NY Ranger Blue

Rangers roster for camp announced

2009-09-03T20:56:00.004-04:00

Interestingly, Kyle Mclaren is on the roster. He has health issues, and didn't play in the NHL last year, but he has size and a history of being effective. Low risk, high reward invite that can have a big impact on the blue shirts blue line.

2009 NEW YORK RANGERS TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
Forwards
No.	Player	POS.	HT	WT	Age	2008-09 Teams (League)
75	Andres Ambuhl	RW	5-10	190	26	Davos (Switzerland)
42	Artem Anisimov	C	6-4	194	21	Hartford (AHL)
39	Tyler Arnason	C	5-11	204	30	Colorado (NHL)
16	Sean Avery	LW	5-10	195	29	Dallas, RANGERS (NHL); Hartford (AHL)
22	Brian Boyle	C	6-7	252	24	Los Angeles (NHL); Manchester (AHL)
87	Donald Brashear	LW	6-3	237	37	Washington (NHL)
36	Dane Byers	LW	6-3	195	23	Hartford (AHL)
24	Ryan Callahan	RW	5-11	188	24	RANGERS (NHL)
58	Paul Crowder	C	6-3	202	24	Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA); Hartford (AHL)
79	Devin Didiomete	LW	5-11	200	21	Hartford (AHL)
23	Chris Drury	C	5-10	190	33	RANGERS (NHL)
17	Brandon Dubinsky	C	6-1	205	23	RANGERS (NHL)
41	Brodie Dupont	C	6-2	210	22	Hartford (AHL)
10	Marian Gaborik	RW	6-1	200	27	Minnesota (NHL)
21	Christopher Higgins	LW	6-0	205	26	Montreal (NHL)
12	Ales Kotalik	RW	6-1	225	30	Buffalo (NHL)
81	Enver Lisin	RW	6-2	200	27	Phoenix (NHL); San Antonio (AHL)
73	Corey Locke	C	5-9	189	25	Houston (AHL)
85	Matt Maccarone	C	6-7	232	25	Tulsa (CHL)
50	Jordan Owens	LW	6-0	166	23	Hartford (AHL)
38	Pierre Parenteau	LW	6-0	193	26	Hartford (AHL)
20	Vinny Prospal	C	6-2	198	34	Tampa Bay (NHL)
19	Patrick Rissmiller	LW	6-4	215	30	RANGERS (NHL); Hartford (AHL)
53	Justin Soryal	LW	6-3	209	22	Hartford (AHL)
34	Aaron Voros	LW	6-4	215	28	RANGERS (NHL)
65	Dale Weise	RW	6-2	202	21	Hartford (AHL)
Defensemen
97	Matt Gilroy	D	6-1	201	25	Boston University (HE)
5	Dan Girardi	D	6-2	210	25	RANGERS (NHL)
49	Ilkka Heikkinen	D	6-2	205	24	Helsinki IFK (Finland)
4	Kyle McLaren	D	6-4	219	32	Worcester (AHL)
44	Corey Potter	D	6-3	200	25	Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
6	Wade Redden	D	6-2	212	32	RANGERS (NHL)
33	Michal Rozsival	D	6-2	205	31	RANGERS (NHL)
54	Bobby Sanguinetti	D	6-3	190	21	Hartford (AHL)
32	Mike Sauer	D	6-3	220	22	Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
18	Marc Staal	D	6-4	209	22	RANGERS (NHL)
74	David Urquhart	D	6-0	187	24	Hartford (AHL); Charlotte (ECHL)
62	Nigel Williams	D	6-4	226	21	Lake Erie (AHL)
Goaltenders
96	Chad Johnson	G	6-3	200	23	Alaska-Fairbanks (CCHA)
30	Henrik Lundqvist	G	6-1	195	27	RANGERS (NHL)
94	Scott Stajcer	G	6-3	195	18	Owen Sound (OHL)
40	Stephen Valiquette	G	6-6	210	32	RANGERS (NHL)
71	Miika Wiikman	G	6-0	180	24	Hartford (AHL)
31	Matt Zaba	G	6-1	185	26	Hartford (AHL)

Funny Onion Article

2009-08-13T21:54:00.000-04:00

Rangers win Stanley Cup 15 years ago

Hendricks Hockey

2009-08-10T23:22:00.002-04:00

I will be writing about the Rangers over at HendricksHockey.com

Check out my first post

2009-07-01T21:51:00.001-04:00

ESPN NHL - The Rangers have signed F Marian Gaborik; he had career-high 42 goals for the Wild in 2007-08

Gomez out, Higgins in

2009-06-30T20:21:00.005-04:00

In a 6 player deal, Sather has managed to get a good young center and Montreal's number one prospect, as well as another quality defensive prospect and clear cap room to make a run at either Heatly, Gaborik, Lecavalier, Hossa or another big name in the off season.

