B R O A D W A Y***B L U E S H I R T S

Bathgate66 · July 2006

nice
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

murphyJammer · July 2006

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.

NY PJ1 · July 2006

it says 1 year 4mil

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!!

moeaholic · July 2006

NY PJ1 wrote:

it says 1 year 4mil

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.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

sweetest of news on a hot july afternoon.

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.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

moeaholic wrote:

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

NY PJ1 · July 2006

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

D Lo Brown · July 2006

NY PJ1 wrote:

we should have had him 10 years ago for kovalev

yup, but I'm glad we have him now.

Can't argue with a one year deal.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

D Lo Brown wrote:

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]

NY PJ1 · July 2006

D Lo Brown wrote:

yup, but I'm glad we have him now.

Can't argue with a one year deal.

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

NY PJ1 · July 2006

its not like they've been going crazy spending as they have in previous years.

(tried to quote u bath ) lol but it didn't work

as evidenced by not going overboard for chara or elias

Bathgate66 · July 2006

i also think its interesting how he turned down other deals ( higher in $ and longer in duration ) and even turned down a Canadian team ( he is Canadian & the Habs wanted him )

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/433944p-365579c.html

Shanny, Rangers team up at last

BY JOHN DELLAPINA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Brendan Shanahan
For 15 years, the Rangers and Brendan Shanahan have been trying to get together. But something always came up to prevent the power forward from donning a Broadway blueshirt.

Late Saturday night, aside from two other enticing offers on Shanahan's table, all the obstacles at long last were cleared. Now, the only question is whether it is too late for Shanahan to really star on Broadway.

At age 37, though coming off a 40-goal season, Shanahan agreed Saturday to a one-year, $4 million contract to finally play for the Rangers. Quite simply, the timing and the fit were too right for either side to walk away again.

So right, in fact, that Shanahan turned down more money (from Montreal) and longer-term deals (from Montreal and to remain with Detroit) in order to bring his 6-3, 220-pound frame and still-power-oriented game to New York.

"One-year contracts don't scare me," said Shanahan, who came into the league as an unbridled 18-year-old with the Devils in 1987 and has since transformed into an NHL elder statesman who was instrumental in rewriting the rule book last summer. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to play.

"But if it's a good fit in New York and they like me and we want to pursue staying there in the future, we'll discuss it. As for now, I'm taking it year to year."

It was in 1996 that Shanahan had his closest of three previous encounters with the Rangers. Then-GM Neil Smith agreed with new-Blues GM Mike Keenan on a deal that would have sent Alexei Kovalev and Stephane Matteau to St. Louis for Shanahan. But while Shanahan explored homes in New York, Keenan became impatient and instead dealt Shanahan to Hartford for Chris Pronger.

This time around, Rangers GM Glen Sather felt that a Shanahan signing made sense as the club's major plunge of this free-agency season.

"As we got closer to the end of (last) season, we found that maybe we needed a little more help and size up front," Sather said. "I don't think we ever thought we had too many Europeans last year. We were looking for somebody who could be in front of the net and shoot as well as this guy can - someone who could play a leadership role, play on the power play, move people in front of the net and a guy with a great shot.

"Brendan has been all of those things."

Is he still capable of all of those things? His 40 goals last season - the sixth time he's reached that plateau to get to 598 for his career - suggest that he is. However, Shanahan managed just one goal in Detroit's first-round playoff ouster by Edmonton. And that left him with just three playoff goals since he and the Wings won their third Stanley Cup together in 2002.

The signing almost certainly means that the Rangers won't bring back right wing Petr Sykora, an unrestricted free agent. They are expected to re-sign winger Martin Rucinsky to a one-year deal, still leaving themselves approximately $6 million in cap space and roster flexibility.

"I'd really like to see some of the players that we drafted and played in Hartford last year develop," Sather said. "If we fill all of the holes, there won't be any room for them to do that."

