And So, It Began

The Scotty Hockey Eurotrip 2011 got underway yesterday. It would be easy to rant about the horrors of travel but let me just put it this way: left my house at 12:45 Monday, got into my hotel room around 2:30 Tuesday. Even with the time change, that is atrocious.

The one good thing is the sunrise over Spain that I was able to witness (the shot above doesn't do it justice). Luckily the start of Tuesday and the end to it was both fantastic.

During the planning stages of the excursion many minutes were spent combing international sports schedules to maximize this trip. And yet still, I missed something so obvious as a hockey game in Prague the night of my arrival. By sheer dumb lucky I stumbled around the interweb and found that there was a match at the odd start time of 6:15 tonight. Slavia Praha, the Prague-based Extraliga team that the Rangers aren't facing Thursday, was at home at the O2 Arena to face HC Verva Litvinova. The O2 was where the Blueshirts took on the Bolts two years ago and it really is a nice facility.

So, of course, I rushed out of my room to head to the game. And what a good move it was. The match was a real wild one, wild one. Given that I haven't really slept in more than 32 hours, I will just throw some random thoughts out there:

*The cheapest seats in the house were behind the away net, in the fan section where they sang and clapped all game long. Could you imagine that being the case in the Garden?

*The beautiful, relatively new arena holds just over 17,000 and yet there was less than 4,000 in attendance. Felt like a non-Rangers Devils game.

*Slavia's sweaters are jersey fouls - the front is a frankenjersey, half white and half red.

*Rosi Ruzicka is their head coach, he is a hero to the fans and he is a slob. The guy took the bench looking like he left a wine bar at 4am.

*Speaking of fashion, I wish I had a good picture of Slavans mascot because it is horrifying. The ice girls, however, make up for it by wearing even less than the tainted ladies employed by the Islanders.

*The one and likely only player you would recognize on either team's roster was Litvinova's Marty Rucinsky. Yes, Marty Rucinsky - the two-time Ranger - is still in action. He has still has the ice sight and some hands but the rest of the game has clearly suffered with age. Marty is slower than ever, he tries to do too much by himself every shift, and he was foolish enough to take a late penalty that set up the game-tying power play goal with seven and a half minutes later. His teammates were able to bail him out by regaining the advantage less than a minute later on a laser of a shot but the days of Marty being a star are sadly gone. He had his good moments with the Rangers.

*The only other name I recognized was Petr Kalus, a former Minnesota Wild prospect. Kalus ended up in an exciting brawl with five seconds left. A couple of guys started shoving after the whistle and that turned into a pair of great fights - one while the gladiators were both wrapped up by linesmen but still landing huge punches. I hope that ends up on Youtube.

*All fans had to go through metal detectors to get in - not just that half-assed wave-around the Garden gives to a few random people, but legitimate metal detectors. I asked the guard about it and he said the Prague fans are usually good but the ones from Greece have caused trouble in the past. Greek hockey fans? What? Maybe something was lost in translation. (Just a note, not every Czech speaks English despite what your friends say.)

*Having the fans singing, banging drums and clapping all game is really a neat experience but it was too bad I had no idea what they were saying and that they had to be led by some dude with a bullhorn and his back to the game.

*After it was over the teams saluted each other, then shook hands, then turned around and saluted their respective fans. I can't imagine that happening in North America - the away team wins, then slides across the ice in unison to mug for their fans. Someone would get hurt.

I'm sure there was more but the Rangers have an open practice in the morning (and, of course, are charging admission) so I will be on my way. Y'all take care of things on your side of the pond!

Eurotrippin' Again

The Rangers announced today that their preseason slate of games will include a match against HC Sparta Prague on September 29th.

The Blueshirts alerted the media with a stark press release while Sparta held a press conference. The Czech side finished 12th in the Extraliga Ledního Hokeje table (out of 14) last season so they also debuted a new coach, one of the assistants on the Czech national team. During their disappointing campaign Marty Rucinsky and Jan Hlavac both played nine games for them while former Blue Jacket David Vyborny was around for most of the schedule. Rucinsky was traded away early and, from what I can tell, Hlavac came over from Sweden midseason. The team, which is over 100 years old, has a very classical sounding song sung by the fans but they did have a tribute rock song written by a local band. So they have that going for them.

The Sparta website mentioned that the Rangers are expected to arrive on the 27th of September but that could very well change. Regardless, this is the first fixture to be announced and certainly not the last. Seeing as the Blueshirts don't open the NHL regular season until October 7th, they will certainly fit in another exhibition game or two after this one. My personal hope is for one in Oslo, Norway and another in Gothenberg, Sweden. Oslo, however, might be out of the question unless they can get one of the other NHL teams to play against them there - the Norwegian league isn't particularly good but you never know; the Bruins played Belfast last year.

Where the Rangers games against the Lightning back in '08 took place in the O2 Arena in Prague, this exhibition will take place in Sparta's building, the Tesla Arena. The capacity is 12,950, about 5,000 less than the other venue. Tickets will cost 600 CZK ($40) to 1,300 CZK ($80) and will be on sale in mid-May.

