The NYR Facts Of Life: #10 Marian Gaborik

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. And this time around we started with the high numbers and are up (or down) to #10, Marian Gaborik.

#10's #s: 62 games, 22 goals, 26 assists, +8, 18 PIM (5 playoff games, one goal, one assist, even, 2 PIM).

Take the good: Gaborik had two hat tricks, a four goal game and a five-goals-in-five-games stretch that helped the Rangers go on a 7-1-1 tear in March. He finished tied for second on the Rangers in points despite missing 20 games. He had nearly as many points on the road (23) as he did at home (25) during the regular season.

Take the bad: Where to start? Gaborik averaged 0.77 points per game, his lowest average since before the lockout. He scored in just 15 of the 67 games he played, building up his goal total against bad teams. Gabby was all but invisible in the playoffs, putting up two points and neither were on the power play where he averaged, AVERAGED four minutes of ice time. The Slovak averaged nearly 51 minutes per goal scored this season (50:57) and had a goal drought stretch for 12 games from late March through Game 3 against the Caps (awful timing). He did not break 20 minutes of ice time per game from February 1st though the end of the regular season - a span of 24 games - and then played over 20 in each of the five postseason matches against Washington. He had all of four game-winning goals, but just one of them was really the determining goal of a game.

Take them both and then we have: A player still named Marian Gaborik, which means that other coaches feel the need to guard him closely, giving more room to the rest of the Ranger lineup. While the introverted Gaborik rarely looked interested in playing, it must be said that he had trouble getting into any kind of groove with any linemates aside from Sean Avery, of all people. Where post-Nylander era Jaromir Jagr connected with a young Brandon Dubinsky, the Rangers need to find someone to re-energize their scorer. If that is Avery, so be it, but the coach needs to realize that. And the franchise needs to ensure that the 20 games he missed this season doesn't mean he is slipping back down the injury-plagued path that he has tread so often in the past.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #10 Marian Gaborik

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. Today we look at top-scorer #10, Marian Gaborik.

#8's #s: 76 games, 42 goals (14 ppg, 1 shg, 4 gwg), 44 assists, +15, 37 PIM.

Take the good: He was healthy! I set the over-under at the 17 games he played last season and he blew it away with 76, setting a personal record in points with 86. Fourth in the NHL with 42 goals, Gabby was pretty much the be-all-end all of the Ranger offense and despite that, he was often able to slip their coverage to grab some great goals. That he managed 44 assists with a revolving cast of wingers goes to show just how talented he is. He also was willing to show that he would stand up for himself, as he did with dirtbag Dan Carcillo.

Take the bad: Minnesota fans warned that Gabby wasn't a big game guy (just one assist in six games in the '08 playoffs) and he did nothing to prove them wrong. In the two biggest games of the season, vs Boston and vs Philly, Gabby came out with donuts. And he was dumb enough to fight Carcillo; maybe he thought his teammates would help him out (damn you Girardi) but it is one thing to shove back at the guy who hit you and it is another to throw off the gloves. He should know that his hands are too valuable to be wasted on Carcillo's ugly face.

Take them both and then we have: The best signing Glen Sather has made during his tenure (not that that is saying much), even if it seemed like a gamble, and even though we are just one year into a five year deal. Gabby is the lone skating star on the team and it's his offense that carried the Rangers to the few midwinter wins that they had. We just have to hope that, at 28, he can still grow into a clutch player.

The Rings & The Rangers

Going back to NHL hockey after this outstanding Olympics will be a difficult task to be certain but it is one we must do - after all, who can wait another four years for more pucks?

Before we look forward to the last 20 games of the regular season, let's look back at the five Rangers who suited up in Vancouver. Three of the five brought back medals, not too shabby but not great considering two were for being first loser and one was for second loser.

