Welcome to Boredomsville, NY. . .

Apologies for this post-game wrap up coming two days after the game ended. I was not in front of a computer yesterday. No, no. I didn't have to do with the fact that I had no words. I, actually, have plenty of words. They just might not mean very much. Or if I get angry, the might start to ramble and won't make much sense anyway. The risks we take.

To start: Rangers fan or not, I actually enjoyed the 2nd period of Wednesday's game versus the Canucks. Why? Because someone was scoring. There was some life. Who cares if it was mostly from the other team! Either way it saved me from having to watch - yet another - boring 1-1, 2-2 game and ready myself for the shootout. When the team went down 5-1, a girl sitting a few seats away from me said, 'well at least there will be no shootout tonight.'

Sigh.

I love my team. I do. But - and I said this back two or three weeks ago - this team has yet to show a cohesive 60 minute effort where they look awake, play crisp, and look like they have a pulse. And I am still struggling to think of any example to the contrary. Help me if you can.

The fact that they have given up 7 shorthanded goals in just over 20 games is embarassing. It's unacceptable. This team that is priding itself on defense first, is coming up way short on that end. And I'm not talking about the 5 goals they gave up on Wednesday. I'm not. Doesn't matter to me. Any given night a team can come in and have "a" night. It happens. Hank looked a little weaker than usual, but that only brings me to the fact that this guy cannot and should not be expected to stand on his head every night. That's how you get worn out or injured or ineffective. And he's been forced to do that on many nights. Our penalty kill is fantastic and should be applauded. But the defensive play that gets them to be 2nd or 3rd in the league in that category, does not affect 5-5 or 5-4 play. It doesn't. At that point, throw the defensive nature out the window. The Rangers powerplay has been abismal. Or worse. When they score, I get the feeling it's more by accident. I watch other teams play and I see their power plays. Almost every team, except the Rangers, seems to have a life to it during the man advantage. A confidence in moving the puck. A speed and a sense of positive urgency. The Rangers look stale, they look timid, and they look a mess. And that has not changed in years. That alone is embarassing. It's unacceptable. And to not only not score on your powerplay, but give up that many goals - that's just dreadful. Quite honestly, there's just no way to defend that.

Whether is is - the coach's responsibility? The captain's? Each player's individiual responsibility? - someone has got to do something to get this team up to play. They've got to. They start slow, fall behind, and look indifferent unless they are mounting a late game comeback. That got boring after the first time they did it. They are boring. Whether they were designed to be boring or they've just accidentally arrived there, welcome to boredomsville. And that's sad. That's really sad. And, you know what, it's not going to win hockey games.

And hockey should be anything but boring!

And if the Rangers play the way they have the last, umm, well honestly most of this season, and Hank does not stand on his head at all moments, then they are not going to win much more at all. Let's not kid ourselves.

Random thoughts:

**I like the Canucks uniforms. This is not a new thought. I mean I guess it is because they change them every other year. :) But I like them. Clean colors. Sharp. Maybe they looked better because they were the only team I actually saw skating two nights ago, but. ...well, you get me here, right?

**Valiquette came in for Hank after the 5th goal. It remains for debate whether Hank took himself our or Renney pulled him. I have yet to see the tape and I, like Hank, had my head down after the puck went in the net too. So...? But point remains that Vali played essentially flawlessly. Glad for him to get back in there, despite the circumstances.

**Rangers didn't practice yesterday after what many will say was their worst and least inspired came this season. Interesting. What's better? The practices - apparently - we're being told, don't really have to do with skills or fundamentals or, hell, even the power play. They are for conditioning and flow. Flow. They might be the most conditioned team in the NHL for all their practice at it, but what the hell does practicing "flow" mean? Anyone?

**And just think? 95% of all people were probably expecting a goaltending duel between two of the league's best. Oh that possibility lasted reallllllll long.

And the New Captain of the Vancouver Canucks Is. . .

Poor poor, Canuckville. First they go from being a perennial contender, to a team hitting the golf course in early April. Then their all-time fan favorite Trevor Linden retires. On Free Agent Frenzy day, current captain Marcus Naslund leaves for New York. Then the Canucks unofficially lose the "Summer of Sundin" sweepstakes (although of course there was no real winner in that on-going saga) after going "all-in."

And finally, today, the Vancouver Canucks name Roberto Luongo their new captain.

Roberto Luongo.

The goalie.

Yes, the goalie.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gbM6iooHTC_rJgVNZF71Bf2isUDQ

My first reaction was: they can't do that, can they? I guess I just always assumed because I a) heard there was a rule against it, and b) hadn't seen it done - that is couldn't be. I guess I was proved wrong today. (I guess also, in my mind, I always thought if it could happen, it would have happened already with Martin Brodeur in New Jersey).

I have no problems, per say, with this. It is just, quite simply - odd.

He can be captain, but he can't wear a C. Okay, fine. I guess that's the opposite of baseball where guys like the Yankees Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter were captains but only guys like the Mets' John Franco actually wore a C on their jersey. I'm fine with that.

He can't argue plays. Sure. Makes sense. Obviously this was the main reason for the rule in the first place. A goalie shouldn't be the one arguing calls. So the Canucks have nominated Willie Mitchell to do that. Fine.

And lastly, Roberto can't take place in any ceremonial activities - puck drops at center ice, etc. Mattias Ohlund will do that. Now, that one confuses me. Why not? Because it won't be a good photo opportunity? What else would be the problem with that? He might trip someone with his giant pads while going in to take the ceremonial face off? I think it'd be funny. Not if he tripped someone, but the photo in general. Too damn cookie-cutter this league is sometimes. Dare to be different, or apparently so say the powers that be in Vancouver.

So, yeah, hockey fans . . .Roberto is captain in Canuckville. But what, besides in essense and in the locker room, does that really mean? I guess that's why I ultimately, just find it. . . odd.

And this is meant with no disrespect at all to Luongo, who when healthy and mentally ready, is easily one of the best goalies in the league. Or to the Canucks, who I've already mentioned I feel somewhat badly for in this off-season.

I actually just watched Trevor Linden's last game that was still on my Tivo this past weekend. (For the record, not many guys in the league are as respectable in my book as Trevor Linden. Great guy. All hockey fans owe him a lot for what he did for the game we all love. Seriously, great guy). And in watching, I just felt for them. It was quite obvious that it was very likely Linden's last game on that one Saturday night, but as it turned out, it was both Marcus Naslund (free agent move to New York) and Luc Bourdon (who sadly passed away in a motorcycle crash this past May)'s last games as well. A very different feeling I got Sunday watching the game, than I did on April 5th.

So I guess, we'll wait and see. Will captain, and goalie, Roberto Luongo, "lead" his team to success this year? I am just not sure, with all the missing pieces, what exactly he can be expected to do. Except stop A LOT of pucks. Because goodness knows they've struggled in these past few years to score goals and I, quite honestly, do not see where they are going to come from this year to change that.