut down an opponent is secondary to the combined efforts of a Scott Stevens, a Ken Daneyko, and Scott Niedermeyer, a John Madden, a Jay Pandolfo, and countless other Devils who flourished under the tutelage of coaches like Jacques Lemaire and Pat Burns. Brodeur has much to be proud of in his storied career, but who among us can think of a series that he stole for the Devils the way Curtis Joseph used to for the Oilers and Leafs. Think of Patrick Roy's four Stanley Cups. Did Brodeur's personal heroics in any of his three Cup runs match what Roy did in any one of those four years? Could Brodeur have risen to the occasion, when the rest of his team needed him to carry them on his back? It appears we will never know.

Think, for a moment, of the success an excellent goalie like Curtis Joseph might have had playing behind that kind of team for 20 years. How about, let's say, Mike Richter? Sean Burke? Jeff Hackett? (stop me when you think I've gone too far)

They often say that it's lucky to be good, and good to be lucky. Martin Brodeur, who is considered by some as the greatest goalie in NHL history, has his share of one of those traits. He has a massive surplus of the other.

What a Waste

If you're gonna put 38 shots on goal, you could at LEAST lose 5-4?

This game was over before it started. And that might be the worst part. Outside of Callahan, the team was lifeless and Hank wasn't really himself.

Its particularly frustrating how often we make some of the worst teams in the East, like the 'Canes and Atlanta look great.

Worse news for New York is that Ottawa is playing out of its mind, the Panthers have caught us and if it wasn't for Montreal and suddenly Boston struggling, we'd be on the outside of the top 8, looking in.

I guess the one common thread for the back half of the Eastern Conference, the teams not named DC, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Jersey, is that we're inconsistent and streaky. So maybe we bounce back and put some wins together, but nights like this don't help anybody.

What do you guys think of the Phaneuf rumors?

Tonight: Rangers vs. Hurricanes

Sometimes playing the worst team in the conference at home is a good thing. This is not one of those times. This is a crucial point in the season for a multitude of reasons. In their last 3 games, the Blueshirts have managed just 2 goals, both from rookie Artie Anisimov. Gaborik seems to be wearing down, as if the weight of carrying the team all year has begun to effect him. Poor Lundqvist makes unbelievable saves which he juxtaposes with the most untimely, softest Mike Dunham-esque goals you could possibly imagine. If Lundqvist and Gaborik don't play out of their minds, the NYR has no chance.

I feel like this team has no identity and desperately needs a bit of an edge, some nastiness (not Brashear). Right now the NYR are an uneven, borderline 'soft' team. For all of Sather's personnel changes, this team is statistically performing worse than Renney's 08-09 squad. This team is obviously a few players away from being a contender. As I see it there are 3 potential outcomes:

1- As usual, Sather acquires a big name expiring contract at the trade deadline and gives up some promising young talent ensuring a 7 or 8 seed, 2 home playoff sellouts, and appeasing Jimmy Dolan.

2- Sather sells a guy like Prospal in return for some prospects and continues to build for a future he will hopefully not be a part of.

3- Sather resigns and admits that signing Drury, Rozsival, and Redden was a monumental error which has severely handicapped the team and it's ability to put together any type of championship caliber squad.

I hate to focus on the negatives but I feel like this team has no shot to be anything more than mediocre under Sather.

In closing, Fire Sather. Enjoy the game.

Game On!

Whattup Puckheads!

Welcome to our blog!

My cousin Sid is the founder of this hockey-oriented web log, which explains how I was lucky enough to become involved. He and I grew up together on the same block, in the idyllic Northern Suburbs of New York City, watching the Rangers, National Hockey Night on ESPN, spending entire weekends trying to get into fights in EA Sports Super Nintendo games and firing pucks at all our friends on the frozen tundra that is parking lot blacktop. Oh, and reading Spidey comics.

Flash forward to present day and very little has changed; now he works on software in CT and I work in the media in Manhattan. Mess, Gravy, Leetchie, The Great One and the two-line pass have all skated off into the sunset. But hockey, and life, is as good as its ever been and this blog will be a reflection of the excitement, diversity and unyielding sexiness that is your favorite sport. And this blog will remind you why despite Versus, the economy, two overseas conflicts, partisan bickering and Ke$sha, we are lucky to be Living in America in the 21st Century.

So enjoy, contribute and never give up on the play in your own zone.

-rv

Here we go... As some of you may or may not know, I am a die hard rangers fan... I bleed red... and blue, and white. I have been a fan for years, through their ups (well... 1 up, 1994), and downs (pretty much every other year).

My friends and I constantly send emails back and forth about the rangers, their situation, their play, their coaching choices, and the d-bags that play against them. I figured I'd take our thoughts public, for better, or what's more likely for worse... I'll let y'all be the judge of that.

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!!!