Nylander assisted on the game-winning, series deciding goal over at the world cup of hockey. Its the first time a team has ever won gold and then the WCOH in the same year.
Nylander is one guy I want back in the NYR mix for next season !
That guy is awesome, and he's a character too.
Remember him dropping the " shit " bomb on live NBC coverage?
too funny,....
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they still love us
they sent me this today- season recap.
ALL-S.T.A.R. NEWS - May 2006
Season in Review
In a season of resurgence on Broadway, Rangers fans were treated to a number of highlights and special performances throughout a memorable year. From an immediate love affair with rookie sensation, Henrik Lundqvist, to a highlight reel goal by Marek Malik, the Blueshirts and their fans connected as well as any in recent memory.
Additionally, some of the outstanding accomplishments below help recap an unforgettable season:
On March 29th, Henrik Lundqvist broke the franchise record for wins by a goaltender with his 30th win on March 29th.
Petr Prucha became the first Rangers rookie to score 30-goals in a season since Tony Amonte during the 1991-92 season and the ninth Rangers rookie to accomplish the feat all-time.
Jaromir Jagr set the Rangers single-season goal-scoring record by tallying 54 goals, eclipsing the previous record of 52 goals set by Adam Graves during the 1993-94 season.
In addition, Jagr:
became the sixth Ranger to reach 100 points in a season;
broke Vic Hadfield's record for power play goals;
became the third Ranger to score 50 goals in a season;
broke Phil Esposito's record for shots on goal; and,
broke Jean Ratelle's 34-year-old points record.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Rangers faced-off against their cross-town rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in what would prove to be an extremely difficult challenge for the Blueshirts, as the Devils came into the series having won their final 11 regular season games. Battling through injuries that plagued the team throughout the final months of the season, as well as an injury to Jagr suffered during the first game of the playoff series, the Rangers fell to the Devils in four games.
Perhaps a fitting end to a season in which the Rangers players seemed to form a strong bond with their fans, "The Garden Faithful" showed their deep appreciation for the team's achievements as time ran out on the fourth and final game and ultimately, the 2005-2006 season -- when they stood on their feet chanting "Let's Go Rangers" in the game's final seconds. The chant continued into the traditional game-ending handshakes between Rangers and Devils players and peaked when the Rangers stood at center ice for one final stick salute. Darius Kasparaitis, one of the Rangers alternate captains said after the game, “We're very proud of our fans…our fans appreciated the hard work all year long. It was pretty amazing to hear them cheer at the end.”
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By LARRY BROOKS
June 3, 2006 -- The Edmonton connection was vital in the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup victory, so it's only fair that, 12 years later, the Blueshirts are doing what they can to return the favor.
The Oilers will soon head to Raleigh, N.C., before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday against the Hurricanes. Seeking to both escape the madness back home and to acclimate themselves to the Eastern time zone and humidity, the Oilers received permission from Ranger GM Glen Sather to use his team's practice rink in Tarrytown yesterday and today.
"We love all the attention we were getting in our city, but you get to the point where your head becomes a little bigger than it should be," said Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, an integral part of the Blueshirts '94 championship team as Sergei Zubov's defense partner. "We discussed the concept of coming east a couple a days early with our players, and while we had other options, this was our first choice.
There were familiar faces in semi-familiar places all over the borrowed facility. There was head coach Craig MacTavish, a teammate of Lowe's in 1994 and a Ranger assistant coach under John Muckler; assistant coaches Charlie Huddy and Bill Moores, who held the same posts with the team; and a handful of former players.
"There are a lot of people around in various support positions from when I was here," MacTavish said. "It's always nice to see familiar faces."
Edomonton is the first Canadian team to reach the finals since the '94 Canucks, and is attempting to become the first Canadian winner since the '93 Canadiens.
The Oilers, who have thus far beaten the Red Wings, Sharks and Mighty Ducks in the playoffs, finished eighth in the Western Conference and 14th overall in the NHL. The Oilers were 41-28-13, but won only 28 games in regulation. They are the lowest seed to ever play for the Stanley Cup.
This time the team has a bit of a head s start. Idle since taking out the Mighty Ducks in five games last Saturday, the Oilers flew into New York on Thursday afternoon hours before the Hurricanes advanced to the Finals with a Game 7 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
MacTavish offered his own facilities to the Rangers for a future series. Considerate of them, but better the Oilers repay the favor by leaving Shawn Horcoff behind
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WEL-KIM BACK:Kim Johnsson, who began his NHL career with the Rangers, could be back with the Blueshirts as a free-agent, with the market putting a higher price tag on Ottawa's Zdeno Chara.
June 4, 2006 -- CONTRARY to reports out of Ottawa likely placed to increase Zdeno Chara's bargaining power, the Rangers have no intention whatsoever of offering the mammoth defenseman a number even close to $8 million per season when the free agent market opens July 1, Slap Shots has learned.
Indeed, the five-year, $29 million deal that includes a no-movement clause earned this week by prospective Group III Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe, makes it less likely the Rangers will sign Chara, even if he was long ago identified as the club's primary free-agent target.
