:eek:
i saw U2 back there a while back- that was cool,....as far as this game,..if it happens,
i'm there !
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
CAMP GIVES YOUNG PROSPECTS A TASTE OF NHL LIFE
6/27/2006
VIDEO – PROSPECTS DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Adam Graves Discusses Camp's Purpose
High | Low
Graves on the Quality of Today's Prospects
High | Low
Don Maloney on How Camp Helps Prospects
High | Low
This week, many of the Rangers' top young prospects are participating in extensive physical and mental drills aimed at preparing them for life in the NHL.
For these young players, including 2006 first-round draft pick Bobby Sanguinetti, this week's camp at the Madison Square Garden Training Center is an important milestone their "next step" toward the NHL. And for the Rangers' braintrust, it's is an opportunity to instill the type of work ethic, conditioning, and character needed to succeed in the "new NHL".
After making the playoffs in 2005-06, the Rangers coaching staff began to project how the organization could continue to improve. The coaches determined that after establishing the Rangers as one of the most hardworking, fit, and disciplined teams in the league, it was important to build on that reputation for many years to come.
"The idea behind the camp is to expose our young prospects to the Ranger culture," explains Head Coach Tom Renney. "It's an initiation of how we intend our players to take care of themselves in the summertime and off-season, in terms of their strength and conditioning in general. We give them a process to work on during the summer months."
When the players arrived at the Rangers Training Facility on Monday, they were split into four groups (Red, White, Blue, and Green), and underwent a bevy of tests. While Head Trainer Jim Ramsay collected each players' measurements and vitals, the coaching staff conducted on-ice assessments of each player's speed and quickness on the blades.
In the morning session, the Blue and Green teams hit the weights with Strength and Conditioning Coach Reg Grant, while the Red and White squads hit the ice with Assistant Coach Mike Pelino, Special Assistant of Prospect Development Adam Graves, and Hartford Wolf Pack Assistant Coach Ken Gernander. After lunch and some video sessions, the teams switched for the remainder of the day.
Graves, known for hard work on and off the ice throughout his long NHL career, has played a key role in the development camp over the last two years.
"June, July, and August are the most important months for a hockey player," he said. "They learn what it is they need to get stronger at, and our goal is to help them better prepare themselves for training camp."
Each player at the camp meets individually with the coaching staff to discuss what they have accomplished, and what they need to work on in the coming months.
"We try to give them an idea of what we look for from an individual prospective in terms of the conditioning and fitness they must have in order to one day compete for a job," said Renney.
All in all, the Renney believes that the Prospect Development Camp exemplifies the new mentality that surrounds the Rangers organization.
"We are continuing to stay true to our philosophy of redefining the Rangers through good, young players who are talented and are made up of the type of character that we believe are symbolic of what the city is all about. As much as we are in year two of this new look team, this camp itself identifies the process of our long term goal and what we want to be."
2006 New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp Roster
Player POS. HT WT DOB 2005-06 Team (League)
Zdenek Bahensky RW 6-2 195 1/3/86 Saskatoon (WHL)
Greg Beller RW 6-3 202 1/22/87 Green Bay (USHL)
Dane Byers LW 6-2 192 2/21/86 Prince Albert/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Marc-Andre Cliche RW 6-0 177 3/23/87 Lewiston (QMJHL)
Marvin Degon D 5-11 190 7/20/83 Umass/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Brandon Dubinsky C 6-0 203 4/29/86 Portland/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Brodie Dupont C 6-2 197 2/17/87 Calgary (WHL)
Jordan Foote W 6-3 205 3/7/85 Michigan Tech (WCHA)
Bruce Graham C 6-6 235 12/2/85 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Ryan Hillier LW 5-11 179 1/25/88 Halifax (QMJHL)
Chris Holt G 6-3 229 6/5/85 Hartford/Charlotte/NYR (AHL/ECHL/NHL)
Eric Hunter C 5-11 188 8/11/86 Prince George (WHL)
Hugh Jessiman RW 6-6 223 3/28/84 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Lauri Korpikoski LW 6-1 183 7/28/86 Turku/Hartford (Finland/AHL)
Trevor Koverko D 6-3 205 3/2287 Owen Sound (OHL)
Greg Moore F 6-1 208 3/26/84 Maine/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Corey Potter D 6-2 188 1/5/84 Michigan State (CCHA)
Tom Pyatt C 5-11 180 2/14/87 Saginaw (OHL)
Ryan Russell C 5-9 165 5/2/87 Kootenay (WHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti D 6-2 180 2/29/88 Owen Sound (OHL)
Michael Sauer D 6-2 192 8/7/87 Portland (WHL)
Marc Staal D 6-3 196 1/13/87 Sudbury (OHL)
Kevin Westgarth RW 6-4 245 2/7/84 Princeton (ECAC)
Miika Wiikman G 6-0 176 10/12/84 Hameenlinna (Finland)
OTHER INVITEES Player POS. 2005-06 Team (League)
Mitch Fadden C Seattle-Lethbridge (WHL)
Don Maloney Jr. F Brewster Bulldogs (EJHL)
Lyon Messier D Texas Tornado (NAHL)
Joe Pavone F Canterbury School (Conn. H.S.)
Mark Schacker G N.Y. Apple Core (U.S. Junior)
Special Invitees:
Don Maloney Jr- and Lyon Messier ? Is that the Captains son ? :eek: can't wait for the season to start !
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
BROOKS, DUFF VOTED INTO HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
6/28/2006
Former Rangers head coach Herb Brooks, the man who led Team USA to the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid, was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Brooks was one of two Rangers alumni to be elected to the Hall. Joining him is former Rangers player Dick Duff, who played with the Blueshirts for parts of the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons between long stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
Also entering the Hall of Fame are former Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy and longtime Calgary Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss. Brooks and Hotchkiss were inducted in the Builder Category, while Roy and Duff will go into the Hall for their playing accomplishments.
Brooks, who was killed in a 2003 automobile accident at age 66, coached the Rangers for 285 games from 1981 to 1985. He ranks fifth in team history for total games coached and is also fifth in wins with 131. His lifetime record with the Blueshirts was 131-113-41, including trips to the playoffs in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985.
In both 1982 and 1983, Brooks' teams advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell in six games. His career playoff coaching record with the Rangers was 12-13. Brooks also coached the Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, amassing 219 lifetime wins.
A highly successful coach at the University of Minnesota, Brooks won three NCAA titles with the Gophers from 1974 to 1979. He later was chosen to lead the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, and his collection of college players shocked the world by beating the Soviets at Lake Placid in the medal round and then topping Finland for the gold medal. The team's achievement was considered one of the great sporting moments of the 20th century and was later immortalized in the film Miracle.
In 1990, Brooks was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. He also went on to coach Team USA to a silver medal at Lake Placid in 2002.
Brooks' NHL coaching career began with the Rangers, just over a year after his gold-medal win. Hired by the Blueshirts on June 4, 1981 at age 44, Brooks injected his European-style game into the NHL years before it became the standard.
Taking over a team that had gone 30-36-14 the previous season, Brooks led the Rangers to a 39-27-14 record in his first year as head coach. Two years later, in 1983-84, the Rangers won 40 games under Brooks before falling to the defending Stanley Cup champion Islanders in a thrilling yet heartbreaking best-of-five series.
Dick Duff
Duff, the Rangers' other Hall of Famer, had a shorter career with the Blueshirts, playing a total of 43 games in New York. He joined the team at age 28 in a landmark trade with Toronto on Feb. 22, 1964. The deal saw the Leafs send Duff, Arnie Brown, Bob Nevin, Bill Collins and Rod Seiling to the Rangers in exchange for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney.