Notebook

HE'LL BE BACK: Sather said that D Sandis Ozolinsh is expected to be ready for training camp after undergoing a surgical procedure on his knee shortly after the season. " Boooooooo "

Bathgate66 · July 2006

we should all meet at one of the pubs beforehand

http://newyorkrangers.com/tickets/schedule.asp

2006-07 RANGERS REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE

All times are Eastern. Home games appear in bold.

GAME DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME (ET)
1 10/5/06 WASHINGTON MSG 7 p.m.
2 10/7/06 at Philadelphia Philadelphia 7 p.m.
3 10/10/06 PHILADELPHIA MSG 7 p.m.
4 10/12/06 PITTSBURGH MSG 7 p.m.
5 10/14/06 at Buffalo Buffalo 7 p.m.
6 10/16/06 NEW JERSEY MSG 7 p.m.
7 10/18/06 NASHVILLE MSG 7 p.m.
8 10/21/06 at Toronto Toronto 7 p.m.
9 10/25/06 FLORIDA MSG 7 p.m.
10 10/28/06 at Phoenix Phoenix 10 p.m.
11 10/30/06 at Los Angeles Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
12 11/1/06 at Anaheim Anaheim 10 p.m.
13 11/2/06 at San Jose San Jose 10:30 p.m.
14 11/5/06 BUFFALO MSG 5 p.m.
15 11/8/06 at Florida Sunrise 7:30 p.m.
16 11/10/06 at Atlanta Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
17 11/11/06 at Washington Washington 7 p.m.
18 11/14/06 NEW JERSEY MSG 7 p.m.
19 11/15/06 at Carolina Carolina 7 p.m.
20 11/18/06 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
21 11/19/06 TAMPA BAY MSG 7 p.m.
22 11/21/06 CAROLINA MSG 7 p.m.
23 11/25/06 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
24 11/26/06 BUFFALO MSG 7 p.m.
25 11/28/06 ATLANTA MSG 7 p.m.
26 12/1/06 at Buffalo Buffalo 8 p.m.
27 12/3/06 NY ISLANDERS MSG 5 p.m.
28 12/7/06 PITTSBURGH MSG 7 p.m.
29 12/9/06 at Ottawa Ottawa 7 p.m.
30 12/10/06 FLORIDA MSG 7 p.m.
31 12/12/06 at Philadelphia Philadelphia 7 p.m.
32 12/14/06 at Dallas Dallas 8:30 p.m.
33 12/16/06 at Toronto Toronto 7 p.m.
34 12/17/06 NEW JERSEY MSG 7 p.m.
35 12/19/06 NY ISLANDERS MSG 7 p.m.
36 12/21/06 at Florida Sunrise 7:30 p.m.
37 12/23/06 at Tampa Bay Tampa 7:30 p.m.
38 12/26/06 at NY Islanders Uniondale 7:30 p.m.
39 12/29/06 at Ottawa Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
40 12/30/06 WASHINGTON MSG 7 p.m.
41 1/2/07 at New Jersey New Jersey 7:30 p.m.
42 1/4/07 PHILADELPHIA MSG 7 p.m.
43 1/6/07 at Montreal Montreal 1 p.m.
44 1/9/07 NY ISLANDERS MSG 7 p.m.
45 1/11/07 OTTAWA MSG 7 p.m.
46 1/13/07 BOSTON MSG 2 p.m.
47 1/16/07 at New Jersey New Jersey 7:30 p.m.
48 1/20/07 ATLANTA MSG 1 p.m.
49 1/27/07 at Philadelphia Philadelphia 1 p.m.
50 1/29/07 at Boston Boston 7 p.m.
51 1/31/07 TORONTO MSG 7 p.m.
52 2/3/07 at Tampa Bay Tampa 7:30 p.m.
53 2/5/07 DETROIT MSG 7 p.m.
54 2/6/07 at New Jersey New Jersey 7:30 p.m.
55 2/9/07 TAMPA BAY MSG 7 p.m.
56 2/10/07 at Washington Washington 7 p.m.
57 2/15/07 at Carolina Carolina 7 p.m.
58 2/17/07 PHILADELPHIA MSG 1 p.m.
59 2/18/07 CHICAGO MSG 3:30 p.m.
60 2/20/07 at New Jersey New Jersey 7:30 p.m.
61 2/22/07 NEW JERSEY MSG 7 p.m.
62 2/24/07 COLUMBUS MSG 7 p.m.
63 2/27/07 MONTREAL MSG 7 p.m.
64 3/1/07 PITTSBURGH MSG 7 p.m.
65 3/3/07 ST. LOUIS MSG 1 p.m.
66 3/5/07 NY ISLANDERS MSG 7 p.m.
67 3/8/07 at NY Islanders Uniondale 7:30 p.m.
68 3/10/07 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh 1 p.m.
69 3/11/07 CAROLINA MSG 12:30 p.m.
70 3/13/07 OTTAWA MSG 7 p.m.
71 3/16/07 at Atlanta Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
72 3/17/07 BOSTON MSG 7 p.m.
73 3/19/07 PITTSBURGH MSG 7 p.m.
74 3/21/07 PHILADELPHIA MSG 7 p.m.
75 3/24/07 at Boston Boston 1 p.m.
76 3/25/07 at NY Islanders Uniondale 12:30 p.m.
77 3/27/07 at Montreal Montreal 7:30 p.m.
78 3/31/07 at Philadelphia Philadelphia 7 p.m.
79 4/1/07 TORONTO MSG 7 p.m.
80 4/3/07 at NY Islanders Uniondale 7:30 p.m.
81 4/5/07 MONTREAL MSG 7 p.m.
82 4/7/07 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.

