Ding Dong, Torts Is Gone

Glen Sather sent another coach packing today, as he issued a pink slip to John Tortorella. That's the fifth bench boss of the general manager's time atop the Ranger ladder, if you count Sather himself.

But as the Stealth GM - as the Pundit calls him - survives to smoke another cigar, Torts now has more time to spend with his dogs. Good riddance. It was a long time coming, and yet a surprise just the same. If any coach had excuses for a disappointing season, it was Torts. No training camp, new players to integrate, injuries to prime players, few top prospects ready to fill spots ... all solid justification for bringing him back in the fall.

Sather didn't see it that way, and the firing helps the tin hat folks who are searching for c-o-n-spiracies. The coach and the GM had a fight, the GM was offended by the coach's comments, the GM was scared at the reports that the King might not come back. My theory? It goes back to what I said when Brad Richard$ was brought in: Dolan needs a winning team to fill the fixed-up Garden. The reno is finishing this summer and the Blueshirt brass need to start paying it off. Doing that will require massive corporate money and massive corporate money comes with Cups.

The scary part of that is it makes it all but certain that Sather will sign a 'name' coach to step behind the bench, with Alain Vigneault and Lindy Ruff the biggest candidates. Neither one have won a Cup and, frankly, neither one is likely ever to. Both have failed in the Finals once, both lasted past their expiration dates at their former jobs and both were given all the talent in the world by their bosses and botched it. Other top options being floated are Dave Tippett, Dallas Eakins and Ken Gernander. Kenny G and Dallas are great AHL minds but have yet to be blooded at the elite level and the likelihood of Tippett leaving Phoenix now that his boss and buddy Don Maloney has re-upped is slight. He is a great, great coach, but why would he leave what he has built for Broadway? Money does move the world but the Yotes' ownership saga may be nearing its end.

The guy I would bring in for an interview would be Davis Payne. The assistant coach of the L.A. Kings spent two-plus seasons in St. Louis as the head coach and left with a solid 67-55-15 record despite having an unremarkable, rebuilding Blues squad. Working against him is that he isn't a "name" and the fact that he is still with a team active in the playoffs so the interview will be quite close to Sather's deadline of the draft.

Whoever it ends up being, at least he won't be the tumultuous Tortorella. His errors were egregious, his ego tremendous, his results mediocre. For all the talk about last season's success, Torts' mismanagement was the singular reason why they fell short of Stanley. And, as written here a few days ago, losing to Boston wouldn't be shameful if the team had played to the utmost of their ability. They didn't, so the bench boss had to pay.

Hopefully the next guy will find better results. 

Grading the Brass 2013

Seeing as the players saw the red pen earlier, here are the grades of the men in charge. Their explanations are a little more in depth. For comparison's sake, here are the grades for '09-10, '10-11 and '11-12.

Jim Schoenfeld/Ken Gernander: The Whale finished two points out of a playoff spot after closing the season on an atrocious 0-5-1-0 run. The concussion that cost Marek Hrivik half the season couldn't be helped. Few players were graduated to the big club but it isn't like Torts woulda trusted them anyway. Kreider looked good in his return for the playoffs but can that be attested to his time in the bus league or to the big stage? How the development of Miller, Thomas and McIlrath over the season worked out will be better judged in the fall. B

John Tortorella: Another season of the egomaniacal, deluded dictator saw the Rangers regress from last year's surprising success. Torts had a distinctly different team this time around that he failed by attempting to force them to play his Safe Is Life system. Rather than attempt to adapt to the new staff, Torts kept hammering his boring brand of defensive hockey. His sense of accountability was flawed due to his favouritism as he forced out last season's 41 goal scorer while sticking with an atrocious Brad Richard$. His power play ... 'nuff said. As usual, his work with the media was an unfortunate, unprofessional sideshow.  F


Glen Sather: Yet again Glen's moves have been a mixed bag of the bad and the brilliant. The thought that Arron Asham could suitably replace Brandon Prust was farcical and not realizing the full impact of sending Dubi, Arty and Timmay to Columbus for Nash was a major failure on Sather's part. Adding Hamrlik on waivers and keeping J.T. Miller for too long were also both clear errors. But Rupp for Powe and Palmieri, hell, Rupp for anyone showed the GM's Jedi powers. Also his 'deadline' deals of bringing back Zuke and picking up Brassard, Moore and Dorsett for unhappy Gabby were both brilliant. Seems like he overpaid for Clowe but who knows how the big guy coulda helped in crunch time had he not been concussed. B-

James Dolan: First the lockout then the incredibly un-fan-friendly phase two of the renovation. It's harder to get into the arena, it's harder to get around the arena and the seats are more uncomfortable than ever. Other teams had give-aways, give-backs and thank yous for the fans who returned, we had higher prices and ultimatums. The corporatization of the Rangers is nearly complete and the writing is on the wall for the rest of us. Diehard fans are not appreciated or wanted - we already own jerseys, we have our neighborhood bars and routines. Businessmen and tourists come to the Garden and spend more on a nightly basis, and that is what it is all about for Jimmy D's regime. They built the "World's Most Famous Arena" reputation on our backs and are now doing their best to push us out. The focus on the bottom line - while understandable on a strictly logical level - has resulted in a lifeless, dull arena experience. But, on the plus side, at least it's been quiet enough for the ladies to ask questions. F

18-15-4: Three Out Of Four Ain't Bad ...

It ain't bad but, of course, the Rangers probably could have taken four out of four from the home-and-home with the Penguins. Then again, let's face it, that wasn't going to happen - not with this head coach, not with this team. Still, the Blueshirts played a capable road game at Consol before falling in a skill competition.

Kind of appropriate, isn't it? The Rangers not having - or more appropriately, displaying - the skills to win?

The carefree, fun Rangers that annihilated the Pens Wednesday were replaced by a typical Tortorella troupe that mucked and grinded their way though the final buzzer and beyond. And that was good enough to earn a much-needed point against the top team from the LEast. Torts' counterpart Dan Bylsma acknowledged the absence of his top player and top two defensemen, and had his team play a tighter game. But, even so, that depleted squad still managed to get great chances seemingly at will and controlled the tempo.

