Hockey Season Nears

I just got back from a trip to my hometown of Toronto, Canada. My family and I were visiting old friends and relatives and we had a great time rehashing old stories. While up in Toronto, the Mats Sundin Watch was still a huge topic for the hockey obsessed people of Toronto (not my words, Sean Avery's words, to be exact)... Avery's not far from the truth, I will admit. I personally don't understand the fury it has caused (waiting on Sundin's decision). He's a very good player, but as I've said before; he's not Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Etc... I could go on and on but enough is enough.

The NHL and college hockey season openers are right around the corner. I really am looking forward to this year. I will be the color analyst for the Quinnipiac Bobcats of the ECAC along with my good friend (and voice of the Bobcats), Bill Schweizer, as well as Don Boyle. I had a fantastic time doing radio for the Bobcats last year and this year should be even better. If you are in the area of Hamden Connecticut, check the Bobcats hockey team out... you will not be disappointed! It's a great university and they play in a highly competitive league of Division 1 hockey.

Back to the NHL, specifically the New York Rangers. The Rangers have announced the All-Time Ranger Team as voted by the fans and here were the results:

Goalies
Ed Giacomin
Mike Richter

Defense
Brad Park
Brian Leetch

Forwards
Jean Ratelle
Rod Gilbert (Mr. February!)
Mark Messier

Coach
Emile "The Cat" Francis

Hard to argue with these selections, the fans were dead on with their choices. I would like to see a 20 man roster chosen by the fans as well, though. I know that Harry Howell and Ron Greschner were 3 and 4 in the voting for defense. And what about the other 3 lines of forwards? Hadfield, Vickers, Etc.? Let me know what you think. I am very interested to find out!

Other Ranger news... the dates are set! Adam Graves' jersey induction is February 3rd and the fans get a 2 for 1 with Harry Howell and Andy Bathgate on the same night on February 22nd. Tickets to these nights will be tough to get a hold of, so get cracking on them now or you will be shut-out!

One last thing, my question to Ranger fans: Mats Sundin joining the Rangers... yes or no? Looking forward to your responses. Over and out!

Images thanks to www.oldtimershockey.com and www.quinnipiacbobcats.com

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Rangers Legends' Jersey Retirements

I just received my New York Ranger Alumni Summer Newsletter and the Adam Graves Jersey Retirement Night section really caught my eye. Adam Graves, for those who know him or don't know him, is one of the most honest & genuine gentleman you will ever have the pleasure to meet. I played against Adam and with him when he was in Detroit (Albeit 2 games). His play was tenacious and determined. I knew when he was on the ice, there would be no time to take it easy. His style was one of a skilled, yet physical player that kept you honest. Congratulations go's out to Mr. Graves for who he is and what he means to the Rangers and fans around the league.

I'd also like to congratulate Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell, they too will be honored by the Rangers sometime in the 2008-2009 season. I really love these choices because they too were true legends of the golden age of hockey. I grew up in Toronto when the NHL existed with the original 6 teams. I watched every team play whether it was the Rangers, Leafs, Canadiens, Blackhawks, Red Wings, or the Bruins. With players like Bathgate & Howell visiting the Leafs to play on the historic "Hockey Night in Canada", youngsters all across Canada were in high adulation of these players. They were/are heroes and the reason every kid in Canada wanted to play the game hockey. They played a big part in my dreams of playing in the NHL as well as the following players (and you will have to excuse me for being nostalgic here); Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Dave Keon and many more players. I could go on forever about this, but I'll stop here. Congratulations to Andy Bathgate & Harry Howell. Your time has come and you both are true Ranger legends (Could Ron Greschner be next? He should be)!

It's funny, because at Ron Greschner's golf outing, I had the great pleasure to sit and talk with another Ranger legend: Vic Hadfield. He mentioned Bathgate and Howell as candidates for jersey retirement. Vic, you're getting your wish!

