Goals By Gabby, Day 5

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

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

Goals By Gabby, Day 4

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

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

Goals By Gabby, Day 3

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

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

Goals By Gabby, Day 2

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

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



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

Goals By Gabby, Day 1

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

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

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

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



Wow.

Adios MexiCan't!

I was in good spirits coming out of the movie theater this evening, after spending two and a half hours with my brain shut down enjoying Transformers. I stepped into the light and turned on my cell phone to find a dozen texts and voicemails - all telling me of the wonderful news:

Scott Gomez is gone.

While I won't take back all of the bad things I have ever said about Glen Sather (Wade Redden is still a Ranger), this definitely lightens my outlook. And for him to get back a return - any return - for Gomez is just stupefying. So this is why he is in the Hall of Fame. Wow.

No more smiling after losses. No more attacks aborted by a moronic offsides. No more skating into triple coverage to dump the puck five feet away and run for the bench. No more Scott Gomez.

Oh, happy day!

And all it took was Michael Busto and Tom Pyatt? Two of Tom Renney's prospects who had no future in the Ranger organization - Jess from Prospect Park held just short of calling Pyatt a bust just the other day.

But wait! It gets better! We get the capable Chris Higgins, bluechip blueliners Ryan McDonagh and Doug Janik, some Russian Pavel Valentenko and roughly six million dollars in cap space. Folly, thy name be Bob. How Gainey could make this trade is beyond me. But I love it.

Of course, the Rangers still need top line talent but this was a wondrous move. HOWEVER, I wouldn't be me if I didn't temper my excitement with a some cynicism. This transaction is the first domino to fall ... which one tumbles next?

Heatley? Dealing Gomez away means that it would be foolish to let Dubinsky go as well but he can put the puck in the net. And he wouldn't have to drive, living in Manhattan and all ...

Sedin twins? Having Hank here has to be alluring to the Swedish studs and Cally would look pretty spectacular on a first line with them.

Hossa? His brother was jeered here (and for good reason) but in New York he will get to challenge the Pens and their fans.

Sundin? He was awfully close to coming here earlier this year and, on a short term stint, he would certainly fit into a plan of win-now and let the kids develop blueprint.

Gaborik? The risk/reward ratio is nearly even and Sather is a gambler ...

Honestly, I am not about to guess because the Gomez giveaway sure-as-hell came out of nowhere; I'll just sit back and enjoy the show. As I just saw in the Michael Bay blockbuster, a lot of flash and bang makes for one fun diversion.

32-24-8: Is This What Happiness Feels Like?

Several hours after walking out of Madison Square Garden, I find myself wrestling with a strange emotion. I am sure I have felt it before, but my memory is failing me as to when. It certainly has been a long time since I felt this particular emotion but I can't pin it down. Time certainly takes it's toll. Hmm, what could it be?

Could it be ... joy??

I think so! Joy! This is wonderful! However, it is quite scary - another performance like the 6-1 demolition of the Colorado Avalanche, and the Rangers may actually fool me into believing that they are a good hockey team. Seriously!

The wonder that was their performance was certainly helped by the utter and complete ineptitude of the Avalanche. Until the late fireworks, the Avs looked like the Rangers did during the 10-2 Dallas debacle. They were caught flatfooted, they couldn't get much going offensively, and they made some outright stupid plays. Where the Montreal Canadiens were able to jump all over the Rangers when the Blueshirts took their feet off the gas in the second period of that classic come-from-behind 6-5 win, Colorado was only able to manage one goal. (And that one goal was entirely Dmitri Kalinin's fault, of course.)

But let's look deeper into this one, which was a win! Joy!

*John Tortorella finally made the statement that he is the head coach of the team. Tom Renney would never, ever have let the Rangers battle physically the way they did at the end of the game. Colton Orr would have been forced to make a beeline for the bench after his roughing penalty and forced to stay on it. There is no way he would ever have been allowed to kick the crap out of Chris Stewart.

*I am willing to make the argument that Colton Orr is the best enforcer in the NHL. Insane? Hear me out - Georges Laraque's reputation has limited his engagements and when he does throw down (like tonight) the fight is over in moments. It is the same thing for the Minnesota Mountain Derek Boogaard. Laraque has played in just 27 games, Boogaard 47 - and is now suspended for five. Don't even put that idiot animal Brashear in the conversation. Orrsie has played in every single Ranger game, takes on middleweights and lightweights alike and wins, and he has turned himself into a solid shut-down winger. This is the same guy who's head I hollered for last year because he couldn't skate but he has turned into a damn good hockey player and deserves accolades for that.

*But back to this game and sticking with the late violence - any goodwill Wade Redden may have earned from his solid play of late was completely washed away by him essentially sitting things out - he skated around the pile tugging at occasional players while Petr Prucha had to jump in and help out Brandon Dubinsky. Someone needs to tell Redden that the jersey he wears is blue, red and white ... not yellow.