The Blueshirts are extremely wary of offering a no-movement clause (no trade, no assignment, no waivers) to any free agent, with Patrik Elias the most probable exception to the rule. (In the unlikely event Joe Sakic becomes available, he, of course, can write his own contract). If both McCabe and Brad Richards already have earned that no-move guarantee, Chara is certain to demand that clause as a condition of his signing.
No offense, but regardless of the large shadow Chara casts over a game, being part of annual playoff meltdowns in Ottawa does not exactly help his cause at all on Broadway, where the Rangers managed the feat without his help on their own this spring. Of course, there will be no Olympics next year.
The Rangers will check on Chara - if he'll take $5.5 million, he's in - but they now are believed poised to pursue a free-agent Plan B. Or maybe it should be designated Plan B-plus, with the club looking to add two B-plus defensemen to the roster for almost the same cost as a single A.
Expect the Blueshirts to move quickly on Philadelphia's talented Kim Johnsson and Buffalo's mean-edged, own-end-oriented Jay McKee. Signing either would significantly bolster the blue line. Signing both would represent a bonanza.
Minnesota's Filip Kuba, Tampa Bay's Pavel Kubina and Dallas' Willie Mitchell also are believed to be on the priority list.
Johnsson, a Ranger for his first two NHL seasons before going to the Flyers in the 2001 Eric Lindros deal, did not play after Jan. 28, missing the final 31 games of the season and the playoffs with post-concussion syndrome. But Johnsson's agent, Rick Curran, told Slap Shots on Friday that the smooth-skating, puck-transporting, power play-point defenseman is fully recovered and has been cleared to return to NHL play.
"Kim could have returned for the playoffs, but after talking with Flyer management we all agreed it was in everyone's best interests to take a conservative approach," Curran said. "There are no questions about his health at this point. He's symptom-free and has been cleared by the doctor."
Curran said he has had, "very, very soft, preliminary discussions," with the Flyers about preventing Johnsson from going free, but that negotiations have not begun.
"They've said that they recognize that Kim is ideally suited to the new hockey world and they want to keep him, but it's up to them to come to us with an offer that would satisfy Kim," Curran reported.
Clubs have until June 15 to reach contract agreements with players who played last season and whose rights they own. After that, contracts may not be signed until July 1. Players who are Group II free agents but did not play in the NHL last year (such as defenseman Karel Rachunek, who played in Russia and is expected to return to the Rangers) may not sign deals until July 1.
*
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tomorrow theres a press conference out in Uniondale
seems they hired Neil to be their new General Manager.
I also heard that Ted Nolan may be brought in to coach this team .
How about that ?
Best of Luck to NS, even tho he now assumes the role of Public Enemy # 1 .
screw the islanders
fishsticks, anyone ?
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Wont be long now till we see who we lost, :eek: who we kept in the free agency splurge of 06 .
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they hired Pat LaFontaine also- chief assistant to Wang.
Theyre making lots of changes out there-
after a new arena- theyll be flying high !
heats up the rivalry also! cant wait for 07 .
-_/ Lets Go Rangers ! \_-
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Ted Nolan is gonna be in town for a ( short ) while
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Darius went in for surgery on his torn groin muscle today up in Montreal`.
Hopefully he'll have a full, speedy recovery in time for camp in August/ September.
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what up kid!! some one win this cup so we can begin the countdown
think about this one.. the devs hire a french coach ..the checzs(sp) don't like the french
Elias doesn't want to play for this guy ..and he signs w/ us
I hope we see Marc Staal come up, and i hope we see alot of Immonen this year.
He did well scoring 2 goals,one in each of his first 2 NHL games.
Bring this guy up already and keep him up !
- _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ -
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CZECH DEFENSEMAN RICHTER SIGNS WITH RANGERS
6/19/2006
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Martin Richter.
Richter, 28, skated in 47 games with the Liberec Bili Tygri HC of the Czech Extraleague this season, registering six goals and 20 assists for 26 points, along with 64 penalty minutes. In five postseason contests, he collected one assist and eight penalty minutes. In addition, Richter participated in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, where he recorded two assists along with eight penalty minutes in nine games, helping the Czech Republic capture a silver medal.
The 6-1, 205-pounder has appeared in 363 career regular season games with the Liberec, Sparta, Karlovy Vary and Olomouc of the Czech League and Saipa of the Finnish League, registering 24 goals and 59 assists for 83 points, along with 457 penalty minutes. Richter also skated with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Hockey League during the 2003-04 season and collected 33 penalty minutes in 14 games.
After signing his first professional contract on July 25, 2000, Richter made his North American debut with the Hartford Wolfpack on October 13, 2000 at Providence. In 29 games with the Wolfpack during the 2001-02 season, he picked up one goal and one assist, along with 36 penalty minutes.
Aside from his international experience in the 2006 World Championships, he represented his country at the 2001, 2002 and 2003 World Championship tournaments and was also a member of the Czech Republic national junior team that competed in the 1998 World Junior Championships. The native of Prostejov, Czech Republic was New York’s ninth selection, 269th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
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imagine - King Henrik was taken 205th overall in 2000, & Prucha was chosen 240th overall in 2002- We can ony wonder what the scouts have in store for us !