Scotty doesn't know (!) if he will be there for the whole thing but he does know that he had to make that gag in this post. And that is the last time I will refer to myself in the third person. As of this moment, the Rangers' ticket reps have no info in regards to tickets to the Stockholm games, which went on sale in Sweden a few weeks back - much less those of this one. In 2008 the Rangers did not release Prague tickets to their U.S. fans - you had to buy trip packages from the team that cost as much as a season ticket in the Garden. I ended up catching the two preseason efforts in Bern, Switzerland before heading to the Czech beer garden in Queens to watch the games against the Lightning. Hopefully that won't happen this time around, stay tuned.

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.

5-1-0: Rangers Finally Fall

As you can imagine, I have seen a lot of hockey games in my life. A lot. I have a problem; I fully admit it. Tonight's 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres ranks among the worse that I have seen. It was boring, it was passionless and it had no flow. I would gladly give Buffalo some credit if they outplayed the Rangers and broke the undefeated streak with a hard-fought win, but they didn't. The Sabres played well enough not to lose, and they didn't. Last season, when the Ranger blew that 5-0 lead to lose to Montreal, you just had to respect the Habs for the amazing comeback. I don't have any respect for the Sabres for this one. What drek. While I don't want to dwell on the abomination, here are a few things I saw:

*Everything that looked bad for the Rangers in the first five games all showed up in this one. Their passing, which was terrible in Prague, was terrible here. Their puckhandling, which was bad against Chicago, was bad here. They sat back with the lead against the Flyers and they sat back with the lead here. The first line was invisible against the Devils and it was invisible here. And the Rangers have had trouble clearing the crease in every game and couldn't do it here.

*That comes down to the coaching and Tom Renney is a teacher, not a motivator. His idea of putting a jump into the team is breaking down the lines and pulling names out of a hat to try new ones. It just doesn't work. And his decision to throw random people out on the four minute power play in the third sealed the loss. There was no reason to give Korpikoski, Orr and Prucha power play time when the team's fate was pretty much on the line - even with the first line having trouble.

*The final shot total had the Rangers outshooting the Sabres 20-18 but the Blueshirts number was vastly inflated. They had at least four of those shots come in the third period when someone crossed the blueline and just threw the puck towards Miller, who caught it and stopped play. Did they think that Miller was going to pull a Brodeur and screw up on a long range try? He isn't that bad of a goaltender ...

*A lot of the blame for this Ranger loss is going to Paul Mara, who started throwing punches at Pat Kaleta after Kaleta went after Mara's head. The horrendous officiating awarded a five minute major for fighting and a game misconduct while allowing Kaleta to skate off scot-free. It was utterly unconscionable that Mara got tossed for something that deserved a double minor to him and a major to Kaleta. But since Mara isn't a posterboy for the NHL, people are allowed to take shots at him. Imagine if that was Sidney Crosby? Ha! Kaleta would have gotten tossed and would likely be suspended.

*With Mara out, the rest of the defense was overworked and overtired. Malik Kalinin had yet another bad game (bad penalty, turnovers, poor first passes, terrible positioning), Redden couldn't get out of his own way, Girardi is playing lost without Tyutin next to him, Rozy still can't keep a puck in the offensive zone or out of the defensive zone and I honestly don't really remember seeing Marc Staal doing anything.

*Prucha played his first game since Prague and it looks like it should be his last. He was pretty useless. They wanted offense out of that spot and Prucha missed three chances on the doorstep in front of Miller. The team will be better served having Dan Fritsche's energy, even if they would have to play him out of position.

*The Rangers did nothing for Alexei Cherepanov, who was buried today. No video tribute, stickers on the helmets, patches on the jerseys, logos on the ice, nothing. For shame.

*Colton Orr fought Andrew Peters early in the game, but really, who cares? It was yet another pointless bout to justify the heavyweights' paychecks. You would think that Orr would have put himself above that thing once he learned to skate over the summer but he proved that he is nothing more than another stupid goon.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Ales Kotalik - one goal.
2-Ryan Miller - 19 saves.
1-Thomas Vanek - two goals.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Vanek - Two easy tallies by taking advantage of the Rangers' stupidity.
2-Clarke MacArthur - Really solid game by the kid. He played a lot of minutes of sound hockey and has a good future ahead of him.
1-Kaleta - If can get away with a cheap shot like his and get a five minute power play for it, you deserve a star. As my buddy Pockets said, I loved it when Esa Tikkanen used to do it, how can I hate now?

I've Seen The Future, And It's Expensive

The Rangers finally sent out their invoices for season tickets Wednesday and they give subscribers 20 days to send in their payments, lest they lose their seats.

Ticket prices for the 2008-09 season have, of course, gone up. I have two seats in section 329 and they will cost me $52 per seat per game. That is up six bucks from last season, 10 from the season before and 12 from the first season out of the lockout (which was four cheaper than the year prior). Now $52 is not quite the extravagant cost from the first round of last year's playoffs - $75 - but it is still a significant raise ... and for what?

