How ironic that this interview was given just a short time before his departure from New York, and that it was posted yesterday? Okay, perhaps just ironic to me, but it was a pleasant surprise for me when I found it today.
As promised, here is the Getting to Know Petr Prucha interview with comments where necessary:
Status: Phoenix Coyotes right winger (interview was done prior to trade from the Rangers).
HT: 6-ft-0 WT: 175 pounds
DOB: Sept. 14, 1982 In: Chrudim, Czech Republic
Hockey Inspirations: "It used to be Pavel Bure, when he used to play he was amazing. I remember I saw his performance in the Olympic Games when he scored five goals. It was unbelievable what he did there, so, it was him."
**A lot of what Pavel Bure did was unbelivable. It's truly a shame he couldn't stay with the Rangers longer."**
First Hockey Memory: "I remember when I was playing on the rink where there was no roof. It was like my first experience where you go through pre-school hockey or something like that, I don't know how you guys call it…No roof. It wasn't even a building, it was only the rink (age 5)."
Hobbies/Leisure Activities: "For sure I like playing other sports like tennis, soccer or whatever's good for getting in shape during the summer. So, stuff like that. I like to travel."
**Remind me to share a thought on Pete and soccer at some point during the doldrums of summer when hockey is over and we are bored!**
Nicknames: "Nothing special. Just 'Pruchs.' "
**Or Proochie as Shane Doan apparently called him. ;)**
Favorite Movie: "Old School."
Last Book Read: "Twilight."
**Guess Kels is going to be reading herself some Twilight. Also suppose it was translated into like 100 languages. I'm getting images of his teammates joking with him over this. If they haven't already. :)**
Favorite TV Show: "Friends."
**One of my favorites as well. Wonder who his favorite character is.**
Musical Tastes: "I like U2."
First Job: "Cleaning windshields of cars in a gas station."
First Car: "Skoda (red)."
Current Car: "Mercedes (silver)."
Favorite Uniforms: "Rangers."
Pre-game Feeling: "Just clearing my head totally. Don't think about anything, just be focused."
Favorite Meal: "Dumplings with strawberries."
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Vanilla with chocolate sauce."
**Better than just plain vanilla. He can join Steven Stamkos and I for vanilla ice cream anytime. :)**
Greatest Sports Moment: "That's lots of things. I would start with winning the championship in Czech. Then winning the world championship (2005). And my first game for the New York Rangers (2005); my first NHL goal. Stuff like that."
Most Painful Moment: "Every time you lose it's painful. So all losses I ever had (laughs)."
**See that right there. That's the right attitude.**
Closest Hockey Friend(s): "My whole team."
**From the mouth of a truly good teammate.**
Funniest Player Encountered: "'Gomer' (Scott Gomez)."
Toughest Competitors: "'Orrsie' (Colton Orr)."
Funny Hockey Memory: "I tell you, when I was back in the Czech Republic in the league I had a breakaway, well it wasn't a breakaway, but I was waiting for a pass from behind. And I had turned back and the goalie came in front of me and laid down and I tried to jump over him and I couldn't make it so he hit me in the legs and I made a whole flip. So it was pretty funny, because I wasn't injured…If I would have got injured I wouldn't laugh about it. It was awesome."
**Thank goodness he wasn't injured. Guy is honestly like a freakin' bouncing ball.**
Favorite Players To Watch: "(Pavel) Datsyuk. I like Marian Hossa, too. (Nikolai) Zherdev, too, is pretty nice to watch on the ice. I like those guys who can handle the puck really well."
**So master stickhandlers Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival and Dmitri Kalinin didn't make the cut. Hmmm....**
Last Vacation: "Miami."
**I believe Korpikoski and his girlfriend spent the All-Star break there, as did a few members of the team. Guess he was among them.**
Strangest Game: "I remember, well, I didn't play that game, but I remember that game we were up 5-0 and we lost in overtime (to Montreal). It was pretty hard to even watch it. It was a strange game because it never happened in my life. Other than that, when we lost the game in Buffalo in the playoffs. Last seconds, we were up 1-0 and they tied the game with seven seconds left and we lost in OT. Very painful.”
**Oh yes, it was painful. And I remember feeling grateful that Petr wasn't part of it.**
People Qualities Most Admired: "Be fair to people. Be honest. Be funny. Don't make a big deal about if somebody is making fun of you. Just be cool all the time."
**And this is when we find we can love him more than we loved him, if possible.
Honesty. Fairness. Sense of humor. Self-depreciation. Whoever taught this kids the lessons of life, they did a great job.**
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
He Belongs In Blue. . .
The Home and Home:
I was lucky to attend both games of the home and home between the Flyers and Rangers this weekend. Luckier certainly it would seem to see today's game, as the entire Rangers team actually showed up to this one, but lucky nonetheless.
Without stepping too much into yesterday's game which was, at best, a half effort, where defensive irresponsibility abounded (just what, by the way, was Derek Morris doing on the Richards goal. If you watch the replay, there is a 2 to 2.5 second span of time where Morris stands in front of Hank staring at Richards allowing him to take not one, but two shots uncontested. I'm not saying it stops the goal, but you look foolish not trying to a) poke the puck away or b) go after the damn man), a good start with a nice goal by Antropov was allowed to waste away, and Avery was one of a handful of players that showed up ready to go.
In yesterday's game, the Flyers looked the bigger and the better team, hands down. And Biron had one of those games that make me think he's a legit goalie in this league. (He impressed me a lot in last year's playoffs, but I've more often than not given him more credit than others, even when he played behind Miller in Buffalo).
The highlight of yesterday's game for me came in the stands where the little boy sitting next to my friends and I at one point stopped, looked at my friend, and said in this quiet voice, "you are cheering for the Rangers?" He paused, "They suck." Our immediate reaction was tearful laughter. He just said it so adorably, and frankly, he did have a point. As my friend pointed out the Rangers couldn't seem to string more than one pass together at a time. I, sadly, was forced to tell her this was not a new thing.
Moving onto the bigger and better things of today's game and the point of this post.
Sean Avery is made for Manhattan. Made in the mold of and effective in this uniform. I will not go so far as to say there is a perfect athlete or a perfect player, but if there was ever a player where you said, he can only work there, that is his perfect match, that's Sean Avery and New York.
Granted, half of it might be because he, after having been here and been happy here, had this thought in the back of his mind all along that this is where he belonged and if he wasn't here, he wasn't going to be happy, effective Sean. Which on some level you can't even blame him for. We can all name athletes that just played better in one location over another in their careers.
(Although I'll pause for a moment and say, again, he did nothing on the ice in Dallas that was ineffective or selfish. Unfortunately it just never worked. Perhaps had Marty Turco started the season like he ended the last one, or the rest of the team scored a few more goals, it wouldn't have been a point to talk about at all. As it was...well you know the story. The experiment in Dallas failed, yes. But to say Sean Avery was the only thing that affected that team would be an injustice. I stand by that still).
