Rangers News

Rangers lacking in offense
Comment
November 20
New York Post
 
"It has been more than a month since the Rangers have been able to win back-to-back games. It only seems that long since they scored more than two goals in a game or the power play operated with a flourish. The score of last night's match at the Garden was 4-2 Washington, with the Blueshirts failing to chin up to the three-goal bar for the seventh time in the last nine games, the first five of which were played before Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky were hurt in Calgary. So injuries are no excuse. Indeed, these injuries have only exposed the Rangers' lack of depth up front, for let's be honest, neither Drury (two goals) nor Dubinsky (three) was exactly lighting it up. Without them on the ..."
Rangers adapt to key injuries
Comment
November 20
New York Post
 
"It may not be acknowledged, and the coach may not admit it, but the Rangers have played a different style of hockey since Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky went down with injuries on Nov. 7 in Calgary. Since then, with the team's lack of depth up the middle exposed, the Blueshirts have been forced to play more defensively, resulting in seven goals scored in four games and just one win, which came in a shootout. Drury, still out with concussion symptoms, and Dubinsky, out until at least the second week of December with a broken bone in his right hand, are two of the best two-way forwards on the roster. In coach John Tortorella's system of "safe is dead," their skills were integral to ..."
Rangers hope to spark slumping power play with rookie Michael Del Zotto
Comment
November 20
New York Daily News
 
"The New York Rangers hope Michael Del Zotto can put the puck in the net when the Blueshirts are on the power play. This isn't last season, when the Rangers' power play couldn't get out of its own way, and it isn't the seasons before that in which the Garden crowd would slap its collective head every time Michal Rozsival would pass up an open look to defer to Jaromir Jagr. But the principle, and the mantra, are the same: Shoot the puck, Michael. Now that this year's Ranger power play has eased back to Earth following a blistering start to the season, John Tortorella believes one of the answers to its struggles may lie in the 19-year-old rookie who took over the quarterback duties in his NHL ..."
New York saw me "at my worst," says Fleury
Comment
November 19
Calgary Herald
 
"Theo Fleury has a message for the New York Rangers organization and Rangers fans: I'm sorry. Fleury spent three seasons with the Rangers (1999-2000 to 2001-02), when his addiction to drugs and alcohol were affecting his play on the ice and his behaviour off it. The former Calgary Flame was in New York to promote his autobiography, Playing with Fire, in which he details the alleged sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his former junior coach, Graham James. He told the New York Post that he regrets his behaviour while with the Rangers and praised Glen Sather, who took over as the Rangers' GM in the 2000-01 season, for trying to help him deal with his demons."
Rangers roughed up as offense fizzles
Comment
November 19
New York Post
 
"It has been more than a month since the Rangers have been able to win back-to-back games. It only seems that long since they scored more than two goals in a game or the power play operated with a flourish. The score of last night's match at the Garden was 4-2 Washington, with the Blueshirts failing to chin up to the three-goal bar for the seventh time in the last nine games, the first five of which were played before Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky were hurt in Calgary. So injuries are no excuse. Indeed, these injuries have only exposed the Rangers' lack of depth up front, for let's be honest, neither Drury (two goals) nor Dubinsky (three) was exactly lighting it up. Without them on the ..."
Time to fix Rangers
Comment
November 19
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"LET'S face it. The Rangers are in trouble. Not only are they plagued by roster deficiencies that have been exacerbated by a couple of injuries with which the organization seems unequipped to cope, but nearly every team in the East that finished behind them last season seems improved, perhaps dramatically so. The Islanders are better. The Thrashers are better. The Lightning is better. The Senators are better. The Sabres are better. And they are all harder to play against than the Rangers, every single one of them. See, that's the most disturbing part of the season, the most disturbing part of the way the team has been constructed and, to an extent, the way it has been coached. This mix of ..."
Caps, Ovechkin too much for Rangers
Comment
November 18
Bergen Record
 