Following a pretty nice draft where we got the top skater and high schooler in the draft, who is AMERICAN, this is turning out to be a quality off season.

And if the Leafs interest in Redden is real, I might have to say Sather is steering the ship correctly for a change.

Zherdev wants to stay in New York

2009-05-26T16:52:00.003-04:00

Nikolai Zherdev turned down an offer to play in the KHL in Russia. He must want to start playing hard in New York.

Patrick Roy

2009-05-18T11:30:00.006-04:00

The Avalanche have offered HOF goalie and fight instigator Patrick Roy the head coaching job that is currently held by Tony Granato.

He is currently the co-owner, general manager and head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL.

UPDATE: Roy denies he was offered the job

UPDATE: Roy was also offered the GM job recently, but turned both down due to family concerns (two sons starting new careers and he wants to be close by).

Zheredev out of Worlds

2009-05-11T02:49:00.002-04:00

Zherdev out of world championships with a possible broken hand. Will this be the last injury he suffers as a Ranger?

Naslund to retire?

2009-05-03T12:04:00.002-04:00

NY Post is reporting Naslund, after a disappointing season and shorter than desired playoff run, has told his teammates that he will retire.

Larry Brooks on the classy move by Marcus:

"It is believed that the 35-year-old Naslund, who wore down dramatically as the season and then the seven-game series against the Caps progressed, notified GM Glen Sather of his decision at his exit interview on Thursday, though The Post has not been able to confirm that.

Naslund, whose total of 46 points (24-22) represented a fifth straight season of decline from his career-high of 104 (48-56) he registered with the 2002-03 Canucks, owns a no-movement clause in his contract, meaning that the Rangers could not have assigned him to the AHL Wolf Pack next year in order to escape his $4 million cap hit.

The Blueshirts, however, could have -- and assuredly would have -- bought out Naslund for $2 million during the June 15-30 buyout period. Under that scenario, the team would have been hit with a $2 million cap charge for 2009-10 and a $1 million charge for 2010-11. Knowing that, Naslund simply could have said nothing and collected the $2 million to which he would have been entitled."

15-year NHL career
395 goals
869 points in 1,117 games
First-team All-Star left wing three straight seasons, from 2000-01 through 2002-03

2009-04-28T21:29:00.001-04:00

What a collapse... more later... Need to grieve

Betts out, Anisimov in

2009-04-27T22:48:00.001-04:00

To replace the injured Blair Betts because of the cheap hit by Donald Brashear, the Rangers have recalled 20-year-old Artem Anisimov, who had 37 goals and 44 assists for the AHL Wolf Pack last season.

Hopefully he will pull a Korpikoski and score in his first playoff game.

2009-04-27T16:31:00.001-04:00

The NHL actually makes use of itself.

ESPN NHL - Caps LW Donald Brashear suspended 6 games for two incidents in Game 6 of playoff series vs. Rangers

Morrison Dirty too

2009-04-27T13:28:00.004-04:00

Can't leave out another dirty Caps player.

via WaP0

Schoenfeld also accused Caps defenseman Shaone Morrisonn of biting Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky on the arm after a skirmish behind the Capitals' goal in the second period. Dubinsky, Schoenfeld said, had to get a tetanus shot.

UPDATE FROM SNY:

Also, Brandon Dubinsky needed a tetanus shot yesterday after Shoane Morrison apparently bit him on his right wrist. During practice today the bite marks were evident on Dubinsky’s wrist.

UPDATE via Rangers Report

Also, word is that there may not be enough video evidence to slap a suspension on whichever Capital bit Brandon Dubinsky. Apparently the teeth marks aren’t enough because there are conflicting reports on which Cap did the biting. Jim Schoenfeld and Dubinsky thought it was Shoane Morissonn.

Blair Betts out for playoffs

2009-04-27T13:07:00.007-04:00

TSN is reporting that Blair Betts has a broken orbital bone from the cheap shot via Donald Brashear.

He will have a hearing with the NHL to determine if it warrants a suspension. You know, how they gave Tortorella a hearing before suspending him. Oops, I guess they forgot to.

YouTube of hit

CLEARLY, it doesn't warrant an imediate suspension. What a joke the NHL leadership has become.

Take a vote on the hit over at SNY's blog.

GAME 7

2009-04-26T19:11:00.003-04:00

Today, the Rangers lacked passion and fire. That is why they lost, they looked like they already accepted elimination.
Avery played timid because of the benching by Tortorella, and he needs to go back to his early series play, and not be worried about pissing Tortorella/NHL off because if he doesn't, he is done for the season anyway and the Rangers will be eliminated.
The officiating has to change just as much as the security at the Verizon Center. Dubinsky got a 10 minute misconduct for no reason. There was the boarding which, despite NBC commentators opinion, Dubinsky didn't mean. After the boarding, a caps player went after Dubinsky, and they each recieved 2 minute minors for the scuffle. So that would be 4 minutes (boarding and roughing) for Dunbinsky and 2 minutes for the caps. But for some reason, the ref felt that Dubinsky deserved a 10 minute.
Sonald Brasheer should be suspended the rest of the playoffs. Uncalled for, unneccary and shows why he is only on a team to fight. He has no purpose in this league, and if he is allowed to return (if the Caps win) in these playoffs, Colin Campbell should be fired. Well he would deserve to be fired even more than he does now I should say.
Avery got half a season for insulting an ex girlfriend. Not injuring anyone, just hurting some feelings. So Brasheer should get this post season and possibly more.
He will probably play in Game 7.

