Battle Of Hudson

If they didn’t address the team toughness and acquire a complete hockey player, I wouldn’t even bother tuning in tomorrow. It at least perks my dwindling interest. Instead of skipping it entirely as planned, I’ll watch the first period and see what unfolds.

I believe Linkin’ Park had a hit song a couple of years ago which sums up my feelings regarding this sad Broadway Blueshirt edition. Unlike that song “Numb,” there’s nothing exciting about this team. I think WFAN’s always entertaining Steve Somers summed up how I felt earlier, basically saying that ‘this team belonged on Versus because nobody could find the network.‘ Hahahaha…I’ll try to supply the link from his classic monologue which featured their latest defeat as well as the comparable underachieving Nets’ one. As Michael Ray Richardson once said during a bad Knicks season, “The ship be sinking.”

Back to the latest game I walked out of early with minutes to spare. I wish I could say I felt good about the surprising 3-1 lead they built after one inspired period against the Original Six classic Red Wings. But I knew better. There’s really not much to say. I’m tired and as predicted, Detroit cameback to get three in excruciating fashion in the third. Oh. And for all the Dominator cynics, the guy might not see a lot of shots and might not have been razor sharp in the first but once his team needed the big stops, he stepped up. That’s what makes him one of the all-time greats. He once used to see a lot of rubber for the Sabres and did it better than anyone to the tune of 2 Harts and 6 Vezinas. It once was said seeing all those shots was his own doing. Now, 42 going on 43 the future Hall of Famer doesn’t see enough shots. Hmmm…that sounds an awful lot like…nevermind. Just goes to show you. What’s that hit song I liked from the late 90’s? “Hey Jealousy.” Ah. I wish I could hear that now. A kickass tune for sure!

So, who stood out in this one for the Rangers? Who do you think? The usual suspects who show up every night such as Marcel Hossa, Jed Ortmeyer, Blair Betts, Matt Cullen, Petr Prucha, even Ryan Hollweg and of course ex-Red Wing Brendan Shanahan, who btw snapped his long even-strength goal drought on his very first shift against the club he helped win 3 Cups with. He always had a flair for the dramatic. It’s too bad this team is captained by the passionless Jaromir Jagr. Right now, he couldn’t captain a sinking ship. I’m sure I’m going to get into it with NY Hockey Report host Joe McDonald Wednesday. It might be worth the listen. There are bound to be fireworks. At least there will be passion. We’ll plug it some time tomorrow or before we go to air at our usual time of 8:05 that night.

The only encouraging thing that happened for this soft club was the nowhere to be found GM took a break from smoking cigars god know’s where and actually addressed a need by acquiring the gritty and physical Sean Avery from the Kings along with prospect John Seymour in exchange for Jason Ward and unsigned prospects Marc-Andre Cliche plus Czech Jan Marek.

So, what’s the consensus here? It’s a good deal which will actually give hated rivals a reason to actually watch their step on the ice. Avery (10-18-28, 116 PIM) isn’t the biggest guy but boy does the undrafted agitator get the most out of his 5-9 185 frame. The fact the 26 year-old Pickering Ontario native was undrafted and has worked his butt off to turn into a mini-version of Darcy Tucker is a credit to what kind of player he is. He’s as tough as they come and will at least address that area finally. Something Ranger fans have been crowing for years. The left wing is also versatile enough to play on a scoring or checking line. I’d love to see him play with Shanahan and ride shotgun. But he’ll probably start on the third line.

Regarding what they gave up, I kind of feel bad for Ward. He never really was given a fair shake by Tom Renney. For whatever reason, the grinding energizer sometimes was healthy scratched over Adam Hall. When Ward played the other night, he showed more in one shift than Hall has for basically the entire year. I hope he does well in LA and plays regularly. He deserves it.

Cliche is the one good prospect in this deal. The 19 year-old was drafted by the Rangers a couple of summers ago and was a member of Team Canada’s latest gold medal team at the WJC overseas. He was the reason the Kings parted with Avery according to club GM Dean Lombardi:

“Some teams were actively pursuing Sean, the New York Rangers were very aggressive. From our standpoint, the key is the young player, Cliche, who has impressed us.”