Ryan Callahan
USA: 6 games, no goals, 1 assist, 2 PIM, 56:02 total ice time
Cally started the Olympics getting a regular shift but was bumped from the rotation by none other than Chris Drury. To his credit, the demotion didn't knock him down and he was able to contribute when called upon - primarily on penalty kills alongside Dru. Cally made several huge shot blocks in the first win over Canada and was always good for a body check. He had a great chance to score against Switzerland but pulled his best Chris Higgins and blew it; he never really got another good opportunity. Cally's lone point came on Dru's goal against Norway - his low shot was easily stopped by Dru banged in the rebound. Hopefully Cally will come back hungry to show he does indeed have a scoring touch and isn't a mostly useless extra part like he was in Vancouver.

Chris Drury
USA: 6 games, 2 goals, no assists, no PIM, 68:07 total ice time
Drury's other goal was the United States' go-ahead marker in the first match against the Canadians. With the other American forwards battling in front, Dru swooped in unmolested to tap home the puck and put the U.S. up 3-2. It was classic Drury - coming through in the clutch when the opposition was concentrating on the more dangerous players on the ice. But even with the two tallies, Dru's best work came with Cally on the kills. As was written in this space before, when you ignore the contract and the captaincy Dru makes a great third or fourth line center. Too bad the money and the honour are both so grand that they cannot be ignored. Much like the disgrace of losing to Sidney Crosby.

Marian Gaborik
Slovakia: 7 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, 6 PIM, 119:58 total ice time
Gabby's biggest moment of the Olympics was the one that he wasn't there for - with the Slovaks trying to complete a rally and force overtime against the Canadians in the semifinals, he was in the locker room with an unspecified injury. TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that it could be groin related but when Slovakia played two nights later, there was Gabby looking pretty good as he scored the first Slovak goal. So we have no idea just what is up with him or what kind of shape he will be in when returns to the Rangers. We do know that he got a measure of revenge against Hank for the goaltender's errant skate a few weeks back with a goal in Slovakia's elimination of the Swedes.

Olli Jokinen
Finland: 6 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 PIM, 77:17 total ice time
Olli is ending his international career and returning to New York with a bronze medal around his neck. He opened the Olympics with a easy power play goal in Finland's first game (against Belarus) before going goalless over the next four games. To break the drought Ollie shaved off his mustache - and looked even creepier if that is possible - and it worked: his fortunes changed for the best with a pair of goals on Jaro Halak as the Finns beat the Slovaks to capture the bronze. It must be said that both goals were sexy - a nice snipe through traffic and a burst through the defense before sliding it five-hole on Halak. Seeing as he scored the game-winner against Pittsburgh just before the Olympic break, we know he can score some timely goals while wearing a Blueshirt as well as the Suomi ... we just have to hope he can keep it up, something he had trouble doing in Calgary when it came down to it.

Henrik Lundqvist
Sweden: 3 games, 179:05 minutes, four goals allowed on 51 shots, .927 save %, 1.34 g.a.a., 2 shutouts
Don't let the two shutouts fool you, Hank did not play particularly well in Vancouver and the Swedes were bounced in the quarterfinals. Hank barely broke a sweat against the Germans in Sweden's 2-0 win where the two biggest saves were made by the iron behind him. He took the Belarus game off but came back to shutout the listless Finns, who were a different team than the one that beat Slovakia. They only put 20 shots on Hank and hardly tested him. In the quarterfinal the Slovaks pressed the attack far more than the Finns had and touched him for four goals. Two were with the man advantage and two came as a result of Nick Lidstrom doing his best impression of Michal Rozsival. Yes, that Nick Lidstrom. I'm just as shocked and hurt to say that as I am sure Hank was to witness it. But in the end, the Rangers will get back Hank in better physical shape than he was after '06 but with an unknown mental state. Was he overconfident or just plain satisfied in '06 after winning gold? Will this defeat make him hungrier this time around or will it defeat him? Seeing as Torts will ride him the rest of the way, we have to hope for the hunger ...

Thanks, Dude ...

Because of my unhealthy jersey habit, I am a huge fan of the blog Third String Goalie. Jeff does a helluva job with hockey history and linking it to the massive sweater collection he owns (and dreams about owning). He puts up a new post every day and is the first blog I check every morning afternoon when I wake up.