The Rangers and King Henrik must return to Rangers hockey in Game 7. Don't let the scumbag fans behind the bench get to them, and just attack Ovechkin and move on to Boston. WAshington doesn't deserve to win this series, but the NHL obviously wants them to in order to market Ovechkin.

The Rangers will need to play that much better so that the better team will advance.

2009-04-26T14:01:00.001-04:00

Avery/Shoenfield today

2009-04-25T22:14:00.001-04:00

ESPN NHL - Rangers coach John Tortorella suspended 1 game for squirting fan with water Friday vs. Caps

2009-04-24T19:14:00.001-04:00

Torts benched Avery for tonights game...WOW

2009-04-21T13:28:00.001-04:00

2-1

2009-04-21T13:16:00.003-04:00

The problem with putting all your playoff hopes in your goaltender is two fold-- both of which happened last night.

1. He needs to have a chance to stop the shots. The Rangers skaters gave him no chance on a few of the goals, plus he didn't play as out of his mind as game 2, but he shouldn't have to make the saves he would have needed to make last night. As Tortorella said, the defense stunk.

2. What if a rookie comes out of nowhere and puts up an impressive shutout? Simeon Varlamovin his Hershey Bears gear posted an impressive shutout against a slightly stagnant Rangers offense, that had a few chances despite their poor play. 33 saves in Madison Square Garden in the NHL isn't easy no matter what the offense throws at you.

The Rangers need to bounce back in Game 4.

Also, the refs have it out for Avery. He is a pest, cheap, annoying, whatever. But rules are rules, and refs shouldn't make calls based on personal bias. Despite the idiots on Versus, that was not goaltender interference. He was hooked and spun n to the goaltender, and the Versus announcers made the claim that he was "acting" like he got hooked. Forget about the stick across his chest.

Game 2 Recap

2009-04-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

2-0

2009-04-18T15:42:00.002-04:00

I LOVE HENRIK LUNQVIST... There, I said it.

Great game from the Rangers. Back to New York up 2-0. Couldn't be in a better position.

35 saves tonight. Add that with the 32 from game 1, that is 67 saves and 2 wins so far for King Henrik.

Theodore sits

2009-04-18T13:18:00.002-04:00

Capitals start rookie Simeon Varlamov in goal over Jose Theodore in Game 2.

I wonder how Theodore feels to be bench for a player who is wearing a Hershey Bears mask and pads, since he hasn't been in the NHL long enough to have Caps gear.

Matt Gilroy

2009-04-17T20:20:00.005-04:00

The Long Island Product is the newest member of a young foundation of Rangers defenseman. The Rangers signed the Hobey Baker award winner from Boston University for 2 years, $3.5 million. They were able to outbid the Toronto Maple Leafs and other squads for the BU captain.

He joins a nucleus of Staal, Girardi, Sanguinetti, Del Zotto, Potter and Sauer.
It means the exit of Mara and Morris, and possibly Rozsival or Redden (I wish).

Hopefully he plays like he did in college.

Game 1 Recap

2009-04-16T22:32:00.001-04:00

1-0

2009-04-15T22:42:00.003-04:00

Ovechkin came all night long, and Lunqvist answered. 32 saves and a win on Washington's ice is the perfect way to start the playoffs when you are an underdog. Ovechkin nearly out shot the Rangers on his own, and the Rangers were definately outplayed without Drury in the lineup.
Lundqvist is the only way to win this series. The Caps will outplay the Rangers. Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Backstrom, etc will outskate the Rangers. There is simply more talent in DC than in NYC. But in net, Theodore doesn't hold a candle to Lundvist, and that is where this series will be decided. If Lundqvist can make the difference in skater talent up in net, the Rangers can take this series in 6.
And Dubinsky, and that nifty little move, made that defenseman look stupid.