"It wasn't so much Alex Ovechkin's offense that kept the Rangers from their first winning streak in over a month. It was their lack of opportunities. Not even the Rangers' typically strong third period could overcome tying their season low for shots. Ovechkin scored a power-play goal as he returned to the lineup after a six-game absence and the Capitals beat the Rangers, 4-2, Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers (11-9-1) have not won consecutive games since Oct. 14-17, which came at the end of a seven-game winning streak. Matt Bradley, who needed stitches after a first-period fight with Aaron Voros, scored the winner at 15:09 of the third period for the Capitals (13-4-4) off ..."
Shanahan Retires After 21-Year Career
Comment
November 18
New York Times
 
"Brendan Shanahan, 11th on the N.H.L.'s career goal list, announced his retirement Tuesday, bringing an end to his 21-year career. Last season, Shanahan returned to the Devils, the team he started his N.H.L. career with in 1987, but was released at the start of this season. He had not caught on with another team. "I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League," Shanahan said in a statement. He scored 656 regular-season goals with the Devils, the Rangers, Detroit, Hartford and St. Louis. He won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, and an Olympic gold medal and Canada Cup with ..."
In Ovechkin's Return, a Teammate Is Key
Comment
November 18
New York Times
 
"The Rangers got another taste of how good the Russian Olympic team may be Tuesday night when Alexander Ovechkin burned them for a goal and was instrumental in setting up another in Washington's 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden. It was Ovechkin's first game back after missing six because of injury. Last Thursday, Atlanta's Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk also returned from a six-game injury absence and had a goal and two assists in a victory over New York. "Unbelievable - I waited for this day a long time, two weeks, so I'm happy to come back," Ovechkin said. The Rangers, of course, have Olympians of their own. Marian Gaborik, who will lead Slovakia into the Vancouver Games, scored two ..."
Ovechkin returns, Bradley shines
Comment
November 18
Washington Post
 
"For one night, at least, Matt Bradley stole the spotlight from Alex Ovechkin. Bradley got into a momentum-turning fight midway through the first period, then scored the go-ahead goal with 4 minutes 51 seconds remaining to lift the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Ovechkin also tallied on Tuesday in his anticipated return from a six-game absence with an injury, but it was Bradley's clutch, Ovechkin-like goal that everyone was toasting in the visitors' dressing room at Madison Square Garden afterward. "Bradley was our MVP of the night," said defenseman Brian Pothier, whose empty-net goal with 17 seconds left clinched the win. "His fight changed the momentum of ..."
Avery grinds with old gusto
Comment
November 18
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"John Tortorella wants the Rangers to grind, but the head coach simply doesn't have enough grinders in his lineup. Last night, though, featured the return of Sean Avery to the grinding persona that had been missing for much of the early season. Avery consistently went to the net, battled in the corners, took hits to protect the puck, threw hits on the forecheck and engaged the Caps at essentially every whistle of the Blueshirts' 4-2 defeat. He played on the edge and he played with an attitude. Avery, who took one penalty himself, drew a roughing penalty on John Erskine early in third after referees Dan Marouelli and Dean Morton had given the Washington defenseman a handful of get out of ..."
Fleury sorry Rangers saw him at his worst
Comment
November 18
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"This was the final game of 1999-2000, the first of Theo Fleury's three seasons as a Ranger, and there he was, not on the ice, but a healthy scratch. And not only was he a healthy scratch for the first time in his career, but a healthy scratch as ordered by interim head coach John Tortorella and interim GM Don Maloney, men who had been on the job for all of three games following the respective dismissals of John Muckler and Neil Smith. This turn of events is why Fleury referred to Tortorella and Maloney as "wannabes," on Page 212 of his recently published autobiography, "Playing With Fire," in which he alleges sexual abuse from junior coach Graham James beginning at the age of 14 and ..."
Rangers roughed up as offense fizzles
Comment
November 18
New York Post
 
"It has been more than a month since the Rangers have been able to win back-to-back games. It only seems that long since they scored more than two goals in a game or the power play operated with a flourish. The score of last night's match at the Garden was 4-2 Washington, with the Blueshirts failing to chin up to the three-goal bar for the seventh time in the last nine games, the first five of which were played before Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky were hurt in Calgary. So injuries are no excuse. Indeed, these injuries have only exposed the Rangers' lack of depth up front, for let's be honest, neither Drury (two goals) nor Dubinsky (three) was exactly lighting it up. Without them on the ..."
Ovechkin gives Caps a boost in return
Comment
November 18
Washington Times
 
