Not-So-Free Agents 2012

The opening of free agency is a virtual holiday in Canada but here in New York, Glen Sather has turned it into a day to be dreaded like the arrival of inlaws. There is simply no way of telling what the cigar smoker will do on Sunday but I figured I would break down 60 impending UFAs in simple terms - guys I'd want, guys I wouldn't mind and guys I wouldn't want. All of the names are from Capgeek's Free Agent list. Sorry for the clutter, don't have the time to make it too pretty.

Even with the names below, the best idea I believe for the Blueshirts is to stay out of the free agent insanity and let the kids play. Mercenaries, by and large, have not worked too well for this franchise - just look at some of the names included in the poll on the right. There are kids coming up, Sather should not block their development with hired guns. The one exception being Justin Schultz, as he is a prospect himself; he is not included on the list below of UFAs as he has no NHL experience. They REALLY should sign him.

Guys I Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Adam Burish C DAL 29 $1,150,000 - Not quite Steve Ott but still a quality, defensively conscientious pest.
Shane Doan R PHO 35 $4,550,000 - If Coyotes leave Phoenix he may leave the Coyotes; hell yes. He takes losing personally.
Paul Gaustad C NAS 30 $2,300,000 - Imagine Boyle, but good at things like faceoffs and fighting and remaining consistent.
Jiri Hudler L DET 28 $2,875,000 - Great secondary scoring as long as the rate is reasonable.
Jaromir Jagr R PHI 40 $3,300,000 - Still scoring after all these years so as long as he isn't captain I'm ok with it,
Daymond Langkow C PHO 35 $4,500,000 - At a pay cut he could help balance out the lines a bit with solid, simple play.
Travis Moen L MTL 30 $1,500,000 - Blood n' guts team guy with a Cup to his credit.
Dominic Moore C SAN 31 $1,100,000 - Don't forget aboot it, the former Ranger is capable.
Shane O'Brien D COL 28 $1,100,000 - Tough, loved by teammates. Dammit, re-signed.
Jed Ortmeyer R MIN 33 $585,000 - It's Jed, I mean, c'mon! Jed!
Zach Parise L NJD 27 $6,000,000 - He's kinda good. I guess. Maybe.
Taylor Pyatt L PHO 30 $1,000,000 - Goes to the front of the net, the Rangers need that.
Steve Sullivan L PIT 37 $1,500,000 - Heart and soul and a little bit of scoring.
Ryan Suter D NAS 27 $3,500,000 - There's a reason why there will be a bidding war for this blueliner.
Ray Whitney L PHO 40 $3,000,000 - Worship the Wizard.

Guys I Wouldn't Mind On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Bryan Allen D CAR 31 $2,900,000 - Decent shutdown guy blocks shots and kills penalties.
Sheldon Brookbank D ANA 31 $750,000 - Gritty, solid citizen.
Ryan Carter C NJD 28 $750,000 - If you can't beat him (or beat him up) ...
Brett Clark D TBL 35 $1,500,000 - Veteran shot blocker.
Jason Garrison D FLA 27 $675,000 - First half was great, will want too much moolah.
Hal Gill D NAS 37 $2,250,000 - Slow but tough.
Jochen Hecht C BUF 35 $3,525,000 - Quite capable when healthy.
Kristian Huselius L CLB 33 $4,750,000 - Could be Vinny Prospal 2.0 if he can avoid fluke injuries.
Zenon Konopka C OTT 31 $700,000 - Fights, wins faceoffs. Also takes bad penalties though.
Michael Leighton G PHI 31 $1,550,000 - Helped the Flyers get to the Cup Final before being dumped.
Antero Niittymaki G SAN 32 $2,000,000 - Hank's rival in Turin; might be seeking redemption as he's sucked since.
Sean O'Donnell D CHI 40 $850,000 - Plenty of experience but quite slow.
George Parros R ANA 32 $875,000 - Can you imagine that mustache in NY??!?
Dustin Penner L LAK 29 $4,250,000 - After that playoff performance, who can turn down pancakes?
Bryce Salvador D NJD 36 $2,900,000 - As with Carter, if you can't beat him ...
Sheldon Souray D DAL 35 $1,650,000 - That slap shot, wow. But besides that, what's left?
Lee Stempniak R CGY 29 $1,900,000 - Average, two-way winger. Meh.

