MZA Update

With the injuries that have ravaged the Rangers, many have wondered just how the much-hyped Mats Zuccarello-Aasen has been faring as he makes his transition to Harford and North American hockey.

Bob Crawford, the Senior Vice President, Broadcasting and Media Relations of the team soon not to be known as the Wolf Pack and the author of Crawford's Corner, was kind enough to pass along a scouting report:

"He seems to me to be doing fine. The whole team really hasn't lit it up offensively to this point. It looks to me like he's still getting used to not having as much room out there and having to make all the plays a little bit quicker and with less space, but he doesn't seem to mind the rough going at all, and the two goals he has scored have been the result of being willing to go to the front of the net and battle."

The Pack have home games tonight and tomorrow night for those in and around Connecticut. Even though their home page has made the change, their official name change to the Connecticut Whale won't officially take place until November 27th, in a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. And I don't believe it is official yet but it is expected that a game against Providence in February will be outdoors. Can't freakin' wait, even if it means paying to watch Wade Redden play again ...

Quick Look At The Cuts

I vented a little bit on Twitter but figured I would add some analysis here...

PLAYERS ASSIGNED TO HARTFORD (AHL) ON 9/27/10:
Goal (1): Chad Johnson
Defense (1): Wade Redden
Forward (6): Dane Byers*, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury*, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams*, Mats Zuccarello
* Player must clear waivers prior to being assigned to Hartford

Wade Redden, hahahaha. If Wade ends up in Hartford I will actually be quite disappointed. As mentioned in this space multiple times, I really think he should head overseas. Why let his stink of failure infect the kids on the farm? They will start to believe that they too can play mediocre hockey and make big money, and we simply can't have that.

As for the rest of the guys, we are certain to see at least some of them down the road. It is disappointing Zuccarello was sent down but it is probably best - he can continue to adjust to North American hockey outside of the critical eye of New York. From all indications, he will make the show sooner rather than later. Grachev on the other hand ... well, I don't have the faith that others do but - as has been pointed out to me - he is just 20 years old so there is plenty of time. Weise wasted a chance to make the show but he also a youngster so patience and hard work may pay off down the road. Johnson definitely needs to get his head straight and stop giving up soft goals. Byers, Newbury and Williams will be the leadership core of the Pack/Whale this year. Both Byers (Hartford's captain) and Newbury showed that they can skate with the big boys if the injury bug takes its toll on the Rangers.

PLAYERS RELEASED FROM TRYOUT AGREEMENT ON 9/27/10:
Defense (3): Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov

As I tweeted, I wonder where Semenov's wife will let him play now. His size is intoxicating but he simply isn't that good. Hands of cement, skates of cement ... Exelby seemed to have a head of cement and blew perhaps his last chance at a NHL job. Manning, well, who?

PLAYERS STILL IN NEW YORK RANGERS TRAINING CAMP:
Goal (2): Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
Defense (9): Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michal Rozsival, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal, Pavel Valentenko
Forward (16): Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Derek Boogaard, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Alex Frolov, Marian Gaborik, Tim Kennedy, Vinny Prospal, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, Todd White

Probably the biggest surprise here, for me at least, is that the Rangers kept Sauer in camp - and it is a pleasant surprise as I've been rooting for this kid to come through for a while. Still, it will be tough for him to make the next batch of cuts with the group of blueliners around him. The Rangers may or may not carry seven defensemen but if they do, there are three spots for Eminger, Hobey, McD, Sauer and Valentenko. Of those five McD is almost a certainty and Hobey has looked great. Valentenko's toughness has been impressive but the bosses surely want Eminger's experience around ... Wednesday night will be interesting.

Up front there are 16 players for 12 spots, maybe 13 or 14 depending on what Torts wants to carry. Vinny Prospal has lucked out with his injury - what timing - so he hasn't had to fight for his job. Rather than Fedotenko threatening Vaclav for his spot, it looks like he is battling Avery and maybe even Kennedy. Kennedy was far better on the wing than down the middle, and Boyle was better in the middle than on the wing. Having Kennedy, Boogey and Prust allows the Rangers to play matchups with their fourth line. I would say Stepan is certain to make opening night with Drury out. So at least one player will be cut and my guess is either White or Christy. Wednesday will be quite interesting ...