Lombardi even went as far as to say:

“A player like Cliche, who played for the Canadian National team, this kid works his tail off, he’s the type character we’re looking for.”

Pretty nice compliments of a player who currently has 15 goals and 21 assists for Lewiston (QMJHL) in 35 games.

Marek meanwhile was drafted by the Rangers a few years ago as an overager. He’s played exclusively in Europe and never came close to signing with the club which might be part of the reason he was finally unloaded. This year, he’s starred for Magnitogorsk of the Russian Hockey League posting 17 goals and 26 assists in 42 games. He has talent but it’s just a question of whether he’ll ever sign an NHL contract.

Meanwhile, the one prospect the Rangers got in return doesn’t sound like much. The 19 year-old Seymour has just six points in 34 contests for Brampton in the OHL. This deal basically hinges on Avery and Cliche. Those were the main two guys.

It should be noted that while Avery can be ornery, Lombardi heaped some high praise about the character guy he gave up:

“He’s been good. All year he’s learned to be a better teammate. He comes to play every night. Sometimes emotion gets the best of him. I think he’s made marked improvement this year...Sometimes players just take a little time to mature. Sean’s still young, hopefully he’ll continue to do so. He’s going to a big stage now. If he continues (to mature), he’ll do just fine. From the summer, when I first got there, there wasn’t much of a market for Sean Avery. He’s made progress.“

Nice stuff. This is the type of player you love if he’s on your team and despise if he’s not. As many know, he’s never been afraid to mix it up on or off the ice. So, he’ll add some personality to the locker room. The Rangers will most likely miss the postseason for the eighth season in nine but they might actually be more interesting to watch now. We’ll see.

Until then, don’t freeze too much out there. You could actually become as frozen as the ice. Ah. How I long for a 45-50 degree day. It can’t come soon enough!

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more pumped for Tuesday’s showdown. The plot just keeps on thickening for this one.

Now, the Avery trade already creates controversy because of certain activities (White, pwnage by Colin) back in November. To make it all the more better and exciting, the Devils have brought everyone’s favorite back up from Lowell…

It’s about friggin’ time folks. #25 will be back for tomorrow night’s game.

Before some further thoughts, let’s watch said Whitian ownage of Mr. Avery http://www.nhl.com/video/app?component=%24NHLDirectLink_4&page=GameHighlights&service=direct&sp=S%2F20062007%2F02%2F0349%2FIH_NHL_2006_R_349_NJD%40LAK_700k_0004_LAK3194253_hit.wmv&sp=20062007&sp=349&sp=2&sp=SHits

It’s only made better by Daryl Reaugh’s wordage. He later used the term “bicuspid rattler”.

So we have some drama set up for tomorrow night’s game. We have a new player on the Rangers whom I once did a report stating my case for why he is a bad role model for children (Grade: A) and the re-call of the Devils toughest player.

‘Bout time we had some drama invade this rivalry, eh?

This’ll solve that scoring problem, eh Derek?

Sean Avery for Jason Ward and trash? OK, I’l take it.

Here’s a new feature. Lyrics that just ooze hockey in them. That’s what were looking for. And nothing obvious like Zambonis or Tragically Hip.

So here’s this segment’s debut.

The Killers
“Read My Mind”
Sam’s Town

On the corner of main street
Just tryin’ to keep it in line
You say you wanna move on and
You say I’m falling behind

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

I never really gave up on
Breakin’ out of this two-star town
I got the green light
I got a little fight
I’m gonna turn this thing around

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

The good old days, the honest man;
The restless heart, the Promised Land
A subtle kiss that no one sees;
A broken wrist and a big trapeze

Oh well I don’t mind, you don’t mind
Cause I don’t shine if you don’t shine
Before you go, can you read my mind?

