Brandon Dubinsky is quite the talented player for the New York Rangers. Some people wonder whether he is the guy that can lead the team deep in the playoffs on a run toward the Stanley Cup. Dubinsky is a fine player with a wide range of skills. He can score goals when needed, he can make great passes to set up his teammates, and he can play solid defense from his position. He also has a good leadership quality about him, and that’s something you can’t teach. Leaders are Read the rest of this entry »
Henrik Lundqvist has proven to be an all-world talent in net over multiple seasons, but come playoff time, the team has often struggled to live up to expectations. Lundqvist has often received blame for his team’s downfalls, but is it really his fault?
Lundqvist has really excelled in the regular season with a goals against average of 2.27 and a save percentage of 92.0 over his career. His playoff stats would hint that he is doing a fine job in goal during Stanley Cup runs. With Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s face it: the last fifty years haven’t exactly been kind to the fans of the New York Rangers. Sure, we have 1994, but outside of that you have a couple of Conference Finals appearances and that’s really it. And while the Rangers get set to (more than likely) make their fifth playoff appearance in the last six seasons, the realty is for a team playing in the “premier city” in all of sports, the Rangers don’t exactly have a great history behind Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a long time since 1994 for a New York Rangers fan. Since The Rangers won their first cup in 54 seasons, it’s been slim pickings for the Rangers. In fact, the Rangers have only gone to the Eastern Conference Finals once since their Cup win, and that was with a team that included such players as Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robatille, Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Brian Leetch in 1997. No, since then the Rangers have only made the playoffs four times, and advanced to the second Read the rest of this entry »
The New York Rangers are the kind of team that just seems to always be on the verge of this, or on the verge of that. Since winning the Cup in 1994, the Rangers have only been able to get out of the second round once, and that was back in 1997 when the team had Wayne Gretzky, Brian Leech, Luc Robitaille, Mike Richter and Mark Messier on it, which, all said and done, might make up the greatest starting lineup in NHL history. The problem is, since that year, the Rangers haven’t been able to Read the rest of this entry »
As we slowly roll up on the All-Star Break and the Rangers remain in hot competition for a return to the post-season, 2011 is off to an auspicious start at least in that fans will want to watch more Rangers games as the year progresses. With almost half the season already underway, this will fortunately alleviate a little stress on the wallet as stress begins to mount around the playoff bubble. In what is shaping up to boil down to a 4 team race for 3 spots, between the Rangers, Thrashers, Canadiens and Hurricanes, the Blueshirts’ chances at this point still seem fairly optimistic, though a few more home wins would go a long way towards alleviating any concern. Season ticket packages are still available on the Rangers website, at reduced rates for the remainder of the season, if you would like to take part in the home crowd experience. After all, there’s no better place to watch the Rangers than in person at Madison Square Garden.Of course, season tickets aren’t an option for all fans, despite the need for crowds down the stretch, due to busy schedules and geographic proximity. For fans in the New York area, local programming will certainly carry both home and away games. However, for fans from afar, it could be approaching a point in the season where your TV service provider offers reduced rates on NHL packages. Or perhaps you do live in the area but simply want to watch more than just the Rangers to keep tabs on the playoff race and/or divisional standings. For example, on Center Ice through Dish Network or Direct TV New York, Atlanta, Montreal and Carolina games can all come straight to your living room. Read the rest of this entry »
As we sit over a third of the way through the 2010-2011 NHL season, the Rangers are off to a fine start. Not fine as in exemplary, not fine as is the finer things in life, not fine as is “dang she’s fine,” rather the casually dismissive “I’m fine, thanks for asking.” The point is, just like the 2009-2010 season in which the Rangers went, 38-33-11, and the 2008-2009 season, finishing at 43-30-9, the Rangers are on pace to be in playoff contention, but at this point in the maturation of the current group of players, is that really good enough? For the record, the Rangers qualified for the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference in 2008-2009 and missed the playoffs entirely the following year, though the race came down to the wire.In fact, in the 4 years preceding 2008-2009, the Rangers qualified for the postseason play, yet failed to deliver any hardware to the Madison Square Garden trophy case, after finishing no higher than 3rd in the Atlantic Division. And where do the Rangers sit currently, you ask? Were the season to end today, the Rangers would indeed qualify for the playoffs, yet trail, you guessed it, two teams in the Atlantic Division. These means the Rangers, who in recent history have proved to fold in the face of adversity, would once again be called upon to not only defend their home ice but steal a game on the road in unfriendly confines. Read the rest of this entry »
Round 1Pick 10: Dylan McIlrath, Defenseman, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) “Big Mag Truck” McIlrath plays a lot like his nickname would indicate. The 6’4” 212 lbs young fellow throws his body around to intimidate smaller players, not afraid to be sent to the box. Sometimes his tough guy mentality gets the best of him, drawing 19 fighting majors during his first 2 seasons of WHL competition, on his way to over 270 penalty minutes. While he is certainly raw and could use some discipline, McIlrath will help the provide big hits and toughness the Rangers squad has been lacking in recent seasons.Round 2Pick 10: Christian Thomas, Right Wing, Oshawa Generals (OHL) Quite simply, Thomas is a scorer. A year after managing only 8 goals, Thomas posted an impressive 41 scores last season for the Gennies, including a franchise record 4 short-handed goals, while netting 44 in shootouts.Round 4Pick 10: Andrew Yogan, Left Wing/Center, Erie Otters (OHL) Coming off an injury shortened season in which he scored 55 points in only 63 games, Yogan’s broken foot may be a blessing for the Rangers who were able to added a talented young player later than he might have otherwise been selected. Read the rest of this entry »
If the Rangers are to rebound in 2010, the hopes of the Madison Square Garden faithful lie largely in the glove-clad hands of Marian Gaborik. The free agency score of the summer for the Blueshirts, the multidimensional Right Winger reportedly turned down a 10-year deal re-up with Minnesota, laden with cash and incentives, before deciding to make New York his new home. In the first year of the 5-year deal he reached with the Rangers, Gaborik lived up to the billing, leading the squad far and away in both goals and assists, setting a career high of 86 points. Gaborik netted 42 goals, tying his career mark, while notching 44 assists, his personal best, though ultimately the Rangers’ season expectations fell short. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2009-2010 season was simply a down year across the entire Rangers organization. With the big club finishing outside the playoffs looking it for the first time in a long time, the Rangers’ affiliate club, the Hartford Wolf Pack, managed a similar feat on an even bigger scale. Last season saw the Wolf Pack end their year early for the first time since moving to Hartford in 1997. That makes 12 consecutive successful seasons, highlighted by the 99-00 Calder Cup victory, in which the Wolf Pack was among the AHL’s premiere teams. Just a year after finishing 1st in the Atlantic Division, the Wolf Pack floundered to 6th place in a very competitive season for the division. At 36-33-6-5, Hartford was competitive on any given night, but ultimately unable to scrap together a true contender. By comparison, the 2002 season featured a Wolf Pack team that won only 33 games and accumulated 86 points (just 3 points higher than last year’s 83), but managed to pull out a 3rd place divisional record and secure a playoff berth in a down year for the Atlantic Division. The 3rd place mark had been Hartford’s lowest until this past year, consistently finishing in the top 2 divisionally in 10 of 12 seasons. Read the rest of this entry »