Feeling The Heat?

As the suffocating summer continues, it is best to look towards the cool fall and hockey season. Hell, it is the only thing getting me through this weather. And, in doing so, we are left to wonder what the Ranger squad will look like. A lot can and hopefully will change before the puck drops in October but this is what I see, right now:

* The Knicks didn't get cash cow LeBron James so the heat (pun intended) will be on the Rangers to up the revenue. And the easiest way to do that? Make the playoffs.

* Tortorella was in the position of coaching away from his comfort zone last season, rolling four lines as his bottom trio was better than the other three. Well, now he can with the signing of the Boogaard and Boyle and Voros (even though he was waived) still around.

* Looking at the roster (below), there doesn't appear to be any room for the kids Tortorella claimed he wanted to add. Even with the hail mary move of sending Wade to Hartford - made less likely in my opinion due to LeBron - there aren't any slots. A coach - even one with an ego the size of the Empire State Building - knows not to waste kids on the fourth line, getting six, seven minutes a night.

Prospal-Christensen-Gaborik
Prust-Anisimov-Dubinsky
Avery-Drury-Callahan
Boogaard-Boyle-Voros

Staal-Rozsival
MDZ-Girardi
Gilroy-Redden

Lundqvist
Biron

I know, I know, Prust on the second line is a stretch but Arty admitted his need for a tough guy to ride shotgun and Dubi adds skill that Shelley didn't have (if only he could have the same drive). That entire fourth line could be swapped based on opponents.

* Now the wild cards appear to be Evgeny Grachev, Mats Zuccarello Aasen, Dale Weise and Brodie Dupont. Grachev was a huge disappointment in Hartford but he could provide quite the boost to Arty (who lost his bromance with Enver Lisin). MZA is an unknown quantity while Weise and/or Dupont could fill in on the fourth line.

* Then again, Prust could be dropped the fourth line in Voros' spot should Sather do something stupid like overpay Frolov but I refuse to think about that.

* Mike Sauer and Ryan McDonaugh should get some consideration on the blue line. Sauer, like Dupont, has paid his dues and shown ability. After Sauer was screwed over two years ago, you would like to imagine him getting a second shot. As for the former Badger, with the amount of hype around him, he will be the first one in line for a spot. He could very well take Hobey's as Jimmy D's willingness to bury $6 mill in the minors wavers.

* Hartford has lost Corey Locke but, barring something incredible in training camp, will gain Derek Stepan. They will have to replace P.A. Parenteau's scoring, which very well could be the role of MZA as he acclimates to America. Lee Baldwin will step into Corey Potter's place on the blueline. Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba will still man the Pack net while Cameron Talbot will start for the new ECHL affiliate (whoever that may be).

I'm sure there is more but, damn it hot; time to go get a cool beverage. Let's hope whatever KoolAid the Rangers brass are drinking is as refreshing.

Newbury Will Be Back

New York, June 16, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Kris Newbury on a contract extension.

Newbury, 28, skated in 18 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, registering four goals and 14 assists for 18 points, along with 61 penalty minutes. He tied for the Wolf Pack lead in scoring with 18 points in 18 games after joining the team on March 6 at Hamilton, following his trade to the Rangers from Detroit, in exchange for Jordan Owens, on March 3.

The 5-10, 205-pounder has skated in 48 career NHL contests with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, registering four goals and three assists, along with 64 penalty minutes. ... The Brampton, Ontario native was originally selected as San Jose’s fifth round pick, 139th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Meh, minor league thug. At least they didn't deal away Jordan Owens for a rental.

Näkemiin Ilkka

Puck Daddy's resident Russian Dmitry Chesnokov tweeted that Ilkka Heikkinen will spend next season in the KHL (h/t to SNY). Apparently all the Rangers offered him was a two-way deal and he decided that the KHL was the best league for him.

