Writin' On The Rails

So, stuck on the Amtrak for the better part of a day, I figured I would keep a rambling diatribe of nonsense on the Winter Classic, the Rangers and whoknowswhat. Just warning you now, I have no idea where this will go:

*The Toronto Star floated the idea that the NHL needs to hold an outdoor game in New York City, a major market. As much as I think that it would be something truly wonderful, it is also utterly impossible. The writer, Rick Westhead, first off says that the game should be held in Central Park. While idealistic in terms of images, its also utterly impossible as there is no way they can build the necessary seating and amenities in a national park. He then says Giants Stadium could easily host a game, and it could ... but it would be a logistical nightmare for New York hockey fans to get to as the Meadowlands are very, very difficult to access as any Jets or Giants fan can attest to. The Yankee Stadium idea had been a cool one, and very well could have worked except for some piping. Perhaps the new Yankee Stadium or the soon-to-be-completed Citifield will be able host the game. Regardless, it is rarely cold enough to make hosting a game in New York worthwhile - the ice would be horrible (even worse than in the Garden!). Mr. Westhead wants an outdoor game in a major market, he should look no further than Soldier Field in Chicago or even Gillette Stadium outside of Boston. Both receive hockey weather, hockey fans and are major U.S. markets.

*Another interesting idea that I saw last night was a proposition that the next outdoor game should be an All Star game. I forgot where I saw that but it really is a genius idea. There isn't much hitting anyway, and an outdoor game adds a spectacle to what usually is a boring, corporate mid-season exhibition game. The same article mentioned placing it in Quebec City, which would be fantastic and very scenic. As I've mentioned in the past, I am all for placing the All Star game in a non-NHL city. How about making a five year run of it around Europe in 'football' stadiums, with at least one in Red Square in Moscow? They already played one outdoor game there, why not another? Regardless, I certainly think that both the All Star game and the spectacle that is an outdoor game would be better served together rather than seeing a regular season game wasted outdoors. As much fun as yesterday was, the quality of hockey was subpar and, as playoff spots will be hard to come by, the points in every game should be contested for under ideal conditions.

*Something that I didn't see mentioned anywhere in coverage of yesterday's game, it looked like the Sabres fans handed their sticks into the crowd as they walked off the field. I think that that is an fantastic gesture. It really is great that teams are doing more to recognize fans and realize that sports are a two way street. In the NHL all things seem to have started with the Rangers - first the raising of the sticks (now mimicked across the league) and hopefully soon the puck throwing (Rangers chosen as stars of the game - except for Jagr, of course - throw a puck into the crowd, not to forget Nicky Fotiu's old habit back in the day).

*I can't believe I included the 'Crosby is a p---y' story in my game blog ... my parents, loyal readers both, are sure to give me hell for using an obscenity.

*The Rangers are heading out on a three-game west coast swing starting tonight. I still plan on doing post-game blogs so feel free to stop by first thing in the morning!

*So January 24th is coming up. The Rangers are retiring Leetchie's number and grown men will be crying all throughout New York. My hope and guess is that it will be a short and sweet ceremony as he is a humble guy. Its just a shame that it will come in the second of back-to-back games against the Atlanta Thrashers of all teams. So I guess that means it will be a packed house to start, and maybe even for most of the first period but after that the Garden will be a ghost town. Gotta love New York fans sometimes.

*Some more on the Winter Classic: Buffalo knows cold weather and most everyone was dressed appropriately - in ski pants or cold weather hunting gear. It was kind of funny to see bright orange and camouflage body suits at a hockey game.

*I really wish I coulda tailgated a bit, it really looked like everyone was having a good time.

*I had an extra ticket to the game. There was no one in the near vicinity of the stadium scalping tickets, which I found strange. I didn't end up minding, it just gave me more bench space to put my souvenirs on so they didn't have to sit in the puddles on the ground beneath the seats. But, according to the other people in the row, the ticket could have fetched at least $300 bucks. Initially I responded quite dubiously, but then it was pointed out that over 11,000 people watched the game on the big screens in the HSBC Arena. That's dedication, and stupidity ... I coulda used that cash, lol.

*Speaking of cash, I was considering a trip up to Montreal later this season but think I will pass. As awe-inspiring as a game in Montreal would be, I think that money will be better spent for the playoffs. Although it will come down to whom the Rangers play (if we even make it); I am not about to revisit Buffalo. Last year's 5-2 Game 1 loss to the Sabres was enough for me.