So Sean comes back to the place he has proven he can play, and play he does. Whatever the connection is between the two, it has been a sight to see. From the first game back on Long Island, to his sixth game in Blue today, Sean has been one of the best players, if not THE best player in each game. He's scored goals in three consequtive games, including two on the powerplay today.
In the Rangers worst game of the stretch on the scoreboard, arguably Monday in Carolina, Sean was still one of the better players. (Blameless Valiquette was certainly the other).
In the Rangers best game of the stretch, arguably today, he did essentially everything right. He got himself in position to score two nice, clean goals. He agitated in a way that got the other team off their game. Minus having Richards skate around trying to rip his head off - no, you didn't miss that when the cameras cut away, as they did when Coburn tried to behead Antropov, ironically - it was reminiscent of the best games played two years ago in the playoffs when Avery so incited the Atlanta team that their best players lost focus of their priorities and made it a Sean Avery show.
That's exactly what happened today. We saw yesterday how good Philadelphia is. I don't see how they are not a better team than the Rangers are, in more than a few ways. And yet, today it was a completely different story and a completely different ending than yesterday.
Why? Because not only was Sean Avery, again, the best player. He made the rest of his team better today too.
It is a precious thing to have a player in any sport that makes the players around him better. And Sean Avery does that.
Goalies can carry teams, but they rarely make the team around them play better. At least not in the way I am implying.
Players, usually of the superstar nature - as we saw day in, day out, with Jaromir Jagr - can make those around them better.
Sean, certainly not a superstar in the way we know them, has that gift too. For two distinct and separate reasons.
For one, he's a legit player. He can skate better than just about anyone on the team. And I don't mean fast, although he is arguably one of the fastest as well. He's powerful. In his strides, in his direction, in his push. He gets to open ice to get to pucks. He puts pucks in great places. He works behind the net better than many I've seen. And he gets himself into great places to score. All these things work in sequence and make his linemates and his teammates around him better.
We've all seen the way Gomez has responded to playing with Avery. And Gomez couldn't play well with anyone, it seemed, for the longest time. As much as Gomez is a playmaker and his teammates can see the benefits from that, Avery is just as much able to make plays for his teammates. He really is. It seems no matter who he has played with, he makes the whole line look better.
And make no mistake, he is a smarter player than most will give him credit for. He really, really is.
The second reason is one of my personal opinion. Those may agree or disagree, but I think there is, at best, some level of truth to it.
Surely, not everyone on this team loved Sean Avery or wanted him back. They might, and I mean this nicely, not view this stick of dynamite, as welcomed on their nice, little, calm team. They might, perhaps, view him as less of a hockey player because he is not, was not, and will never be, just another quiet kid from Ontario who plays the game typical or stand up.
That's not Sean.
So I suspect, for that reason, and just because he is who he is, that he without even asking them to do so, pushes his teammates to be better BECAUSE they don't want him to be the one that stands out. And I mean stands out in a GOOD way.
The Rangers this year have lacked effort. Lacked cohesiveness. Lacked backbone. Lacked drive and, with the exception of a few, lacked the ability to make us believe they cared when they won and cared when they lost. They were many more times to count, shadows of themselves, skating lifelessly, moving tiredly, and bored in both action and explaination.
Now how would it look if Sean Avery cared more than everyone else (minus the goalies) on this team? How would it look if he tried the hardest? Skated the hardest? Shot the most? Scored the most? How would that look really?
On a team with Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, Avery would never be that guy.
On a team without marquee superstars and legendary leaders like those men that command respect, Sean Avery could easily be that guy.
I mean no disrespect towards my favorite team in saying that, but the fact remains that after painful losses this team looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. Hell, often during the painful losses they'd already look that way.
Sean is one of those players that is incapable of looking like he doesn't try and he doesn't care. Even if he or the result is not perfect. That's just not the way he works.
So I'm of the believe that some players - not all, but some - have been and will continue to respond with better efforts on ice. Not just because Sean may directly make them play better, but because they are being pushed by something inside that he tugs at, something that makes them want to play better than they have been. Even if only to save some of their own sense of pride.
Harsh? Perhaps. But regardless of whether I am the only one that feels that way or not, I think more people than not will agree that the Rangers since Sean Avery's arrival have been anything but vanilla, anything but indifferent, and four times out of the six games, a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
The Rangers might not get to the playoffs because of reasons both in and beyond their control.
But they will not miss the playoffs for a lack of effort from Sean Avery.
Avery simply belongs in blue.
Around the League
Yotes:
In the desert on Saturday night, one more than a handful of guys made their home debut. I didn't watch all the game because I was exhausted, but in what I saw, they continued to look in sync. They can't seem to score, unfortunately, and with 18 shots they didn't really go out of their way to test Pekka Rinne. But they are trying. The game was scoreless for just about half. And Nashville, a team fighting for it's playoff life, finally got a goal to break the stalemate. The second one was an empty netter.
In the "Watch Your Gum Tom" moment of the night, Petr Prucha again saw time on the penalty kill. That's right, folks. The man that couldn't even crack the lineup in New York is playing every role imaginably for Gretzky's team in Phoenix. Powerplay time and 2:11 on the PK, where he looked good.
Perhaps it is the weight of tension lifted from his shoulders, but I am seeing a confident and better player emerge, even in this short time. I do not mean to imply that he did not look good in his limited opportunities this year, but it became clear to me last night that Prucha looks much more confident in all aspects of his game. Skating with the puck, passing, positioning. Everything. And I think that's due not only to more ice time, but what is quite obviously a genuine sense of trust. A trust that he is being looked at and taken care of, and being used in situations where he was not previously given a chance. His confidence shows more with each passing game, even if the results are not there yet. And as fans of him, we can all be happy to see him playing that way again.
I know I am.
Lastly, I was expecting the home Phoenix broadcast, but I actually enjoyed what I saw of Nashville's tandem. They weren't biased. And it was, minus a few corny moments, a clean and pleasant broadcast.
Brodeur Watch
Yes, as most of us would have bet on if we were of the betting kind, Marty Brodeur went into Montreal, his hometown, and won the game versus the Habs, tying him with Patrick Roy for all time wins by a goalie.
Not as expected was the standing ovation for the goalie, especially considering the dire state of their own beloved team right now.
That makes it all the more classy.
Where Are They Now. . .?:
I unfortunately don't have time to realy do the Where Are They Now segment in full form right now. Perhaps next year I'll find the most effective way to do modify it. For now, I'll only show the surprising or substantial ones.
The surprise of the last week, one time Ranger Jamie Lundmark, still up from Tri-City, on Thursday night scored not one, but two, goals (3,4)in Calgary's 6-5 shootout win over the Flames.
I was lucky to attend both games of the home and home between the Flyers and Rangers this weekend. Luckier certainly it would seem to see today's game, as the entire Rangers team actually showed up to this one, but lucky nonetheless.
