New York Ranger Nation

Rangers Here First – Devils and Isles Have More Rings

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 them, especially if you compare it to that of their chief rivals the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils.

Though the Rangers have six more decades of hockey then the Devils and the Islands, the ladder two have done more in their time in the league. The Rangers have four Stanley Cup titles to their name, though most who were alive in 1994 weren’t for the previous three ( 1928. 1933 and 1940). While the Islanders have had some tough times lately, they also have one of the last true dynasty’s in hockey history, winning four straight Cups from 1980-1983 (and it probably would have been more if Gretzky’s Oilers hadn’t appeared). The Devils have made a name for themselves in the last two decades as one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference capturing three cups (1995, 2000, 2003). With that said, neither the Devils nor the Islanders will join the Rangers in this years Cup playoffs.

It’s Been a Long Time Since 1994

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 round only twice. So, will 2011 finally be the year that the Rangers make another run? In a wide open year like this, who knows.

Winners of eight of ten games, the Rangers are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers should end up with a playoff spot, which could range anywhere from 5th to 8th, depending on how the last six games go. With solid goal tending from Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have been able to keep in the playoff race all season. Will a playoff spot lead to another Cup? If they can grab a fifth or sixth spot and stay away from Washington and Philadelphia in the first round, a run may be in the cards.

Rangers – A Team Always in Transition

admin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 find any “franchise” players to grow on, thus making them a team that is always in some type of transition.

You go on a website like Hockey Merchandise Site, http://www.hockeyshot.com/ and you will see that the Rangers remain one of the hottest teams on the market. While a New York team will never go hungry, so to say, a fan base that still lives off of 1994 to a certain extent, will eventually need a run from the Rangers to keep their interest. A franchise scorer and a solid goaltender will definitely help, as well as a team that plays together like the 1994 team did.

A Grassroots Rangers Rally

www.nyrnation.com — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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. And, as always, highlights can be seen on ESPN and other sports news channels.No matter the method to your madness or medium of choice, it’s time for fans to both show up and/or tune in and rally the Rangers to a strong second half. As traditional sports theory implies, the stronger we make our presence felt in support the larger their presence will loom on the ice.

New Season Same Story

www.nyrnation.com — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

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 3^rd 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.At this point it’s time to look beyond the players on the ice at bigger problems facing the franchise, from the organization’s brass to the unalterable frowns at the hand of fate. Yes, it’s unfortunate to be tied to the same division as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in their primes, but with the highest payroll in the league, at some point one would believe talent assessment and chemistry may be what’s keeping the Rangers from a return to Cup glory.

Rangers 2010 Draft Recap

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:01:19 +0000

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.Round 5Pick 10: Jason Wilson, Left Wing, London Knights (OHL) Wilson brings some size to the wing position, standing 6’2” and weighing in at 205 lbs. In his 1 year with the Knights, Wilson appeared in 52 games, scoring 12 goals and assisting on 5, racking up a total of 17 points.Round 6Pick 7: Jesper Fasth, Right Wing, HV 71 Jr. (Sweden Jr.) The young Swede scored 23 goals combined with 26 assists to tally 49 points in only 37 games. It should be interesting to see how his scoring carries over against tougher competition as he rises from the junior league level.Round 7Pick 10: Randy McNaught, Right Wing, Chillwack Bruins (WHL) The big right winger has uncanny size, at 6’3” 215 lbs., but limited experience, recording only 4 points in 30 games last year for the Bruins.

Marian Gaborik’s Inspired Year in a Losing Effort

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:51:09 +0000

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.While the Rangers did not enjoy a playoff run of their own, the year 2010 has already featured a tournament showing for Gaborik, playing alongside his countrymen in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Gaborik, a native of Slovakia, was invited to play on the Slovakian national team, joined by fellow NHL stars Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Pavol Demitra, among several others in what was a scintillating display of international competition. The Slovaks got off to an inconsistent start in preliminary group play, settling for a 3^rd place Group B finish, behind fellow international hockey powerhouses Russia and the Czech Republic. After a disappointing loss to the Czechs, Slovakia bounced back with an upset win over Russia in overtime, later defeating Latvia handily en route to securing a matchup against Norway in the Qualification Playoffs. The Slovaks then made an improbably run, edging the Norwegians and besting the Swedes before eventually falling to Canada, the eventual gold medalists, in the tournament’s Semifinal round. This earned Slovakia a spot in the Bronze Medal Game against Finland, coming up just short with a final score of 5-3. Hopefully, the inspired play of Gaborik (with help of his countrymen) and tournament experience, leading a 7^th ranked team to a 4^th place finish, will carry over into a playoff run for next year’s Rangers, as the franchise hopes to finally advance past the Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1997.