It’s funny how you just break down
Waitin’ on some sign
I pull up to the front of your driveway
With magic soakin’ my spine

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

The teenage queen, the loaded gun;
The drop dead dream, the Chosen One
A southern drawl, a world unseen;
A city wall and a trampoline

Oh well I don’t mind, you don’t mind
Cause I don’t shine if you don’t shine
Before you go
Tell me what you find when you read my mind

Slippin’ in my faith until I fall
You never returned that call
Woman, open the door, don’t let it sting
I wanna breathe that fire again

She said
Oh well I don’t mind, you don’t mind
Cause I don’t shine if you don’t shine

Put your back on me
Put your back on me
Put your back on me

The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
When you read my mind

I’m runnin wild with the one i love
I see no evil
I’m runnin wild with the one-eyed ones
I see no evil
Pull down the future with the one you love
Pull down the future

This would be my ideal VERSUS schedule. I mean, if it truly was the NHL’s hub of broadcasting.

5:00 NHL Faceoff
(A Panel of Hockey Writers and Broadcasters sit down with John Buccigross and talk about the biggest issues in the NHL)
6:00 Tonight at the Rink
Chris Simpson and Eddie Olczyk host this show live from whatever arena that night’s game is in (On non-Monday games, it would be whoever’s the ice level reporter with the color analyst for the game. You get the point) which shows features on NHL players off the ice and reports on news for the night’s game.
6:30 Hockey Central
Back at VERSUS’ studios, Bill Clement hosts a preview of that night’s hockey action (other games included) with analysts Keith Jones, Darren Pang and Pierre McGuire.

7:00 NHL on VERSUS: Detroit vs. NY Rangers
Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Chris Simpson have the call from MSG. Available in HD on VERSUS HD.
9:30 Hockey Central
A wrap-up of the night’s action with Clement, Jones, Pang and McGuire.
12:30 AM NHL 2Night
The Emmy Award winning show is back on a new night and a new network. John Buccigross, Keith Jones and Darren Pang are featured.

That may seem like a lot. But really, it’s 2 and a half hours a day to add to the programming schedule. It’d create a hockey atmosphere, drawing fans of other teams to the network, and non-hockey fans to it. On non game nights, NHL Faceoff airs at 6, Hockey Central at 7, and NHL2night at 12:30.

But instead, we have the game and post-game. Brooks is right.

Emrick and Olczyk on the call tomorrow. If you get VERSUS HD, it’s airing there too.

There’s little doubt that Sidney Crosby is the best player in the game not named Martin Brodeur. And if the league’s leading scorer gets his Penguins into the postseason for the first time in several years, he’ll be the favorite to win the Hart over the Devils netminder.

But today, the 19 year-old superstar showed his age in a tough 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal. In the extra session thanks to a late Michel Ouellet power play tally, Crosby tried to do too much and win it by himself. Circling around the net with the puck with Habs skating with him, he tried a pass which had no chance. Easily intercepted by my first star Tomas Plekanec (2 goals, assist), he went two-on-one the other way setting up Sheldon Souray’s winning blast past a defenseless Marc-Andre Fleury for the winner.

Lesson learned the hard way for the wiz kid. So instead of getting that valuable extra point and pulling within one of fifth in the conference, Crosby’s club settled for one point which put the East’s current sixth seed at 61 points. Though he failed to extend his team’s winning streak to seven, the thing I admired the most was that No.87 didn’t just skate off the ice with his head buried. Instead, he stood by the bench and watched the replay to see what he did so wrong. That is the mark of a superstar who knows he was responsible for the lost point but wants to get better so that it doesn’t happen again. That’s why he was so talked about. He gets it.