DRAFT DAY ALWAYS FULL OF PROMISE, SURPRISES
6/18/2006
On June 24, the hockey world will gather in Vancouver for an all-important glimpse into the future.
The league's 44th annual draft of amateur players will bring together some of the top minds in hockey -- charged with the difficult yet crucial task of projecting which 18-year-old athletes might one day emerge as NHL stars. It's an inexact science, but its ultimate result is often the foundation of a Stanley Cup championship team.
The Rangers hold the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The draft position reflects the team's marked improvement in 2005-06 but also raises the challenge of finding top talent after 20 players have already been taken. The Blueshirts' 11-man amateur scouting team, led by Head Amateur Scout Gordie Clark, will be ready to make the best possible selection not just at No. 21 but at every other draft position in Vancouver.
Clark will run this year's draft for the Rangers, alongside President and General Manager Glen Sather and Assistant General Manager Don Maloney. With more than 50 combined years of experience at NHL draft tables, this trio understands what it means to project talent years in advance.
Recognizing which underrated players have the potential to be stars in the future is a key to success at the draft table. Two key rookies from the 2005-06 Rangers, for example, demonstrate just how important draft day can be.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, taken 205th overall in 2000, and winger Petr Prucha, chosen 240th overall in 2002, might have seemed like afterthoughts in their respective draft years. In both cases, however, Rangers scouts correctly identified that once these players matured physically, they would find a home in hockey's top league.
Scouting isn't guesswork, though. It's a hard, often grueling life that often keeps dedicated scouts on the road away from their families. The payoff comes years later when the scout watches that boy become a man among NHL men, regardless of whether he was taken in the first round or the last.
During the 2005-06 season, Rangers amateur scouts attended more than 2,200 amateur hockey games around the world. This included the Canadian major junior leagues, U.S. colleges, prep schools and junior leagues, and European hockey leagues. All of this work was done with a focus on June 24, 2006.
In fact, the Rangers' eyes have been on most of the 2006 draft prospects for more than a year now. As far back as three years ago, Maloney said the scouting staff was taking notes on 15-year-olds who are now just coming into their draft year.
From the moment training camp ended last September, the Rangers scouts were on the road, keeping an eye on the top young talent.
"Everybody leaves training camp and they all go to their respective territories. They dive into their own areas right away and see every team," Clark said of his scouting staff. "By the end of November, everybody has pretty much identified players and put the flags on the ones considered the top prospects in each area. At that point I have two or three other scouts, along with me, called 'crossover' scouts go into each territory and rate the players. This way we can rate them against each other."
Last January, the Rangers scouts gathered for their annual mid-term meetings. Their goal was to come out with a list of the best 60 to 70 players that they would focus on for the remainder of the season. At the mid-term meetings, the Ranger scouts began to project where the team might be picking, based on a projected regular-season finish.
"January is important because it gives us our first idea of where we feel certain guys are," said Clark. "You continue to watch all the players, but you key in on a group of six to 10 that might possibly fit around your expected spot in the draft. You make sure you have watched them and know those players a lot."
Scouts also keep an eye on the rankings put out by major scouting services such as NHL Central Scouting, Red Line Report, and International Scouting Service (ISS). Clark and Maloney said these services are just a few of the many tools used by scouts themselves and are never a substitute for seeing a player in person.
"There's 30 teams at the draft," said Maloney. "And the thing is that you could have 30 scouts at the same game and they all might see something different."
In 1996, for example, the Calgary Flames used the No. 13 overall pick to choose defenseman Derek Morris, even though Morris was barely in the major scouting services' top 100 prospect lists. Morris would go on to make the NHL's All-Rookie team two seasons later.
While Morris was a surprising pick to the media, Clark said the talented defenseman was well known to scouts gathered that year in St. Louis – virtually all of whom considered him worthy of being taken in the first round.
Even when scouts know the landscape inside and out, there are still occasional first-round surprises.
Clark agreed that surprises are what make the draft such a unique moment in the hockey
calendar.
"Everybody usually has the same 10 or 15 guys at the top of their list, but they might be in a different order. And if somebody goes outside of that group, it pushes some players later into the round," he said.
Drafting strategy will be particularly important with the 2006 class, which does not appear to be as deep as some other recent talent pools.
"You've got somewhere in the area of 10 guys that can really impact their position this year," said Clark. "After that there seems to be quite a drop in the skill of the players. A guy taken at 28 or 31 might be just as good as anyone taken at 13 or 14 because a lot of players are behind in their maturity, and some will definitely mature in the next few years."
Teams drafting outside the top 10 must look down the road at each player's potential size increase relative to their current skill. The recent NHL rules changes and officials' tendency to call more penalties have also made teams reconsider old drafting strategies.
"I don’t think a lot of teams will be in there looking for size alone," noted Clark. "They might want good skaters with size, but they will care if they can play the game. You're going to see a lot of emphasis on this draft on speed and skill."