Guys I Don't Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Arron Asham R PIT 34 $775,000 - Man do I hate this guy.
Adrian Aucoin D PHO 38 $2,000,000 - Oooold.
Alex Auld G OTT 31 $1,000,000 - Auuuld.
Jason Blake L ANA 38 $4,000,000 - Former Islander scum.
Brad Boyes R BUF 30 $4,000,000 - Was never worth that money, still isn't.
Andrew Brunette L CHI 38 $2,000,000 - Oooold and sloooooow.
Matt Carle D PHI 27 $3,437,500 - Will want too much money.
Scott Clemmensen G FLA 34 $1,200,000 - Capable but cheaper options are available.
Ty Conklin G DET 36 $750,000 - Conk can't block a beachball anymore.
Joe Corvo D BOS 35 $2,250,000 - Uh Oh Corvo, no.
Radek Dvorak R DAL 35 $1,500,000 - Oooold.
Dan Ellis G ANA 32 $1,500,000 - Don't need his problems.
Kurtis Foster D MIN 30 $1,800,000 - Not the same since the broken leg.
Nicklas Hagman L ANA 32 $3,000,000 - Waaay too much money for waaay too little.
Scott Hannan D CGY 33 $1,000,000 - Far past his prime.
Mike Knuble R WAS 39 $2,000,000 - Sadly far past his prime.
Andrei Kostitsyn R NAS 27 $3,250,000 - An enigmatic Russian scorer? Why I never.
Filip Kuba D OTT 35 $3,700,000 - Older, slower, probably will stay in Ottawa. Or should.
Pavel Kubina D PHI 35 $3,850,000 - Soft Czech defenseman, been there/done that.
Sami Lepisto D CHI 27 $750,000 - Not much more than a seventh defender.
Torrey Mitchell C SAN 27 $1,366,667 - Low-line grinder.
Scott Nichol C STL 37 $700,000 - Old low-line grinder.
Cory Sarich D CGY 33 $3,600,000 - Play has dropped off dramatically.
Alex Semin R WAS 28 $6,700,000 - Heartless, gutless, enigmatic.
Jaro Spacek D CAR 38 $3,833,333 - Injury-prone and old.
Brett Sutter L CAR 25 $525,000 - Darryl's kid hasn't made the leap yet.
Colin White D SAN 34 $1,000,000 - Remember when he was a Devil? Yeah, no.
Dennis Wideman D WAS 29 $3,937,500 - Too expensive for a 3-4 defenseman.

The Great Re-Opening

Since opening night is a day away, I look forward to getting a few questions of mine answered about the renovated Garden. Some are serious, some are sarcastic, but all are burning (like gonorrhea):

*Will Dolan dislocate his shoulder patting himself on the back?

*Just how many homeless people can you see from the new 'city views'??

*How many 'great new features' will be covered up by poorly painted sheetrock?

*Will ushers allow the real fans to lurk in the new seats to watch warmups? Or will our poorness stain the new fabric?

*Which will be sadder, the pre-game ceremony for Derek Boogaard or the power play?

*Will all Sean Avery shirts and jerseys be on sale? Will Torts be selling them himself, out on Seventh Ave?

*After fighting Orr, will Rupp go back to his usual job at the Museum of Natural History as part of the neanderthal exhibit?

*Given the prices, will they install a automated teller machine where you can take out a second mortgage on your house?

*Which will be higher? The attendance or the number of line combinations Tortorella tries?

*How will they ever top Ace Frehley??

Another Letter ...

The Rangers called season subscribers this afternoon to alert them that the below e-mail was coming. Essentially it says that things will be great for the people who will spend a lot of money and sit downstairs but for those folks upstairs, life will be very inconvenient.

Welcome back!

Now that the Rangers season is underway and we are close to the home opener at The Garden, we are thrilled to share with you some of the exciting new amenities you will find when you visit this season that are part of the first phase of the Arena's top-to-bottom three year historic Transformation. Before the puck drops on October 27th, I want to make sure that you have all the inside information regarding easy access to your seats and some of the newly transformed parts of the building. We are confident you are going to love what you see!

Throughout the 2011-12 Season you will experience some amazing enhancements to the building including:

*New Lower Bowl seating area with more comfortable seats and great sightlines
*Expanded Madison Concourse (6th floor) with city views
*Enhanced concession stands, more restrooms and additional retail locations (Note: additional features will continue to debut throughout the 2011-12 season)
*New 1879 and Delta Sky360° Club areas offering exclusive dining options and private entry to seat locations
*New food offerings on the 8th and 10th floor concourses (Note: additional features will continue to debut throughout the 2011-12 season)
*New West Balcony seating located above the West End of the Upper Bowl
*Additional details about what’s new and more importantly, how to get to your seats, is listed below. So you have more time to familiarize yourself with the transformed areas of The Garden, doors will open at 5:30pm prior to the home opener on October 27th when your New York Rangers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. This provides an additional 30 minutes of access to the arena for all of our guests.

What's New?

The Seating Configuration
Even if your seat is located in an area of the building that has not been transformed, it is likely that there is a new way to get there. There will be pockets of the arena that are transformed to the point where on initial glance, you may need assistance or guidance to find your way. Rest assured that there will be plenty of staff on hand to assist you as you explore the new building. Here are some important changes worth noting prior to your arrival:

The Madison Concourse (6th floor) will provide an enhanced experience including city views and new and improved menu offerings but it will also be a space that is quite different as compared to the 6th floor concourse last season.

For this season, the 7th floor will not wrap completely around The Garden meaning that access from the North side of the 7th floor to South side of the 7th floor and vice versa is only available by using the Madison Concourse (6th floor). The 7th floor provides access to 200 Level locations and 300 Level locations that are on the North and South sides of the building.

For this season, the 8th floor will wrap completely around The Garden but will only provide access to the East and West sections of the 300 Level. Access to the 8th floor is available through both Towers A and D.

Listed below is our recommendation on how to access your seats based on your location. In addition to the directions to your seats, we have listed the locations and launch dates for specific food offerings and merchandise locations.