*I have to admit that I was surprised that there weren't giveaways of any sort at the Winter Classic. With the corporate sponsors, I would have thought that someone would have done something, if only silly pompoms or something of that sort. I saw one kid with Amp thundersticks but that was it. It certainly wouldn't have detracted from the legion of people buying stuff ...

*I mentioned last night that the merch was overpriced; here are some numbers from what I saw: programs $10, t-shirts $30, thermal shirts $45, hoodies $75, replica jersey $175. Pucks at one stand were $15, at another, $10. And none of the four stands that I went by had the cool RBK hat that I wanted or the furry winter hat that woulda made a neat gift. Disappointing.

*I don't particularly care for Pittsburgh, and I think I already said this, but man, the Penguins' throwback jerseys were gorgeous. Such a fantastic shade of baby blue with black trim, the league did well to have the Pens don them for the game. The Sabres wore their throwback whites, which are miles above the crap that they wear now. Also, if you didn't get a chance to see it, the Sabres staff were wearing awesome varsity jackets with huge logos. They need to start selling those around Buffalo, they will make a mint.

*A limo ran right into the side of the bus that I was on as we were in the mass exodus and the bus driver didn't get out or blink. Strange. The bus was ok, the limo wrecked its bumper/driver-side light and the woman who was sitting where it hit was a little shaken.

*I guess it is all in what you get used to but it was amazing how well the Buffalo people dealt with snow. Everyone seemed able to drive in it, and even then, cleanups were pretty quick. I never felt out of control or in any kind of danger, unlike when driving in inclement weather on Long Island. Those people are crazy and incompetent.

*Do you think that in Gary Bettman's wildest wet dream he ever imagined just how idyllic the Winter Classic would be? Cindy assists on the first goal, makes a few amazing plays and scores the game-winner ... in a shootout. It snows though most of the game, yet the sell-out crowd doesn't budge, making for an incredible atmosphere and some really fat wallets. And some had thought that the game wouldn't be as good as the last one because Edmonton-Montreal had their alumni play before hand (some of the best players of the last 20 years) and because of the iconic picture of Jose Theodore with the toque. And now this ... and the best question: how could they possibly top it next time???

*Hockey teams used to travel by rail to face each other and, midway through my 10 hour journey today, its of little surprise to me that the old-time players used to hate the other teams. I'll be quite surly by the time I get off and I, luckily, won't have to take on a bunch of well-rested, home-fed Canadiens/Bruins/Red Wings/whatever.

And on that note, I'm gonna pass out and up this when I get home. I hope it makes some sense. And if not, too bad!!!

Yankee Stadium? No Thanks ...

I like John Dellapina. I think he does a very good job as a Rangers beat writer for the Daily News. I read his blog regularly. But I have to say that I think his story yesterday was a little crazy. Granted, it was just good reporting, but it again broaches the idea of an outdoor game in New York - specifically at Yankee Stadium between the Rangers and the Islanders.

Frankly, its a bad idea.

Simply said, Yankee Stadium would suck as a venue. The Daily News tried to give people an idea of what the rink would look like with what BMR called the Worst. Photoshop. Ever. BMR also gave some venues just as ridiculous as Yankee Stadium, you know, like the moon.

You may laugh but the House that Ruth built is really not suited for an outdoor hockey game between the Rangers and Islanders, no matter how badly Bettman would love to market it. Having been to the Stadium, and having gone to the Winter Classic in Buffalo, I feel safe saying that this is a really bad idea. It's one thing to have Buffalo and Pittsburgh, it's another to get the Rangers and Islanders. The Sabres and the Penguins have little bad blood between them; the Blueshirts and Fishermen certainly do as one of the biggest rivalries in the game. Could you imagine the PR fiasco that would result if another Chris Simon incident happened before a national audience on New Years? Or even another brawl? The league is clearly not in favour of fighting, just think of what Bettman would do if this happened again ...

That isn't to say that the fans wouldn't love it, but they -- we -- are another problem. I don't think I have ever been to a single game against the Islanders where a fight in the stands didn't break out. Now, in recent years they have been small in scale and not very damaging but in the mid 80's, the tussles were legendary. Now move them to the Bronx, where its almost impossible to move around. I went to a Yanks/Sawx game last season and watched as security struggled to run single file along the upper deck to get to a drunken fight near the top. That game (strangely) wasn't even sold out but a Rangers/Isles game would be a packed house of 57,545 hockey fans. Not necessarily a recipe for disaster, but certainly one that would need large amounts of crowd control.

