Official 2011-12 New York Rangers Thread

[Phoenixx]

Great News !!

Rangers Marc Staal defies odds, will play in Classic

PHILADELPHIA -- Rangers defenseman Marc Staal will return to the New York Rangers lineup for the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Monday.

Staal has missed the entire season due to lingering symptoms from a concussion he suffered in February of last season. Staal continued to play following the hit from Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal, Marc's brother; but was shut down during training camp.

Marc Staal was cleared for contact a week ago and has been practicing without limits. He never ruled out playing in the Winter Classic but considered it a long shot all along only because of the time he needed to get into game shape.

Staal will follow in the footsteps of brother Jordan Staal, who missed the first 39 games of last season with a broken hand before returning to the Penguins lineup in the 2011 Winter Classic against the Washington Capitals.

Rangers coach John Tortorella said Sunday that Staal would not play in the 2012 Winter Classic, but it appears Staal made it clear Sunday night that he was ready to go. Staal practiced in full at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, taking part in a few drills with his usual defense partner, Dan Girardi, after Ryan McDonagh left practice with flu-like symptoms.

Monday afternoon, in a press conference, Tortorella said that Marc Staal was given the necessary clearances and will play in New York's third pair. He did not reveal which defenseman would be out of the lineup.

Staal's return should provide a boost to the Rangers' depleted defense corps. Michael Sauer has missed a month with a concussion while Steve Eminger will be out two months with a separated shoulder.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=609413

[kennedy fried Toon]

Originally Posted by DevsJetsYanks88

Emrick actually left the Devils broadcast on MSG before this season and now just games on NBC/Versus. It's a shame that he's no longer there. He was very good and like you said, Cangelosi sucks.

call me crazy but I have a thing for Placey. I think she is very attractive in a weird way. I guess its that camel chewing talk out of the side of her mouth thing she's got going on and her love of hockey.

Nice win yesterday. Pretty ambitious refereeing in the 3rd. That penalty shot was a little ridiculous considering the ref didnt see it and that call on Callahan was a little over blown. Granted he did not need to grab the stick but the defensemans stick came up awfully high. If he was calling both, I would have preferred him not to call any at all.

Another big game Thursday night and there should be some fireworks after what happened last week. Looking forward to the Pens and Bruins coming up as well. Its a stretch but at this point I wouldnt mind seeing the Rangers deal Dubi, a prospect and a pick or two for Bobby Ryan. A winger with skill and size would provide the Rangers with an added dimension.

[sect112row36]

Originally Posted by kennedy fried Toon

call me crazy but I have a thing for Placey. I think she is very attractive in a weird way. I guess its that camel chewing talk out of the side of her mouth thing she's got going on and her love of hockey.

Nice win yesterday. Pretty ambitious refereeing in the 3rd. That penalty shot was a little ridiculous considering the ref didnt see it and that call on Callahan was a little over blown. Granted he did not need to grab the stick but the defensemans stick came up awfully high. If he was calling both, I would have preferred him not to call any at all.

Another big game Thursday night and there should be some fireworks after what happened last week. Looking forward to the Pens and Bruins coming up as well. Its a stretch but at this point I wouldnt mind seeing the Rangers deal Dubi, a prospect and a pick or two for Bobby Ryan. A winger with skill and size would provide the Rangers with an added dimension.

Not sure the Ducks would want Dubi--more likey they would want Stepan and one of the prospect would probably have to be McIlrath. Adding Ryan would be great but I love the makeup of this team and would be hesitant to make any changes now.

[CraigFL]

Hard to argue with 1st in the entire nhl

[Jordy]

Originally Posted by kennedy fried Toon

call me crazy but I have a thing for Placey. I think she is very attractive in a weird way. I guess its that camel chewing talk out of the side of her mouth thing she's got going on and her love of hockey.

Nice win yesterday. Pretty ambitious refereeing in the 3rd. That penalty shot was a little ridiculous considering the ref didnt see it and that call on Callahan was a little over blown. Granted he did not need to grab the stick but the defensemans stick came up awfully high. If he was calling both, I would have preferred him not to call any at all.

Another big game Thursday night and there should be some fireworks after what happened last week. Looking forward to the Pens and Bruins coming up as well. Its a stretch but at this point I wouldnt mind seeing the Rangers deal Dubi, a prospect and a pick or two for Bobby Ryan. A winger with skill and size would provide the Rangers with an added dimension.

Originally Posted by sect112row36

Not sure the Ducks would want Dubi--more likey they would want Stepan and one of the prospect would probably have to be McIlrath. Adding Ryan would be great but I love the makeup of this team and would be hesitant to make any changes now.