Richter looks back at '94

2009-04-15T14:02:00.002-04:00

NY Daily News

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

2009-04-13T09:39:00.001-04:00

Opponent: Washington

2-7 Matchup

Courtesy of SNY Rangers Blog

Wednesday, April 15	7 p.m.	NY Rangers 4 at Washington 3	MSG
Saturday, April 18	1 p.m.	NY Rangers at Washington	NBC
Monday, April 20	7 p.m.	Washington at NY Rangers	VERSUS
Wednesday, April 22	7 p.m.	Washington at NY Rangers	VERSUS
*Friday, April 24	7 p.m.	NY Rangers at Washington	VERSUS
*Sunday, April 26	2 p.m.	Washington at NY Rangers	NBC
* Tuesday, April 28	TBD	NY Rangers at Washington	VERSUS

By the skin of Lunqvist teeth

2009-04-09T21:51:00.000-04:00

That is what the Rangers made the playoffs by. They won tonights game as if it were a playoff game. Both teams wanted it badly, and the Rangers got it. A great performance by King Henrik. 37 SAVES!!!
Drury, late in this season, is really starting to lead this team as a captain and take this team on his back leading by example. Defensively, he was great.
The Rangers were better than the Flyers today. Was that because of MSG? We will see in the season finale when the Flyers host the Rangers on Easter Sunday.

PS- Can't stand the Subway ads... They are lucky I enjoy the $5 footlongs, but the ads on the glass make me consider making my own dinner more often.

PPS- I think that Antropov should have had an extra, smaller jersey to give the kid in their annual salute to their fans after their last home game. That kid can use it as a comforter at least.

TEAM AWARDS

2009-04-09T21:46:00.002-04:00

Courtesy of Steve Zipay

MVP- Henrik Lundqvist

Player Award- Chris Drury and Blair Betts split it

Blair Betts is highly underapreciated by the NY Rangers fanbase. This guy gives it all, does the small thing, and is a central part of this squad. He is the perfect coach's player. Unselfish, loyal, hardworking.

Canadiens at Rangers, 7:00 pm MSG+

2009-04-07T11:48:00.005-04:00

Many sports fans and writers over use the term, "must win game." No one writing about tonights Rangers game will be guilty of that. They have three games left and are tied with the Panthers for eight place. The Panthers, who were possible sellers when the trade deadline rolled around but decided to hang on to Bouwmeester, are actually threatening the Rangers playoff hopes. The Rangers team that was expected to compete for the cup earlier this season after a 10-2-1 start.

Luckily, another team in the race is an even bigger disappointment. If the Canadiens win, however, they clinch a playoff spot. Thier centenial season, where many throughout Montreal and the NHL thought they were not only better than the Rangers, but the rest of the NHL. They had the all star game in Montreal, with three of the east starters from the Canadiens roster. Yet they currently sit in seventh place, and can still possibly miss the playoffs if they lose out.

The Rangers are competing with the Panthers and Canadiens for the seventh and eight spots, and unfortunately the ninth. Montreal holds seventh with 92 points, while the Rangers and the Panthers hold eight and ninth respectively with 89 points.

Canadiens- MUST WIN
Flyers- MUST WIN
Flyers- MUST WIN

Can't hope that the Panthers lose a game, and they should try and pass the Canadiens because they would much rather play Washington/New Jersey than Boston.

Henrik Lundvist has posted an 8-4-1 record, along with a 2.93 goals against average and one shutout in 14 career regular season appearances vs. Montreal.

CArey Price has posted an 1-1-1 record, along with a 3.46 goals against average 3 career regular season appearances vs. New York.

Rangers are 1-2 against the Canadiens this season.

NY RANGERS GAME NOTES

Sean Avery > Tim Thomas

2009-04-05T23:00:00.004-04:00

If you are a Rangers fan, I'm sure we all know about the Tim Thomas/ Sean Avery incident by this point. You know, the worse thing that Sean Avery could have done, it's worse than if he killed some children while drunk driving with bin Laden in the passenger seat, if you listen to some "experts." For those who don't, here is the video:

Avery should not have done that. it was amateur and bush league, and this post is in no way a defense of his actions during the TV timeout. But what is lost in all this are the actions of Tim Thomas.
If you have a problem with what Avery did, you have two options.
Option 1: What his coach wanted him to do, let your teammates take care if the situation. An enforcer will drop the gloves and make Avery pay for the cheap shot. The problem with this is the Bruins have let Thomas down earlier this season after a cheapshot on Thomas while playing the Blue Jackets.
Option 2: You take off your mask, drop your stick and your blocker, and go after Avery. Not a great option for a goalie, but if he was as mad as he says he was, this is what you have to do.

The option Thomas took: With his mask on, he jumped Avery from behind with a blocker and a stick. Then when Sjostrom came in to protect his teammate, Thomas threw a punch WITH HIS BLOCKER in to the face of Sjostrom, who doesn't even wear a visor. This is more of a breach of the unwritten rules of hockey than a cheap shot during a TV timeout.

Further, the officials did not see the Avery foul. While what he did was wrong, he should not have been penalized because calling a penalty based on video review is a direct violation of NHL rules. If you didn't see it, you can't call it. However, you can call a 10 minute misconduct for throwing a puch with your blocker on, rather than giving Thomas a 2 minute roughng that they evened out with an Avery penalty. But it's okay, since Thomas can't even serve that 2 minute since he is a goalie.