Based on your seats in Section 329, we recommend that you take the following path:

300 Level North and South Seats

All 300 Level seat locations on the North and South ends of the building are accessible from the 7th floor concourse. For this season, the 7th floor will not wrap completely around The Garden meaning that access from the North side of the 7th floor to the South side of the 7th floor (and vice versa) is only available by using the Madison Concourse (6th floor). As a result, for those locations on the North side of the building (Sections 328 - 341), Tower D is the only access point. Should you attempt entry at Tower A, your ticket will not scan and you will be redirected to Tower D. For those locations on the south side of the building (Sections 303 - 316), Tower A is the only access point. Should you attempt entry at Tower D, your ticket will not scan and you will be redirected to Tower A.

Food & Beverage Offerings
In addition to an expanded Madison Concourse, increased restrooms and viewing areas on the 8th and 10th floors, some of the biggest names in New York food will be creating exclusive, world-class culinary options for The World's Most Famous Arena. As part of The MSG Signature Collection, you will see a number of new menu offerings that will become available throughout the season.

In late November, two sensational offerings will be available on the Madison Concourse (6th floor).

*The Sausage Boss, by Chef Andrew Carmellini (available in three locations).
*Daily Burger, by restaurateur Drew Nieporent (available in two locations).
*In mid-December, you will find additional offerings available throughout the arena.
*Simply Chicken, by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten on the 6th and 8th floors.
*Lobster Shrimp Roll by Aquagrill (chef Jeremy Marshall) on the 6th, 8th and 10th floors.

Other notable offerings that will become available during the early parts of the season are:

*Carnegie Deli
*Hill Country Barbecue
*16 Handles Frozen Yogurt
*Kosher offerings from Carlos & Gabby's
*Additional Garden Markets
*Stand Healthy (allergy free and gluten free offerings)
*Merchandise Locations

In October, you will be able to purchase Rangers gear in the Mall prior to entering the Box Office and in the arena where you will find four locations on the Madison Concourse (6th floor). Additional locations will open throughout the season.

Such A Deal!

Do you want to bring a little bit of the Garden home to you?

Do you want to bring friends around to see a piece of the self-proclaimed World's Most Famous Arena?

Do you want something that has had beer, soda, gum and who-knows-what spilled all over it in your house?

Do you want to sit in an hideous teal or purple chair?

Do you want to walk into your living room every day and be reminded of the greed of James Dolan?

Well today is your lucky day my friend! Because the Garden - through their partner Steiner Sports Gifts & Collectibles - has the item for you!!

A used seat from Madison Square Garden! For the low, low price of $549.99 (plus tax) you can watch the Ranger games like you are right in the building. No more travelling to New York City. No more standing in line for the bathrooms, for the concessions, for the souvenirs. You can sit in your seat right at home for just $549.99 (plus tax)!!!!!!!

Not good enough? Well - for a limited time only ... YOU GET 10% OFF! WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!

That is just $494.99 (plus tax)!!!!!!!!!!!

$494.99 (plus tax). Now seriously, where else are you going to find a deal like that? Yankee Stadium seats go for $799 and they play in the Bronx.

Peee-yew!

This is YOUR opportunity to get a fragment of midtown Manhattan, a portion of the World's Most Famous Arena!! And for just the low, low price of $494.99. Plus tax.

Such a deal! How can you resist?



Warning: MSG and Steiner Sports are not responsible if you destroy your television watching the Rangers and/or the Knicks. MSG and Steiner Sports are not responsible if you destroy your hearing listening to Joe Micheletti. MSG and Steiner Sports are not responsible if your friends and family start hitting you up for money because they realize you are a sucker.

Renovation Update

Madison Square Garden's atrocious transformation/money grab is continuing and starting to infringe on the public parts of the Garden. The team just sent out an update with what will be closed during tomorrow's game:

10-8-1: Bruins BeDevil Rangers

The Rangers attempted to celebrate their so-called 85th anniversary - 84 years and a day after their first-ever game - against the Boston Bruins and failed, losing 3-2. When the Rangers debuted they played a rough-and-tumble 1-0 affair against the Montreal Maroons. On this night the Rangers weren't rough, and they tumbled at the feet of a Claude Julien classic.

Tim Thomas was the first star and is sure to draw many accolades but the truth is he had very little to do with Boston's victory. Thomas made one tough save out of his 34, and it came off of a bad bounce that somehow got behind him. The Rangers got off shots in low percentage areas and couldn't/were unable to follow them in. There were virtually no second chances, and every time a puck was thrown through the slot it was either easily cleared or just cruised through to the other side because no Ranger was there. Julien's team clogged the middle of the ice and the Blueshirts weren't talented enough to or couldn't/wouldn't battle through them.

The officiating wasn't kind to the Rangers - Gaborik was molested several times - but it wouldn't have mattered if the calls had been made as the power play was atrocious. The Rangers had a double minor and didn't get a single shot off over the first three minutes. The first shot taken, by Brandon Dubinsky, went in. With the game on the line late in the third period they had an extended five-on-three and were grossly incompetent, killing off the time better than Boston could have themselves.

