NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #15-11

Part 3 of an 8-part series. Up tomorrow: Top Islanders' Moments #15-11.

15) Messier Night / Jagr Scores in OT
MSG - January 12, 2006
Can you imagine how angry the fans would have been after spending $500 on one ticket to Mark Messier Night only to see a loss? Granted, the ceremony itself was great - albeit very long. But during the last retirement ceremony (Mike Richter’s), the Rangers blew a 3-2 lead and lost 4-3 to Minnesota.

Steve Rucchin started the scoring, but then Edmonton scored 3 straight to take a 3-1 lead. The Rangers jumped ahead 4-3 on an early 3rd period goal by Petr Prucha, but Mike Peca’s shorthanded goal was his second of the night scored his 2nd goal of the night and tied it at 4 (his first goal tied it at 1 and it was a power play goal with Martin Straka off the ice for an illegal stick penalty!).

Maybe predictably for a fast-paced, back and forth game, overtime didn’t last very long. Just fourteen seconds in, Jaromir Jagr whipped one past former Ranger Jussi Markkanen, capping off a great night for Rangers fans.

How fitting of an ending for a 75-minute ceremony than an extra session of hockey?

Oh, but my overall favorite moment? Christopher Reeve’s widow (now deceased herself) Dana singing Carole King’s “Now and Forever.”



14) Leetch Announcing Adam Graves’ Night
MSG - January 24, 2008
For how good the game was during Mark Messier Night, Brian Leetch Night’s game was a rolling disaster.

Sure, the Rangers won in dramatic fashion, but it was more a matter of desperation than anything. They needed the points badly (they were merely 2 games over .500 at the time) and they had played a lackluster, downright boring game so far. Michal Rozsival potted one with 11 minutes left in the 3rd period to finally give the Rangers something to cheer about since the ceremony ended.

(Brendan Shanahan wound up scoring the only shootout goal to give the Rangers 2 points, but the game, overall, was still very boring.)

The ceremony, of course, was excellent, and definitely shorter than Messier’s marathon. The highlight was definitely when Leetch took the time out of his own night to announce that Adam Graves Night would be held the following season.

They played great together on the ice, and it was a great touch for Leetch to do this. He was never completely comfortable with the spotlight on him, and even on his special night, he shone the light on someone else. That’s a good teammate.

13) Jagr Scores :29 Into Season
MSG - October 5, 2006
Five months ago, Jaromir Jagr couldn’t even lift his shoulder after hurting it throwing a weak, awkward punch at then-Devil Scott Gomez. He had surgery to repair it, but there were doubts surrounding the team coming into the start of the 2006-07 season. The three main questions concerning the team were about Jagr’s shoulder, how Henrik Lundqvist would be after his problems in the ’06 playoffs after the Olympics (he played awful, if you remember, after coming back from Italy grinding his teeth while he slept and with migraines), and if Brendan Shanahan was a good signing.

Well, 29 seconds into the season, newly-introducted Captain Jagr stormed up the ice, cut across center, and fired one past notorious Ranger-killer Olaf Kolzig on the first shot of the season. The crowd chanted “MVP! MVP!” to Jagr, as he should have been crowned it the season before, but Joe Thornton won it when he overtook him in the points race at the end of the season.

Shanahan wound up scoring 2 goals in his Ranger debut, goals 599 and 600, Lundqvist stood tall, and for a night, all was perfect in Rangerland.

Who knew that the deciding factor of the season wouldn’t be Jagr’s shoulder, Shanahan’s ability, or Lundqvist’s migraines, but a last-minute icing in May in Buffalo.

12) Lundqvist Robs Savard
Boston - October 20, 2007
The Rangers and Boston have played some very close games since the Lockout, but none of them could top the 1-0 shootout won by Boston in October of 2007. Lundqvist had 19 saves, Manny Fernandez had 26, and the game was won in a shootout by Phil Kessel after the first 5 shooters didn’t score.

It almost didn’t get to that shootout, however, if not for an excellent save by Lundqvist on Marc Savard.

If you remember, this was also the game where Marty Straka blocked TWO Zdeno Chara slappers from the point and broke the same finger in two separate spots on both shots. If we had this website during this game, I would have called Straka a Warrior.

On the same power play, a rebound came to Savard and he absolutely rocketed a shot to an open net, except Lundqvist whipped out his left arm and caught the puck. A shocked Savard fell to the ice (partly due to the force he took the shot with) and looked to the heavens.

Between Straka being immortal and Lundqvist making one of the Saves of the Decade, the winner of the game didn’t even matter.