Clark said the Rangers' tendency to draft more skilled European players in the early part of this decade paid off when the "game changed overnight" as a result of the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
While first-round picks get all the attention, the Rangers are just as determined to find gems such as Prucha and Lundqvist in the draft's later rounds.
Don Maloney says there are always surprises on draft day.
"When you get down later in the draft, each scout has his own area, and it might come down to how much passion an individual scout has and how hard he pushes for an individual player," said Maloney.
When teams misjudge a player on draft day, Maloney said it's usually because they hoped for something that wasn't there in the first place.
"There are times at the draft when you reach," he said. "You have to hope certain things will come together. If those things come together, you have a player, but if they don't come together then you won't."
There are many calculated risks taken in every NHL draft, but one fact has been consistent for the past 43 years – it's still all about identifying the best raw talent.
"There are probably about 100 different little decisions that go into choosing a player," said Maloney. "It's a shifting puzzle and you don't want to put too much weight in any one area. But in the end you have to have talent to play. You win with talent."
For Clark, the bottom line on measuring draft success is equally clear.
"In the hockey world, we don't know a draft pick has really made it until we see him playing in the National Hockey League," said the Rangers' head scout. "That's the only time we know. In the end, it comes down to who ends up playing in the NHL because that's what you're drafting for."
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CZECH DEFENSEMAN RICHTER SIGNS WITH RANGERS
6/19/2006
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Martin Richter.
Richter, 28, skated in 47 games with the Liberec Bili Tygri HC of the Czech Extraleague this season, registering six goals and 20 assists for 26 points, along with 64 penalty minutes. In five postseason contests, he collected one assist and eight penalty minutes. In addition, Richter participated in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, where he recorded two assists along with eight penalty minutes in nine games, helping the Czech Republic capture a silver medal.
The 6-1, 205-pounder has appeared in 363 career regular season games with the Liberec, Sparta, Karlovy Vary and Olomouc of the Czech League and Saipa of the Finnish League, registering 24 goals and 59 assists for 83 points, along with 457 penalty minutes. Richter also skated with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Hockey League during the 2003-04 season and collected 33 penalty minutes in 14 games.
After signing his first professional contract on July 25, 2000, Richter made his North American debut with the Hartford Wolfpack on October 13, 2000 at Providence. In 29 games with the Wolfpack during the 2001-02 season, he picked up one goal and one assist, along with 36 penalty minutes.
Aside from his international experience in the 2006 World Championships, he represented his country at the 2001, 2002 and 2003 World Championship tournaments and was also a member of the Czech Republic national junior team that competed in the 1998 World Junior Championships. The native of Prostejov, Czech Republic was New York’s ninth selection, 269th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Czech Extraleague is sick, I was able to play an exhibition game while skating in the Czech Republic against one of there teams, very good league.
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
no postseason rewards for any of our Beloved Blueshirts .
Renney finishing 3rd behind Ruff and Lavio is not so surprising.
I thought Jagr had a chance to overtake Thornton, but oh well.
I will take that season over the last 7, anyday.
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i couldn't believe jagr got beat out,, thornton was worthy ,,but cmon
at least he won the lester peterson award ,,,( nhl player's mvp pick)
true enough.
thats the one from the players union from what i understand.
That Hart hardware is the one that you want.
But i agree thats better then nothing .
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Even though I'm a NYR fan it was a close vote and either Thornton or Jagr deserved it. Look at Thornton and what he did for that Sharks team oh well.
Read this and take it for what its worth, Havlat is one heck of a player, very underrated...
"Rumblings in the New York Post indicate that tight friends Martin Havlat and Patrik Elias could end up in the same locale this summer, with Elias an unrestricted free agent and Havlat a restricted free agent that could be difficult for the Senators to keep."
EDIT: Luongo to VANCOUVER for BERTUZZI! wow
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Oh & Draft Day proceedings will be televised on the good ole OLN Network.
wonder if we'll see JD on television anymore as an analyst.
The sale was approved by the Board Of Govenors , so now Checkets will be owner of the St Louis Blues and JD will step in as Team President .
Best Of Luck, JD !
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I barely count it as a multi player trade. Auld will be backing up whoever FLA signs or he will go into the minors, Bryan Allen will be playing in on the 2nd or 3rd D pair. Florida could have gotten better offers, personally I think they should have held out for the Kings offer.
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i heard 5 different names mentioned in that trade, wheather it be shifting around, changing positions, i dunno,.. sounded like " multi " was applicable,..
anywho
I watched the first couple hours of the draft ceremonies . Zzzzzzzzz
So after 2 hours,.. NYR came away at 21st pick overall with Sanguinetti. http://newyorkrangers.com/team/nhldraft06/default.asp?Ref=Skyscraper
wow another American draft choice . Local boy ! sweet !
Mobile , agile defenseman,....still physically immature but that'll change quickly ! Plus, he grew a NYR fan and he idolizes Brian Leetch ( wears # 22 as a tribute ) . Lets hope he is even a glimpse of Leetchie back in his heyday.
cant wait for september
PLAYER POSITION ROUND OVERALL 2005-06 TEAM
Bobby Sanguinetti......Defense........1 21..............Owen Sound (OHL)
Artem Anisimov..........Center..........2 54..............Yaroslavl-2 (Russia)
Ryan Hillier................Left Wing.......3 84.............Halifax (QMJHL)
David Kveton.............Right Wing......4 104...........Vsetin (Czech Republic)
Tomas Zaborsky.........Forward.........5 137............Trencin (Slovakia Jr.)