That's a shame.

As I wrote in the Facts of Life, I found Heikkinen to be a quiet but solid defenseman who could have contributed if given a real chance. However, he never was given that and likely never would get it with Redden and Rozsival filling two spots on the Broadway blueline for the next few years. Ah well. Best wishes to him.

Tee Hee

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK RANGERS TRANSACTION UPDATE

New York, February 13, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Donald Brashear has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Brashear, 38, has registered one assist and 73 penalty minutes in 36 games with the Rangers this season. He has not dressed in each of the last eight games, and 13 of the last 14, and has missed 25 games total this season. He ranks third on the team in penalty minutes and second in fighting majors (nine). Brashear registered his first point as a Ranger with an assist in a 5-2 win vs. Phoenix on October 26, and skated in his 1,000th career NHL game on November 12 vs. Atlanta.

The Bedford, Indiana native signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Rangers on July 1.

Hartford 3, Lowell 2

Last night the New Jersey Devils allowed their AHL affiliate from Lowell to play a regular season game at the Rock, facing off against the Ranger affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. It was the third time this season that they did it, once in preseason and once earlier this month. I missed the one on January 6th (a Devil 3-2 win) but made it to the preseason match and last night's 3-2 win in overtime.

In Lou We Trust was there as well and posted a Devil-centric wrap. So here are some of my observations; sorry no photos as I have a contentious relationship with my camera at the moment:

*Minor league hockey is really fan friendly - it is cheap entertainment that is great for families. It is a shame that this game wasn't promoted more as it surely could have gotten more people. As is, there were a decent number of fans - probably a few thousand. The entire upper bowl of the Rock was cordoned off and most was blocked by black curtains but the lower bowl's luxury seats (between the bluelines) were all full - something that never happens during Devil games. It was general admission for $15 a ticket ($10 for kids) so everyone got to enjoy the high life for a bit. And perhaps the best thing is that the youngsters got to sit by the glass to see the speed and everything up close, which is only good for the future of the sport.

*Even with the game not getting much advance talk on the blogs or the papers, there was still a good showing of Ranger/Hartford fans. At one point I sat a few rows behind a guy wearing what looked like a game-worn Wolf Pack Blair Betts sweater. That's awesome.

*It was very quiet, which was creepy. When the Hartford power play did it's best impression of the Blueshirts special team, I pointed out that they indeed had the man advantage and it reverberated around the arena. Very strange, but funny. I had a bunch of high school kids chanting "sit down, shut up" clap-clap-clapclapclap which was utterly hilarious and something I plan on stealing for use in the Garden. Of course, these same high schoolers were unattended by parents and used vicious blue language that should have gotten them ejected as there were so many little kids around.

*As I mentioned, the Wolf Pack power play was pretty damn bad. They ended up going 1-7 with the lone tally coming from Brodie Dupont working the slot.

*Dupont was the best Hartford player on the ice. He went to the net, he carried the puck, he backchecked, killed penalties ... he was all over the place and his effort was exceptional.

*Evgeni Grachev? Notsomuch. If this kid is the future of the franchise, then our franchise is f-ed. Grachev was abysmal and was kept off the ice in the overtime. He definitely has size, he definitely has hands but he just couldn't get his act together out there. I saw him cough up the puck several times in the first period and then didn't notice him at all.

*The game went to overtime because Hartford clung to their 2-1 lead late in the game and collapsed into their own zone. Lowell was able to move the puck around to get the equalizer in the last minute and had what would have been the game-winner go over the goal line inside the far post past the sprawled Matt Zaba just a second after the final buzzer. Talk about saved by the bell...

*Zaba plays an entirely different game from Chad Johnson. Where DosNueve is economical with his movements, Zaba is outright twitchy. Still, he made several big saves and couldn't be faulted for at least one, if not both of the goals against.