"Matt Bradley was battered and bloodied, but Brooks Laich knew he would earn vengeance. Bradley had the game-winner late in the third period Tuesday night after leaving in the first with a cut above his left eye from a fight, and the Washington Capitals celebrated the return of Alex Ovechkin with a 4-2 victory against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. "I went and saw him [during [JUMP]the first intermission] because I thought he was hurt, but he said he was going to continue to play," Brooks Laich said. "I told him, 'The hockey gods are on your side tonight. You're going to score a goal.' " Added Caps coach Bruce Boudreau: "That's what he's got - he's got oodles of character. ..."
Defenseman Wade Redden slowly regaining form for New York Rangers
Comment
November 17
New York Daily News
 
"Ilya Kovalchuk of the Thrashers came back from a foot injury in time to face the Rangers last week. Fellow scoring machine Alex Ovechkin is expected to return to the Capitals lineup' Tuesday night at the Garden following a six-game absence because of a shoulder problem. Such news generally is enough to have Ranger fans shaking, especially last year when defenseman Wade Redden endured an admittedly horrid first year in New York. But John Tortorella slowly appears to be regaining trust in Redden, even reinserting the $39 million defenseman on the power play for nearly two full minutes in Saturday's 2-1 win in Ottawa. The coach explained his reasoning following Tuesday's practice in ..."
Rangers to face matchup issues
Comment
November 17
New York Post
 
"Chris Drury might not be anyone's idea of a classic shutdown center, but the captain did give John Tortorella a legitimate, defensively aware pivot around whom the head coach could build a checking unit to go against the opposition's top line when he wanted to give the Rangers' own first line a break from that assignment. Now, though, with Drury sidelined for an indefinite period with the concussion he sustained in Calgary on Nov. 7, Tortorella is left with matchup issues. He will confront them tonight when Alex Ovechkin and the Caps come to the Garden, much as he faced them last Thursday when Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers riddled the Blueshirts 5-4. "I like head-to-head," Tortorella ..."
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist leading way for New York Rangers
Comment
November 16
New York Daily News
 
"Henrik Lundqvist has said he considers the period between mid-November and the New Year to be the dog days of the hockey season. But judging by how the Rangers are scoring lately, they can't afford to have Lundqvist dog it even for a second. On the heels of Saturday's 2-1 shootout victory in Ottawa that was mostly courtesy of their goaltender's handiwork, the Rangers came home to prepare for an opponent tomorrow night that has proven far more capable of blowing a game open than the Senators. What's more, the Washington Capitals expect to have Alex Ovechkin back in their lineup when they visit the Garden after a strained left shoulder sidelined their superstar for two weeks."
Tortorella: we need puck
Comment
November 16
New York Post
 
"The Rangers will pass the quarter-pole with tomorrow night's match at the Garden against the Caps as a team that's still attempting to place its stamp on the season. For through an uneven 11-8-1 start in which a 7-1 getaway has been followed by 4-7-1, the Blueshirts haven't been the go-go, high-octane club in head coach John Tortorella's image that might have been projected coming out of camp, warts and all. What they've been, for the most part, is whatever Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and the first power play unit have allowed them to be on any given night. "I think we've shown that if we give our best we can be right up there, but that if we don't it could be tough ..."
Avery's edge missing
Comment
November 16
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"Ever since John Tor torella came to New York late last February, the Rangers' head coach has responded to questions about Sean Avery by saying, "It's not about Sean Avery." Which has been undoubtedly true this season. It has not been about Sean Avery. Not even a little bit. Which is perhaps the most significant reason the Rangers have been much too easy to play against through an uneven opening 20 games, even with a volatile head coach behind their bench and even with Avery on the roster. But this has been Avery in name only. The snarl has been missing. The edge has been missing. The uniqueness that most often defies definition has been missing. The Avery that New York has come to know ..."
In Fleury's Memoir, Rangers Years Are a 'Nightmare'
Comment
November 16
New York Times
 