By the middle of the following season, Duff had been traded again, this time to Montreal for Bill Hicke on Dec. 22, 1964. In his 43 career Ranger games, Duff had seven goals and 13 assists. His overall NHL career spanned 1,030 games, which saw him score 283 goals and 289 assists. He retired from hockey during the 1971-72 season.
A seven-time NHL All-Star, Duff won six Stanley Cup championships. He later became a Maple Leafs assistant coach and had a two-game stint as Toronto's replacement head coach in 1979-80.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
CAMP GIVES YOUNG PROSPECTS A TASTE OF NHL LIFE
6/27/2006
VIDEO – PROSPECTS DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Adam Graves Discusses Camp's Purpose
High | Low
Graves on the Quality of Today's Prospects
High | Low
Don Maloney on How Camp Helps Prospects
High | Low
This week, many of the Rangers' top young prospects are participating in extensive physical and mental drills aimed at preparing them for life in the NHL.
For these young players, including 2006 first-round draft pick Bobby Sanguinetti, this week's camp at the Madison Square Garden Training Center is an important milestone their "next step" toward the NHL. And for the Rangers' braintrust, it's is an opportunity to instill the type of work ethic, conditioning, and character needed to succeed in the "new NHL".
After making the playoffs in 2005-06, the Rangers coaching staff began to project how the organization could continue to improve. The coaches determined that after establishing the Rangers as one of the most hardworking, fit, and disciplined teams in the league, it was important to build on that reputation for many years to come.
"The idea behind the camp is to expose our young prospects to the Ranger culture," explains Head Coach Tom Renney. "It's an initiation of how we intend our players to take care of themselves in the summertime and off-season, in terms of their strength and conditioning in general. We give them a process to work on during the summer months."
When the players arrived at the Rangers Training Facility on Monday, they were split into four groups (Red, White, Blue, and Green), and underwent a bevy of tests. While Head Trainer Jim Ramsay collected each players' measurements and vitals, the coaching staff conducted on-ice assessments of each player's speed and quickness on the blades.
In the morning session, the Blue and Green teams hit the weights with Strength and Conditioning Coach Reg Grant, while the Red and White squads hit the ice with Assistant Coach Mike Pelino, Special Assistant of Prospect Development Adam Graves, and Hartford Wolf Pack Assistant Coach Ken Gernander. After lunch and some video sessions, the teams switched for the remainder of the day.
Graves, known for hard work on and off the ice throughout his long NHL career, has played a key role in the development camp over the last two years.
"June, July, and August are the most important months for a hockey player," he said. "They learn what it is they need to get stronger at, and our goal is to help them better prepare themselves for training camp."
Each player at the camp meets individually with the coaching staff to discuss what they have accomplished, and what they need to work on in the coming months.
"We try to give them an idea of what we look for from an individual prospective in terms of the conditioning and fitness they must have in order to one day compete for a job," said Renney.
All in all, the Renney believes that the Prospect Development Camp exemplifies the new mentality that surrounds the Rangers organization.
"We are continuing to stay true to our philosophy of redefining the Rangers through good, young players who are talented and are made up of the type of character that we believe are symbolic of what the city is all about. As much as we are in year two of this new look team, this camp itself identifies the process of our long term goal and what we want to be."
2006 New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp Roster
Player POS. HT WT DOB 2005-06 Team (League)
Zdenek Bahensky RW 6-2 195 1/3/86 Saskatoon (WHL)
Greg Beller RW 6-3 202 1/22/87 Green Bay (USHL)
Dane Byers LW 6-2 192 2/21/86 Prince Albert/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Marc-Andre Cliche RW 6-0 177 3/23/87 Lewiston (QMJHL)
Marvin Degon D 5-11 190 7/20/83 Umass/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Brandon Dubinsky C 6-0 203 4/29/86 Portland/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Brodie Dupont C 6-2 197 2/17/87 Calgary (WHL)
Jordan Foote W 6-3 205 3/7/85 Michigan Tech (WCHA)
Bruce Graham C 6-6 235 12/2/85 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Ryan Hillier LW 5-11 179 1/25/88 Halifax (QMJHL)
Chris Holt G 6-3 229 6/5/85 Hartford/Charlotte/NYR (AHL/ECHL/NHL)
Eric Hunter C 5-11 188 8/11/86 Prince George (WHL)
Hugh Jessiman RW 6-6 223 3/28/84 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Lauri Korpikoski LW 6-1 183 7/28/86 Turku/Hartford (Finland/AHL)
Trevor Koverko D 6-3 205 3/2287 Owen Sound (OHL)
Greg Moore F 6-1 208 3/26/84 Maine/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Corey Potter D 6-2 188 1/5/84 Michigan State (CCHA)
Tom Pyatt C 5-11 180 2/14/87 Saginaw (OHL)
Ryan Russell C 5-9 165 5/2/87 Kootenay (WHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti D 6-2 180 2/29/88 Owen Sound (OHL)
Michael Sauer D 6-2 192 8/7/87 Portland (WHL)
Marc Staal D 6-3 196 1/13/87 Sudbury (OHL)
Kevin Westgarth RW 6-4 245 2/7/84 Princeton (ECAC)
Miika Wiikman G 6-0 176 10/12/84 Hameenlinna (Finland)
OTHER INVITEES Player POS. 2005-06 Team (League)
Mitch Fadden C Seattle-Lethbridge (WHL)
Don Maloney Jr. F Brewster Bulldogs (EJHL)
Lyon Messier D Texas Tornado (NAHL)
Joe Pavone F Canterbury School (Conn. H.S.)
Mark Schacker G N.Y. Apple Core (U.S. Junior)
Special Invitees:
Don Maloney Jr- and Lyon Messier ? Is that the Captains son ? :eek: can't wait for the season to start !
haha yeah Donny great shot played against him this year a bit...as far as Lyon he is a decent defensemen for his age but I don't see him suiting up for the blueshirts ever. sangs is a great defensemen be excited for him.
now......free agents.
The Rangers will inquire about Patrik Elias and Zdeno Chara but could also sign more North American players. They are apparently interested in Bill Guerin, but it's unknown if he'll agree to a one-year contract. Negotiations to re-sign Martin Rucinsky have hit a snag, with Rucinsky seeking a two-year deal and the Rangers countering with one. - NY Post
Chara is gone, Savard gone, Kubina gone, Jovo gone....hurry up Glen.
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
CULLEN TO NYR!!!! Big pick up, heavy shot, great skater and 2.8 a year, that's a nice upgrade, he'll step right into rucchin's shoes. Now resign Straka and get Elias.
Elias gone, good for the Devils glad NYR didn't give him that kind of contract.....Arnott's gone, now you have me wondering Glen.
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
i hope they can work out the snag with rucinsky too.
Rachunek ( again ) and Cullen - & a few others......... i guess we are doing okay so far. Its really gonna heat up this week with signings!
sweet !
RANGERS RE-SIGN FORWARD MARTIN STRAKA
7/2/2006
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has re-signed free agent forward Martin Straka.
Straka, 33, appeared in 82 games with the Rangers this season, collecting 22 goals and 54 assists for 76 points, along with 42 penalty minutes. His 54 assists (T-20th in the NHL) and 76 points (T-35th in the NHL) ranked third on the club, while his 29 power play assists led the team and tied for 19th in the league. He also tied for second on the team with four game-winning goals. In eight games at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Straka led the Czech Republic in scoring with eight points (two goals and six assists) and helped his country capture a bronze medal.
A veteran of 13 NHL seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings and Rangers, Straka has skated in 812 career NHL games, registering 214 goals and 392 assists for 606 points, along with 314 penalty minutes.
In 2004-05, he appeared in 45 games with HC Lassenberger Plzen in the Czech Extraleague, registering 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points, along with 76 penalty minutes. He led the club with 16 tallies and ranked second with 18 assists and 34 points.