He is a Minnesota man, something I would not have a problem with ... except that in today's case, he selected a special moment in Wild history to honour: the anniversary of Marian Gaborik's five-goal game.

Bastard.

Funny how my (now pic-less) take on it back then hasn't changed. But then again, how can I be mad? Gabby is ours now, so we've won in the end. Right??

Marian Gaborik Is ...

8-3-1: First Line Fixes Streak

It is amazing that the Rangers break a painful losing streak with a five goal effort and yet it still feels like a loss. Seeing as the NHL is as secretive as the CIA in their injury status, we simply don't know how Marian Gaborik is. Did we win the game, and lose the season? Who knows? This is the first but likely not the last night were we will be left wondering, and that is quite unfortunate - especially as his line contributed four goals and five assists in the 5-2 win over Phoenix.

Very few folks in the Garden knew that he got hurt in the first place - leading to a smattering of boos when he didn't come out after being named first star of the night. I had a few good friends text me as soon as it was mentioned on the broadcast so we brainstormed and couldn't see anything big that happened to Gabby. There was a play along the boards in the Coyotes zone in the second period where he was checked but he played well after that. Watching Ranger Rewind, I noticed he fell over Hank awkwardly five minutes into the third and could have tweaked a knee ...

But, since we won't know his status until at least Tuesday if not Wednesday at puck drop, let's not panic just yet and look at this evening's victory:

*So we won't talk about his injury but let's rave about his skill: Gabby is good. Like, real good. Like, how were the Coyotes so stupid as to let him skate into the slot alone to score on a perfect one-timer from Brandon Dubinsky? That he was free for his second goal was no surprise as it was on the power play but still, you would think they would endeavour to cover a guy with a release as good as his.

*Dubi, by the way, certainly responded to his Montreal benching with really good work at both ends of the ice. Chris Higgins wasn't as impressive but he wasn't bad. He got himself a great scoring chance early on but missed the net and blew a shorthanded chance in the second. One of these days, one of these days. It would make for a nice story line for it to come on the Island on Wednesday ...

*What the hell was that boarding call on Vinny Prospal in the first period? Is checking now illegal? And the Avery rules were in effect, with him getting a phantom slashing call and no call when he was unceremoniously dumped to the ice by a Phoenix defenseman.

*Speaking of incredulous questions, how do you give Donald Brashear an assist on the Arty Anisimov goal? There is a Phoenix shot blocked, the puck comes out to Brian Boyle and Boyle and Ansimov pass the puck back and forth all the way up the ice. So what exactly was Brash's contribution? Not taking a penalty on the play?

*It was shocking to see Ilya Bryzgalov play so bad. Can't give him a hard time on the first Gabby goal but the other three were stoppable. Hey, all the better for us, right?

*I made a comment after his second goal, saying how nice it was to have a win. Hey, up four goals, the win is in the bag, right??? (Unless it is against Montreal, in Montreal.) Of course, the Rangers then sat back and let Dave Tippett's team put two in to make a game of it. Ah, the Scotty Hockey hex. And you guys wonder why I prefer to be pessimistic ...

*It was Hockey Fights Cancer Night and I bought a book and a hat. I hope other folks who went bought stuff too. Great cause. I turned on MSG to hear Joe Micheletti say, in talking about the kids from Sloan Kettering, that "I wish I had some of what they have." Really. I kid you not. Now, he was talking about their courage and not their cancer, but it came out wrong. This guy is a clown, surely there is someone capable of providing good colour commentary out there. I'd offer, but I think it would come out at bit like this.

*There was a nice video tribute to Bill Chadwick during a tv timeout but sadly few people in the Garden really knew who he was. Nonetheless, the crowd did itself proud and put together a decent ovation in the Big Whistle's memory.

*Petr Prucha didn't get an ovation. There was a smattering of Pru's when he took the puck on his first shift but he - and Lauri Korpikoski - were complete nonfactors.

*It's been mentioned here before but Ales Kotalik's shot is just awe-inspiring. That damn thing is a cannon and when it is off the mark, it just booms off of the endboards.