11) Nylander’s Playoff Hat Trick
MSG - April 17, 2007
The last time the Rangers had won a playoff game at MSG, well, I don’t know, but I assume it was in 1997, a full 10 years before they beat the Thrashers 7-0.

The previous year, against New Jersey, they got outscored 7-2 in their two home playoff games, and even though they got a standing ovation after being eliminated, it stung.

This was the complete opposite.

Kari Lehtonen was reinstated as starting goaltender after being replaced by Johan Hedberg for Game 2. The Rangers made quick work of him, though he was never pulled in the game. Michael Nylander scored his first goal 32 seconds into the game and his second 9 minutes later. His 3rd goal was the team’s 7th, completing what he started.

Ryan Callahan also scored twice on this night, 11 minutes apart in the 2nd period, and even Marek Malik scored on a great shot from the left circle. Shanahan scored the other goal for the Rangers, and Jagr had 4 assists.

It was a great night to be a fan from start to finish, and the sweep of Atlanta the next night made for a flawless first round victory.

Garden of Dreams Charity Event...

Thanks to Longtime Reader Lou (who was responsible for my seat upgrade a few weeks ago during that not-very-fun Sharks game at MSG), I got a ticket into the Garden of Dreams charity event last night at The Garden.

It was a great night with a free buffet (featuring prime rib), an open bar, Adam Graves, and 4 other Rangers patrolling the area all night.

Pictures? Of course I have pictures! But first, let me say...

- Donald Brashear does not like when you thank him for punching Aaron Ward in the face, even if you say that all Rangers fans wanted to do it.

- Marian Gaborik does not play fantasy hockey. And upon my request to slow down his scoring because my friend Dan has him on his team, he politely refused.

- Dan Girardi's Dan Girardi jersey looked a lot better than mine, although his was free and mine was the crappiest jersey NHL.com ever sent out. I probably should have returned it.

- Marc Staal will tell you he "dusted" me "for two goals" in air hockey. He would be correct, but I decided to let him score to boost his confidence. If he nets two goals against Florida on Saturday, I will accept kudos and congratulations.

- Time for the Worst Moment of the Night, brought to you by Amstel Light. Staal gave up his air hockey paddle to Gaborik and I decided I needed a picture of it. I put the paddle down a moment, reached for my camera to give Lou, and some 6 year-old girl jacked the paddle. Very rude. And since it was a charity event and she was a guest, I couldn't ask for it back.

- The coolest guy there was the PA announcer. He gave us really good inside information and even announced a line that we wanted to hear: "Ladies and gentleman, time for tonight's scratches. Number twenty-five, Petr Prucha."

If I knew Gaborik was going to be there, I would've worn my jersey!

This picture looks fake but I assure you, it is not. I was just afraid he was
going to hit me. Donald Brashear does not like me.

I'm 25. I shouldn't be taking this kind of picture with an athlete.

This is me teaching our youth to play air hockey. Protect the puck!

Reader Lou and Volunteer Brad after the event.

What Ranger Jerseys Can You Comfortably Wear?...

I started compiling this list after I was at the Ranger-Islander game at the Coliseum last Wednesday and saw Nikolai Zherdev and Lauri Korpikoski standing next to each other. Of course, it wasn't actually them, but two people who paid a combined $360 for the jerseys of two players who no longer play on the Rangers.

Yet, some players no longer play in New York, but you can still wear their jersey and be proud of it. And even further, there are some players who play here whose jersey should not be worn, and if it is, you should be ridiculed.

Think you're safe? Check the list...

Good (Wear Proudly)
Jaromir Jagr #68 (had a great resurgence in NY; since he didn’t win a Cup, you have about 2 more years with this jersey before you should move on)
Brendan Shanahan #14 (I would never fault someone for having a Shanny jersey)
Henrik Lundqvist #30
Blair Betts #15/19; Jed Ortmeyer #41 (you can wear there jerseys for years and they would be appropriate)
Nigel Dawes #10 ; Petr Prucha #25 (it’s not your fault they were traded)
Sean Avery #16
Dan Girardi #5; Brandon Dubinsky #17; Marc Staal #18; Ryan Callahan #24; Artem Anisimov #42
Mike Del Zotto #4; Matt Gilroy #97 (buy with no hesitation; there two will be around a while)
Marian Gaborik #10
Steve Rucchin #20 (because I have one, and every once in a while, I still wear it)
Petr Nedved #93
Brian Leetch #2; Adam Graves #9; Mark Messier #11; Mike Richter #35
Jeff Beukeboom #23 (or mostly any member from the 1994 Cup team)
Ales Kotalik #12; Vinny Prospal #20; Martin Straka #82; Michael Nylander #92 (not the superstar of the team, but they compliment a Jagr or Gaborik well)
Eddie Giacomin #1; Rod Gilbert #7; Andy Bathgate #9; Ron Duguay #10 (or any other number he wore); Phil Esposito #77 (if you were old enough to watch these players play)