As a member of the Penguins, he recorded 165 goals and 277 assists for 442 points, along with 215 penalty minutes in 560 contests. His best professional season came in 2000-01 with the Penguins, when he charted career highs in games played (82), assists (68) and points (95). In 1998-99, Straka tallied a career-high 35 goals and represented the Penguins at the 1999 NHL All-Star Game.
The 5-9, 178-pounder has also appeared in 86 career playoff contests with the Penguins, Panthers and Rangers, registering 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points, along with 34 penalty minutes. In addition, Straka was a key member of Pittsburgh’s team that went to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2001, appearing in 18 post-season contests and registering five goals and eight assists for 13 points. During the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he skated in 13 of Florida’s 22 playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup Finals, tallying two goals in the Eastern Conference Finals versus Pittsburgh.
Internationally, Straka has represented the Czech Republic in several tournaments over his career. Aside from his stint in Torino in 2006, he also appeared in six games during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, registering one goal and two assists, en route to capturing the gold medal. At the 2005 World Championships in Austria, Straka registered three goals and one assist in nine contests, helping lead the team to a gold medal finish. In addition, he has also participated in both the 1996 and 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and skated in the World Junior Championships in 1991 (bronze medal) and two additional World Hockey Championships (2003, 2004).
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has signed restricted free agent defenseman Karel Rachunek.
Rachunek, 26, skated in 45 games with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the Russian Hockey League last season, collecting 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points, along with 73 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating. In 2004-05, Rachunek split the season with Yaroslavl and Znojmo of the Czech Extraleague, registering 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, along with 124 penalty minutes in 48 games.
The 6-2, 212-pound defenseman has appeared in 258 career NHL games with the Rangers and Ottawa Senators, registering 12 goals and 89 assists for 101 points, along with 149 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 20 career playoff contests with the Senators, tallying one goal and three assists, along with 14 penalty minutes.
In 2003-04, Rachunek skated in 72 games with the Rangers and Senators, registering two goals and 19 assists for 21 points, along with 33 penalty minutes. On March 9, 2004, he was acquired by the Rangers, along with Alexandre Giroux, in exchange for Greg de Vries and made his Rangers debut on March 12, 2004 at Tampa Bay. Prior to the trade to New York, he appeared in 60 games with Ottawa, recording one goal and 16 assists for 17 points, along with 29 penalty minutes.
During the 2001-02 season, Rachunek was selected to skate in the NHL YoungStars Game during the NHL All-Star Weekend on January 17, 2002. In his rookie campaign of 2000-01, he finished second among all NHL rookies with a plus-17 rating and was third with 30 assists.
A native of Zlin, Czech Republic, Rachunek was originally Ottawa’s eighth choice, 229th overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
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For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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July 3, 2006 -- OH, WHEN the Saints, go marching out . . .
I'm glad that John Davidson, after 20 years calling Rangers games, is leaving the Garden. He's a good man. And good men are entitled to their self-respect. And self-respect is the very thing that MSG Network folks, under the Cablevision/Dolan yoke, no longer are entitled to.
One after another, Madison Square Garden's best and brightest have marched out, or been marched out. They could not carry on while strapped to the Dolan ownership style, which has turned the Garden from "The World's Most Famous Arena," to the world's largest, most malodorous cheese wheel, a monument to one rotten decision after another.
Davidson, leaving to run the Blues, is but the latest in a long series. We've learned that Leon Schweir, MSG Network's executive producer and a 25-year MSG vet, is next. He'll finish a few projects then he, too, will be gone.
And that figures because Schweir is a good man. He's old-school MSG Network in that he was taught to put the viewers - sports fans - first. He long ago knew that it would be counterproductive, reputation-killing folly to suppress hard news and big news from a New York audience.
But under Cablevision, MSG, once the model and envy of every regional sports network, has been gutted, stripped of its dignity, a clear reflection of how the Dolans and Cablevision regard both sports fans and paying customers.
MSG Network is where all national networks first turned when in need of announcers, producers and directors. And then, in 1995, when Cablevision bought the Garden, MSG Network began its predictable trek toward drek.
It grew difficult listening to Davidson calling games Dolan-style. While Davidson was never a particularly quick or harsh critic of the Rangers, listening to him, in recent seasons, trying to put happy faces on losing streaks and ill-spent millions in player and management contracts became painful.
Davidson was becoming what the Dolans consider to be the ideal broadcaster; he was becoming Fran Healy, a certified see-no/speak-no/seek-no truths house servant.
Davidson and Schweir join a long list of good people from all departments and divisions to march out of Dolan's Garden.
Mike Saunders, the Knicks' beloved and award-winning trainer, last season "got disappeared" after 27 years. Joe Favorito, a pro, recently was let go as the Knicks' PR man, perhaps because he was unable to prevent newspapers from publishing the NBA standings.
Marv Albert, you know about. Mike McCarthy, a great idea man, team-man and viewers-come-first-man whom Schweir succeeded as executive producer, left 18 months ago after 23 years. At first, McCarthy didn't think it would be all that bad under Cablevision. Hah!
On and on. Good people who did very good jobs and proudly gave all they had to the Garden, often for many years and through several ownerships, could not survive the Cablevision/Dolan years. Few good people can. First, they've got to be willing to sacrifice their self-respect.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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I'm glad Elias stayed out in the swamps, basically for 1 more year ( then the NYR offered and the same 42 million ) maybe we can cultivate some of our youth and bring up these kids we heard flashes of last season. Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you didnt make.
July 3, 2006 -- THE RANGERS didn't get tougher up front this weekend, they didn't add muscle on the back end, and they didn't become a more difficult team to play against, either.
But on the NHL's first two days of 2006 free agency, the Rangers also didn't make any overt mistakes, and, most importantly, they didn't deviate from the philosophy management first adopted at the 2004 trade deadline of building for the future from within.
Far better for Glen Sather and his front office team to have made a mistake or two of omission rather than ones of commission. Neither the Stanley Cup nor a playoff berth was forfeited this weekend.
The dramatic bid to sign Patrik Elias in the form of a six-year, $42 M contract offer was appropriate. At 30, Elias has been among the pre-eminent players of this decade and is of championship stock. Had he crossed the river, Elias would not have become a satellite of Jaromir Jagr. He would, rather, have arrived as an equal, bringing his star with him.
In the end, though, as the clock neared midnight in New York and night turned into day at Elias' home in the Czech Republic, the career Devil remained true to his pedigree. Though the Rangers allowed Elias all the time he required to make his decision, they never upped the ante. This was the right move, for bribing Elias into wearing their uniform would have ultimately ended in disaster.
This is not to suggest, however, that the weekend went as planned. The Rangers did expect to add at least one defenseman from a B-list including Jay McKee, Pavel Kubina, Kim Johnsson, Filip Kuba and Willie Mitchell, but balked at the price of each; foolishly so on McKee, who went to St. Louis for four years at $16M.
Even if McKee's price was somewhat inflated, the Rangers needed him. The current defense of Marek Malik, Michal Rozsival, Fedor Tyutin, Darius Kasparaitis, Karel Rachunek and Thomas Pock is insufficient. It's unrealistic to expect Marc Staal to make the team in October, and the Rangers do not have the expendable chips with which to acquire Chris Pronger.
Maybe Sean Hill becomes a short-term option. Because while puck-moving skills are all the rage, a team must have toughness in front. If not, you wind up with Brad Lukowich on the ice with two seconds to go in a one-goal playoff game.
Martin Straka re-upped yesterday for a one-year, $3M reprise. Matt Cullen, signed Saturday, essentially replaces Steve Rucchin, and is probably an upgrade as long as expectations are realistic. But the Rangers did not import additional north-south forwards to a complement that became too easy to defend on the perimeter and beat in battles in the trenches as the season progressed.