The ticket costs, which you can pay outright or over a six-month pay plan, cover 43 games. As the Rangers are losing a regular season home game to Prague, that means that they are forcing you to pay full price for three preseason games. As many subscribers have experienced, if you can't attend those games, it is virtually impossible to resell them for cost so you are instantly losing money. And, being as the Rangers are playing two preseason games in Switzerland, you can be assured not to see the actual New York Rangers. The good part about that is that every prospect, every free agent, everyone will get a chance to show their stuff before the real games begin. That is great for hockey geeks like me but terrible for ticket resale value. And, believe it or not, members of the Rangers season subscription office are recommending resale to recoup costs as they understand the position that they are putting fans.

Even if you think that the moves that Sather and company made last week were good ones (I don't), you should be prepared for the worst out of the gate. There will be eight preseason games, two in Switzerland and then the two season-opening games in Prague ... all of that travel sets this team up to struggle right off of the bat. The Olympic break doomed the 2006 squad because it came right in the middle of the year - by the time they faced the Devils, the main players had already played seven, eight more games than their competitors while flying to and from Italy. One can only hope that this group of guys will be able to recover over the long grind that will come once they return from their Eurotrip. But I wouldn't bet on it ...

Another question worth asking is that jet lag or not, will the 2008-09 Rangers be worth watching? The personality of the Rangers is gone - no Shanny, no Avery, no Jagr. Markus Naslund and Wade Redden are both mild mannered a la Chris Drury. And while a guy like Aaron Voros is sure to make some waves with his physical play, he can't infuriate the way Sean did. The new Rangers are a more generic, vanilla squad and yet the front office is charging you more to watch them.

I, for one, am hoping that there are enough gullible people in New York willing to pay big bucks for bad hockey because it looks like it will get rough, and quickly. They can have all of the number retirements and honoured numbers they want, but if this team doesn't play better than it looks on paper, they will be in trouble in terms of fans. Should they miss the playoffs, then they will surely see a large ticketholder turnover next summer, when they are certainly going to raise costs again to start paying for the MSG renovation.

It is New York so it is almost assured that the team will be able to get whatever price it wants, but it is just sad that the diehard fans are slowly being priced out. The atmosphere suffers and MSG will cease to be one of the best places to watch hockey in the NHL. It has become a much more corporate building over the last 20 years and when you take the personality of the fans out, and let the players with personality go, what do you have left?

Not something worth $52 a game, that's for sure ...

Preseason: Rangers 2, HC Sparta Prague 0

Mmmmaaarrrtttyyyy, Mmmmaaarrrtttyyyy ... no, I'm not jeering the jerk that sat five rows in front of me wearing a Brodeur sweater, I am cheering for Mr. Biron, who saved the Rangers in Prague tonight. The Blueshirts stumbled out of the gate and the patchwork defense struggled to contain the Spartans for much of the night. The Ranger performance, while not great, not as bad as that sounds - it was actually a terrific match, for both the fans and for the players. There was tough, physical, back-and-forth action with good scoring chances on both sides of the ice, something that shocked me after expecting a thrashing on the order of the 8-1 beating of Bern a few years back.

Notes:

*I wonder what games were like at Tesla before the movie the 300 came out. Guys dressed as Spartans - cloaks, hats, speedos and shields came out and held torches as their team took the ice. Afterwards they grabbed their spears and came back out to 'defend' the national anthem singer. Neat stuff. Oh, and the official team mascot was a Spartan - a gold version of Michigan State's Sparty.

*The Czechs skated off the ice with heads held high, and not just because of the positive reinforcement their fans gave them after the loss. None of the Spartans really stood out but they had a good team form, showing the work they've put in opening up their Extraliga campaign. They just couldn't get the puck past Biron over the first two periods, not with good wristers, deflections or high slap shots. Biron's lateral movement was terrific and he showed the veteran poise that we knew he had.

*Michael Del Zotto made a fantastic cross-crease pass on the power play to set up Ruslan Fedotenko's goal. MDZ had an utterly atrocious start where he did exactly what I said in the Peepin' Foes, "just think how Michael Del Zotto was thrown out of position on a small rink, in this one he might end up in another country." But whatever he changed during the first intermission paid off as he was a different player, one far better. He started gambling a little bit late which fried my nerves, but overall this was a very good performance for a kid very maligned in this space.

*Tim Erixon also had a decent turnaround. Erixon had an awful giveaway in the Ranger end and slammed his stick down near the end of the first but he recovered from it. He even unleashed a good shot a few times (and I believe one of them was the one that set up Arty's goal).

*Speaking of shooting, Mats Zuccarello! Zuke shot the puck twice on the same shift. I nearly fell down from shock. The Rangers' Rudy was all over the ice and had a strong showing. Sadly it wasn't one that seemed to get Torts to put him on the power play but he still saw some good ice time.

*The power play, aside from Feds' goal, was woeful. Five forwards doesn't work when the two point guys are not capable defensively and the penalty killers put on good pressure. Wolski simply doesn't belong back there.

*The Rangers penalty kill was terrific - Dubi, Cally and Biron. Enough said.

*Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik were completely underwhelming. Richards turned the puck over several times and Gabby missed several gimme goals. Still have three games to get those two going so no panic yet. Yet.

*Brandon Prust looked positively winded after his first few shifts but he eventually got his legs under him and was the Prust we know and love. He gave a Spartan an extra shove, gave another a facewash, forechecked well and was responsible defensively.

*Stu Bickel did a pretty good job on defense despite a clear deficiency skating. He is big, tough and actually showed a decent first pass to get the puck out of trouble. He also was the only Ranger to come over to a small group of fans after the game to sign autographs. Too bad no one was able to recognize who he was.

*Hard to recognize Artem Anisimov on the ice because Arty scored the game's first goal by going to the net and knocking home a rebound. Always said that when he gets his confidence up and uses his size and strength he can be a great player. And this time it wasn't because of the confidence from his usual linemates as Torts spun the wheel o wingers throughout the night. The kid went to the crease and gave the Rangers the all-important first goal.

*Quickies on the rest of the guys: Rupp missed a good scoring chance and his size and skill set didn't work in this game. McDonagh was rock solid. Eminger had a few bad plays but was overall ok - and he got a stinger or something because he went off the ice doubled over at one point (but later returned and choked up the puck). Cut Christensen now, he is useless. Brendan Bell made a few really good, sexy rushes up the ice ... then turned over the puck or missed the net.

*The game was definitely shot for television, if it was not broadcast live. They had a small scorebug on the game feed, which was shown on the big board hanging over center ice. The board which, by the way, was nailed by a Praha clearing pass at one point. Don't see that too often.

*Good moment after the final buzzer: after the teams shook hands Dubi headed right off the ice. The guys called him back and the team went to center ice and did the signature stick salute. Loved it.

If I was to do Scotty Hockey Three Stars then 3-Cally, 2-Dubi and 1-Biron.

Peepin' Foreign Foes: HC Slovan Bratislava

The Rangers had day off after watching the Swedes swoon for Hank and Sunday they will see the Slovaks welcome Marian Gaborik as he leads the Blueshirts into Bratislava for a game against HC Slovan. Sadly I won't be there as I am heading directly to Switzerland ahead of Monday's match with Zug. So no one will be there to yell "Let's Go Rangers" during the anthem, sorry.

Arena: Ondrej Nepela Arena was the main building for the 2011 World Championships. It holds just over 10,000 fans and already saw a NHL team come visiting when Tampa Bay played an exhibition before we beat them in Prague in 2008. The Bolts beat Bratislava 3-2 in overtime.

Team History: Slovan finished first in the Slovak Extraliga during the regular season in '10-11 but they lost in the playoff's quarterfinals to Dukla Trencin. They are expected to wear a special sweater for the game against the Rangers what will honour their 90th anniversary.

Where They Are Now: They are 5-1-1 so far this season and are coming off of a 4-2 win over HK 36 Skalica on Friday.

Familiar Foes: When Tampa was in town they caught up with former Lightning forward Zdeno Ciger, who was and still is Bratislava's head coach. Ciger, who also played for the Rangers (best if you don't remember that), basically explained to the media how John Tortorella drove him out of the league. That should make for a warm reunion. Old foe Miro Satan is on a monthly deal with the Slovaks while he prays some NHL team can find a place for him. Jozef Balej, the blue chip prospect we got for Alex Kovalev way back when, joined the team this summer. David Skokan, a 2007 Ranger draft pick, is on their roster and is excited to face the franchise he couldn't make. Former NHL journeyman Richard Jackman is listed on their website but he jumped ship over the summer and now plays in Korea with Anyang Halla. Hallaaaaaaa!

Who To Watch For: Satan leads a first line that is all averaging better than a point per game per player. Roman Kukumberg, a '04 Leafs pick, is the center while Michal Hudec is on the other wing. Huder played USHL for a season and was on the 1999 Slovakian World Junior side alongside Gabby. Balej is still a bust, with just two goals and no assists in Slovan's seven games.

What Can We Expect: A Gaborik love-fest, but one not at the same level as Hank's in Gothenburg - Gabby played for HC Dukla Trenčín, not Slovan. It shouldn't be all that physical - the Slovak's PIM leader has just 10 min in seven games. I would figure Satan will do all he can to score just so someone back in the States can see he is still a salvageable player. But the best part is that the fans are planning to put on an amazing display. The Rangers, for their part, will just try to keep working towards game form and finding chemistry. We will see if both Christy and Avery make the roster for the game or if one will play there, the other in Zug while they battle for the final forward spot. Also get to see how MDZ and Stu Bickel reward the coach's faith after he kept both after the penultimate round of cuts.

1-0-0: A Solid Start

After mistakenly ending up in Brooklyn rather than Queens this morning, I missed the beginning of the Rangers' season opener. I arrived at the beer garden just in time to catch the first goal (I am good luck) and caught the rest of the 2-1 win from there but I waited to write this until I could catch Rangers in 60 on MSG. I didn't read any game reports though so this is all me; I apologize if there is any redundancy from the other guys.