King Henrik was not happy. He told the AP:

Thomas "looks like a pretty strong guy. When he goes after one of our guys, I looked at the bench for the OK," Lundqvist said. "I think he overreacted."

Goalies must be protected. No argument here. But if they expect protection, they can't go after a guy in full equipment with no fear of retribution. I wish Tortorella gave Lundqvist the okay, so we could have seen Thomas pay for his transgressions.

Of course, it was Avery. So I'm sure the NHL will give Thomas a sportsmanship award for this display.

Rangers @ Boston, 1 pm MSG+

2009-04-04T13:03:00.001-04:00

After a loss in a critical game in Carolina, the Rangers hopefully can stop Bostons win streak and beat a team who has already sealed up their playoff position and are getting ready for the playoffs... Tim Thomas signed a contract extension yesterday.

Rangers @ Carolina, 7 p.m. MSG

2009-04-02T14:53:00.004-04:00

Staal 1 vs. Staal 2 tonight, and both are chasing Staal 3 in Pittsburgh. The Rangers need the win tonight which will put them in a tie for 6th with Carolina and hold off the Canadiens and Panthers, hot on the Blue Shirts tail.

Lunqvuist in net.

Michal Rozsival returns.

The Sean Avery/ Martin Brodeur Show

2009-03-31T23:38:00.003-04:00

3-0 win, Avery shows poise

2009-03-30T22:14:00.004-04:00

Despite slashes from Brodeur, cheap shots from enforcers on the Devils and a healthy hatred directed at him from the NHL and the referee's, Avery was able to disrupt the Devils and Brodeur during the Rangers 3-0 win and even added an assist.

Why he got a two minute penalty for nothing? Can't answer that.

Great game by Lundqvist.

Devils at Rangers, 7:00 pm Versus

2009-03-30T09:40:00.004-04:00

The Rangers enter the home stretch in 7th with the Canadiens right behind them... The schedule going forward is anything but easy, and they will have to earn their playoff berth.

A must win against their rivals from NJ.

Lunqvist vs. Brodeur

Parise must be accounted for at all time, he is their best player this season.

I say put Avery on him all game, since he is young and may not be able to deal with an all-time pest.

Articles

2009-03-27T13:27:00.000-04:00

from SNY

John Tortorella blew up after they let a 3 goal lead slip away

Atlanta wins 5-4 (SO) after Rangers relinquish lead

2009-03-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

They were up 4-1. They lost 5-4 in a shootout. Can't do that in a playoff race. They are now 1 point behind Pittsburgh who they play Saturday. They are 4 points ahead of Montreal, who sits in eighth with 2 games at hand.

Terrible night for Dan Girardi an Marc Staal, who both were -4 on the night.

Nice pass by Valiquette on Drury's goal.

Rangers at Atlanta, 7 p.m. MSG

2009-03-26T12:20:00.007-04:00

Rangers visit Atlanta tonight after the Penguins pulled ahead in the standings with their win last night. The Rangers sit in 7th, 2 points behind Pittsburgh with a game at hand. The Rangers are still hot after the Tortorella hiring and Avery/Morris/Antropov additions. They are 7-3 in their last 10.

4th: Flyers 90 points; 10 games left

5th: Hurricanes 89 points; 6 games left

6th:Penguins 88 points; 7 games left

7th: Rangers 86 points; 8 games left

8th: Canadiens 83 points; 9 games left

__________________________

9th: Panthers 81 points; 8 games left

10th: Sabres 78 points; 9 games left

Henrik Lunqvist will get the night off and Stephen Valiquette will start in net.

Naslund should be in the lineup.

Expect Ilya Kovalchuk to be a cheap player as usual when he plays New York. Don't forget the cheap hit from behind on Rozsival, for which the NHL suspended him.

Read today's articles on SNY

Fritsche wanted to prove Rangers wrong

2009-03-25T01:01:00.003-04:00

Looks like he failed... Too bad.

Star Tribune Article

Fritsche is a good player, he just didn't fit on/in the Rangers roster.

2-1 Victory at MSG

2009-03-25T00:16:00.007-04:00

TSN Highlights

Scott Gomez scored the game winner on a one time feed from Sean Avery.

The game started out chippy and we saw the great agitator drop the gloves for the first time since Bettman tried to exile him from hockey. His fight was a draw. Colton Orr won his scrap against Owen Nolan.

Nikolai Zherdev scored a pretty goal using patience, waiting for Backstrom to leave an opening while sprawled on the ice, out of position.

The Rangers have won 8 out of 11, and moved in to a tie with Pittsburgh for the sixth spot in the east.

Montreal is reeling despite tonight's 6-3 win to end their recent 5 game winning streak, and it looks very possible that despite all of the early season talk of a cup run, 3 starters in the all star game, Jesus Price in net, and a crazy fan base Les Habitants may miss the playoffs.