Maybe Mike Grier or Billy Guerin become a short-term solution there, allowing the team to keep spots open for the potential training camp emergence of a Nigel Dawes, Greg Moore, Brandon Dubinsky or Lauri Korpikoski. The Rangers at the moment have too many offense-challenged fourth-line caliber of forwards.
If the playoffs began tomorrow, the Rangers might not qualify. Guess what? They weren't supposed to last year, either. There's no need to panic. There's plenty of time and plenty of cap space with which to work. And there's a plan in place for the future.
The best moves the Rangers made over the weekend were the ones they didn't make to contradict their philosophy.
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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I'm glad Elias stayed out in the swamps, basically for 1 more year ( then the NYR offered and the same 42 million ) maybe we can cultivate some of our youth and bring up these kids we heard flashes of last season. Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you didnt make.
July 3, 2006 -- THE RANGERS didn't get tougher up front this weekend, they didn't add muscle on the back end, and they didn't become a more difficult team to play against, either.
But on the NHL's first two days of 2006 free agency, the Rangers also didn't make any overt mistakes, and, most importantly, they didn't deviate from the philosophy management first adopted at the 2004 trade deadline of building for the future from within.
Far better for Glen Sather and his front office team to have made a mistake or two of omission rather than ones of commission. Neither the Stanley Cup nor a playoff berth was forfeited this weekend.
The dramatic bid to sign Patrik Elias in the form of a six-year, $42 M contract offer was appropriate. At 30, Elias has been among the pre-eminent players of this decade and is of championship stock. Had he crossed the river, Elias would not have become a satellite of Jaromir Jagr. He would, rather, have arrived as an equal, bringing his star with him.
In the end, though, as the clock neared midnight in New York and night turned into day at Elias' home in the Czech Republic, the career Devil remained true to his pedigree. Though the Rangers allowed Elias all the time he required to make his decision, they never upped the ante. This was the right move, for bribing Elias into wearing their uniform would have ultimately ended in disaster.
This is not to suggest, however, that the weekend went as planned. The Rangers did expect to add at least one defenseman from a B-list including Jay McKee, Pavel Kubina, Kim Johnsson, Filip Kuba and Willie Mitchell, but balked at the price of each; foolishly so on McKee, who went to St. Louis for four years at $16M.
Even if McKee's price was somewhat inflated, the Rangers needed him. The current defense of Marek Malik, Michal Rozsival, Fedor Tyutin, Darius Kasparaitis, Karel Rachunek and Thomas Pock is insufficient. It's unrealistic to expect Marc Staal to make the team in October, and the Rangers do not have the expendable chips with which to acquire Chris Pronger.
Martin Straka re-upped yesterday for a one-year, $3M reprise. Matt Cullen, signed Saturday, essentially replaces Steve Rucchin, and is probably an upgrade as long as expectations are realistic. But the Rangers did not import additional north-south forwards to a complement that became too easy to defend on the perimeter and beat in battles in the trenches as the season progressed.
.
I have a real problem with this article because those B list defensemen you can never call them that, they are top 4 defensemen on any team. To top it off NYR just signed Aaron Ward, a top pair defensemen. No one can argue how tough he is if they watched the Stanley Cup finals.
Did NYR want Pronger? Yes. Could they afford Pronger? No.
They are making great moves and becoming a sound team top to bottom, it just pisses me off that the reporter is writing off guys like Dominic Moore and Blair Betts, character guys that will make great 3rd/4th lines. Give me a few more free agents, maybe get Guerin for that one year deal, lock up Samsonov for 3/4 years but in the end I think this years team will be better than last
eh hem no more Tom Poti....
And bye bye to Steve Rucchin as expected Atlanta picked him up.
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
yeah Larry Brooks is infamously hot and cold. He fliup flops like Kerry.
LOL
Ward is a huge signing heh ? Him and Cullen both off that Carolina championship roster-= wow !
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yeah Larry Brooks is infamously hot and cold. He fliup flops like Kerry.
LOL
Ward is a huge signing heh ? Him and Cullen both off that Carolina championship roster-= wow !
To me he is huge, he plays for the love of the game and is a warrior. You get a couple of North Americans like him to add into the European flavor and you have something going.
To have realistic expectations, you have to figure Lundqvist will do well again, not quite as well. More young talent moved into the lineup and they will start off slow. Also the Atlantic Division will be tough this year and have great parity (Vs. Last year knowing the Islanders will be an easy win).
GLEN you lost out on Guerin, go look at Samsonov already!
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
why the hell i sandis ozolinsch still on our roster ?
aside from playing terrible in the playoffs,
did they throw him in jail for dwi right after we got swept by nj ?
and wouldnt the nyr part ways with him after that ?
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ward and cullen are good signings i wish we could of gotten jay Mckee..
as for elias would of been nice but iam glad we didn't overpay like in the past ,,, same thing with chara,,his contract was stupid,,,,,,,,i love the idea of a couple free agents to go with the rest of our squad last year ( sans who we lost) plus some more rookies in the mix
iam already pysched for the season
He's under contract for 2.75 mil this year, just depends on his DWI.
i dont have an inside connection or anything
but wouldnt that contract be null & void after he gets a DWI arrest ?
i know they may have to keep him on if he enters a program or something like that,...we'll have to see how it unfolds
interesting,...
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hey...kind of new to the new board but I am a lifelong Ranger fan. Pierre Larouche was favorite player growing up as young lad. Yes he wore #10 just wanted to say hello to my fellow blueshirts fans and "Potvan Sucks"
"I want to go...but I don't want to go alone...With you I could never feel alone..."
hey...kind of new to the new board but I am a lifelong Ranger fan. Pierre Larouche was favorite player growing up as young lad. Yes he wore #10 just wanted to say hello to my fellow blueshirts fans and "Potvan Sucks"
welcome !
Blueshirts all the way
i just saw on espnews Ex Ranger Cloutier was traded by Vancouver to the Kings. I didnt see who else, if anyone, was involvved in this transaction.
That guy calling out the Islander bench- this guy was gritty. That was great !
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Projecting a young player's NHL future is never easy, and there is no guarantee that even top draft picks will succeed at hockey's highest level, but history shows that those with the greatest work ethic and dedication to off-ice training have the greatest chance of reaching their full potential.
By that standard, Tom Pyatt, the Rangers' fourth-round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, appears to have a very bright future in hockey.
"Pyatt is heads and tails above all our other prospects from a fitness perspectives," said Rangers head coach Tom Renney during the team's recent Prospect Development Camp. "Coming into our camp, he set a standard that no other ever has. Because of that, you have to respect him."
The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder's dedication to being the best he possibly can is unparalleled. In fact, the minute last season ended, he was already beginning to prepare for next season.
"As soon as I got home from Saginaw, I have just been in the gym, running, and riding the bike," Pyatt says. "I have been following the New York program very strictly. It's done me pretty well so far and I feel pretty good."
The program was put together by New York Rangers Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Reg Grant. Pyatt says it's extremely intense training that requires a lot of commitment.
"Everyday there is a little warm-up for you, and then you get into the strength training," he said. "Right after that you do the core workouts, and then jump on the bike. It's quite a bit of work, but it's important."
Obviously, his efforts have not gone unnoticed.
"Tommy is very intense and very business-like when he comes to the rink," Renney explains. "He knows it is a job. It's a job he loves, mind you, but at the same time he is very dedicated to being a great player. He's a good pick for us, and is a guy who I expect to don a jersey at some point in time."
Equally as important, Pyatt is as successful on the ice as he is hard-working off it. The younger brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Taylor Pyatt and son of former NHL player Nelson Pyatt, he had an incredibly strong year for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League and struck gold for Canada at the World Junior Championship tournament last January.
"The World Juniors were a great experience," Pyatt said. "I never expected to be there the year before. It just shows that if you work hard anything can happen. Especially being in Canada and playing in Vancouver, it is something I will never forget."