Another factor would definitely be the weather. Everyone raved about the snow in Buffalo, but at the same time back in the city it was in the 40s and a week later, the mid-60s. That doesn't bode well for good ice conditions. Granted, the NHL's ice gurus would have more than a week to set up (likely three months since the Yankees won't make the postseason without some pitching), but for as much magic as they can whip up, if Mother Nature is not cooperative, it could make for an awful game.

And that's another thing - the Winter Classic was an amazing experience, but even I can admit that the quality of hockey was really quite poor. Do we want to waste what could be an important divisional battle on what should be an exhibition game?

You know I would be right there if the league did set this game up, but I truly think that the league should explore other options first: primarily the idea of moving the All Star Game outdoors. As I've said several times, it would bring the league's brightest stars out under the sky and into millions of homes on New Years Day. It also would not demean a regular season game that could eventually have playoff implications. What happens if Buffalo misses the playoffs by one point this season? Or what about the Rangers? If Buffalo makes it by one point over the Blueshirts, fans should be outraged because the two Winter Classic teams clearly did not put forth their best effort and still earned points in the standings.

I know I would be furious, and you should be too. And that is the main reason why the NHL should not place a regular season outdoors at all, and certainly not in Yankee Stadium.

23-19-7: Now That Was Quite A Game

"Hey Reg! Reg! What did you say to him?"

"I told him his wife was a d*ke."

"Noooooo?"

"Yeah!"

"F*ck."

That stellar exchange, of course, came from Slap Shot as Mo wondered what Reggie Dunlop said to set off Ducks goaltender Tommy Hanrahan. We will never know what John Tortorella said to the Rangers during the first intermission of Sunday's game that set them off but whatever it was, it must have been just as much of a gem. All of a sudden the passes that were getting caught in skates were on the mark, the shots were on the net, the rebounds were pounced upon, the soft players played tough ... geez, I mean, Wade Redden got into a fight. And won!

And the Rangers won, defeating their Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens 6-2. It was exciting and it was convincing, two adjectives that you could hardly ever use in the Garden this season. The Blueshirts being the Blueshirts, they will likely fall flat on their faces against Tampa on Tuesday but let's just bask in the afterglow of this one for a little while. Notes:

*Wade Redden fighting. OMFG. If you made me make a list of people possibly getting into a fight on Sunday night, Redden would have been somewhere in the same area as Dancing Grandma. But Wade tossed down his gloves and traded blows with Benoit Pouliot in revenge for Pouliot's head-shot on Christensen. Redden fared quite well in a wild battle considering neither player ever fights and received his first ever ovation in MSG. Redden has scored, gotten assists and still his name was booed when it was announced. He fights and the building goes bananas. Do we think that it justifies the $8.1 million he is making this season? Abso-f-ing-lutely not. Do we appreciate he finally breaking a sweat and some blood vessels in the name of the team? Very much so.

*That tussle came just four minutes after Sean Avery tangled with (and kicked the crap out of) Josh Gorges in another battle. After Avery got called for two garbage calls in the first period (keep grinding that ax refs), Avery didn't calm down or disappear, he was Sean Avery and showed that he will back up his barbs with his fists. The only shame is that he only traded harsh words with Scott Gomez and not punches.

*The MexiCan't was booed heartily for most of the night. While a good friend of mine believes that Ranger fans should thank Gomez for accepting the trade to Montreal, I disagree. I don't think he had a choice in the matter (even with the contract clause) and it was only proper to voice our disapproval for his lackluster career in a Blueshirt. We paid too much money to watch the smirking clown circle senselessly and play such halfhearted pucks.

*The other half of that Sather summer signing, Chris Drury, had one of his best games in a long, looooong time. He showed more emotion on the ice when he disputed the second period penalty call then he has all season long and then channeled that emotion into his play. Drury played well on the power play keeping the puck in the Habs zone, he went sliding to break up a two-on-one and then collected an goal and an assist in the third period. I ripped on Drury over at Puck Daddy on a post about him being named to Team USA but could be convinced that I was wrong if he proves that this display was anything more than an aberration.