I'll leave you with this: Enjoy the present day players of the NHL, but please don't ever forget about the past. Over and out!

*All images thanks to Google Image Search

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Nedved? Sundin?

Well, it's definitely a slow time for me with no hockey. I just about had enough of baseball (boring)! As I was checking out other sites, I came across a story on the Blueshirt Bulletin that totally took me by surprise. Yes Ranger fans, there's been a Petr Nedved sighting and he's coming to a Ranger training camp near you!

Where do I begin with this revelation? Yeah, we know he's been a Ranger before. He's a nice guy and all that. But, really, what makes anyone believe he has any gas left in the tank to give the NHL one more try (at 36 years old)? Sure, he'd love it if he could find a spot on the Rangers roster... I mean, who wouldn't? However, Nedved himself is a realist and knows that it is a bit of a longshot for him to survive final cuts. I guess the "No Guarantee" that Glen Sather has communicated to Nedved basically gives him the green light to attempt a comeback, where the Rangers are not at all on the hook money wise. All I can say is Good Luck to Nedved and I wish him well.

Another thing that's really getting out of hand is the "Mats Sundin Sweepstakes". As I've said before, I understand that Sundin is a future Hall of Famer, but what gives him the right to hold NHL teams at ransom? Never has an NHL player been allowed the courtesy, time, and effort (not even Wayne Gretzky) that teams have given Sundin so he could hum & haw about playing this upcoming season. And all this for who? Yes, he's still a very good player and will definitely help somebody, but please... Sundin is not bigger than the league itself.

I'll leave you all with this one, much like my with my last blog entry... Who is the all time Rangers penalty minutes king? The answer might surprise you! Over and out!

*Pictures in blog post are taken from Google Images & USA Today.com

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Golf Outing & Fan's Thoughts

I just got back from the Ron Greschner Foundation's 7th Annual Golf Classic and what a great time it was! I got to meet and play golf with some wonderful people, as well as see some old teammates & legendary Rangers such as: Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Gilles Villemure, Chris "Knuckles" Nilan, Mike Backman (His son Sean is a star at Yale), and of course Ron Greschner. Also in attendence was former NY Giants Linebacker Karl Nelson, actors Aiden Quinn and Joseph Gannascoli (He played Vito Spatafore in the Sopranos). All in all, it was a fantastic day (Although it was steaming hot)!

The people who attended put up some considerable amounts of money to play in this outing and to help out autism research and awareness. I'd also like to thank the man behind it all, Pete DeStefano - and the DeStefano family for the great time I had. If there was anyone who I missed, my apologies.

I'm going to put up the foundation's website once again down below so you all can take a look and check it out, after all - it's a great cause.

Now, the wonderful and insightful Rangers fans were heavy in attendence and it was interesting to sit back at dinner listening to their views on the team. The majority I talked to were still scratching their heads over Sean Avery's departure (about 75% of the people). Jagr's departure was about 50/50 as to those who wanted him to stay and wanted him to go. Overall you could feel the passion and excitement in their voices in looking forward to next season.

Everyone was also in agreement that Ron Greschner's jersey deserves its rightful place among the Ranger gods (I agree as well)! Hopefully sometime in the near future this will happen... it must happen! Oh, and one last thing, does anyone remember who was the first to crack 50 goals as a New York Ranger? I know I do. Well, over and out!

http://rongreschnerfoundation.com/

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Summertime Blues

It's been 10 days since my last posting and I'm basically bored. I can't wait for hockey to begin with the "new look" Rangers (and I really mean new look... read further on).

Soon, the season will start and the boredom will end. A couple of weeks ago I was watching the NHL Network (It's about time we had a channel dedicated to hockey) and the New York Rangers were on. The game that was on TV was the 4th and final game of the 2006-2007 playoffs against the Atlanta Thrashers. I was at that game and I remember Jaromir Jagr putting the icing on the cake with an empty netter. But, what struck me most was the players who congratulated him: Marcel Hossa, Michael Nylander, Marek Malik, and Michal Rozsival - all of which are goners (except Rozsival), including Jagr.

