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.

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.)

Just Brainstorming Here...

I'm back from Las Vegas (mid-September and still 100 degrees!) and I received a 2-for-1 in the week I was gone. Not only was Dany Heatley traded, but Phil Kessel was as well, leaving September only for training camp, and no drama.

I'm just brainstorming, but let's say for argument's sake, the 6 defensemen who make the Rangers roster for opening night are: Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Mike del Zotto, and Matt Gilroy. Not a huge stretch, right? Sure, you could possibly sub Bobby Sanguinetti in for del Zotto, but that has no effect on my point today.

The newspaper today said that Rozsival and Redden would be top pairing, like they were together for most of last season. My question is: Why?

Now, it's well-documented that I am against having Redden and Rozsival on the team simply because this is a Salary Cap Era. If there was no Cap, then having a waste of space like Wade Redden on the team would simply be par for the course. They'd demote him to 3rd-line pairing or send him to Hartford, and spend big money on someone better than him.

Of course, since his $6.5M/year is looming large for the next 5 years, he has no choice but to play. And of course, it ultimately cost Tom Renney his job, as Renney's over-reliance on him led to his downfall.

Same for Rozsival. While I may personally like Rozsival and think he is a decent defenseman, he in no way warrants $5M/year, Salary Cap Era or not.

So why pair them together? They were horrendous separately and together last year. Plus, by doing that, you are putting 2 pairs of "kids" on the blueline.

Girardi and Staal should be a tandem. They were last year often, they play well together, one is a lefty, one is a righty. Both broke into the league near the same time and both are equally as good as the other.

So that leaves Del Zotto and Gilroy, two rookies together, no?

I say John Tortorella should put Gilroy with either Redden or Rozsival, and Del Zotto with the other one. That way the future top-pairing could learn from the veterans, who could (hopefully) cover the mistakes the rookies make.

Couldn't hurt, right?

My ideal pairings...
Redden - Gilroy (Redden is a left-handed shot, Gilroy a right-handed shot)
Staal - Girardi (Staal, lefty; Girardi, righty)
Del Zotto - Rozsival (Del Zotto, lefty; Rozsival, righty)

I mean, it's not like Redden and Rozsival were so dominant last season that breaking them up would be disastrous. They aren't MacInnis-Suter, Leetch-Beukeboom, or Stevens-Neidermayer. Hell, they aren't even Staal-Girardi. They're one step better than the pre-lockout pairing of Vladimir Malakhov and Boris Mironov.

It worked 2 years ago when Staal paired with Paul Mara. Why not let the rookies learn from the veterans? At the very least, they could learn what not to do.

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.

"Rangers Eager to Rise to Moment Today"...

Yes, I completely ripped off that headline from the Rangers' official web site, but it sums up what I'm thinking.

It seems that no matter what happens with this team, some problems don't go away. I'm not talking about just this year or since the lockout, I'm talking about since 1997-98 and until today.

Examples, you say?

1) The power play features too much passing and not enough shooting. This was a problem with Brian Leetch. This was a problem with Petr Nedved. This was a problem with Tom Poti. Jaromir Jagr did the same thing. Marty "The Warrior" Straka (the nickname will stick) did it, mostly to Jagr, who would pass back. Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Scott Gomez, and Dan Girardi do it now.

2) The Cracker Jacks at MSG are awful. All of the peanuts settle to the bottom, and by the time you've eaten that much caramel popcorn, you feel ill and don't even want to look at a peanut. This has happened from the Gretyzky-Graves era up of yore until the Gomez-Girardi era today. (I'm a little young, but I would like to know if this awfulness happened during the Giacomin-Gilbert era of the 1970s.)

3) The play poorly against bad teams. How else do you explain a decimated Islanders squad beating them last year and nearly beating them again two-and-a-half weeks ago?

4) The Rangers rise to the occasion against good teams. Okay, okay, maybe this wasn't true in 2003-04, when lost points to bottom-feeders like Atlanta, Florida, Pittsburgh, and Washington solidified their place on the outside of the playoff race (and as big-time sellers at the trade deadline).

