Oh No, Not Again ...

Tryouts are just those, tryouts. Often nothing happens with them, but why bother? As with that link, the Rangers gave Mark Smith a shot when they thought they needed an experienced depth guy who was capable on the kill (he proved he wasn't). But what could the Blueshirts be thinking about now that they've decided to give aging centerPetr Nedved a PTO??

Nedved already had two stints here, failed in Philly two years ago (-20 in just 21 games) and wasn't all that great when he went home to the Czech Republic to play for Sparta Prague last year (45 games, 25 points - just five assists - and 98 PIM). He was part of two black moves here (Traded to Pittsburgh by NY Rangers with Sergei Zubov for Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson, August 31, 1995. Traded to NY Rangers by Pittsburgh with Chris Tamer and Sean Pronger for Alex Kovalev and Harry York, November 25, 1998.) and appears to have nothing left in the tank at 36 years old.

Outside of some name recognition for the fans in Prague should he not completely stumble through the preseason, I can't imagine why Glen would want to waste money to give Nedved a third tour as a Ranger. Sure he has had his moments in his career, but there simply is no space on the roster for him.

The team would be better off signing some unknown Canadian college kid if they need bodies to fill out the camp/preseason roster. Could you imagine what the reaction would be should the Rangers sign him, while letting Shanny go? Or even if they give him a roster spot over Lauri Korpikoski or another of the kids? This is just ridiculousness.

Don't Tread On Me

I was looking at my collection of Ranger hats (around 25), my Ranger jerseys (14 with a 15th on the way) and assorted paraphernalia (don't ask) and I realized I didn't have one thing ... Ranger sneakers.

But, as you can see in the pic above, now I do.

Thanks to Reebok, I was able to get a pair of generic RBK sneakers with the Ranger logo and choose my own the colour pattern and the text on the back. How cool is that? Turnaround time took less than a month, and I have a new set of kicks to wander around the Garden this fall (and maybe Europe before that). I do recommend finding a store where you can try on the basic model as every sneaker company seems to size differently nowadays - if I hadn't tried on a pair at the NHL Store, I woulda bought the wrong size (they run a half size smaller than adidas I think). They seem to be made well (we'll see) so if you want to give them a shot, they run about $100.

I'm such a nerd; let's go Rangers!

NYR-Files: I Want To Believe

Prepping For Preseason

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

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

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

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

Killin' Time: Monday Night Edition

Some Monday night randomness:

*I found myself watching the 2007 World Yo-Yo Championship tonight on television. While I had to admit it was pretty damn incredible, and wonder if the guy can repeat this year, I really, really miss hockey.

*While I am a big fan of Dubi's work over at Blueshirt Bulletin, I have to disagree with his new BB+ area. It's a subscriber-specific segment of his site that has a lot of great stuff, but every post he makes on the main site refers back to it. I, of course, am a subscriber so I get to see it but can imagine how annoying that could be for everyone else. It's cool to have it, but to make a new post talking about it on the main site daily is like sticking your finger up to the poorer fans out there. I just hope that his game reports will remain on the free side so everyone can enjoy his good work.

*Lest I forget, Freddie Sjostrom re-signed with the Rangers today. Shoe (for lack of a better nickname) made a good impression in his 18 games as a Ranger. He worked hard, skated fast and knocked in two goals; that raised his total to 12 on the season, a number he could and should double this coming year. With his buddy Henrik in net, he is comfortable as a Ranger and should have a good grasp of the system by the time the puck drops in Prague. He should get bumped up to the third line with Brandon Dubinsky and will get a lot more scoring opportunities as a result. I still want one of those hats he has on his website (anyone in Sweden wanna hook me up??).

*Over at Puck Daddy, Greg found a great conversation with our former captain and AO. The writers talked about Jagr's great wit while he was here, it just is a shame he rarely shared that with the fans. As for AO, I still think we could have had him ...

*Jay Bouwmeester re-upped with the Florida Panthers with a one-year deal. Bouwmeester, a 24 year old defenseman who plays more than 27 minutes per game and hasn't missed a game the last three years, will reportedly make between four and five million for the season. He averaged .45 points per game and was -5 on one of the worst teams in the league. Meanwhile, the Rangers signed the two-inch shorter, 31-year-old Wade Redden for six years, for 6.5 million per. Redden, who has only played all 82 games in a season once (his rookie year of 96-97), averaged .48 points per game and was +11 while playing on one of the best teams in hockey. He also ranked 11th on the list of players on the ice for the most 5-on-5 goals against (thanks Mirtle). Hmmm, good job Glen.