Back in Saginaw, Pyatt, the Spirit's captain, finished the 2005-06 campaign with 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in only 58 games. He ranked third on the team in goals (24), fourth in points (29), and posted a positive plus-minus rating (plus-5) for the first time in his junior career. He also chipped in eight power play goals and one shorthanded tally.
Dubbed "the steal of the 2005 draft" by TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, Pyatt is a highly disciplined young man. For an aggressive center, he recorded a mere 29 penalty minutes during the regular season. Remarkably, that is more than double the 14 penalty minutes he posted in 2004-05.
The 19-year-old is also not afraid to play behind the net and is extremely adept at penetrating opposing defenses. Pyatt's silky smooth skating and excellent hands give goalies very little chance of going side-to-side on him to prevent wraparound attempts.
Pyatt helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2006 World Juniors.
What impresses Renney most about Pyatt's play, however, is that he is a great thinker of the game. He knows where he needs to be on the ice, and reads the play before it actually unfolds.
After winning the World Junior gold, Pyatt was selected to play in the 2005-06 All Star Classic. Skating with the best of the best, the native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, netted two goals for the Western Conference All-Stars.
Apart from all the personal accolades and accomplishments, Pyatt said he's most proud of guiding the Spirit to the playoffs for the first time during his tenure.
"Our team struggled my first two years," he said. "We were at the bottom of the standings for a while, but last year was great. We finally made the playoffs and it's looking even better for next year."
In the 2006 OHL playoffs, Pyatt tallied one goal and two assists for three points, along with four penalty minutes, in four games.
In a lucky twist of fate for the Rangers, Saginaw recently selected Tomas Zaborsky, the Blueshirts' fifth-round pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, as part of the CHL import draft. In Pyatt, Zaborsky would have an ideal role model for demonstrating the dedication required to succeed within the Rangers organization.
-- Ricky Henne
TOM PYATT - 2005-06 STATISTICS
POS TEAM GP/ G /A /PTS /PIM /PPG /SHG /GWG
C Saginaw (OHL regular season) 58/ 24/ 29/ 53/ 29 /8 /1 /7
Saginaw (OHL playoffs) 4 /1 /2 /3/4 /0 /0 /0
2006 World Junior Championships 6 /1 /0 /1 /1/6 /0 /0 /0
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The post and WFAN are reporting that they have agreed to a deal with Brendan Shanahan. I haven't seen confirmation on their site or the NHL site yet though.
18 seasons in , like NYPJ says maybe he can show the kids a thing or two . And maybe the Luck O' The Irish will grace us with some rainbow magic .
& oh wow ! folks ,...
how about this...
Tom Poti is now an Islander.
:rolleyes:
thanks, isles ! .....we owe you one , but why couldnt you have inquired about Ozolinsch :eek:
i hope to god that game at yankee stadium happens.
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sad news for me, as a wings fan. my youngest got a third of his full name from shanny.
sounds like your youngest may be a Blueshirt fan in the not so distant future
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on a side note the garden wants my money for the partcial season tickets
this year its 11 games or 22 games but only the 22 games guarantee playoff tickets tick prices are like 25 -27 a piece so figure 550 -600 beans with 100 in by july 24th
just posting in case anyone is interested ,,,must act quickly
i agree &
4 million is definitely reasonable, no ?
its not like they've been going crazy spending as they have in previous years.
[size=+2] - _/ Lets Go Rangers ! \_ - [/size]
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Comments
this sounds awesome.
:eek:
i saw U2 back there a while back- that was cool,....as far as this game,..if it happens,
i'm there !
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WOOOOOOO!! WAY COOL
CAMP GIVES YOUNG PROSPECTS A TASTE OF NHL LIFE
6/27/2006
VIDEO – PROSPECTS DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Adam Graves Discusses Camp's Purpose
High | Low
Graves on the Quality of Today's Prospects
High | Low
Don Maloney on How Camp Helps Prospects
High | Low
This week, many of the Rangers' top young prospects are participating in extensive physical and mental drills aimed at preparing them for life in the NHL.
For these young players, including 2006 first-round draft pick Bobby Sanguinetti, this week's camp at the Madison Square Garden Training Center is an important milestone their "next step" toward the NHL. And for the Rangers' braintrust, it's is an opportunity to instill the type of work ethic, conditioning, and character needed to succeed in the "new NHL".
After making the playoffs in 2005-06, the Rangers coaching staff began to project how the organization could continue to improve. The coaches determined that after establishing the Rangers as one of the most hardworking, fit, and disciplined teams in the league, it was important to build on that reputation for many years to come.
"The idea behind the camp is to expose our young prospects to the Ranger culture," explains Head Coach Tom Renney. "It's an initiation of how we intend our players to take care of themselves in the summertime and off-season, in terms of their strength and conditioning in general. We give them a process to work on during the summer months."
When the players arrived at the Rangers Training Facility on Monday, they were split into four groups (Red, White, Blue, and Green), and underwent a bevy of tests. While Head Trainer Jim Ramsay collected each players' measurements and vitals, the coaching staff conducted on-ice assessments of each player's speed and quickness on the blades.
In the morning session, the Blue and Green teams hit the weights with Strength and Conditioning Coach Reg Grant, while the Red and White squads hit the ice with Assistant Coach Mike Pelino, Special Assistant of Prospect Development Adam Graves, and Hartford Wolf Pack Assistant Coach Ken Gernander. After lunch and some video sessions, the teams switched for the remainder of the day.
Graves, known for hard work on and off the ice throughout his long NHL career, has played a key role in the development camp over the last two years.
"June, July, and August are the most important months for a hockey player," he said. "They learn what it is they need to get stronger at, and our goal is to help them better prepare themselves for training camp."
Each player at the camp meets individually with the coaching staff to discuss what they have accomplished, and what they need to work on in the coming months.
"We try to give them an idea of what we look for from an individual prospective in terms of the conditioning and fitness they must have in order to one day compete for a job," said Renney.
All in all, the Renney believes that the Prospect Development Camp exemplifies the new mentality that surrounds the Rangers organization.
"We are continuing to stay true to our philosophy of redefining the Rangers through good, young players who are talented and are made up of the type of character that we believe are symbolic of what the city is all about. As much as we are in year two of this new look team, this camp itself identifies the process of our long term goal and what we want to be."
2006 New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp Roster
Player POS. HT WT DOB 2005-06 Team (League)
Zdenek Bahensky RW 6-2 195 1/3/86 Saskatoon (WHL)
Greg Beller RW 6-3 202 1/22/87 Green Bay (USHL)
Dane Byers LW 6-2 192 2/21/86 Prince Albert/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Marc-Andre Cliche RW 6-0 177 3/23/87 Lewiston (QMJHL)
Marvin Degon D 5-11 190 7/20/83 Umass/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Brandon Dubinsky C 6-0 203 4/29/86 Portland/Hartford (WHL/AHL)
Brodie Dupont C 6-2 197 2/17/87 Calgary (WHL)
Jordan Foote W 6-3 205 3/7/85 Michigan Tech (WCHA)
Bruce Graham C 6-6 235 12/2/85 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Ryan Hillier LW 5-11 179 1/25/88 Halifax (QMJHL)
Chris Holt G 6-3 229 6/5/85 Hartford/Charlotte/NYR (AHL/ECHL/NHL)
Eric Hunter C 5-11 188 8/11/86 Prince George (WHL)
Hugh Jessiman RW 6-6 223 3/28/84 Hartford/Charlotte (AHL/ECHL)
Lauri Korpikoski LW 6-1 183 7/28/86 Turku/Hartford (Finland/AHL)
Trevor Koverko D 6-3 205 3/2287 Owen Sound (OHL)
Greg Moore F 6-1 208 3/26/84 Maine/Hartford (HEA/AHL)
Corey Potter D 6-2 188 1/5/84 Michigan State (CCHA)
Tom Pyatt C 5-11 180 2/14/87 Saginaw (OHL)
Ryan Russell C 5-9 165 5/2/87 Kootenay (WHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti D 6-2 180 2/29/88 Owen Sound (OHL)
Michael Sauer D 6-2 192 8/7/87 Portland (WHL)
Marc Staal D 6-3 196 1/13/87 Sudbury (OHL)
Kevin Westgarth RW 6-4 245 2/7/84 Princeton (ECAC)
Miika Wiikman G 6-0 176 10/12/84 Hameenlinna (Finland)
OTHER INVITEES Player POS. 2005-06 Team (League)
Mitch Fadden C Seattle-Lethbridge (WHL)
Don Maloney Jr. F Brewster Bulldogs (EJHL)
Lyon Messier D Texas Tornado (NAHL)
Joe Pavone F Canterbury School (Conn. H.S.)