*Man, am I glad I did watch it on MSG. Otherwise I would have missed Joe Micheletti's best work on MSG. His microphone was messed up so he couldn't be heard over the air early in the first period and it was fantastic. Sam Rosen called the game Vin Scully-style (by himself) and it was a vast improvement from the norm. There was nothing lost in not hearing from the colour man and much gained. One can only wish that the brass watched and felt the same way.

*Another tv note - MSG's talent were in Prague but they picked up the signal from the European broadcaster so that is the reason why Sam would mention things that you didn't see.

*Is it me or did Henrik Lundqvist pick up Garth Snow's old shoulder pads? Those things were huge. And they seemed to help because he showed a lot more poise than he did in the Victoria Cup; he just seemed more confident.

*As good as Hank was, his counterpart was better. Even though Mike Smith was beaten for two goals and at least two posts, he stood on his head and made at least a dozen huge saves, even after his arm got hurt. Remember, he dominated the Blueshirts last year on both the Stars and the Bolts so it really was not a surprise.

*The first time Smith was beaten came on Markus Naslund snapping a wrister from the off-wing a la that Messier guy who used to play for the Rangers. Naslund had at least three other great scoring chances so that was a really pleasant sign. For the one that went in, Scott Gomez made a nifty little pass over a few sticks right to the open Naslund on the wing, something that should happen many times this season.

*Something that will unhappily happen many times this season is Dmitri Kalinin getting beaten. Malik Kalinin was roasted along the outside by the speedy Marty St. Louis - a player he should have manhandled - and the mighty midget tied the game at one. I sadly think it will be a competition between Kalinin and Wade Redden to draw the most ire from the True Blue. Although, in all fairness, Redden played better than he had in preseason so maybe it was the start of something good.

*Brandon Dubinsky = Jason Arnott crossed with Jaromir Jagr. Big, skillful centerman who is solid in his own end while using his size to get into good scoring positions on the other side of the ice before unleashing a deadly wrister.

*Dubi's game-winner came on the power play, which was impressive to watch - primarily because of the absence of the aforementioned Jagr. The players cycled, moved the puck and shot at will; hopefully they will be able to keep it up even against better teams than the Bolts. But they do need to finish better as they got just one goal on seven chances, granted that was primarily because of Smith but still ...

*The monstrous Evgeny Artyukhin (6'5, 255) was something to watch. Barry Melrose mistakenly gave Artyukin just 9:!5 of ice time and you could see him out there for every second of it. He gave the Rangers some troubles and will definitely warrant more attention as his skills continue to improve.

*Speaking of ice time, Matt Carle was on the ice for 29 minutes. 29! By contrast, Redden was out there for just over 22. Going back to the Rangers power play for a second, Redden and Rozy did not look as good as Mara and Girardi, which is worrisome, even if it was the first game. There is a lot of money tied up in the top two guys and they need to produce.

*And on the other side of the coin, Chris Drury didn't score at all but still looked good as the newly-branded captain of the New York Rangers. He played a typical Drury game by working the boards, working the crease, backchecking and hustling. He is leading by example, now we just need to hear from him as well ...

*PHW Three Stars
3-Henrik Lundqvist - 20 saves.
2-Markus Naslund - one goal.
1-Brandon Dubinsky - one goal.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Dubinsky - Dubi scored the go-ahead goal and was back on the ice moments later to kill a penalty. You can't ask for more from this kid.
2-Mike Smith - 39 saves behind a inexperienced and, frankly, lousy defense.
1-Naslund - The Swede was a scoring threat all game long and he played much, much better than he did in the preseason. Performances like this will go far to justify his contract and the 'A' they put on his chest.

Brian Leetch Night, Lunchtime Edition

Some random stuff before I head to the Garden:

Larry Brooks spoke to Jaromir Jagr and he said, "We can be a very good team if we play the way we're supposed to, and that includes me. Our record so far is kind of my fault, too. I take responsibility." So he is finally speaking like a captain, this is a nice change. Now it will come down to his execution in turning things around, and that starts tonight.

Sam at Rangers Report said that Marek Malik's status is unclear and he may have been traded. One can only hope, one can only hope. For all of my loathing for him, I do hope that nothing is wrong with his family because that is the kind of thing that could keep the guy away and keep Renney's mouth shut.

And John Dellapina of the Daily News put together a panel who decided Leetch was the best Ranger ever. Of course, while he claimed that they came to the decision this way: "Define the term as the player who produced the greatest body of work in a Rangers uniform and then pass the puck to a Broadway Blue-chip panel of Rangers players, GMs and historians to get their takes." And then he asked Neil Smith, Rod Gilbert, Mess, Richter, Gresch, Dave Maloney, Sal Messina and JD. So that means he asked Leetch's old GM, two teammates, two former Rangers who repeat the company line as ambassadors, Sal Messina and JD - a friend of Leetch's. Messina is the one guy in the panel who could come close to being called a historian, but where is Stan Fischler? If there is anyone who could fairly judge, it would be the curmudgeonly bearded geezer. Not one of the people he asked could make any thing close to a fair judgment call on this. That isn't to say that Leetch sucks, he was one of the best but there simply is no fair way to call this one.

