Battle Of Hudson

The Blackhawks pose for a team photo with the Stanley Cup. Getty Images/Charles Krupa

The Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions for the second time in four years. They stunned the Bruins by coming back to win Game Six 3-2 in epic fashion. Chicago pulled it off by scoring two goals in 17 seconds to reverse a potential Game Seven to a thrilling victory.

Milan Lucic put the Bruins ahead 2-1 with under eight minutes left. He took a David Krejci feed and beat Corey Crawford to put Boston 7:49 away from forcing a seventh game. How close were they? Tyler Seguin nearly made it 3-1 with two minutes remaining. Cam Neely thought so and jumped up in the press box prematurely.

What happened next was the craziest ending to a Cup in recent memory. With Crawford pulled for an extra attacker, the Hawks pushed for the equalizer. In a board battle, Duncan Keith kept the play alive pushing a loose puck to Jonathan Toews. The Chicago captain, who scored a goal despite being questionable made a spectacular pass across to Bryan Bickell who tied it with 1:16 left. I was covering a Staten Island Yankee game but had the game on my laptop and heard cheering. I checked and couldn’t believe it. I put it down for a second and then heard more cheers. To my amazement, the Hawks were celebrating again after Dave Bolland slammed home the Cup clincher with under a minute to go. Ex-Devil Johnny Oduya’s shot was redirected by Michael Frolik off Tuukka Rask right to Bolland, who beat Johnny Boychuk to the puck.

The bizarre sequence will be replayed in Boston players’ heads for quite some time. How they lost was indescribable. On home ice no less. One of the stingiest defensive teams fell apart. Zdeno Chara had a rough series as did partner Dennis Seidenberg. However, you don’t expect what happened because it rarely ever does. Chicago wanted no part of a seventh game. Can you blame them? Anything was possible. These same Bruins found a way against Vancouver. As banged up as they were, I wouldn’t have put it passed them. Patrice Bergeron played with broken ribs, torn cartilage and suffered a separated shoulder during Game 6. What a warrior. It was also revealed that Michal Handzus played through a broken wrist and torn MCL. He wanted to win his first Cup that badly. Quite a pickup for the Hawks.

What separates hockey players from most other sports is their pain threshold. These grown men will do whatever it takes to win. The display we saw in the first Original Six Cup since 1979 was a classic battle between two great teams. Three games went to overtime including Chicago’s pivotal 6-5 win in Game Four that swung the momentum. Brent Seabrook’s second OT winner changed the series. The Bruins were a goal away from going up 3-1. A predicament the Hawks faced in the second round before rallying back to beat the Red Wings. Instead, they evened the series and then took Game Five 3-1 on the strength of two goals from Conn Smythe winner Patrick Kane. Kane came to life tallying a goal and helper in the fifth game after being put back with Toews by Joel Queeneville. His hat trick eliminated the Kings. He led the Hawks with 19 points (9-10-19). Kane became the fourth American to win the Conn Smythe, joining Brian Leetch and recent recipients Tim Thomas and Jon Quick.

When Toews was handed the Cup by commissioner Gary Bettman, he handed it to Handzus who was a vet that hadn’t won. It then went to Jamal Mayers and former Ranger Michal Rozsival, who summed it up perfectly by screaming “Oh my God.” Good for Rozsival. He took a lot of abuse here but was a solid player who helped our team turn it around. He played well as did Oduya. Now, both have their names etched on Lord Stanley. Ironic how things work out.

Having a Boston friend who had to be torn up about how they lost, I sent her a text congratulating the Bruins on a great run. She thanked me and spoke of how proud she was of what they accomplished. They brought a city together in similar fashion to how the 2001 Yankees did. That Yankee team is still the one I cherish the most. Boston did themselves proud and were Boston Strong till the end. Considering that there wasn’t any hockey for so long, this lockout season turned out alright. Boston and Chicago gave us a great ride. One of the best Cups in quite some time. Thank you to both.

Congrats to the Blackhawks. They truly were the best team from start to finish. Two Cups in four years for a franchise that once went nearly 40 years without one. Toews and Kane changed all that. They’re a terrific organization. Top notch.

Basically, the two veteran coaches have been traded for each other. An oddity. Has that ever happened before? Speaking of irony, Lindy Ruff will coach the Stars. How will that work? Can you imagine this day coming back in 1999? After the whole No Goal saga. Buffalo resident Brian Sanborn devoted a show to it, appropriately titled “The No Goal Sports Show.”