Dubi has actually been one of the best players on the ice the last few games. He's really picked it up. I'd hate to see them deal him away. When he's playing like this, he's very difficult to deal with. To me, the liabilities on this team right now are first, Fedotenko, then Boyle. I like both guys. But Feds looks disinterested lately. He's making a lot of mistakes on the ice. Boyle had his season last year. But if he's not scoring, he's really of very little use. He's a huge body but soft as hell. The Rangers are real close right now. I can see them challenging for the Cup. But I think some tweaking needs to be done to get them there and in order for me to feel completely confident. I think a lot of answers will come after the Boston game. That will be a real test.

[kennedy fried Toon]

Originally Posted by Jordy

Dubi has actually been one of the best players on the ice the last few games. He's really picked it up. I'd hate to see them deal him away. When he's playing like this, he's very difficult to deal with. To me, the liabilities on this team right now are first, Fedotenko, then Boyle. I like both guys. But Feds looks disinterested lately. He's making a lot of mistakes on the ice. Boyle had his season last year. But if he's not scoring, he's really of very little use. He's a huge body but soft as hell. The Rangers are real close right now. I can see them challenging for the Cup. But I think some tweaking needs to be done to get them there and in order for me to feel completely confident. I think a lot of answers will come after the Boston game. That will be a real test.

Both Feds and Boyle are Tortorella favs. I cannot see either one of them being benched. Feds is ok as a limited ice time guy but Boyle doesnt do it for me. He does play extremely small, doesnt score and has been weak in the faceoff dot. I believe Torts pulled him late in the Flyers game to get Arty out there to take the faceoff.

I agree it may cost to much to get Ryan especially considering how hot he has been as of late but a fella can dream. We havent had a big physical presence with a scoring touch on the wing in a long, long time. I do know this...Christensen is not the answer.

[Jordy]

Originally Posted by kennedy fried Toon

Both Feds and Boyle are Tortorella favs. I cannot see either one of them being benched. Feds is ok as a limited ice time guy but Boyle doesnt do it for me. He does play extremely small, doesnt score and has been weak in the faceoff dot. I believe Torts pulled him late in the Flyers game to get Arty out there to take the faceoff.

I agree it may cost to much to get Ryan especially considering how hot he has been as of late but a fella can dream. We havent had a big physical presence with a scoring touch on the wing in a long, long time. I do know this...Christensen is not the answer.

Torts actually put Feds on notice recently. Either pick it up or I'm going to put someone else in there. Feds responded with 8 hits against the Pansies. Otherwise though, he's not producing or playing that well defensively. He was responsible for the Pansies goal the other night by not getting back to cover his man. We may see Wolski pretty soon.

[Al Woodall Rocks!]

I read this and my first thought: OLD SCHOOL, and I loved it!
Whatever you have to do to keep their heads straight.

ESPN NY

By Katie Strang
His team is first in the league with a four-game winning streak and 56 points, but coach John Tortorella didn’t like what he saw when the Rangers took the ice Monday morning in Greenburgh.

So he sent his club back to the dressing room, pushed the “reset” button and started over.

Even a team 9-1-0 in their last 10 games needs the occasional reminder.

“When you’ve found ways to win some games and you’re getting your points, it’s human nature to forget about the details,” said Tortorella.

The message was received and, judging from the high-paced, up-tempo practice that followed his initial admonishment, it resonated among the players.

“We were pretty gross that first shift or first drill,” veteran Mike Rupp admitted. “He just wants us to be accountable for our actions. You don’t want anything carrying over for the game tomorrow. I think that’s been one of our strongest assets -- that we don’t let thing slide, at all.”

Rupp, who has played with five different organizations since breaking into the league in 2002, said that’s a refreshing message from a coach hell-bent on coaxing the most out of his players by any means necessary.

“Whether it’s kicking us off practice for a minute or sitting one of our top guys for a couple shifts, everyone‘s accountable,” Rupp said. “We understand you need to bring it every time you step on the ice.”

Tortorella’s tactics could be more grating if, say, he were only to discipline certain players. But no one appears safe from the fiery coach’s ire, and that approach has forged a certain sense of unity among the 26-9-4 Blueshirts.

“Every one of us is a Ranger, no matter who we are, what our name is, how much we make,” said center Brian Boyle. “He pushes us to get out of our comfort zones and become better players. I think that’s a good thing. I think we’ve come a long way with him as our coach. We have the most points right now, but he doesn’t want us to be satisfied. We haven’t reached our goal yet.”