Iffy (Wear Cautiously)
Darius Kasparaitis #6; Pavel Bure #9; Theo Fleury #14 (I don’t mind the players, but it’s time for a new one, don’t you think?)
#28 Colton Orr (had a solid season last year, but there weren’t other choices?)
#99 Wayne Gretzky (can’t fault a Gretzky jersey, but it has been a decade since he left and he was in the twilight of his great career here. If he won a Cup, that would be different, of course.)
Alex Kovalev #27 (hey, he still might come back, and after all, he did win the Cup here as a rookie)
Chris Drury #23 (you obviously bought it during the summer of 2007 when you thought he’d be a superstar in New York, but he plays hard enough most of the time to warrant wearing him on your back... sometimes)

Bad (Give Them Away to the Garden of Dreams Foundation)
(Before you ask, yes, I have seen all of these jerseys recently.)
Dale Purinton #5 (seriously, I once saw one)
Andy Bathgate #9 (if you were born after 1955, you should not wear a Bathgate jersey. If you have seen him play in person, go for it.)
Lauri Korpikoski #29; Fedor Tyutin #51 (while it’s not your fault they were traded, it’s your fault for buying one in the first place)
Wade Redden #6 (must’ve been a present)
Ivan Baranka #21 (one NHL game and you have a jersey?)
Steve Valiquette #40 (you got it to be different, admit it)
Michal Rozsival #33
Eric Lindros #88 (Only one other jersey makes me madder, and I even have a Lindros jersey... safely in my closet. While Lindros, the player, wasn't awful, this jersey symbolizes a horrible stretch of time in Rangers history and wearing it only brings up good memories. No one goes, "Oh, the Lindros Era! What a jolly time!")
Luc Robitaille #20 (he wasn’t here long enough/didn’t play good enough to warrant having his jersey still 10 years later)
Chris Higgins #21 (until he proves otherwise)
Nik Zherdev #13
Markus Naslund #91
Ryan Hollweg #44 (Yes, I have one - I got it after his great 2005-06 season - and no, I’ll probably never wear it again, even though about 15 players have signed it)
Tom Poti #3/16
Dan Blackburn #31 (by this logic, you should’ve gotten a Lundqvist when he first came up)

And the worst Rangers jersey to wear...
Scott Gomez #19 (You bought it when he was signed. He never did anything in New York except play well against them. Everyone sighed when he was finally traded. Yet, you continue to wear this on your back when real players like Prospal and Gaborik actually show up to play. If you have a Scott Gomez jersey, please don't wear it. No one wants to see it, no one wants to remember him.)

Checking Up on Last Year's Schedule...

Well, the 2009-10 schedule will be released very shortly (about 3:00, they say) and I figured what better day to talk about last year's schedule.

Last season, I wound up having a half-season package. I thought I would just have an 11-game plan, though, so I gave every game a "score" from 0 points to 3 points. The Rangers gave me a choice of four 11-game plans, and whichever had the most points, I would pick.

Turns out, they offered me a half-season plan after I already signed up for the 11-game plan, so I took the no-brainer: the plan with Adam Graves night and opening night.

Let's look back on what games I thought would be awesome or crappy, and how they actually turned out, shall we? ... ...

The 4 games I was most excited about were Opening Night vs. Chicago, Sean Avery's return game vs. Dallas in October, and the last two home games of the year, vs. Montreal and Philadelphia. These were the only 4 "3-point games." I did wind up going to all four.

The home opener was excellent, as it always it. Excitement, new players, great crowd, the Molly Wee Pub, a pretzel stick in my beer, and 2 points for a win.

Sean Avery's "return game" was horrendous. My friend Tom and I each had 4 beers on the train in and 4 at the bar. I had 2 at the game and he had 4. He passed out in the middle of the 2nd period, and I didn't wake him because it was so boring. Markus Naslund scored under a minute into the game on the power play, then the Rangers did n o t h i n g the rest of the game and lost 2-1. Horrible game, but we got Avery's autograph later (me on an Avery jersey, Tom on a Ryan Callahan jersey which he stained 10 minutes later with curry from his Halal sandwich).

The last 2 games of the year were great, also. The Canadiens game was good because a regulation win nearly clinched the playoffs for the Rangers. They were neck-and-neck with the Habs, and a big 3-1 win put them in position to clinch in the next game.