Mark Schacker G N.Y. Apple Core (U.S. Junior)
Special Invitees:
Don Maloney Jr- and Lyon Messier ? Is that the Captains son ? :eek: can't wait for the season to start !
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2 former Blueshirts:
BROOKS, DUFF VOTED INTO HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
6/28/2006
Former Rangers head coach Herb Brooks, the man who led Team USA to the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid, was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Brooks was one of two Rangers alumni to be elected to the Hall. Joining him is former Rangers player Dick Duff, who played with the Blueshirts for parts of the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons between long stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
Also entering the Hall of Fame are former Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy and longtime Calgary Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss. Brooks and Hotchkiss were inducted in the Builder Category, while Roy and Duff will go into the Hall for their playing accomplishments.
Brooks, who was killed in a 2003 automobile accident at age 66, coached the Rangers for 285 games from 1981 to 1985. He ranks fifth in team history for total games coached and is also fifth in wins with 131. His lifetime record with the Blueshirts was 131-113-41, including trips to the playoffs in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985.
In both 1982 and 1983, Brooks' teams advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell in six games. His career playoff coaching record with the Rangers was 12-13. Brooks also coached the Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, amassing 219 lifetime wins.
A highly successful coach at the University of Minnesota, Brooks won three NCAA titles with the Gophers from 1974 to 1979. He later was chosen to lead the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, and his collection of college players shocked the world by beating the Soviets at Lake Placid in the medal round and then topping Finland for the gold medal. The team's achievement was considered one of the great sporting moments of the 20th century and was later immortalized in the film Miracle.
In 1990, Brooks was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. He also went on to coach Team USA to a silver medal at Lake Placid in 2002.
Brooks' NHL coaching career began with the Rangers, just over a year after his gold-medal win. Hired by the Blueshirts on June 4, 1981 at age 44, Brooks injected his European-style game into the NHL years before it became the standard.
Taking over a team that had gone 30-36-14 the previous season, Brooks led the Rangers to a 39-27-14 record in his first year as head coach. Two years later, in 1983-84, the Rangers won 40 games under Brooks before falling to the defending Stanley Cup champion Islanders in a thrilling yet heartbreaking best-of-five series.
Dick Duff
Duff, the Rangers' other Hall of Famer, had a shorter career with the Blueshirts, playing a total of 43 games in New York. He joined the team at age 28 in a landmark trade with Toronto on Feb. 22, 1964. The deal saw the Leafs send Duff, Arnie Brown, Bob Nevin, Bill Collins and Rod Seiling to the Rangers in exchange for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney.
By the middle of the following season, Duff had been traded again, this time to Montreal for Bill Hicke on Dec. 22, 1964. In his 43 career Ranger games, Duff had seven goals and 13 assists. His overall NHL career spanned 1,030 games, which saw him score 283 goals and 289 assists. He retired from hockey during the 1971-72 season.
A seven-time NHL All-Star, Duff won six Stanley Cup championships. He later became a Maple Leafs assistant coach and had a two-game stint as Toronto's replacement head coach in 1979-80.
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haha yeah Donny great shot played against him this year a bit...as far as Lyon he is a decent defensemen for his age but I don't see him suiting up for the blueshirts ever. sangs is a great defensemen be excited for him.
now......free agents.
The Rangers will inquire about Patrik Elias and Zdeno Chara but could also sign more North American players. They are apparently interested in Bill Guerin, but it's unknown if he'll agree to a one-year contract. Negotiations to re-sign Martin Rucinsky have hit a snag, with Rucinsky seeking a two-year deal and the Rangers countering with one. - NY Post
Chara is gone, Savard gone, Kubina gone, Jovo gone....hurry up Glen.
Elias gone, good for the Devils glad NYR didn't give him that kind of contract.....Arnott's gone, now you have me wondering Glen.
i'm glad strakka is back-
i hope they can work out the snag with rucinsky too.
Rachunek ( again ) and Cullen - & a few others......... i guess we are doing okay so far. Its really gonna heat up this week with signings!
sweet !
RANGERS RE-SIGN FORWARD MARTIN STRAKA
7/2/2006
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has re-signed free agent forward Martin Straka.
Straka, 33, appeared in 82 games with the Rangers this season, collecting 22 goals and 54 assists for 76 points, along with 42 penalty minutes. His 54 assists (T-20th in the NHL) and 76 points (T-35th in the NHL) ranked third on the club, while his 29 power play assists led the team and tied for 19th in the league. He also tied for second on the team with four game-winning goals. In eight games at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Straka led the Czech Republic in scoring with eight points (two goals and six assists) and helped his country capture a bronze medal.
A veteran of 13 NHL seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings and Rangers, Straka has skated in 812 career NHL games, registering 214 goals and 392 assists for 606 points, along with 314 penalty minutes.
In 2004-05, he appeared in 45 games with HC Lassenberger Plzen in the Czech Extraleague, registering 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points, along with 76 penalty minutes. He led the club with 16 tallies and ranked second with 18 assists and 34 points.
As a member of the Penguins, he recorded 165 goals and 277 assists for 442 points, along with 215 penalty minutes in 560 contests. His best professional season came in 2000-01 with the Penguins, when he charted career highs in games played (82), assists (68) and points (95). In 1998-99, Straka tallied a career-high 35 goals and represented the Penguins at the 1999 NHL All-Star Game.
The 5-9, 178-pounder has also appeared in 86 career playoff contests with the Penguins, Panthers and Rangers, registering 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points, along with 34 penalty minutes. In addition, Straka was a key member of Pittsburgh’s team that went to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2001, appearing in 18 post-season contests and registering five goals and eight assists for 13 points. During the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he skated in 13 of Florida’s 22 playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup Finals, tallying two goals in the Eastern Conference Finals versus Pittsburgh.
Internationally, Straka has represented the Czech Republic in several tournaments over his career. Aside from his stint in Torino in 2006, he also appeared in six games during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, registering one goal and two assists, en route to capturing the gold medal. At the 2005 World Championships in Austria, Straka registered three goals and one assist in nine contests, helping lead the team to a gold medal finish. In addition, he has also participated in both the 1996 and 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and skated in the World Junior Championships in 1991 (bronze medal) and two additional World Hockey Championships (2003, 2004).
Rachunek
RANGERS SIGN DEFENSEMAN KAREL RACHUNEK
7/1/2006
• Rangers sign goaltender Valiquette
• Rangers sign defenseman Girardi
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has signed restricted free agent defenseman Karel Rachunek.
Rachunek, 26, skated in 45 games with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the Russian Hockey League last season, collecting 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points, along with 73 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating. In 2004-05, Rachunek split the season with Yaroslavl and Znojmo of the Czech Extraleague, registering 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, along with 124 penalty minutes in 48 games.
