Rangers Fans Look to Exciting Future

One of the greatest aspects of being a sports fan in New York is the passion that every team supporter wears on their sleeve. Literally, you can walk to the streets of New York, stop for ten seconds to talk to a Yankees fan, and you’ll be sure to get their take on the current state of the team. Or you can talk to a Mets fan and maybe theirs will include some yelling and expletives not suitable for a family blog, and then they’ll go run and hide until Omar Minaya is canned. It’s the great part of being a fan in the NY area. There are actually millions of general managers living in the neighborhood. As fans in the Tri-State area, we know what’s best–often better than the Brian Cashman’s of the world.

Life really is no different when discussing the Broadway Blueshirts. 15 years is way too long to wait for another Stanley Cup run and year after year we think we’ve got a good shot of making noise again. Part of what makes rooting for a New York team so special is the fact that there is no boring offseason. We’re all well-aware though of the disastrous signings the Rangers have had over the past fifteen years, so there’s no point in rehashing some of our worst nightmares. Though I will go into one of the more recent ones. When Scott Gomez came over to the Garden, he was supposed to impart some of that winning attitude to a Rangers team that desperately needed to get over the hump. Yet in his last season in NY, it looked as if Gomez was better on-camera interviewed by Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti, then he was at playing hockey. Still, GM Glen Sather was able to jettison Gomez and bring a package of nice players to New York, but you get the idea. If you’re not going to produce, then don’t bother playing in New York. We don’t want anything else, but championships…and lately they’ve been hard to come by.

This year was supposed to be a year the Rangers rebuilt. We signed Marian Gaborik, but otherwise the trademarks of the NY Rangers of the past (signing a myriad of overpriced veterans: i.e Wade Redden), didn’t really plague the team this offseason. We weren’t expected to contend for supremacy in the East, but a playoff spot would’ve been nice. Then, we started off 7-1 and the chatter began that maybe this team could be the beast of the East.

Fast-forward to November 19th, and the Rangers are now 13-11-1 and are 4-6 in their past ten games. So maybe we aren’t that good after-all. Fans, who thought John Tortorella would be the franchise’s savior, are now beginning to doubt his up-tempo game. They’re calling for Glen Sather’s firing. And some are even proposing we trade Henrik Lundqvist.

I’d like to get into the action and put my two cents in, for what it’s worth. For once, we Rangers fans should be patient. The season is just 25 games old and we’re already looking to make drastic changes. I don’t want to be tied with the Islanders either, believe me. But, take a look at this team: for once in the past decade, we are building from within. Sure, we’ve got some preposterous contracts on our hands, but our current active roster has an average age of 27. I think it’s the first time in a while we can attribute some of the season’s failures–and our successes to youth (and Marian Gaborik).

Part of what makes us as fans so special and unreasonable at the same time is that we want to win…and we want to win now. Think about how nice it will feel when we make the playoffs, or win a Cup, with Michael Del Zotto working his magic like Brian Leetch did. Or Artem Anisimov heading the second line and showing us why scoring only 16 goals this season was worth it, because now he’s nearly a point per game player. Or think about how nice it will look when Brandon Dubinsky is hoisting the Cup while wearing the “C” –and although he may never become the scoring threat we want him to become, he’s still just 23-years old, has heart and gives us 100% maximum effort when he’s on the ice.

Take comfort in the fact that we have our “own” to watch now. Stardom doesn’t just happen with the flip of a switch. We have to endure the hardships now, so when we are winning, it’s that more enjoyable. I may be in the minority here, but I’m all about patience. We sign big-time players, but we have skilled youngsters, too, that really provide for our foundation.

So let’s let this season unfold, fellow Rangers fans. Let’s let our younger players learn from our veterans, but most importantly from their struggles, as well. We’ll really be happy when these guys turn into our stars. But we’ll be angrier if we give up on them now.

-Jimmy

Worst Teams in the League Go Head-to-Head

In what’s sure to be a strange and somewhat unpredictable battle, the Carolina Hurricanes will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. So what exactly happens when the worst team in the league takes on the other worst team in the league?

Let’s start with Toronto. The team that bounces in and out of the playoffs each year doesn’t have a lot to go on. Niklas Hagman and Alexei Ponikarovsky each have seven goals, which leads the team right now. Phil Kessel has also been decent, scoring five goals for the team so far. They’ve only managed to win three games this season, although maybe they’ll have the advantage since TWO of the three were won on the road. On the other hand, they’ve lost five on the road and six at home, so that doesn’t do much to boost their chances.

The ‘Canes are almost in the same boat. They’ve had a stunning THREE wins at home- not a lot to write home about. However, their three wins have been at home which could give them an edge over the Leafs since it’s obviously where they’re playing better. Their goal scoring isn’t much better. Ray Whitney leads the team with six and there is three-way tie for five goals between Brandon Sutter, Tuomo Ruutu, and Jussi Jokinen. Until last week, Ruutu was on a ten-game scoreless streak.