*While trying not to cry at that last one, at least we can all laugh at the Islanders' new third jersey. While not quite the fisherman, or the pumpkin jersey, it's still pretty lame. Potvin sucks, DP swallows.

*Now that I lowered myself to their depths, I want to redeem my soul a bit and point you to Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic who, as Puck Daddy pointed out , is getting money together to help a woman fighting non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. While the EBay items are all a bit expensive, I want to remind everyone that they can always give any amount of money to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, who I keep permanently linked on the right side of the blog. They are a really good charity who do really good work for the fight against cancer and I proudly support them myself.

And on that note, g'nite folks, I gotta go find my Duncan ...

Killin' Time: Friday Night Edition

Killin' Time is the title for my random observations/news posts at this point of the year. There is some hockey news but no hockey games ... and that sucks. So, onto this evening's edition:

*As the Rangers have yet to come out and make a public decision with Brendan Shanahan, and he clearly wants to come back (via Puck Daddy), here is an idea: make him a player/coach. The player/coach position disappeared from the NHL for several decades, but why not bring it back? It was a role I suggested for Jason Strudwick a number of times and Shanny would be even better at it. He could easily supplant Perry Pearn in working with the power play and would be more-than-capable filling in when the injury big hits ... on any line. Admittedly, I am grasping at straws at this point because Sather loaded the roster with third and fourth line guys and what is where Shanny would be best considering he isn't the fastest of skaters anymore. But to lose Shanny to retirement or, even worse, the Devils would be a huge loss to the team and the sport of hockey.

*With Marty Straka back in Czech Republic and Jaromir Jagr in Siberia, I can't help but wonder what is happening with Marek Malik. Is it possible that no one, in the entire world, wants him??? As mentioned in our sponsorship of his Hockey Reference page, we do wish him the best ... as long as it is not on Broadway.

*Speaking of people heading far, far away: Do svidaniya to Sergei Brylin. Fire & Ice, probably the best of the Devil blogs - even if it is MSM - spoke to him and he confirmed that he will play next season in Russia. Brylin was always a good soldier for the Devils and one of those opposing players you can respect (unlike Mmmmaaaarrrrtttyyyy). Happy trails.

*Am I the only one enjoying the blogging by Colton Orr? The Rangers tough guy is teaching kids hockey but seems obsessed with lunch. I think he should keep this up throughout the season to give fans an inside look at the team and at restaurants around the NHL cities.

*Scotty Hockey favourite and fantasy hockey stud Dan Carcillo re-signed with Phoenix. He made a huge impact in the few games he played two seasons ago when he was called up so I drafted him in late rounds of fantasy drafts and was truly awarded. While I appreciated all of the PIMs, I honestly think that a good number of the penalties that Carcillo got - game misconducts primarily - were unwarranted. He got himself a bad reputation and the refs were looking to call something (Ryan Hollweg anyone?). I honestly think that if Carcillo calms down a bit, his upside is in the neighborhood of Cam Neely - who was a bit of a tough guy himself when he broke in with Vancouver. Carcillo showed that scoring touch and nose for the net and the Coyotes are putting him in a good position to go that way by bringing in Grats and Fedoruk to take the burden of defending teammates off of him. He will definitely be a player to watch this coming season.

*This coming season will start in Sweden (with the Pens and the Sens) and in the Czech Republic with the Rangers and Lightning. The Lightning are still offering their travel package while the Rangers still have details pending. Of course, I don't see packages offered for Pens or Sens fans to go to Stockholm, but who cares about them anyway?

*As for the preseason, the Rangers still haven't released their schedule. They are playing eight games for sure, six here (three home, three away) and two in Switzerland. Here is a great thread on HockeyFights where people are posting schedules as they are announced. It has the Rangers playing Tampa Bay twice in preseason (Tuesday Sept. 23 in Tampa and Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Garden) ... for some reason I can't fathom, as the two teams will come together in Prague to start the year. As mentioned, the two games in Switzerland are set - against Bern and Metallurg. With some random searching (hey, I'm bored), I found that there will be a home and home with Ottawa on the 20th and 22nd (the latter being at MSG). So what's taking so long for the last two games of the preseason schedule? We are less than two months away! My guess is a pair against the Isles or Pens but who knows.

*Even closer is the Traverse City prospects tournament that the Rangers' kids will be taking part in again at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Michigan. The tournament is scheduled for Sept. 13 to 17, will feature entries from the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and host Detroit Red Wings. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Rangers win again.