That is the problem. Tortorella's personal aggression doesn't translate to his game plan - his philosophy has been to respond to the opposition rather than to impose his will upon it. Block shots, try not to take penalties, take what the other guys give you, limit forechecking to maintain optimum positioning, bequeath the blue line but hold the hash marks, minimize mistakes. That's not the way to win in the post-'04 lockout NHL. When Torts' team went out and just played on Wednesday they forechecked, they pressed, they threw caution to the wind and let Hank hold down the fort. Now the King is back behind his walls, walls that are as much a hindrance as a help. Sad.

Just a few Late Hits:

*Torts was back to himself, going heavy on his usual horses. Step skated for 24 minutes and took 28 faceoffs (he won seven). Brassard, who so impressed in his debute, played 14 minutes and took eight draws (winning six). Del Zaster 26 minutes, John Moore 10. The fourth line saw around seven.

*Should the Rangers squeak into the postseason and face Pittsburgh, the series could be quite the bloodbath with the Pens seeking Del Zaster's head. But would Torts and the Blueshirts battle - and eventually prevail - the way Philly did last year?

*Step was miserable at faceoffs for most of the match but man, did he win one at the right time. And that was one lightning-fast release by Nash ... Gabby likely would have set himself and waited too long.

*Do we give Boyle credit for continually trying or do we slam him for blowing big chances? Yeah, we slam him. Too slow, cement hands, cement head. Especially since every little kid is taught that the numbers on the back of the jersey are a stop sign, you don't aim for them when laying a body check (at least with the ref watching).

*Really wish Douglas Murray had become a Ranger.

*Hope this second honeymoon with Zuke never ends. He's so much fun to watch play.

*Engelland was 19-4-1 over his 25 previous fights, including a decision over Clowe in a wild bout last season. The rematch was a good one, with the big guys trading some big punches. It's nice that Clowe accounted himself well but that fight was for Engy. The wise defenseman knew he needed that early bout for his team, to show they weren't going to be smacked down for a second straight game. Seeing as the Rangers didn't exactly set the world on fire in the first 10, it's understandable that Clowe entertained the dance invitation.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 26 saves.
2-Jussi Jokinen - one regulation goal, one shootout goal.
1-Marc-Andre Fleury - 34 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Fleury - Not the same sieve that let six past him on Wednesday.
2-Hank - Some quality stops by the King.
1-Jokinen - New team syndrome struck for everyone else who was dealt at the deadline, so it was inevitable. 

15-13-2: The Rollercoaster Continues

The up-and-down, back-and-forth Ranger season continued on Thursday night with another low, a 3-1 loss to the injury-ravaged, NHL-worst Florida Panthers.

A normal reaction would be outrage, outrage for the lack of effort and emotion. But, frankly, I don't feel that. I'm numb. There have been far too many occasions over the last few seasons where the team followed solid victories with inexcusable failures. Consistency is simply not a characteristic of the John Tortorella Rangers.

And that is to be expected. Torts is the jockey to this horse of a team - a jockey who relies on the whip to get a response. He starts raining down blows at the start of the race and rarely relents. A few good wins changes his spirits and he lowers his crop, only to see the stallion slow. So he begins the abuse all over again.

The Rangers didn't reach the finish of last season's race because Torts' continual castigation wore them down a few furlongs from the line. This current race is more of a sprint due to the lockout but the beast beneath Torts is simply not as strong, and it isn't responding to the lash nearly as well as the last.

Late Hits:

*Brandon Prust was around last season, and when he fought early his teammates followed with an effort. Well, he's long gone now and the Rangers don't bother showing up for the first 10, 15, 20 minutes on most nights.

*Happy birthday Cally. Sorry your teammates gave you such a terrible present.

*Rick Nash has to be suspended. Has to. There is no place for gutless, blindside, leaping elbows in this sport anymore. I love a bit of the old ultra violence, but at least look the guy in the eye as you attack him.

*But, alas, the stellar NHL officiating didn't even bother to penalize Nash, and he set up Gabby's goal just a few minutes later. Amazing how that worked out.

*Nice of Gabby to score, reminding us of what he is capable of. Just hope that it isn't another eight games before he strikes again.

*That was the Slovakian Sniper's ninth goal of the year. Just one of them came on the power play. Martin Brodeur has one power play goal too. He's a goalie.

*Brodeur's touch tonight allowed him to match Brian Boyle's goal total for this season. He is awful, and should have been the one sent to Hartford instead of Micheal Haley. Yep, he is so bad that I'm advocating the Rangers keep an ex-Islander on the roster. Haley, at least, makes the most of his size and he's willing to risk his body to make a play.

*Speaking of ex-Islanders, Marty Biron should have started this game. Hank was concussed on that elbow from Girardi on Tuesday and yet Torts put him right back in net, against an opponent that (on paper) deserved a backup. One thing I learned from the incessant head shot talk is that any bruise to the brain counts as a concussion and Hank having a headache for an hour after the hit proved he was black and blue.

*Despite being at risk for another, worse head injury Hank had himself a good game. He was a big more jumpy than usual but he still made a half dozen stellar saves - six more than Markstrom had to.

*I'm so demanding. I begged the Blueshirts to 'Hit. The Net.' Now I want them to Stop. Shooting. At. The. Logo. Far too many shots were right at the leaping cat on Markstrom's sweater.

*0-3 on the power play. What a surprise.

*The fourth line played three minutes and Halpern nearly scored. But keep on putting Brad Richard$ out there, maybe he will work himself into shape one of these days. Said it before, as an older guy Richie shoulda played somewhere, anywhere during the lockout. He still has not regained that step.

*Only time I noticed Chris Kreider was when he was being punched in the back of the head.

*Happy trails to Alex Kovalev, one of the first high-profile enigmatic Europeans in the NHL. Kovy was incredible at times when he wore a Blueshirt, and was infuriating at others. But Mark Messier wouldn't let him give anything less than his best and he helped bring us the Cup in '94.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Scottie Upshall - one goal.
2-Brian Campbell - one goal.
1-Jacob Markstrom - 44 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Hank - This easily could have been a 5-0 loss if not for the King.
2-Markstrom - The Swede certainly knows how to get square to the shots and swallows rebounds off his chest quite well.
1-Cally - It was his birthday, he deserves the top star!