I guess it’s just a weird June. There’s no other way to describe it. Tortorella in Vancouver with that press is even scarier. It makes Manhattan seem tame. His predecessor/replacement Vigneault coached there and Montreal. So, he should be fine here. Plus he is more media friendly. So, they’ll love him and probably already do. He doesn’t have to win a game to earn that.

Vigneault has already toured the radio airwaves appearing on the Rangers home ESPN and then WFAN. We heard how much he likes the roster, referring to it as a very good team. The pulse on a more aggressive system that should allow defensemen to jump into the rush more freely.

Tortorella taught our core well and developed a young nucleus. Now, he’ll take over the Canucks, who are a veteran team led by The Sedins. When asked who were the best players he coached, Vigneault chose them without hesitation. He didn’t disrespect Roberto Luongo, who probably finally gets moved this summer. It’ll be a luxury for Tortorella to have Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who are easily the best players he’ll coach. Marian Gaborik was pretty good and Rick Nash showed flashes. If you polled him, he’d probably still choose Brad Richards, who won a Conn Smythe when they teamed to win in Tampa. He’ll also get to coach Ryan Kesler.

I wonder if he’ll make better use out of Vigneault’s former defense, which boasts Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler and power play quarterback Jason Garrison along with Dan Hamhuis. That quartet is more offensive minded than the Rangers’ top four of Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal. Defensively, give the edge to the Blueshirts. Though Vigneault has plenty of work ahead to harness the talent out of the inconsistent Del Zotto.

What about free agents? The Canucks have more unrestricted’s including NY Puck target Max Lapierre, Mason Raymond and Derek Roy. The Rangers are mainly focused on re-signing key RFA’s Carl Hagelin, McDonagh and Derek Stepan. Glen Sather’s goal is to get Henrik Lundqvist done. He’ll also see if he can bring back Ryane Clowe and Mats Zuccarello. John Moore is a Group II and Steve Eminger is a UFA.

It’ll be intriguing to follow both teams. Especially the coaches. 

It took a while to start. Once the anticipated press conference did, new Rangers coach Alain Vigneault was introduced by Garden CEO Jim Dolan and Team President and General Manager Glen Sather. Before the 35th coach in franchise history addressed the media, both Dolan and Sather thanked John Tortorella for four years. A classy gesture even if the latter emphasized why he made the change. 

The Rangers off-season has already begun. Team President and GM Glen Sather has replaced John Tortorella. Alain Vigneault will officially be introduced as the new coach tomorrow at Radio City. He’ll become the 34th coach in franchise history.

The 52-year old coach brings experience, having coached Montreal and Vancouver. He took the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011. They lost in seven to Boston. A bitter pill they never recovered from. The past two years have seen them eliminated in the first round. It was time for a change.

Vigneault gets a fresh start on Broadway. He takes over a good team. There won’t be any goalie controversy. Henrik Lundqvist is a stud who can steal games and series like he did to Washington. There’s great leadership with captain Ryan Callahan along with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. It remains to be seen if Brad Richards will return. Ryan McDonagh is an emerging All-Star defenseman and Derek Stepan is developing into a two-way offensive center. Rick Nash is an established finisher. Derick Brassard led the club in postseason scoring with 12 points. Other key pieces include Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider, who has the potential to become a 30-goal scorer. Vigneault will need to get more out of Michael Del Zotto, who can hit the open market next summer if the Rangers don’t re-sign him.

Assessing the roster, it can use a little more bulk. Sather has an important decision on pending unrestricted Ryane Clowe. The 30-year old rugged forward was acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline for second and third round picks in 2013 and a conditional 2014 second round pick if he’s re-signed. Sather must weigh the positives against the negatives with a player who missed time due to a head injury (concussion). Clowe reportedly wants to stay. Will he give the Rangers a discount? That remains to be seen.

Sather will be quite busy negotiating new contracts for McDonagh, Stepan and Hagelin. All are Group II who are due significant raises. He also must decide what to do with Mats Zuccarello. He impressed in his return finishing second behind Brassard with seven points in the playoffs. He’ll probably be retained. The Rangers are also evaluating Mike Sauer, who’s considering retirement. Slats’ biggest focus is extending Lundqvist. The former Vezina winner expressed disappointment with this season and was noncommittal. Even if Sather says that didn’t impact his decision to fire Tortorella, it might not be the whole truth. The Rangers can ill afford to lose their franchise netminder. It must get done before training camp.

