A Piece of History: Flyers/Rangers 9/20/01

It had been nine days since the world had changed. Nine days since many people of the world who thought no evil like the one the saw on September 11, 2001 had that thought shattered by random acts of terrorism carried out against Americans, where over 2000 innocent people lost their lives. Nine days for people to attempt to get their lives back on track. Professional hockey players included.

I had no knowledge of this before today, as I found this on a Rangers message board I frequent. What I found was nothing much, but it spoke volumes to me. On September 20, 2001, the Rangers and Flyers held an exhibition game. The game was tied 2-2 headed into the 3rd period, and it would end in a tie. Not because the players could not score, they elected not to play.

The 3rd period never began, because President George W. Bush was delivering a speech to the people of America informing them of what has been happening in the past few days. What plans of action are going to be taken, and to reassure the American people that there will be brighter days in the future. There were some current players on the ice for this game. For the Flyers, you can see a recently retired Marc Recchi standing next to a young Brian Boucher at the goal, and on the bench were Ruslan Fedotenko, Simon Gagne, and Justin Williams. And for the Rangers, players like Mikael Samuelsson, Tom Poti, Jason LaBarbera, and Manny Malhotra were possibly on the bench that day. All in the name of getting back to the normal way of life.

Addressing the Impending NHL Lockout: The NYR Clinic Side

I am a fan.

That's about as far as my relationship with the NHL goes. I am a rabid, willing-to-pay-out-the-nose-to-see-hockey fan. I have been for as long as I can remember, and will continue to be one as long as the game is around.

But there is one thing that stands in the way of my enjoyment of watching my favorite sport from October to April every year: the politics of this goddamn lockout hanging over the NHL's head.

In 2005, the NHL halted all hockey operations for an entire season. That meant all of those pros, young and old, missed out on what could have been a fantastic year. Along with that, the NHL lost most of their credibility in the major sports network of the United States. It was a long road to get back to where they were, but now, in 2012, the NHL has finally managed to gain some traction again in the realm of major American sports. Could the NHL come back after two lockout in less than a decade?

Dr. Daps' Absurdly Early 2012-2013 Season Predictions

Hi again, everybody! For those of you who follow this blog regularly (which is nobody) you might go back and remember a post I put up last year which was me calling what I think was going to happen. Around this time last year, I called that the Los Angeles Kings were going to win their first Stanley Cup, and they did! I was right! So now, I'm going to try and go 2-for-2 and pick the scenario for what the end of the upcoming season (if there is one) right now, here in July. And like I said last year, I was not expecting to be anywhere near as right as I was last year. So if anyone even remotely cares about my opinion out there, don't get your panties in a bunch when it turns out I'm laughably wrong. This is merely something to fill the void until something big happens in the hockey world that I can report on.

Eastern Conference


1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Boston Bruins
3. Washington Capitals
4. New York Rangers
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Carolina Hurricanes
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (yes, I'm actually serious)

1st. Round


Pittsburgh over Toronto in 4 games.
Boston over Carolina in 7 games.
New Jersey over Washington in 6 games.
New York over Philadelphia in 6 games.

2nd. Round


Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 6 games.
New York over Boston in 6 games.

Conference Championship


New York over Pittsburgh in 4 games.

Rick Nash Reportedly Heading to the Rangers; Has Glen Sather Finally Resurrected His Image?

After months and months of looming rumors and speculation, the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers have finally formulated a plan to bring Rick Nash to Broadway.

The news broke around 2:30 PM on July 23, as Twitter feeds began erupting with news of a trade going down. The details slowly came up, and it would appear that Glen Sather has once again worked his trade magic and landed a good player for a nearly bargain-bin price. The trade will involve Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick for the right-wing Nash. All of these players combined equaled what Rick Nash managed to do in the NHL last season, as he did have one of his worst years, with 30 goals and nearly 60 points on the worst team in the NHL.

Many fans, including myself, were looking at this trade through the spaces in between their fingers, as the worst was feared that perhaps Derek Stepan, Marc Staal, or even Chris Kreider would be involved with the trade. But GM Scott Howson was the first to blink in this staring match, and he needed to do something soon. And this is what we were left with. And it's pretty good.