Avery Drops 'Em

2009-03-24T19:51:00.001-04:00

Sean Avery dropped the gloves for the first time since returning to the Rangers. Pretty even fight. If anything Avery got the slight edge but it was a good solid fight.

Lines for tonight

2009-03-24T15:11:00.003-04:00

From Steve Zipay:

Ryan Callahan- Scott Gomez- Sean Avery
Chris Drury- Nik Antropov- Markus Naslund
Nik Zherdev- Brandon Dubinsky- Fred Sjostrom
Lauri Korpikoski- Blair Betts- Colton Orr

Marc Staal- Dan Girardi
Derek Morris- Wade Redden
Michael Sauer- Paul Mara

Minnesota at Rangers, 7:00 pm Versus

2009-03-24T11:38:00.007-04:00

Rangers host the Minnesota Wild (76 pts), who are in a tight playoff race of their own in the Western Conference, sitting 1 point out of 8th. The Rangers (84 pts) sit in 7th, 2 ponts behind Pittsburgh with a game at hand.

Lundqvist vs. Backstrom (assuming)
Mikko Koivu is out with a knee injury.

Playoff Race: Every team in it refuses to give up. The Hurricanes are on fire, while the Rangers have been playing very good since the trade deadline. The loss to the Senators hurt, despite the recent rash of victories.

Michael Sauer makes his debut tonight, probably paired with Paul Mara.

Rozsival injury not considered serious, the 7-10 days diagnosis didn't change post-MRI.

Michael Sauer

2009-03-23T17:16:00.005-04:00

Age: 21
Height: 6'3
Weight: 215
Positon: Defense

Sauer was drafted 40th overall in 2005 (2nd round), one of the picks acquired from Toronto for Brian Leetch.

Hailing from St. Cloud, MN he is the older brother of Coyotes defenseman Kurt Sauer, and son of former Vikings and Falcons linebacker Craig Sauer.

Hockeys Future ranks him as the Rangers #7 prospect, behind other defenseman Michael Del Zotto, Bobby Sanguinetti and current NHL winger Lauri Korpikoski.

The move is to hedge against the loss of Michal Rozsival, who was injured and is out for 7-10 days. Sauer was chosen over Sanguinetti, Potter and Fahey.

Assistant GM Jim Schonefeld (via Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record):

"He just got better and better to the point where last month, every report I got and every game I saw, he was the best of a good lot. They're playing well as a team and he was the best of a good lot of defensemen.
"If you're looking more for an offensive thrust, Sanguinetti, he's the point leader down there on the blue line, he'd be the more likely player there. What we really try to do when we evaluate the kids in Hartford is to take the player that is playing the best at that position at that time. We want the guys to make the maximum contribution when he's here and we feel Mike can do that. He's a strong player. He's an intelligent player so that means he's going to make pretty good reads defensively. He's added some offense to his game lately in the last 2-3 weeks. Again, probably coinciding with the recovery of the knee (Sauer had major knee reconstruction surgery last season) where he's just a little bit quicker, a little bit sharper. He's a pretty intense kid, bright and now we'll see because it's a big step and now you have to see how they are in competition."

Hopefully Sauer is ready for the NHL, and the Rangers find another young defenseman to add to the young blue liners (Staal and Girardi) for next season, and we continue to develop Del Zotto and Sanguinetti with Sauer in the NHL.

Tortorella on Rozsival (via Jane McManus of The Journal News):

“The key thing with Rosi is he can give you some offense. He played well defensively but he gets us out of our end zone. He’s on our power play the thing I liked about him, he’s been taking hits to make plays. He’s a good player and we’ll miss him. But you can belly ache about that you need to find a way to make do without him and find a way to win.”

Hockeys future says:

Talent Analysis

A very good skater, who has excellent vision and passing abilities, Sauer has a very good work ethic and will not panic with the puck. He needs to improve his strength on the puck, adjust to the speed of the professional game, become more physical and stay healthy to develop into a regular NHL player.

Future

Sauer comes from excellent hockey bloodlines, and is a very hard worker on the ice. Eager to learn, his junior and professional careers have been marred by injury. A potential second pairing defensive defenseman, a healthy Sauer is at least one and maybe two seasons away from being NHL-ready.

Buffalo at Rangers, 7:00 pm (W)PIX 11

2009-03-21T18:48:00.008-04:00

New York Islanders. New Jersey Devils. Philadelphia Flyers. Buffalo Sabres? Despite being a "New York" team, the rivalry isn't normally there. However, tonight's game is a proxy playoff game, as is every Ranger game for the rest of the season. Hurricanes, Flyers, and Penguins all won since the Rangers SO victory over Montreal, and despite not playing have fallen from 6th to 7th in the east, and Buffalo is 6 points back from the Rangers in 10th.
They will avoid the best American born goalie in the game since Richter retired (yes I am insulting Mike Dunham and Rick DiPietro) the injured Ryan Miller. According to SNY, Lalime will get the nod at MSG.
There are 11 games left, and every one counts.

