Adam Graves sweater now flies along his 1994 Stanley Cup Champion buddies and while his numbers pale in comparison to theirs his stature as a player and more important a person is no less great. The warmth shown at the Garden last night was genuine and as great as any imparted to any other player who has been so honored. The most impressive part was his entrance working his way through a crowd of ex-team mates, former Ranger greats, adoring fans and more importantly the children. Especially the children from The Garden Of Dreams. The look on their faces and in his face was worth the price of admission.
You have to meet Adam Graves to get the true sense of the man's sensitivity and warmth. It has been my pleasure to have met him on two occasions. Both occasions have involved my grandson, Nicholas, attending the Rangers one day camps in Tarrytown, New York. He walks into the arena, spots you and makes a beeline toward you with his hand extended and greets you with a firm handshake. You learn a lot from a man's handshake. How many so called celebrities initiate a hand shake? Donning hockey gear, he comes out to greet the kids and tells them, "Let's hit the ice", and hit the ice they do, smiling and skating hard. Hmm, maybe he should be coaching the Rangers.
It was a great night and it should not be marred by the Rangers pitiful performance against the lowly Thrashers. Awful. There was a great shot of the Ranger bench during the ceremony. Aside from the goofy laugh of Gomez the rest of the team looked liked the cast of the old movie, "The Night of the Living Dead." Then a shot of the chief mortician, Coach Clueless, who in the last nine games has seen his team score all of 17 goals. And it was the same platitudes after the game. Aren't you tired of hearing them? I am. But maybe we can retire the numbers of the rest of the 1994 team and if I'm not mistaken that should take up the rest of this drab season. Or, let's put the entire team, with the exception of Lundqvist, Staal and Zherdev on waivers. Or, let's fire Clueless, but then we would have to fire The Stealth GM, but then we would have to get rid of the Absentee Owner.
A lot of ifs, ands and buts but unfortunately that is the condition of the good ship, New York Rangers, which is now completely adrift. We have reached the point where we are becoming obsessed with the past and don't give a hoot about the present. Sad.
God bless Adam Graves.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Man Amongst Men
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Adam Graves is a wonderful gentleman, and he did score 52 goals during the drive to the Cup. But, to put him among Messier, Leetch and Richter beggs another question. Was he really the fourth most important player on that Stanley Cup team?
Here is a hint:
http://www.truveo.com/Alexei-Kovalev-goal-1994-finals-Brian-Leetch/id/4150256094
And by the way, this team on the ice at the Garden now is not my Rangers.
Ah, one more hint - during the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup run, he finishing with the third-most points for New York in the playoffs.
And, when Messier got the hat trick in game six against the Devils, he scored the first goal and set up Messier for the next two.
Last night was history making. And thank you Pundit for barely commenting on 'other than Graves'...you are the only blogger that took the high road.
tdr
section 335-No hints needed we all know who that is. His career went backward when Coley Campbell took over as coach and decided that he needed to play more defense. Sound familar? How do we always get those coaches?
Proper coaching and handling, Kovalev could have become one of the greatest all time Rangers. He had the talent, desire and personality. He didn't have the coaching after Iron Mike. Come to think of it, neither have the Rangers.
Hey Dark Ranger-Last night was only one story and that was The Adam Graves Story.
The Rangers as a story are becoming an old, sad story and it will only get worse.
If we make the playoffs, which I question, it will be one and done.
We have no leadership, either on or off the ice.
They should have dressed him in place of Voros.
BRING BACK AVERY
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02022009/sports/rangers/blueshirts_need_personality_fix_153181.htm