*Even Paul Mara answered the bell when that dolt Darcy Tucker jumped him. As many people pointed out, Mara shouldn't be fighting with a mending shoulder but he didn't go looking for a fight, it came to him and he defended the honour of Charlestown. Attaboy.

*I will get to the goals but the different layers of fisticuffs was just so compelling. Two of my friends ripped on Ian Laperriere but Lappy showed why he is one of the best teammates a NHL player can have - the tough little bugger will do anything and everything to stand up for his teammates. After taking that scary puck to the face, he came back to the game, stood up for his guys in the first tussle going nose to nose with Colt, then called out the opposing coach and the rest of the Ranger bench. Was it ridiculous? Sure, Jim Schoenfeld could have kicked his ass. But it was wonderful. Every player on the Avalanche know that Lappy will go to war for them and whichever team trades for him in the next week will be that much better for it.

*Ok, so the Rangers scored like, what, six times? Insanity! Great play by Dubi and Cally to open the game and open the scoring. Ranger fans have to hope that those two can keep that kind of chemistry going for along time to come because that was beautiful. Cally was a beast.

*We have to be happy for Chris Drury as he finally scored - and on the power play to boot. However, this is still the Rangers and the Ranger power play still only went 1-7. But the combination of one goal for and no shorties against make the special team a complete winner tonight. Drury's goal was an easy slam dunk on a five-on-three and it makes me wonder why they couldn't do it countless times this season. Sure, most goaltenders aren't as incompetent as Raycroft, but still - it can be that easy.

*Anyone else have a flashback when Markus Naslund got his stick stuck in the boards? I clearly remember the Rangers-Stars game when Eric Lindros had his stick find a seam in the glass and the idiot stood there trying to wrestle it free as the Rangers went the other way and scored. Classic.

*Scott Gomez made a great tip on Marc Staal's shot to make it a 4-0 game, made a smart pass to Drury for the power play goal and collected another assist when Naslund's shot found it's way through Razor Raycroft (who was ridiculously out of position). That being said, Gomez's best play came when the Rangers were trapped in their own end in the second period and Paul Mara lost his stick. Gomez recognized it and handed his own lumber over but stayed in the action and eventually kicked the puck out of the zone. That is smart hockey and something we need to see from him more often.

*A quick congrats to Nazzy for reaching 20 goals for the 10th straight season. I still think he is far past his prime and is nothing more than a second line winger, but that is still quite the achievement.

*Between his goal early on and his involvement in the donnybrook, is there any way Prucha loses a roster spot on Tortorella's team? And Renney thought that the kid didn't have it in him ... he 'wears down' ... it certainly hasn't looked that way to me.

*Now that the other scoring forwards have gotten going, it is time for Nigel Dawes to put in a goal or two. He certainly is working hard but he has to convert or be replaced on trade deadline day by someone who will.

*Why is the MSG in-house crew so afraid to show replays? They often show just one angle of a goal and rarely replay penalties. Instead of showing the third period chaos, we were treated to children dancing around. Awww. I don't care. I want to see what happened. This is a hockey game, not some five year old's birthday party.

*A five year old would probably do a better job than Michal Rozsival does defensively. What is it with this guy that is making it so hard for him to keep control of the puck? And he seems utterly incapable of keep the puck in the offensive zone, especially on the power play. Arg.

*Also frustrating - the ridiculous number of Potvin Sucks chants. Enough already. And I think there were more of them during this game then there were against the Panthers, when Potvin was actually in the damned building. So annoying.

*Stat question of the night: they posted a graphic after the second period that said the Rangers had blocked 20 shots through two periods. The official event summary has just 14 for the entire game. What gives?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Wade Redden - no points, no heart, a bad penalty, a couple of blown coverages and probably some payola to the PHWs.
2-Scott Gomez - one goal and two assists.
1-Henrik Lundqvist - 23 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - The King looked great compared to the clowns on the other side of the ice but Colorado rarely tested him. Most of their shots were like those of the Rangers in recent weeks, soft shots from the wings that barely challenged.
2-Gomez - The Mexican't finally is remembering the lessons he learned from Lamoriello and is actually playing like he cares. A couple more efforts and I may have to call him the MexiCan.
1-Dubi - His hard work has paid off an his new coach gave him more ice time than any other forward. And you know what? He is playing up to expectations. This was the standard that he had set early in the season when Nik Zherdev was playing like Jaromir Jagr. Now Dubi is proving he doesn't need a big winger to take the heat off of him, he can dominate on his own.

Must-Read Musings

A thanks to Greg over at Puck Daddy for putting up a fun post about Sean Avery today. His piece is a fun read, but the really interesting article is Avery's on MensVogue.com.

I won't excerpt it, you just have to read the whole thing.

Remarkable.