HNIC Wrap-Up ~ November 28, 2009. . .

Sorry these have been few and far between. Not my intention and as many people HNIC is an important part of Saturday night and one I gladly partake in when I am home.

So as to not jump back (at least not now) - I'll just move forward.
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Yesterday's Inside Hockey had an interview with Rick Nash, his agent, coach Ken Hitchcock, and the GM of Columbus, Scott Howson. And a testament to a young player that truly gets what "team" means.

He took less money than he would have commanded on the open market to stay in Columbus. But he and his agent were on the same page. He wanted to stay in Columbus, he wanted to be a player the city - a city of no other professional teams - could rally around.

Any other teams he wanted to play for? He grew up a Maple Leafs fan, so he always wanted to wear the Maple Leaf.

"Luckily for me I grew up playing with the Marlies, so I already had that," Rick said.

Hitchcock was pleased and both he and Howson feel it helped bring other players to the team, after news was out that Rick had been locked up to a long term deal.

Hitchcock said Rick's signing became a feeling for the hockey community of "what's right with Columbus" rather than "what's wrong with Columbus."

The strongest testament again to Rick's team first attitude.

"At the end of the day Columbus is just too good of a city and I'm a loyal guy."

Good for him, and great for Columbus.

If you have 5 minutes, check it out here.

What Has Happened to the Rangers. . .?

We at NHTProductions have decided to take a break from the Five Things, because, well, essentially I'm not sure there are five points I can make about this team at this juncture. Instead, we'll try to see where this team got derailed.

Because, it's disheartening really - when you look at what the facts are presenting. Ignore the decline that was coming, for the moment. Look only back to Monday. A team that was in desperate need of a big effort got it. They scored, in bunches, and were able to do something a Rangers team has not done in quite a while - come back from a two goal deficit.

Their next effort was one of those play 'em close games, where the Rangers played much of it with only five defensemen, before going down to four during the final frame. A close affair, an unlucky goal allowed the tie, but they were able to hold down in OT and win in the shootout.

Friday night's game was the one where the car started to visibly shake. The alignment was off somehow. True, they were playing with (arguably) five young defensemen, including three rookies. But they were playing a Tampa team that has not looked super sharp in the early going. Vinny (oh poor Vinny) Lecavalier has not even looked like he realizes the season has started. And yet, super sophomore Stamkos breaks his four game scoreless streak against the NYRs, and notorious Rangers killer St. Louis pockets three assists, en route to a 5-1 drubbing. I'll be honest - that's not how I saw it playing out.

Last night's game, which I'll be honest, I watched in small intervals once the Penguins scored two quick to go up 3-1, was when car stopped shaking and the wheels fell off entirely. I feel bad for Valiquette, because unless he hasn't been "cheering" enough from the bench these last handful of games, he's really had no fault in this team going on their tailspin. Yet last night they dragged him right in.

The Rangers team had those five young defensemen and Rozsival. I'd be confident against them too. With no disrespect to the youth. Box score states that Staal and Sanguinetti were somehow able to be a +1 in this blech-fest.

Ignoring the defense themselves for a moment, what about defensive responsibility. Games that get totally out of control like this (remember, we've seen them from the other side, because that's pretty much what DID happen to Columbus in the Rangers super win last Monday and goodness knows the Rangers know how that feels) - I don't know what to think about them. I mean credit the fact that they were able to somehow score 3 goals, by defensemen ironically, but there is a major team disconnect that allows such bleeding to take place unchecked.

Again, as an isolated incident - a bad game, all teams have them - it's fine. But the second game in a row where your team is outscored so badly. Yet another game in a long line of disconnect games. That's disappointing. And that says more about this team than most of us want to admit.

I mean surely we don't want to take from the surface - and we can - that the reason the team has lost the last two games so glaringly is because Drury has returned and Redden is out of the lineup.

Surely we don't want to believe that as fact.

So it must be some other reason. Some other more plausible reason.

If I may hazzard a guess. This team, despite how close they are and how much more entertaining they were (at times) versus last year, is still not very good. Not very good at scoring. Not very good at keeping with a game plan - whatever it may be. Not very good at stopping the bleeding. Not very good at sticking up for one another (small incidents to the contrary aside).

And the players that were good last year (seemingly al year) - Callahan, Staal, Hank - have all struggled at times.

The players that were bad - Redden - have turned it around, if not to become good and certainly not great, but to become decent to steady.

Something weird is going on in Rangerland. Something very weird.

I thought I was dreading the Monday Columbus game after the non-effort versus Florida last weekend? Well, after this weekend's double dose of disappointment, I am really, REALLY not looking forward to the Penguins coming into the Garden tomorrow.

Not at all.

Five Things About the Rangers/Lightning Game...

Okay, I'm going to be honest here, part of me really wants to suspend the "Five Things" when the Rangers give up five goals and "play" as badly as they did. But we'll give it a go...