The question is why? Why are the Rangers so horrible with the man advantage? Five on threes, five minute majors ... they stink. Perry Pearn is long gone so what is it? Personnel: their talent, confidence and bravery - namely, the lack of all three. The primary culprit is clearly Michael Del Zotto. John Tortorella, when talking about playing the kids, has said that the team will have to ride the highs and lows that come with playing kids. And that is understandable. But the question is, at what point do you realize that just throwing them over the boards again and again is not doing anything? MDZ is too gunshy to shoot, his passing is predictable and interceptable, he can't carry the puck over the blueline and he can't hold the line once they are inside it. Marc Staal scored a remarkable shorthanded goal last game and was willing to lug the puck on several occasions in this game, and yet he saw one minute with the man advantage while MDZ saw five. It is bad enough that everyone knows the team is trying to set up Marian Gaborik but to telegraph it every single time is just stupid and ineffective - we saw that in the Jagr years. Them aside, no one is willing to Adam Graves/Tomas Holmstrom the crease. In a 'new NHL' that hampers the physicality defensemen are able to use, no Ranger is willing to set up camp at the top of the paint. They stop by for a second but quickly skate out if only to play a part in the passing party. Sidenote: I often yell "Pass it to Hank! He is open!!" and tonight he picked up the assist on the power play goal (a play that did not go through the defenders). Hilarious.

Other notes:

*The heritage sweater is nothing less than beautiful in action. Too bad the team didn't keep the theme going with more old-timey stuff. The music played on this night (especially during warmups) was - by far - the worst of the season. If you are honouring 85 years, why not throw in some fun flapper tunes? The team decided to host a Q&A during the first intermission with some Ranger greats and yet you could hardly hear them as fans milled about. And on the 75th anniversary the Rangers gave away a Canon-sponsored hat with the anniversary logo. On this night the giveaway was a piece of paper - a flimsy, poorly-designed poster with NHLUniforms-esque drawings of the Ranger sweaters in front of a plain, white background. Could the Rangers have tried any less? (The 85th anniversary hats, minus sponsor, was being sold for $30 in the team store.)

*While Thomas was hardly responsible for Boston's win, Henrik's softies helped sink the Rangers. The King gave up a pair of horrible goals and the Ranger offense couldn't bail him out. It was like last season all over again. We are spoiled seeing games like Monday where the King is the best player on the ice; he is human and his teammates should be able to bail out his occasional mistakes. But on this night, just like last season, they couldn't do it.

*Arty Anisimov couldn't have been any less effective if his name was Alex Frolov. Where Dubi and Cally have raised their games to the next level, Arty continues to play on the periphery. He can't win faceoffs, he won't pay the price to score, he just occasionally gets into good spots when the opposition forgets about him. Arty has to be better.

*Frolov is a disgrace. It is easy to see why L.A. dropped him down their lineup. The guy has good size that he doesn't use, he supposedly has good hands but it seems they turn to cement within a few feet of the net and he can't pass worth a damn.

*Erik Christensen has to do some soul searching. Mr. Softie couldn't get anything going offensively with the bigger, physical Bruins filling the ice and lost his job to Derek Stepan to the third period. If Benedict Arnold isn't willing to get his nose dirty and he can't play well enough to hold off a rookie, what good is he?

*Where MDZ showed no signs that he can be better than what he is at the moment, Stepan did. The Badger was woeful in the faceoff circle but his rush with Gabby was a thing of beauty. A few times in the third period Torts had Gabby-Stepan-Avery out as a line and he probably should unite them again in the future. Avery, for his theatrics, is a capable hockey player who can cycle the puck well and is willing to battle on the boards. Sure the line is a bit undersized but if the Rangers aren't facing a Philadelphia, it shouldn't matter.

*Mike Sauer simply can not get the ice time he needs to prove his worth when he is saddled with Matt Gilroy. Hobey was horrid yet again, blah blah same old story. At this point a move to wing surely will be beneficial for his career as the stint in Hartford last season didn't teach the college kid anything.

*Love Brandon Prust and his energy but he struggled. Prust couldn't accept a pass cleanly for the life of him on this night and sooner or later he will have to score. The other Ranger tough guy, Derek Boogaard, was useless and made to look like a clown on several occasions. Zdeno Chara proves that big men are capable of being mobile but Boogey is a clumsy oaf who can hardly skate. Hank was ran (twice) and Gaborik was hooked to death but the Boogeyman was in the lineup and he was intimidating!

*It seemed like the Rangers intentionally avoided getting into it with Fortunate Son Gregory Campbell. Colin's kid was given a lot of space but luckily he isn't very good and couldn't do any damage.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal.
2-Tyler Seguin - one goal and millions of remorseful Leafs fans.
1-Tim Thomas - 34 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Andrew Ference - This star could also go to Mark Stuart or Zdeno Chara as all three kept the Rangers away from the good scoring areas and deftly cleared rebounds.
2-Milan Lucic - Missing Link Milan is not the same player he was last year. Lootch certainly appeared to have the game back that made him a Bruin legend in the first place and that will help Boston go far this season.
1-Seguin - The Boston lineup didn't have a hell of a lot of offensive talent but this kid had a lot of it. He sliced through the Rangers with ease and will only get better.

Renovation Update

From the Rangers today:

"Please Pardon Our Appearance" as we transform The World's Most Famous Arena into the world's most state-of-the-art arena.

Hi,

It's time for some hockey! We couldn't be more excited as we enter the 2010-11 New York Rangers season and celebrate our 85th Anniversary! The tradition, passion and loyalty that defines the blueshirt faithful begins with you! There is tremendous excitement surrounding the upcoming season which promises to be an unforgettable experience for the entire Rangers family. We thank you for being a valued season subscriber and look forward to sharing many exciting moments with you at The Garden this season!