Without stepping too much into yesterday's game which was, at best, a half effort, where defensive irresponsibility abounded (just what, by the way, was Derek Morris doing on the Richards goal. If you watch the replay, there is a 2 to 2.5 second span of time where Morris stands in front of Hank staring at Richards allowing him to take not one, but two shots uncontested. I'm not saying it stops the goal, but you look foolish not trying to a) poke the puck away or b) go after the damn man), a good start with a nice goal by Antropov was allowed to waste away, and Avery was one of a handful of players that showed up ready to go.
In yesterday's game, the Flyers looked the bigger and the better team, hands down. And Biron had one of those games that make me think he's a legit goalie in this league. (He impressed me a lot in last year's playoffs, but I've more often than not given him more credit than others, even when he played behind Miller in Buffalo).
The highlight of yesterday's game for me came in the stands where the little boy sitting next to my friends and I at one point stopped, looked at my friend, and said in this quiet voice, "you are cheering for the Rangers?" He paused, "They suck." Our immediate reaction was tearful laughter. He just said it so adorably, and frankly, he did have a point. As my friend pointed out the Rangers couldn't seem to string more than one pass together at a time. I, sadly, was forced to tell her this was not a new thing.
Moving onto the bigger and better things of today's game and the point of this post.
Sean Avery is made for Manhattan. Made in the mold of and effective in this uniform. I will not go so far as to say there is a perfect athlete or a perfect player, but if there was ever a player where you said, he can only work there, that is his perfect match, that's Sean Avery and New York.
Granted, half of it might be because he, after having been here and been happy here, had this thought in the back of his mind all along that this is where he belonged and if he wasn't here, he wasn't going to be happy, effective Sean. Which on some level you can't even blame him for. We can all name athletes that just played better in one location over another in their careers.
(Although I'll pause for a moment and say, again, he did nothing on the ice in Dallas that was ineffective or selfish. Unfortunately it just never worked. Perhaps had Marty Turco started the season like he ended the last one, or the rest of the team scored a few more goals, it wouldn't have been a point to talk about at all. As it was...well you know the story. The experiment in Dallas failed, yes. But to say Sean Avery was the only thing that affected that team would be an injustice. I stand by that still).
So Sean comes back to the place he has proven he can play, and play he does. Whatever the connection is between the two, it has been a sight to see. From the first game back on Long Island, to his sixth game in Blue today, Sean has been one of the best players, if not THE best player in each game. He's scored goals in three consequtive games, including two on the powerplay today.
In the Rangers worst game of the stretch on the scoreboard, arguably Monday in Carolina, Sean was still one of the better players. (Blameless Valiquette was certainly the other).
In the Rangers best game of the stretch, arguably today, he did essentially everything right. He got himself in position to score two nice, clean goals. He agitated in a way that got the other team off their game. Minus having Richards skate around trying to rip his head off - no, you didn't miss that when the cameras cut away, as they did when Coburn tried to behead Antropov, ironically - it was reminiscent of the best games played two years ago in the playoffs when Avery so incited the Atlanta team that their best players lost focus of their priorities and made it a Sean Avery show.
That's exactly what happened today. We saw yesterday how good Philadelphia is. I don't see how they are not a better team than the Rangers are, in more than a few ways. And yet, today it was a completely different story and a completely different ending than yesterday.
Why? Because not only was Sean Avery, again, the best player. He made the rest of his team better today too.
It is a precious thing to have a player in any sport that makes the players around him better. And Sean Avery does that.
Goalies can carry teams, but they rarely make the team around them play better. At least not in the way I am implying.
Players, usually of the superstar nature - as we saw day in, day out, with Jaromir Jagr - can make those around them better.
Sean, certainly not a superstar in the way we know them, has that gift too. For two distinct and separate reasons.
For one, he's a legit player. He can skate better than just about anyone on the team. And I don't mean fast, although he is arguably one of the fastest as well. He's powerful. In his strides, in his direction, in his push. He gets to open ice to get to pucks. He puts pucks in great places. He works behind the net better than many I've seen. And he gets himself into great places to score. All these things work in sequence and make his linemates and his teammates around him better.
We've all seen the way Gomez has responded to playing with Avery. And Gomez couldn't play well with anyone, it seemed, for the longest time. As much as Gomez is a playmaker and his teammates can see the benefits from that, Avery is just as much able to make plays for his teammates. He really is. It seems no matter who he has played with, he makes the whole line look better.
And make no mistake, he is a smarter player than most will give him credit for. He really, really is.
The second reason is one of my personal opinion. Those may agree or disagree, but I think there is, at best, some level of truth to it.
Surely, not everyone on this team loved Sean Avery or wanted him back. They might, and I mean this nicely, not view this stick of dynamite, as welcomed on their nice, little, calm team. They might, perhaps, view him as less of a hockey player because he is not, was not, and will never be, just another quiet kid from Ontario who plays the game typical or stand up.
That's not Sean.
So I suspect, for that reason, and just because he is who he is, that he without even asking them to do so, pushes his teammates to be better BECAUSE they don't want him to be the one that stands out. And I mean stands out in a GOOD way.
The Rangers this year have lacked effort. Lacked cohesiveness. Lacked backbone. Lacked drive and, with the exception of a few, lacked the ability to make us believe they cared when they won and cared when they lost. They were many more times to count, shadows of themselves, skating lifelessly, moving tiredly, and bored in both action and explaination.
Now how would it look if Sean Avery cared more than everyone else (minus the goalies) on this team? How would it look if he tried the hardest? Skated the hardest? Shot the most? Scored the most? How would that look really?
On a team with Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, Avery would never be that guy.
On a team without marquee superstars and legendary leaders like those men that command respect, Sean Avery could easily be that guy.
I mean no disrespect towards my favorite team in saying that, but the fact remains that after painful losses this team looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. Hell, often during the painful losses they'd already look that way.
Sean is one of those players that is incapable of looking like he doesn't try and he doesn't care. Even if he or the result is not perfect. That's just not the way he works.
So I'm of the believe that some players - not all, but some - have been and will continue to respond with better efforts on ice. Not just because Sean may directly make them play better, but because they are being pushed by something inside that he tugs at, something that makes them want to play better than they have been. Even if only to save some of their own sense of pride.
Harsh? Perhaps. But regardless of whether I am the only one that feels that way or not, I think more people than not will agree that the Rangers since Sean Avery's arrival have been anything but vanilla, anything but indifferent, and four times out of the six games, a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
The Rangers might not get to the playoffs because of reasons both in and beyond their control.
But they will not miss the playoffs for a lack of effort from Sean Avery.
Avery simply belongs in blue.
Around the League
Yotes:
In the desert on Saturday night, one more than a handful of guys made their home debut. I didn't watch all the game because I was exhausted, but in what I saw, they continued to look in sync. They can't seem to score, unfortunately, and with 18 shots they didn't really go out of their way to test Pekka Rinne. But they are trying. The game was scoreless for just about half. And Nashville, a team fighting for it's playoff life, finally got a goal to break the stalemate. The second one was an empty netter.