*Those virtual ads on the boards on the MSG telecast really don't interfere with the play and less and less fans are speaking out about them. That is great but how long until they attempt virtual ads down on the ice as well?

*After Matt Gilroy's gaffe gave the Canadiens a win on Saturday, he settled down and looked solid against the Coyotes. Granted, the Desert Dogs don't have anywhere near the offensive skill that the Habs do but this was a good one for the confidence. MDZ was also good and is certainly making the most of his power play time (which is nice considering it feeds the goal machine that is Prospal/Gaborik).

*People keep nominating Staalsie for the other "A" but, after listening to Prospal talk after the second period, I think Vinny deserves some consideration. He was serious, he was smart, he understands the head coach well and he is integral to the team's future success.

*Talking about the captaincy, what is up with Chris Drury? He seemed better in the faceoff circle but took a bad hit of some kind. It looked like he got hit high by a puck but he went off the ice with an arm hanging so who knows? He didn't miss a shift so hopefully he is really ok as the Rangers face the Islanders next and that is the only team he seems able to score against.

*I'm pretty sure I saw Jari Kurri down in the purple seats. I still think he was vastly overrated - even in his prime - and the deal to get the past-his-prime version with with Marty McSorley and Shane Churla for Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Mattias Norstrom, Nathan Lafayette and a pick was one of the franchise's worse.

*Loved the whistle war late in the third period as the idiots kept trying to do the Potvin Sucks whistle and other guys just piped up to interrupt. Once a game, cool. Five times - in a row - in the third period against Phoenix? Not cool.

*Why does Hank insist on coming out of the crease? His fumble with the puck led to the shorthanded goal against. Nothing ever good comes out of Hank's wanderings. Otherwise he was Hank - one of the best in the business.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Enver Lisin - one goal and one assist.
2-Vinny Prospal - one goal and two assists.
1-Marian Gaborik - two goals and one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Michael Del Zotto - MDZ collected two assists for his offensive acumen and is showing such great poise. Perhaps down the line, once they get more experience, he and Hobey will to be a great pairing.
2-Prospal - If he can play this kind hockey now, just wait until the team heads to Tampa when he can slap them directly in the face for buying him out.
1-Gaborik - Get well soon Gabby. Please? Pretty please?

Catching Up

I wanted to leave that letter up over the weekend and in the meantime a lot has come to pass in terms of Ranger news so please bear with me as there is a bunch to cover. Before I get to it, I just wanted to say thanks to Patrick Hoffman and the Four Habs Fans. Patrick interviewed me yet again and the Habs Fans asked for my input on their two new additions - Paul Mara and Scott Gomez (yet to be posted, but you can be sure it isn't positive). Well, time to look at all that has happened and sadly, a lot of it isn't positive either:

*"Shut Up & Play" huh? It's not a bad motto for the 09-10 Ranger campaign but it is certainly no Commit To The Indian. Of course, I'm not so sure it was decided as a modus operandi so much as a veiled threat at Brandon Dubinsky. (Thanks to Andrea for the graphic!)

*Which leads to Dubi and his contract situation. I am not sympathetic at this point. It was a nice try, playing hardball and all, but it was bound for failure. Especially when you are in no position to negotiate and you are bargaining with a hard-line Hall of Famer who's untouchable and arrogant. Sather called Sean Avery a detriment to the team after he turned them into winners, think about what Glen has to have said to Dubi. Is Dubi asking for too much? Probably not, especially considering the contracts that Voros, Rissmiller and Brashear all were handed. But at the same time, Sather had to seduce them to come to Broadway and he has Dubi bent over a post. The kid has an opportunity to shine with Gabby, if he sucked it up for a season and racked up the points, he could improve his bargaining position. For now, he's just screwed. You know that in a non-salary capped world Sather would have brought someone else in already anyway ...

*Kyle McLaren's bad back screwed up his chance at a NHL job so the Rangers are trying out the massive Alexei Semenov. Semenov's size is certainly needed and appreciated but his distinct suckiness is not. Yes, I said suckiness. This guy was the bane of San Jose fans' lives because he lumbered around the ice. Sure, he fought on occasion - so he has something over former sasquatch Marek Malik - but Sather signed Brash so we don't need to have two oversized, underskilled wastes of roster spots.

