Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants reports that Thomas Pock is now an ex-Ranger:
Defenseman Thomas Pock's less-than-impactful tenure with the Rangers has come to a close as the Islanders claimed the 26-year-old Austrian off waivers today...
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Renney tells Steve Zipay, the only beat writer to go over to Europe, that he is standing pat on his new line combos:Back at the hotel in the Vinohrady nabe, an email response from Tom Renney in Bern, Switzerland that I'll share:Zipay also warns that the Rangers need to be prepared to play a couple of "pumped" European teams, Rangers prepare for games in Europe:
"Very good skate today. Practiced better then we played yesterday. Guys are in good spirits. Good to get the legs going and the blood flowing. Skated with the same combos as the last game. Have to give it a chance. See Valiquette getting the start vs Bern, Henrik vs Magnitogorsk. May make some minor changes to roster, so may skate with that in the am. Beautiful day here today."
Mettalurg, which will have played 11 regular-season games in the KHL before facing the Rangers, is the first Russian team to play an NHL team in 17 years and apparently is pumped, according to reports. Rangers coach Tom Renney has tried to downplay it.
"I'm not going down that road with Magnitogorsk saying this is the be-all, end-all, of hockey 1972 revisited," Renney said. "I think it's a huge opportunity to marry the two factions - the European and North American factions - together. That's how we approach it. We want to win the hockey game."
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Renney's interview with Vasily Osipov for the Russian Sport-Express is passed along by Beyond the Blueshirts, Renney on the Ranger’s Russians and the Victoria Cup:Artem Anisimov . . . at present he has quite a good chance of earning a place on the team.
Dmitri Kalinin . . . strong defenseman who reads the game well and possesses an excellent pass.
Nikolai Zherdev . . . Renney went on to suggest a 30-goal season is not out of reach for the presumed top-line winger. “Nik has the potential, as a first line player, to score 30 goals this season. The main thing for him is to not dwell on what he’s attained and to continue to make progress.” ...
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Slap Shot runs through Renney's impressive curriculum vitae regarding competing in international hockey tournaments:[Renney's] international portfolio has almost no equal. In fact, he is one of only two coaches to have won at least a silver medal in the three important men’s events—Olympics, World Championships, and World Junior Championships (called U20 in Europe)...
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NY Rangers:More news First Day in Europe an Eye-Opener:
Sunday was a long first day in Europe for the New York Rangers, who arrived in Bern, Switzerland at about 8:30 a.m. local time after a direct flight that followed Saturday’s preseason game vs. New Jersey at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts’ flight lasted nearly eight hours, and the long but scenic ride from the airport to the team hotel in Bern added roughly another hour. As a result, sleep was at a premium, even in the hours before a scheduled 3 p.m. practice at PostFinance Arena – roughly a 10 minute drive (25-minute walk) from the hotel.
While most players managed to sleep a few precious hours on the plane overseas, the six-hour time difference caught up to them by the time a vigorous practice ended at just before 5 p.m. local time...
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Mke Chen at Kukla's Korner discusses "The Real Reason For European Games:"That’s right folks, when it all comes down to it the NHL and NHLPA are businesses looking to make money. You’ve got digital distribution of games through satellite TV and broadband video, you’ve got tons and tons of information available 24/7 via the web to anywhere in the world, and you’ve got countries like the Czech Republic, Russia, and Sweden where hockey is king. In a global media environment, that means that there are no limits to where you can make money if the market needs are there....Hurry up get your Rangers' Jaromir Jagr and Sean Avery merchandise before they sell out.
For the short-term, they create visibility for these players, selling merchandise and generating exposure and media presence that possibly eclipses a native son (say, Daniel Alfredsson) winning a Stanley Cup. You’ll sell t-shirts, team jerseys, and player jerseys in the weeks before and after the games.
And next year Kelly at ESPN says: As many as eight teams could open next season in Europe.
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Sean Avery is up to some new trickeration for Dallas.Dallas Stars blog, Stars lose, 4-3:
The Stars had a late power play, but lost it when Sean Avery found a new way to be creative on the power play. Avery got behind defenseman Brian Campbell (between Campbell and the goalie) and was cross-checking Campbell in the back (as if he was playing defense).
Avery got called for a cross-check, and the Stars lost the power play opportunity...
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Regarding Pock's departure, thank God, it is finally done, some things you just get tired of. I actually believe the stars were aligned for him to get grabbed in the waivers. Maybe Sather/Renney brought him up to do him a favour so he could get taken; it was always very clear he wouldn't play on the Rangers, and maybe with good reason. I dunno, I never saw enough of his play although I thought he always showed promise, but on a personal level, I say good for him.
Now let's exploit him defensively when we run into him on his new team !!!
It definitely could be a win-win, for Pock and the Rangers. Getting a goal in your first game as a Ranger was not a good omen in his case.
After seeing and hearing about the pay scale for this Swiss league during the Bern SC game, as an Austrian, Pock could feel very comfortable over there and make out very well. If the Islanders don't pan out.