* The Rangers played a game last night. Seriously? Did someone tell them that?

* Tortorella called this the worst game of the season. I couldn't continue watching it with the interest I would if the Rangers were actually playing, so I'm not sure, but I'd have to think he was right.

* What a sad first NHL game for NJ native Bobby Sanguinetti. Although he played over 16 minutes, took a shot, and was only a -1 for all the damage, so I only mean sad for the sake of the result, not for his effort in it.

* Why does, with the exception of that game vs Tampa early last season when Voros fought him, Mike Smith always seem to look brilliant when I see him play. He's 4-4-4 in games played with a .892 Save % and 3.17 GAA, but yet when I see him, he's always looking sharp. Why is that?

* I think I expected they'd start Valiquette in Pittsburgh on Saturday BEFORE the game got away. Now I think they have to. I'm not saying Hank was the reason it went wrong last night, but...I think he needs a break with the back part of the home and home on Monday.


And a bonus question - with a Washington/Montreal game going as well tonight, how long do I give the Rangers before I turn the game off if it goes badly?

It's a good question. Hopefully the Rangers do their part and I won't need to answer it.

Five Things on the Rangers/Panthers Game. . .

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even though I caught up on some games (like the Calgary/Coyotes game that had more former Rangers than I could count - Prucha, Korpikoski, Sjostrom, Lundmark, and Dawes (GWG) and the Canucks/Kings tilt), I apparently didn't find myself time to update the blog. ;)

* Does anyone else remember last year's Thanksgiving Eve? (Well, alcohol may or may not have played a factor in that...) The Rangers played Tampa, they led the game late, gave up the tying goal with less than a minute to go to St. Louis, and then won in a shootout. Thankfully. This Thanksgiving Eve, the Rangers played Florida, led the game late, gave up the tying goal to Moore, and then won in a shootout. Thankfully. Only difference was 3-2 SHW a year ago, and a 2-1 SHW this year. If the Rangers beat Tampa Bay tonight in a shootout (as they did Thanksgiving Friday against Florida last year) we'll really see history repeating itself.

* Who is not thankful for P.A. Parenteau. The guy said he wanted to come up and stay up this time around and he's doing everything to be considering for that. Two deciding goals in the Rangers only two shootout appearances this season. Can't ask for more than that. And did you see Tortorella's grin after he scored? It was like, damn, this kid. He was right.

* Gaborik scored a goal, on the powerplay, for the Rangers? You don't say. No, honestly here. It was smart movement on the PP all around. And a very smart tip by Gaborik. Not that we should be surprised anymore with his talent. But we're happy to continue to see it displayed. The goal was Gaborik's league leading 19th and currently has him in a tie for points, at 33, with Thornton and Kopitar.

* It's always nice to see a player defend his teammate. Even nicer when it's someone you may not have expected. Matt Gilroy, seeing Prospal hit by the same player whose hit took out Redden early in the game, jumped in for his first career fight. He took 17 minutes in penalties, but the message was clear - don't mess with our guys. Great to see from the young guy. But why can't everybody be so willing to defend their own?

* Because it's Thanksgiving time and there isn't much else to talk about here, why not give a quick rundown of what or who I am most thankful for on the Rangers 2 months into the season:

- Gaborik, Gaborik, Gaborik. If there's a Rangers fan that is not thankful for this guy, I'd love to know it. He scores, sometimes the Rangers only goals. He PKs, even though we sometimes wish he wouldn't. He playmakes. He does it all and in a way that makes you think it's effortless. A priceless talent. Very thankful for him.

- Del Zotto and Gilroy. Again, I can not express to you, after years and years and years where the Rangers had no youth or no defensive anything, besides stopgaps, how wonderful it is to have two (really four) players that are OURS. Two players that are young, are ours, and are good. This isn't discounting Girardi and Staal (my favorite player how has struggled this year but has looked better as of late) but Del Zotto and Gilroy have hardly seemed to struggle to settle in. It's remarkable really. Just do the job and do it well. Del Zotto's offense is just icing on the cake. It's been a long time for something like that.

- Hank. I can't go through a thankful list without mentioning the goalie. No, he's not perfect. At some moments he's very pedestrian. But on a scale, overall, he's been able to do things other goalies have not. Play with as much consistency in his first years in the league as to be recognized as one of the best. Play with as much talent as necessary to keep what has been a very low scoring (after the Jagr years) and defensively challenged team in playoff contention. He may not be perfect. But take Hank out of the equation, this team has not been a playoff team for all four years. No way.


Enjoy the games this weekend!! Again, I think we can all agree to be thankful for the greatest game of all - hockey! I know I am.

Five Things About the Rangers/Blue Jackets Game. . .

* Who were those guys and what did they do with the Rangers? You may think I'm being all "haha" but no, I'm serious. Who were those guys? I haven't seen them in. . . well, in a long time.