One player Vigneault coached is Max Lapierre. Originally a Montreal second round pick, the gritty 28-year old from Saint Leonard, Quebec is an agitating center who can inject energy. Not the most popular due to his post-whistle etiquette, Lapierre is a solid checker who’s strong on faceoffs and kills penalties. He plays a physical style that would be a good fit in New York. While some might question why I’d recommend a player I’m not fond of, you have to look at what he brings.

Lapierre is a physical type who takes the body. In ’11-12, his 244 hits led the Canucks and ranked just outside the top 10 in the NHL. By comparison, Callahan dished out 271 and Brian Boyle recorded 236. Lapierre also won 52.1 percent of draws. Boyle won 51.8 the same year but took a lot more. In 2013, he converted 56.4 to Lapierre’s 50.6. One could argue that they’re similar in terms of statistics. But there’s more to it than that. Anyone who’s watched Boyle knows he isn’t consistent. Yet when the playoffs came, he elevated his play a second consecutive year, tallying three goals and two assists. He doesn’t always use his size (6-7 244). Lapierre is listed at 6-2 207. A checking line of Lapierre, Boyle and a choice of Arron Asham, Derek Dorsett or Taylor Pyatt would be an upgrade. All year, the Rangers’ lack of a consistent forechecking fourth line that could bang bodies hurt. AHL types such as Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley are ill suited.

In 2013, Lapierre earned $1 million. Boyle is due $1.7 million entering his final year. It stands to reason that it wouldn’t cost a ton to sign Lapierre. A player who knows what to expect under Vigneault. A multi-year deal for between $3-4 million is doable. He might ask for $2.5 based on market value. Maybe he’ll take less if he wants to come East with Vigneault.

After being passed up to coach the Rangers, Mark Messier isn’t sure of his future. Neither is general manager Glen Sather.

Seabrook Wins It: Overtime hero Brent Seabrook is greeted by happy teammates after his goal squared the Original Six series 2-2. Getty Images/Elise Amendola

When the puck came to Brent Seabrook, he shot and was rewarded driving the Blackhawks to a thrilling 6-5 overtime win over the Bruins in Game Four to even the series.

‘‘It wasn’t a Bruins’ type of game, but at the same time you have to get yourself back into it,” Julien predictably stated. ”Our guys worked hard to score goals. Probably got ourselves out of what our normal game plan is. So we opened up and we scored goals, but we also gave them some goals, like the game-winning goal.”

”They keep coming,” Quenneville pointed out after watching his team blow leads of 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 before pulling it out. ”One of those nights.”

Reaction: Five years is an awfully long time for any coach. Even one as respected as Vigneault. Apparently, that also was the Stars offer. So, the Rangers matched to get their guy. Whether it works remains to be seen. It’ll be a lot calmer on and off the ice.

Coaches have short shelf lives. There’ll be a lot of pressure to perform. I’m not gonna look at the coach if they don’t win. The players wanted this. It’s put up or shut up.

The Islanders traded Streit’s rights to the Flyers in exchange for minor leaguer Travis Harper and a 2014 fourth round pick. The 35-year old Swiss native joins a crowded blueline in the City Of Brotherly Love. Also under contract are Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, Luke Schenn and Nicklas Grossmann. Bruno Gervais is also signed through next year and Marc-Andre Bourdon.

Philadelphia is expected to amnesty someone. The most likely candidate is Ilya Bryzgalov. He’s signed through 2019-20 at an average cap hit of $5.67 million. It’s sure to be another wild off season.

When the Rangers introduce Alain Vigneault as their new coach, he’ll become the 34th in franchise history. The former Vancouver bench boss takes over for John Tortorella, who technically coached here twice. He also was an interim in 2000 coaching four games before Glen Sather brought in his own guy, Ron Low. Four years later, Tortorella coached the Lightning to the Stanley Cup.

By that point, Sather had already gone through three coaches over four years including himself. Ironically, it was the same general manager of Edmonton who declared that he’d win Cups every year if he had the Rangers’ money. Here we are 13 years later and it hasn’t quite worked out. Somehow, the President and GM has held his post despite only one trip past the second round. That came last year when Tortorella guided the club to their first Atlantic Division and the East’s best record since ’93-94. That last time they won. Following Henrik Lundqvist’s strong commentary that the team took a step backwards, he was out of a job.