And finally (for now), TSN is reporting that it is now written in stone that the Rangers will play Tampa Bay in Prague to start next season. They also will warm up in Bern, Switzerland. Looks like I am going to have to bust out my passport (and empty my bank account)!!!

Preseason: Rangers 4, Slovan Bratislava 1

The Rangers' Eurotrip continued on Sunday with an afternoon match with Slovan Bratislava. The Slovaks, like the Czechs on Thursday, supposedly had a good first period before letting the Rangers be the big, strong NHL visitor they were supposed to be.

I wrote 'supposedly' because I missed the first two periods while at the derby between the two Zurich football teams so please feel free to add anything you saw in the comments. By the time I turned it on at the start of the third period, this one was ovaaaaaaa. Both teams were blowing power plays, few checks were finished and it was just a matter of waiting for the stick salute.

A few Late Hits (BTW, that is the name for my game notes from now on. Original, right?):

*Slovan's cheerleaders did their little dances in the aisles. In Prague, as in Jersey, the scantily clad 'entertainers' had a platform of their own that they bump and grind on. Guess Slovan is a team of and for the people.

*I wonder how many of the penalties that Stu Bickel has been called for so far this preseason would be called in regular season NHL hockey. He is bigger and stronger than his opponents and it shows.

*Didn't notice Erik Christensen once. Sean Avery, the door is open ...

*Loved seeing Ryan McDonagh get a goal. He has done the right thing by getting his defense in order, why not add a little offense? This is the point right where Marc Staal stalled. Staal lost Fedor Tyutin and was saddled with Rozsival so he had to remain the responsible one. When Mike Sauer gets back, he should give McD the freedom needed to keep adding offense.

*Mats Zuccarello looked great. He is finally giving up his reluctance to shoot which is huge but it is a slow process. In the third period Slovan knew he wasn't going to fire the puck and they forced turnovers because of it. But he is still willing to throw that undersized frame of his around. He hit Chara last season, so why not some no-name giant for Slovan? Go Zuke.

*Hank looked alright but it was obvious by the time I tuned in that Slovan didn't have much left in the tank.

*They showed a fan wearing a nice hoodie commemorating the game. Sparta also had game-night merch. I wonder why Frolunda dropped the ball, they would have made a ton on anything with Hank's face on it. I'll let you know what they do in Zug tomorrow!

Peepin' Foreign Foes: HC Sparta Praha

The Rangers will open up their Eurotrip in the Czech Republic against HC Sparta Praha tomorrow.

Team History: Sparta is older than the Rangers, having been founded in 1909. The team has a small historical guide on their website if you want to check it out. Last season they were 12th out of 14 teams, which is bad but what is even worse is that they were seven spots below their cross-town rivals, Slavia Praha.

Arena: The Rangers faced off against Tampa at the O2 Arena - Slavia's home - and this time are four kilometers away at Sparta's home rink, the far older Tesla Arena. Tesla was opened back in 1962 - by comparison MSG opened in 1968 - and this place needs a renovation far, far worse than the Garden did. It sits about three thousand less (13,995 total) but they are some hard rocking, diehard fans who sing, sing and sing some more.

Where They Are: Four games into their season. They stumbled out of the gates but are coming off of their lone win, a 6-2 trouncing of Pardubice on Tuesday.

Familiar Foes: A number of their players were drafted by NHL teams and several played in the AHL but just spent any real kind of time in the NHL - Petr Tenkrat. Tenkrat played a total of 177 games for the Ducks, Preds and Bruins. He has been in Europe since 2007 bouncing between the Extraliga, Elitserien (Sweden) and SM-Liiga (Finland). Tomas and Ivan Rachunek are the younger brothers for former Ranger Karel (who passed away in the Lokomotiv crash, RIP). Former Blue Jacket David Vyborny had played for Sparta for years but transferred to Mlada Boleslav this summer.

Who To Watch For: Petr Ton was their leading scorer last season with 36 points in 52 games but Tenkrat and Tomas Rachinek each are averaging a point per game so far. Alex Foster was the captain of the AHL's Toronto Marlies and signed to play in Prague this summer; he is the lone North American on the squad. Michal Sersen, a defenseman, played junior with Crosby in the Q - all the more reason to hate him.

What Can We Expect: Probably nothing like this, at least physically. You have to figure that Sparta will try to use the larger ice to their advantage. They can stretch the Rangers defense in the wider rink - just think how Michael Del Zotto was thrown out of position on a small rink, in this one he might end up in another country. But, given how impressed several of the Praha players were watching the Ranger practice, they may just sit back and get trounced 8-1 the way Bern was by the boys a few years back.

Pronger Has No Passion For Hockey

Chris Pronger is a xenophobic idiot.

During a presser today before the Ducks/Kings London games (which I will rant on sooner or later), Pronger said that if the NHL placed franchises in Europe that Canadian kids wouldn't report to them if they were drafted.

Now I know this is coming from the guy who bitched and moaned his way out of Edmonton so it shouldn't be taken that seriously but he is a big enough name that his words resonate. And they are pretty f-ing stupid.

