What on Gods green Earth is going on with our Rangers?
Normally, when players come back from injury, they don't regress into a worse off state than when they were out.
Crap passes, overskating pucks, and the shots that never ever come at the right time can drive a fan mad.
And why in the name of hockey is Del Zotto back in the lineup? He did absolutely nothing when he was on the Whale that should convince the management to bring him back up. Eminger was doing just fine.
I am just frustrated, and tired. I will get the next pre-game post when it comes. I apologize for the radicalness of my blogs today.
Monday, February 7, 2011
2/7/11 Rangers vs. Red Wings
I do not plan on making a pre-game post because I just got home, and the game starts fairly soon. So what I figured I would do tonight was post after the game on my thoughts and see how that turns out.
Regardless, enjoy the game!
Regardless, enjoy the game!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sean Avery: The Man Behind the Mouth
There have been some harsh words tossed around about Sean Avery ever since he has entered the league. He was never a major threat in a fight, but always knew how to rile up the opposition to get them off their game. Call it what you want, its strategy, and we have seen it work time, and time again. He is the new Matthew Barnaby. He's the Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) of the NHL. He's the Reggie Miller of hockey.
However, there are two sides to Mr. Avery. It is the common trend among hockey fans to think he is the worst person imaginable. Any person who stands by him should be immediately shunned by the hockey world and should never be listened to on the topic of hockey. This should not be the case. There is a method behind his madness.
For anyone who played any sport as a kid, you knew that when you were losing whatever sport you may be playing, if someone on the opposition made a comment, not necessarily directed to you, but if it was something so minuscule that it got you to think about it more than once, it threw you off your game. You would spend the rest of the game trying to oversell yourself so that you can prove that player wrong. Sean Avery is the kid making those comments on a nightly basis for the Rangers.
There are two sides to Mr. Avery. On the ice, he would insult your mother, even if she was in a coma. Sean Avery doesn't take mercy on the punches he pulls during a game. But, off the ice, he is nothing like he is when hes on it (not counting the 'sloppy seconds' incident, Sean jumped the gun too early in the smack talk on that one).
You never hear about Sean Avery going out and partying into the night with sketchy porn stars, ala, the Philadelphia Flyers (pictured right). You never hear about him punching cabbies like Patrick Kane. Sean Avery has never done anything off the ice, again, other than the "sloppy seconds" incident that would garner him a bad person. He leaves all of his talk on the rink, and it stays there.
Most recently, Sean Avery made a comment to the Toronto Sun about a topic he endorses, support for gay hockey players. Sean Avery commented:
"If there's a kid in Canada or wherever, who is playing and really loves the game and wants to keep playing but he's worried about coming out, I'd tell him to pick up the phone and call [NHLPA executive director] Donald Fehr and tell him to book me a [plane] ticket. I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay. Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it."
I cannot think of any other NHL player who would have the testicular fortitude to stand up and say that to the media. Knowing that there have been many shots taken at Avery's manliness for his love of fashion, and his less than upfront fighting style, he still stood up on this topic and spoke out about it confidently. That, in my opinion, takes about as much balls as it takes to stand in front of a slap-shot in the NHL.
So next time you hear someone smack talking Avery, throw that little bit of knowledge at them. Ask them if they would would have the balls to be as upfront about something like the support of gay hockey players. Any player can talk smack on the ice, but Sean Avery leaves his talk on the ice.
However, there are two sides to Mr. Avery. It is the common trend among hockey fans to think he is the worst person imaginable. Any person who stands by him should be immediately shunned by the hockey world and should never be listened to on the topic of hockey. This should not be the case. There is a method behind his madness.
For anyone who played any sport as a kid, you knew that when you were losing whatever sport you may be playing, if someone on the opposition made a comment, not necessarily directed to you, but if it was something so minuscule that it got you to think about it more than once, it threw you off your game. You would spend the rest of the game trying to oversell yourself so that you can prove that player wrong. Sean Avery is the kid making those comments on a nightly basis for the Rangers.There are two sides to Mr. Avery. On the ice, he would insult your mother, even if she was in a coma. Sean Avery doesn't take mercy on the punches he pulls during a game. But, off the ice, he is nothing like he is when hes on it (not counting the 'sloppy seconds' incident, Sean jumped the gun too early in the smack talk on that one).