Grading The Brass 2011-12

Seeing as the players saw the red pen earlier, here are the grades of the men in charge. Their explanations are a little more in depth and, for the first time, Hartford's head honchos are included. For comparison's sake, here are the grades for '09-10 and '10-11.

James Dolan: As usual, Dolan represents upper management, because he himself has nothing to do with the team ... aside from making outrageous, idiotic Cup claims after someone showed him the standings. So this is perhaps more Scott O'Neil and his minions than Dolan but whatever. The Garden made money hand over fist yet again, raising prices across the board and getting suckers like us to pay them. The first phase of the renovation finished with positive reviews: the West Balcony was beautiful - even if it obstructed the views of several rows of blue seats - and fans seemed to enjoy the Delta Club and it's zoo-exhibit glass walkway for the players. Sather was green-lit to make whatever moves he deemed necessary, with the NHL's salary cap being the only limit. I don't know the numbers but surely the Garden of Dreams had a banner year and the Crown Collection of Lundqvist apparel (with proceeds going to the charity) was a hit. B

Glen Sather: As with the old Facts of Life that I used to do here on the blog, you have to take the good and take the bad. Sather signed Brad Richard$; Sather signed Mike Rupp. Sather gave Ryan Callahan a three-year, $12.8m deal; Sather gave Brandon Dubinski a four-year $16.8m deal. Sather added Anton Stralman off waivers; Sather added Jeff Woywitka off waivers. Sather didn't trade Chris Kreider away; Sather traded for John Scott. All that being said, good ole Glen promised victory in the Winter Classic and somehow got Mike Rupp of all people to make his claim come true. As president, Sather is likely the one who signed off on the European start to the season and that was a success as the team played in packed arenas while bonding better than they would have had they stayed stateside. B-

Jim Schoenfeld/Ken Gernander: As GM of the Whale, Schoenfeld made some inspired signings like Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Marek Hrivik. Kelsey Tessier, Scott Tanski, Jared Nightingale and Jordan Owens were solid citizens, if unspectacular. Gernander dealt with the hand he was given by Schoeney (including Aaron Voros and an agitated Avery) and did well with it. The Whale grabbed the sixth seed in the playoffs after a 36-26-14 regular season and made it to the second round of the Calder Cup before being steamrolled by the Norfolk Admirals, the eventual champs. The coach taught the Ranger philosophy to guys like Hagelin, Mitchell and Deveaux, allowing them to jump right into the show and not look out of place. And whether it was Kenny G or Schoeney or the players themselves, the decision to make Wade Redden captain clearly worked out as every young call-up credited the former Broadway Blunder with help becoming a professional. B

John Tortorella: The egomaniacal blowhard yet again helped send his team spiraling to its demise with dubious decision making. Benching the top scorer in a tight game in the playoffs sent one message - the coach's way or the highway, damn the consequences - a repeat of the Avery benching back in 2009. Tortorella's entire idea of accountability was warped as he clearly played favourites, with guys like Del Zaster and Mitchell rarely drawing the coach's ire while poor Stu Bickel was publicly abused time and time again. Torts yelled, he screamed, he couldn't get his team to start playing at puck drop, he couldn't get the power play to work, he screwed with chemistry all the way through the playoffs and he never got them to turn the screw once they took a lead. The entire Avery saga was perpetuated by the coach, and it robbed the team of what would have been a valuable weapon in the playoffs. On the other side of it, his faith in his old friend Ruslan Fedotenko was repaid in the postseason. And, after he threw 'safe is death' out the window, he managed to get the guys to buy in to the shot blocking, counterattacking philosophy that helped get them as far as they did. But Tortorella's press conferences were the worst kind of theatre, car crashes that showed he could care less about the fans as a whole. Individually, his treatment of/friendship with Liam - the handicapped diehard - was really good stuff. C

Tick, Tock: Torts & The Clock

I've been holding on to this for a lil while but, given Brooksie's piece today I want to offer a quick look at playoff ice times, courtesy of friend of the blog Joakim Norberg. Joakim did this research a few months back after a discussion we had about Mike Rupp's usefulness:

Googled through TOI/G for forwards on Stanley Cup winning teams the last few years and the fact is that most of the teams didn't carry too many players that were playing less than 8 mins per game. The trend as you see is that the championship teams don't waste too much valuable ice time on one-dimensional thugs when playoff time comes:

Bruins (Majority of forwards played between 20:07 - 10:34 TOI/G)
- Paille 8:43
- S. Thornton 6:57

Blackhawks (Majority of forwards played between 20:58 - 11:01 TOI/G)
- Fraser 8:23
- Eager 6:02
- Burish 5:34

Penguins (Majority of forwards played between 20:57 - 11:55 TOI/G)
- Dupuis 8:23
- C. Adams 9:44
- Satan 9:54

Red Wings (Majority of forwards played between 22:36 - 11:22 TOI/G)
- Hartigan 5:21
- McCarty 6:22
- Helm 7:30
- Maltby 9:47

Ducks (Majority of forwards played between 21:43 - 14:04 TOI/G)
- Carter 3:12
- Hartigan 3:34
- Parros 3:49
- Motzko 3:54
- Thornton 3:57
- Shannon 4:03
- Miller 6:59
- May 7:21

When Rupp won the Cup with the Devils back in 02/03 he had 11:28 TOI/G. Quite a difference with today.

The comedy of it all is that Glen Sather likely took Rupp's playoff experience into consideration when signing him in lieu of a goon who could contribute night in and night out like Konopka. So, rather than give Rupp a chance to use that experience and make things happen when they are most needed, Tortorella is giving him the Avery treatment. And it is not just the big guy who is being cast aside but Arty, Stu and Mitch as well - and who knows who else will be next as this series progresses.

Torts is playing with fire, burning out his top guys but that has been his modus operandi from his time with Tampa - burn the bridges down as long as they get to you where you want to go. But if they don't, then we are all certain to get burned.

