Archive for the ‘Rangers’ Category

Sean Avery’s PSA Gets Dumbass Hockey Reporter Fired

Posted: May 12, 2011 by Keith Stone in hockey, NHL, Rangers, Sean Avery
0

Sean Avery’s recent PSA for marriage equality has raised quite a stir. First, it drew criticism from Todd Reynolds, an NHL agent, who tweeted, “Very sad to read Sean Avery’s misguided support of same-gender ‘marriage.’ Legal or not, it will always be wrong.” Rogers SportsNet broadcaster Damian Goddard then added, “I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage” for his his 500-or-so followers. A few hours later he was fired.

It shocks me that people would publicly comment so negatively about Avery’s PSA. Right or wrong, it’s a pretty innocuous 30 seconds. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but what kind of idiot involved with a mainstream entity like the NHL puts it online like that? What did this assclown expect? As for Reynolds, I’m sure anti-gay comments are really going to be great for his business. He represents Mike Fisher, who’s married to Carrie Underwood. She’s really going to want to be associated with him. Look guys, if gay dudes and ladies want to get married, is it really going to ruin your life? The only thing that will ruin your life is posting stupid, ignorant comments on Twitter. Mind your own fucking business.

ESPN

>Rangers 2011 Postmortem

Posted: April 24, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers
0

>

Capitals 3, Rangers 1
Capitals win series 4-1

The Rangers are like an ugly girl with huge tits. No matter how revolting she is, she’s always going to get attention from guys because of those boobies. Henrik Lundqvist is that set of double D’s.

It was Henrik that kept it all together. This playoff series showed what an outstanding goaltender he is. He stood on his head to keep the Rangers in every game. He’s the real difference with the Rangers pre- and post-lockout. Otherwise, they’re not even a playoff team. All-star. All-world. However you want to describe The King, it’s probably not enough.

The real shame of it all is that Henrik cares so damn much. When they pulled him today, you could feel the emotion in his eyes. He’s not going to be great forever so there’s no time to waste. When Jaromir Jagr was still around, scoring wasn’t the problem. Unfortunately, that’s still a void.

The Rangers have a nice young team, and hopefully its nucleus will develop into a force to be reckoned with. It’s a hard-working bunch of guys and you have to admire the fact that everyone is willing to take a hit or block a shot.

Ryan Callahan emerged as a true leader over the course of the season and losing him for the playoffs hurt a ton. Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan, Bryan Boyle, and Michael Sauer are all fine hockey players, but the Rangers scored eight goals over the five-game playoff series with the Capitals. It wasn’t only the playoffs; scoring was scarce all season, especially on the power play.

Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury both had injury-affected subpar years so the Rangers had to rely on their young guns. They did as best as could be expected but the team lacked an instinctual scorer, the guy that gets the puck and puts it in the goal by any means necessary. If anything, the team is too unselfish. It seemed like everyone was too concerned with setting up the next guy than doing anything himself. Being selfish is a good thing sometimes. The more the puck heads to net, the greater a chance it has to go in. It’s simple math. In other words, SHOOT THE PUCK!

Management should be commended for building through the draft instead of going for short-term fixes with trades and free agent signings. At the same time, the window of opportunity is so small. What is the right combination of youthful grittiness and veteran savvy that can get this team to the next level? Brad Richards is rumored to be on his way in. Blueshirt backers have grown frustrated with Drury and especially Gaborik but it may be to too early to give up on them.

Still, it’s better to have big tits than be an ugly flat-chested broad (like a certain team from Long Island). With a little plastic surgery over the summer, a touch-up here and there, and hopefully some natural improvement, the Rangers can go from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. King Henrik is far too good for the Rangers to remain in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.

>Rangers-Capitals Game 4 Quick Reaction

Posted: April 21, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals
0

>

Capitals 4, Rangers 3 (2OT)
Capitals lead series 3-1

That was brutal. Imagine the girl you had a crush on was like “I really just like you as a friend…wait actually…no just like a friend…wait actually…no just a friend.” That’s what this game was like. I didn’t think anything would be worse than the DeSean Jackson Eagles game but this was worse. Same scenario. We were up by three scores. First one they got back, it was because of a lack of effort. The second one was a bit of luck. And that third one. The backbreaker. They just worked for it. But then, they didn’t go for the kill right away. They let us hang around for an extra two periods. Gave us hope. And then pulled it away. It just hurts because after Boudreau’s comments the other day, we were really letting him hear it. It was personal. I can’t bear the thought of him leaving the Garden with a smile on his face. The Rangers were plain overconfident. They kicked ass in the second period but forgot the game was still going on in the third. The first goal they gave up was total carelessness and it gave the Caps the momentum to get back into the game. It’s going to be tough to win in Washington but that’s two third period-leads the Rangers have blown in the series so it’s far from being a beatdown. The Rangers have survived every time they’ve been counted out this season. Hopefully, this is another of those times.