In the "Watch Your Gum Tom" moment of the night, Petr Prucha again saw time on the penalty kill. That's right, folks. The man that couldn't even crack the lineup in New York is playing every role imaginably for Gretzky's team in Phoenix. Powerplay time and 2:11 on the PK, where he looked good.
Perhaps it is the weight of tension lifted from his shoulders, but I am seeing a confident and better player emerge, even in this short time. I do not mean to imply that he did not look good in his limited opportunities this year, but it became clear to me last night that Prucha looks much more confident in all aspects of his game. Skating with the puck, passing, positioning. Everything. And I think that's due not only to more ice time, but what is quite obviously a genuine sense of trust. A trust that he is being looked at and taken care of, and being used in situations where he was not previously given a chance. His confidence shows more with each passing game, even if the results are not there yet. And as fans of him, we can all be happy to see him playing that way again.
I know I am.
Lastly, I was expecting the home Phoenix broadcast, but I actually enjoyed what I saw of Nashville's tandem. They weren't biased. And it was, minus a few corny moments, a clean and pleasant broadcast.
Brodeur Watch
Yes, as most of us would have bet on if we were of the betting kind, Marty Brodeur went into Montreal, his hometown, and won the game versus the Habs, tying him with Patrick Roy for all time wins by a goalie.
Not as expected was the standing ovation for the goalie, especially considering the dire state of their own beloved team right now.
That makes it all the more classy.
Where Are They Now. . .?:
I unfortunately don't have time to realy do the Where Are They Now segment in full form right now. Perhaps next year I'll find the most effective way to do modify it. For now, I'll only show the surprising or substantial ones.
The surprise of the last week, one time Ranger Jamie Lundmark, still up from Tri-City, on Thursday night scored not one, but two, goals (3,4)in Calgary's 6-5 shootout win over the Flames.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Yotes: Some Words From Our Departed Ranger. . .
“It's great to be in an organization where you feel that they really want you to be [there] and they want you to play,” said Prucha, contrasting recent history in New York with Maloney’s show of faith. “It's a totally different feeling when you actually feel that they want you to be on the ice.”
Those are the first words I've heard on the subject of his departure from my favorite departed Ranger.
It makes you a little numb, but it's supposed to. I often thought, even probably said here, that I wondered the whole time Prucha was being scratched, just how much he understood about what was going on and how much got lost on him because there still might be a little bit of a language barrier. Or how much he didn't want to see what was really going on because he was so devoted to the team, and was such a genuine good guy and hard worker.
I guess he saw more than we knew. And again, we'll never know the whole story. I don't think Prucha will ever say more than he did above. He's probably too good for that as well. Yet another reason we can admire him.
Prucha was a healthy scratch thirty-six times this year, while Dawes sat out twelve. The Rangers even tried to send Petr to the AHL – the trip between New York and Hartford something Dawes became quite accustomed to last season – but Prucha refused the conditioning assignment.
The bold move got him back into the lineup and likely made a trade inevitable.
So apparently many were right on this too. His bravest move, a move many admired him for, probably was one of the final that sent him packing.
Oh but to get to see that goal, to see he and his teammates exhuberant celebration, and to hear the crowds cheers as the Garden shook that night - I'm not sure I'd take it back.
I doubt he would either.
In the 25 games he managed to crack Tom Renney’s lineup, Prucha averaged just over 12 minutes of ice time. When Renney was ousted for John Tortorella, his time got a slight bump and there was a faint glimmer of hope that things might work out in New York.
“Actually the system we started playing [had] more forechecking and I felt more comfortable in that [style],” says Prucha. “I was getting more ice time than before. Obviously, I was playing.
“So I was like, 'Maybe I'm going to stay.' But it didn't happen.”
It seems that Prucha felt the same range of emotions we did in his week under John Tortorella. He was being used more effectively, finally getting ice time. And contributing. I mean Tortorella didn't know him from most of the rest of the team, so when he was traded and he said of Pete: 'we tried to get him in to score goals and I think he scored one,' I didn't take it personally. I mean, sure, the entire team only scored two goals in the two games before they broke out in that six goal game versus the Avalanche, but hey, Pete got one of those goals. And it was a big goal from a big guy with a big heart.
That's really all we need to know.
In three games under Wayne Gretzky, he’s skated more than 18 minutes a contest, alongside some of Phoenix’ top scorers.
When someone’s confidence is bruised and battered, mending it can prove challenging and time-consuming.
Or, it could take just a few strides in new colors.
Prucha has yet to score for his new team, but he has three assists in five games since joining the Coyotes. His most recent came tonight against New Jersey. (See below). The team, meanwhile, has only scored nine goals during that span. Prucha is seeing first line minutes with young, fast goal scorers like Upshall and Lombardi. He's averaging over 18 minutes of ice a game in his five games.
He immediately did all the good things we love him for. Hit, defend, skate to the puck, chip and make plays. He's fallen into step well with his new team.
Those who know him, again, are not suprised.
What Rangers fans are losing is more than goals and assists will illustrate, though. These are two honest, humble and hard-working kids who the faithful have cheered until hoarse from the very start – with good reason.
That support didn’t go unnoticed.
“It was unbelievable,” says Prucha. “I can't thank them enough. Every time I went back into the lineup in the Garden they were cheering for me. It was awesome. It helped me a lot to stay in shape when I wasn't playing.
“Huge thanks to them and I'm going to miss them, but there wasn't a spot in the lineup for me.
“It wasn't my choice but I had to go.”
This is the part that gets me a little choked up, admittedly. Yet another example of a person we feel the dire need to take the time to thank, and he's thanking us instead.
He may never score 30 gaols again, even though in the right situation I think he will. He may not win league awards. Yet fans of New York LOVED him and it is during moments where they rewarded the most deserving players - like Prucha - with cheers that I am most proud to be a fan of this team. They saw the whole picture. They got what he meant, what he did, and what he stood for. Those same people were sad to see him go away.
Huge thanks to them and I'm going to miss them. . .
But from his own mouth, please know, he will miss us too.
**Many many thanks to Michael Smith at Maxhockey.com for this amazing article, which you can read in its entirety here. Thanks too to "Dan" who posted on Ranger Report this link. I'm so glad I had the chance to see this article.**
Michael's article makes me happy and it makes me sad. It's the bittersweet reality of what we lost and how much we gained, of what we had the chance to experience and of what we'll get to experience still.
It won't be here, and it won't be New York, but we'll get the chance again to enjoy watching a young player we love get to play our favorite game. It's funny. If this were even ten years ago, it wouldn't be the same. There was no such thing as Centre Ice. Even the Internet was not as common place. We'd have to search a lot harder to find out how our favorite player was doing. Now, thankfully, in this technological world, I'm lucky enough to still see every game he plays. And of that I am so grateful.