The Avery Era Is Over (for good this time)

I'm not sure what there is to say that I haven't already ranted on Twitter. John Tortorella always hated Sean Avery and, with Sather's summer signings, finally had the opportunity to get rid of him and he used it.

That simple.

The nonsense about Erik Christensen getting the job because of his versatility is just that, nonsense. Yes, Christy can play center and wing, but he can also lose the puck at the lightest touch and not play defense. And show up for two, maybe three games a season. And be a supremely smug jerk in interviews and to fans. And not be Sean Avery.

The writing has been on the wall since Torts was hired but it still is sad that this day has come to pass. The head coach of a team should do everything he can to make the team better, to make it win games - not to placate his own ego and carry out a personal vendetta.

I, an avowed Avery supporter who has gone to bat for him before, fully admit that he didn't perform up to par last season - I gave him a C- in my report card - but he was still a valuable player for the team.

As I wrote in my Facts of Life:

The Rangers were 12-4-1 when he registered a point. ... Torts never gave him the chance to gain any chemistry with his teammates, bouncing him around the lineup. And the super pest was stupefyingly scratched for several games down the stretch and once during the playoffs (Torts clearly not learning his lesson from 2009).

I truly hope that Sean is able to find another NHL job, just not in the Atlantic division. Perhaps there is a GM out there willing to look beyond the bad reputation and see a voracious forechecker, a guy who actually stands up for his teammates and a lightning fast skater. Off the ice he is also great for public relations as he is great with the fans and a charitable person.

Hopefully Avery can find someone who believes in his ability and puts him in a position to achieve, not someone who refuses to give him a fair shot. Best wishes to a good and loyal Blueshirt.

Grading The Brass 2010-11

As I pulled out the 'red pen' for the players, it would only be proper to do it for the front office as well. Last year I wrote that "we don't really know what Dolan, Sather and Torts have done - all that can be judged are the public actions and the results of the behind-closed-doors actions. We're not in the boardroom, office or locker room. Two of the three rarely talk to the press so what they are thinking and doing is unknown and the third, well, his loathing of the press clouds everything just a shade."

A year later that still holds true. I am going to combine memes here and do this the Facts of Life way - take the good, take the bad and take them both and see what we have, then assign a grade.

John Tortorella:
Take the good: The Rangers improved six points from 09-10, going from 38-33-11 to 44-33-5. Tortorella gave more kids shots to play in the NHL and several rewarded his faith with solid seasons. He found several good lines and shockingly stuck with them as long as he could (Cally-Dubi-Arty, Feds-Prust-Boyle). Torts managed not to publicly embarrass the organization in the playoffs against Washington again.

Take the bad: The Rangers lost in the playoffs against Washington again. Tortorella couldn't motivate the team against lesser opponents like Florida. He couldn't ignite Marian Gaborik no matter what he tried. He couldn't find a solution to the power play. He completely mismanaged Sean Avery. He stuck with MDZ and MZA longer than he should have, although that is hard to attack. His petty public battles against Larry Brooks were unprofessional and ridiculous.

Take them both and then we have: If teams do indeed adopt the mindset of the coach, then Torts looks good as the boys bought in and became the hard-working, shot-blocking team that we loved to watch. Could they have finished even higher in the standings and lasted longer in the playoffs? Probably. But they were arguably more than the sum of their parts and injuries and disappointing veterans doomed them to their fate. Final grade: C

Glen Sather:
Take the good: Sather dispatched Donald Brashear to Atlanta and buried Wade Redden in Hartford. Sather opened the July 1st festivities by signing Marty Biron, who proved to be the perfect backup until he got hurt. He tied up Girardi and Staal long term and re-upped Mike Sauer. He lured Mats Zuccarello over from Sweden and Step and McD from Wisconsin. Sather invited Ruslan Fedotenko to camp back in the fall and Feds became one of the hardest working Rangers. He managed to rid the team of Michal Rozsival's contract and dealt the disgruntled Dane Byers to Columbus for Chad Kolarik.

Take the bad: Sather signed free agents Alex Frolov and Derek Boogaard and extended Erik Christensen. Frolov, who failed his way out of LA, brought his brand of disappointment to New York before getting hurt. Boogaard himself admitted to letting everyone down with his performance. Christensen rested on the reassurance and was invisible most of the season. Tim Kennedy very well could have helped the team down the line but he was buried in the minors before being traded away. Speaking of such, Sather's gamble to bring in the old failure Bryan McCabe at the deadline did not work out.

Take them both and then we have: In this day and age where youth is taking over the NHL, not a single player drafted in '09 or '10 has played a single game for the Rangers. Now that is either a very good thing - they don't have to be rushed - or a bad thing - none are ready or simply have the ability. I am going with the former as the first wave of home-grown kids are beginning to establish themselves. Sather is admitting his mistakes and is correcting them. Final grade: B

James Dolan:
Take the good: Dolan doesn't meddle in the affairs of the Rangers, at least publicly. Because the team did not make the playoffs the season prior, ticket prices were not raised for the regular season. CDs by his band JD & The Straight Shot are just $4.99 - but a guy born into a family worth $3.3 billion singing the blues, that's just priceless ...

Take the bad: Dolan is a money-hungry businessman with no regard for the people who are making him even richer than he already is. Despite ever-increasing merchandise revenues and a salary cap limiting costs, ticket prices were still extravagant. The Garden renovation got underway and inconvenienced those fans willing to pay to show up. The 85th Anniversary 'celebration' was just a shameless money grab - who the hell celebrates 85 years (outside of senior citizens)? The team has won one Stanley Cup in the last 71 years and yet the team ranks fourth in the NHL in Fan Cost Index. MSG Network was dropped by Dish Network, screwing the fans who didn't want to pay ticket prices and those who still had the network were still subject to Joe Micheletti.

