Brian Leetch Night, Lunchtime Edition

Some random stuff before I head to the Garden:

Larry Brooks spoke to Jaromir Jagr and he said, "We can be a very good team if we play the way we're supposed to, and that includes me. Our record so far is kind of my fault, too. I take responsibility." So he is finally speaking like a captain, this is a nice change. Now it will come down to his execution in turning things around, and that starts tonight.

Sam at Rangers Report said that Marek Malik's status is unclear and he may have been traded. One can only hope, one can only hope. For all of my loathing for him, I do hope that nothing is wrong with his family because that is the kind of thing that could keep the guy away and keep Renney's mouth shut.

And John Dellapina of the Daily News put together a panel who decided Leetch was the best Ranger ever. Of course, while he claimed that they came to the decision this way: "Define the term as the player who produced the greatest body of work in a Rangers uniform and then pass the puck to a Broadway Blue-chip panel of Rangers players, GMs and historians to get their takes." And then he asked Neil Smith, Rod Gilbert, Mess, Richter, Gresch, Dave Maloney, Sal Messina and JD. So that means he asked Leetch's old GM, two teammates, two former Rangers who repeat the company line as ambassadors, Sal Messina and JD - a friend of Leetch's. Messina is the one guy in the panel who could come close to being called a historian, but where is Stan Fischler? If there is anyone who could fairly judge, it would be the curmudgeonly bearded geezer. Not one of the people he asked could make any thing close to a fair judgment call on this. That isn't to say that Leetch sucks, he was one of the best but there simply is no fair way to call this one.

And finally (for now), TSN is reporting that it is now written in stone that the Rangers will play Tampa Bay in Prague to start next season. They also will warm up in Bern, Switzerland. Looks like I am going to have to bust out my passport (and empty my bank account)!!!