"When Theo Fleury was a Ranger, he said, he would stay out all night drinking, doing cocaine, going "below the streets of New York City" to "party with freaks, transvestites, strippers" or to "hang out with homeless guys around a burn barrel" on the West Side piers. He substituted Gatorade or his baby boy's urine for his own in drug tests until, finally, he had to take a break from hockey to enter a substance-abuse program. Much of his time as a Ranger, from 1999 to 2002, he remembers as a "nightmare." On Tuesday, Fleury will appear at a Manhattan bookstore in support of his memoir, "Playing With Fire," which was published last month and is the No. 1 nonfiction book in Canada. The book, ..."
Rangers get lift over Ottawa Senators from hot shot P.A. Parenteau
Comment
November 15
New York Daily News
 
"John Tortorella had gone through his top six forwards, his clear choices for the first six rounds of Saturday's shootout against the Senators. With Round 7 looming, he looked down his bench to a much less familiar player who had missed a completely open net only minutes before. P.A. Parenteau said he was still stunned over that miss when the coaches approached him. "We asked him, 'In Hartford, are you any good at this?' And he says, 'Yeah, actually, I'm pretty good at it.'" Tortorella said. "So we gave him an opportunity." Parenteau didn't miss the target twice. Utilizing "pretty much my go-to move," the Hartford call-up - 10-for-37 with four shootout winners in his AHL career - beat Brian ..."
Shut down in shootout
Comment
November 15
Ottawa Citizen
 
"For the Ottawa Senators, the visiting Rangers might have been just about what the good team doctors had ordered. New York was struggling on the road, losers of eight of their past 11 games overall, and still missing two vital centres, Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky, with injuries. Trying to capitalize on a lopsided early home ice schedule (but now just 5-3-3 at home), the Senators had to have this game, but let it get away, failing to convert on a 4-on-3 overtime power play and having to look Henrik "Hank" Lundqvist in the eye in the shootout. Even then, the Senators put two shootout shots past the sterling Swedish goaltender, while the Rangers had three on Brian Elliott in the Ottawa ..."
Rangers win in shootout
Comment
November 15
Bergen Record
 
"The scarcity of Rangers' goals lately has not escaped Henrik Lundqvist, who often describes playing in one-goal games as "fun." But in the security of Saturday's winning dressing room, the goalie could acknowledge this one was "nerve-racking." "Every score, every mistake, it's important," Lundqvist said. "I could feel it the whole game. You have to be sharp." Lundqvist made 35 saves, including two in overtime and one with the Senators skating four-on-three for the final 1:23 as the Rangers won, 2-1, in a seven-round shootout. P.A. Parenteau netted the decisive goal. The Rangers (11-8-1) continue to hinder their momentum by spending too much time in the penalty box. Which is why they ..."
Prospal gains big time through weight loss
Comment
November 14
New York Daily News
 
"John Tortorella has leaned on Vinny Prospal more than anyone could have expected when the winger signed on the cheap late in the summer, and Prospal says the main reason he feels equipped to shoulder that weight is that he's carrying less these days. With Chris Drury (concussion) and Brandon Dubisnky (broken hand) out for the foreseeable future, Rangers fans must wonder (not without trepidation) how many more nights lie ahead like Thursday, when Tortorella sent the 34-year-old Prospal over the boards to play 28 minutes of a loss to Atlanta , the most Prospal could ever remember playing. "Probably during the lockout when I played for my hometown (Ceske-Budejovice, Czech Republic ..."
Rangers ask Parenteau for help on penalty kill
Comment
November 14
Bergen Record
 