This article also makes me sad because I realized over the last few days that Petr Prucha, although a favorite and certainly in his own category in my mind, is just another example of a young, hard-working fan favorite that got sent away from the New York Rangers. Manny Malhotra. Mike York. Jed Ortmeyer. Those are a handful of guys that got it too. They weren't, minus York during his FLY line days, master scorers or high point producers. They were the guys doing the little things that amounted to big things. The guys the fans appreciated. The guys the fans cheered.
Manny Malhotra - the guy that took over for Adam Graves in being the last guy off the ice, ensuring his teammates were safe.
Mike York - the small kid with a scoring touch, who was one of three Rangers to be top five in scoring in the whole league, in the fall of 2001.
Jed Ortmeyer - a master shot blocker and a guy that, during a time when not much inspired in the 2003-2004 season, drew admiration from the Garden crowd for his effort and class.
Petr Prucha - the little big man who would hit people twice his size, sacrifice his body in being the first to defend a teammate, and the guy serenaded by Garden fans for just being himself and doing what came naturally.
Four young men.
Four home grown Rangers, three drafted, one not (Ortmeyer).
Four guys that I was very sad to see leave and still greatly miss.
I love the Rangers and I always will. But it is at some moments like these were I am forced to admit that this team, for all its great moments and great players, is not the type of team that will grow with youth. Not the type of team that will keep a player because he is beloved by the fans.
They are, at times, the type of team that will trade away those players for a pipe dream or for a rental player. Trade them because they'd seemingly rather have a team of mostly overpaid, inconsistent, unpassionate players, than a team full of kids who'd give everything for the jersey of the team that drafted them, and in doing so, entertain and be admired.
It is in the moments that such thoughts become reality that I am truly sad.
Yes, I do still love the Rangers. I always will. But it is for those reasons that I have, do, and will continue to have favorite players on other teams. I have, do, and will follow their careers and wish them well in every professional and personal regard.
I may be loyal to a team, but I am loyal to my players too.
They will all be remembered.
Footnote: Pete's assist versus NJ:
A Win In Music City. . .
Not a perfect symphony for the Rangers, but two points very much needed after coming away empty three nights ago in Carolina.
I didn't see every part of the game's first two periods; I was going back and forth between the NJ/Coyotes game. So I can't speak to everything. And what I saw to start, honestly, was very sloppy. A lot of penalties and some laziness to boot.
As the game got into the later stages, the Rangers thankfully woke up and righted themselves. Big goals from some key contributors and overall good play from Avery, Callahan, Gomez, Staal. That's now 4 games in their last 5 that the Rangers have scored four or more goals (Colorado - 6, Islanders - 4, Boston -4, Carolina - 0, Nashville - 4). Very important to see them rebound in that manner both after being shutout and after the season they've had overall.
And as for Sean Avery, he played an effective game from my eyes. Getting to the net, making nice passes from behind the net, and getting the puck to the net; all things that have been lacking this year from this team. He's not going to be perfect, no, and he's not the master solution, but I still believe that with him on the ice and Tortorella on the bench the Rangers stand a better chance at making the playoffs than they do without.
Of course, it might not be up to them. Surely they have to play their part, but a few things may stand in their way. Time. Other teams. The Rangers might have temporarily ended up back in the playoff standings, but it's going to be an up and down, in and out battle. And they did it to themselves with their two month break in the middle of the season that they couldn't afford to take.
Also of concern, the plethora of penalties they took. With this team, it's almost never one and done. They always go to the box in bunches. And it was the return - a first in the Post-Renney era - of the two man men penalty.
I'm also going to take a moment to say that I am not sure why Naslund's play has regressed so. He led this team in goals, essentially all season, and if Antropov didn't join this team, he still would. BUT, besides finding the net from time to time and scoring important goals late, he has not looked steady in the last month or two. In fact, where he used to be more vocal and more mobile in the beginning of the season, I'm now seeing a player that looks tired and ineffective. Not at every moment, but certainly more often. Perhaps a mid-season break for a game or two might have helped. Or perhaps it truly is not 2002 anymore, for Naslund or for me.
Overall, good win, and a very important one heading into a home and home set with the Flyers this weekend. It's not going to get easier. Every night is a must win.
One last thing. Congratulations to Henrik Lundqvist for becoming the first goaltender in NHL history - NHL history - to have 30 win seasons in his first four years in the league.
Yes it may have been aided by the shootout wins. Yes things certainly have changed over the history of the league. But goodness knows it wasn't as if he was aided with perfect defensive teams for the last four years. I repeat and hold true that he's kept this team in more games than he's kept them out of. Big Kudos to Hank. Very, very impressive stuff.
I didn't see every part of the game's first two periods; I was going back and forth between the NJ/Coyotes game. So I can't speak to everything. And what I saw to start, honestly, was very sloppy. A lot of penalties and some laziness to boot.
As the game got into the later stages, the Rangers thankfully woke up and righted themselves. Big goals from some key contributors and overall good play from Avery, Callahan, Gomez, Staal. That's now 4 games in their last 5 that the Rangers have scored four or more goals (Colorado - 6, Islanders - 4, Boston -4, Carolina - 0, Nashville - 4). Very important to see them rebound in that manner both after being shutout and after the season they've had overall.
And as for Sean Avery, he played an effective game from my eyes. Getting to the net, making nice passes from behind the net, and getting the puck to the net; all things that have been lacking this year from this team. He's not going to be perfect, no, and he's not the master solution, but I still believe that with him on the ice and Tortorella on the bench the Rangers stand a better chance at making the playoffs than they do without.
Of course, it might not be up to them. Surely they have to play their part, but a few things may stand in their way. Time. Other teams. The Rangers might have temporarily ended up back in the playoff standings, but it's going to be an up and down, in and out battle. And they did it to themselves with their two month break in the middle of the season that they couldn't afford to take.
Also of concern, the plethora of penalties they took. With this team, it's almost never one and done. They always go to the box in bunches. And it was the return - a first in the Post-Renney era - of the two man men penalty.
I'm also going to take a moment to say that I am not sure why Naslund's play has regressed so. He led this team in goals, essentially all season, and if Antropov didn't join this team, he still would. BUT, besides finding the net from time to time and scoring important goals late, he has not looked steady in the last month or two. In fact, where he used to be more vocal and more mobile in the beginning of the season, I'm now seeing a player that looks tired and ineffective. Not at every moment, but certainly more often. Perhaps a mid-season break for a game or two might have helped. Or perhaps it truly is not 2002 anymore, for Naslund or for me.
Overall, good win, and a very important one heading into a home and home set with the Flyers this weekend. It's not going to get easier. Every night is a must win.
One last thing. Congratulations to Henrik Lundqvist for becoming the first goaltender in NHL history - NHL history - to have 30 win seasons in his first four years in the league.
Yes it may have been aided by the shootout wins. Yes things certainly have changed over the history of the league. But goodness knows it wasn't as if he was aided with perfect defensive teams for the last four years. I repeat and hold true that he's kept this team in more games than he's kept them out of. Big Kudos to Hank. Very, very impressive stuff.
Some Thoughts On Colton Orr. . .