Take them both and then we have: Dolan made $15.33 million during a down year in the economy where most Ranger fans were hamstrung. For him, that's fantastic. For us, notsomuch. Now Garden president Scott O’Neil is likely the cause of everything above but Dolan signs the paycheques and reaps much of the benefits so the complaints fall upon him. One redeeming factor to keep him from failure? The team isn't moving to Winnipeg. Final grade: D

Laugh Of The Day

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.

First The Staal Talk And Now This?

"A lot of teams were asking about our kids. There were deals to be made there, they wanted our kids; we stayed steady, we need to continue doing that. It’s not like we want to be in last place, but when you have kids in lineup - and I think we need to have more - there’s gonna be some bumps in the road. ” -- John Tortorella to Steve Zipay today

Wow, talk about lowering expectations.

This comes two days after Sather said the team was a "chasm" apart from Marc Staal on the Blueshirts' best defenseman's new deal. And it comes just weeks after the team demanded season subscribers put at least their first payment in for next season's tickets - something they did with a letter 'written' by Glen Sather saying that their goal was "bringing the Stanley Cup back to New York." So we've gone from winning it all to possibly finishing in last place. Amazing how things turn after they start taking our money.

You know, usually, they wait to give us this kind of nonsensical rhetoric until right before the regular season - look up Torts' talk about accountability last preseason - but this kind of talk leads me to believe that we will find ourselves quite disappointed when free agency opens on Thursday at noon. The funny thing is that Tortorella's words today were what we have been craving for over a decade. But it just kills me when the organization talks out of both sides of their mouth. Either we're in it to win it or we're setting up for a hopefully bright future. You can't have it both ways, it doesn't work and we don't believe you.

The "we need to have more" young players part from today's quote from the coach comes across as completely ridiculous. Last season Torts benched Matt Gilroy to start Anders Eriksson during last season's stretch run, limited Enver Lisin's minutes all season long and never gave anyone from Hartford a real chance on Broadway. Where in that do you find any evidence of a dedication to youth? He was forced to stick with MDZ and his deficiencies when the team PR machine jumped into high gear after his hot start.

But beyond that bit of hypocrisy, the thought of any young player learning how to become a professional from John Tortorella - the man who did this and this and, of course, this - is absolutely frightening.

It makes me weep for our future, both this coming season and beyond.

My apologies to Jim Cerny for using him in the Demotivators photoshop but the look on his face while Sather was talking during the draft interview was utterly priceless.

Grading The Brass

As I pulled out the 'red pen' for the players, it is only just that I did it for the front office as well. Now, the easy way out would be to hand straight Fs to James Dolan, Glen Sather and John Tortorella. Let's face it, this season was a disappointment. As fans we were promised things that were not delivered and it is quite easy to be bitter over it.

Quite, quite easy.

For those who don't get it, there are fans and then there are Ranger fans. Odds are, if you are here reading this you are a Ranger fan. Your moods coincide with the success of the Blueshirts, rising with every victory, crashing with every soul-crushing defeat. And, over the last 84 seasons there have been so, so many soul-crushing defeats. But to properly assess the brass I have to limit my focus to last season and limit the sheer negativity that comes spewing from the depths of my disappointment. After all, if things had gone right - or even just a hair more right than they had - the loathful Flyers wouldn't be a win away from the Stanley Cup Finals right now. Man, this is a difficult task.

Making it even tougher is the simple fact we don't really know what Dolan, Sather and Torts have done - all that can be judged are the public actions and the results of the behind-closed-doors actions. We're not in the boardroom, office or locker room. Two of the three rarely talk to the press so what they are thinking and doing is unknown and the third, well, his loathing of the press clouds everything just a shade.

John Tortorella: Where to start, where to start ... the team Tortorella coached went 38-34-10 overall and just 18-17-6 at home, missing the playoffs by a point. After he crashed the team out of the playoffs last spring, Tortorella had all summer and a full training camp to implement that vaunted 'safe is death' style. When the puck finally dropped, that went out the window as he realized he didn't have the horses and the team ended up playing Tom Renney-esque defensive hockey for much of the season. Torts also used the Renney Line Generator, juggling his personnel throughout much of the year. His nonsensical promises of accountability were just that as few players were benched or demoted based on their level of play. His veterans didn't deliver and his young players regressed in terms of their on-ice performance (Staal, Girardi, Cally, Dubi). MDZ and Arty saw too much action while Hobey (and all of the Hartford guys) too little. Tortorella took the Sean Avery out of Sean Avery in the 2009 playoffs and didn't reverse the vasectomy until after New Years. The coach's dealings with the New York media, well, frankly they were ridiculous. All of that being said, Torts was able to coax the late push for the playoffs. He also had that brimstone-and-fire timeout against the Devils early in the season that turned things around and often used his timeouts well. So, ignoring the heartbreak that came from the late tease of talent, Torts gets a D.

Glen Sather: Sather started high and ended high. He dealt away Scott Gomez and Tom Pyatt for Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh and (basically) Marian Gaborik. It was and I still think is a masterful stroke even considering how Gomez and Pyatt became big parts of Montreal's surprising success. Gomez never acclimated to New York (on the ice, off it is something else) and was a massive disappointment for a massive salary. Gaborik came in and provided all of the Ranger offense. After all of that goodwill generated by the Gomez deal, Sather pissed it all away by acquiring Donald Brashear and Ales Kotalik - two utter failures that rank up there with the Bobby Holik and Wade Redden signings in the Hall of Shame Sather has created in New York. While the team was and has been saddled with the latter two deals for far too long, Sather was able to bounce back and rectify the former already. He demoted Brashear and upgraded with a deal for Jody Shelley. He also traded Kotalik and the offensively-challenged Higgins for an expiring contract and a power forward in the making in Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. The GM also plucked Erik Christensen off the garbage heap waiver wire and added a veteran backup goaltender, albeit a bit too late. That kind of up-and-down season seems properly judged right in the middle with a C.