"P.A. Parenteau's AHL reputation is that of a scorer - 10 goals and 10 assists in 13 games for Hartford this season. But when it comes to the NHL, the right wing, 26, will do anything to prove he's worthy. That includes the penalty kill. "If they need me to do it, I won't say no," Parenteau said Friday after the Rangers recalled him and sent left wing Dane Byers back to the Wolf Pack. Indeed, John Tortorella said he would include Parenteau in his penalty kill plans for today's game at Ottawa because he needs others to alleviate Vinny Prospal's burden. The Rangers allowed two power-play goals in five opportunities in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Thrashers as they played their first game ..."
Rangers got a steal in Prospal
Comment
November 14
Bergen Record
 columnist Andrew Gross
"The early leader in the NHL's best-$1.1 million-spent category this season would have to be the Rangers. Quite simply, signing veteran Vinny Prospal for a bargain-basement, one-year deal has been nearly as important as committing $37.5 million over five seasons to goal machine Marian Gaborik. In fact, it's Prospal who now wears the "A" of an alternate captain. Not bad for a guy who didn't know where he was going to be playing less than a month before training camps opened. "Vinny gets me and I get him," said coach John Tortorella, who also had Prospal with the Lightning from 2001-03 and 2005-07. "I just think Vinny competes so hard." That's one reason a 34-year-old forward bought out of ..."
Ailing, overworked Rangers Thrashed in return home
Comment
November 13
New York Post
 
"Defense and discipline were lacking last night for the Rangers in their 5-3 loss to the Thrashers at the Garden. So were alternatives to Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal with top-nine vacancies up front created by Saturday's injuries to Brandon Dubinsky and Vinny Prospal. Thus, and partially because coach John Tortorella told front office people early in the week that he preferred not to disrupt the roster with promotions from the AHL Wolf Pack, Prospal played 27:52, including 11:06 in the third, and Gaborik played 26:02, including 11:01 in the final period with the Blueshirts attempting to come from behind. "I'm not sure what we're going to do [about the roster]," said Tortorella, whose ..."
Lundqvist shakes off rust in return
Comment
November 13
New York Post
 
"A slam dunk goal-against on a two-on-two just 19 seconds into last night's match sure didn't help Henrik Lundqvist shake off eight days of rust, er rest. "Of course I can feel that I haven't played for a while and to start the game giving up a goal right away was tough," said The King, whose return to nets for the first time since Nov. 3 ended in a 5-3 loss to the Thrashers, which Atlanta sealed with an empty-netter. "I battled... "The whole night was a big battle. They didn't have that many shots but they got pretty big scoring chances. It was tough to play, but I tried to stay in there and tried to play my game." Lundqvist, who missed his scheduled start on Saturday in Calgary because of ..."
Kovalchuk returns from injury, Thrashers win
Comment
November 13
New York Daily News
 
"And even though both the fans and the Rangers came on like wildfire during a frenetic and thrilling third period that was dominated by the home team, none of it was enough to erase the lapses of the first two. The Rangers - returning home from their week-long swing through Western Canada and playing without Chris Drury (concussion) and Brandon Dubinsky (broken hand) - at times looked every bit the depleted and discombobulated team in a 5-3 loss to the Thrashers, their eighth defeat in 11 games (3-7-1). Ilya Kovalchuk - given a green light to return from his broken foot so late on Wednesday that he made the team plane only because of a weather delay - scored a goal and set up two others ..."
History in the Atlantic?
Comment
November 13
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Could history be in the making in the Atlantic Division? Since the NHL realigned its divisional format in 1998, no division has placed all five teams in the playoffs. It could happen this season. Entering Thursday night's action, the Penguins, Rangers, Devils and Flyers all held playoff positions, while the Islanders were in a three-way tie for the eighth in the conference. "It doesn't surprise me," said Flyers center Blair Betts, who spent the previous four seasons with the Rangers. "The Rangers, the Flyers, the Penguins and the Devils have had pretty strong teams over the past few years and the Islanders are a young, gritty team with a lot of hard workers, so I kind of expected that. In ..."
Short-Handed Rangers Can't Answer Kovalchuk
Comment
November 13
New York Times
 
"Normally an early-season visit from the Atlanta Thrashers is not a special occasion, but Thursday at Madison Square Garden was different. The Thrashers welcomed back Ilya Kovalchuk, their captain and talisman - and a pending free agent - who had missed the previous six games with a broken bone in his right foot. Kovalchuk, playing between wings Maxim Afinogenov and Nik Antropov, responded with a goal and two assists as Atlanta won, 5-3, sending the Rangers to their eighth loss in their last 11 games. "Our line was clicking real well," Kovalchuk said. "We all speak Russian, and that's kind of cheating because they can't understand what we're saying.""
Rangers must defend The King
Comment
November 12
New York Post
 