As you know, Madison Square Garden is currently undergoing a comprehensive, top-to-bottom Transformation that will dramatically enhance the experience for all of our guests. We are well on our way, as you will soon see, on a project that will continue until the 2013-14 season to transform The World's Most Famous Arena into the world's most state-of-the-art arena. Over the past several months construction workers have been working around the clock completing the necessary structural work to prepare for the massive changes ahead. Some of this work will continue throughout the season. We are taking all possible steps to minimize disruptions to fans, however this will mean some changes this season to your Rangers experience.

Over the next couple months there will be construction related activity in the North and South Concierge areas of The Garden. As a result, please note the following:

*The Play-by-Play Restaurant has now been permanently closed

*The Club Bar & Grill will be temporarily closed during the pre-season (reopening in early October)

*The escalators and Terrace level outside the club will also be temporarily closed

Until further notice, we ask that all Subscribers and guests with Club Level seating enter The Garden through the main box office lobby. Also, as a reminder, when fully operational, only those Subscribers and guests who have purchased Club Level Seats and/or Suites have access to the North and South Concierge entrances.

We will continue to provide ongoing updates throughout the Transformation process. There will also be additional staff on site throughout the course of the Transformation to assist with any questions and help direct you around areas that may be temporarily out of service. If you have any questions, please call your Dedicated Account Executive or the Season Subscriptions Department at 212-465-6050. For answers to many frequently asked questions, please visit us online.

Sincerely,

Scott O'Neil
President, Madison Square Garden Sports

Well that is annoying, I used to go down by the Play-by-Play to pick up the free copies of the night's rosters. Hopefully they relocate them somewhere accessible ...

Your 85th Anniversary Logo

On the left is the season ticket books with a cardboard band around it with the embossed logo. On the right an oversized empty shopping bag they issued with the booklet for no apparent reason. Then again, as @CP2Devil said on twitter maybe the "Bag is for all the booze you'll need to get through the season." I would concur if it was an environmentally-friendly reusable bag, but instead it is paper. Like the Rangers often do, they wasted money designing and printing future landfill. Money that would be better spent towards ... well, anything.

With no word otherwise, I would guess that the massive logo on the paper bag will be re-purposed into a patch for this season. The round one on the booklet band would be more intricate, and thus more of a pain to stitch. We shall certainly see!

Garden Renovation Update

May 6, 2010

We wanted to share with you some exciting news on the upcoming renovation of the "World's Most Famous Arena." As you know, we are planning a dramatic transformation of Madison Square Garden that will take place in phases. The building will be transformed into a state-of-the-art facility that lives up to its iconic stature, while preserving The Garden's great history and distinctive architecture.

The ultimate goal of the renovation is to dramatically enhance the experience for all of our guests, reinforcing The Garden's place as the leading sports and entertainment venue in the world. Some of the many significant upgrades will include: a brand new 7th Avenue entrance, significantly wider concourses, several new first-class food and entertainment amenities, improved sightlines, more comfortable seating, a dynamic new scoreboard, new suites, clubs and hospitality areas, and views of the city from several areas of the building.

At the conclusion of the Knicks and Rangers 2010-11 seasons, The Garden will be closed for three consecutive summers to complete work on this project. The Arena will be open for the Knicks and Rangers seasons each year, along with our roster of world-class events during this timeframe. While there will be construction-related activity ongoing during the seasons, including work on the concourses, certain suites, concessions and restrooms, we are taking all possible steps to minimize disruption to fans. Below is a description of The Garden transformation phases that are planned to be completed over the next three summers (some areas will debut during the Knicks and Rangers seasons):

2011-12 Season

*Lower Bowl seating area with larger, more comfortable seats
*Expanded Lower Concourse with city views, enhanced concession stands featuring Coca-Cola products, more restrooms and additional retail locations
*20 new Event Level Suites offering a sophisticated atmosphere and the best seats in the house
*New Delta SKY360 Event Level Club offering exclusive dining options and views of athletes entering and exiting the locker room area

2012-13 Season
*Upper Bowl seating area with larger, more comfortable seats and significantly improved sightlines
*Expanded Upper Concourse with city views, enhanced concession stands featuring Coca-Cola products, more restrooms and additional retail locations
*58 new Lower Level Suites that are larger and half the distance to the court/ice with bowl seating
*New all-inclusive Super Club with seating in the arena and exclusive club space available for corporations and individuals looking to entertain at Knicks and Rangers games

2013-14 Season
*New 7th Avenue Entrance featuring interactive kiosks, retail locations and a broadcast area
*Two spectacular new Bridges that will be suspended above the court/ice for a one-of-a-kind view of the action
*New 10th floor Party Decks offering a selection of new food and beverage options and a unique social gathering space with direct views into the arena bowl
*New state-of-the-art GardenVision center-hung scoreboard
*18 completely remodeled 9th floor Suites

We are dedicated to providing you, our most loyal customers, with a transformed Garden that will meet your greatest expectations for the "World's Most Famous Arena." We hope that you share our excitement for the new Madison Square Garden and the role it will play in creating defining moments and great traditions for New Yorkers and fans around the world. This transformation is important to New York given that The Garden, much like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Central Park, is part of the fabric of New York. We are pleased that our construction manager, Turner Construction, has advised us that the renovation will involve more than 2.6 million man hours of union labor, the equivalent of at least 1,300 full-time equivalent jobs, and will create as many as 3,700 union construction jobs.

