I guess this is the way its going to be for the rest of the year. Win one, lose one. The Rangers have played thirty games and have thirty two points. It doesn't matter who we play. Good or bad it doesn't affect our play. We suck. Our coach sucks the most. Now he says he needs someone to run the power play. Really! We haven't had a power play since he's been here and now he says we need someone to run it. How about something novel? Someone to coach it.
For all you Ranger fans who get hung up on making the playoffs, don't worry, it's a lock. Have you seen the teams behind us in the standings? Of course the team we lost to last night is the worst team in the NHL. They have given up the most goals, 111, and we scored all of one against them last night while their rookie goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, made 45 saves. Nash, Gaborik, Richards, Callahan, Stepan, Hagelin and we score one goal that lifted our conference low total to 71. Only Columbus has a lower total, 68, in the whole NHL. Maybe we should send Nash back for Dubi and Anisimov.
Speaking of Nash, I'm sure he is heading for a suspension or at least a fine for that crazy hit to the back of Tomas Kopecky's head. What were you thinking Rick? You are here to hit the net not the heads of our opponents. I'm sure it's frustration. Frustration on having his worst offensive year. Frustration at being under the scope of doctor disagreeable where every move on every shift is over analysed. What ever happened to just playing hockey? What ever happened to building your team around the players rather then trying to mold the players into what you think a hockey team should be. But we will get that guy to run the PP and all will be well. Yes, there will be a brighter day tomorrow if only we get a PP specialist. Or is it a coach?
ICINGS: Best wishes for a speedy recovery to GM Glen Sather on his prostate operation. Been there. Done that. So I know what it's all about. Get well.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Bottoms Up!
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Yeah Mike I'm right there with ya. I'm sick of listening to this guy every season tell the media who or what he thinks is to blame for our terrible offense and never taking responsibility for it. Every year he has another excuse. Another "reason." Then the Rangers go out and get the player he demands and every year it gets worse. He has no idea how to coach offense. Last season it was go out and get me Nash because we don't have the so called guns to score goals on or off the PP. So we give up some "depth" players to get Nash who is clearly an offensive powerhouse whose production has all of a sudden decreased just like every other offensive player the Rangers aquire. I keep hearing maybe the Rangers gave up too much, but is the problem really the loss of Dubi, Artie and Prust? Prust really hurts, no doubt, but even Prust was averaging only 5-8 mins most nights last season as the coach started diminishing his role. Artie was streaky and always in the coaches dog house and Dubi is one of my favorite players of all time (I have his jersey) but I wouldn't call the Nash trade a bust. I would do it again. The problem is this coach only knows one way of coaching and the players we have don't fit his grind out every game with minimal offense style. So now he wants to subtract one of his least favorite players, Gaborik, in order to go back and get some good checking forwards and a D-man so he can try his one way he knows how to win some hockey games. Shot blocking, protecting leads, smothering, fight for your life on a daily basis games. Only problem is that style drains players physically and mentally and it gets old after a while. Not to mention the fact that 40 goal scorers don't grow on trees. Coach thinks the only way to get offense is by playing defense. He doesn't get that players like Gaborik, Richards, Nash, Hagelin, Callahan, Stepan,and rookies Kreider & Miller don't need to manufacture offense. They ARE the offense. Guys like Powe, Boyle, Halpren, Pyatt need to "manufacture" offense because their offense comes from hard work and doesn't come as natural. Why would a team struggle for offense when they have this group? As I keep tweeting, if one guy is struggling then its a slump, if a team as a collective whole is struggling then it coaching. Its not who is out there, its what they are doing and it gets more glaring and obvious each day that passes. Richards described it in his post game comments last night as "lost and confused" yet there are still people defending this coach. Its astounding to me. Now, as pundit said, he is talking about needing a guy to run the PP and the results will somehow be different? He says the same thing every season. Gaby was supposed to be the answer to the PP, then oh no I never said that he could do it alone, get me Richards, oh wait we don't have enough "guns" I need another finisher so get me Nash. This years version of the ongoing Tortorella excuses is this magical guy who will step in and somehow "run" the PP because we all know Torts will let this new person come in here and do what he does best right? Sure. He will have to be schooled in how to do it "the right way" and then coach will blame the players for his inadequate coaching again and again. Its beyond time we get a coach who respects offense as an important part of the game and who doesn't try to stuff the players into his one size fits all mentality.
I missed the jersey game because i was sick (of course i miss the game where they actually score more than 1 goal) but caught last nights disaster. Lucky me.
That was the dumbest thing i've certainly ever seen rick nash do, and it's up there with some of the most non sensical things any player has done. As a former player at the collegiate level, i cannot believe the panthers did not maul rick nash after that. I'm as big a ranger fan you can find and I think he deserves 4 games. He knew what he was doing, and it was ludicrous.