James Dolan: The long-standing belief - one that has not been refuted publicly - is that Jimmy D doesn't pay attention to or care about the Rangers so grading is tough. In November Forbes ranked the Rangers second in the NHL to Toronto in terms of value and revenue. Dolan kept Sather in the driver's seat of the franchise, for better and worse. He raised ticket prices for the fourth straight season and the Rangers had their worst attendance since prior to the lockout. Then again, they still drew an average of 18,076, or 99.3% of MSG capacity. It is now two years since the plans for a new, even more corporate Garden were unveiled in the form of a massive renovation and they have yet to impact the fans other than to ignite debate or dread over what's coming - physically there were no real changes affecting Garden-goers in 09-10. Dolan put another feather in his cap with the first live, professional sporting event to be broadcast in 3D, something widely regarded as a success. MSG Network enhanced their postgame show and brought in some good talent to break down the Blueshirts but still employed the grating Joe Micheletti. Blueshirts United essentially rendered the already-decimated Ranger Fan Club obsolete and, despite being a clear money grab, the people I know who shelled out the bucks were justly rewarded. Despite being a ghost to season ticket holders and the press, I looked at all of the results and have give Dolan a B-.

Whether he, personally, deserves credit or if others in the front office do is something else - the same goes for Sather and Torts. What do you think?

Long Arm Of The Law

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Matt Gilroy has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). In addition, goaltender Matt Zaba has been recalled from Hartford, while goaltender Chad Johnson has been assigned to Hartford.

First off, the Chad Johnson move was just to get him some game action as Hank will start on Saturday. The Gilroy one, which everyone has been talking about, is more complicated. Here is a few thoughts:

*John Tortorella's idea of coaching is to blame everyone else for the team's ills. And the loss against the Blackhawks was clearly all because Gilroy was beat on the outside by Byfuglien. Not because Prospal turned into a deer in headlights when the puck was on his stick in front of the empty net or because Chris Drury couldn't contribute any kind of offense at all.

*The move isn't entirely unlike Mike Sauer getting blamed for Paul Mara's indiscretions last season that led to three goals against. Sauer was immediately sent back down and wasn't even given a shot in camp as everyone was wowed by MDZ and Hobey.

*Hobey is a rookie, and thus able to scolded and benched. Rozy and Redden can suck night after night but they are highly paid veterans, and thus exempt from any form of accountability.

*That which does not kill us makes us stronger. If Gilroy can survive in Hartford where he will be a prime target for opposing forecheckers then he will come back stronger than before.

*If he can score some goals, it will also boost his confidence and we may see more of those end to end rushes he has dazzled with this season. As the Rangers have collapsed deeper and deeper into their own zone, Hobey hasn't had any chances or the nerve to get to open ice.

*The Rangers salary cap situation sucks and every extra dollar will help when Sather goes out and blows draft picks or prospects for overpaid scoring that won't score once they get to Broadway.

Hobey is on a one-way contract, which means he will get paid his NHL salary even though he will be playing in the A. As he is 25 and has limited NHL experience, he won't have to go through waivers to come back. So relax, Hobey will be back, his wallet will just be a bit lighter after buying dinner for his new teammates. And look at it this way, he is the lucky one - the first rat off a sinking ship.

Nah, I'm not down on these guys at alllllllllll.

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 ...

10-8-1: Days Off Don't Help

Don't let the 5-3 scoreline or the 36-27 shot total fool you, the Rangers were dominated tonight by the Atlanta Thrashers. Yep, the Atlanta Thrashers.

It was atrocious, and yet the Blueshirts were a post and a crossbar away from winning the game. I guess that is a good thing, but walking out of the Garden I don't feel the least bit good about the Ranger performance. Atlanta kept them bottled up in their own end for long stretches, had little trouble breaking up most Ranger rushes and kept the shots away from the danger zones. You would think that after finally getting a few days off to practice the Rangers would be better, not worse. You would think that.

Efforts like this make you wonder if the team has tuned out Tortorella already or simply have no clue or capability to play his hard-nosed, open ice hockey. The slot remains empty with no one paying the price to go to the net, the defense isn't helping the offense and isn't playing defense, and players are passing up good shots while taking bad ones.

The upside is that the Rangers have a cupcake of a game on Saturday against the Senators where they have a good chance of pulling out a W. Tonight the Sens allowed Blair Betts to score a power play goal - I kid you not. But that isn't until Saturday so let's look at the misery that was this evening:

*The night started in entertaining fashion with Sean Avery talking trash to Colby Armstrong throughout warm-ups. Unfortunately, the game started, Armstrong scored 19 seconds in and Avery took a cross checking penalty less than two minutes later. And that was all we saw of Sean Avery for the night. Perhaps he was afraid of incurring further wrath at the hands of Kerry Frasier, perhaps he was afraid of incurring further wrath at the hands of John Tortorella, who knows but the result was an invisible Avery. And the Rangers need the exact opposite. I love Aves, but he has to step up and provide some secondary scoring.

*The same goes for Cally, who blew a perfect chance on the doorstep. I loved the thought of Cally across from Higgins but perhaps it is time Torts pulled the two stone-handed players apart. Cally should fill the slot across from Gabby as Lisin has clearly lost a step with his foot injury.

*Torts also needs to re-think his defense, Girardi/Staal has stagnated, Gilroy is carrying Redden and the pairing of Rozy and MDZ .... ugh. Rozy's tenure as a Ranger should have ended with Jaromir Jagr's, seeing as he has been horrendous ever since his Czechmate left town. Tonight he helped lower the bar even further with some of his worst play this season. His laissez faire defense just doesn't work and it led directly to two Atlanta goals and his passing is constantly off the mark, putting teammates in bad spots. The sight of him staring at Hank shrugging his shoulders after the Kane goal was ... I don't have the words. He makes Redden look like Rod Langway. That bad. And the whole Tortorella accountability thing is officially a bad joke.

*Why did Torts waste his timeout with nine minutes remaining? He gave the Thrashers a breather, clearly didn't inspire the Ranger power play and was without his break when he needed it in the final minutes. Very questionable.

*Several folks who watched the game on TV said that MDZ was indeed tripped by Peverley as he flew into the Thrasher zone and his momentum carried him forward and got a mistaken diving penalty but from my seat it looked like a dive of Brodeurian proportions.