"So Henrik Lundqvist, who may or may not return to net tonight at the Garden against Atlanta, says that the right thigh or groin injury he's nursing was not sustained during the couple dozen times he's been crashed into and knocked down in the crease. Even if that is the case, however, the goaltender told The Post yesterday that the Rangers will have to begin retaliating in some manner if he continues to be a target of onrushing attackers. "I don't think it's been as bad the last little while, but I know it's been a lot more than last year, and if it continues, of course we have to stand up and respond," The King said. "As long as we get calls, I don't mind getting hit if we get power ..."
Minus centers Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Drury, New York Rangers trudge on
Comment
November 12
New York Daily News
 
"Down two centers, and with no immediate plans to call up another one, the Rangers will soldier on without Brandon Dubinsky and Chris Drury beginning Thursday against Atlanta. Already prepared to not have Dubinsky (broken hand) available for more than a month, coach John Tortorella acknowledged that Drury (concussion) didn't "have a great day" Wednesday. The captain had shown signs of improvement earlier this week from the concussion he suffered Saturday in Calgary on a blind-side hit by since-suspended Flames forward Curtis Glencross. "We have to plan to go along without him here for a little bit until that shakes out," Tortorella said. "I know he had a good day (Tuesday), but he came to ..."
Forsberg not ready for NHL return
Comment
November 12
Camden Courier-Post
 
"The Flyers have expressed interest in bringing former captain Peter Forsberg back to Philadelphia, but it appears the 36-year-old Swede is not quite ready to commit himself to an NHL comeback. At least not yet. One day after Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told reporters in Toronto he would entertain the idea of putting Forsberg back in orange and black, a report by the Canadian Website tsn.ca said Forsberg instructed his agent, Don Baizley, not to pursue contract talks with any NHL teams until he feels more comfortable skating. The Rangers, Flyers, Bruins and Canucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Forsberg, who has not played a full NHL season since 2002-03. ..."
Kovalchuk won't play vs. Rangers
Comment
November 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
"Ilya Kovalchuk will not be in the Thrashers lineup Thursday against the New York Rangers. The Thrashers captain experienced soreness in his right foot warming up prior to practice on Wednesday, according to head coach John Anderson, and left the ice. After calling Kovalchuk's return to the lineup a "game-time" decision following the practice, the organization made the decision hours later that he would not travel to New York. His return for Friday's home game against Los Angeles has not been ruled out. The organization said the soreness was not considered a setback. Kovalchuk has missed nearly three weeks with a broken bone near the top of his foot. He skated for the first time since the ..."
Rangers follow Gaborik
Comment
November 11
New York Post
 columnist Jay Greenberg
"The more things change, the more they stay the same for the Rangers. Two seasons removed from the daily grind of checking Jaromir Jagr's pulse, they now will go as Marian Gaborik goes. Different personality. Different coach. Similar reliance on one player to carry the offense, however, and in Gaborik, not quite Jagr's ability to do so. Gaborik broke 40 goals just once in eight Minnesota seasons and 35 goals twice, though admittedly with a Jacques Lemaire harness attached. John Tortorella wants Gaborik, off to a fine start with 12 goals and 10 assists, to go, go, go, and the Rangers, a healthy 11th in the league in goals scored thanks largely to their 11 in two meetings with dreadful ..."
Dubinsky out four to six weeks with broken hand
Comment
November 10
New York Daily News
 
"The Rangers limped into and out of the playoffs last spring, but that had little to do with injuries following a season that included very few man-games lost in comparison to most NHL teams. This year's Blueshirts already have been more significantly banged-up, especially this week with Brandon Dubinsky lost for at least a month and other key players -including goalie Henrik Lundqvist and captain Chris Drury - remaining questionable for Thursday's home game against Atlanta. "It's a time that we're trying to get anybody with some soreness or any type of problems, to try to get them some rest," said coach John Tortorella, who will not hold a practice Tuesday. "That's what we're trying to ..."
Brian Leetch 'overwhelmed' to become a Hockey Hall of Famer
Comment
November 10
New York Daily News
 