Pure hilarity at the fact that John Tortorella wants a PP coach with 18 games left when he's fought the idea for 3 years. Total tool. A wise man named Larry Robinson once said "Never try and change a player. When you do that, they start to think. When hockey players are thinking they are gripping their stick. They have to be loose and free to play THEIR game."
That, to me, is the biggest reason tortorella and the rangers are failing. Like you said Pundit, he over analyzes, puts you under a microscope and tried to change you. Doesn't work. All you get is a bunch of tight gripped players. That looks the rangers to me..
Oh no Andy you misunderstand. He doesn't want a coach to run the PP he wants a player to put on the point as a QB and "run" the PP. No way he's going to let another coach into his little one two punch club there.
Yeah the Nash hit was stupid. I don't want to see him suspended of course but he should be. Remember in the 2009 playoffs when Avery took a bad penalty at the end of game 4 and then he was benched for the next game for "stupidity?" If the NHL fails to act, you won't see any discipline from the coach on this one. Hypocrite.
BTW forgot to mention that I loved the comment JB made to me about Gaby. I was hysterical at the 4 D-men suggestion and the part about the shiny Ferarri under a dingy blanket in the tool shed was a perfect comparison! Great stuff!
I don't know if I have the energy to comment today... It's the same old crap.
Terrible starts where the rangers skate around lacking any desire or interst in winning the game. We never dictate the game or play with any authority. We don't come out throwing big hits, no intensity what's so ever. Then Florida scores first, 19 times we have been scored on first this season, not exactly the signs of a team that was supposed to compete for a cup huh?
We got over 40 shots on goal last night...oh goody.. But seriously, what kind of shots were they? Long shots, shots Markstrom could see all the way. Did we make Markstrom move, did we pepper him with rebounds? No. We never do. Second and third shots are almost a lost art for this team. Instead we take a shot and then we start backing up, play it safe, really it's the best thing because 2 or 3 guys swarming the net looking for rebounds is risky business. Way too risky for coach idiot. We are now 28th in the NHL in goals for and 28th on the pp but let's not open up our game at all because we don't want to take any chances, better to be safe than sorry. I truly can't take it anymore, watching the rangers is painful. In my opinion 2 things have happened here, Torts system does not work for the group of players we have and the guys have stopped working for him. This season is spiraling out of control and we are wasting yet another year of Henrik's prime. We cannot afford to make more trades to acquire more Tortorella style players nor can we afford to keep this coach and hope the team eventually conforms to his style of coaching. We need to get rid of torts now and maybe make a decent run in the playoffs. Otherwise we are only wasting the best goalie in the world for yet another season. Tick, toc, tick, toc, buzzzzzzzz times up coach, get out.
That doesn't make any sense that torts would say he needed another player to QB the power play. QB isn't the problem, the coaching staff is the problem.
Half the time you don't need a QB set up for PP. It's just an excuse for coaches failures. "Well, we suck on the PP cause we dont have a QB." No. PP is about 5 players playing smart east west hockey, quick puck movement and continuos cycling of players. Not just some dope at the point who is holding the puck. Usually when you have a QB set up they get pressured at the point anyway and end up making costly errors.
But i'm with Jeanine, this posting of the same crap is old and defeating. The trades and signings aren't working out and the coaching staff is terrible. Blah Blah Blah...
Nash doesn't even get a fine. What a pathetic league this is. I love Rick Nash and i don't want to sound like i'm a hater, but that was seriously messed up and deserved at least 3 games. Well, Keep your head up next time you play Florida Nasher...
Forgot to mention best wishes to Sather and his family and friends. Get better and hope to see him back soon chewin' a cigar in the rafters...
Andy- Yeah the PP QB has been a topic of discussion among Ranger fans for a while. No doubt I would like a guy like Dan Boyle but not for Gaborik. That's where Torts is going with this. He sees an opportunity to get rid of Gaby and he wants his old boy from his Tampa days so he can recreate a team he knows how to coach. The need for a QB is the next excuse but we know how that will turn out. Dan Boyle has a limited no trade clause like Gaby does and he gets to name 8 teams he doesn't want to play for, obviously the Rangers are not on the list because these trade rumors are heating up more every day. I'm so upset. I really don't want this to happen. I like the Sharks but I only watch them once in a while. Dan Boyle is a player I like of course but I'm curious what your take is on his coming to NYR and "saving" the PP. Is he playing well this season or is he struggling?