I did a little digging and checked the 2006-2007 opening night roster, as well as the 2007-2008 opening night roster, and then finally got to where the Rangers roster will be in 2008-2009 (Only the Shadow knows!). Talk about a quick, but under the radar, transformation! The Rangers have definitely changed the core of this team from 2 full seasons ago. There are currently only 4 skaters (not including goalies) on the roster that were in the line-up opening night 2 years ago! Those skaters were Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Blair Betts, and Michal Rozsival. Last season's line-up on opening night has 11 skaters that are still on the roster (again, not including goaltenders).

2006-2007 Opening Night Roster
(2 seasons ago... what a change, right?)

F - M. Cullen
F - M. Nylander
F - B. Betts
F - J. Jagr
F - J. Ward
F - A. Hall
F - B. Shanahan
F - M. Straka
F - M. Hossa
F - P. Prucha
F - N. Dawes
F - R. Hollweg
D - K. Rachunek
D - M. Malik
D - A. Ward
D - M. Rozsival
D - F. Tyutin
D - T. Pock

This upcoming season's opening night roster is going to be interesting. Gone from last year's roster are Jagr, Straka, Avery, Hollweg, Tyutin, Malik, and maybe even Shanahan. There will be plenty of jobs to be won or lost in training camp & preseason. I know I was a believer in tweaking this team, however I have to admit they got younger and faster. I will give it up for Glen Sather, the Rangers could not get out of the 2nd round 2 years in a row - so it was time to change it up. Out with the old and in with the new! The only problem I see is chemistry (Much like last years squad early on). Also, familiarity could be an issue as well. This process might take months, half a season, I really don't know. One thing is for sure, there will be a new look for the New York Rangers.

One other quick note, I will be attending a golf outing next week. The Ron Greschner Foundation, 7th Annual Golf Classic. It's a fantastic day and helps raise a nice amount of money to benefit Autism Research. If you have the time, please make sure to check out the website:

http://www.rongreschnerfoundation.com

Over and out!

*Pictures in all blog posts are taken from Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

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Free Agency and the NHL

With Free Agency down to a simmer and some teams holding their breath over Mats Sundin's decision whether to play or not (Take your time Mats, it's all about you), I look at this year's FA period with shock, excitement, and some huge "are you kidding me?" thoughts.

The shocks to me are Marian Hossa turning down multi-million dollar deals for a 1 year deal with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. This one smells a little... some verbal agreement must be in place or this one doesn't pass the laugh test. Brian Campbell's deal with Chicago, simply a "wow" is needed (he's gonna have to live up to it). Wade Redden's 6.5 Million a year deal with the Rangers opened up some eyes - big time. He's going to have to regain his earlier form of hockey, rather than his latest (that whole team in Ottawa took a quick downward spiral last year). I hope the change of scenery will help him, but he's gotta live up to his deal - just like Campbell!

There's plenty more around the league we could discuss, digest, and debate - but one thing's for sure: the NHL's top money teams: spent and the weaker teams (financially): did not. This is bothersome to me. A gap of 16.5 Million Dollars between the "haves" and the "have nots" is huge in the NHL. If the weaker teams don't spend to the max, how can you expect the fan base to support them? What you are saying is, come spend your hard earned money and we'll give you a 2nd rate product. I sometimes wonder how they're going to sell the game of hockey better in America, I don't have all the answers... I wish I did, but one thing is for sure - the money spent this year in Free Agency was enormous by the financially sound teams.

This is the same league that shut it down 4 years ago, isn't it? The league in general, plus owners, probably did a good thing then by trying to keep the spending down and give every team even footing. Wasn't that the goal of the lockout? 4 years later, the money has magically appeared and the spending is reaching that critical point, is it not? Some teams are not on even footing and let's face it - some are in quicksand.

*Pictures in all blog posts are taken from Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images, also Google images.

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