You never hear about Sean Avery going out and partying into the night with sketchy porn stars, ala, the Philadelphia Flyers (pictured right). You never hear about him punching cabbies like Patrick Kane. Sean Avery has never done anything off the ice, again, other than the "sloppy seconds" incident that would garner him a bad person. He leaves all of his talk on the rink, and it stays there.Most recently, Sean Avery made a comment to the Toronto Sun about a topic he endorses, support for gay hockey players. Sean Avery commented:
"If there's a kid in Canada or wherever, who is playing and really loves the game and wants to keep playing but he's worried about coming out, I'd tell him to pick up the phone and call [NHLPA executive director] Donald Fehr and tell him to book me a [plane] ticket. I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay. Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it."
I cannot think of any other NHL player who would have the testicular fortitude to stand up and say that to the media. Knowing that there have been many shots taken at Avery's manliness for his love of fashion, and his less than upfront fighting style, he still stood up on this topic and spoke out about it confidently. That, in my opinion, takes about as much balls as it takes to stand in front of a slap-shot in the NHL.
So next time you hear someone smack talking Avery, throw that little bit of knowledge at them. Ask them if they would would have the balls to be as upfront about something like the support of gay hockey players. Any player can talk smack on the ice, but Sean Avery leaves his talk on the ice.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
2/5/11 Rangers vs. Canadiens
Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers, while they have been getting bodies back from injuries, have had some struggles as of late. While the team was so cohesive earlier this season, due to all the injuries, players that have been away for long periods of time have lost some of the cohesiveness to the team. Bad passes, over-abuse of cycling, and not shooting when they should be. Its been tough for the Rangers the past few games. However, some light has been shown on he Rangers in the past three games. Vinny Prospal, and other players who have gotten back from injury as of late have not lost their scoring touch from being away for so long. This will provide the Rangers with some much needed confidence knowing that the guys who haven't been around a lot this season can still pot the occasional goal. However, in the past games, my distaste for Michael Del Zotto is starting to grow. He has not played up to the level he played at last season by any means, and is bringing down the team because of it. When I talked about the bad passes, and not shooting when they should be, Del Zotto fits those perfectly. In my opinion, he either needs to pull of a dramatic comeback performance, or he will get buried in Connecticut for the rest of the year, or probably longer.
My Diagnosis
In credit to the Canadiens, they have been playing solid hockey since the All Star break. They have won two in a row, and the Rangers have not won since the break. Its hard for me to pick the Rangers tonight because of the way they have struggled, and the surmountable amount of stats that the Canadiens have (especially their home record) that keep me from picking the Rangers today.
My Predictions
Canadiens win 3-2
Max Pacioretty will get the first goal for the Canadiens late in the 1st.
Marc Staal will pull the Rangers even also late in the 1st.
Brian Gionta will get the Canadiens the lead half way through the 2nd.
Benoit Pouliot will get the final goal for the Canadiens coming in the 3rd.
And finally, Mats Zuccarello will get the final goal for the Rangers.
Enjoy the game!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
2/3/11 Rangers vs. Devils
The mule kicks back!
Rangers against the New Jersey Devils.
The newly reassembled New York Rangers are finally starting to get back all of the key players that have gone down to injury this season. Tonight, will be the season debut of Vinny Prospal who had knee surgery that has benched him most of the year. Also coming back into the lineup are the two forwards who have had good success against the Devils so far this season. Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan played well in the past three victories against the Devils tonight and look to continue their success they have been having. It will be interesting to see where Prospal gets put in the lineup tonight. My guess would be on the fourth line to get him warmed up to the NHL level once again. Prospal has never missed this much playing time in his career, and h is not a rookie by any means.He needs to get the gears greased once again so that he can put up some more of his impeccable play-making skills he showcased last season.
The Devils have been riding a hot streak as of late. Patrick Elias has 8 points in his last 9 games and the Devils are in the midst of a 7-2-1 run in their last ten games. However, compared to the stats against the Rangers this season, it may be a different story than it is on paper. The Devils have score just two goals altogether against the Rangers so far this season. One coming from Ilya Kovalchuk, and the other from Travis Zajac that slipped in on a pile up in front of the net last time these two teams met in December. Along with that, Patrick Elias has a -5 combined amongst those three games, which is tied for worst plus/minus on the team against the Rangers this season with Andy Greene.
My Diagnosis
I am a firm believer in the "any given Sunday" mentality, but I do not believe it could happen tonight for the Devils. While they have piled it on in some games as of late, the Rangers have gotten back a lot more of their firepower, and look to take aim at the Devils tonight. Along with that, Matthew Corrente, who has the best plus/minus against the Rangers this season so far, sits tonight with a shoulder injury. All of these statistics couldn't convince a deaf and blind person to pick the Devils, and neither will I. I'm going with the boys in blue tonight.
My Predictions
Rangers win 4-1
Ryan Callahan will get the opening goal for the Rangers in the 1st period.