Sad Sight In Siberia

But maybe it's for the best??

Cheating Off Of Chi-Town

You know when your teachers and your parents said that you shouldn't copy anyone else? If all of your friends were jumping off a bridge, you shouldn't follow?

Well, they were wrong. At least in this case.

The Rangers should follow the Chicago Blackhawks as the Hawks announced last week that they will retire a number for two players - the No. 3 of Keith Magnuson and Pierre Pilote. Montreal also did it a few years back with Yvan Cournoyer and Dickie Moore.

As Brian Leetch made Adam Graves nearly soil himself in front of over 18,200 people last season, the Rangers will retire number 9 at some point this coming season. In a separate announcement, the Rangers said that they will 'honour' Andy Bathgate (something fans have been asking for for a while and I had recommended a few months earlier).

Since the Rangers aren't the Islanders, ticket sales won't be a problem. Much like last season, this year is sure to sell out within moments after the September on-sale date (which has yet to be determined from what I can see).

Sadly, Bathgate doesn't have the name power that Graves does in today's day and age, even though Bathgate was by far the better player. That isn't to say anything bad about Graves whatsoever, believe me, but Bathgate was a league MVP, team captain, First Team All Star and Hockey Hall of Famer. Despite all of those achievements, when Bathgate is feted at the Garden, a small minority of the people in attendance, the old-time and die-hard fans who can still afford tickets, will know who he is. That is just a statement of fact.

So why not combine the two events?

By making it one big night you successfully honour the history of the team without insulting either player. Graves is that great of a human being that he would not be the least bit offended to share the spotlight and Bathgate deserves the accolade just as much. It would be a wonderful celebration of everything Blueshirts and for two men who wore the jersey so very well for so very long.

And one last thing: The Carolina Hurricanes announced they will retire Glen Wesley's number yesterday and had the game picked out in the press release (Feb. 17 vs. the Bruins, Wesley's first team). So what is taking the Rangers so long to tell the public which game Graves will be immortalized?

The Return Of The Pack Project

The Rangers re-signed Huge Mistake, I mean, Hugh Jessiman today.

The first round pick from 2003, the only one of his draft class not to play in the NHL, was going to be a project from the start but after five years either the kid has it or he doesn't. And I would say he doesn't. In preseason last year he lumbered around the ice and got his ass kicked by the smaller Steve Downie. He did have a nice heavy shot, came to the aid of his teammates and wasn't afraid to go to the crease but if he can't skate, he can't play in the NHL.

At this point Jessiman is nothing more than a body to fill a jersey in Hartford. He can't even be considered a call-up as Dane Byers has passed him on the depth chart and Rissmiller, Voros, Fritsche, Sjostrom and Orr are all in New York.

As ESPN pointed out when ranking him one of the biggest active draft busts, "the Rangers might have been better off taking his Ivy League teammate Lee Stempniak, who has already played 139 NHL games after being taken by the Blues with the 148th pick."

I Got Your Statue Right Here ...

After getting a good laugh at the Islander's expense, I figured I should take a look at the other metro-area mistake for material. And I found it.

On Saturday, the Star-Ledger did a piece on a new work of art that will be coming to Newark. Disappointingly, Brian Gionta isn't adding his tag to the wonderful wall decorations of the bustling cosmopolitan center of Jersey culture (now with less murder!).

Instead, a deranged sculptor in California has created a three-story, 6,000 pound sculpture of a hockey player in mid-stride that will eventually end up in front of the Rock, facing the train station. Feel free to click on the link to see the sculptor's creation. Personally, I think it's boring. Instead of the massive, angular skater, I have a few recommendations:


A: Mmmmaaaarrrrtttyyyy mid-dive. It comes naturally to him and since this artist likes to work in large scale, Fatso would be a fine subject.

B: Ken Daneyko holding up the Stanley Cup. This would be a great choice if they were going to put the statue in the middle of a parking lot with no one around.

C: John Madden crying to the referee. Just because it was funny to watch in the first round of the playoffs. Turnaround is fair play pal, suck it up.

D: Lou Lamoriello scowling. The man's grimace is becoming legendary and mirrors the look on Devils fans' faces (what few of them there are) while watching their boring excuse of a franchise.

E: Devil fan saluting. This is my personal choice, I have to tell you. It shows an articulate Devil fan - wearing the jersey of a skill player who left town - showing his dislike for the Rangers. It would be perfect to place between the Rock and Penn Station; Devils fans can feel pride and Ranger fans can laugh as they walk past to give New Jersey their only sell-outs of the season.

What's your pick?