PS... That picture is from LoHud... I always love the basketball to ice hockey arena change... Probably the best transition in all of sports.

ARTICLES:

NY POST
Trades are nothing new for new Ranger Morris
Rangers' chemistry far from uns-Avery

Bergen Record
Lundqvist must step up
New System a go for Redden

Newsday
Ranger's focus narrows period-by-period

Tidbits:

Lundquist signed a new contract... bought a bunch of people (trainers) $3k watches and gave them cards thanking them

Jagr won't terminate KHL contract to return to the NHL... If a team is interested, he wants them to figure out the details with each other.

Rangers sign Paul Crowder

2009-03-19T20:06:00.006-04:00

via Steve Zipay (Newsday):

"No, not the film-maker.
A British Columbia forward, Crowder is 24 and was 14-19-33 in 35
games this year for the University of Anchorage Seawolves. He's
6-3, 202, a right-hand shot, and will likely be assigned to Hartford.
His younger brother Tim is at Michigan State. Late-bloomer?"

Low Risk-- High Reward... Usually Sather goes the other direction.

Official Release:

RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FORWARD PAUL CROWDER

New York, March 19, 2009 —New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent forward Paul Crowder.

Crowder, 24, skated in 35 games with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) this season, registering 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points, along with 44 penalty minutes. He established career highs in goals (14), assists (19), points (33), and penalty minutes (44). Crowder led the team in assists, points and shorthanded goals (two), tied for second on the club in goals and finished fourth in penalty minutes. In addition, the Victoria, British Columbia native tied for first on the Seawolves with six power play goals, two game-winning goals and a plus-11 rating.

The 6-3, 202-pounder has skated in 107 career WCHA games with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, recording 32 goals and 48 assists for 80 points, along with 80 penalty minutes. In 2006-07, he tied for the team lead in goals (11), ranked second in points (24) and tied for third in assists (13) as a first-year player. Prior to attending the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Crowder appeared in 119 British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) contests over three seasons with the Powell River Kings, Coquitlam Express and Burnaby Express, registering 36 goals and 83 assists for 119 points, along with 122 penalty minutes. He established BCHL career highs in games played (58), goals (19), assists (39), points (58), and penalty minutes (57) while skating with the Kings during the 2003-04 season. Crowder also recorded one goal and three assists for four points, along with two penalty minutes in seven BCHL playoff contests with Powell River in 2003-04.

2009 Free Agents

2009-03-19T13:12:00.004-04:00

Larry Brooks wrote an article about what the Rangers possible off season...

TSN looks ahead to that off season.

Mike Komisarek is the best defenseman for the Rangers out there in my view, but is unlikely to be brought in because Sather will scrounge together every penny he can and throw it at Bouwmeester (who is very talented) and ignore the rest of the roster and the Rangers needs (see Mats Sundin).

I would imagine Sather would attempt to bring in a winger, but is unlikely to have the money for an impact move if he re-signs Antropov. I am a big fan of Havlat's, but Zheredev is a right winger, so someone on the left side to play with Gomez and Zheredev might be a better option if they want to stick Avery on the second line.

Zheredev-Gomez-FA/Naslund/Avery
Antropov-Drury-Avery/Naslund
Callahan-Dubinsky-Naslund/Korpikoski/ Sjostrom

Staal-FA/Girardi
Mara-Girardi/Rozsival
Redden/Rozsival-Derek Morris

Hopefully we can find a taker for Redden or Naslund, but that is highly unlikely.

ARTICLES

2009-03-19T13:02:00.003-04:00

Steve Zipay-- Newsday

About how the productivity that Brandon Dubinsky brings can not be measured in goals, but wins. In hockey, goals and assists show you the high paid stars, but often ignore some of the most important players on the team. Dubinsky is in a scoring slump, but since Tortorella came on board Dubinsky has brought his hard work and grit back and it has been paying off.

Micheal Obernauer-- NY Daily News

Rangers are becoming a stronger team on the road.

Larry Brooks-- NY Post

Rangers off season moves will be dictated by Tortorella's system and style of play. They will have some money to try and sign Antropov, fill out the roster and try to bring in a big free agent. Due to Sather's stupidity, however, there will not be much money to work with unless he moves a big contract-- which is unlikely.

TSN Power Rankings

2009-03-18T22:27:00.003-04:00

TSN Power Rankings

Canadiens move up from 17 to 14, while the Rangers move from 18 to 17... Rangers are ahead in the standings, have been on fire since hiring Tortorella, bringing back Avery and bringing in Morris and Antropov... A little confusing, no?

Granted it was updated March 16, but the Rangers play since the deadline should put them higher up in the power rankings.

THN TOP 10 Line Combos

2009-03-18T18:28:00.004-04:00

No Ranger Line on the list... Shocker, considering they don't have a consistent top line

Johan Franzen – Pavel Datsyuk – Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit Red Wings get the top line with Zach Parise – Travis Zajac – Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey Devils coming in second.