*His counterpart, Mike McKenna, is a long goaltender like Valley who uses his pads well. McKenna had a clear view of Dupont's overtime game-winner (with 20 seconds left in the extra frame) and it just eluded his glove. He got a taste of the NHL last season but will need to do better than he did on this night if he is to get back to the show.

*Jordan Owens, who fed Dupont for the game-winner, kept himself involved all game. I would like to think he will get a shot at the show as a Higgens/Sjostrom-esque grit and goals guy but I didn't see enough of his offense to make a fair judgement.

*Earlier in the season I asked why Corey Locke wasn't given a shot when the Rangers suffered through so many scoring woes but now I see why. The diminutive center is easily shut down by tight checking.

*I would like to say good things about Ilkka Heikkinen but I didn't really see him doing too much. Still, he has to be an upgrade from Rozy and should be more comfortable in a Blueshirt with fellow Finn Jokinen around so let's give him a shot...

*The Devils' Louis Robitaille is an obnoxious thug. He is just the kind of player you love to hate and I definitely hate him. The guy cheap shots, takes big liberties with his hits and tries to start fights from behind the officials. Basically he is Cam Janssen with less courage (if that's possible). It was great seeing Devin DiDiomete land a few punches despite being hugged to death when the two tussled in the first period.

*Few Devils stood out other than that clown. Tim Sestito scored on a sweet shot over Zaba and was a major part of the Lowell offense but even then, that isn't saying too much as they play typical Devil hockey.

And even with the Devils being tight and boring for much of the penalty-filled affair, it was still a enjoyable experience and one that will hopefully happen again. Perhaps the next time they will advertise it better so more people can get in on the inexpensive fun.

Hobey's Back!

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Matt Gilroy has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). Gilroy, 25, has recorded four assists in five games with Hartford this season.

So Much For Celebrating

Just got his news in:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defensemen Bobby Sanguinetti and Ilkka Heikkinen have been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Guess that means Redden will return on Monday. Maybe Hobey Gilroy too?

Friday Afternoon Transaction

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward P.A. Parenteau has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), and forward Dane Byers has been assigned to Hartford.

Apparently Byers didn't provide enough offense playing six minutes while paired with Voros and Brashear Thursday night so he was banished back to the minors. At least P.A. will get the chance that Byers wasn't given - a slot alongside actual hockey players.

And Rozy will still dress and play 15 minutes or so on Saturday. That is accountability folks ...

Adding Dandenault To The D?

This afternoon Zip dropped the rumour that Mathieu Dandenault may be heading to Hartford and possibly, eventually Broadway.

That's not great news, but it's not bad news.

San Jose has a good stock of young prospects so it is of little surprise that Dandenault couldn't catch on there. I watched a lot of him back when he was with Detroit and found him to be a smart, capable puck mover. He has good vision and has no problem jumping in the rush. Dandenault can be an emergency third or fourth line forward if needed and transitions up front seamlessly. He is 33, has three Cups and over 950 NHL games of experience (including playoffs). At the same time, the glaring hole in the Ranger blueline - you know, the hole Dany Heatley skated right through last night - is the lack of physical defensemen. And Dandenault is not a crease-clearing defenseman. He will stand up for himself and his teammates though and is tougher than at least one of his prospective teammates.

While it says something that Sather doesn't want to bring up any of the Pack kids as a seventh defenseman - either that they are not ready for the show or that they will be better served playing rather than sitting in the box - giving Dandenault a shot has little downside.

He'll Be Back

RANGERS ASSIGN EVGENY GRACHEV TO HARTFORD
22 Active Players Remain With The Club

New York, September 27, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced
today that the club has assigned forward Evgeny Grachev to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League
(AHL). The Rangers now have 22 players remaining in training camp, including two goaltenders, seven defensemen
and 13 forwards.

Grachev has size and skills, he will be on Broadway at one point. Likely once Tortorella strangles Kotalik.

Oh, and game wrap of today's match forthcoming ...

