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.

2/5/11 Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Foosball is- the Devil?! EVERYTHING'S THE DEVILS TO YOU MOMMA!

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers.

In their first meeting since the Winter Classic, which the Rangers won 3-2 despite possible NBC influence on the referees, the Rangers and Flyers are still neck and neck in the standings looking for a little room, or to move a bit closer to the top spot this afternoon. While most people in New York are still gearing up for the other game that's suppose to take place today, the game today between the Rangers and Flyers is just as important. The Rangers have managed to rebound after their rocky start after the All Star break, but got back in their groove when they put Henrik Lundqvist back between the pipes and he recorded his 41st career shutout against the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers have had a few days to rest up for this game, and leaves them a lot of time to work on their dreadful powerplay. Some people have shied away from noticing the bad powerplay percentage, which is currently 13.7 percent, because of their great penalty kill which is at 87.6 percent. If the Rangers want to win tonight against the Flyers, they are going to need to ignite this powerplay and stay out of the penalty box. The Flyers have the 4th best powerplay in the league. Giving them too many chances on the powerplay could lead to a serious hole the Ranger may not be able to dig themselves out of 5-on-5.

The Rangers/Flyers Geno's Steaks Brawl: An Eye-Witness's Testimony

For those who have not heard, there is a rivalry between the Rangers and Flyers that got world-wide attention on January 2nd when the Winter Classic took place in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. Afterwards, a brawl on 9th St. right in front of Geno's Steaks was caught on film where five Flyers fans and two Rangers fans were caught in a brawl, one of which was an off-duty cop and war veteran, Neal Auricchio. This story has gotten huge media attention lately, but the Clinic has a eye-witness testimony from someone who was actually there. Two friends of mine who were at the Winter Classic, and saw the brawl happen right in front of them have been kind enough to offer up their story to me as first-person witnesses, but wish to keep their identity's anonymous.

"We went out to Geno's after the game. Two Rangers fans got on line for cheese steaks behind us, and this bum cam up to us and started talking to us about whatever, but none of us gave him money. Five minutes later, the bum came back and sprayed the back of the other two Rangers fans with Windex, and there were five Flyers fans across the street laughing. Those two Rangers fans and the five Flyers fans got into a war of words, but calm stuff like "first place" and typical hockey banter, while the Flyers fans were using obscenities and threats, and were pretty much looking for a fight".

Why The Fining of John Tortorella For His Comments About The Refereeing in the Winter Classic Is Malarkey

Over 40,000 people trekked to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to watch the Winter Classic on January 2nd, and over a million people tuned in on television to watch the game. A lot of people who tuned in also got to witness some questionable calls by the referees in the dying seconds of the 3rd period that to a vast majority of the audience, seemed to be favoring getting the game into overtime.

In the dying seconds, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for an extra attacker. During the skirmish in the Rangers' zone, Ryan Callahan cleared the puck, and headed to shoot it into the empty net, when he was hooked up by Kimmo Timonen heading for the puck. In the midst of said hook, Callahan briefly took his hand off of his stick to nudge the stick out of the way, without gripping it at all, to protect his face. The referees called coincidental minor penalties on both Timonen for hooking, and Callahan for grabbing the stick. During the 4-on-4, the Flyers pulled their goaltender again to get an extra attacker on the ice, nearly got the puck in, but Ryan McDonagh dove into the crease, and used his hands to dig the puck out which lead to a penalty shot by Danny Briere, that Henrik Lundqvist stopped and the Rangers held onto the lead to a victory. During this entire drama, I was damn near ready to pull my hair out because of the lopsidedness of the calls. I was thinking that the refs were doing it on purpose to favor the home town crowd or the NHL higher-ups to send the game into overtime for higher ratings or some other wild fantasy that ran through my mind. I too questioned the integrity of the calls made on the ice in that final minute, along with everyone else I watched the game with, and at the end of it all, coach John Tortorella made a statement about how he thought that the officiating in the 3rd period was "disgusting," and that maybe the NHL and NBC got together to get the game to overtime.

1/2/12 Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers... in the 2012 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic.

This game has had a wave of months of anticipation leading up to it, and now, the day is finally here. Once the rumors during the summer started circulating that these were going to be the two teams playing in this years installment of the Winter Classic, Rangers and Flyers fans have been giddy ever since. The addition of the second installment of the 24/7 series helped ignite the excitement even more, as fans got to go behind the scenes and got to see what it was like in a day-in-the-life of an NHLer in the middle of this rivalry between these two teams. Parties have been planned, jerseys have been bought, and the teams are ready to go.