Moving forward we will offer you a host of resources, including regular communications, informational events and interactive online tools regarding the highly anticipated renovation of The Garden to ensure that you are fully informed as progress continues. If you go to MSG.com/transformation, select renderings of the transformed Garden are available to view.

Thank you for your support and commitment to the New York Rangers, we look forward to seeing you at The Garden in the fall.

Sincerely,

Hank Ratner
President & CEO
Madison Square Garden

Quick analysis: Garden brass doesn't realize that the best way to maximize revenues is to improve the performance of the teams that are the main attraction. Those teams are the main attraction, NOT the building they play in - no matter how much you tout how famous it is. Most fans would come down to watch the Rangers play in a barn or the Knicks play in a cage - location doesn't matter, the team does. Typical corporate thinking by them, missing the big picture as always.

Blue$hirt$ United

The Rangers have promoted the heck out of their new money grab, called Blueshirts United. Tonight I received an e-mail invitation to join. And, oh yes, it is quite the money grab. Unless you spend a lot of it, you don't get very much. And season subscribers get all of a 15% discount. Guess we haven't spent enough already to be Fanatics, Captains or Legends - the three levels of membership. And is it any wonder that they launch this in the middle of a recession when they raised ticket prices and have trouble selling out home games?

The Legends level is where it's at, and of course it costs you two grand. You get to actually interact with the players - something regular season subscribers are not given the chance to outside of those controlled, no-autographs-allowed forums. It also gets you on the ice at the Garden for a pickup hockey game, something that normally costs three or four hundred bucks alone. Neat stuff, but worth an extra two grand? Personally I don't think so. But you can look at the three for yourself:

Legends:


Captains:


Fanatics:


Now this is different than the official New York Rangers Fan Club. That club doesn't seem to be much of late. I was a member last season (for $25) and half of the meetings were cancelled (and, of course, I couldn't make the others). There was supposed to be some other things - a holiday party if I recall and something with the Maven - but those were cancelled too. So, for my money I got a flimsy membership card and a monthly newsletter with old Ranger news. Kinda sad, especially when they show that old photo of the legion of members together from back in the 40s or 50s in the opening montage at the Garden.

Keep in mind, there are plenty of unofficial 'clubs' - the folks who hang out at Harringtons, the various bands of blue seaters who meet up at the other Garden bars, the Play-by-Play people, the autograph seekers, etc. - but those are just friends hanging out and having a good time around the Rangers, which is what this is supposed to be about. It isn't supposed to be a shameless money grab, a way to cash in on the undying passion of the fanbase.

But if you want guaranteed Ranger gifts and the chance to empty your wallet for the benefit of the Dolans, click below to see the official invite and sign up!

Ranger FanFest 2009

The Rangers held a FanFest today for season ticket subscribers who paid via Amex. Originally scheduled for last weekend, the postponed event avoided ill weather and took place under shimmering Ranger-blue skies. I don't have the cable for my camera so pictures will have to wait until Monday.

Unfortunately, the postponement resulted in some changed plans and the event - at least my experience of it - suffered. The FanFest was supposed two shifts, 10-1 and 2-5, so I made arrangements to go to the 10-1 before beating a path back home so I could get to work on time. Because of previously scheduled events, fans were not allowed into the practice facility itself until after three. Considering the high sun, warm temperatures and the fact that there is a coolness factor to skating on the same ice as the stars, not getting inside at all was a major bummer.

And that wasn't the worse part. Press releases originally describing the event listed current Rangers - Ryan Callahan, Aaron Voros, Dan Girardi and coach John Tortorella - in addition to Ranger alumni. Because the event was rescheduled - and the press releases never revised - I arrived to find one "current" Ranger, Tyler Arnason. Arnason sat inside a tent and played video games against some kids before signing some autographs. If anyone else showed up after I left, for those that were there, please chime in in the comments.

As for alumni, it was the usual cast of characters, Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu and Adam Graves. In addition to signing autographs, they each took part in some of the fun (I saw Duguay playing ball hockey with some kids) and each had a fan forum with Sam Rosen.

Graves, in his usual smooth ambassador demeanor, helped raise the hopes for the coming season. He raved about the youth - saying Gilroy and MDZ are the favourites for the third defense pairing - and he said that the power play will be better. His best line was about my buddy Brashear: "He's a guy who you don't know what he's going to do ... respectfully."

I skipped Duguay's forum but caught most of Nicky's and he gave some interesting insight to the Rangers Stanley Cup loss in 1979, saying that the Blueshirts were intimidated by the Canadiens and "no one answered the bell." (He was not dressed for any of those games.)

The biggest revelation of the FanFest was the debut of Blueshirts United, something they are calling "The Official Fan Community of the New York Rangers." So official that it costs a minimum of $50 to join. Few details were released and the website officially launches September 12th. My guess is that it is like the 'membership' I had to buy so I could purchase tickets to Arsenal. My membership to the Gunners got me a book and a dvd and the opportunity to buy tickets to home and away matches. An extra fee, just to buy tickets? How did it take Dolan this long to think of it? I'll keep an eye on this BU bs as it comes to fruition ...