It's like they rarely ever crush an opponent. When's the last time they scored 7 goals in a game? Without searching for game results for the past years, I can name three games. There was Game 3 against Atlanta in 2007 when they won 7-0. Earlier that year, I think on St. Patrick's Day, they scored 7 against Boston, and in January of 2006 they beat the Penguins 7-1 and had 55 shots on net, which I believed tied a 1970s team record.

But they never just beat up on a real weak team. They don't beat the Islanders 5-0, 6-1. They lose 4-3 or squeak out a 2-1 win at home on a Matt Cullen shootout goal. They don't pulverize Tampa Bay. They outshoot them 41-21 and 39-19 and win 2-1 games. You get the point.

Yet, they often play very well against good teams. This year, they even almost beat Detroit, a very rare feat for them in the past decade.

They've only played Boston once this year, and it took a Nigel Dawes goal late in the third, a Markus Naslund goal in the last minute, a nice Chris Drury shootout move, and a patient Henrik Lundqvist in the shootout to get two points. Yet, they did technically win the game.

They seem to be playing Boston at the right time right now. They were 12-1 in December, but are "only" 7-3-2 this month. One of those wins was a shootout, one was a David Krejci overtime goal, one was against an awful Ottawa team, and one was a 2-1 win against the Islanders.

Boston might be looking pedestrian (a phrase I enjoy using but do not fully understand) right now, but don't be fooled. They are a scary team. They have a solid group of role players - Krejci, Blake Wheeler (who I heard the Rangers were in on, but he chose Boston in the off-season), Milan Lucic - who never take a shift off. They have a few superstars who've bought what Claude Julien is selling, including New York castoffs Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara, and a some guys on the brink like Phil Kessel, Patrice Bergeon, and Marco Sturm who chip in points every game. Add in a very Lundqvist-like goalie in Tim Thomas (and a 1A goalie in injured Manny Fernandez), and they are dangerous. Oh, and who could forget Aaron Ward?

By the way, that photo up top is Marc Savard, not Nigel Dawes.

It should be a real good game. I hope the Rangers "rise to the moment today" and play this like a playoff game, because it could win up being a playoff preview.

And I hope Tom Renney doesn't inform them that they have been outscored 7-0 in afternoon games this year.

Preseason!...

I don't care that the Rangers lost today. It's only preseason, and as we all know (or maybe some don't), the Giants, Patriots, and Colts all went 1-3 in preseason before winning the Super Bowl that year.

But I've never been quite so excited to see a preseason game played as I was today. It's been a while since the Rangers played hockey, just over 4 months, and they have a lot of redemption to do this year. It was a welcomed sight to see a bunch of white jerseys on the television today. It almost makes me wish I didn't sell my tickets to Monday's game at the Garden against the Senators.

It's going to be a good year, regardless of where our New York Rangers end up.

* * * 

A hearty farewell goes out to the world's biggest Brian Leetch fan, John Dellapina, who covered the Rangers for the Daily News (and was, subsequently, the only good part of that newspaper) since the 1994-95 season.

We never like to link to other blogs much at this site, but I must say, his goodbye blog is worth reading from a sports perspective. While many journalists like to hide their allegiance, Dellapina never wavered in being a Rangers fan, even during their playoff-less years. He had his dream job when he got to travel with and cover the Rangers, and he never pretended he wasn't less than thrilled to do it.

A good article from a good fan.

A Quick Goodbye to Jaromir Jagr...

An alternate title to this could have been "How Radek Dvorak Turned Into the Best Player the Rangers Have Had in a Decade."

Radek Dvorak and Cory Cross (bad memories!) were traded to Edmonton for Anson Carter (and Ales Pisa, who never quite fit in the NHL). Ten months, 54 games, and 22 disappointing points later, Carter was dealt straight up for Jaromir Jagr. At first, I was angry at the trade, saying the Rangers didn't need another aging superstar.