Oxygen Tanks At The Ready: The Clinic Dissects the 2011 NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game

Before the current lineups of the Rangers and Flyers take the ice for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, both teams gathered up an illustrious list of alumni from their pasts, and had them take the ice to battle it out for the entertainment of the fans in a celebration of the sport itself. In an age of hockey where the youth is catered to, and a players age is an hour glass on how long the player has for greatness, the ageless players are a dying breed. We are blessed to be able to watch the wonders of Teemu Selanne and Niklas Lidstrom continue to blaze the trails of the NHL, but the Alumni game is something special.

Tonight, the Rangers Alumni team lost to the Flyers Alumni team to the score to 3-1, but the view of seeing all of these players back playing the game they've grown up loving once again after retiring is a memorable sight. So many highlights took place tonight. For us Rangers fans, it was the return of legends like Mark Messier and Brian Leetch who lead the franchise to end a 54 year drought and the Rangers' fourth Stanley Cup in 1994. For me, this was especially significant. I'm 19 years old, and was two when the Cup came to New York. I never got the chance to watch and appreciate the play of Messier, Leetch and Graves, so to see the men who lifted the Rangers in 1994 to win the Stanley Cup meant a lot to me.

12/23/11 Rangers vs. Flyers

I'm in the club, hollerin' ay-bay-bay.

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers.

These two teams will face off tonight for the final time before the winter Classic on January 1st. The Rangers took the last game against the Flyers 2-0 at MSG nearly a month ago, and now they host the Flyers again to see if they can conjure up the same magic they showed in the first meeting. The Rangers are coming off of a good win against the New York Islanders not even 24 hours ago where they won 4-2. Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, and Michael Del Zotto scored for the Rangers, and John Mitchell got the empty netter to seal a victory for the Rangers that was backup goalie Marty Biron's seventh win of the season. The Rangers really amped it up when they needed to in that game, and they took advantage of every opportunity they saw, like the set play from Artem Anisimov to Marian Gaborik off the face-off to give the Rangers the lead. They played physical, and aggressive, but they also played intelligently too. For tonight, that same power they had last evening is going to be needed, as the Flyers are cruising.

The Clinic Dissects HBO's 24/7: Rangers/Flyers Episode One

Like many Rangers fans, Flyers fans, and hockey fans in general, I tuned in to the second installment of HBO's 24/7 series. After much garnered success the first season had with the Capitals and Penguins, the Rangers and Flyers got their first crack at it tonight, and it did not disappoint. Here were some of the favorite moments of the Clinic.

• The amount of 'F' bombs dropped was about what was expected. Torts, Avery, everyone was dropping it everywhere in every situation. That is the sport of hockey people. It can not be contained by censors.
• Ilya Bryzgalov stole the show, without a doubt. It began with his rant about being traded to the Flyers, and moved into him becoming a modern day Socrates and discussed the universe. Later on in the episode, he was handed a bottle of Russian alcohol and proceeded to discuss tigers, which lead to the sparking thought many fans like me had which was "why you heff to kill tigers?". Bryzgalov needs either more airtime, or his own TV show. Or, he needs retire and just be a philosopher. His wisdom is unsurpassed.
• The crazed Jaromir Jagr fan had me rolling on the floor laughing. ROFL'ing as the kids say these days.

11/26/11 Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

There's no business like show business.

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Fresh off of a game not even 24 hours ago, the Rangers are lacing up once again to play another game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers beat the Capitals to the tune of their best offensive showing of the season, 6-3. Henrik Lundqvist looked sharp in net throughout the game, despite letting in three goals, he made stellar saves throughout the 1st. period that kept the Rangers and Capitals scoreless. Now, they have a bigger challenge in front of them with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team they will be facing in the Winter Classic. And yes, cameras will be rolling tonight for HBO's 24/7 series to capture all that happens on and off the ice to replay to us in uncensored, high-definition glory.

The Tampa Bay Lightning Trap: What in the Blue HELL is This?!

If you pay attention to the hockey world at all, chances are you've hear of 'trap defense'. It is primarily when one team sticks back in their own zone and sets up in an fortified defensive position, while at the same time, not pressuring the puck, as the defending team waits for the offensive team to make the first move. Originally set up by the Crypt Keeper Jacques Lemaire with the New Jersey Devils. At the time, it was deemed as the tactic that "killed hockey" and many called for a change to the rules as it was a painstakingly boring process as the Devils would win a good majority of their games to the score of 1-0.