Derek Stepan will tally one for the Rangers coming early in the 2nd.
The Devils will then tally their lone goal of the game half way through the second from Patrick Elias.
Wojtek Wolski will also get a goal also in the 2nd.
And finally, Marian Gaborik will get the final goal coming in the 3rd.
Enjoy the game!
Rangers against the New Jersey Devils.
The newly reassembled New York Rangers are finally starting to get back all of the key players that have gone down to injury this season. Tonight, will be the season debut of Vinny Prospal who had knee surgery that has benched him most of the year. Also coming back into the lineup are the two forwards who have had good success against the Devils so far this season. Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan played well in the past three victories against the Devils tonight and look to continue their success they have been having. It will be interesting to see where Prospal gets put in the lineup tonight. My guess would be on the fourth line to get him warmed up to the NHL level once again. Prospal has never missed this much playing time in his career, and h is not a rookie by any means.He needs to get the gears greased once again so that he can put up some more of his impeccable play-making skills he showcased last season.
The Devils have been riding a hot streak as of late. Patrick Elias has 8 points in his last 9 games and the Devils are in the midst of a 7-2-1 run in their last ten games. However, compared to the stats against the Rangers this season, it may be a different story than it is on paper. The Devils have score just two goals altogether against the Rangers so far this season. One coming from Ilya Kovalchuk, and the other from Travis Zajac that slipped in on a pile up in front of the net last time these two teams met in December. Along with that, Patrick Elias has a -5 combined amongst those three games, which is tied for worst plus/minus on the team against the Rangers this season with Andy Greene.
My Diagnosis
I am a firm believer in the "any given Sunday" mentality, but I do not believe it could happen tonight for the Devils. While they have piled it on in some games as of late, the Rangers have gotten back a lot more of their firepower, and look to take aim at the Devils tonight. Along with that, Matthew Corrente, who has the best plus/minus against the Rangers this season so far, sits tonight with a shoulder injury. All of these statistics couldn't convince a deaf and blind person to pick the Devils, and neither will I. I'm going with the boys in blue tonight.
My Predictions
Rangers win 4-1
Ryan Callahan will get the opening goal for the Rangers in the 1st period.
Derek Stepan will tally one for the Rangers coming early in the 2nd.
The Devils will then tally their lone goal of the game half way through the second from Patrick Elias.
Wojtek Wolski will also get a goal also in the 2nd.
And finally, Marian Gaborik will get the final goal coming in the 3rd.
Enjoy the game!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Rangers/Devils Article
So like I mentioned when I first started this blog, I'm going for my Journalism major at my college. I took my first journalism class this semester, and one of our first assignments was to find an issue that effects your hometown and get interviews and write about it. I did not get a chance to hand it in today because class was canceled due to the weather, but I figured I would put the draft up just to show you what my aspirations as a journalist are. Its an article getting both sides' opinion on why they dislike the opposing fan base outside the sport. Enjoy!
Rangers Fans vs. Devils Fans *Draft*
When you think of hockey, you think of the bold, brash, brave, and tough players that take the ice to support their team for eighty-two plus games of a season. The same could be said for the fans of the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils. The fans of both these teams are passionate, through prosper and turmoil. That passion is not lost in the small town of Marlboro, New Jersey, just 10 minutes from Brookdale’s Lincroft campus. The passion continues to pulse among the many adolescence of Marlboro as well. Seventeen-year-old Nicole West, a senior of Marlboro High School, and an avid Rangers fan for about three years, compares the atmosphere of being at a Rangers/Devils game as the best feeling. “When a Ranger scores a goal, every Ranger, and every fan scores with them.”
But not much friendliness is given back to the opposing Devils fans, as West describes a run-in with two not-so friendly Devils fans. “The Rangers were up 3-1 at the second intermission, and we went to the bathroom and got in a fight with two Devils fans”. Needless to day, the meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals don’t normally go without their share of violence. Brian Garfinkel, an 18-year-old, lifetime Devils fan, in his second-semester at Brookdale can reassure that fact for the fans as well. “My sister says there are more fights in the stands, than on the ice”.
But what really drives these fans into rage against each other besides their teams? Could it be the fact that the Rangers have beaten the Devils in four out of five playoff appearances? Or could it be that the Devils have had arguably one of the best goaltenders in history in Martin Brodeur that has stood tall against the Rangers time and time again? Nicole West describes how she feels about the rival fan base as one of a dominance struggle. “A lot of them, instead of rooting for their team, focus on trying to bring down the morale of Rangers fans. Which is a part of hockey, but I’ve seen them take it too far”. Brian Garfinkel claims that his distain for Rangers fans comes from their cockiness, and their love to get on your nerves.