Rangers 4 Canadiens 3 (Shootout)

2009-03-18T13:19:00.006-04:00

Rangers were the better team, and Redden is starting to play better as of late. Antropov and Avery had big games and Drury is thriving under Torts, despite his mistake late in the third that allowed the Habs to tie the game.

Rangers Articles (SNY)

CONGRATULATIONS MARTY

2009-03-17T21:25:00.005-04:00

Martin Brodeur has passed Roy after staving off an incredible late game fury by the Blackhawks... He is now cutting off the net.

552

A new measure of greatness

Rangers at Canadiens, 7:30 pm

2009-03-17T13:59:00.001-04:00

Henrik Lundqvist is terrible in Montreal. From his disastrous game last season, when he allowed six goals in the second half of the game on February 19 after the Rangers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, to the all star game this season, where he allowed six goals on 21 shots. In December, King Henrik allowed four goals in a little over a period in a 6-2 loss.
"I can't say that I'm not aware of the places where I haven't played well, or the ones where I have, but once the game starts, it's all fresh, and none of that matters," Lundqvist told NY Posts Larry Brooks yesterday.
This game is extremely important, and hopefully Henrik is over his flu and his apparent fear of pucks shot by Canadiens. The Rangers are tied with Montreal for sixth and Montreal has a game at hand.
Nik Antropov and Chris Drury will look to continue their strong play, and the two seem to be thriving under John Tortorella's system.
Antropov has three goals in six games since the trade from Toronto, and Drury has embraced Tortorella's fire and style of leadership.
"I've watched him play before; he knows how to win," Tortorella told Newsday. "He cares, he almost cares too much. He's had the pressure on his shoulders. It's been a struggle here the last little while. I just want him to loosen up and play ... I'm beginning to get to know him, he's beginning to get to know me. That's the stuff we're going through with all the players."

ARTICLES ON THE RANGERS FROM TODAY (from SNY)

LINES AT PRACTICE (from Ranger Rants)
Sean Avery-Scott Gomez-Nikolai Zherdev
Markus Naslund-Chris Drury-Nik Antropov
Fredrik Sjostrom-Brandon Dubinsky-Ryan Callahan
Lauri Korpikoski-Blair Betts-Colton Orr
Marc Staal-Dan Girardi
Paul Mara-Michal Rozsival
Wade Redden-Derek Morris

Avery-- New York Agitator

2009-03-16T14:18:00.000-04:00

The Sean Avery gamble seems to have paid off up to this point. He was available on waivers for half price, and every team in the league would have picked him up at that price prior to the Dallas Stars fiasco. Why did half the Eastern Conference and the entire Western Conference pass on him? Maybe they don't think he has changed. Maybe they don't care if he has changed, but are scared of Bettman's wrath.
In a league which is struggling, Bettman decided to over react to something that was suspendable, but not for the amount of time he was banished. He said something about an ex girlfriend. Bettman decided to suspended Avery for the Brodeur incident, and all the other LEGAL things Avery has done that Bettman hated. The comment was aimed at Dion Phaneuf, but things like that are routinely said on the ice. A 1 game suspension was fine. The reason hockey allows fighting is so players can take care of those things by themselves, and that is one of the aspects that seperates hockey and makes it different. Bettman wants fighting gone too, suprisingly. Anything to harm the league before he leaves for the NBA.
But Bettman, after not putting the league back on ESPN, opting to go with the Outdoor Life Network (akaVersus which is only now becoming available on most cable providers) and paying NBC to show the NHL toward the end of the season, decided to banish one of the most recognizable NHL players to people who the NHL is trying to attract. He has been on MTV three times, MAD TV, was named one of people magizines sexiest people alive in 2007, was an actor in a movie and someone who always provides the media with a good story.
He is also a gritty player who will not back down to any one in the league. The Rangers are a better team with him on it. Tortorella was never a fan of him, but seems to be increasingly willing to accept him as an improtant piece of the puzzle. The addition of Avery has had a bigger impact than the additions of Morris and Antropov. His two goals yesterday were indicative of his improved play in the city where he thrives, the only city that he seems comfortable.
He is not the prototypical enforcer, because he is not an enforcer. He is an annoying, undersized pest and an above average skater. Without the pest aspect of his game, he would still be an average NHL player, which seperates him from other pests like Jarkko Ruutu (and Ruutu is often not willing to back up his actions) and enforcers who can barely skate at a Junior hockey level.
He has four goals and one assist with the Rangers this season through 6 games. In 23 games with the Stars, he netted three goals and seven assists. Sather, despite his flurry of terrible moves (Redden, Gomez/Drury (sign one not both), Shannahan, Naslund, etc.) finally made an intelligent one. I still hope he is gone soon, but at least he made a few good moves on the way out.