With Jacques Lemaire back in his mausoleum tending to his fellow skeleton buddies, the trap has been fairly done away with, up until the puck dropped in Tampa Bay last night. The Lightning and Flyers squared up to face each other last night, and the initial jump was not what was expected. Thirty seconds into the game, the Lightning got secured into their positions in head coach Guy Bouchers 1-3-1 defensive strategy (a newer version of the trap where the defending team sets up one player on each blue line, and three players along the center ice line) and went about their normal routine of defense. Except the Flyers found a loophole in this strategy, they found out that if they just hold onto the puck, no one on the Lightning is going to come and get it. Brayden Coburn literally sat in his defensive end, with the puck, not moving, for an entire 30-seconds until the referee realized that if they don't do something soon, Tampa Bay fans were going to riot like true hockey fans are ones to do (cept I think Tampa, 'riot' is just a big group taking a trip to the beach). So the refs blew the whistle and set up for another face off.

This was not the only time that the Flyers pulled this strategy, for they did it multiple times throughout the period. And, of course, people are fired up at Guy Boucher! They want him penalized for making the game boring! There have already been many different ideas tossed up like enforcing a minor penalty, or even something a ridiculous as a shot clock. I've found a much more useful way to keep teams from doing this, without taking away the defense altogether.

Wayne Simmonds and Sean Avery: Yet Another Controversy

Once again, Mr. Sean Avery has found himself at the center of controversy this year.

It was reported by Avery that Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds used a homophobic epithet as an insult against Avery during the Flyers preseason 5-3 victory over the Rangers. The moment came after both teams had gotten into a skirmish after the soon-to-be-suspended-because-Shanny-don't-take-no-crap Flyers forward, Tom Sestito, boarded Rangers center Andre Deveaux. Avery grabbed Simmonds, and the two began yapping. During said yapping, Simmonds shouted the bad "F" word at Avery, and Avery did not like it one bit.

It's Finally Confirmed: Rangers and Flyers Playing in the Winter Classic

Ever since the schedule for the 2011-2012 season was released, and people noticed that the Rangers and Flyers were scheduled to play on January 2nd, the speculation that this match was the Winter Classic for this season swirled. A little while after, the fans kind of realized that it was going to be and just waited for the league to officially confirm it. Now, that time has come, and the Rangers and Flyers are set to square off on a national outdoor stage in one of the greatest hockey traditions that's ever been thought of.

The game was announced at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, by members of the Flyers organization, along with Glen Sather, who did his share of trash-talking, claiming that the Rangers will win on January 2nd, and that the Yankees will also win their title, more than likely at the Phillies' expense. Both of these claims were greeted with gallant boos from the crowd, which Sather just used as fuel to get people excited for the game.

The game itself is very exciting because of both of the circumstances of both the Rangers and Flyers. The Rangers are a settled group now. It seems like everyone on the roster has formed into this identity of a real "blue collar" hockey team, and they are finally gaining traction in the Eastern conference. The Flyers however, are an entirely different team. After trading away ex-captain Mike Richards and noted goal-scorer Jeff Carter to make room for their new addition, Ilya Bryzgalov in goal, along with the signing of  Jaromir Jagr on his return to the NHL, this team is completely retooled from the team that they had in the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago. These two teams fought hard in their games that they played each other in last year, so it will be interesting to see how they play with the added incentive of this prestigious event.

Along with that, the main question that is now on everyone's mind is "is there going to be a Rangers/Flyers 24/7"? And the answer is yes, the Rangers and Flyers will be followed around by HBO and filmed behind the scenes to show the fans of both teams what these teams are like in all of their uncensored glory. Which means be prepared for a lot of F-bombs. Seriously, you don't stick a camera around John Tortorella, Sean Avery and Chris Pronger and expect Shakespearean dialogue, do you?

But regardless, this is exciting for both franchises, and it will make this season all the more eventful. Fans who are interested in buying tickets should look now, because they will not be here for long!

The Top 10 Rangers Games of the 2010-2011 Season: Part 2

#6: March 6, 2011 (Rangers 7 - Flyers 0)

After having lost to the Flyers on all four of their previous meeting this season, the Rangers needed a shakeup if they wanted confidence in their division. The Rangers decided to shake it up, and wear their away jerseys at home, and perhaps that was just the shake-up they needed. 51- seconds into the game, the man many people regarded as the captain of the Rangers while Chris Drury sat with injuries, Ryan Callahan, got a fortunate bounce of his skates that found its way in. Later on in the period, Callahan sniped the puck over the head of Brian Boucher from a terrible angle to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Mats Zuccarello potted one in the 2nd, and the Ryan Callahan again took advantage of a turnover and potted another to give him his first career hat-trick. But he wasn't done there, and the Rangers refused to relinquish pressure and managed to deflect a puck into the net cleanly off of his skates. Artem Anisimov managed to get one of his own, and Zuccarello got another one in the closing minutes of the game to really stake their claim as a force to be reckoned with.