Eric Hunter................Left Wing.......6 174............Prince George (WHL)
Lukas Zeliska.............Center............7 204..........Trinec (Czech Republic)
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so when will the NYR be announcing the signing of Patrik Elias ?
& Hvalat ?
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Comments
Nylander is one guy I want back in the NYR mix for next season !
That guy is awesome, and he's a character too.
Remember him dropping the " shit " bomb on live NBC coverage?
too funny,....
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they sent me this today- season recap.
ALL-S.T.A.R. NEWS - May 2006
Season in Review
In a season of resurgence on Broadway, Rangers fans were treated to a number of highlights and special performances throughout a memorable year. From an immediate love affair with rookie sensation, Henrik Lundqvist, to a highlight reel goal by Marek Malik, the Blueshirts and their fans connected as well as any in recent memory.
Additionally, some of the outstanding accomplishments below help recap an unforgettable season:
On March 29th, Henrik Lundqvist broke the franchise record for wins by a goaltender with his 30th win on March 29th.
Petr Prucha became the first Rangers rookie to score 30-goals in a season since Tony Amonte during the 1991-92 season and the ninth Rangers rookie to accomplish the feat all-time.
Jaromir Jagr set the Rangers single-season goal-scoring record by tallying 54 goals, eclipsing the previous record of 52 goals set by Adam Graves during the 1993-94 season.
In addition, Jagr:
became the sixth Ranger to reach 100 points in a season;
broke Vic Hadfield's record for power play goals;
became the third Ranger to score 50 goals in a season;
broke Phil Esposito's record for shots on goal; and,
broke Jean Ratelle's 34-year-old points record.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Rangers faced-off against their cross-town rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in what would prove to be an extremely difficult challenge for the Blueshirts, as the Devils came into the series having won their final 11 regular season games. Battling through injuries that plagued the team throughout the final months of the season, as well as an injury to Jagr suffered during the first game of the playoff series, the Rangers fell to the Devils in four games.
Perhaps a fitting end to a season in which the Rangers players seemed to form a strong bond with their fans, "The Garden Faithful" showed their deep appreciation for the team's achievements as time ran out on the fourth and final game and ultimately, the 2005-2006 season -- when they stood on their feet chanting "Let's Go Rangers" in the game's final seconds. The chant continued into the traditional game-ending handshakes between Rangers and Devils players and peaked when the Rangers stood at center ice for one final stick salute. Darius Kasparaitis, one of the Rangers alternate captains said after the game, “We're very proud of our fans…our fans appreciated the hard work all year long. It was pretty amazing to hear them cheer at the end.”
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By LARRY BROOKS
June 3, 2006 -- The Edmonton connection was vital in the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup victory, so it's only fair that, 12 years later, the Blueshirts are doing what they can to return the favor.
The Oilers will soon head to Raleigh, N.C., before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday against the Hurricanes. Seeking to both escape the madness back home and to acclimate themselves to the Eastern time zone and humidity, the Oilers received permission from Ranger GM Glen Sather to use his team's practice rink in Tarrytown yesterday and today.
"We love all the attention we were getting in our city, but you get to the point where your head becomes a little bigger than it should be," said Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, an integral part of the Blueshirts '94 championship team as Sergei Zubov's defense partner. "We discussed the concept of coming east a couple a days early with our players, and while we had other options, this was our first choice.
There were familiar faces in semi-familiar places all over the borrowed facility. There was head coach Craig MacTavish, a teammate of Lowe's in 1994 and a Ranger assistant coach under John Muckler; assistant coaches Charlie Huddy and Bill Moores, who held the same posts with the team; and a handful of former players.
"There are a lot of people around in various support positions from when I was here," MacTavish said. "It's always nice to see familiar faces."
Edomonton is the first Canadian team to reach the finals since the '94 Canucks, and is attempting to become the first Canadian winner since the '93 Canadiens.
The Oilers, who have thus far beaten the Red Wings, Sharks and Mighty Ducks in the playoffs, finished eighth in the Western Conference and 14th overall in the NHL. The Oilers were 41-28-13, but won only 28 games in regulation. They are the lowest seed to ever play for the Stanley Cup.
This time the team has a bit of a head s start. Idle since taking out the Mighty Ducks in five games last Saturday, the Oilers flew into New York on Thursday afternoon hours before the Hurricanes advanced to the Finals with a Game 7 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
MacTavish offered his own facilities to the Rangers for a future series. Considerate of them, but better the Oilers repay the favor by leaving Shawn Horcoff behind
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Kim Johnsson returning ?
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
RANGERS COULD PASS ON BIG-TICKET CHARA
WEL-KIM BACK:Kim Johnsson, who began his NHL career with the Rangers, could be back with the Blueshirts as a free-agent, with the market putting a higher price tag on Ottawa's Zdeno Chara.