*Sather's insistence on bringing in outside assistance for the blueline speaks volumes on his opinion of the prospects of the Ranger youth. Why bring a McLaren, Semenov, Seidenberg, Babchuk, whoever when you have six, seven legitimate defenders? Unless you don't think they are legitimate (and perhaps one isn't as he is already crying)... but this goes back to the whole refuse-to-rebuild-from-within mental block that Sather has and we should expect it by now.

*While I love the thought of seeing Dan LaCouture back in a Blueshirt, the same veteran vs. prospect thing goes for him too. I loved watching LaCouture play the first time around because he hustled like hell and he stood up for his teammates. Well, he still does both but someone like Dane Byers can do it better as he has an offensive upside as well as a few years on his side. LaCouture might be a good veteran presence for Hartford though, so let's hope that he can hang on and earn a two-way deal.

*The Wolf Pack are playing the AHL Devils at the Rock on Wednesday afternoon in a free game as part of a day/night doubleheader with the big boys. Seeing as the first wave of Ranger camp cuts isn't until Thursday, it will be quite telling to see who they choose to put in Pack jerseys. The bigger question is, aside from a hockey geek like myself who already took the day off, who the hell is going to show up for a 1 pm hockey game in Newark?

*Anyone else see that Ryan Hollweg was invited to the Coyotes camp? Too funny. Damn shame that kid had no restraint because he had potential to be a good checking forward with his speed and persistence. Other interesting invitations are Panthers decision to give Christian Backman a shot (somehow I don't think he can be an adequate replacement for Jay Bouwmeester, just a hunch) and Calgary doing the right thing to let Theo Fleury attempt to redeem himself. I'll definitely be rooting for him.

*It is kind of surprising that Atlanta hasn't given Nik Zherdev at least a tryout. Brooksie said Z was back on Broadway begging for a deal but Atlanta makes so much more sense. First, Z clearly was uncomfortable in the limelight here in NY and there really isn't much light at all on southern hockey. Management down in the A-T-L is catering to Kovalchuk in an effort to get him to stay after next season and you have to imagine that he likes the thought of a line with him on one side, Z on the other and Borat in the middle.

*All the invitations mean little as there simply aren't many spots up for grabs in most organizations. Of course, there appears to be several positions up for the Rangers - third defensive pairing, fourth line center, first line center, first line winger ... oh wait, we have that Gaborik guy. Yeah, like I said, that spot is up for grabs. The guy is already sore and sitting out and he has hardly stepped on the ice! Not a good sign at all so I'm setting the over/under at 20 games played this season. That's three more than last year and I think trainer Jim Ramsay can duct tape Gabby together for at least that many.

*Getting back to the Dubinsky thing for a second - should this thing really drag out and the kid is forced out of the lineup, what do you think about trying Michael Nylander in a waiver acquisition a la Avery? Sure he is slow and frustrating to watch and entirely not a Tortorella-type player but he always managed to produce. For the games that Gaborik does dress for, he will need a center to get him the puck and there aren't many alternatives out there. And once Gabby goes on long term injured reserve, the Rangers can grab Jagr back after the Olympics and put the band back together!! (Only a little sarcasm there.)

*Perhaps Glen can think up a trade. Personally, I've always liked the thought of Jason Spezza as a Ranger so why not make something happen? Given their deal with the Sharks, the Senators seem quite willing to write off the next season or two and Dubinsky plus Rozy and a high pick (one of the packages bandied about for Heatley) could be enough to get Spezza, right? Reports out of Ottawa said he was a disappointment last season and a slow start this fall could wear out the rest of his welcome. Dubi and the pick would help boost the Sens youth movement with Foligno, Shannon, Lee and company while Spezza would give the Rangers a legit first-line center. I can dream, right?

Luckily the dream of a new season is just beginning as the puck drops at the Garden tomorrow. Oh baby, let's get this party started!!!

Goals By Gabby, Day 5

As I mentioned Monday, I am posting some Marian Gaborik YouTubage this week.