The 6-2, 212-pound defenseman has appeared in 258 career NHL games with the Rangers and Ottawa Senators, registering 12 goals and 89 assists for 101 points, along with 149 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 20 career playoff contests with the Senators, tallying one goal and three assists, along with 14 penalty minutes.
In 2003-04, Rachunek skated in 72 games with the Rangers and Senators, registering two goals and 19 assists for 21 points, along with 33 penalty minutes. On March 9, 2004, he was acquired by the Rangers, along with Alexandre Giroux, in exchange for Greg de Vries and made his Rangers debut on March 12, 2004 at Tampa Bay. Prior to the trade to New York, he appeared in 60 games with Ottawa, recording one goal and 16 assists for 17 points, along with 29 penalty minutes.
During the 2001-02 season, Rachunek was selected to skate in the NHL YoungStars Game during the NHL All-Star Weekend on January 17, 2002. In his rookie campaign of 2000-01, he finished second among all NHL rookies with a plus-17 rating and was third with 30 assists.
A native of Zlin, Czech Republic, Rachunek was originally Ottawa’s eighth choice, 229th overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
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but this was from todays NY Post.
Best Of Luck in St Louis, , JD .
We hope the Blues realize what a great guy they are getting .
http://www.nypost.com/sports/garden_of_evil_sports_phil_mushnick.htm
GARDEN OF EVIL
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July 3, 2006 -- OH, WHEN the Saints, go marching out . . .
I'm glad that John Davidson, after 20 years calling Rangers games, is leaving the Garden. He's a good man. And good men are entitled to their self-respect. And self-respect is the very thing that MSG Network folks, under the Cablevision/Dolan yoke, no longer are entitled to.
One after another, Madison Square Garden's best and brightest have marched out, or been marched out. They could not carry on while strapped to the Dolan ownership style, which has turned the Garden from "The World's Most Famous Arena," to the world's largest, most malodorous cheese wheel, a monument to one rotten decision after another.
Davidson, leaving to run the Blues, is but the latest in a long series. We've learned that Leon Schweir, MSG Network's executive producer and a 25-year MSG vet, is next. He'll finish a few projects then he, too, will be gone.
And that figures because Schweir is a good man. He's old-school MSG Network in that he was taught to put the viewers - sports fans - first. He long ago knew that it would be counterproductive, reputation-killing folly to suppress hard news and big news from a New York audience.
But under Cablevision, MSG, once the model and envy of every regional sports network, has been gutted, stripped of its dignity, a clear reflection of how the Dolans and Cablevision regard both sports fans and paying customers.
MSG Network is where all national networks first turned when in need of announcers, producers and directors. And then, in 1995, when Cablevision bought the Garden, MSG Network began its predictable trek toward drek.
It grew difficult listening to Davidson calling games Dolan-style. While Davidson was never a particularly quick or harsh critic of the Rangers, listening to him, in recent seasons, trying to put happy faces on losing streaks and ill-spent millions in player and management contracts became painful.
Davidson was becoming what the Dolans consider to be the ideal broadcaster; he was becoming Fran Healy, a certified see-no/speak-no/seek-no truths house servant.
Davidson and Schweir join a long list of good people from all departments and divisions to march out of Dolan's Garden.
Mike Saunders, the Knicks' beloved and award-winning trainer, last season "got disappeared" after 27 years. Joe Favorito, a pro, recently was let go as the Knicks' PR man, perhaps because he was unable to prevent newspapers from publishing the NBA standings.
Marv Albert, you know about. Mike McCarthy, a great idea man, team-man and viewers-come-first-man whom Schweir succeeded as executive producer, left 18 months ago after 23 years. At first, McCarthy didn't think it would be all that bad under Cablevision. Hah!
On and on. Good people who did very good jobs and proudly gave all they had to the Garden, often for many years and through several ownerships, could not survive the Cablevision/Dolan years. Few good people can. First, they've got to be willing to sacrifice their self-respect.
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I'm glad Elias stayed out in the swamps, basically for 1 more year ( then the NYR offered and the same 42 million ) maybe we can cultivate some of our youth and bring up these kids we heard flashes of last season. Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you didnt make.
BLUE SKIPS
PATIENT RANGERS STAY COURSE
SIGN MAN: Moves like re-signing Martin Straka — rather than leaping into bidding wars for high-priced free agents — could serve the Rangers well this offseason.
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July 3, 2006 -- THE RANGERS didn't get tougher up front this weekend, they didn't add muscle on the back end, and they didn't become a more difficult team to play against, either.
But on the NHL's first two days of 2006 free agency, the Rangers also didn't make any overt mistakes, and, most importantly, they didn't deviate from the philosophy management first adopted at the 2004 trade deadline of building for the future from within.
Far better for Glen Sather and his front office team to have made a mistake or two of omission rather than ones of commission. Neither the Stanley Cup nor a playoff berth was forfeited this weekend.
The dramatic bid to sign Patrik Elias in the form of a six-year, $42 M contract offer was appropriate. At 30, Elias has been among the pre-eminent players of this decade and is of championship stock. Had he crossed the river, Elias would not have become a satellite of Jaromir Jagr. He would, rather, have arrived as an equal, bringing his star with him.
In the end, though, as the clock neared midnight in New York and night turned into day at Elias' home in the Czech Republic, the career Devil remained true to his pedigree. Though the Rangers allowed Elias all the time he required to make his decision, they never upped the ante. This was the right move, for bribing Elias into wearing their uniform would have ultimately ended in disaster.
This is not to suggest, however, that the weekend went as planned. The Rangers did expect to add at least one defenseman from a B-list including Jay McKee, Pavel Kubina, Kim Johnsson, Filip Kuba and Willie Mitchell, but balked at the price of each; foolishly so on McKee, who went to St. Louis for four years at $16M.
Even if McKee's price was somewhat inflated, the Rangers needed him. The current defense of Marek Malik, Michal Rozsival, Fedor Tyutin, Darius Kasparaitis, Karel Rachunek and Thomas Pock is insufficient. It's unrealistic to expect Marc Staal to make the team in October, and the Rangers do not have the expendable chips with which to acquire Chris Pronger.
Maybe Sean Hill becomes a short-term option. Because while puck-moving skills are all the rage, a team must have toughness in front. If not, you wind up with Brad Lukowich on the ice with two seconds to go in a one-goal playoff game.
Martin Straka re-upped yesterday for a one-year, $3M reprise. Matt Cullen, signed Saturday, essentially replaces Steve Rucchin, and is probably an upgrade as long as expectations are realistic. But the Rangers did not import additional north-south forwards to a complement that became too easy to defend on the perimeter and beat in battles in the trenches as the season progressed.
Maybe Mike Grier or Billy Guerin become a short-term solution there, allowing the team to keep spots open for the potential training camp emergence of a Nigel Dawes, Greg Moore, Brandon Dubinsky or Lauri Korpikoski. The Rangers at the moment have too many offense-challenged fourth-line caliber of forwards.
If the playoffs began tomorrow, the Rangers might not qualify. Guess what? They weren't supposed to last year, either. There's no need to panic. There's plenty of time and plenty of cap space with which to work. And there's a plan in place for the future.
The best moves the Rangers made over the weekend were the ones they didn't make to contradict their philosophy.
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I have a real problem with this article because those B list defensemen you can never call them that, they are top 4 defensemen on any team. To top it off NYR just signed Aaron Ward, a top pair defensemen. No one can argue how tough he is if they watched the Stanley Cup finals.
Did NYR want Pronger? Yes. Could they afford Pronger? No.
They are making great moves and becoming a sound team top to bottom, it just pisses me off that the reporter is writing off guys like Dominic Moore and Blair Betts, character guys that will make great 3rd/4th lines. Give me a few more free agents, maybe get Guerin for that one year deal, lock up Samsonov for 3/4 years but in the end I think this years team will be better than last
eh hem no more Tom Poti....