In light of all this recent talk of fighting and whether or not it has a place in this league, I started to think about our own fighter, Colton Orr.
He'll never be my favorite Ranger, but he's one of the guys I respect the most on this team. That hasn't changed, despite the ups and downs this team has taken over the years. Why do I respect him so? Two reasons really.
One, he knows what his role is. He is a fighter. He is a guy that creates energy through his fists. He's not going to win a Lady Byng. He doesn't want to.
Two, he has accepted the changes of this league and made a personal commitment to improving other aspects of his game, such as skating and puck handling. When a guy off Jaromir Jagr's credentials has said he's noticed a difference in you and worked to help you along in your own efforts, that tells me all I need to know.
While I haven't agreed that he has needed to be in the lineup in every single game - and perhaps I still don't at times - he has been a solid contributor to this team this year.
Yes, you heard me.
No, he didn't score a ton more goals for all the stick handling he's worked on. And, no, he hasn't set up Blair Betts to be the next marquee scoring center either. (Although for the record, Colton Orr's 4 assists and 5 points are both career highs for the winger.)
But at the same time, he has not held his teammates back. He plays on the only Rangers line that was not subject to change after change after change after change after change as the rest of the lines endured this season. That's a measure of compatibility and consistency. They are the Rangers most consistent line, by far. Like that line or not, they have been effective. They don't score, but they aren't expected to. Goodness knows I was on Blair Betts earlier in the season because I wanted a fourth line center that could score and help his teammates score, thinking the fourth line would get a significantly healthier amount of goals this year.
But what we all failed to predict - myself at the top of this list because I predicted the opposite - is that the team itself would not even match last year's pathetic goal totals. (I'm not looking at the stats here, but I know they were down on last year's totals, at least up until Renney's departure). But that's not really the point here.
The point is that the fourth line, our fourth line, is probably one of the better in the league, even if only that they know what their roles are, and they've filled those roles nine times out of 10 this year, I'd say.
Back to Colton Orr for a minute. Want something to turn over in your brain for a minute or two?
I cannot, for the life of me, think of the last time that Colton Orr took a penalty that was NOT a fighting major. Or, a penalty that was not in conjunction with fighting, like roughing, 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct.
When was the last time Orr took a slashing penalty? Or a hooking penalty? Or a holding penalty? Or a cross-checking penalty?
You get where I am going with this. I can't be positive that it hasn't happened. Hell, I'm sure it has. But I am just pointing out that 99.9% of Orr's penalties are of the five minute version. Where he does not put his team down a man and where, at the most, he takes himself out of the game for a 5 or 10 minute stretch.
You may argue, he doesn't get enough ice time to take more penalties.
So, hmm, that's why guys like Naslund and Gomez and Drury and Redden and Rozsival take more penalties? Because they get significantly more ice time.
Umm, sure, okay, alright.
It can't possibly be that certain guys are just more disciplined than others. Or even better at their roles on this team?
Okay, fine. If that's the case, I guess we'll agree to disagree.
Bottom line, I am in Colton's corner. I'd like him to be able to have more ice time and contribute more offensively, but I'd like every single member of the team to do that.
So, as long as Colton does not allow the timing of his fighting to put the team in jeopardy going forward, I'm perfectly happy to let him keep doing what he's doing.
For as long as the league allows him to.
He'll never be my favorite Ranger, but he's one of the guys I respect the most on this team. That hasn't changed, despite the ups and downs this team has taken over the years. Why do I respect him so? Two reasons really.
One, he knows what his role is. He is a fighter. He is a guy that creates energy through his fists. He's not going to win a Lady Byng. He doesn't want to.
Two, he has accepted the changes of this league and made a personal commitment to improving other aspects of his game, such as skating and puck handling. When a guy off Jaromir Jagr's credentials has said he's noticed a difference in you and worked to help you along in your own efforts, that tells me all I need to know.
While I haven't agreed that he has needed to be in the lineup in every single game - and perhaps I still don't at times - he has been a solid contributor to this team this year.
Yes, you heard me.
No, he didn't score a ton more goals for all the stick handling he's worked on. And, no, he hasn't set up Blair Betts to be the next marquee scoring center either. (Although for the record, Colton Orr's 4 assists and 5 points are both career highs for the winger.)
But at the same time, he has not held his teammates back. He plays on the only Rangers line that was not subject to change after change after change after change after change as the rest of the lines endured this season. That's a measure of compatibility and consistency. They are the Rangers most consistent line, by far. Like that line or not, they have been effective. They don't score, but they aren't expected to. Goodness knows I was on Blair Betts earlier in the season because I wanted a fourth line center that could score and help his teammates score, thinking the fourth line would get a significantly healthier amount of goals this year.
But what we all failed to predict - myself at the top of this list because I predicted the opposite - is that the team itself would not even match last year's pathetic goal totals. (I'm not looking at the stats here, but I know they were down on last year's totals, at least up until Renney's departure). But that's not really the point here.
The point is that the fourth line, our fourth line, is probably one of the better in the league, even if only that they know what their roles are, and they've filled those roles nine times out of 10 this year, I'd say.
Back to Colton Orr for a minute. Want something to turn over in your brain for a minute or two?
I cannot, for the life of me, think of the last time that Colton Orr took a penalty that was NOT a fighting major. Or, a penalty that was not in conjunction with fighting, like roughing, 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct.
When was the last time Orr took a slashing penalty? Or a hooking penalty? Or a holding penalty? Or a cross-checking penalty?
You get where I am going with this. I can't be positive that it hasn't happened. Hell, I'm sure it has. But I am just pointing out that 99.9% of Orr's penalties are of the five minute version. Where he does not put his team down a man and where, at the most, he takes himself out of the game for a 5 or 10 minute stretch.
You may argue, he doesn't get enough ice time to take more penalties.
So, hmm, that's why guys like Naslund and Gomez and Drury and Redden and Rozsival take more penalties? Because they get significantly more ice time.
Umm, sure, okay, alright.
It can't possibly be that certain guys are just more disciplined than others. Or even better at their roles on this team?
Okay, fine. If that's the case, I guess we'll agree to disagree.
Bottom line, I am in Colton's corner. I'd like him to be able to have more ice time and contribute more offensively, but I'd like every single member of the team to do that.
So, as long as Colton does not allow the timing of his fighting to put the team in jeopardy going forward, I'm perfectly happy to let him keep doing what he's doing.
For as long as the league allows him to.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Yotes: From Detroit. . .
Okay, so I actually had time to sit through my first "new" Coyotes game as they played Detroit on the road tonight.
I thought it was played at a good clip. Detroit seems a little off from their dominance, but I know they've been battling some injuries. Heck, even Chelios got in the game for his first in a half dozen.
Overall, for the fact that Phoenix is both a new and young team, and still putting the pieces together, I thought they played a powerhouse like Detroit very well. They didn't take a penalty until the middle of the third period, which unfortunately for them, the Red Wings capitalized on.
