Brian Leetch is a Hall of Famer

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last week or so. Things have been very busy lately, with prepping for my fall semester in Los Angeles, turning 21, and an assortment of other things. Either way, I'm back, and will do my best to keep you updated as much as possible.

Big news in NY today as Brian Leetch was elected to the NHL Hall of Fame. He will join a very strong 2009 class featuring Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille. Leetch starred as a defenseman for the Rangers, leading them to the 1994 Stanley Cup. He was given the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the Playoffs that year too. He is the only American ever to have won that award. He's also arguably the best American-born defenseman to ever play the game.

His #2 hangs in the rafters at Madison Square Garden, and he will now forever be immortalized in Toronto at the Hockey HOF. A well-deserved honor...Congratulations Mr. Leetch!

I'll be around tonight as I will bring you a live-blog of the Yankee game agains the Braves. Chien-Ming Wang still looking for his first win this year. Over in Queens, Mets and Cardinals play the second of their four-game set. Livan Hernandez will face Joel Pineiro. From what I hear, Fernando Martinez will make his first career start in centerfield. Should be interesting to see.

See you all later tonight. Don't forget to vote on the new poll over to the right!

Brodeur Stands Alone

Congratulations to Marty Brodeur on winning his 552nd NHL game on Tuesday night against the Blackhawks! The win moved him past Patrick Roy for 1st place all-time among NHL goaltenders in history. This truly cements his place as the best goaltender in the history of the game. Throughout his career, he has proven to be the straw that stirs the Devils' drink.

It's scary to think where the Devils would be this year if Brodeur wasn't injured. I didn't think they'd play very well without him, but they did and having him back has only certified their place as one of the elite teams in the East. In 9 games since coming back from injury, Brodeur has only lost once. He has been phenomenal since his surgery and has found a way to keep performing despite getting older. It's been impressive to watch.

Since his first full season in 1993-94, Brodeur has always had a goals against average below 3. His highest was 2.57 in 2005-06, but he still picked up 43 wins and swept the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, his GAA has dropped each year. That's just a statement to how Marty keeps playing better and better while he gets older.

He's only four shutouts away from being first all-time on that list as well. That would 100% cement him as the best netminder of all-time. While he may not get that this year, I certainly doubt this will be his last considering the way he's playing. He will get those four, and he will be celebrated again.

The New York-area has had its share of solid goaltenders recently (Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist, a healthy Rick DiPietro), but Marty Brodeur has been the one consistent member of the bunch. He's been the face of the Devils for years and for good reason. Now, he stands alone above all the others, and he deserves all the accolades!

Around New York on a Wednesday in February

Hey Everyone. So today I figured I'd cover a whole mess of New York sports news considering there were so many teams in action and other news today. So, here we go:

Yankees:
Beat the Blue Jays 6-1 in their first spring training game of the season. A-Rod was booed and responded with a homer. Brett Gardner hit one as well. Very impressive to see the little guy show he has some power and on the second pitch of the game no less. I think this guy desperately wants to make the team and will have a monster spring to prove he deserves the center field spot. Pitchers threw fairly well so that's a good sign. Overall, solid start for the Yanks.

Mets:
Also started off the spring well with a 9-3 rout of the Orioles. Biggest surprises were four RBI's for Luis Castillo and three for Ryan Church. It would be huge for the Mets to have a good campaign from Castillo after a mediocre start with the team. It's also important that Church shows he can still play well after his concussion problems last year. Pitching was alright but no one very important threw. Again, good beginning.

Rangers:
In their first game under new Head Coach John Tortorella, the Rangers showed more of the same and lost in a shootout 2-1 in Toronto. The team is just incapable of scoring. They had a ton of opportunities and got more shots on net but failed to capitalize. Nice to see Wade Redden get in the goal column for the first time since the home opener on October 10th. The team looked a little more lively but continues to struggle scoring goals every game.

Knicks:
Another game that looked close at the end, but a lackluster effort at the beginning did them in. Mike D'Antoni was as irate as I've ever seen in the first half when his team failed to shoot well from the field and lacked communication on defense. It was like the Knicks just came out half asleep. The second half was much better, and I was impressed with Danilo Gallinari's shooting. However, Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox failed to impress, and the team as a whole will need to play well for 48 minutes every night if they want to get in the playoffs.

Jets:
The long relationship with Laveranues Coles is over after the Jets and the receiver parted ways. Now, he can still come back as a free agent, but I think the Jets might go after a guy like Marvin Harrison or someone else to help boost a struggling Jets offense. Coles is a great receiver, but he was never part of the Jets' prime plans last year. It would be smarter for the Jets to get someone who can be more of a primary option.

Giants:
Brandon Jacobs was locked up for four years in a deal that was important to keep the Giants running game as superb as it's been. Jacobs has had to deal with injuries, but he provides a power running game that not too many have in the NFL. Not much to say about this, but the Giants made the right move by keeping him in a blue jersey.