Why I Am Not Happy with the Rangers Free Agent Signings

All is calm on the Rangers free-agency front, and now that the dust has settled on the chaos that is the first week of signings, I look around and see.... well, not a whole lot. In fact, I don't see much. In fact, it truly upsets me what I see. When I look at the free-agency tracker on NHL.com and see what the Rangers have done so far this offseason, I am not one bit pleased, or assured that the Rangers are going to be fine in the upcoming season with the moves they have currently made.

Let's kick off with the gents who have shipped off that were here last season. Ruslan Fedotenko to Philadelphia, Jeff Woywitka to St. Louis, John Scott to Buffalo, Brandon Prust to Montreal, and John Mitchell to Colorado. I did not look, but I'm pretty sure if I went back and added up every goal all of these players scored last season, it'd be less than 15. So, there is not a lot of tears to be shed on this part, the Rangers have simply trimmed some of the non-producers on the lineup.

That isn't what upsets me. What upsets me is what the Rangers have done in response to all of those players leaving.

The walking of all of those players clears up quite a bit of cap space. So one would think that if the Rangers were letting all of those players go, they would want to sign someone who is going to be worth a pretty buck, like Zach Parise, right? Well, that ship has sailed. He's off in Minnesota swimming in dough with Ryan Suter, who the Rangers were also thinking about targeting. Or, maybe they're looking to swing a trade for someone like Rick Nash, or Bobby Ryan? Possibly, but then that would leave the Rangers down quite a bit of cap space and a few players in exchange for one guy. No, what really gets me mad is what the Rangers HAVE already done with their cap space, and what "good use" it's going to be going to.

Foreseeing the Rangers Free-Agent Signings 2012-2013

With impending free-agency, the Rangers are starting to weigh their options. Who to sign, who to let walk, and who to resign. All the typical stuff a fan sees a team do during the offseason. The Rangers have quite a few free-agents that are about to hit the market July 1st, and the Rangers are definitely not going to resign all of them. In total, there are eight unrestricted free-agents and three restricted free agents on the Rangers roster, and this is unsettling because of how much of a hole this can cause in the lineup if they do not approach this competently.

Lets look at the forwards first of all. Mats Zuccarello, Brandon Prust, Ruslan Fedotenko and John Mitchell are all going to hit the market on July 1st. Zuccarello I do not believe the Rangers will sign because he has been a liability ever since joining the team, coping with injuries and being unable to deal with the size of the NHL big guys, which will probably mean the Rangers will let him walk to a foreign league.

Ruslan Fedotenko I do not see resigning either. After being a good support player in his first year in New York, his play declined severely this year. His space could be put to better use for a younger play who could produce more often, which is why I do not see them resigning Fedotenko either.

Los Angeles Kings Win The Stanley Cup, End The 2011-12 Season

For Kings fans, they're day of reckoning is finally here.

The Kings knocked of the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 to the score of 6-1 to win their first Stanley Cup. The eighth-seeded Kings shocked the world and pulled a 16-4 record, three shutouts, and displayed one of the brightest young stars the NHL has to offer us at the moment with Jonathan Quick's Conn Smythe trophy winning season.

It was a long, bumpy road for the Kings, but they pulled it out. After dropping two games in-a-row, they came out hard in Game 6 and scored six goals to lead their team to victory.

Not just for the sport of hockey, this Kings team is an inspiration across all of sports. The first eighth seed to win a championship in a seeding-style American league. After their rocky start to the season, going through their goal drought like they did, and making the playoffs so close to the end of the season, it was a long road. But in the end, it made them better, and now, they are better than everyone else for one whole year.

And now, the summer starts. Free agency, the draft, the Traverse tournament, and all of the other off-season events are being looked forward to by every fan now. As for the Clinic, I will not lie, the traffic of posts may slow during the off-season, as there is a drought of news that happens regularly. Trades, signings and draft picks I will cover, and I will try to write my occasional duff article when I try to be funny. But you can all believe, come next season, I'll be right back at it again offering up my insight to anyone who will listen.

