The Season Creeps Closer and Starting My 2nd Year

Good evening all, well I just want to say that I enjoyed my first year of writing this blog for Fanball and am looking forward to my 2nd year as your NYR correspondent.  The calendar has changed and we are getting even closer to the season as training camp is just around the corner.  There have been some players skating at the training facility lately getting prepared for the camp by working out some of the rust incurred all summer long.

Also, they signed Tim Kennedy, who was with Buffalo last year to a contract, mostly in what I think is a move to add depth to the team.  The issue still remains if this team as presently constituted headed into camp can muster enough goals to win games this year.  They simply cannot rely on Lundqvist to bail them out on a nightly basis or else it could be a longer year than I already think it could be.  I also am still curious as to see when Staal gets re-signed and I have my money on right after camp begins as they banish Redden to Hartford which in turn, allows for much more cap room going forward.

On another note, Lundqvist went with some fans on a tour bus ride yesterday around Manhattan and some of my Twitter friends, @CMarzi84, @antheia, @osaraba, and @cathybytes were on hand to enjoy the ride.  It’s nice to see the players taking the time to give the fans a chance to meet with them as it shows that they really care about the sport and its future.

Anyway, that’s about it for this week and there will be one more weekly blog entry next week, then it will be time to increase my entries as it will become more active once training camp starts.

Until next time, your NYR blogger,

Howie

Tags: Lundqvist, NHL, Rangers

The Summer is Almost Over

Well folks, the summer is winding down and the anticipation of the upcoming season is building with every passing day.  I know that there have been lots of predictions already about where the Rangers will finish; some have them around 7th thru 9th and others have them picked lower.  I would like to wait and see how training camp and preseason goes before I decide to make my prediction for the 2010-11 season.  I do plan on doing a season preview once camp gets underway, highlighting on some returning players as well as predicting what the new players that were acquired will do.  I will make an announcement on Twitter and Facebook once it’s done. 

As far as any new news, there hasn’t been that much to talk about other than the NHL National TV schedule came out today and NBC (Nobody But Crosby) will be focusing on a few teams, forgetting the fact that there are 30 teams in the NHL, not 6.  Versus on the other hand is expanding the number of games that it broadcast from last year, which is a huge improvement over last year’s coverage of the NHL games.  I am looking forward to also watching Center Ice again this year as I enjoy watching games involving other teams, which brings out the hockey junkie in me as October can’t come soon enough.

Anyway, that’s all I have for now so until next time, which will be the start of my 2nd year of blogging,

Howie

Tags: NBC, NHL, Rangers, Versus

Another Week of Quiet

Another week passes with not much news, but except to get a little closer to training camp next month.  This is truly the doldrums of summer but this is what happens between seasons.  I am looking forward to training camp so that I will have so much more to report on in the near future.  For right now, there isn’t much to report on other than to just see if and when Staal is signed as well as how quick after training camp begins that Redden and Rozsival get sent packing to HFD, where they deserve to be as the young guys should be allowed to play instead of these 2 veteran bums.  Anyway, not much else to report on at this point so until next week, your NYR blogger – Howie.

Another Week Passes By – More Thoughts

This week in Rangerland, not a whole lot happened, in fact it was very quiet.  So, I just wanted to express my thoughts about how when teams are going to move and how the fan bases react as well as the league’s response.  I had thought about this when I saw some YouTube video of the Hartford Whalers, who were uprooted from there to North Carolina in 1997 due to the fact that the owner was trying to rip off the state of Connecticut with his greed and this after there was an arena deal pretty much in place.  What’s sad is that the NHL didn’t replace the team in what was a passionate hockey market there.  Instead, the Rangers have had a farm club there and looks like it’s about to be renamed the Connecticut Whalers, bringing back the historic team name.  I miss the rivalry that they had and the fact that it was a short trip up there from the Tri-State area.

On the flip side, the Winnipeg Jets were moved to Phoenix in 1996 and have had issues gaining any type of fanbase except for the couple of playoff runs they have had, including this year.  The team has been in turmoil for years and now the league owns them and is trying to keep them there despite the fact that it just hasn’t worked in the desert.  This team needs to be put in a place where they will succeed and by keeping them there, it could only get worse before it gets better.  Maybe this team should go back to Canada where it would make them the 7th team up there since there is hockeymania and tons of desire for another team.

Locally, I am wondering if the Islanders are going to stay on Long Island much longer since their new arena project seems to be at a total standstill with no end in sight.  They can’t play in a place that is outdated and not really equipped for what today’s fan wants to experience at a game.  I feel that if nothing happens soon that they may relocate to Kansas City and while this would be huge for the Midwest, it would be a devastating blow to the fans on LI.  At the end of the day however, business is business and the owner needs to do what’s best for his franchise for future success.