And so, updating the wild Eastern playoff race after the Pens’ OT loss and the Isles’ 2-1 shootout defeat in the nation’s capital:

Eastern Standings

Record Pts GR
*1.Sabres 35-15-4 74 28
*2.Devils 32-15-6 70 29
*3.Thrashers 29-18-8 66 27
4.Canadiens 29-19-6 64 28
5.Senators 30-21-3 63 28
6.Penguins 26-17-9 61 30
7.Lightning 29-23-2 60 28
8.Hurricanes 26-22-7 59 27
________________________________
9.Maple Leafs 26-21-6 58 29
10.Islanders 25-21-7 57 29
11.Rangers 25-23-4 54 30
12.Capitals 22-25-7 51 28
13.Bruins 23-24-4 50 31
14.Panthers 20-24-10 50 28

________________________________
15.Flyers 13-32-7 33 30

Yes, it’s Super Bowl Sunday finally. But in our world, we don’t really care about all that ridiculous overhype for the Lombardi Trophy, which should be changed to the Circus Trophy considering how nuts it’s gotten. I recall a time when the game used to mean something to diehard gridiron fans. I remember going over my Uncle’s to watch on a big screen with lots of good food, the usual pool and lots of fans. And maybe that still goes on. But let’s face it. It’s not the same anymore. Kind of reminds me of another sport. The biggest game of the year has become secondary to the outlandish over the top commercials and pregame shows which last longer than the actual game. I no longer watch that stuff because with two weeks of build up, what the heck is the point? Can’t they just play already? It’s unbelievable that they need two weeks to play this game. This is supposed to be football. A week off should be plenty for these warriors.

Anyway, enough about that. I’ll just get to my game breakdown and selection. I’m taking Da Bears to pull the upset of the century. Well according to all the idiots out there, only one team is playing tonight down in Miami. But if you take off the Colts/Peyton colored glasses off for a good minute, that Chicago team who won the NFC isn’t exactly bad. They have won 15 games and lost just three mostly because their D is the best in the NFL and their run attack of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson can control the clock. Just look what they did to the vaunted Saints offense. And believe me, they have as many weapons as the Colts. Do you really believe in your heart of hearts that Joseph Addai and Dominik Rhodes will be able to run on that Bear D the way they rampaged the Pats? I don’t. The Bear D line is too quick. There will be few holes. This will force Mr. NFL Spokesman (commercial after commercial) to have to pass more. Sure, he’s one of the all-time great quarterbacks and delivers the ball quickly and with tremendous accuracy. But if he has no run game, it won’t be easy against that D. I think Brian Urlacher will have a huge game and disrupt the Colts offense. I also think Marvin Harrison, the most overrated top receiver in league history will crow like a little girl when he’s blanketed by the Bears’ secondary. So that leaves Reggie Wayne and the underrated Dallas Clark. Newsflash: they won’t be so wide open against Chicago.

Aside from all that, a lot has been made of Rex Grossman. I admit he’s one of the worst QBs to ever play in the big game. But it won’t matter. I believe Lovie Smith will outfox Tony Dungy in the first ever all black coached game if you didn’t know by now. And the plan will be simple: A page out of the Giants’ book against the Bills, a similar explosive offense. Control the line of scrimmage by pounding Benson and Jones. They’ll control the clock and shorten up the game and keep the Colt offense off the field and out of rhythm. Take a couple of shots down the field with Grossman to keep them honest. Oh btw…for as average as he is, he throws a nice deep ball.

Here’s my final score:

Da Bears Ditka-24
Colts Express- 21

To keep this a little hockey, the Isles and Caps are tied at one in the third while the red hot Pens lead Montreal 2-1 in the second in the only two games today. Good thing they were matinees.

Couple of other things. This coming from today’s Larry Brooks’ Slap Shots:

Gary Bettman, of whom the outside world finally took disapproving notice this week (the outside world being years behind Slap Shots), continues to defend the NHL’s deal with Versus by stating that the network treats the league with far more respect than previous rights-holder ESPN. And the nodding heads surrounding him who hear and see no evil, nod.

Perhaps one day the commissioner actually would like to explain how Versus treats the NHL with more respect than ESPN. Perhaps the commissioner might like to explain why Versus doesn’t have a nightly one-hour NHL highlights show, or a nightly one-hour panel show devoted to the NHL.

Perhaps one day the commissioner would like to explain why Versus does not present a half-hour pregame show. Perhaps one day the commissioner would like to present his definition of respect.

Game. Set. Match.

