Such A Deal!

Auction ending soon!

Excellent condition!

Almost new!

You too can look like a real Ranger, without any skill at all - much like previous owner!

Can't even tell it was worn!

Perfect for the fall! Or for falling!

No worries about board burns or tears!

Spent plenty of time in sweat-free environment!

ACT NOW!!!!!!

Big Foot To Appear In New York

The man, the myth, the urban legend will return to Madison Square Garden tomorrow night.

Yes folks, Marek Malik is back.

After receiving no interest - at least publicly - during the summer Malik was signed by the Bolts a few weeks back and will step back on the Garden ice on the blueline for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I will be honest in that I have not seen much of him since he went south (har, har) outside of his mediocre performance against the Devils tonight. Here is how he has done game-by-game since he has returned:

*Game 1 vs San Jose: 14:27 of ice time, -1, minor for interference that the Sharks scored a power play goal on to make it 2-0 (they won 3-0).
*Game 2 vs Toronto: 15:13, +1, minor for interference that the Maple Leafs scored the game-winning power play goal on in a 3-2 win.
*Game 3 vs Buffalo: 17:36, +2 - Bolts win 5-2.
*Game 4 vs Ottawa: 16:09, even, minor for tripping that the Senators scored the first goal of the game on but the Bolts went on to win 3-2 in a shootout.
*Game 5 vs New Jersey: 19:08, even - Bolts lose 4-3 in a shootout.

Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same. New jersey, same Malik. Sasquatch gets good ice time, ends up on the plus side of the ledger, makes bad decisions with the puck, takes bad penalties and is softer than Mister Stay Puft. However, he entirely awful; he does take advantage of his size by getting his limbs and stick in passing lanes and he has the knack of finding chemistry with talented players.

It is that ability that got him the plus/minus numbers that everyone points out in conversations about the oversized Czech. Malik was +58 in two seasons with Vancouver, back when our very own Markus Naslund was dominating the NHL alongside a saner Todd Bertuzzi and a healthy Brendan Morrison. In the three seasons with the Rangers after the lockout, Malik was +67 playing almost exclusively behind that Jaeger guy. Malik saw a good amount of power play time with Jagr's unit (when Straka wasn't put across from Rozy) and yet in 185 regular season Ranger games he had four power play points. In fact, Malik rarely puts up points but does get the pluses.

And more power to him for doing that. I have wasted many pixels on this blog pointing out Malik's various shortcomings but, as I put on his Hockey-Reference page, I wish him the best of luck far away from the Garden. Let's face it folks, he will be a part of Ranger highlight reels for as long as they play hockey in New York ...

But for as much as I joined in the cheering for that goal on that amazing Saturday night, I will still greet him tomorrow the way I bid him adieu:

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

M! A! L-I-K, MALIK YOU SUCK!

It's Official ...

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Marek Malik to a one-year contract today, executive vice president and general manager Brian Lawton announced.

"We are thrilled to have signed Marek to a contract,” Lawton said. “He is a big body, at 6-foot-5 220 pounds, that will add to our overall defensive play and give us veteran leadership on the blue line."

Hahahahaha. My feelings towards Mr. Malik are well known and I just have to wonder what Lawton is thinking or how he has fooled himself into believing that Malik may suddenly use that "big body" since he never has in his career to date. I thought things were taking a turn for the better in Tampa and this move just makes me scratch my head. If they were still winless and listless, then ok, they should try anything to get the ship righted, but they just won a game and maybe saved their coach's career. I don't get it ...

But either way, best of luck to the Bolts - y'all will need it. Do you think Malik will send his former coach Tom Renney a letter? Ha!

Lol @ Lightning

Thanks to Puck Daddy for passing along the story from Lightning Strikes:

Marek Malik could be the next addition to the Lightning's ever-evolving defense. The 6-foot-5, 233-pound unrestricted free agent is expected in Tampa this week, though it is unclear if he will sign a one-year, $1-million contract or practice as a tryout.