Either way, the fans will continue to support their teams, regardless of the other fans dislike for them. The Rangers and Devils are set to gear up for another game on the 3rd, and both sides have their predictions. “3-1, Devils”, is Brian Garfinkels prediction, while Nicole West thinks it will be the same as all of her NYR/NJD predictions: “Marty gets whooped”. Only time will tell to see which fan base will get to celebrate.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2/1/11 Rangers vs. Penguins
Holy crap, its been a while since I've done one of these!
Rangers at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After a much needed All Star break, a light of good news has been shown on the Rangers. After blocking a shot that broke his hand, Ryan Callahan will be back in the lineup tonight after missing six weeks of hockey. Along with that, Dan Girardi will also be back tonight after suffering a rib injury. Up until now, the newer editions to the Rangers lineup like Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello have come up big when needed to. It is going to be hard for the management to decide who goes down and who stays in the lineup when everyone returns. But for right now, they have a game tonight against the Penguins. The Rangers have beaten the Penguins two out of three times so far this season, both on Penguin home ice. The Penguins though, have beaten the Rangers here at the Garden by the score of 3-1.
The Penguins will be without two major parts of their lineup tonight. Sidney Crosby still sits with concussion problems, but is close to a return. Also, Evgeni Malkin is out with a knee injury and a sinus infection (fun combination eh?). However, the Pens have favored well with the loss of their top two players. The Penguins are definitely not to be counted out of this game immediately, but it will be somewhat more difficult without Sid and Geno. Marc-Andre Fleury has been playing very solidly for the Pens recently, and if all holds up tonight, it will be just as hard to score on him as any other night.
My Diagnosis
The Rangers are getting back two key players while the Pens are still without two of theirs. Now, like I said, the Penguins are not to be counted out immediately, but it will be much harder for them to get the big plays without Malkin or Crosby there tonight. the Rangers have shown that they can outplay the Penguins twice this season, and its very likely they will show that same kind of enthusiasm tonight at the Garden.
My Predictions
Rangers win 4-2
Wojtek Wolski will the the first goal for the Rangers early in the 1st period.
Brian Boyle will get a second one also in the 1st.
Kris Letang will get the Pens on the board at the start of the 2nd period.
Derek Stepan will get the third goal for the Rangers also in the 2nd.
Jordin Staal will score the second and final goal for the Pens half way through the 3rd.
And finally, Marc Staal will get the empty net goal to seal the victory for the Rangers.
Enjoy the game!
Rangers at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After a much needed All Star break, a light of good news has been shown on the Rangers. After blocking a shot that broke his hand, Ryan Callahan will be back in the lineup tonight after missing six weeks of hockey. Along with that, Dan Girardi will also be back tonight after suffering a rib injury. Up until now, the newer editions to the Rangers lineup like Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello have come up big when needed to. It is going to be hard for the management to decide who goes down and who stays in the lineup when everyone returns. But for right now, they have a game tonight against the Penguins. The Rangers have beaten the Penguins two out of three times so far this season, both on Penguin home ice. The Penguins though, have beaten the Rangers here at the Garden by the score of 3-1.
The Penguins will be without two major parts of their lineup tonight. Sidney Crosby still sits with concussion problems, but is close to a return. Also, Evgeni Malkin is out with a knee injury and a sinus infection (fun combination eh?). However, the Pens have favored well with the loss of their top two players. The Penguins are definitely not to be counted out of this game immediately, but it will be somewhat more difficult without Sid and Geno. Marc-Andre Fleury has been playing very solidly for the Pens recently, and if all holds up tonight, it will be just as hard to score on him as any other night.
My Diagnosis
The Rangers are getting back two key players while the Pens are still without two of theirs. Now, like I said, the Penguins are not to be counted out immediately, but it will be much harder for them to get the big plays without Malkin or Crosby there tonight. the Rangers have shown that they can outplay the Penguins twice this season, and its very likely they will show that same kind of enthusiasm tonight at the Garden.
My Predictions
Rangers win 4-2
Wojtek Wolski will the the first goal for the Rangers early in the 1st period.
Brian Boyle will get a second one also in the 1st.
Kris Letang will get the Pens on the board at the start of the 2nd period.
Derek Stepan will get the third goal for the Rangers also in the 2nd.
Jordin Staal will score the second and final goal for the Pens half way through the 3rd.
And finally, Marc Staal will get the empty net goal to seal the victory for the Rangers.
Enjoy the game!
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