The game against Philly saw them clinch, keeping my friend Tom's streak of seeing them clinch in person alive.

So, 3 out of 4 games that I thought would be awesome, were indeed awesome.

(The reason I didn't give Adam Graves Night 3 points is because it wasn't announced when it was at the time of the post. Turns out, the game was horrible but the ceremony was great.)

Of the 3 games I gave no points to, one was a Sunday afternoon game against Philly. I was actually offered a very nice ticket to the game (but very expensive, purple seats, center ice, like $240) which I declined because I couldn't get off work. That game? A 5-2 stinker where Henrik Lundqvist was yanked early and the Rangers went down 5-0. I remember I was watching before I left for work and they were down 2-0. I switched channels, went back a moment later and it was 3-0. I switched channels for 3 more minutes and it was 5-0.

The best game I went to last year, off the top of my head, was a 4-1 win over the same Flyers. About 5,000 Philadelphia fans were in the building but Sean Avery scored 2 goals and those Flyers fans were hushed quickly.

One of my favorite parts of the schedule is seeing the road games and planning trips to see them. Two years ago, I did Boston, Montreal, Jersey, Philly, and of course the Coliseum.

Last year, I only did the Coliseum and Nashville, a game I had planned on going to. This year, they probably won't be there again (should be a home game versus the Predators, unless they play 2 games against them) but if they are, I'll be there. Great city, decent hockey atmosphere, clean building, and good memories since the Rangers won 4-2 after John Tortorella ripped everyone a new defecator after the 1st period. Plus, I was 3rd row from the ice.

Anyway, today should be the last exciting day of the summer for hockey fans until mid-September, when training camp kicks off.

I'll be working later but will probably write a little bit about what road games look interesting around midnight tonight.

Two things to expect? Lots of games against division rivals in the last 10 games (probably 8 of the last 10 will be against the Atlantic division); and no Islander-Ranger games on weekends (atleast not at the Coliseum).

Ceremonies...

October 14, 1979 - Rod Gilbert Night - Rangers 6, Minnesota North Stars 4

"You have given me a home, friendship, respect, and love, and that's more important than fame. For these things, I will always be grateful."

March 15, 1989 - Eddie Giacomin Night - Winnipeg Jets 6, Rangers 3

"You have been my motivation, my inspiration. It's the most thrilling moment of my life."

The bottom-feeding Jets scored 4 power play goals and 1 short-handed goal to beat the Rangers. The Blueshirts lost their 6th game in 7 tries yet were still in 2nd place in the Patrick Division, trailing Washington by 2 points.

Brian Leetch got hurt after scoring his 22nd goal of the season.

Giacomin became the 2nd Ranger to have their jersey retired and the 4th in NHL history (first 3 were Bernie Parent, Rogatien Vachon, and Tony Esposito).

February 4, 2004 - Mike Richter Night - Minnesota Wild 4, Rangers 3

"I'm wondering whose idea it was to get a guy who retired because of head injuries to memorize a speech to give to 18,000 people."

Adam Graves got the loudest cheers of the night.

Rangers were leading 3-2 on two Jaromir Jagr goals (and an assist), then Mike Dunham gave up two goals and the crowd chanted "We want Richter!"

January 12, 2006 - Mark Messier Night - Rangers 5, Edmonton Oilers 4 (OT)

"I was ready for the challenge of winning the Stanley Cup. I was ready for this city. I wasn't intimidated about coming to New York."

Leetch wasn't in attendance because Boston was playing (and losing 6-0 to Los Angeles) that night, but his video tribute gathered the loudest applause.

Rangers leading 1-0, Oilers go up 3-1, Rangers go up 4-3, Mike Peca scores in the 3rd to tie it at 4. Jagr scores a beautiful goal 14 seconds into overtime to end the game. A great game capped off an emotional and incredible night.

January 24, 2008 - Brian Leetch Night - Rangers 2, Atlanta Thrashers 1 (SO)

"I've always been privileged to play for the Rangers. We'll always share that championship banner that hangs from the rafters."

Thrashers had a 1-0 from early in the second period. The crowd was getting restless until Michal Rozsival finally tied it up midway through the third. Brendan Shanahan scored the only goal in the shootout to end a night that will be remembered more for the ceremony than for the boring game.

February 3, 2009 - Adam Graves Night - Rangers vs. Thrashers

As I sit here watching a replay of Game 7 of the Rangers/Canucks series in 1994, I'm reminded of how great a player Adam Graves really was. This team is missing someone like him, although Brandon Dubinsky reminds me of him in spurts. Graves went to the net, got smacked around, hit by sticks, cross-checked from behind, and still stood and scored. The 2 points tonight are needed, but tonight won't be remembered for the game, that's for sure.