I have to agree that the league is incompetent when it comes to suspensions and the play Rick Nash chose to make was extremely poor judgement. Some people are complaining that Shanahan made a biased decision in not suspending him because he used to play for us but we all know that's crap. He makes terrible, inconsistent decisions regarding suspensions, length of suspensions and non-suspensions on a regular basis. The league doesn't give a crap about head injuries and thats the only thing I can tell you for 100%. They said Shanny called Nash on the phone to talk to him about it but decided that the hit didn't meet the criteria of a suspendible hit because the "point of contact" was his upper back and shoulder BEFORE he hit him in the head. Unreal. Now I agree with you, I love Nash so far and its clear to me that this is not typical behavior for him but it certainly was a dangerous hit that should have been punished. Glad to have Nash playing and I'm confident we won't see that type of play from him again but I guess you never know.
Jen,
I've wanted Dan Boyle off the sharks for 2 years now. His age is really starting to show. He makes poor defensive decisions (torts loves that lol), has lost his speed, and overall yes I believe he is struggling this year. He's had a bad attitude towards the sharks forwards with some comments. Now, he can still shoot from the point and move the puck quickly. He's decent in the shootout. But like Del Zotto, he is prone to defensive and puck handling mistakes and i don't trust him as PP QB, and i really hate the idea of trading Gaborik for him. The thought of that trade makes me cringe. I'd prefer they shore up the blue line without trading someone so damn talented. I hate things like this, ever since torts took over there's just always some stupid thing around the corner that you know is going to happen and you can't do a thing. Like watching a car crash you can tell is going to happen but you can't do a thing to stop it.
The inconsistency with shanny and the league is obsurd. I agree Nash made first contact to the back/shoulder, but he pushed his arm/forearms directly into the back of his head. I don't want to see my rangers get suspended but it has to be consistent. Otherwise, to me it just creates more tension and violence between teams when things aren't called or let go by the league.
Interesting to see what Halpern will do for the Habs. Seems players kind of flourish a bit when they leave torts or vice versa..Bickel on waivers...eh can't say i ever really liked him in any aspect really. I get the feeling Bickel asked for it, judging by his comments he didn't seem to thrilled with his lack of opportunity. Oh well welcome to torts' show. Asham is back...ugh....
Here's to hoping we see some solid hockey from the boys tomorrow..
Andy I feared you would say exactly that about Boyle. Every time I watch the Sharks I watch for him because I like him but the last couple of seasons, in the playoffs especially, I have thought he wasn't such a difference maker. He was just ok. The Sharks are asking for someone who can help out now and a meaningful draft pick for him. The Rangers have had extensive dialogue with the Sharks and Boyle's salary is very high so the "logic" has been that Gaby would go the other way because the Rangers would have to clear salary and since Torts wants Gaby gone then it all "fits." I can't even believe the idea of trading Gaby is even being entertained. I'm sweating this one out. Other bloggers who like to play expert are writing about the possible amnesty buyout in the off season because of the cap going down but as the Ducks just proved with the big Corey Perry signing you CAN keep your top talents. All they really have to do is get under the cap for next season and then the cap will go up after that probably every year so unlike these other fans I can't justify moving Gaborik because of that. He has another year left on his contract and if we are lucky enough to get a coach in here for this group we have, I know Gaby would want to stay in NY because he'll be ripping it. Anyway about the PP, like you said, good east west hockey, puck movement, getting to the net, shots that's what makes a PP work. A fan who commented recently on Ranger Rants, Andrew Gross's blog, said "tape to tape are three words you never hear associated with the Rangers" - BINGO! That's what make offense work especially on the PP. Ken Daneyko said on Hockey Night Live last night when talking about the Rangers "you can't change the make up of a team and not change the system. Maybe its time for the Rangers to let the horses out of the barn." Dave Maloney was nodding his head yes. Regarding the moves the Rangers made yesterday with Halpern and Bickel Dave said "I don't really know what the Rangers are doing. You sign guys to one way deals so you have no choice but to waive them, you bring in a guy like Halpern who is a solid player on every team he's played for, a solid guy for this teams 4th line and you let him go." On Bickel he said, " The jury is still out on Bickel as far as what he can do for this team, but I will tell you this, last year he was a guy who was part of the Rangers identity in how he stood up for his teammates along with Prust, but we'll see how he does if someone claims him." (that comment was made before the deadline so now we know Bickel was not claimed and will go to CT) - I thought Dave's comment were perfect. Bickel is a guy I frequently call AHL Bickel, but honestly like most of these guys I don't really know what he can do because he has been misused. Who knows, he could be another John Mitchell story. And Halpern? He's a guy I always thought was a good bottom 6 on other teams so when we got him I thought he was a good signing to replace some of what we lost but then he comes here and blends into the wallpaper. What was his role exactly? Does anyone know? Did he know? Because he didn't look like he knew. So if the coaching staff in Montreal does their job properly, he will turn out to be a good addition for their depth. Yup a depth move, exactly what everyone is saying the Rangers need. Lord give me strength.