A Look at the Affiliate: Hartford Wolf Pack 2009-2010 Recap

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:39:22 +0000

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 1^st in the Atlantic Division, the Wolf Pack floundered to 6^th 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 3^rd place divisional record and secure a playoff berth in a down year for the Atlantic Division. The 3^rd place mark had been Hartford’s lowest until this past year, consistently finishing in the top 2 divisionally in 10 of 12 seasons.The season was not without its bright spots, however, as Center Corey Locke finished the year as the AHL’s third leading skater, amassing a total of 85 points on 31 goals and 54 assists, trailing only the Hershey Bears’ dynamic duo of Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux. A second team AHL All-Star a last season, Locke actually saw time at the NHL level, playing 3 games for the Rangers spanning the end of March and beginning of April. Locke looks to take his talents to Ottawa this year, where exemplary play for the Wolf Pack may have earned him a permanent spot on their NHL roster. If things to not go according to plan, he can look forward to squaring off against his former Hartford allies with the Binghamton Senators come to town.

Alexander Frolov, Welcome to NY

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:33:43 +0000

The New York Rangers made their biggest off-season splash this year to date signing Left Wing Alexander Frolov to a 1-year deal estimated at 3 million. The cap conscious figure is truly a testament to the city of New York, a long time desired destination for Frolov, who left a reported 20 million on the table in an offer to return to his native country of Russia and star in its top level league, the KHL. Playing with LA his entire 7-year NHL career, Frolov felt it was time for a change, opting to head east for the chance to live in New York, his alleged favorite city. Perhaps a future in Russia is not entirely out of the question, however, as Frolov was signed to just a 1-year deal, with reports of longer offers out there. It seems at least for the time being the 28-year old winger wants to keep his options open, but for now he is ready to continue his career in the NHL with the Rangers.How the Rangers will use Frolov remains to be seen, though one would certainly think he will see his fair share of ice time. To maximize firepower, the Rangers may consider pairing Frolov on the same line as Right Wing Marian Gaborik, the club’s top scorer just a year ago. The Blueshirts currently feature only one other Russian on their roster, Center Artem Anisimov. It’s likely Frolov will see himself skating with Ansimov as well, as countrymen are often featured alongside each other in an effort to ease a new player’s transition and maximize natural playing styles. The combined line of Frolov, Gaborik and Ansimov would be the Rangers’ best.Last year, Frolov lit the lamp 19 times, down from 32 the year before (his career high is 35 goals), and saw his point total drop to 51, his lowest mark since the 2003-2004 season. Still, Frolov is far from over the hill. With a fresh start in New York, let’s hope this past season is remembered as an aberration rather than the beginning of a declining trend.

2010 Rangers Season Recap

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:29:05 +0000

All good runs must come to an end. The New York Rangers faced that sad realization during the 2009-2010 season that saw the franchise sitting on their hands come mid-April despite finding their way to the post season in each of the previous 4 go-rounds. Remarkably consistent over the prior 4 year span, the Rangers saw their seasonal point totals vary only marginally ranging from a high of 100 in 2005-2006 to a low of 94 in 22006-2007, while ending the year 3^rd in the Atlantic Division for 3 straight campaigns before its 4^th place finish in 2008-2009. This past year ended with the Rangers on the outside of the Stanley Cup chase looking in, despite putting up numbers not too different from its more successful predecessors. If this is the beginning of a decline for the Rangers, the Madison Square Garden faithful enjoyed only a moderate peak, culminating in a series of decent regular season performances and never advancing further than the Conference Semifinals in the Blueshirts’ Cup quest.After averaging nearly 43 wins in their earlier playoff seasons, the Rangers dropped to 38 wins a year ago, still good for 87 points and a decisively winning record. In fact, the last time the Rangers won 38 games, they made their way to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals to square off against the Philadelphia Flyers. The series would begin an actual decline for the rangers, who did not see the ice after the regular season’s end until 9 years later (including the lockout of 04-05). Still there’s no definitive reason to fear the ship is sinking. The Rangers just signed Alexander Frolov to a contract and seem far from willing to throw in the towel and rebuild. Newcomer Marian Gaborik led the way with 42 goals and 44 assists in what amounted to a fruitless effort, though the Rangers’ 28-year old superstar looks to continue his success. Most importantly, the Rangers have a solid foundation between the pipes in Henrik Lundqvist, the first NHL netminder to win 30 or more games in each of his first 5 seasons.