And bye bye to Steve Rucchin as expected Atlanta picked him up.
LOL
Ward is a huge signing heh ? Him and Cullen both off that Carolina championship roster-= wow !
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To me he is huge, he plays for the love of the game and is a warrior. You get a couple of North Americans like him to add into the European flavor and you have something going.
To have realistic expectations, you have to figure Lundqvist will do well again, not quite as well. More young talent moved into the lineup and they will start off slow. Also the Atlantic Division will be tough this year and have great parity (Vs. Last year knowing the Islanders will be an easy win).
GLEN you lost out on Guerin, go look at Samsonov already!
why the hell i sandis ozolinsch still on our roster ?
aside from playing terrible in the playoffs,
did they throw him in jail for dwi right after we got swept by nj ?
and wouldnt the nyr part ways with him after that ?
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ward and cullen are good signings i wish we could of gotten jay Mckee..
as for elias would of been nice but iam glad we didn't overpay like in the past ,,, same thing with chara,,his contract was stupid,,,,,,,,i love the idea of a couple free agents to go with the rest of our squad last year ( sans who we lost) plus some more rookies in the mix
iam already pysched for the season
LET'S GO RANGER"S!!!!
He's under contract for 2.75 mil this year, just depends on his DWI.
i dont have an inside connection or anything
but wouldnt that contract be null & void after he gets a DWI arrest ?
i know they may have to keep him on if he enters a program or something like that,...we'll have to see how it unfolds
interesting,...
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When it occured word was he would have to do some community service and a AA program or something, we'll see.
Randall's Island 96 and haven't stopped since...
welcome !
Blueshirts all the way
i just saw on espnews Ex Ranger Cloutier was traded by Vancouver to the Kings. I didnt see who else, if anyone, was involvved in this transaction.
That guy calling out the Islander bench- this guy was gritty. That was great !
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finally a new story on nyr.com
" Steal of the Draft " sounds really good- hopefully we'll see more of this guy but it might be still too soon.
http://newyorkrangers.com/team/ProspectRecap/
2005-06 PROSPECT RECAP: TOM PYATT
7/7/2006
Projecting a young player's NHL future is never easy, and there is no guarantee that even top draft picks will succeed at hockey's highest level, but history shows that those with the greatest work ethic and dedication to off-ice training have the greatest chance of reaching their full potential.
By that standard, Tom Pyatt, the Rangers' fourth-round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, appears to have a very bright future in hockey.
"Pyatt is heads and tails above all our other prospects from a fitness perspectives," said Rangers head coach Tom Renney during the team's recent Prospect Development Camp. "Coming into our camp, he set a standard that no other ever has. Because of that, you have to respect him."
The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder's dedication to being the best he possibly can is unparalleled. In fact, the minute last season ended, he was already beginning to prepare for next season.
"As soon as I got home from Saginaw, I have just been in the gym, running, and riding the bike," Pyatt says. "I have been following the New York program very strictly. It's done me pretty well so far and I feel pretty good."
The program was put together by New York Rangers Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Reg Grant. Pyatt says it's extremely intense training that requires a lot of commitment.
"Everyday there is a little warm-up for you, and then you get into the strength training," he said. "Right after that you do the core workouts, and then jump on the bike. It's quite a bit of work, but it's important."
Obviously, his efforts have not gone unnoticed.
"Tommy is very intense and very business-like when he comes to the rink," Renney explains. "He knows it is a job. It's a job he loves, mind you, but at the same time he is very dedicated to being a great player. He's a good pick for us, and is a guy who I expect to don a jersey at some point in time."
Equally as important, Pyatt is as successful on the ice as he is hard-working off it. The younger brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Taylor Pyatt and son of former NHL player Nelson Pyatt, he had an incredibly strong year for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League and struck gold for Canada at the World Junior Championship tournament last January.
"The World Juniors were a great experience," Pyatt said. "I never expected to be there the year before. It just shows that if you work hard anything can happen. Especially being in Canada and playing in Vancouver, it is something I will never forget."
Back in Saginaw, Pyatt, the Spirit's captain, finished the 2005-06 campaign with 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in only 58 games. He ranked third on the team in goals (24), fourth in points (29), and posted a positive plus-minus rating (plus-5) for the first time in his junior career. He also chipped in eight power play goals and one shorthanded tally.
Dubbed "the steal of the 2005 draft" by TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, Pyatt is a highly disciplined young man. For an aggressive center, he recorded a mere 29 penalty minutes during the regular season. Remarkably, that is more than double the 14 penalty minutes he posted in 2004-05.
The 19-year-old is also not afraid to play behind the net and is extremely adept at penetrating opposing defenses. Pyatt's silky smooth skating and excellent hands give goalies very little chance of going side-to-side on him to prevent wraparound attempts.
Pyatt helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2006 World Juniors.
What impresses Renney most about Pyatt's play, however, is that he is a great thinker of the game. He knows where he needs to be on the ice, and reads the play before it actually unfolds.
After winning the World Junior gold, Pyatt was selected to play in the 2005-06 All Star Classic. Skating with the best of the best, the native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, netted two goals for the Western Conference All-Stars.
Apart from all the personal accolades and accomplishments, Pyatt said he's most proud of guiding the Spirit to the playoffs for the first time during his tenure.
"Our team struggled my first two years," he said. "We were at the bottom of the standings for a while, but last year was great. We finally made the playoffs and it's looking even better for next year."
In the 2006 OHL playoffs, Pyatt tallied one goal and two assists for three points, along with four penalty minutes, in four games.
In a lucky twist of fate for the Rangers, Saginaw recently selected Tomas Zaborsky, the Blueshirts' fifth-round pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, as part of the CHL import draft. In Pyatt, Zaborsky would have an ideal role model for demonstrating the dedication required to succeed within the Rangers organization.
-- Ricky Henne
TOM PYATT - 2005-06 STATISTICS
POS TEAM GP/ G /A /PTS /PIM /PPG /SHG /GWG
C Saginaw (OHL regular season) 58/ 24/ 29/ 53/ 29 /8 /1 /7
Saginaw (OHL playoffs) 4 /1 /2 /3/4 /0 /0 /0
2006 World Junior Championships 6 /1 /0 /1 /1/6 /0 /0 /0
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nice older vet to go w/ the young-ins
jagr on the right and shanny on the left on the PP O MY GOD!!!!
we should have had him 10 years ago for kovalev
i like this signing ,,,yes he is older and this is going against the teams new outlook but it is shanny ,,so i can deal w/ it
LET'S GO RANGER'S!!
sad news for me, as a wings fan. my youngest got a third of his full name from shanny.
~Michael Bolton
18 seasons in , like NYPJ says maybe he can show the kids a thing or two . And maybe the Luck O' The Irish will grace us with some rainbow magic .
& oh wow ! folks ,...
how about this...
Tom Poti is now an Islander.
:rolleyes:
thanks, isles ! .....we owe you one , but why couldnt you have inquired about Ozolinsch :eek:
i hope to god that game at yankee stadium happens.
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sounds like your youngest may be a Blueshirt fan in the not so distant future
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this year its 11 games or 22 games but only the 22 games guarantee playoff tickets tick prices are like 25 -27 a piece so figure 550 -600 beans with 100 in by july 24th
just posting in case anyone is interested ,,,must act quickly
Can't argue with a one year deal.
i agree &
4 million is definitely reasonable, no ?
its not like they've been going crazy spending as they have in previous years.
[size=+2] - _/ Lets Go Rangers ! \_ - [/size]
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its a perfect fit and deal only 1 year at 4 mil ,, still have 6 mil cap left
the paper says they are gonna let sykora go and keep ruchinsky ??
still can make another 2 or 3 moves with that 6 mil left