NY PJ1 · July 2006

bath... december is sick ,,tough month on the road !!!!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT !!!!!!!!!!!

LET'S GO RANGER'S!!!

HailHailVitalogy · July 2006

did anyone notice that they are only playing at uniondale once to play them? and like 3 times at MSG? FUCK YEAH!, haha...maybe they are waiting to see if the thing at yankee stadium happens

NJPJ1 since your going to cali, are you going to the gorge as well?

Bathgate66 · July 2006

HailHailVitalogy wrote:

maybe they are waiting to see if the thing at yankee stadium happens

god i hope this happens

Bathgate66 · July 2006

i know there will be plenty of naysayers- but i personally am all for it, especially if it means less playing time for Ozolinsch.

http://www.nydailynews.com/07-11-2006/sports/story/434131p-365767c.html

Leetch return looks possible

BY JOHN DELLAPINA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Brian Leetch's next Garden game could come as Blueshirt.

Barring a medical miracle, Sandis Ozolinsh not only won't be ready for training camp, he'll miss a chunk of the 2006-07 season.
Which yet again raises the question: Do the Rangers have a place for Brian Leetch?

They certainly have a need for him - their offseason acquisitions have addressed other areas but leave the Rangers without a power-play quarterback or reliable offensive presence at even strength from the blue line. And they have enough room under the $44 million salary cap to work out a one-year deal with Leetch, who is willing at age 38 to play it year-to-year.

With Ozolinsh having undergone a second ACL reconstruction on his left knee last month - a procedure that normally requires at least six months' recovery time and is more problematic the second time around - that need and payroll space both increase. Ozolinsh is slated to make $2.75 million next season, but the Rangers would get temporary wiggle room to exceed the cap if he's sure to miss at least 10 games.

Neither Leetch nor the Rangers is in any hurry to make a deal. Having played out a one-year contract with Boston, Leetch is spending his summer on Cape Cod - he'll play in a charity hockey game on Nantucket this weekend - and wants to take his time before making a decision about whether and where to play in 2006-07.

Coming off a difficult season with the Bruins in which he initially was asked to play too many minutes and then succumbed to injuries as the team unraveled, Leetch wants to pick his spot carefully.

"He's made his decision to sort of put off his decision," agent Jay Grossman said. "We haven't had any contract discussions with anybody at this point. I think Brian just wants to get a better sense of how all the teams shake out and where he'd best fit and what his role would be."

Presumably, the Rangers could offer Leetch a chance to play limited even-strength minutes while piloting their power play. The concept has not been ruled out by Rangers management. But it hinges on what the club decides to do with Ozolinsh, who piled up points upon being acquired last March but committed critical defensive gaffes that caused Garden fans to boo him unmercifully.