Cuts, Cuts, Cuts

No surprises as the first slice of cuts are made. I think Klassen and Weise will make the big boys next year ... sad to see Maccarone's mustache leave town though:

PLAYERS ASSIGNED TO HARTFORD (AHL) ON 9/17/09:
Goal: Miika Wiikman
Defense: Trevor Glass, Brent Henley, Sam Klassen, Mike Sauer, David Urquhart, Nigel Williams
Forwards: Andres Ambuhl, Daniel Bartek, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Dan LaCouture, Matt Maccarone, Justin Soryal, Dale Weise

PLAYERS RETURNED TO JUNIORS ON 9/17/09:
Goal: Scott Stajcer (Owen Sound, OHL)
Defense: Tomas Kundratek (Medicine Hat, WHL)
Forwards: Ryan Bourque (Quebec, QMJHL), Roman Horak (Chilliwack, WHL), Ethan Werek (Kingston, OHL)

PLAYERS STILL IN NEW YORK RANGERS TRAINING CAMP:
Goal: Chad Johnson, Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Valiquette, Matt Zaba
Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ilkka Heikkinen, Corey Potter, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Bobby Sanguinetti, Alexei Semenov, Marc Staal
Forwards: Artem Anisimov, Tyler Arnason, Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, Donald Brashear, Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan, Paul Crowder, Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, Evgeny Grachev, Christopher Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, Corey Locke, Jordan Owens, P.A. Parenteau, Vinny Prospal, Patrick Rissmiller, Aaron Voros

Preseason: Hartford 4, Lowell 3 (Shootout)

I have to make this quick as I am on a pay-by-the-minute computer that is slower than hell.

Can't freakin' believe that I had to pay full price yesterday - $112 for two seats - to watch that terrible clunker of a game and today's game was free. The teams were made up of all of the young guys fighting for spots and they worked their asses off, it was one of the most enjoyable games I've seen in ages (that wasn't NHL playoffs).

The Ranger brass was all there - Graves, Schoenfeld, Messier and Sather sat together a few rows behind me, Torts was on the opposite side talking to Gordie Clarke. Heard some of the Torts conversation, sounded like a scouting report on Michael Sauer. Sather spent his time chomping on his cigar on his blackberry. Messier was interrupted by every Ranger fan so I went and spoke to Schoenfeld, said it was nice to have him stay behind the bench. Schoeney gave me shit for booing Brashear, saying root for the guys who wear the jerseys now, not the ones who used to wear them. Sage advice, but Brash is still loathesome. He laughed. When I said how disappointing Boyle was, he said that Boyle was just one of the guys fighting for that spot, and that the team may still make a deal as "there are still some guys out there we're looking at."

As for the game itself, Heikkinen was every bit as impressive as Gilroy and MDZ were carrying the puck up from the blue line. Another defender, Sam Klassen, was my favourite player on the ice, at least until Dale Weise tied the game with a shorthanded goal in the last minute to force overtime. In the shootout Corey Locke and Paul Crowder had sexy goals - it was a best of five, not best of three, which was odd.

But it was great to win. More later on this one and on tonight's tilt between the big kids.

"Can't Figure It Out, I'm Slippin' Fast"

I know that in past years I posted a bit more over this month and I let things slip a bit this time around. So I just want to jot down some quick notes on stuff that I let slip:

*The Ranger home page is actually doing a good job providing new video content with interviews with the Rangers who are coming through the training center to run their kids camps. They also are putting in updates on the Future Blue that are playing for the red, white and blue. If you haven't heard of Derek Stepan before, you will soon. He should look great on the Blueshirts alongside fellow collegians Carl Hagelin, Max Campbell and Ryan McDonagh in a few seasons.

*The Wolf Pack will be playing at the Rock twice against the Lowell Devils twice this season, which will be great for those of us who can't get up to Hartford. But on the bad side of things, one of the two games fall on the same night as a Ranger home game. The Rangers play the Stars - Avery vs. the A-holes who treated him so poorly - on January 6th so many diehards who would go, won't. The other date, February 3rd is clear. But you have to ask about the reasoning for New Jersey to do this. The Rock is half empty for Devil games, who will show up to watch their terrible AHL team play? Lowell didn't make the playoffs last season and the franchise doesn't have many top-flight prospects. I figure that the Devs will do like the Isles did during the lockout when Bridgeport played at the Mausoleum: bus in fans from Lowell and give free tickets to season ticket holders and local schools just to make sure there are bodies in the stands.