Let Me Get This Straight...

So the Rangers are going to retire Adam Graves' #9 on February 3rd, 2009. Good for them. But did you know that they're going to retire that same number again just three weeks later?

That's right. On the 22nd of February, the Rangers are going to retire Andy Bathgate's number. Of course, that's the same #9 that they're retiring for Graves.

My head hurts just thinking about this.

The obvious question is this - why not just retire both on the same night? It's fine to honor two players who wore the same number, though it does beg the question of why the Rangers are suddenly honoring someone who played for them fifty years ago. In any event, the Montreal Canadiens retired #12 for Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer on the same night in 2005. Obviously, the Rangers could do something similar.

However, the Rangers are opting to pair Bathgate's ceremony with the retiring of another number - Harry Howell's #3. It's understandable that they'd do this at the same time, as the two played together for many years, but it's confusing. My only guess is that they don't think people are going to remember either Bathgate or Howell individually, whereas Graves is fresh in everyone's minds because he played so recently. Of course, both Bathgate and Howell are in the Hockey Hall Of Fame; the only way Graves gets in is if he buys a ticket. Take that as you will.

For a team that does a pretty awful job of honoring its lineage - all eighty-plus years of it - the Rangers would do well to take advantage of this opportunity to link its past to its present. Instead, the Rangers would rather pretend that 1994 was the only important year in franchise history and that the rest of it was just killing time. Yeah, every Hall Of Famer will have their retired by March, but a lot of Ranger fans don't know a lot about the history of their team; worse, the team won't give them any reason to even care. That's unfortunate.

One last rhetorical question - if the Rangers are so insistent upon doing these ceremonies on separate nights, why are they being done just three weeks apart? Since they're both in February, seems like they're trying to capitalize on a period of time when nothing else is going on in the sports world. Then again, the Rangers should know better than to think they'd make the back page of a newspaper in New York.

2008-09 Rangers Schedule...

Every year, when the schedule comes out, I write down all the home games, catergorized by month. I write down who they're playing, the date, and the day of the week. (Okay, I did this last year and I did this today for next season, as well.)

I then award each game 0, 1, 2, or 3 points. When I get my choice of packages, I count up the points, then whichever package has the most points, I get.

Oh, and by the way, I lied to everyone. I will be getting a package this year, if only so I don't lose my place in line in future seasons. See, when I first signed up for a ticket package right after the lockout, I got my choice of anything I wanted, any package (I picked the 7-game plan, now non-existant), any seat (mostly any seat, I picked blue line seats where the Rangers shot twice). The next year, the seats got worse, and last season, they improved, but barely. It's also nearly impossible to upgrade from my current 11-game plan to a half-season or full-season plan. So for those wanting tickets now, there is a wait.

Seven years of futility and a lost season means there's no waiting for tickets. Three straight playoff appearances and a team that isn't in it just for the money means you wait. Take the good with the bad, eh?

Anyway, I only originally gave 4 games 3 points. The home opener versus Chicago; Sean Avery returning with Dallas in October; and the last two home games of the season, against Philadelphia and Montreal.

I then figured out a few dates where Adam Graves' number 9 might be retired, and bumped any 1s to 2s, and 2s to 3s.

A few games got the dreaded "zero points." Those include Devil, Penguin, and Flyer games on Saturdays, when I wouldn't miss going to work and making $250 for a game I could catch any other time.

I remember one game in November of 2006, I had 2 tickets to a Devils game at MSG, and I sold them to a friend. The Rangers were losing 2-0, scored 3 goals in 90 seconds, and won. On my drive home from work, people on Steve Somers' show on WFAN were calling it the greatest regular season game in history. A text message from my friend concurred this non-exaggerated statement.

* * *

As far as road games go, I will be traveling to see the Blueshirts play this year. Probably a Saturday game in Boston, definitely one or two games in Philly (hopefully including the last game of the season). I'll probably go to atleast two games at the Coliseum and one game in Newark. Nice stadium. Frightening area.

Both games in Montreal are weeknights, which is kind of weak. Last year, me and some friends got there on Saturday, saw the Rangers' 5-3 win on Super Bowl Sunday, and came home on Monday.

I won't be going to their California swing, where they play the Ducks and Kings on back to back nights, but it's nice to dream.

Last year, I went to a Wednesday game in Newark, and a Thursday game in Philly. That was a lot of fun, but the schedule doesn't allow that this year.

However, the highlight of my schedule will be going to Nashville for the March 12 game.

Inside the Sommet Center, home of the Predators.

Formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

I could probably get front row seats day of the game.