Our Quote of the Day comes courtesty of Montreal veteran defenseman and alternate captain Craig Rivet on the four minors assessed to his team in the rematch against Pittsburgh after the first period:

“You can’t complain about calls but I don’t agree with a lot of the calls I see today.“

I am very frustrated right now with my team. They just don’t get it and I’m not sure they ever will as long as that jackass owns them. For a decade now, my family has had a mini-plan to games and I remember when it used to be fun. Newsflash: It’s not anymore. The disappointments are endless. The embarrassing losses. The years of not playing a kid enough to know whether or not they can make it for real. The discouraging ways this team has disintegrated in February and March driving their golf clubs in the process. Even last year’s feel good season ended in excruciating fashion.

This year, they had these lofty goals to become a serious contender by adding Shanahan, Cullen and Ward in the offseason. On paper, it sounded good. Finally some North American grit to help out our Europeans and Jagr. But as the season wore on, anyone could see the proverbial writing on the wall. This club was still not good enough and way too soft. And with no real No.2 pivot or shutdown defenseman, opponents knew exactly how to solve the one-dimensional Rangers. Neutralize the Jagr line, play physical and go to the net.

The right ingredients have been missing all year. Now, they’re probably about to make a monumental mistake which is typical of this franchise and probably trade away a couple of prospects and picks for a star player. As if that’s going to change the plight of this failed season and magically turn it into a contender. To echo again what Steve concluded last week: Brett Hull is a moron! Sadly, I bet the idiot owner watched and saw what the outspoken Hall of Fame finisher said and believed it cause he still believes Isiah Thomas is a candidate for NBA Coach of the Year. And that’s just part of the problem.

Want the other aspect? Here was some of my rant to one of my Devil friends about this freaking organization who always fails on promises:

Kovy274Hart [12:11 AM]: they never give kids a chance
Kovy274Hart [12:12 AM]: they never draft good enough
Kovy274Hart [12:12 AM]: Parise should be our’s
Kovy274Hart [12:12 AM]: f****** idiots
Kovy274Hart [12:12 AM]: Zajac should be on our team
Kovy274Hart [12:13 AM]: but no
Kovy274Hart [12:13 AM]: they are so stupid
Kovy274Hart [12:13 AM]: everything is always a spin
Kovy274Hart [12:13 AM]: “Well he was on our radar and we liked him but so and so brings more intangibles…”
Kovy274Hart [12:13 AM]: or some other bs excuse

Aside from that, the games have become a circus reminder of what MSG has become. I don’t need to see the stick kid every period or someone riding the zamboni. I didn’t come for them to overpromote their Garden of Dreams PR bs or whatever shameless promotions they got. Just shut the f*** up! I am fed up with them showing features on the Rangers being used as models. They’re not even models in their own damn league! Bastards. They made the playoffs one season and suddenly, they’re great. Bull crap! This was the season where the test would come and guess what dumb block of an owner and Garden management: YOU FAILED!!!!!

You have lied to the fans. Want to hear how clueless they are? A diehard fan who has gone to games for years and sat in our section told us that if they made the playoffs, they were only going to offer one home game per round. One game! The nerve! That’s someone as loyal as it gets who has gone for over 25 years. It’s almost better they lose. This is what you get. If they get in, prices are going up and they’ll probably force ticketholders to upgrade to full season pass just to get any sort of playoff rights. Sad thing is you can find tickets for almost any game. They are living a lie.

I don’t think I want to go to anymore games in any future years until the management changes. I can watch at home and find other things to do.

Rant over.

We still own hockey on national TV. That won’t change for a loooooong time.

Or maybe they’ll get smart and realize they got a 1.3 from 4 western teams and a 1.0 from 4 eastern teams on 1/28 and 1/13.

As for New Yorkers, it’s still 17 combined games we have to wait till’ 3:55 to watch in Standard Def.

I’m curious to see what waiting until 3:30 will do for hockey. On a Sunday it works, because people do a lot on Sunday morning, and come home and watch sports the rest of the day. So I feel February 11 for the Devils and the 18th for the Rangers will be no different.

But Saturday? Please.