June 4, 2006 -- CONTRARY to reports out of Ottawa likely placed to increase Zdeno Chara's bargaining power, the Rangers have no intention whatsoever of offering the mammoth defenseman a number even close to $8 million per season when the free agent market opens July 1, Slap Shots has learned.
Indeed, the five-year, $29 million deal that includes a no-movement clause earned this week by prospective Group III Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe, makes it less likely the Rangers will sign Chara, even if he was long ago identified as the club's primary free-agent target.
The Blueshirts are extremely wary of offering a no-movement clause (no trade, no assignment, no waivers) to any free agent, with Patrik Elias the most probable exception to the rule. (In the unlikely event Joe Sakic becomes available, he, of course, can write his own contract). If both McCabe and Brad Richards already have earned that no-move guarantee, Chara is certain to demand that clause as a condition of his signing.
No offense, but regardless of the large shadow Chara casts over a game, being part of annual playoff meltdowns in Ottawa does not exactly help his cause at all on Broadway, where the Rangers managed the feat without his help on their own this spring. Of course, there will be no Olympics next year.
The Rangers will check on Chara - if he'll take $5.5 million, he's in - but they now are believed poised to pursue a free-agent Plan B. Or maybe it should be designated Plan B-plus, with the club looking to add two B-plus defensemen to the roster for almost the same cost as a single A.
Expect the Blueshirts to move quickly on Philadelphia's talented Kim Johnsson and Buffalo's mean-edged, own-end-oriented Jay McKee. Signing either would significantly bolster the blue line. Signing both would represent a bonanza.
Minnesota's Filip Kuba, Tampa Bay's Pavel Kubina and Dallas' Willie Mitchell also are believed to be on the priority list.
Johnsson, a Ranger for his first two NHL seasons before going to the Flyers in the 2001 Eric Lindros deal, did not play after Jan. 28, missing the final 31 games of the season and the playoffs with post-concussion syndrome. But Johnsson's agent, Rick Curran, told Slap Shots on Friday that the smooth-skating, puck-transporting, power play-point defenseman is fully recovered and has been cleared to return to NHL play.
"Kim could have returned for the playoffs, but after talking with Flyer management we all agreed it was in everyone's best interests to take a conservative approach," Curran said. "There are no questions about his health at this point. He's symptom-free and has been cleared by the doctor."
Curran said he has had, "very, very soft, preliminary discussions," with the Flyers about preventing Johnsson from going free, but that negotiations have not begun.
"They've said that they recognize that Kim is ideally suited to the new hockey world and they want to keep him, but it's up to them to come to us with an offer that would satisfy Kim," Curran reported.
Clubs have until June 15 to reach contract agreements with players who played last season and whose rights they own. After that, contracts may not be signed until July 1. Players who are Group II free agents but did not play in the NHL last year (such as defenseman Karel Rachunek, who played in Russia and is expected to return to the Rangers) may not sign deals until July 1.
*
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I heard on the 11 o clock news
tomorrow theres a press conference out in Uniondale
seems they hired Neil to be their new General Manager.
I also heard that Ted Nolan may be brought in to coach this team .
How about that ?
Best of Luck to NS, even tho he now assumes the role of Public Enemy # 1 .
screw the islanders
fishsticks, anyone ?
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BRING BACK MAD MIKE
Sammi: Wanna just break up?
No body can draft and scout like Mike and his crew he had.
Redden, Chara, Berard, Luongo, DiPietro, Bertuzzi etc.
As far as the Blueshirts, Pavel Kubina why not an extremely mobile right handed shot that they could have on the point for the PP.
The Islanders can draft them, they just don't hold onto them!
June and our thread still thrives !
Wont be long now till we see who we lost, :eek: who we kept in the free agency splurge of 06 .
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they hired Pat LaFontaine also- chief assistant to Wang.
Theyre making lots of changes out there-
after a new arena- theyll be flying high !
heats up the rivalry also! cant wait for 07 .
-_/ Lets Go Rangers ! \_-
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Sammi: Wanna just break up?
More like can't pay for them, hahaha eh hem hem Luongo eh hem
haha
Ted Nolan is gonna be in town for a ( short ) while
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Hopefully he'll have a full, speedy recovery in time for camp in August/ September.
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think about this one.. the devs hire a french coach ..the checzs(sp) don't like the french
Elias doesn't want to play for this guy ..and he signs w/ us
a good little read.
thanks for posting this !
I hope we see Marc Staal come up, and i hope we see alot of Immonen this year.
He did well scoring 2 goals,one in each of his first 2 NHL games.
Bring this guy up already and keep him up !
- _/ Lets Go Rangers \_ -
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This guy was briefly a NYR a few years ago.
http://newyorkrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2193
CZECH DEFENSEMAN RICHTER SIGNS WITH RANGERS
6/19/2006
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Martin Richter.
Richter, 28, skated in 47 games with the Liberec Bili Tygri HC of the Czech Extraleague this season, registering six goals and 20 assists for 26 points, along with 64 penalty minutes. In five postseason contests, he collected one assist and eight penalty minutes. In addition, Richter participated in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, where he recorded two assists along with eight penalty minutes in nine games, helping the Czech Republic capture a silver medal.