*Just as I had predicted, Brashear got into a pointless fight against Boulton early on. The score was 1-1, he wasn't standing up for a teammate, he was just trying to justify his contract with more buffoonery. He took on a guy he knew he could beat, and proceeded to throw dozens of punches at the guy's helmet. One could only hope that he hurt his hand again and will be out for a prolonged time. I doubt it, seeing as he circled around the ice for a few more shifts but one can pray.

*The other fisticuffs came courtesy of Cally, who took on young Zach Bogosian after Bogosian ran him. Cally laid on the ice, looked for a penalty, didn't get one, had none of his teammates come to his aid and took him on himself. I'm not sure why he didn't get an instigator, but the referees in the NHL seem to have no idea how to call that mistake of a rule nine times out of 10.

*Brian Boyle got a goal, playing trailer on a rush and banging in a rebound. The tally helped level the table after some horrendous play in the Ranger end. The big guy got some good time and pretty much proved that he doesn't belong any higher than the fourth line in an ideal world; I think I saw him win one faceoff all night. I want to see Corey Locke called up because Torts' experiment of three centers clearly failed on this occasion and Locke is racking up points in the A. Torts got so desperate that he even put out Byers, Brash and Voros by themselves after Boyle scored. The sad thing? They killed the clock in the Atlanta end better than the second and third lines were able to do. The saddest thing? Any momentum gained from the goal was completely killed.

*If the Hartford crew doesn't think Locke can do the job, then Sather needs to look elsewhere. Atlanta's Rich Peverley came off of the garbage heap and has flourished as their first-line center. They need more people who can score, that simple. Gabby is outstanding but he can't win alone.

*Peverley and Ilya Kovalchuk were an interesting contrast to Prospal and Gaborik. While their styles are different, I would say that their skill and talent are a wash. Gabby, yet again, was the one Ranger to consistently put himself into good spots to score while Kovalchuk created something out of nothing time and time again.

*The Garden wanted $55 to heat press a name plate on a jersey. Just to heat press it on, not sew it. What the hell?

*Max Afinogenov really is bad. No wonder he frustrated Buffalo fans so badly. He blew several gimme goals for A-T-L. He got his empty netter after Vinny Prospal made the same mistake several Rangers made over the night - passing up the shot to try for force a foolish cross-ice pass on a midget goaltender.

*Borat was a little bit better, going hard to Hank but he couldn't get himself good vengeance with a goal. Thank goodness for small favours.

*I typed almost all of this on the train before getting home just now to finish it up and head to bed. I tuned into MSG and caught the last three minutes of Rangers in 60 where Sam and Joe seem to have traded in their journalist credentials to become PR shrills. Let's face it, they always have been but it was worse than usual.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Rich Peverley - one goal and two assists.
2-Marian Gaborik - one goal and one assist. And he didn't even bother to come out to salute the crowd after it. Classless.
1-Ilya Kovalchuk - one goal and two assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - How can you fault Hank for the loss? He had no chance at stopping three of the four goals against and without him, the game would have been 5-1 by the end of the first.
2-Gabby - When he gets inevitably injured, we will be screwed.
1-Kovalchuk - Kovy is all-world and it shows. He can't lead the Thrashers to Stanley Cup success but when his skills are combined with other big talents, he is scary - thus the Russian success in the World Championships. Watch out Vancouver.

7-2-0: Pride Before The Fall

John Tortorella outright said that the New York Rangers didn't have the conditioning to win the Stanley Cup last season so he tried to send a message, rather than coach to win. Sure, he wanted to win - that goes without saying - but the message was more important.

Tortorella knew that the Ranger win streak would have to come to an end sometime, so puts his star goaltender in to get the easy points against the worst team in the conference, and his backup in against one of the top three teams in the NHL. A loss to the Sharks wouldn't be as bad as a loss against Jersey (Thursday), a loss against Montreal (Saturday) or a loss against Phoenix (Monday).

The idea makes sense. It sucks, but it makes sense. Of course, Torts' pride is bigger than the success of the team, so he suddenly wanted to pull a win out of the jaws of defeat. It was far, far too late. Pulling Valley for the third period was a horrendous move and likely hurt the team far more than the seven goals San Jose scored in their 7-3 demolition of the Rangers tonight.

Did he really think that his team could score three or more goals against Evgeni Nabokov in the third period? Especially with his team playing as poorly as they were? The only thing that happened was that he pissed off his star goaltender and likely injured the confidence that carried the team to seven straight wins. Good job coach.

Now Torts has two days to attempt to patch the damage he caused before the Rangers face the Devils. Good luck with that; Jersey always steps up their game against the Blueshirts and will be ready to pounce.

Before we start dreading Thursday, more on tonight's debacle as I saw it from section 329. There is no re-air on that network, MSG didn't pick it up and the NHL Network will re-air the Vancouver game. It's better that way I guess.

A quick look at the goals against:
1-Brad Staubitz's goal was intensely savable, a shot low glove side past Valley. Awful.
2-Dany Heatley just walked through the defense. Yeah, why cover one of the best scorers in the NHL?
3-Our (former) boy Jed Ortmeyer scored by lurking around the crease and cashing in on some garbage.
4-Devin Setoguchi's was another one where he didn't have to pay a price for hanging out aroung the crease.
5-His second was another savable shot that Valley waved at as it went by.
6-Ryan Vesce scored because no one bothered to cover the midget as he followed up a Heatley shot. And someone in his family loudly celebrated too - you could hear it clearly in the quiet Garden.
7-And Patrick Marleau closed it out with a one-timer.

I guess now the Rangers know the difference between an exhausted Ducks team and a flying Sharks team, huh?? Not the team to put your crappy backup in against if you want to win. But I guess that is a big IF if you are John Tortorella.

Some more notes:

*All Enver Lisin's goal did in the third period was ensure that Jed's goal wasn't the game-winner.

*It was really interesting inside the Garden when Jed scored. Some fans booed, some fans cheered and everyone started talking. I just think there was a bit of shock that Jed scored and that the Rangers blew a 2-0 lead. Blowing 2-0 leads is sooooo 2007.