* Important not just that the Rangers scored 7 - count 'em 7 goals - last night, but important in who scored them. One, a recently struggling and seemingly unhappy Sean Avery, and two, defensemen Gilroy and Del Zotto - both who had been off the score sheet for much too long. For the Rangers to win, the defense has to contribute, not just in their own end, but with points as well. Not meaning to forget about Parenteau and Anisimov - both had career highs in points with 2 and 3 respectively. An important night for contributions all around. A real team effort. And Christopher Higgins didn't look too bad on the top line with Gaborik (2G, 2A) and Prospal, did he now?

* The fact that they won was almost a side story to how they won. And I don't even mean the 7 goals. Whatever Tortorella said - and even if he did indeed just say breathe, there's a lot more hockey left to play - that deserves credit. Credit him for knowing what to say to get the team to get back to playing a go-go-go game. And credit the players for actually looking alive and doing so. This was much needed and it had been much, MUCH, too long since they had played this way.

* Del Zotto's goal was pretty. There's still something about a defenseman making a play like that that just makes you feel there is something right in the world.

* Speaking of special defensemen, think the Rangers will try to have Brian Leetch do TV work at all their games? He brought them luck, he helped them win. Heck he even was around for when the Sean Avery (2) and Marian Gaborik scored three goals in 111 seconds, the fastest three goals by the Rangers since Theo Fleury, Sandy McCarthy, and Brian Leetch himself did it back in 2001.


I am sure Hank didn't love the game and giving up four goals, but man. After not having seen so much as a sniff of goal scoring in what was weeks, feels like months, I'll take it. Every time. Columbus is not a bad team. They just couldn't stop the bleeding.

And if anyone knows how that goes, the Rangers are surely among them.

Five Things About the Rangers/Panthers Game. . .

This is going to be rough, because honestly, I'm not sure what to say that hasn't been said:

* If you missed it, the Rangers pre-game showed a great interview with Adam Graves and spokesperson for the NHLPA Goals and Dreams organization Rob Zamuner. Zamuner talked about visiting Bosnia, and how people would never realize how hockey has reached everywhere, even that war-torn corner of the world. Great stuff. Really great stuff. On NHTP favorite PJ Stock, his fellow spokesperson, he said:

"We were roommates in Boston. I'm glad he's gone and he's back home. We'll catch up with him tomorrow, but he was outstanding with the kids. Every tour needs a clown and he was ours."

* Speaking of...well. Anyone else surprised that Avery didn't get a goaltender interference penalty when he tangled with Vokoun last night. Not saying he either deserved it or didn't but, some restraint by the referee in not calling him for it. And some sarcasm by the author of this blog right there.

* Gaborik scored his 16th goal of the season which ties him with Alex Ovechkin for 2nd in the league, two behind Dany Heatley. Ho-hum, Gaborik scored again. Ho-hum, he's the only one that can. Seriously, what would the Rangers do without Gaborik? I argue they'd have won half as many games - at least.

* The Rangers took their patented second period nap in this game, but to me, they didn't look awake at all. Sure it wasn't the worst snoozefest of the year or recent past, but it was close. It's bad enough they are not winning, not scoring, but do they have to do it with such lifelessness? Callahan, once always a factor, has been a non-factor more than he's been one. Half the team seriously looks invisible. You ask me what any player did on the ice last night, save Gaby and Hank, and Prospal, and I really can't answer you.

* On that note, the Rangers team has too many passengers, not enough drivers. (Somehow I think I just referenced something from my college Leadership class - um, scary). They finally have a game changer again - thankfully- but they are wasting him by having almost every other person go idly by. No one was particularly bad in last night's game, but no one was particularly good either. And it's not good enough. The Rangers will continue to lose if they do not put forth a better effort. And that's what hurts the most. Yes, Captain-Fun is gone and Dubi is out, but how come Florida was able to win the game with three American Hockey League players in their lineup? The Rangers look like a disheveled and disinterested mess!

Someone, stop the bleeding - please!

Follow NHLPA Goals and Dreams 10 Countries in 10 Days Trip. . .

Goals and Dreams is a fantastic cause supported by the NHLPA and currently they are involved in a trip to 10 Countries in 10 Days to give away hockey equipment to continue to expand the sport of hockey.

Personal favorite PJ Stock and Rob Zamuner lead the group, and meet up with many former NHL players (and NYR players) along the way including Markus Naslund, Martin Straka, and Martin Ruchinsky.

Enjoy these clips and look for more here courtesy of the NHLPA.


Some of my favorites:

DAY ONE: (Naslund/Forsberg)

DAY ONE: (Naslund)

DAY TWO: (Tikkanen)

DAY FIVE: (Stock as Professional)

DAY FIVE: (Straka)

DAY SEVEN: (Stocker coaching kids)