The comments below the story are also priceless but I just love Arto's who summed it up by saying "I don't like Malik in our team at all."

Arto, neither did we. Neither did we.

In all seriousness, I have been surprised no one took a flier on Kalinin Malik so far. He does have some experience and knows how to play in a defensive system (even if he can't pull it off). I figured at least he would head back home into the deep forest with the other sasquatch to the Czech Republic and play but is Tampa really that desperate? I don't understand why the Lightning would go after a softie like Malik when Mullet Melrose is demanding hard work. Even when Lurch makes an effort, he looks like he is cruising at half speed.

This just isn't a smart move. Malik has the unfortunate tendency of putting the puck on (and in) his own net from time to time; aren't the Bolts goaltenders under enough pressure already from opposing shooters?

The Great Booing Debate

The above picture is not of me, but of Mario Dileo, another Rangers fan. I do not know him, nor speak for him, just appreciate his passion.

Ok, onto the subject at hand, the Great Booing Debate. This battle has roared its ugly head again thanks to the play -- well, very presence of -- Rangers defenseman Marek Malik.

I will get back to him in a bit, but the two sides of the debate are basically this:
SIDE A - You are a fan of the team, so you support the team, no matter what they do.
SIDE B - You cheer when the team does well, but are quick to voice your displeasure when they do not, usually in the form of booing.

There is some grey area, but those in each side feel quite strongly that they are correct and that the other are not "real fans."

The one thing that I have found, after being part of argument after argument on the matter, is that you have to agree to disagree because there is no right answer. People express their passion in different ways, and you just have to respect that. I am not going to pry you out of your seat to yell and cheer when I do, but you shouldn't chastise me when I boo or yell. Different strokes, for different folks. The only time I take exception is when people curse endlessly. Even though they are often priced out of it, professional sports are still family entertainment. However, that does not include the occasional "Asshole" chants directed towards players on the other team or the officials.

As for me, I yell and I boo but I also am the first to yell encouragement when a guy lays down to block a shot, or cheer when the team kills a penalty or does the little things that show they care and are putting in maximum effort.

And on that note, I take it back to the impetus for this post, Marek Malik. You cannot watch Malik play and say he appears to give it everything he has. He waves at skaters as they pass by, sometimes swinging his purse at them, sometimes going so far as to try to shove them into the boards but rarely does he knock them off the puck despite the fact that he often at least three inches taller than them.

I didn't boo his introduction at the home opener (as many fans did), but I did start booing him when he started playing like a pylon in the Rangers end. Malik was his usual lousy self playing soft not pushing people off the puck, waving his stick senselessly and showing his complete lack of agility while letting skaters have free warrant to do what they want in the Rangers zone. Yes, he put up three assists (two of which I find to be incidental rather than based on deft passing skills) but that does not change the fact that he put up a poor performance doing his job as a defenseman.

Yes I booed him, and joined in a 'M-A-LIK, Malik You Suck' chant at one point. Did that stop me from cheering when he got his assists? No. Did that stop me from laughing hysterically when he was named third star? No. Does that not make me a 'true fan'? Well, that's for you to decide. I believe I am, but what you think is what you think and thankfully (?) that can't be changed. At the end of the day we are both rooting for the same team, and I hope we will be cheering and high-fiving together at the end of the season. If not, your loss.

Poseur.

D-fense

So Sheldon Souray is a Edmonton Oiler ... good. Souray has probably the best point shot in the NHL and now we don't have to face him. The Rangers don't need a one-dimensional defenseman, they need another good soldier like Girardi or Tuytin to play along the one-dimensional Paul Mara and a good puck moving two-way defenseman to complement Rozy (like Staal). So getting Souray and stretching the salary cap would have been a mistake. Remember, plugging in high priced free agents didn't work prior to the lockout, it won't work now.

Now if we could just find a way to get rid of that Malik ape ...