Only spoiled brats like Pronger and Lindros (see the post below) would pass up a chance to play in the biggest, best league in the world just because they would have to be away from home for a few months each year. I know guys who traveled to faraway hockey outposts like Norway just so they could keep playing the game they loved. And let me tell you, the level those guys played at pales in comparison to the NHL.

Personally, I think there should be teams in Europe, but not yet. Once the cost and time of travel comes even farther down thanks to improvements in technology, the league should absolutely have teams in Stockholm, Prague, Vienna, Moscow, etc. An ideal world would have the game spread like soccer and have the NHL become a Champions League. Now that may never happen, and expansion should be the last thing on the NHL's mind right now, but to say that players would report because of the distance is just foolish.

Some people love the game Chris; its too bad because a player with your skills would be a helluva ambassador.

Interesting Note ...

NHL.com put up a preview article for the Victoria Cup, the match between the New York Rangers and Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Switzerland on October 1st. The full text is here but the best news is this:

In order to foster the best competition, Szemberg said a provision was added to the contract stating how many rookies or minor-league players the Rangers would be allowed to play. That alleviates any concern that New York would treat the exhibition as a showcase for some of their up-and-comers while resting some of their regulars.

"This is specified so a team can't come with their America Hockey League lineup," Szemberg said. "When discussing this, the Rangers and the NHLPA people said, 'We are not bringing over a minor-league team.' We realize that if the Rangers want to test a promising rookie, why shouldn't they? But, they not test 11 promising rookies."

*Whew*

I had pulled out my new Hartford Wolfpack jersey to bring with me to Switzerland but I can rest assured that I will indeed be watching at least some of the big boys. And you can expect my usual post-game insight/ramblings here from Bern as I will be there for both the exhibition against SC Bern and the Victoria Cup. As I mentioned before, I had to pass on Prague because the Rangers couldn't guarantee tickets without me buying a $3 or 4k package ... Booooooo.

Scotty's Split Squad Selections

The Rangers will have a seven game preseason schedule this fall. In most cases the players that dress the final few exhibition games are essentially the ones that take the ice opening night but that doesn't seem likely this time around. The Blueshirts are playing four games in five nights in four different countries.

During his online chat today, New York Rangers writer Jim Cerny told me, "the expectation is that Rangers will bring a large roster to Europe, maybe not two full squads, but my guess is 30 or so players...final cuts, I would expect, will take place there..."

I tried to figure out a way to hit all of them and let me tell you, it isn't easy. While I may not have the resources that the Rangers have, it would still be very tough for the team to bounce from the Czech Republic to Sweden to Slovakia to Switzerland in that short of a time span. Unlike you or I, if they wanted to the Rangers can be in two places at the same time - they can split the squad like baseball teams do every spring. Prague to Bratislava is a three hour drive, Gothenburg to Zug is about four hours total - plane to Zurich, train or bus to Zug.

They may very well go with one expanded side but, for argument's sake, here is a look at two teams that the Rangers can ice based on the various marketing needs and desires of the coaching staff and the situations.

Team Blue
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski-Erik Christensen-Christian Thomas
Mike Rupp-Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust
Sean Avery-Chad Kolarik-Dale Weise

Marc Staal-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Steve Eminger
Mikhail Pashnin-Tomas Kundratek

Martin Biron/Chad Johnson/Scott Stajcer

Team Blue would be the side that plays the pair of games in the former Czechoslovakia. For PR/ethnic purposes, you have a Slovak in Gabby and a Czech in Kundratek, not to mention Wolski and Fedotenko who are from the nearby Poland and Ukraine respectively. Yes, Wolski grew up in Canada but surely the Poles are proud of him - after all, the top Polish NHLers were former Islander Mariusz Czerkawski and former Ranger Krzysztof Oliwa (remember him?). On the hockey side of things you have the three top left wing candidates for the first line around to rotate and try to find chemistry. MDZ and Christian Thomas could get some power play time with Richards and Gabby and the Henrik-less goaltending has the top D pairing to help defend. You also have protection in Rupp, Prust and Weise against the more physical of the foreign sides the Rangers are facing.

Team White
Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Ryan Callahan
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Andreas Thuresson-Oscar Lindberg-Jasper Fasth
Andrew Yogan-John Mitchell-Ryan Bourque

Ryan McDonagh-Mike Sauer
Tim Erixon-Jyri Niemi
Pavel Valentenko-Wade Redden

Henrik Lundqvist/Cam Talbot/Jason Missiaen

Team White will participate in the lovefest that is sure to be the Frolunda game before heading to face a pretty soft Swiss side in Zug. The game in Gothenburg will be as close to a testimonial for Hank as you can get. The Indians fans worshipped him and he would also have a healthy surrounding of Scandic players around him that they would enjoy seeing. It would also could bring forth some whistles (booing) as Zuc was dominant for Modo against Frolunda before he came to America. On the hockey side you have all of the Rangers second line and a possible version of their third if Hagelin can win a job. Lindberg, Fasth and Erixon were on Sweden's World Junior team together so perhaps that will help them play with a certain comfort level - one that doesn't usually come in NHL auditions. Yes, Redden is on the roster. His money doesn't have to disappear from the cap until the real games start and, by all accounts, he was a big part of the maturation of McDonagh last season so he could help Erixon acclimate further. Who knows, perhaps he will fall in love with Zug and leave the team to play there. His game would be great in the Swiss National League.