And the week wouldn't be complete without the horror show. The five-goal game. You remember it. You probably still have the occasional nightmare. I know I do. It ranks just below the Mockery in Montreal and Hockey Night In Hell in recent debacles by our boys in blue. But now that he is one of us, perhaps he can pull off another performance like it - say against the Devils, Islanders, Penguins or Flyers? Or how about all of them?

Goals By Gabby, Day 4

As I mentioned Monday, I am posting some Marian Gaborik YouTubage this week.

Should the Rangers decide to keep Nik Zherdev, it is easy to see him playing the Hossa role in this clip from the World Championships. Love the hops by Gabby as he hustles to finish off the give-and-go:

Goals By Gabby, Day 3

As I mentioned Monday, I am posting some Marian Gaborik YouTubage this week.

Where he scored a Messier-esque goal yesterday, today he looks a helluva lot like Jaromir Jagr if you ask me ...

Goals By Gabby, Day 2

As I mentioned Monday, I am posting some Marian Gaborik YouTubage this week.

Today's pick sees Gabby again playing for Slovakia as he brings out his inner Messier to score on a sweet off-wing wrister inside the far post:



While I didn't realize that Wade Redden played for Russia, I think the goal is still quite impressive.

Goals By Gabby, Day 1

Since my Bashing Brash week caused so much discussion and interest, I figured I would even up the karma meter and spend this week looking in awe at the scoring prowess of Marian Gaborik. As I said when we signed him, Gaborik is high risk/high reward and the sky is the limit if he stays healthy.

The Garden ice isn't the best for someone with surgically-reconstructed hips and a bad groin but the Rangers have a top notch training staff and New York has some of the best doctors in the world. Hopefully they all can keep this world-class talent in our lineup as much as possible.

Sportsnet's scouting report on Gaborik says that he "is one of the fastest players in hockey, naturally gifted and a constant offensive menace. Has soft hands, elusive one-on-one moves and a quick release." You guys have seen the numbers, Gaborik is at least a point-per-game player when healthy but has missed 138 regular season games due to injury over the last five seasons.

So let's get this week started off right with a scene that will hopefully be re-created many times over this season - Gaborik scoring a sick goal on Mmmmaaaaaaaarrrrtttyyyy (even if it is internationally):



Wow.

Names To Know

Now that Marian Gaborik is a Ranger, there are some names all Ranger fans should know:

Jim Ramsay is the Head Athletic Trainer. Rammer is well known to many of us regulars as the affable, capable man behind the bench. The kind soul who is first over the bench when a Blueshirt goes down, Rammer is also quick to help opposing players and even injured fans. If I recall, he rushed up into the stands to help someone hit by a errant puck last season. And, I have to say, his tips of the week were informative, if awkward, watching.

Bruce Lifrieri, the Massage Therapist/Assistant Trainer. Rangerland did a fun "interview" with him a few years back. But seriously, as they say prevention and preparation are key to avoiding injury, you can believe Bruce the Masseuse will be working with Gaborik.

Reg Grant, the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Working with advisor Daniel Hedin, Grant keeps the Rangers in shape over the grind of the season. Given that Torts thought the Blueshirts were tired and worn down in the series against the Caps last season, Reg surely has been hard at work this offseason giving workout instructions so the guys can survive Camp Tortorella.

Dr. Andrew Feldman, the Team Physician and Orthopedic Surgeon. When operating on the right body part, Feldman has proved quite capable and has quite the resume. Other times, notsomuch. Feldman couldn't do anything to save Danny Blackburn's career but may have saved Sean Avery's life by getting him to the hospital when his spleen went against the Pens.

Feldman is joined by Dr. Anthony Maddalo, the Assistant Team Physician, who has been with the team for more than 20 years and has worked on Richter, Bure and Rozy, among many others. Dr. Ronald Weissman, the Medical Consultant, has also been around for quite a while and helped diagnose Jed's blood clots.

Hopefully with this skilled staff in place, Gaborik will stay healthy and we will see him celebrating all season long.