Then, the decision was made to buyout Bobby Holik's contract the summer before the NHL re-started operations and to build the team around JJ. History was made.

Jagr's first and last games as a Ranger were bad. The first game happened in Ottawa and the Rangers lost 9-1, causing someone I was friends with at the time - who had no knowledge of hockey - to say, "What was that, baseball? I didn't know hockey scores got that high." Especially pre-lockout! (Hey, Jussi Markkanen and Jason LaBarbera were in goal that night.) His last game was Game 5 in Pittsburgh (fittingly), where the Rangers lost in overtime, 3-2. Also fittingly, he took two hooking penalties in the game.

I happened to be at the Garden for his first and last home games, as well. His first home game was against the Panthers, and the Rangers won 5-2. Jagr assisted on Brian Leetch's goal, then scored the game winner, then got an assist on Matthew Barnaby's empty-netter. One goal, two assists on his first night in NY. It was a great game in a dark season and it drew his first standing ovation from the Garden faithful. 

His last game at MSG was Game 4, where the Rangers shut-out Pittsburgh 3-0. This time, the statline was reversed. He had 2 goals - the game winner and an empty netter -  and 

assisted on Brandon Dubinsky's goal. He clapped at the crowd as we chanted "Jag-er! Jag-er!" (Editor's Note: Glen Sather must have forgotten about this game.) (Editor's Note 2: The "Re-sign Av'ry!" chants were also forgotten.)

Besides those 2 games, I was there in October 2006 when he was introduced as Captain, then scored 29 seconds into the game with a still-injured shoulder. I was there in March 2006 at the Nassau Coliseum when he had 4 first period assists (with one incorrectly given to his as a goal for a short time) to break Jean Ratelle's Rangers record for points. I was there in March 2007 when he scored in a shootout in the turning point of the season for the Rangers. If he didn't score, they would have lost, and he was getting heat for not participating in shootouts. So he came out, did a move, scored, and they wound up winning on a Marcel Hossa goal in the 4th round of a game there were down 2-0 with 9 minutes left.

Anyway, there's not much that I can say that hasn't been said by every newspaper and online outlet out there. Yes, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he was much more than that. He was an extremely nice and vulnerable man. He would sign autographs for every kid there was, but if there was an autograph hound looking for one to sell, he wouldn't sign a thing for him.

He got a bad rap from the crowd at the Garden when he slumped. He bought into Tom Renney's defense-first system, which severely hampered his goal-scoring. However, he was still a beast when he could. He played injured ever since 2005 with hip flexor problems, yet he never complained and he didn't miss one regular season game as a Ranger (his last full season before 05-06 was 95-96). He did miss one game as a Ranger, and that was Game 3 against the Devils in the 2006 playoffs. He came back for Game 4, but got crushed against the boards and couldn't return. 

He was a great Ranger in his time in New York. I remember during the lockout, he said that if he wasn't a Ranger, he wouldn't come back to the NHL. So it doesn't surprise me that he is playing in Russia this year instead of signing with another team in the NHL. But can you imagine if he signed in the Western Conference? With all that open ice, he could have put up another 100-point season.

I wish him luck in Russia, and wonder what Petr Prucha is going to do without him.

L-R: Mario Lemieux, Jagr, Mark Messier, Brendan Shanahan. 

Jagr and Shanahan being honored at MSG for scoring their 600th NHL goals.

On Second Thought...

Sorry for usurping Bryan's post...

The Rangers once again, like in the pre-lockout days, opted for the "big name" free agent. Instead of keeping Derek Armstrong, they had to have Valeri Kamensky. Instead of Mark Streit at $4.1M, they took Wade Redden at $6.5M. 

I've had time to think about it, and I declare this the worst day to be a Ranger fan since Brian Leetch was traded.

My girlfriend yelled at me for declaring myself an Islanders fan about 30 minutes ago.