If and when restricted free agent Michal Rozsival re-signs, the Rangers will have six veteran defensemen under contract, not counting Ozolinsh. Bringing Leetch home would be a tight squeeze, but it's under consideration.

SQUEEZE PLAY: Martin Rucinsky no longer is seeking a two-year deal from the Rangers. But the veteran winger, who wants to play only in New York, remains unsigned and now is being asked to accept a cut from the $3 million he made last season.

"Basically, it's in the hands of Glen (Sather)," agent Petr Svoboda said yesterday. "We spoke this morning and he said he still wants to sign Marty. But if he does, he'll have to do some fancy footstepping."

The Rangers offered Rucinsky a one-year deal weeks ago at a modest raise over the $3 million he made last season. The 35-year-old winger initially demurred, preferring a two-year deal. But when he saw that few free agents 35 or over have been signed to multiyear contracts, Rucinsky relented.

However, having signed winger Brendan Shanahan to a one-year, $4 million deal Sunday, the Rangers have reduced the amount of their offer to Rucinsky.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

Even tho his material is sometimes suspect, i always look forward to the offseason activity with this guy in the Sunday Post.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/beyond_be_leaf_sports_larry_brooks.htm

The prospect of a remarriage between free agent Brian Leetch and the Rangers is at this point no more than wishful thinking from sentimental third parties. Though Glen Sather did try to get Leetch from Boston in a trade last December for Tom Poti (as The Post reported exclusively) and then inquired again about the franchise's greatest-ever defenseman at the deadline, there's been no talk at all this summer between the divorcees' reps.

Circumstances do change, but the recent additions of Karel Rachunek and Aaron Ward to the blue line would seem to make a reunion with Leetch less, rather than more, likely this season. It's also true that had Leetch, who will turn 39 in March, requested a trade to New York at the 2006 deadline, then-GM Mike O'Connell would have obliged. That, Boston sources report, quite decidedly did not transpire.

Hard to figure at this point how the Rangers would have room for Martin Rucinsky, a good man and good player who misunderstood his leverage in demanding a two-year contract to re-up when friends were all but begging him to accept the one-year offer in late June that's since been pulled from the table. :rolleyes:

Five of the top six forward spots are occupied by Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka, Michael Nylander and Matt Cullen. The Rangers hope Petr Prucha or Marcel Hossa fills the sixth, withthe other, in the perfect world, able to slide to the third line. Ryan Hollweg has to become a third-line player in order to give the team any meaningful minutes of fiber.

So where does that leave Rucinsky? On the fourth line? Hardly an option. And what if a Greg Moore, Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes or Lori Korpikoski has the same kind of camp this year as Prucha did last season and simply forces the team to keep him?

Again. What was Rucinsky, paid more than fairly at $3M last year and who could have been paid more than fairly at $3.1M this year, thinking? :rolleyes:

And please, Michal Rozsival's decision to forego salary arbitration just one year away from unrestricted free agency is also about as baffling as it gets, coming as it did after reneging on the three-year, $5.7M deal to which he'd verbally agreed with the Rangers when he saw Nick Boynton get $1M more per to sign with the Coyotes.

With Rozsival's $738,150 QO expiring at midnight last night, and with the defenseman lacking any systemic leverage, Sather could theoretically offer the defenseman a take-it-or-don't-play-in-the-NHL two-year, $2M contract.

can't wait for sept.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

Jed Ortmeyer is one guy that i wouild be really pissed off if the NYR let get away!

thankfully, he's signed.

wtf happened with niel smith out on LI ? That was one quick GM position.

Bathgate66 · July 2006

All the best to Dominic Moore down in Nashville.

It sucks that the H - M - O line will be affected directly .

So now with the arrival of Adam Hall, we have 2 h's to contend with.
The H-O-H line ?

wait - Hall is a right wing. Maybe we will definitely be seeing a centerman come up from the Wolfpack, maybe Immonen ?

B R O A D W A Y***B L U E S H I R T S

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