Congratulation to the Los Angeles Kings.

Fun Things To Make Fun of Pierre McGuire During the Stanley Cup Finals

Tonight kicks off the final culmination of the two teams left in the race for the Stanley Cup. And like many of you out there in California or anywhere else rooting for the Kings, or the tiny little blip in the tri-state area that's rooting for the Devils, you'll probably have to watch the game on NBC. Which means you'll have to deal with a lot of the voices of Doc Emerick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire.

As time has gone by in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, you learn to accept their voices, or inevitably switch to TSN. Myself personally, I'm annoyed by two-out-of-three of the NBC crew. Doc Emerick has credentials of being a fine commentator, but his colorful vocabulary and voice just rub me the wrong way. I'd much prefer to have Gary Thorne back, but for some reason he really wants to commentate the Orioles so, screw me right? Eddie Olczyk is the only one I can tolerate of the crew. He offers good insight on things, analyzes the game well, and makes good points considering he isn't interrupted by this guy...

For those who don't know what that sound is during NBC playoff games that makes their eye twitch, this is the culprit. His name is Pierre McGuire. He is a "Stanley Cup Winner" twice with the Pittsbrgh Penguins as a scout. He was also a a coach for the Hartford Whalers at one time. Now, he makes a living being a very, very annoying feature to the NBC broadcast team.

After watching my share of NBC games over the years, my animosity has turned into mockery. Here are some ways I'd like to give to the public to help come with the game tonight...

Why I Will Not Be Surprised If the New York Rangers Season Ends Tonight

The Rangers are, once again, on the ropes of being eliminated.

This has become a common thing for this team, as the Rangers have gone to two consecutive Game 7 series', prevailing as the victor in both of them. The Rangers battled back from a 3-2 deficit against the Ottawa Senators, and took the Washington Capitals to another Game 7 in the following series. In both series', the Rangers have never held a two-game lead.

Now, the Rangers are back in the same position against the New Jersey Devils. Down 3-2, with a lot of wear and tear showing, and now it has them at a game disadvantage. Everything in this series, besides two stellar games by Henrik Lundqvist has been going wrong for the Rangers. No offensive scoring on a consistent basis, lack of defensive plugs, and just the Devils resilience has just been overwhelming for the Rangers all series long.

It's a long year, and the Rangers fought valiantly. I know it is not over yet, but I do not see a victory for the Rangers coming tonight. And if they do win, Game 7 is going to be a long shot. There is only so much a team can take, so close a team can get to the edge before they walk the line too far and slip. That is what I foresee happening to the Rangers tonight.

Playoff Prescription: Round 3 Rangers vs. Devils Game 5

Best of three.

The Rangers and Devils are laying it all out on the line in this series, trying to be the team that will reach the plateau and face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Kings clinched an advance to the Finals yesterday night after Dustin Penner tucked in the inning goal in the final minutes of overtime.

Now, they have to wait as the East finishes up its series. The Devils pulled the series even two nights ago after they hopped on an early lead and rode it all the way to a 4-1 victory. The Rangers were lifeless in every aspect of the game. There was minimal fore-check, hardly any offense sustained, and the defense couldn't help Hank out if they tried. It was a brutal game, which had a lot of emotion in it.

Now, tonight the Rangers have a chance to pull ahead once again, or sink in the series to the Devils who outplayed them severely last game.

Playoff Prescription: Round 3 Rangers vs. Devils Game 4

Slowly but surely, the Rangers are inching their way closer to advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

And tonight, they add a new chapter to the Eastern Conference Finals as they take on the New Jersey Devils in Game 4. What a series this has been. If there was one word to describe this series it would have to be; odd. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur are showing everyone why they are the best in the game by pulling out miraculous saves every night. But thing that really surprises me about this series is the scoring, and how it is happening.

For the Rangers, so many of their goals are coming off of a defensemans work. In Game 3, Dan Girardi scored the first goal of the game in the 3rd, followed up by a Ryan McDonagh shot that tipped off of Chris Kreider and into the net. The offensive players for the Rangers have been damn-near nonexistent in this series, but the defense is picking up the slack. Can you imagine what they'd look like if the forwards were chipping in as regularly as the defense?