I think I’m going to pick Toronto for this one. Not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I believe it will take a little more time for Carolina to come back from that 14-game losing streak. In any event, I wouldn’t put a whole lot of stock in this game. The only major accomplishment will be that one team will have four wins and will no longer be last place in the league.

-Alicia

Some Good, Some Bad

It seems that streaks are what’s in style for the NHL lately. Winning or losing, someone always has to be on the end of one. For some it’s home-wins, others it’s road-wins, and for another, it’s about the worst losing streak a team could have.

Let’s start on a positive note. After beating the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, the Chicago Blackhawks have their longest home- win streak since 2002. Even though it’s only a whopping six games, it shows the dedication of a team that could yet again go to the post-season.

The New Jersey Devils will be taking the opposite position. They’re looking to tie the record for most consecutive road wins, which is currently held at 12 by the Detroit Red Wings. They have yet to lose on the road this season and have nine road-wins to their credit, popping them into the number one slot for the Atlantic Division. I don’t think this kind of streak from the Devils shocks anyone, as they go back and forth between a powerhouse and a team that struggles to fit together.

On a not-so-hot-streak? The Carolina Hurricanes. Even though they ended it playing the Wild on Sunday, the team had an embarrassing 14 game losing streak. The demoralizing streak was only ended due to a shootout goal made by Jossi Jokinen, and the game ended with a score of 4-5, hardly a blowout. It’s hard to say if that streak was snapped for good or if it was just a fluke, but by currently being in last place in the league, my best guess is that the Hurricanes fans are in for a season of disappointment.

-Alicia

Early Injuries = Early Season Star

While we often hear all the talk across the wide world of sports that the influx of youth is taking over our country’s favorite pastimes—from baseball to basketball to football, hockey is the one sport that doesn’t receive its proper recognition when discussing the nation’s best young athletes. Of course, from the casual fans perspective, hockey is dominated by the likes of Sidney Crosby, age-22, and Alexander Ovechkin, age-24, and rightfully so. Yet there’s more to the great game of hockey than the dynamic duo from the East. In fact, six of the top ten point scorers (as of 11/9) are 27 years old or younger.

Without looking at the NHL scoring leaders, take a guess on who leads the league in offensive production. Crosby? Nope. Ovie? No thanks. Malkin? Not close. The league’s leading scorer is none other than Anze Kopitar, from the third best team in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings. Most probably can’t even pronounce the Slovenian’s (since when are they good at hockey?) name, let alone even know who he is. The question remains, is this guy for real or is he an aberration?

First things first: Kopitar is leading the league right now with 27 points, four over Ovechkin. The Washington Capital has been out since November 1^st, with a shoulder injury, but could return to action this Friday. Third place in the race for the league’s scoring title goes to Marian Gaborik, of the New York Rangers. The brittle Gaborik has also dealt with his own injury woes, missing a couple game due to a knee injury. Malkin hasn’t played since October 29^th because of his own shoulder injury, so it’s no wonder he ranks 37^th in the league in scoring. Pavel Datsyuk, who finished fourth in the league with 97 points last season, has also missed two games for the Red Wings. I’d hope by now all you readers are sensing a theme. Only Crosby has started off “slowly,”—by his standards at least, with 16 points in 17 games.

Still, the question remains, is this guy, Anze Kopitar, a legitimate threat to become the top offensive force in the NHL?

To put his season in perspective, Kopitar has 27 points in 17 games. Last season, Ovechkin had 24 points in his first 17 games ; Crosby had 22, Datsyuk had 17, and Malkin had 30. So as of now, we’d have to say this Kopitar character has been rather impressive.

What’s even more astounding is the fact that Kings’ center is only 22-years old. He’s also been in the league for four seasons. After his sophomore campaign, in which he totaled 77 points in all 82 games played, it looked as if he was going to breakout. But last season, he only had 66 points, so the pessimists certainly looked to write him off for this season. Little did they realize, Kopitar played on the Kings, a team that hasn’t eclipsed the .500 mark since he’s been in the league. Still, he’s 22, and has 231 points in 253 games played.

This year is looking quite brighter for the Kings. They have a nice core of young players—playmakers, snipers, and rising leaders. They are second in the West in scoring, lead by Kopitar. Centering a line of Justin Williams, who hasn’t had a full season in two years, and Ryan Smyth, a newly-acquired steady left-winger, has most definitely aided Kopitar’s development.

Not only does Kopitar have the supporting cast to be a constant producer this season, he’s also showing his versatility. Earning over 21 minutes of ice-time, Kopitar sees number one time on the power play unit, and also just under two minutes a game of penalty-kill time. At this pace, Kopitar will greatly outnumber his short-handed time from last season, which shows how much Kings coach Terry Murray Kelly trusts him. Additionally, Kopitar has a plus-8 rating, fully showing that he’s more than a scorer, he’s also responsible in his own end.

With imposing size, 6’3”, 222 pounds, the center is the definition of a power forward. With great hands, speed, and shot, Kopitar has the make-up to become a superstar in the NHL for years to come.

So while injuries are never wished upon a team, they might have been a blessing in disguise for Kopitar…at least we notice him now.

-Jimmy