I’m not trying to criticize anybody’s team and fanbase since hockey fans are the greatest and most passionate fans in sports.  As a fan of an Original 6 team, I don’t know how I’d react if my team suddenly got relocated to another market, but it would be devastating to me.  In the end, the NHL should really do what’s best for the teams financially as well as trying to keep fanbases intact, but make sure that if it doesn’t work in a market, make the necessary changes and put the team in a market where it will work much better.  To continue to force the issue in markets where it doesn’t work makes no business sense whatsoever, but this is what Bettman has been doing since he took over in the 90’s.

Well that’s it for now so until next week, your NYR blogger, Howie.

Tags: Islanders, Jets, NHL, Rangers, Whalers

Quick News and Notes on NYR

Evening all, well not too much happened in Ranger Land this week other than the signing of Alexander Frolov, who previously played for the LA Kings. He signed a 1 year deal which to me is not a bad thing since he has a tendency to take nights off. Although he has scored 30 goals or more before, I’m hoping that he is a plus for the team and not a minus like Zherdev was a couple of years ago.

Still waiting to see what happens with Redden and my best guess is that he is going to be put on waivers and then sent down to the minors where he will stay until the terms of his overinflated contract are met.  What a waste of $6.5 million  a year for this clown and off all the awful signings that Sather has done in his 10+ years, this one had to be the worst other than signing washed up piece of garbage Brashear.  I guess we will just see what happens come September.

It has been a quiet summer for the most part and hard to believe that training camp opens in about 5 weeks or so.  Seems like a long time ago that the Rangers were eliminated from the playoff picture back in April.  Hockey season can’t get soon enough and once it does, I plan on doing more in depth analysis of the team since I will no longer have school work to hold me back. 

Anyway,  that’s it for now and so until next time, your NYR blogger………….Howie

Tags: Frolov, NHL, Rangers, Redden, Sather

Not a Lot Going On with the Broadway Blueshirts

Well as another week passes by this summer, not a whole lot is going on with the Rangers and so I will keep it brief once again. There was only a minor trade for another defenseman, basically looking to me like they are continuing to stockpile young D. I also wonder if this a tactic to try to have a great reason to stick Redden in the minors in September since I have been wanting this for quite a while.
I know that there is still about 7 weeks until training camp which will bring the optimism of the upcoming season, but until then, this is truly the doldrums of summer. Other than some little minor moves, there is really not a whole lot going on with the Rangers.
So, until next week, this is your Rangers blogger, Howie signing off and hoping for some news to talk about.

Tags: NHL, Rangers

Some Thoughts

Well, not too much to discuss this week so I’ll keep it short and just mention that Staal is still unsigned as of now and its vital that he be re-upped soon. Another thing that I want to mention is that I’m still wondering what Sather is waiting for regarding Redden….they have brought in some new D such as Eminger and others which would mean to me that it’s now time to send him down to the minors where he can play out the rest of his overpriced contract. This hopefully will happen soon since Redden’s services are no longer required here and what a surprise, he was invisible for most of the time on the ice.
Lastly, I just want to say that as the summer continues to roll on by, the free agency period has been quiet for the most part which is a huge downer since July 1st was full of action. My guess is that things will come in dribs and drabs over the next upcoming weeks.
Anyway, that’s all I have for now, so until next time, your NYR Blogger, Howie

Tags: NHL, Rangers

Random Thoughts as the Summer Moves Along

As the summer continues to move along, the Rangers are busy trying to make some moves in order to have the best team possible come October.  They have re-signed Prust, which I think is a good move since he fit in very nicely since his trade from Calgary; they found a back-up goalie in Martin Biron, who should play about 20 games and replaced Jody Shelley with Derek Boogaard, who came from Minnesota, most likely having been recruited by Gabby. 

On another note, I’m hoping that they can finally get Redden off the NHL roster and send his underperforming butt down to the minors where he can play out the final years of his oversized contract……thanks Sather, you moron.  The other curious thing was learning that the Rangers were interested in Kovalchuk……I wonder about this since his contract demands are off the wall and this would put them over the cap as well as having to get rid of some lunch pail players to fit him in.  I personally think he’s is too greedy and not enough of a team player despite putting up solid numbers.

As for some of the signings around the league that struck me as strange, Jokinen and Tanguay back to Calgary is a mind boggler since I don’t understand why a team who dumped these underachievers would take them back, but then again when I realize who the GM is, it becomes self-explanatory.  It was busy the first day with signings, but it has since slowed down with the majority of the big ticket players having been scooped up already.