Also, Brandon Dubinsky and Mike Richards added a new chapter to their brawling history in this game. It was awesome.

The Top 10 Rangers Games of the 2010-2011 Season: Part 1

This season saw many ups and downs on the ice by the Rangers, but overall it was a fairly successful season. The Rangers found ways to win at times when it seemed almost impossible, and overachieved in games when it was a necessity to win. It wasn't a single players effort throughout the season, a plethora of the players that stepped on the ice managed to do great things at important times for the Rangers. When people look back on the 2010-2011 season, these are the games they are going to remember.

#10: March 18, 2011 (Rangers 6 - Canadiens 3)


Right off the opening face-off, you knew this was going to be an entertaining game, as Brandon Prust and Travis Moen had themselves a good scrap one-second into the game. This would translate into a hard-fought, chippy game and would lead to one of the most stellar 1st-periods the Rangers had all season.

The scoring began as Artem Anisimov blocked a shot from the point and had a nearly uncontested breakaway to the net as he put a backhander behind Carey Price. Following a PK Subban goal, Dan Girardi gobbled up a juicy rebound and slapped it home. Several minutes later, Ryan Callahan became the recipient of a fortunate bounce as the puck rainbowed over the back of Carey Price and found its way into the back of the net. This would be the goal that opened the floodgates for the Rangers as swiftly after that goal, Marian Gaobirk followed up with a wonderful snap-shot that found the twine, and then shortly after that Brian Boyle capitalized on a 3-on-1 to give the Rangers five goals in the 1st period, those last three coming in a span of 67 seconds. The Canadiens made a push in the 3rd, scoring two goals, but one more goal from Vinny Prospal, and this wonderful save by Henrik Lundqvist capped a victory for the Rangers on home ice.

Recapping the Rangers/Flyers 4/3/11

I need a heart-doctor on hand every time I watch this team play.

First off, I think I'm going to begin doing only post-game analysis on weekends. Mostly because I like to mix it up, and I usually sleep a lot on the weekends, and usually end up waking up ten-minutes before each game so I never get a chance to do pre-games.

But for today, this is a positive post, and a first in what seemed like an eternity. At this stage of the season, every losing streak feels like an eternity. But, today the Rangers managed to pull out a victory in reverse fashion of the way the season ended for them last year, in a 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski both tallied in the shootout against rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as Henrik Lundqvist turned away former Ranger Nikolai Zherdev, who had one goal in the game, and Claude Giroux who won the shootout for Philadelphia last year.

It was a very physical game, like most would expect from these bitter rivals. Prust and Boyle both fought for the Rangers. Checks were thrown, and shots were blocked. All things that have given the Rangers success in their games today paid off and got them a big two points as both Carolina and Buffalo play one another today.

The Rangers goals came from Bryan McCabe, who scored with .07 seconds left in the 1st period on a 5 on 3. Following McCabe's goal was Ruslan Fedotenko who found the puck in front of the net after killing off a Vinny Prospal penalty.

The Rangers have kept the boat afloat for a while longer. Boston, Atlanta, and New Jersey are the final three games remaining for the Rangers, all of them at home. Despite New Jersey and Atlanta being mathematically eliminated, there is not a chance in the world that they are just going to roll over and lose. the Rangers need to keep their foot on the gas pedal and truck through these final three games. Points are too valuable now for them to play a half-effort game.

Enjoy your Sunday, and hope Buffalo wins in regulation!

Recapping the Rangers/Flyers

I wish I would have woke up early enough to write my pre-game post.

Big, big win for the New York Rangers today, as they wore their away jerseys at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. Rangers scored seven goals, while the Flyers scored zero. Four of those goals came from someone who I believe will be the future captain of the New York Rangers, Ryan Callahan. Callahan tallied his first career hat-trick in the second period, and added one more for good measure. Along with that, Mats Zuccarello got his first two-goal game for the Rangers as well, scoring the 3rd and 7th goal of the night. Artem Anisimov also capitalized on being left completely in the open by the Flyers to pour some more sauce on at MSG.

And ALONG with all of that good news, Brandon Dubinsky and Mike Richards got acquainted again in the second period. It was a good scrap, and Dubinsky managed to bloody Mike Richards on the bridge of his nose a little, despite his flimsy visor. Check out the link above to see the bout. 

This was a big win for the Rangers, as it gives them a little room between them and the Hurricanes/Sabres. The Rangers do not have another game until Wednesday. Until then, I will keep you updated as best I can.

GO RANGERS!