*The power play, by the way, still only went one-for six. But I won't go too nuts about it seeing as the kill actually scored a shorthanded goal. There are few things I enjoy more than shorties so when Dubi followed up Cally's breakaway to score the equalizer, I went nuts. Awesomeness.

*Cally, Dubi, Dru, Gabby and Vinny all picked up multiple points. Poor Chris Higgins, facing his former team, was shut out. Smithtown even saw time on the power play but couldn't get things together. At one point in the first period he was chasing after the puck the way a puppy chases after a ball as the playground kids threw it around. He is definitely trying, but he isn't succeeding and that needs to change.

*For all of the physical play, and the tide turning on Montreal in the second period, you would think Georges Laraques would have been called upon to do that voodoo that he does so well but he was barely there. Like our boy Brashear, perhaps this goon's day is done.

*The Canadiens' vaunted Lollipop Guild power play was quite unimpressive. They allowed the shorthanded goal and only scored on a tally that should not have counted. Brian Gionta knocked the puck in with a high stick but the referee waited a second before pointing and calling it a goal. By him making that call on the ice, it would take a definitive replay to overturn the goal, and there are very few definitive angles that show high sticks. So, of course, the goal withstood the review and Hank used the next tv timeout to talk to the ref and show him that when the goaltender on his knees, his helmet is at the level of the crossbar and Gionta's stick was over his helmet. But since Gionta is a oompa loompa, the ref clearly didn't believe that he could get his stick up that high so he wasn't swayed by Hank's demonstration.

*Video replay worked in our favour on Cally's power play goal. From up in my perch in 329, I had the perfect view and there was zero doubt that it crossed the goal line. Of course, there was a ref right behind the net who somehow didn't call it in in the first place but the NHL officiating has been disgraceful of late.

*Nice to see Paul Mara get miraculously cured when he saw Drury go to the penalty box for the second period high stick. The lumberjack fell like a ton of bricks on the contact - which he initiated by hitting himself with Drury's stick - and laid on the ice in oh-so-much pain until Drury was escorted away. Mara then got back up on his skates, praise Jesus, and chased after the refs when he saw that he was being called for the hold. What's the adage? If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'??

*As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, because Rozsival was so good in St. Louis, I would wear my replica jersey of his to the Garden tonight. Well I did. And we won so superstition dictates that I have to wear it again. Sonofabitch.

*There was a massive Montreal presence in the building - surely over a thousand fans. There are few things as gratifying as mockingly chanting their silly soccer chant right back at them after the Ranger turned the tables. Ole, ole, ole, ole ... and the brief USA, USA chant was priceless. As they just said on the broadcast, the building has been waiting for signs of life for a long time and it was so great to see them tonight and be able to roar in response.

*Way back at the top I said that John Tortorella must have said something to spur the turnaround. Watching Ranger Rewind, Ryan Callahan said that they just stuck with their game and things went well. If that is the case, then this team is even more infuriating than I thought because it shows that they are always capable of turnarounds like this and periods like the second. They just don't/won't do it.

*You know, these Original Six games are just so good, that it is such a shame that we have the Lightning to look forward to next. It has been said before, these old rivalries should be encouraged and honoured. Forget Hockey Weekend Across America, forget Hockey Day in Canada, how about Original Six Saturday? One day every year when all six teams play each other. Chicago/Detroit was awesome today, Rangers/Habs was great but Toronto and Boston both had the day off. Have just three games on a Saturday, play them in a row, heck, maybe play one outdoors. These games are always special and should be treated as such.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Marian Gaborik - one goal and two assists.
2-Brandon Dubinsky - two goals and one assist.
1-Ryan Callahan - two goals and two assists.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Wade Redden - Yes, I made Redden a star. The guy got into a fight, how could I not? And it was a good fight, both in its cause and result. Looking back on this game down the road, it won't be the game where Gabby broke a slump or where Dubi and Cally were outstanding, it will be the game when Wade Redden fought.
2-Hank - Sure he made just 18 saves but most were big ones. The goals against weren't his fault and he didn't allow a single softie to get the Habs back in the game.
1-Dubi/Cally - Like I said, they were outstanding. Both have worked hard all season long but tonight all of the pieces came together. A lot of that is due to Gabby regaining his touch and Montreal's moronic defense (Martin is a terrible coach) but it is nice to give props to the young cornerstones of the organization.