After losing to the Devils in the Conference Finals, Sather overreacted to criticism that the Rangers were a player away. He patiently waited out former Columbus GM Scott Howson last summer before pulling the trigger on a trade that sent Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky and Tim Erixon to the Blue Jackets for Rick Nash. The Jackets also received a 2013 first round pick. The Blueshirts also got Steven Delisle and a conditional third round pick in this year’s draft. In an oddity, Delisle was included in the Marian Gaborik trade back to Columbus along with Blake Parlett in exchange for Derick Brassard, John Moore, Derek Dorsett plus a sixth round pick. In his first season, Nash ranked second in team scoring with 42 points while pacing them with 21 goals. However, he had a forgettable postseason tallying a goal and four assists in a dozen games. Two days after the Rangers 19-Year Anniversary of 1994, Nash celebrated his 29th birthday on Father’s Day. Much of their future depends on the big power forward.

The Rangers were ousted in the Conference Semifinals by the Bruins. As it turned out, they put up a better fight than the Penguins, who were swept in the next round only scoring twice. Astonishingly, the Pens retained coach Dan Bylsma while Tortorella was fired. It makes you wonder if the Ranger organization miscalculated. Regardless, once Lundqvist contradicted Tortorella a change had to be made. In a players’ world where they have too much authority, it can be detrimental to a team reaching its goal. With Lundqvist a year away from unrestricted status, the Rangers couldn’t afford to have an unhappy goalie. Sather should already be having discussions with him on a new deal.

Unfortunately, Sather isn’t hands on like Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero. A summer after locking up Sidney Crosby, he got Evgeni Malkin re-signed and now can turn his attention to Kris Letang. Instead, Sather was allowed to replace another coach who did a respectable job developing a current nucleus that features captain Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Mike Del Zotto. You can also make an argument that Brian Boyle, Derek Brassard, Anton Stralman and Mats Zuccarello all benefited under Tortorella. The handling of Chris Kreider and former Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards were his downfall. Nobody could’ve predicted Richards’ demise. Perhaps too much was expected of Kreider, who’d never played one regular season game. He played with more confidence at the end.

With Sather settling on the experience of Vigneault over special assistant Mark Messier, who might’ve had Brian Leetch on his staff, the GM is putting his reputation on the line. Had he run another team, he’d have been gone a long time ago. Instead, he remains a survivor thanks to Garden CEO Jim Dolan. Of Slats’ five previous coaches, Tortorella was a step up from Tom Renney, who brought the Rangers back to the playoffs. If there’s a positive, the choices have gotten better since Low, Bryan Trottier and Sather himself. Renney’s teams made the Conference Semis twice and Tortorella got to the Conference Final once. They were shorthanded against Boston minus Staal and deadline pickup Ryane Clowe. The penalty kill suffered without Darroll Powe. Once Stralman went down, they were done.

The job becomes Vigneault’s possibly as soon as tomorrow. A 52-year old veteran coach who spent his first two tenures in Canada first with Montreal and then Vancouver. He should be accustomed to pressure. He’s a reverse from Tortorella in that he’s more affable and will answer any question with the press. A players coach, he’s similar to Renney. Despite recent success with the star-laden Canucks that included The Sedins, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler, pest Alex Burrows and a strong defense featuring Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa, they only reached the Stanley Cup Final once losing to the Bruins in 2011. He didn’t do a good job handling the goalie controversy between Luongo and Cory Schneider in a second consecutive first round elimination. He was still there answering every question following their defeat to San Jose. It took the Canucks a couple of days to fire him.

Can Vigneault work in Manhattan? You can make an argument that he underachieved with his former club. Somehow, the Canucks didn’t win a championship despite immense talent. It can’t always be attributed to the coach. Players must perform. In many aspects, the Canucks’ underachievment was very similar to the Rangers. You can’t win unless you score. Vancouver didn’t muster much offense since losing the final two games to Boston. They became stale. It was time for a change. There’s the remote possibility that Tortorella could wind up taking over. Wouldn’t that be a great 2014 story line?

The Rangers are Cup or bust. They don’t boast the best roster. With Detroit coming East, it only becomes more difficult. The Bruins and Pens aren’t going anywhere. Other teams such as the Caps, Islanders, Leafs and Senators could improve. The Flyers should be better. The media scrutiny will be immense and intense. Fans expect a lot. Next year will be 20 years since Messier and Leetch teamed with Mike Richter and Adam Graves to deliver the franchise’s first Cup in 54 years. They’ve won only once in the last 72 years. One thing’s unmistakable. Vigneault better be Slats’ final move.