Critic Critique: Shot Blocking vs. The Trap Defense

In professional wrestling, there is never a set style of how the company operates itself. The World Wrestling Federation goes through era's. Back in the 70's, there wasn't much flash, and people just enjoyed the spectacle. In the 80's, the over-gimmick era began with ridiculous costumes and even bolder characters. In the 90's and early 2000's, the WWE was in it's self proclaimed "Attitude Era," and since then have moved into their current for-the-family "PG Era." Nothing ever stays the same, no era is unanimously liked.

Much like the sport of hockey, strategies change all the time. Sometimes on a yearly basis. Last year, we saw the Tampa Bay Lightning exploit their 1-3-1 defensive strategy which lead them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, their strategy failed to have them even sniff the playoffs. Teams adapted, and conformed to their strategy.

Yesterday, I read an article on thehockeynews.com about how the Rangers and their block-first-ask-questions-later mentality is BAD for the sport of hockey. The writer of the article, Ken Campbell, condemns the Rangers for making the sport boring to watch, and is not appealing to the audience. Campbell called out the series with the Capitals as being uninteresting because of how many shots were blocked, and even went as far to compare their strategy to The Trap defense that was mainly used by the New Jersey Devils in the early 2000's, which is now referred to as the "dead puck era."

I have many quarrels about this article, so much so that I feel I could make a nice pamphlet in Adobe InDesign, print it out, and air-mail it to Mr. Campbell.

First, let's compare The Trap to blocking shots.

Playoff Prescription: Round 3 Rangers vs. Devils Game 1

Oooooooooh boy.

This series is going to be a wild one. The New York Rangers managed to knock off the Washington Capitals in their Game 7 matchup to advance to the Conference Finals against their rival, the New Jersey Devils. And it is going to be a doozy.

The Rangers, while looking fatigued, got a much needed lift from their defense in recent games. Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, and Anton Stralman have all lifted their play to assist the Rangers in a playoff year where the goals haven't come easy. Not only that, but every game has been close. Too close for comfort. Six out of the seven games against Washington were ended by a one goal differential. Some of them came in overtime, while others came in the final minutes of regulation. When looked through that perspective, one can really appreciate all that the defense has helped out with in these playoffs. Without them, they would be eliminated right now.

The Rangers took half of the games from the Devils this year, while the Devils took the other half. Aside from each side getting a shutout, every other games winner came out with a total of four goals during their win. The scoring in this series is probably going to be a bit less than these teams saw in the regular season, because of the heightened play of both their goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur are esteemed in their position, and reel in excitement every time these two duel for a win. It is no doubt in my mind that both of these goaltenders will be able to pull off a stellar series in their respective styles.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 7

And just like that, it comes down to one game, again.

The Rangers failed once again to close out a series, and now face elimination tonight as they meet the Washington Capitals for the final game of this series. Some games for the Rangers have been impressive in this series, others have not been. Game 6 was not an impressive game.

While there was some time of offensive pressure being put on by the Rangers, any lack of production was swallowed up by the Capitals defense, and Braden Holtby.

What can you say? Other than the Capitals have been able to match the Rangers stride for stride the entire series. As a Rangers fan, I have to give them credit. There is no other option. The Capitals overcame an abysmal start to the season, lost both of their goalies before the playoffs, and STILL have managed to hang in the hunt despite everything that has been thrown at them. The Rangers have not shown the same resilience.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 6

The final two teams battling for contention will try to even, or end their series tonight, as the Rangers and Capitals take to the Washington ice.

The Rangers took away a victory from the Capitals in Game 5 after Brad Richards put a puck past Braden Holtby in the dying seconds of the 3rd period to force overtime, where a blast from Marc Staal ended the game swiftly to give the Rangers the advantage in the series.

Now, all of the pressure is on the Capitals. A loss like the one the Rangers handed them is so crushing to a teams morality, but it can easily be turned into motivation for the following game. The two teams the Capitals could show up as tonight are a team who is deflated and has given up hope, or a team rejuvenated looking for redemption to force a Game 7.