The 6-1, 205-pounder has appeared in 363 career regular season games with the Liberec, Sparta, Karlovy Vary and Olomouc of the Czech League and Saipa of the Finnish League, registering 24 goals and 59 assists for 83 points, along with 457 penalty minutes. Richter also skated with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Hockey League during the 2003-04 season and collected 33 penalty minutes in 14 games.
After signing his first professional contract on July 25, 2000, Richter made his North American debut with the Hartford Wolfpack on October 13, 2000 at Providence. In 29 games with the Wolfpack during the 2001-02 season, he picked up one goal and one assist, along with 36 penalty minutes.
Aside from his international experience in the 2006 World Championships, he represented his country at the 2001, 2002 and 2003 World Championship tournaments and was also a member of the Czech Republic national junior team that competed in the 1998 World Junior Championships. The native of Prostejov, Czech Republic was New York’s ninth selection, 269th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
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imagine - King Henrik was taken 205th overall in 2000, & Prucha was chosen 240th overall in 2002- We can ony wonder what the scouts have in store for us !
DRAFT DAY ALWAYS FULL OF PROMISE, SURPRISES
6/18/2006
On June 24, the hockey world will gather in Vancouver for an all-important glimpse into the future.
The league's 44th annual draft of amateur players will bring together some of the top minds in hockey -- charged with the difficult yet crucial task of projecting which 18-year-old athletes might one day emerge as NHL stars. It's an inexact science, but its ultimate result is often the foundation of a Stanley Cup championship team.
The Rangers hold the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The draft position reflects the team's marked improvement in 2005-06 but also raises the challenge of finding top talent after 20 players have already been taken. The Blueshirts' 11-man amateur scouting team, led by Head Amateur Scout Gordie Clark, will be ready to make the best possible selection not just at No. 21 but at every other draft position in Vancouver.
Clark will run this year's draft for the Rangers, alongside President and General Manager Glen Sather and Assistant General Manager Don Maloney. With more than 50 combined years of experience at NHL draft tables, this trio understands what it means to project talent years in advance.
Recognizing which underrated players have the potential to be stars in the future is a key to success at the draft table. Two key rookies from the 2005-06 Rangers, for example, demonstrate just how important draft day can be.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, taken 205th overall in 2000, and winger Petr Prucha, chosen 240th overall in 2002, might have seemed like afterthoughts in their respective draft years. In both cases, however, Rangers scouts correctly identified that once these players matured physically, they would find a home in hockey's top league.
Scouting isn't guesswork, though. It's a hard, often grueling life that often keeps dedicated scouts on the road away from their families. The payoff comes years later when the scout watches that boy become a man among NHL men, regardless of whether he was taken in the first round or the last.
During the 2005-06 season, Rangers amateur scouts attended more than 2,200 amateur hockey games around the world. This included the Canadian major junior leagues, U.S. colleges, prep schools and junior leagues, and European hockey leagues. All of this work was done with a focus on June 24, 2006.
In fact, the Rangers' eyes have been on most of the 2006 draft prospects for more than a year now. As far back as three years ago, Maloney said the scouting staff was taking notes on 15-year-olds who are now just coming into their draft year.
From the moment training camp ended last September, the Rangers scouts were on the road, keeping an eye on the top young talent.
"Everybody leaves training camp and they all go to their respective territories. They dive into their own areas right away and see every team," Clark said of his scouting staff. "By the end of November, everybody has pretty much identified players and put the flags on the ones considered the top prospects in each area. At that point I have two or three other scouts, along with me, called 'crossover' scouts go into each territory and rate the players. This way we can rate them against each other."
Last January, the Rangers scouts gathered for their annual mid-term meetings. Their goal was to come out with a list of the best 60 to 70 players that they would focus on for the remainder of the season. At the mid-term meetings, the Ranger scouts began to project where the team might be picking, based on a projected regular-season finish.
"January is important because it gives us our first idea of where we feel certain guys are," said Clark. "You continue to watch all the players, but you key in on a group of six to 10 that might possibly fit around your expected spot in the draft. You make sure you have watched them and know those players a lot."
Scouts also keep an eye on the rankings put out by major scouting services such as NHL Central Scouting, Red Line Report, and International Scouting Service (ISS). Clark and Maloney said these services are just a few of the many tools used by scouts themselves and are never a substitute for seeing a player in person.
"There's 30 teams at the draft," said Maloney. "And the thing is that you could have 30 scouts at the same game and they all might see something different."
In 1996, for example, the Calgary Flames used the No. 13 overall pick to choose defenseman Derek Morris, even though Morris was barely in the major scouting services' top 100 prospect lists. Morris would go on to make the NHL's All-Rookie team two seasons later.
While Morris was a surprising pick to the media, Clark said the talented defenseman was well known to scouts gathered that year in St. Louis – virtually all of whom considered him worthy of being taken in the first round.
Even when scouts know the landscape inside and out, there are still occasional first-round surprises.