While my experience at the FanFest was ... lacking ... plenty of people were there and they had a good time, especially if they had young children with them. There was plenty for the tikes to do, from street and box hockey to arts and crafts to video games. For a shamelessly corporate event (brought to you by Coke Zero!), there was still fun to be had and perhaps next year some players can actually show up.

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!!!!!!

One Sale Wasn't Enough?

For Sale

Over at Classicauctions.net:

Matched set of blue and white Vintage-style New York Rangers uniforms worn by talented blueliner (hahahahahahahahahahahaha) Tom Poti during the 2003-04 campaign. The white CCM is tagged in the collar in size 5g and displays the NHL's Vintage program crest on the upper chest. This Set 1 gamer was worn on January 19, 2004 against the Bruins at the Fleet Center and shows decent game wear with a number of black stick marks and some staining on both lower arms. The nearly identical blue example was worn against the Canadiens on January 17th, 2004 and shows light wear with a few marks. Both shirts come with MeiGray inventory tags and matching letters of authenticity detailing the games in which they were worn.

That there are three bids already - putting the price over $300 - troubles me.

How To Get Blood From A Rock

Save Your $$$

Yet again the Sporting News came up way short on their NHL season preview issue. It is an utter and complete waste of eight bucks with outright mistakes and insane rankings. As you can imagine, I read as many season previews as I can get my hands on and this rag is by far the worst. A few examples:

*Even though the issue mentions that Alexei Zhitnik was bought out in their Atlanta Thrashers preview, the Rankings By Position on page 12 has him ranked as the 25th best defenseman in the NHL, ahead of Michal Rozsival (37th), Lubomir Visnovsky (44th) and Brent Burns (47th). Luckily he is behind No. 11 Keith Duncan (it's Duncan Keith morons) and No. 15, Florida's Keith Ballard (what??). Ballard, who by the way, is ranked one better than Chris Pronger.

*Also notable/curious in those Rankings is Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen at 16th among goaltenders, ahead of Carey Price (22), Ilya Bryzgalov (25th), Tim Thomas (26th) and Cristobal Huet (30th).

*The Rankings were all sorts of screwed up as they put Alex Kovalev ranked 31st among wingers, 28 positions behind Dany Heatley. Now, I don't think Kovalev is nearly as good as Heatley but seven pages later Kovalev was selected over the Sen as the All-Northeast left winger.

*The two-page spread on the Swedish influence to the Detroit Red Wings has eight Swedes in the picture, yet the article talks about the nine on the team and the seven who played a big part of the Wings Cup run. Pick one or the other you clowns.

*After being disgusted by all that, I jumped right to the Rangers page but couldn't get past the opening paragraphs:

"When three of your five leading scorers vanish into the thin air of unrestricted free agency, the general manager better have a backup play he believe in."

Really? I recall that all of the Ranger free agents were waiting on Glen Sather to make his move, not vice versa. Shanny still hasn't gone anywhere as he waits for an offer to come back, and both Jagr and Straka wanted to return but Sather didn't give them what they wanted ... so they didn't vanish by any means.

I am sure I can find many more faults and fallacies in this joke of issue but let's just get to the point, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT!!!

Let's face it, all of these preview magazines are out of date by the time you get them so you are better off sticking to the world wide interweb. The Hockey News issues are both rushed to the newstand so they hit the street in early August - two months before the season starts. Also, their fantasy guide neglects to include shorthanded points, which is a make-'em-or-break'em category in many leagues. For all of the gloss, FaceOff's is bland and boring while McKeens does a pretty good job but they are almost impossible to find (click on the link to order it). The internet is a big place with a lot of sites that you can turn to for good, up-to-date info and, with thousands of obsessive armchair GMs like me around to call bulls--t, there are a lot fewer inaccuracies.

You would think I would have learned by now ...

The Dish On The Deals

After a busy day I figured I would just pick out a few of the many moves that occurred and riff on them:

*Tampa Bay signs goaltender Olaf Kolzig: A great move because it gives them a safety net behind Mike Smith. The Bolts also signed David Koci to replace Andre Roy and that should prove to make for some more incredible battles.

*Washington signs goaltender Jose Theodore/Chicago signs goaltender Cristobal Huet/Colorado signs goaltender Andrew Raycroft: Why?? All three teams are now worse from having made the signings. Theodore owed it to Colorado to play well for them, Huet could have been part of something great in Washington but chose to set off what is certain to be controversy with Khabibulin and Raycroft ... well, good for him to get another job but it's a good thing he got used to losing because the Aves aren't headed anywhere good.

*And while in Denver - they signed Darcy Tucker. Why? They already have Ian Laperriere. Tucker is old, doesn't tussle as much as he used to and can easily be thrown off his game (thank you Sean Avery).

*Phoenix signs defenceman Kurt Sauer: The brother of Ranger Mike Sauer got a four year deal worth an average of $1.75-million a year - a real bargain for the Yotes. And they added Todd Fedoruk, who will be able to protect all of their young scorers while working down low on the power play.

*New Jersey shows off their new Newark digs to two Meadowlands parking lot Stanley Cup parade favourites in Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik. Both will help Fatso return to the playoffs and make the Devils a much tougher team to play against.