"Only one man has played more games in a Blueshirt than Brian Leetch, but to hear the greatest defenseman the team has ever had tell it, that whole Broadway career was just one stroke of luck after another. When he was drafted as an 18-year-old, he said, he wasn't banking on a promising future in the NHL. Had the Rangers lost Game 7 against the Canucks in 1994, Leetch wondered whether it would have been prudent for them to move on. In fact, Leetch said Monday, he was almost bracing himself to turn in his uniform when Mike Keenan and his demanding personality came in to coach the Rangers in 1993. "You just look at Mike's history, when he came in, usually the guys who had been there the ..."
Rangers legend enshrined in Hall of Fame
Comment
November 10
New York Post
 
"Perhaps the former Rangers captain, Cup-winner, Norris Trophy winner, Calder Trophy winner and Conn Smythe Trophy winner thinks everybody gets those. Clearly humbled by it all, Brian Leetch says he belongs in some other cadet branch of the Hall of Fame. "It's such an overwhelming feeling," said Leetch, inducted into the Hall here last night. "I look at Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, guys you look up to as: 'That's the Hall of Fame.' Then, you're lucky in your career to play with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Marcel Dionne. That's special. I picture all those players belonging here. "There should be a separate wing I should be in: the visitors wing. To have that attached to your ..."
Leetch and Lamoriello Take Place in Hall of Fame
Comment
November 10
New York Times
 
"The longtime Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch; the Devils' president and general manager, Lou Lamoriello; and the former Rangers broadcaster John Davidson were among the inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday night. "It's very humbling to think of being included with all this history and these great players," said Leetch, who entered the Hall in the players category with Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman. "You look at the Hockey Hall of Fame as one big team in one big locker room. Even if I never get on the ice for one shift, it's the best team to be on, and I'm truly honored." Leetch, the seventh-highest-scoring defenseman in league history, spoke of growing ..."
Glencross Suspended Three Games for Hit on Rangers' Drury
Comment
November 10
New York Times
 
"The N.H.L. announced Monday that it had suspended Flames forward Curtis Glencross three games for a blindside hit to Rangers center Chris Drury on Saturday night in Calgary. In a news release, the league said that Glencross was suspended "for delivering a high hit to an unsuspecting opponent." Drury, who sustained a concussion from the hit, was turning out of the Rangers' zone without the puck as Glencross skated cross-ice and brushed past him, bumping Drury's head with his shoulder. Drury was helped off the ice and did not return. Glencross was not penalized on the play."
Former Rangers' star Brian Leetch to become part of Hockey Hall of Fame
Comment
November 9
New York Daily News
 
"Brian Leetch has raised a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a banner with his famous No. 2 over the years at Madison Square Garden. There's only one honor left, really, and Monday night's the night. There are 44 players in the Hockey Hall of Fame who have worn the Blueshirt, and you could argue No. 45 is the greatest of them all. Leetch will be enshrined Monday in a ceremony in Toronto as part of an epic class of hockey greats: Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille - a mere 2,101 NHL goals between them - will join Leetch, as will longtime Devils architect Lou Lamoriello. Former Rangers broadcaster John Davidson and Penguins beat writer Dave Molinari will be honored in the media ..."
String of injuries at center of Blueshirts' attention
Comment
November 9
New York Post
 
"The Rangers flew home from Calgary yesterday with their concussed captain, Chris Drury, aboard the charter. This should be interpreted as relatively good news, for the Blueshirts' medical team has a history of proceeding with brain injuries and would not have permitted Drury to fly across the continent had he exhibited morning-after symptoms. Still, there is no way to forecast how long the center, who sustained the third recorded concussion of his NHL career 49 seconds into Saturday's 3-1 defeat to the Flames on an unpenalized blindside blow to the head by Curtis Glencross while the puck was nowhere in the vicinity, will be out of the lineup. The news regarding Brandon Dubinsky, the other ..."
Leetch, Lamoriello to be enshrined
Comment
November 9
New York Post
 
"This Hall does not lead to the rocking chair, not for Lou Lamoriello. The NHL's longest-tenured general manager with the same team, the 67-year-old Lamoriello says he wants his 22-year reign over the Devils to run as long as it can. "As long as I feel good, as long as people think I'm doing what my responsibilities are and there's success, I'll do it as long as those things are there," Lamoriello told The Post. "But it has to be with the right philosophy, the right situation. "When I stop worrying about whether the buns are warm on the plane." That, then, would be the cue to retire for Lamoriello, who very deservedly and quite belatedly enters the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder here ..."
A Short-Lived Partnership Helped Leetch Seal a Legacy
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November 9
New York Times
 