>Rangers-Capitals Game 3 Quick Reaction

Posted: April 18, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals
0

>

“A real man makes his own luck.”—Dwight K. Schrute

This was a must-win and it showed. The Rangers still had their usual problems. It was a struggle to score. They held on to the puck too much instead of shooting it. But this time they had a little luck. Christensen scored a nifty little bad-angle goal, Prospal was in the right place at the right time to put back a rebound, and the puck finally bounced the right way for the winning goal. I think the real key is Dubinsky’s mustache. That’s a bad ass stache. The whole team needs to grow one. The goal at the end of the second period was also pretty lucky but was unfortunately apparently a tenth of a second too late. The explanation was dubious if you ask me. Three games in and the Caps have scored only six goals. Pretty good. The Rangers need to stick to their game and make sure to shoot the puck. Neuvirth is perhaps cooling down a bit, but the more the puck is going towards the net, the greater a chance for a deflection, rebound, or even just a nice bounce. As long as they hold serve at home and grow luxurious mustaches, the Blueshirts should be OK.

>Rangers-Capitals Game 2 Quick Reaction

Posted: April 16, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals
0

>

The Rangers came out with a lot more intensity tonight but couldn’t convert. I liked Sean Avery’s presence in the lineup but Michal Neuvirth has been better than anticipated. The Rangers were undisciplined in taking two silly penalties, one of which led to a goal, but the D overall has been fine. It’s not like the Capitals are completely dominating these games. They have to come out big in Game 3 at the Garden. It’s totally possible for the series to head back to Washington tied 2-2 but the Rangers need to keep the puck in the offensive end and get shots on goal.

>Rangers-Capitals Game 1 Quick Reaction

Posted: April 14, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals
0

>

The Rangers played great for 54 minutes. Unfortunately, hockey games last 60 minutes (and sometimes more). King Henrik was at his best in goal and the posts were working in the Blueshirts’ favor but they still couldn’t steal Game 1. Washington is such a fast team and had a ton of chances to score. They came out fast at the beginning of the game and the Rangers weathered the storm. Michal Neuvirth did a lot better than I expected. His reflexes were quick and he stopped most of the Rangers’ best chances. The one goal he allowed was a great one, though. Brandon Prust did a nice job controlling the puck, Wojtek Wolski made an excellent pass, and Matt Gilroy took a hell of a shot. It was a lot more impressive than the goal by Washington in regulation. I felt like Ovechkin and Semin were allowed to stroll into the crease and stuff the puck in. The final result is frustrating but hopefully will give the Rangers confidence that they are just as good as the Capitals. The Blueshirts are going to need to score more than one goal to win Game 2 but I think they will come out and play a lot more aggressively now that all the newcomers know what playoff hockey is all about.

>Back From the Dead: A 2011 Rangers Playoff Preview

Posted: April 13, 2011 by Keith Stone in NHL, Rangers, Stanley Cup Playoffs
0

>

Despite finishing the season on an impressive 11-4-1 swing, the Rangers still needed help to make the playoffs. Only after a 6-2 Tampa Bay win over Carolina was it finally time to celebrate. It was that type of year for the Blueshirts. Nothing was ever easy for a young team that had trouble scoring and dealt with a lot of injuries.

The Rangers defense was its strong suit all year. They aren’t the most talented team by far but they might be the most gritty and hard-working. Nobody is afraid to make a hit or block a shot, as evidenced by Ryan Callahan breaking his ankle by taking a Zdeno Chara slapshot in a game the Rangers needed to win. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi elevated their game to become one of the NHL’s best defensive pairings and recently-acquired Bryan McCabe is the quarterback on the power play that the Rangers were missing for years.

Of course, any defense looks great when it’s backed by all-world netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist is the only irreplaceable part on the team and was 6th in the NHL in both save percentage and GAA. He also played the least amount of games this year since his rookie year although he’s played in 26 straight games after backup Martin Biron went down with a broken collarbone. Lundqvist should be fresh for the playoffs and if he gets hot, he can take over a playoff series.

The offense is the one big question. Marian Gaborik followed up his 42-goal season with 20 less and nobody has stepped up to fill the void. The Rangers have had games where they exploded for six or seven goals but there have too often been games against weak teams where the Rangers struggle to get anything on the board. Surprisingly, they ranked fifth in the league in goal differential due in large part to the D.

The injuries haven’t helped as Gaborik, Callahan, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal, and Alex Frolov have missed significant time. Before Cally went down, it was the healthiest the team had been all season. Prospal was playing well although Gaborik was struggling to get into the swing of things and hasn’t scored a goal in nine games. Drury returned for the last game of the season and scored a huge goal, his only one of the season. Don’t sleep on the captain. Clutch is his middle name.

The Rangers are one of those teams that plays to the level of their opponent. Teams like that usually struggle in the playoffs. They won the season series against Washington 3-1 but lost games down the stretch to teams playing out the string like the Islanders, Ottawa, and Atlanta. The Capitals are a high-powered team and also enter the playoffs on a hot streak. The key will be staying physical, especially with Alex Ovechkin.

The Rangers’ one big advantage is in net, where the Caps are starting rookie Michal Neuvirth who has played less career games than Lundqvist played this season. Washington also has a history of bombing out in the playoffs and has been eliminated in the first round two of the past three years. That other year they beat the Rangers in seven despite falling in a 3-1 hole.

The Blueshirts and Lundqvist should be able to keep the Capitals from exploding on the score board. The one question is are they going to score goals themselves? The power play, which has scored once in its last 27 tries, needs to come alive. If the Rangers can’t score on Neuvirth, they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway. The Caps are far more talented but the youthful Rangers are built on outworking their opponent. Several Rangers will be making their playoff debut tonight. If they hold their own and play consistently, they’re going to be trouble for any team.

Newer Entries