*The officiating was soooo 2008-09. After the media made such a big deal over how Sean Avery had no PIM, the referees made up a call to put him in the box. And, seeing as they didn't call any of the seven or so clear infractions against him, he finally got frustrated and took a second penalty, a bad penalty. Hopefully it will not be a sign of things to come because it is pathetic and annoying to watch zebras ref with chips on their shoulders.

*Loved the goal that they waved off because of an early whistle. Where was the review? The Rangers had one stupid whistle waived off on video review last game, why not tonight?

*So, Donald Brashear was added to protect his teammates and yet he did nothing to protect Avery. The team was flat and blews a 2-0 lead, where was he to have that big fight to get the pendulum to swing back to his team? Nowhere. As ludicrous as it is to say, it is time to dress Aaron Voros. At least he checks people.

*Wade Redden ... words fail me. Liek Mr. X from the Blue Seats said

*It says something when the best scoring chance over the last 30 minutes was by Brian Boyle, and he missed the net.

*Did the Rangers win any faceoffs? The box score says that Scott Nichol was 8-2 but I didn't catch him losing a single one.

*Anyone else have a heart attack when Jody Shelley raced into the Ranger zone in the third period and Hank rushed out towards him?

*Since I don't want to go to the stars on a bad note, MDZ's goal was nice. Just like one of his other goals, he was pinching on the power play and was in the right place at the right time to bang in the puck in a empty net. Nice work kiddo.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Patrick Marleau - one goal and two assists.
2-Dany Heatley - one goal, one assist and no car accidents (didn't think I would get through an entire post about a game with him without mentioning it, did you?).
1-Devin Setoguchi - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Setoguchi - Jonathan Cheech-who?
2-Jed - He helped keep Gabby off his game, scored a goal and made a few big hits. I miss him as a Ranger.
1-Torts - His poor decisions put his team in a position to lose and he did nothing to help them turn the tables. First star for the Sharks.

Caption This Photo

Good Luck Bettsy

Puck Central picked up on some tweets that Blair Betts will be trying out for the Flyers.

Well, that sucks.

Not for Bettsy, he certainly deserves a shot to stay in the NHL and it is a damn shame that the Rangers brought in a coach who believes that Henrik Lundqvist can take care of the defensive zone all by himself. Bitter much? Yes, yes I am. He was my favourite Ranger, after all.

All Bettsy did was give his heart and soul to the team, night in and night out - something very (VERY) few Rangers have done over the last two seasons. I still believe that he did more to deserve a letter on his chest than any of the shmos who wore one last season. After the idiot Brashear knocked him out, the Caps came back and scored two power play goals the next game. Coincidence? Not at all. But what's done is done and Bettsy's Ranger career is over.

As for his chances with the Broad Street Bullies, I would have to say that are slim. Up top they have Briere, Carter and Richards - all of whom can switch to wing but are natural centers - and then they have Claude Giroux, Ian Laperriere, Krys Kolanos and a couple of kids battling down on the bottom of the depth chart. The Flyers already had a good penalty kill (sixth in the NHL last year) and, let's face it, Bettsy doesn't bring any offense to the table. Honestly, as much as it hurts to say, I thought Betts would have been a much better fit for the Devils, as they let John Madden go this summer. But even if he doesn't make it to Broad Street, a good camp could land him offers elsewhere and that's all one can ask for. It will certainly be tough to see see him don anything other than a Blueshirt but hockey is a business and all that crap so at least the man has a shot to keep a job. And you certainly can't begrudge him that.

Best wishes Bettsy, and thanks for everything.

Camping In The Garden

Last week John Tortorella spoke to NHL.com and reiterated the feelings towards the team that he has expressed since the loss to the Caps:

"I worry about our mental toughness. And I don't want to insult anybody, but I think the whole dynamic there, I think we're a soft team as far as thinking. The organization treats the players very well, they have a great practice facility, it's New York City ... I think we need to stiffen up a little bit. That's the biggest thing - we need to be a stiffer team in our thinking as we play games."

Well, right there is one big way to thicken the skin of the team and make them tougher: take them out of that great practice facility and put them before the toughest critics of them all ... us.

If you haven't seen it, the facility is amazing. But, unlike Rye Playland, it has no room for viewing (aside from a small press area). It is not meant for the fans; it is purely for the players. And, as Torts has inferred, it has helped spoil them. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the place (thank you season ticket rep) and the place is fantastic and is truly first class - from the Mike Richter silver goal in the lobby (if that's still there) to the cushy carpeting of the locker room to the perfect sheet of ice.

According to MSG.com the only events scheduled between September 5th and 28th are two Liberty games and the three pre-season games. Players report to camp for physicals on Saturday the 12th, get on the ice the 13th (while the Liberty have a game at the Garden) and then play their first preseason game on the 15th against the Bruins.

Aerosmith cancelled their show on the 14th so that's perfect. Bring the boys down from their Palisades palace and put them on the Penn Plaza ice. Think Wade Redden will do half-assed suicides when there are thousands of folks waiting to pounce? It would give the prospects a glimpse of the Garden Faithful. It would give Tortorella a chance to prove he is as tough as he claims to be.

It would also - one would hope - give the team an opportunity to interact with the fans. No flights to catch, no hung heads from a disappointing loss, no late night ahead. Sign some autographs, take pictures, shake hands, renew our faith heading into a season where we really don't know what to expect. We know Hank is back but will be defending his Olympic gold in February, we know ticket prices went up, we know our rivals all got better. Making the team train on the Garden ice for a day won't kill them, it will only make them stronger. This is a win-win situation. Let's go Rangers, make it happen.

Tough Talk From Torts

John Tortorella spoke to Jeff Z. Klein over at the Times today and had this to say about the signing of Vinny Prospal:

“Vinny and I had a long conversation prior to our even talking about this … I know, I’ve coached him for so many years — my question was, Does he want to play? Is life too good? Because he’s made a lot of money. He’s been successful. He’s a good person. But I just wanted to make sure that he wanted to play. He’s ticked off. He was bought out. He has something to prove here. I think it’s a good situation on a one-year deal, and show us maybe for when another contract comes around. Some other people in the organization need to understand that too.”

Brandon Dubinsky, you've been put on notice.