Lastly, there was a poll on ESPN.com (the Magazine) which ranked the sports teams in all 4 major sports and this is what was written about the Rangers, who were ranked 104 this year: 

Last Year’s Rank: 93
Title Track: 58
Ownership: 97
Coaching: 92
Players: 102
Fan Relations: 93
Affordability: 120
Stadium Experience: 83
Bang for the Buck: 109

It’s not a good time to be a sports fan in the Big Apple, especially if you’re expecting to catch a winner at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks edged out the Rangers for the worst team in the building (119 versus 104 in this year’s Standings), but the boys in blue still managed to drop 11 spots from last year’s already-dismal ranking of 93. While playing in MSG has its perks (the Rangers’ Stadium Experience rank was their second-highest mark), it doesn’t make up for a team that sits in the bottom five of NHL teams in six other categories, including Affordability, which at 120 makes it not only the second-most expensive hockey team but also the meat in the Yankees and Knicks sandwich. Take, for example, the cost of taking a family of four to a hockey game: During the 2009-10 NHL season the Rangers had the highest price ($364.49 per game) among all American teams. That doesn’t bode well for fans when the team hasn’t played in a Stanley Cup Finals in 15 seasons, and, aside from Marian Gaborik, has trouble putting the puck in the net. It’s almost enough to make you trade your tickets in for a Knicks game — almost.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/insider/news/story?page=UltimateStandingsNewYorkRangers

This is proof positive that things need to change for the organization to improve in order to make it more affordable and fan friendly at the Garden or else the little guy like me is going to be priced out for the corporations thanks to the greed of Dolan.

Anyway, thats all I have for now so until next week, this is your NYR blogger signing off.

Howie

Tags: NHL, Rangers

Draft and Upcoming Free Agency

Well I want to start by saying that I think the Rangers were smart in getting their hands on a stay at home defenseman, Dylan McIlrath in the first round, but he won’t be ready for at least 2 years to star in the NHL.  They had a chance to get Cam Fowler, but passed on him since I figured that they had d-men like Del Zotto and Gilroy who can already play the way that Fowler does.  It remains to be seen when it comes to the draft picks since we all remember that huge bust Hugh Jessiman, drafted in the 1st round in 2003 and remains the only player from that round to have never played a game in the NHL, talk about a total disappointment.

Second, with Free Agency coming within days, it will be interesting to see who they go after if anyone.  what I figure they will do is try to keep things low key and not go for the big player as they have in the past.  I feel that it’s important to let the young guys have the shot next year so that the team will have a shot at the cup in a couple of years instead of the quick fix.  It also seems that there is some distance between Staal and the Rangers regarding $$$ and I feel that it’s important to make sure that he stays in the fold since he has been one of the teams best draft picks in many years.

Third, they began to purge their roster by putting players such as Voros, Brashear, and Rissmiller on waivers, meaning that if no team picks them up, they become UFA’s and there is a cap hit.  One other story I heard today was that they were looking to either waive Redden or send him down to Hartford.  If I was the GM, I would force him down to the minors since his salary comes off the cap since he won’t be on the NHL roster unlike waivers, which could result in a cap hit for years after a buyout since nobody will pick him up at $6.5 million per season.  Since he has been here, he has stolen money from the Rangers as his production has been nowhere near what it was when he was in Ottawa.  They must have known something which is why they made no effort to sign him a few yrs ago.  My opinion is good riddance to bad rubbish as far as Redden goes. 

In closing, I want to just say that it should be an interesting off season as the free agency time approaches and not only am I curious to see what the Rangers do, but what others do as well since the salary cap makes it easy for some teams and tougher for others, re: Blackhawks having to make trades to get under the cap.  As long as you don’t over pay a few top players, there will be plenty of room under the cap to keep the players you want and more GM’s should try to follow this pattern.

So, until next time.

Howie

NHL Awards and Draft Week

Well folks, the season is over and now its time to hand out the awards in Las Vegas as well as conducting the NHL entry draft in Los Angeles.  The Rangers have the 10th pick in the first round and I’m not totally sure what they are gonna do with the pick.  I think they should try to find a good stay at home D-man since they lacked that or another top scoring forward to eventually help the team going forward.  I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.

On another note, the NHL schedule came out today and the Rangers open up on 10/9 in Buffalo and at home on 10/15 against the Leafs.  I have to sit down and figure out what games to go to since I’m not sure how they are going to be next season.  I’m probably looking at somewhere between 10-15 games, maybe more, but I can decide that later on.

One last thing, I know that the Hockey Hall of Fame has to put a certain number of people in, but when there are so many worthy of getting in this year, why keep them out.  It’s truly embarrassing to see that Adam Oates, Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk and Pat Burns did not get in.  Again, nothing like the league shooting itself in the foot yet again.  One day the league will get it right, what day that is, I can’t tell you.

Anyway, until next week as we approach the July 1 Free Agency day,

Howie

Tags: NHL, Rangers