But, the Coyotes scored themselves to force the tie and the game into overtime. Detroit would score towards the end to get the extra point.
I'll point out a few things in regards our departed Ranger. He got top line minutes again, playing with Matthew Lombardi. He started the game with a check. And when countryman Zbynek Michalek got checked into the boards on an icing, who was the first guy to come in to make sure his teammate was taken care of?
Yeah, he did that too. Not at all surprising to those who know him.
I didn't appreciate Detroit's announcers speculation when discussing Prucha's diminished goals in recent years. They said he had 7 goals last year and that perhaps the Rangers had lost patience with them.
Wayne Gretzky might not have more patience for that, they said.
Some players need to be traded to realize what they are doing wrong.
Perhaps Don Maloney played the "change of scenery" angle.
So yeah, I didn't appreciate what they were saying, but that is probably how outsiders will view the situation, so I can't blame them for it.
I'm just hoping, as many of us surely are, that he proves them all wrong. That his diminishing numbers were due overall to circumstances beyond his control and perhaps, at least during 2007-2008, a little injury bad luck as well.
And that he proves us right, of course.
So Prucha played 27 shifts for 20:33 of TOI.
Wow. Somewhere in Western Canada, Tom Renney just swallowed his gum!
He was also - hold onto that gum, Tom - on the ice for the end of the third with a tie game, and - wait for it - on the ice in overtime, for what is definitely the first time all year.
Again, small details, but I am guessing Wayne Gretzky has liked what he has seen so far from his new winger.
Overall, a nice change of pace for me. As I have never been a fan of Detroit, I can honestly say that pre-Prucha, I would not have watched a Red Wings/Coyotes game, this close to playoffs, with so many other games going on tonight with bigger meaning.
But post-Prucha, I gladly would, and I gladly did.
Late Add-Ons:
For some reason I couldn't post the other day, but here is Pete's assist on Upshall's goal back on Sunday on Long Island:
A question for anyone who might know. I checked the Phoenix roster, and since I hadn't keep track of them, minus Shane Doan, and a random look now and then, I was surprised to see that there wasn't a player assigned #25.
So does that mean Prucha took #16 willingly? Or given that Dawes was #14, Lombardi #15, and Prucha #16, are they just throwing numbers in sequential order at them?
He wore #73 in Czech Republic, no?
I mean 16 is a nice number, and both numbers 2+5 and 1+6 equal 7, so that's nice too. I'm just curious.
And Where Are They Now/Tonight's Edition:
Team Player Action Note
New Jersey Brendan Shanahan PP Assist
Montreal Mathieu Schneider 2 Assists
Florida Radek Dvorak Assist
Minnesota Kim Johnsson Assist
I thought it was played at a good clip. Detroit seems a little off from their dominance, but I know they've been battling some injuries. Heck, even Chelios got in the game for his first in a half dozen.
Overall, for the fact that Phoenix is both a new and young team, and still putting the pieces together, I thought they played a powerhouse like Detroit very well. They didn't take a penalty until the middle of the third period, which unfortunately for them, the Red Wings capitalized on.
But, the Coyotes scored themselves to force the tie and the game into overtime. Detroit would score towards the end to get the extra point.
I'll point out a few things in regards our departed Ranger. He got top line minutes again, playing with Matthew Lombardi. He started the game with a check. And when countryman Zbynek Michalek got checked into the boards on an icing, who was the first guy to come in to make sure his teammate was taken care of?
Yeah, he did that too. Not at all surprising to those who know him.
I didn't appreciate Detroit's announcers speculation when discussing Prucha's diminished goals in recent years. They said he had 7 goals last year and that perhaps the Rangers had lost patience with them.
Wayne Gretzky might not have more patience for that, they said.
Some players need to be traded to realize what they are doing wrong.
Perhaps Don Maloney played the "change of scenery" angle.
So yeah, I didn't appreciate what they were saying, but that is probably how outsiders will view the situation, so I can't blame them for it.
I'm just hoping, as many of us surely are, that he proves them all wrong. That his diminishing numbers were due overall to circumstances beyond his control and perhaps, at least during 2007-2008, a little injury bad luck as well.
And that he proves us right, of course.
So Prucha played 27 shifts for 20:33 of TOI.
Wow. Somewhere in Western Canada, Tom Renney just swallowed his gum!
He was also - hold onto that gum, Tom - on the ice for the end of the third with a tie game, and - wait for it - on the ice in overtime, for what is definitely the first time all year.
Again, small details, but I am guessing Wayne Gretzky has liked what he has seen so far from his new winger.
Overall, a nice change of pace for me. As I have never been a fan of Detroit, I can honestly say that pre-Prucha, I would not have watched a Red Wings/Coyotes game, this close to playoffs, with so many other games going on tonight with bigger meaning.
But post-Prucha, I gladly would, and I gladly did.
Late Add-Ons:
For some reason I couldn't post the other day, but here is Pete's assist on Upshall's goal back on Sunday on Long Island:
A question for anyone who might know. I checked the Phoenix roster, and since I hadn't keep track of them, minus Shane Doan, and a random look now and then, I was surprised to see that there wasn't a player assigned #25.
So does that mean Prucha took #16 willingly? Or given that Dawes was #14, Lombardi #15, and Prucha #16, are they just throwing numbers in sequential order at them?
He wore #73 in Czech Republic, no?
I mean 16 is a nice number, and both numbers 2+5 and 1+6 equal 7, so that's nice too. I'm just curious.
And Where Are They Now/Tonight's Edition:
Team Player Action Note
New Jersey Brendan Shanahan PP Assist
Montreal Mathieu Schneider 2 Assists
Florida Radek Dvorak Assist
Minnesota Kim Johnsson Assist
A Double Wrap and The Irony Of It All. . .
Many apologies for the lack of posts in the last few days. Lots of stuff going on. Perhaps next week will allow me to get back to a normal rhythm, I hope.
In the meantime, a few quick thoughts on the last two games.
Sunday versus Boston:
This was, without a doubt, one of the more entertaining games the Rangers had played all season. If not the most exciting. A quick pace from the beginning, it didn't look like the Blueshirts we'd seen most of the season skating around Garden ice. If this were a month ago, those guys would have been passively gliding along. Now, thanks to a new system, they were flying.
I'll take that all game, any game, regardless the result.
As it happened, the Rangers opened up a nice lead, and then let the Bruins tie in the third. A timely goal by Nik Zherdev (and yes, he's had a few) put the Rangers ahead for good.
It might have ended up being closer in the end than they may have wanted, but you know what, against a team that is on most nights much better than they are, I think the Rangers gladly take it. Their effort was the difference.
As for the familiar face in Rangers blue, Sean Avery helped remind the fans why we liked him so much the first time around. Hitting, moving the puck, and skating. I noticed, more than once, just how good a skater he really is. Perhaps in all the drama I forgot the fact, but he's a legit talent. He accelerated to get to open pucks, put other pucks in perfect positions for teammates, and wasn't afraid to shoot. So really, the perfect model of the way the New Rangers should be on the ice.