Same can be said for the Rangers. If they are not prepared to deal with the over-energized Capitals team, they will have a hard time figuring them out, and could potentially drop this game. The Rangers need to avoid distraction, and keep a level head so they do not give them a chance to come back into the game.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 5

No one ever said that this would be easy.

This best-of-seven series is becoming more heated each minute that gets played. The Rangers and Caps are dueling every single night trying to get that extra advantage, which leads us to the tie we have right now with both teams with two wins.

Along with the heat of each game, my blood pressure continues to rise. I'm a 20-year-old healthy boy who feels like his heart is one day going to just go *PFFFT* and explode out of his chest watching Rangers hockey one day. This team that had all of these good fortunes going on in the regular season is now scrambling for wins and goals, and it's not fun to watch, believe me. But, whatever gets it done, do it I suppose.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 3

No matter what team it is, the playoffs will always be a battle. Nothing is ever gauranteed, no matchup will go as planned exactly. It is all a game of will and determination and hard work.

The Rangers dropped their first game of the series two nights ago as a late goal by Alex Ovechkin lifted the Caps in the 3rd as they fought off an onslaught by the Rangers in the later part of the game. The Rangers lost that game because they dug too deep of a hole, and when they climbed back up, the Caps pushed back and toppled them over. They were not as gritty, and did not get as much support offensively to keep them in the game. Everything they needed to do, they didnt.

Now, the Rangers have a chance at redemption. They have a chance to get back the lead, their momentum, and start anew. As learned in the Ottawa series, when they play the gritty style of play tha has supported them all year, good things happen. What happened in Game 2 was what happens when the Rangers get too pretty with the puck.

It will be a battle of will tonight. Whichever team is willing to scratch and claw for that extra inch will get the win.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 2

The Rangers are in the building, and do not look like they are leaving anytime soon.

The Rangers and Capitals are gearing up for their second game in this best-of-seven series. The Rangers have tangled quite the weave of performance as of lately, most recently taking control of Game 1 against the Caps winning 3-1. Secondary scoring, goaltending, and strict defense were keys to this Rangers victory as Henrik Lundqvist was on queue two nights ago stopping all but one. Artem Anisimov, Chris Kreider and Brad Richards all tallied a goal to propel to Rangers to the early advantage in this series. Now, the Rangers look to get an even bigger stretch on the Caps and go up 2-0 at the Garden tonight.

One of the major factors of victory is testing Braden Holtby. The Rangers failed to test Michael Neuvirth competently last year, which eventually lead to their early exit from the playoffs. The kid is good, but he is still trying to find his game in this crazy world of the NHL. I'm talking shots from the point, and in general, shots that the players do not think have a chance in hell of going in. We saw how that can work out on Anisimov and Kreider's goal in Game 1, now it's time for a repeat performance. Make Holtby work for his saves.

Playoff Prescription: Round 2 Rangers vs. Capitals Game 1

Every year for the past three out of four years, it seems we always come back to this.

The Rangers and Caps are gearing up to face off once again this year to see who can out-muscle one-another to advance to the Conference Finals. Both teams knocked off their respected first round teams, and are looking to keep their string of good fortune rolling. But only one team will prevail.

The Rangers and Caps split a four game series this year. The Caps, who's wins in that series came the day before the All Star Break and the last day of the season, were in the game for the most part for their losses. However, the turbulence of the regular season has bumped them down to the seventh seed, with the Rangers have taken over their usual role as the first seed.

Playoff Prescription: Round 1 Rangers vs. Senators Game 7

The entire season for the New York Rangers can be summed up by their play tonight.

The Rangers can come out and win, and still make something happen with all of their success in the regular season, or they could come out flat and let the Sens walk all over them and this is a choke or a season. Which will we see?

As a fan, I am nervous, but I'm trying to keep positive. We've already seen the Presidents Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks get bounced early by the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week, which truly goes to show that seeding is just a number. Any team can make it happen on any given night, which is why there have been so many upsets so far in these playoffs. Teams are not going hard when they need to, and in turn, they are dropping some key games. Let us hope that the example set by the eliminated teams already has sunk into the Rangers lineup.