Clark agreed that surprises are what make the draft such a unique moment in the hockey
calendar.
"Everybody usually has the same 10 or 15 guys at the top of their list, but they might be in a different order. And if somebody goes outside of that group, it pushes some players later into the round," he said.
Drafting strategy will be particularly important with the 2006 class, which does not appear to be as deep as some other recent talent pools.
"You've got somewhere in the area of 10 guys that can really impact their position this year," said Clark. "After that there seems to be quite a drop in the skill of the players. A guy taken at 28 or 31 might be just as good as anyone taken at 13 or 14 because a lot of players are behind in their maturity, and some will definitely mature in the next few years."
Teams drafting outside the top 10 must look down the road at each player's potential size increase relative to their current skill. The recent NHL rules changes and officials' tendency to call more penalties have also made teams reconsider old drafting strategies.
"I don’t think a lot of teams will be in there looking for size alone," noted Clark. "They might want good skaters with size, but they will care if they can play the game. You're going to see a lot of emphasis on this draft on speed and skill."
Clark said the Rangers' tendency to draft more skilled European players in the early part of this decade paid off when the "game changed overnight" as a result of the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
While first-round picks get all the attention, the Rangers are just as determined to find gems such as Prucha and Lundqvist in the draft's later rounds.
Don Maloney says there are always surprises on draft day.
"When you get down later in the draft, each scout has his own area, and it might come down to how much passion an individual scout has and how hard he pushes for an individual player," said Maloney.
When teams misjudge a player on draft day, Maloney said it's usually because they hoped for something that wasn't there in the first place.
"There are times at the draft when you reach," he said. "You have to hope certain things will come together. If those things come together, you have a player, but if they don't come together then you won't."
There are many calculated risks taken in every NHL draft, but one fact has been consistent for the past 43 years – it's still all about identifying the best raw talent.
"There are probably about 100 different little decisions that go into choosing a player," said Maloney. "It's a shifting puzzle and you don't want to put too much weight in any one area. But in the end you have to have talent to play. You win with talent."
For Clark, the bottom line on measuring draft success is equally clear.
"In the hockey world, we don't know a draft pick has really made it until we see him playing in the National Hockey League," said the Rangers' head scout. "That's the only time we know. In the end, it comes down to who ends up playing in the NHL because that's what you're drafting for."
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Czech Extraleague is sick, I was able to play an exhibition game while skating in the Czech Republic against one of there teams, very good league.
no postseason rewards for any of our Beloved Blueshirts .
Renney finishing 3rd behind Ruff and Lavio is not so surprising.
I thought Jagr had a chance to overtake Thornton, but oh well.
I will take that season over the last 7, anyday.
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i couldn't believe jagr got beat out,, thornton was worthy ,,but cmon
at least he won the lester peterson award ,,,( nhl player's mvp pick)
thats the one from the players union from what i understand.
That Hart hardware is the one that you want.
But i agree thats better then nothing .
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Read this and take it for what its worth, Havlat is one heck of a player, very underrated...
"Rumblings in the New York Post indicate that tight friends Martin Havlat and Patrik Elias could end up in the same locale this summer, with Elias an unrestricted free agent and Havlat a restricted free agent that could be difficult for the Senators to keep."
EDIT: Luongo to VANCOUVER for BERTUZZI! wow
good ole Iron Mike,
still at it scrambling things up and making controversy his adversary !
This was a multi player trade.
http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=169536&hubname=
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wonder if we'll see JD on television anymore as an analyst.
The sale was approved by the Board Of Govenors , so now Checkets will be owner of the St Louis Blues and JD will step in as Team President .
Best Of Luck, JD !
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I barely count it as a multi player trade. Auld will be backing up whoever FLA signs or he will go into the minors, Bryan Allen will be playing in on the 2nd or 3rd D pair. Florida could have gotten better offers, personally I think they should have held out for the Kings offer.
i heard 5 different names mentioned in that trade, wheather it be shifting around, changing positions, i dunno,.. sounded like " multi " was applicable,..
anywho
I watched the first couple hours of the draft ceremonies . Zzzzzzzzz
So after 2 hours,.. NYR came away at 21st pick overall with Sanguinetti.
http://newyorkrangers.com/team/nhldraft06/default.asp?Ref=Skyscraper
wow another American draft choice . Local boy ! sweet !
Mobile , agile defenseman,....still physically immature but that'll change quickly !
cant wait for september
PLAYER POSITION ROUND OVERALL 2005-06 TEAM
Bobby Sanguinetti......Defense........1 21..............Owen Sound (OHL)
Artem Anisimov..........Center..........2 54..............Yaroslavl-2 (Russia)
Ryan Hillier................Left Wing.......3 84.............Halifax (QMJHL)
David Kveton.............Right Wing......4 104...........Vsetin (Czech Republic)
Tomas Zaborsky.........Forward.........5 137............Trencin (Slovakia Jr.)
Eric Hunter................Left Wing.......6 174............Prince George (WHL)
Lukas Zeliska.............Center............7 204..........Trinec (Czech Republic)
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& Hvalat ?
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