Dust is shaken. We'll have to see where it settles, but the dust is definitely shaken from Sean.
As for the other new guys, I am holding out judgement on Morris, because I haven't seen enough yet, but I thought Antropov looked very good on Sunday. A few times, as he was carrying the puck, he held up with such strength (again, obvious considering the guy is built like a house) and didn't lose a second of his stride.
I thought, somewhat sadly, many other of the Rangers small forwards would have definitely tumbled over.
But I also noticed Antropov has a nice shot. I hope he continues to use it.
Overall, I would think most fans left Sunday's game with a feeling of happiness and renewal. Three wins in a row. Four or more goals scored in those three games. The world was good.
Carolina on Monday:
Well the world wasn't quite as good Monday as the Rangers somehow forgot how to score again. But that is going to happen and Cam Ward seemed much more confident than the last time the Rangers faced him.
Actually, though, I liked the game. Thought they played well. Thought Valiquette, as he so often does, stood on his head to help them out. Both goals were not his fault, especially the first.
If there were two moments I was annoyed, it was on those two goals against. And not at Valiquettte.
On goal number one, Vali made an awesome save with the blade of his stick along the ice. Amazing. But he's taken out of the play, understandably so. Where was the rest of his team? Not one guy could have scooped up the puck and cleared it, or gotten coverage on the Carolina player so they didn't have a open lane and a free net to shoot at? That got me.
And on goal number two, Brind'Amour's on the powerplay, I see the puck go in behind a screened Vali, and I realize it's Redden that's screening him, just standing there with no man, no where near a man in fact, when the Rangers are down one.
Well down one man, and thanks to that, two goals.
I usually don't like to pick apart moments in games and who did what right and wrong in that regard; I'm much more comfortable talking in generalities. BUT, when Vali plays as well as he did, and I think he certainly did, you look to the two goals that went in. And both didn't sit right with me. You may have your own opinion surely, but you just heard mine.
At least the pace of the game was good, even if they couldn't score. Well score a goal that counted at least.
Credit Carolina for coming with a good effort and keeping with it. They deserved it.
You know what was refreshing though. I heard some interviews on XM radio driving in, because on Versus they don't do a team post-game. And in the clip Tortorella was admitting the other team played harder and that the Rangers didn't match their speed.
I'm sorry, even though they lost, I'll take that honesty over the "we played a good road game" crap any day.
Around the League:
In Montreal, Coach Guy Carbonneau was fired by the Habs early yesterday evening. The irony of ironies, I listened to Team 990 from about 10:30 to 1:30 yesterday and the topic that Tony and Randy (in for PJ) kept talking about was, if the Habs had lost Sunday, would Guy have been fired today.
Little did we all know.
Stay tuned for Where Are They Now and a Coyotes update later tonight. I am going to be home so I should get to actually sit down and watch a full game uninterrupted for the first time so far since the trade. I am looking forward to it.
In the meantime, a few quick thoughts on the last two games.
Sunday versus Boston:
This was, without a doubt, one of the more entertaining games the Rangers had played all season. If not the most exciting. A quick pace from the beginning, it didn't look like the Blueshirts we'd seen most of the season skating around Garden ice. If this were a month ago, those guys would have been passively gliding along. Now, thanks to a new system, they were flying.
I'll take that all game, any game, regardless the result.
As it happened, the Rangers opened up a nice lead, and then let the Bruins tie in the third. A timely goal by Nik Zherdev (and yes, he's had a few) put the Rangers ahead for good.
It might have ended up being closer in the end than they may have wanted, but you know what, against a team that is on most nights much better than they are, I think the Rangers gladly take it. Their effort was the difference.
As for the familiar face in Rangers blue, Sean Avery helped remind the fans why we liked him so much the first time around. Hitting, moving the puck, and skating. I noticed, more than once, just how good a skater he really is. Perhaps in all the drama I forgot the fact, but he's a legit talent. He accelerated to get to open pucks, put other pucks in perfect positions for teammates, and wasn't afraid to shoot. So really, the perfect model of the way the New Rangers should be on the ice.
Dust is shaken. We'll have to see where it settles, but the dust is definitely shaken from Sean.
As for the other new guys, I am holding out judgement on Morris, because I haven't seen enough yet, but I thought Antropov looked very good on Sunday. A few times, as he was carrying the puck, he held up with such strength (again, obvious considering the guy is built like a house) and didn't lose a second of his stride.
I thought, somewhat sadly, many other of the Rangers small forwards would have definitely tumbled over.
But I also noticed Antropov has a nice shot. I hope he continues to use it.
Overall, I would think most fans left Sunday's game with a feeling of happiness and renewal. Three wins in a row. Four or more goals scored in those three games. The world was good.
Carolina on Monday:
Well the world wasn't quite as good Monday as the Rangers somehow forgot how to score again. But that is going to happen and Cam Ward seemed much more confident than the last time the Rangers faced him.
Actually, though, I liked the game. Thought they played well. Thought Valiquette, as he so often does, stood on his head to help them out. Both goals were not his fault, especially the first.
If there were two moments I was annoyed, it was on those two goals against. And not at Valiquettte.
On goal number one, Vali made an awesome save with the blade of his stick along the ice. Amazing. But he's taken out of the play, understandably so. Where was the rest of his team? Not one guy could have scooped up the puck and cleared it, or gotten coverage on the Carolina player so they didn't have a open lane and a free net to shoot at? That got me.
And on goal number two, Brind'Amour's on the powerplay, I see the puck go in behind a screened Vali, and I realize it's Redden that's screening him, just standing there with no man, no where near a man in fact, when the Rangers are down one.
Well down one man, and thanks to that, two goals.
I usually don't like to pick apart moments in games and who did what right and wrong in that regard; I'm much more comfortable talking in generalities. BUT, when Vali plays as well as he did, and I think he certainly did, you look to the two goals that went in. And both didn't sit right with me. You may have your own opinion surely, but you just heard mine.
At least the pace of the game was good, even if they couldn't score. Well score a goal that counted at least.
Credit Carolina for coming with a good effort and keeping with it. They deserved it.
You know what was refreshing though. I heard some interviews on XM radio driving in, because on Versus they don't do a team post-game. And in the clip Tortorella was admitting the other team played harder and that the Rangers didn't match their speed.
I'm sorry, even though they lost, I'll take that honesty over the "we played a good road game" crap any day.
Around the League:
In Montreal, Coach Guy Carbonneau was fired by the Habs early yesterday evening. The irony of ironies, I listened to Team 990 from about 10:30 to 1:30 yesterday and the topic that Tony and Randy (in for PJ) kept talking about was, if the Habs had lost Sunday, would Guy have been fired today.
Little did we all know.
Stay tuned for Where Are They Now and a Coyotes update later tonight. I am going to be home so I should get to actually sit down and watch a full game uninterrupted for the first time so far since the trade. I am looking forward to it.
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