Approaching the midway point of the season – the Rangers will play their 41st game this Thursday against Ottawa – the Rangers are winning at a clip unseen since the 1993-94 Stanley Cup Championship season.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Rangers .718 winning percentage (which recently clinched Tortorella an All-Star coaching nod), is the team’s fourth best start through 39 games in franchise history and best since the Championship season 18 years ago.

However, the Rangers learned Monday the dangers of looking ahead.

Said Boyle:

“It’s January, not June.”

[Bay Ridge Jet]

I dont have anything to complain about so I havent posted here. They remind me of Boston. The next few years should be some good times. Very exciting stuff to see after we have suffered for so long. 24/7 just confirmed what I thought all along....its a tight knit group that has bought in Torts' system. Even when they lose, you know they'll respond with a great effort. Team is going to be dangerous in the playoffs. BTW, Jordy you were right about Biron. Guy has been a God send. Lundqvist is getting plenty of rest and Biron is playing at a level where the Rangers are in every game he plays. Hes even stolen some games for us. See how boring my posts are when theyre good?

This just came in btw:

Lundqvist, Gaborik and Girardi were selected to be in the All-Star game.

[Jordy]

Originally Posted by Bay Ridge Jet

I dont have anything to complain about so I havent posted here. They remind me of Boston. The next few years should be some good times. Very exciting stuff to see after we have suffered for so long. 24/7 just confirmed what I thought all along....its a tight knit group that has bought in Torts' system. Even when they lose, you know they'll respond with a great effort. Team is going to be dangerous in the playoffs. BTW, Jordy you were right about Biron. Guy has been a God send. Lundqvist is getting plenty of rest and Biron is playing at a level where the Rangers are in every game he plays. Hes even stolen some games for us. See how boring my posts are when theyre good?

This just came in btw:

Lundqvist, Gaborik and Girardi were selected to be in the All-Star game.

I didn't realize that you only post when you have something to complain about.

LOL. We must be Jets fans too.

[matt robinson 17]

Big game tonight...LGR!!!

[Jordy]

Tuukka Rask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[matt robinson 17]

Great win today, Cally the catalyst, gabby, Mc D the stars, Ferrence is a dick...

[Jordy]

Tuukka Rask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bay Ridge Jet]

All Star Break and we are first in the East.

Last nights game was a great summary of the first half of the season.

Lundqvist for Vezina.

[kennedy fried Toon]

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Another great win yesterday. Very solid outing. Showed great resilience after the Flyers tied it up at 2.

[Bay Ridge Jet]

Holy **** that was a bad call last night

A lot of the crowd came from the Giants parade and they were hammered. Bad time to make a blown call. Bottles everywhere

[Jordy]

So here we are basically leading the NHL in points (we have 3 games in hand on the Red Wings).

The big question: Does Sather stay pat or does he make a big move before the deadline or does he make one or two small moves for depth?

No question that the Rangers are stacked on defense. But they could use a guy on offense to put them over the top.

The names of Rick Nash and Jeff Carter have been bantied about. I think either guy would be a great move provided we keep our core group and key prospects. Wolski, Dubinsky, Mitchell, Fedotenko, Bickel, Eminger are certainly roster players who could be moved without much deliberation. It would come down to which prospect(s) would be involved and/or picks.

Any thoughts?

[Bay Ridge Jet]

Rental.

This team has a great core and Id like them together for a few years. Nash could work I guess considering Gaborik only has 2 years left and thats when some guys are due raises. I will say that Nash is great when surronded by players as good or better than him. Hes ****ing insane when he plays for Canada. He has nothing to work with in Columbus and it shows in his stats.

A guy that fits like a glove is Ryan Smyth. He can score, he plays Torts' style, is a good locker room guy and wouldnt cost a ton. The dream rental is Temmu Selanne but I doubt he actually gets traded but we'll see.

[Jordy]

Originally Posted by Bay Ridge Jet

Rental.

This team has a great core and Id like them together for a few years. Nash could work I guess considering Gaborik only has 2 years left and thats when some guys are due raises. I will say that Nash is great when surronded by players as good or better than him. Hes ****ing insane when he plays for Canada. He has nothing to work with in Columbus and it shows in his stats.

A guy that fits like a glove is Ryan Smyth. He can score, he plays Torts' style, is a good locker room guy and wouldnt cost a ton. The dream rental is Temmu Selanne but I doubt he actually gets traded but we'll see.

I'd pass on Selanne. I'd rather see them get a player who can become a core member of the team and who can add some physicality. My concern with this team is can they withstand the physical nature of the playoffs for 4 rounds. They're tough but not the biggest team. I remember Carter being pretty feisty with the Flyers. I think he would fit pretty nicely as long as he wants to be here.