
Oh Baby! John Davidson is the new Rangers Team President. AP Photo courtesy Getty Images.
Welcome back JD! After spending 13 years away from MSG, John Davidson is coming home. He was officially named the new Team President of the Rangers today.
A move that had been anticipated once Glen Sather stepped down, Davidson will now assume the role for the team he carried to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final. He served as President of the Blues and Blue Jackets. He helped rebuild both clubs in the front office.
First, he returned to St. Louis, where he started his NHL career. Following a very successful stint as a color analyst for the Rangers from 1986-87 through ’05-06, Davidson took over as Team President for the Blues. A role he served until October 2012.
After helping rebuild St. Louis, he was hired by the Blue Jackets the same month. He did a good job with Columbus too. He hired current GM Jarmo Kekalainen in January 2013. A move that helped stabilize the franchise. It was also under Davidson that former Rangers coach John Tortorella was brought in to replace Todd Richards due to a poor start in October 2015.
They’ve made three consecutive postseasons for the first time, and recently won their first series in a huge upset of the Lightning. They stunned the President’s Trophy winners by sweeping them to advance to the second round for the first time in franchise history. After taking a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinal, they lost three in a row to the Bruins to lose the Atlantic Division Final in six. Boston has been on a roll ever since, sweeping the Hurricanes last night to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
With the future in Columbus looking bleak due to the expected departure of Russian stars Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, Davidson left his post earlier today to take the job with the Rangers.
A huge fan favorite, JD as he’s known received some of the loudest cheers when he was announced during the emotional 25-Year Anniversary of the ’93-94 Rangers. This time, he’s back in a much more important role that’ll help determine the future of the club.
It’ll be up to Davidson and current GM Jeff Gorton to continue to make wise moves that’ll bring the Rangers back to respectability. Having the second pick in the Draft definitely helps a lot. Especially when you have two franchise players going 1-2. Whether it’s Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko, it’ll set them up for the future.
How much of an impact will JD have if any on whether Panarin chooses the Rangers or the rumored Panthers, who are expected to go hard after Bobrovsky and the Bread Man? That remains to be seen.
If you’re not excited about the return of Davidson, then you might want to lock yourself in a cave. It’s better following what the Blueshirts do than the unmitigated disaster going on in the NHL Playoffs.
Oh Baby!!!!!
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