*Chicago signs Brian Campbell to an eight year deal worth $56.8-million, Toronto signs Jeff Finger to a four year deal worth $3.5-million a season and Tampa Bay signs Radim Vrbata to a $9-million, three year contract. What do all three have in common? Too much money for too little talent. It's a good thing there is minor league hockey headed to Brooklyn (more on that in a future blog), because that will be all of the pro puck playing going on in a few years when there is another lockout.

OMFG

"New York Rangers sign UFA defenceman Wade Redden to a six-year contract worth $6.5 million."

Folly, thy name is Glen Sather.

The Rangers overpay for a defenseman who was essentially ran out of town last season. Some Senator fans that I've spoken to have ranked the choice of Redden over Chara as the biggest mistake in franchise history - which includes Alexander Daigle and Alexei Yashin. Redden has skills, and has been a top defenseman in the past, but what the hell is Sather doing???

This deal comes an hour after re-signing Rozy for too much money and gives the Czech some relief as the pressure will be off. But the biggest problem with this deal is not that it is six years long, or that it is 6.5 million but that it relegates Marc Staal to the third defensive pairing. Unless Sather is swinging some deal where he gets rid of Tyutin or Girardi, then this is just utterly incomprehensible.

Advertising, Advertising, Advertising

As many of you may have seen, the Sports-Reference folks have gone live with their hockey site to rival the long-standard Hockeydb. It was a good move by them as Hockeydb, while reliable, added annoying pop-up advertising while their site will not. Instead, Hockey-Reference has page sponsorships. Venerable hockey blogger James Mirtle alerted everyone with a post and set off a feeding frenzy. And, of course, I had to get in on it myself.

Scotty Hockey is now the proud sponsor of three pages for a year: one of my all-time favourite players in Joey Kocur, Marek Malik (self explanatory there) and Brandon Dubinsky. I grabbed Dubi as he is truly a rising star for the Blueshirts. Of course, I also did it at five a.m. or so. And thus, the best tag line I could come up with was "May 2007-08 be the first of many solid seasons as a Blueshirts centerman for Brandon ..."

So here is where you guys come in. Much like with what (that bastard who stole Sean Avery) Greg over at Yahoo! (j/k Greg) is doing for Chris Pronger, I would like you to put your ideas in the comments and I will replace mine with the best of the bunch. So get to it!

$ Money, Money, Muhnayyyyyyy $

For those that haven't heard, MSG has released the pricing structure for playoff tickets. For my seats in Section 329, which are normally $46 a piece, they will go up to $75, $90, $125 and $200 in each of the four rounds of the playoffs. As I have two seats, should we get home advantage through the playoffs (which we won't), the total cost would be $3,925. That is about $500 cheaper than the cost of the entire regular season and preseason (which they force you to buy) ... that's 16 games for the about the price of 42.

There are some things to keep in mind: like Ranger reporter Sam Weinman said, you have to make the playoffs first and the way Hank has played recently, there is some question. But, as I said before, we won't have home ice so that's at least one game back per round, or $960. Three grand is an awful lot of money, but lets face it: its the playoffs in New York, of course its expensive.

Fans are crying out how insane the price jump is, but prices are even worse in Toronto for Maple Leaf fans where tickets are sky high for regular season games. Thankfully for them, they don't have to pay for the playoffs since their team never makes it anymore, so we can't compare second-season prices. People are also forgetting that tickets at the decrepit cesspool that is the Mausoleum are more expensive than the Garden at certain levels. That will of course change - probably around the time the new MSG opens - but by that time these inflated playoff prices will be cheap for even regular season tickets.

Ever since Bettman had owners lower prices coming out of the lockout, costs have dramatically gone up. I just am not shocked in the least since salaries are basically back to where they were before 2004 and are going ever higher, salary cap or not. For whatever lip service Bettman and the owners game to thanking the fans for their loyalty during the lockout, if you actually believed they cared about you or me then you are sadly mistaken. Just like the proprietors of any businesses, they care about the bottom line and would say whatever it took to keep us shelling out our money for their product. They made nice and it worked, people came back.

I just find it hard to believe the amount of outcry that I am hearing. How are Ranger fans crying foul now? How did they not see the writing on the wall when the insane long term deals were given to Gomez and Drury, not to mention the extension that was handed to Lundqvist last month? Dolan has to sign those paychecks and he sure as hell isn't going to dip into his trust fund to pay for them.

He doesn't care that the True Blue fans are kept away from the games. The type of person in the seat doesn't matter in the least as long as there is a person in the seat. He knows as well as you do that the diehards will do whatever they can, pay whatever they can to come to the games. And if they can't? This is New York, someone else will buy their ticket. There are eight million people in this city, plus tourists, and only 18,200 seats Dolan's minions can sell. He will continue to jack up the prices until those seats go empty, which likely won't happen anytime soon.

So what does it come down to? Suck it up. This is a case where the pessimist in me was proven right and I, for one, am not the least bit shocked to be proven right. What can you say? I mean, cest la vie - such is life. Businessmen care about making money, not making nice. You and I will keep paying as long as we can afford to. After we will just have to watch the games on tv and listen to Joe Michaletti every night.

Oh god ...