Author Archive
Derek Boogaard Makes Rangers Tougher, but Not Better
July 2nd, 2010
The Rangers' signing of Derek Boogaard isn't great news for the team.
Boogaard is an enforcer, brought in to protect Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist.
Donald Brashear was brought in to do that last season, but he proved to be too much of an on-ice liability to be effective.
Brashear's game was incomplete, ...
It’s Time for the NHL to Return To ESPN
May 3rd, 2010
Mediaweek is reporting ESPN and ABC are supposedly interested in getting NHL broadcast rights back from Versus and NBC .
The NHL needs to make this happen.
Versus has tried to be good to the NHL
They've given it prominent placement on their network.
They've promoted the NHL online and offline.
And the NHL has ...
New York Rangers: Playoff Hopes Grow Dim as Coaching Once Again Fails Team
April 6th, 2010
The Rangers' season has been defined by one sad but simple fact: The winning streaks have quickly been followed by losing streaks.
Going into Tuesday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres, the Rangers were 6-3-1 in their last 10, and 5-0-1 in their last six games.
Rangers winning streaks have been built ...
Were the New York Rangers Too Healthy This Season?
March 29th, 2010
Can an NHL team be too healthy?
Perhaps.
While injuries can devastate a team and completely derail a season (witness the Flyers right now and the Oilers all season), they can also strengthen a team, teaching players to step up and form a cohesive bond around the healthy players.
Injuries teach the remaining ...
Rangers Need to Get a Jump Start on Next Season…Now
March 23rd, 2010
Right now the Rangers are five points out of the last playoff spot with just 10 games left in their season.
They haven't been mathematically eliminated, but their dropping three in a row (having scored just five goals in those three games) gives every indication the team has given up.
There will ...
Sean Avery Might Have Found His Edge…60 Games Too Late
March 15th, 2010
When the post-mortem is conducted on this year's Rangers' season, there will be plenty of blame to go around.
The construction of the team wasn't ideal, with just one pure goal-scorer.
The defense was very young, and the two experienced defensemen weren't very good.
And the forwards were too small, with the team ...
After the NHL Deadline: Five Ways the Rangers Can Make It into the Playoffs
March 3rd, 2010
It was a quiet trade deadline for the Rangers and for most of the NHL.
The biggest move the Rangers made was grabbing defenseman Anders Eriksson from Phoenix for goaltender Miika Wiikman and a seventh round selection in the 2011 draft.
They also traded AHL players Jordan Owens for Kris Newbury.
So the ...
NHL Trade Deadline: What The Rangers Need To Do After The Olympics
February 26th, 2010
The Olympics are going to derail a lot of teams' trade plans this year.
The deadline is March 3 at 3 PM, so teams and players will go straight from the Olympics or an Olympic-size break right into the heart of trade season.
So basically teams will be making decisions based on ...
John Tortorella and Mike D’Antoni: Learning the Joys of Defense
January 5th, 2010
It's really not easy being a big name coach.
When you're a big name, you assume you're being hired for your coaching philosophy, so the tendency is to go straight into your signature coaching style, without really thinking about what's best for the team.
The New York Knicks and the New York ...
NHL: Winter Classic Needs to Be Open Air AND Open Ice
January 1st, 2010
How can you not love the NHL's Winter Classic? It's an exciting day, with national TV coverage, pomp and circumstance, all coupled with the beauty of outdoor hockey.
And the massive media coverage makes the Winter Classic feel at least as important as a Bowl game.
It's huge for the NHL.
But taking ...