No matter how the team decides to play it, I expect to be at three of the four games (no Bratislava) and the two regular season Stockholm matches so make sure you stop by for game recaps.

Preseason: Rangers ?, Flyers ?

As I mentioned the other day, I am en route to Europe on a mediocre airline so I am unable to watch the game. So with that being said, please use the comments to point out what you saw, who impressed, who did not and all of that. It would be much appreciated.

Talk to you guys again from Prague later this week!

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 ...

He'll Be Back

New York, October 29, 2008

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Lauri Korpikoski has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). Korpikoski, 22, has skated in seven games with the Rangers this season. The 6-1, 195-pounder returns to Hartford, where he registered 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points, along with 71 penalty minutes in 79 games last season. His 23 goals tied for third on the Wolf Pack, while he finished fourth on the club with 50 points. He made his NHL regular season debut on October 4 vs. Tampa Bay at Prague, Czech Republic.

This comes as no surprise considering Korpikoski has been out of the lineup lately. We've seen flashes of NHL-calibur skill but they have been just that - flashes. Once he finds some consistency, or the injury bug makes it to Broadway (knock on wood), the Korpedo will return to the big club. No worries ...

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.

Ooo, ooo Dream Weaverrrrr

Larry Brooks wrote a column in the Post where he talks about how Alex Ovechkin will be a restricted free agent. Ovie will command a max contract, which I am guessing will be somewhere in the ballpark of $11 mil a year. Crazy, right?

Then, in another Post piece, Brooks also pointed out that it would be crazy for the Rangers to start next season in Prague because Jagr may not be a Ranger by then. There is a club option that only kicks in if "Jagr records 40 goals or 84 points and the Rangers win a playoff round." Or "if Jagr were to win the Hart Trophy, or the Art Ross Trophy, or the Conn Smythe Trophy, 2008-09 would become guaranteed."

Now, the way that Jagr has been playing, those statistics don't seem bloody likely. Nor do those awards. One would guess, the way that Hank is playing, if the Rangers get the Cup, he would be assured of the Conn Smythe - not Jagr.

Because of the deal with Washington way back when, the Rangers only take a cap hit of $5 million of Jagr's $8 mil-plus contract. Shanny, who we here at Scotty Hockey think should be the Captain of the Rangers and will be quite sad when he is gone, may be gone as soon as the end of this year with a one-way ticket to the Hall of Fame. According to NHL Numbers, Shanny also makes five mil a year.

So 5 + 5 = 10, just a million off of the number Ovie will get. That mil should be easily attainable with Straka's $3 mil coming off the books. Give two to Avery, the other one to Ovie and we have one of the three best players in the world.

Sounds well worth it to me.

Yes, Hank, Girardi and Toots will be due raises, but several mil can be culled from the removal of Mara and Malik from the books and I am sure Sather can massage the cap to spread around Ovie's hit. The offer sheet would cost four first round picks, but again, it sounds well worth it - especially with all of the young talent in the organization.

It makes for a very interesting proposition and, as Victor Hugo wrote, "there is nothing like a dream to create the future."

Hey now, you're an All Star ...

Major League Baseball just put on a very nice tribute to Willie Mays at the All Star game in San Francisco. It made me think about the NHL's event and look up the plans for future ones. The 2008 NHL All Star game will be in Atlanta, 2009 in Montreal and there will not be one in 2010 due to the Olympics in Vancouver. Atlanta's is a make-good for the 1995 game that was cancelled due to the lockout that season.

Ok, that is just silly.

First off, it made sense for 1995 - to help a young franchise gain publicity in its franchise. Now its pointless ... the team already has its fanbase and is no longer a novelty in town so casual sports fans in Georgia aren't going to all-of-a-sudden flock to the Thrashers because of an All Star game. The game is less a event for a fans and one more for the league to entertain and thank their sponsors. To better achieve that it should be held in a nicer place than Atlanta - rich people don't want a comped vacation to the home of Coca Cola, they want to go to NY, LA or Florida (as its in the winter). The 2009 choice of Montreal is a good one as it will celebrate the franchise's 100th birthday and cancelling the game in 2010 will help scheduling with the premier hockey event going on in the Olympics.

Without any consequences added to the All Star game (baseball has home field in the World Series on the line), the least the league can do is host the game in a nice place. The NFL places it in Hawaii after the season, which may be a nice option for the NHL, as would be Las Vegas like the NBA did last year - and the NHL will likely bring a few less gang-bangers and hoodlums so it may actually work out. Another idea I really think the NHL should try is placing the game overseas immediately after the season - put the game in Stockholm, Prague or Moscow. Sponsors will enjoy the exotic vacation and the NHL foreign players from that country will be hailed as heroes. How can that be a bad thing?