"When Brian Leetch is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night, he will be celebrated for his many achievements as a Rangers defenseman and as a keystone player on what may have been the best United States national team ever assembled. But the brightest moment of Leetch's career took place alongside a Russian, who combined with him to form one of the most offensively dangerous blue-line partnerships in N.H.L. history. "It was like some kind of magic - we both knew what the other one was going to do," said Sergei Zubov, the defenseman who played alongside Leetch on the 1994 Rangers power play, and who worked seamlessly with Leetch and Mark Messier to create the famous first goal ..."
Kiprusoff keeps Rangers at bay as Flames win again
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November 8
Calgary Herald
 
"The anticipation of the confrontation created an obvious stir of tension Saturday night among the seat-takers at the Pengrowth Saddledome. So while the bad blood between Dion Phaneuf and Sean Avery never really amounted to anything more than a stiff shoulder check, it was left to little winger Nigel Dawes to make an impression. Dawes, in his first career game against his former team, gathered three assists as the Calgary Flames edged the New York Rangers 3-1 to end a two-game losing streak on home and stretch their winning skein to three games. Daymond Langkow, Rene Bourque and captain Jarome Iginla, who stretched his goal scoring streak to three games, scored for the 10-4-1 victors. ..."
Longest road trip of New York Rangers' season ends in dispiriting 3-1 loss to Calgary Flames
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November 8
New York Daily News
 
"This one hurt. The longest road trip of the Rangers' season ended in a dispiriting 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames Saturday night. But the truly punishing aspect for the Blueshirts came early in each of the first two periods, when their top two centers went staggering to the dressing room with injuries that could sideline them for a while and raised new worries for a team already playing without its franchise goaltender. The lasting image from this game was printed 49 seconds in, the Rangers' captain lying flat on the ice with a concussion, then needing support just to make it to the dressing room. Chris Drury was on the receiving end of a vicious, high and blindside hit away from the puck ..."
Ailing Lundqvist sits out Flames game
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November 8
New York Post
 
"The King is not Superman. Henrik Lundqvist, who on Friday had been named by head coach John Tortorella to start here last night after a one-game sabbatical Thursday in Edmonton, instead served as Steve Valiquette's backup in the 3-1 defeat to the Flames while nursing either a sore groin or tight right thigh. "I'm not going to talk about what it is, but it's a minor thing that's been bothering me for a while," Lundqvist said after receiving treatment following the morning skate in which he participated. "This is more for the long term." Lundqvist, who played Monday in Vancouver, expects to play in the Blueshirts' next game, Thursday at the Garden against the Thrashers. That would mark a ..."
Flame-out for Rangers
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November 8
New York Post
 
"The Rangers were beaten 3-1 here last night by the Flames despite their gamest effort of the season, but that's not even a third of it as far as their losses are concerned. For first the Blueshirts lost Chris Drury to a concussion 49 seconds into the match on a blindside hit to the head from Curtis Glencross on a play that should have drawn a five-minute major for interference but was not penalized, and later lost Brandon Dubinsky four minutes into the second to a potentially serious right forearm or wrist injury he sustained blocking a shot. The captain, who previously had sustained two recorded concussions in the NHL, the second on a Chris Neil blindside hit to the head on Feb. 22, 2007 ..."
Sean Avery heading back to the 'Dome
Comment
November 7
Calgary Herald
 
"Guess who is in town? Yep, Sean Avery is back in Calgary for the first time since the superpest opened his mouth 11 months back . In case you were on Mars at the time, Avery made crude and disparaging comments about Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert., whom Avery previously dated. The outburst proved to be the end of Avery in Dallas, but he hooked up with the New York Rangers (again) after receiving league-mandated professional assistance for his behavioural issues. Will he keep his mouth shut this time in Calgary? Or finally apologize to Phaneuf for his extremely poor choice of words."