*I personally loathe SNY but have to admit that their Ranger blog is pretty damn good. The link has been added to the blogroll on the right, which I've updated with more sites that I've found and enjoyed. If you have a site that isn't up there and think it should be, drop me an e-mail.

*nhLOL is still bringing the lolz.

*And a h/t to the guys at HFBoards for being all over the news. They caught Brooksie's latest column as it came out a few hours ago and are already are discussing the news - Mark Messier will return as part of the organization. This could be a good thing - think Yzerman on the Wings and Ron Francis on the Canes - but at some point you have to wonder how much mileage this franchise will get out of '94. Adam Graves is already a big part of the team and Mike Richter likely would be as well if he wasn't out hugging trees and preparing for public office. But then again, I've heard good things about Jeff Beukeboom's coaching skills and wouldn't mind seeing the big man back heading our blue line ...

This Is Cool ...

Graphic design folks and hockey fans, I found this in my email from last weekend:

After a very successful first year, the Wolf Pack Specialty Jersey Design Contest is back!

We had hundreds of great entries last year and had a blast choosing the winner. Be creative and have fun because we loved all the different ideas that fans had

The winner of this year’s contest will receive a personalized jersey of their design, along with tickets to see them worn by the team! During the specialty-jersey game, the jerseys will be auctioned right off the player’s backs!

This year’s auction raised over $10,000, which benefited the March of Dimes organization.

Entering this year’s contest is easy: Just download the form and follow the simple instructions to return your entry.

Make sure to submit your entry no later than May 1st to be considered for the contest.

By downloading the entry form and submitting your design you are giving the Hartford Wolf Pack your permission to use your design to create next year’s specialty jersey, and agreeing that there will not be any monetary compensation for your design.

What a great idea, I wish I was more artistic. Good luck to all those out there that give it a shot!

Just In Case ...

If a certain person clears waivers and happens to get assigned to Hartford, and if he actually goes there to play, here is their remaining home schedule:

Wednesday 2/11/09 vs Manitoba

Friday 2/13/09 vs Lake Erie

Saturday 2/14/09 vs Manitoba - Nigel Dawes Bobblehead night!

Wednesday 2/18/09 vs Bridgeport (Islanders AHL team)

Saturday 2/21/09 vs Portland

Friday 2/27/09 vs Manchester

Wednesday 3/4/09 vs Worcester

Saturday 3/14/09 vs Bridgeport

Wednesday 3/18/09 vs Lowell (Devils AHL team)

Saturday 3/28/09 vs Providence

Wednesday 4/1/09 vs Portland

Sunday 4/5/09 vs Lowell

Saturday 4/11/09 vs Springfield

Sadly, they do not have any more games against Rochester, who happen to have a solid goaltender named Brodeur (Mike, no relation).

Just in case you were wondering ...

Prepping For Preseason

The Rangers released their preseason schedule today (finally). In Friday's Killin' Time I figured that the unannounced games were a home-and-home with the Isles or Pens but instead it's the Devs.

That makes two games against the Newark Nightmares, two against the happy-to-be-free-of-Wade-Redden Kanata Senators and two against Barry's Bolts. After that the Rangers will play two more games in Switzerland before NHL Premier.

With eight games in 12 days, you can be sure that we will see most of the players in the Rangers' system step on the ice. That includes Huge Mistake, Bobby Blueliner and Jason Biggs (that's Hugh Jessiman, Bobby Sanguinetti and Mike Del Zotto). As nice as that is, it looks like it will be a giant tease as Glen filled up the roster during this disasterous free agent season so these kids won't actually get to play with the big boys when the games start counting.

So enjoy it while you can kids, and remember Hartford isn't all that far (it only feels that way).