Another Fun Rangers-Islanders Match-Up

I always enjoy watching the Rangers and Islanders do battle. On Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, fans got to witness another nail-biter between these two teams. This was a game the Rangers needed to win to keep fighting for a playoff spot and one the Islanders wanted to help put a knife deeper into the Rangers' wound. The Rangers ended up with a 3-1 win, but the game featured a lot of good fight between both sides.

On the Rangers side, Nigel Dawes got to return to the line-up with Lauri Korpikoski out with an injury and didn't miss a beat. He scored the first goal of the game, burying a great feed from Chris Drury to put the Rangers in front. Getting the first goal was key for the Rangers. They were able to get a power play goal in the second via Scott Gomez, who was in desperate need of a goal and some life. And you gotta love Petr Prucha's fight with the much bigger Sean Bergenheim. Prucha brings energy and grit each time he's out there. Defensively, they still had some holes, and the Islanders ended up with several great chances that Henrik Lundqvist thwarted with a great game in net. Against a better scoring team, the Rangers would probably have lost, but a win is a win and the Rangers won't complain.

As for the Isles, scoring was an issue again. They were given many chances by the Rangers sloppiness in the defensive zone but failed to capitalize. Their lone bright spot came when Mark Streit knocked home a one-timer off a nice pass from Blake Comeau for their only goal of the game. The Islanders have some skill without question, but they lack consistency and a true leader. Rick DiPietro is the face of that team, and without him, they are nothing. The Isles played alright defensively but were also benefits of the post. The Rangers rang the puck of the pipe twice in one shift during the first period. If those go in, this game's a clear blowout. However, give the Isles credit for playing tough, matching the Rangers for most of the game, and not rolling over against their hated rivals.

With the win, the Rangers won the season series from the Isles and they have one more game together on March 5th at the Nassau Coliseum. For the Islanders, the season is obviously lost. They should focus on finding some talent at the trade deadline as a building block toward next season. As for the Rangers, they have so much to play for with a playoff spot nearly slipping away. While they too need talent at the deadline, they must focus on building off this win and getting a streak going to get back higher in the standings. They also should focus on those two games left with the Sabres, one with the Panthers, and four with the Flyers!

Is The End Here for Tom Renney?

I'm sure all Rangers fans are starting to think that his time has come. It certainly sound that way yesterday at MSG when the Rangers were embarrassed by the rival-Flyers and the entire crowd was calling for Tom Renney and Glen Sather's heads. While it's hard to blame front office personnel for poor play on the ice, I think some of this blame needs to go their way.

Sather deserves a lot of the fault for this past off-season. He went out and spent a ton of money and made trades to bring in players like Wade Redden, Dmitri Kalinin, and Nikolai Zherdev along with Scott Gomez and Chris Drury the year before. While getting talent is nice, he didn't get someone who has a nose for the net like Jaromir Jagr did. None of the guys on the team right now are willing to shoot the puck, as evidenced by poor power play after poor power play. Redden was given a ton of money and doesn't move the puck well-enough except when he turns it over. He got talent, but not scoring talent really.

Renney told reporters after yesterday's game that he takes the blame for everything that has happened and said it was he who has to be the one to turn the team around. Renney has made several questionable moves this year. He finally puts in Petr Prucha, not a physical player for the most part and sits Aaron Voros, a physical player, against a team that is traditionally very physical in their game. Renney also doesn't seem like he has a lot of fire in him to yell at players and hold them accountable for mistakes on the ice. If he wants to stick around, he needs to infuse some sort of energy and life into what seems like a completely dead team.

However, with everything that has gone on, the players still deserve a ton of blame for the way they have played. Chris Drury is supposed to be the captain, but he is far from it right now. He doesn't seem to play with the energy and drive for the net like he had in Buffalo. Scott Gomez hasn't provided much and seems almost invisible on the ice at times. I've already mentioned the problems with Redden and Kalinin.

Bottom line is: when you give up a goal while on a 5-on-3 power play, something is clearly wrong. This team doesn't have a will to win or any energy at all. If that doesn't change anytime soon, like with wins against the Blues and Islanders, it's gonna be time for some changes.

Can Sean Avery Help the Rangers?

In recent days, reports have surfaced that the Rangers are thinking about reacquiring forward Sean Avery from the Dallas Stars. Avery was not re-signed by the Rangers this past off-season and ended up signing in Dallas for a good wad of money. Only a few months into his new job, he made an inappropriate sexual remark about his past girlfriends and never saw the ice again with the Stars. The team waived Avery on Friday after he completed the league's behavioral modification program.

So the question becomes: Would the Rangers really benefit from bringing Avery back? In his year and a half on Broadway, Avery won over the good majority of the fans. He had a knack for bringing a physical, though sometimes overboard, presence each game and found a way to score big goals in the process. Who could forget how much he frustrated Marty Brodeur in last year's playoffs to the point where the veteran goalie refused to shake Avery's hand after the Rangers took the series in five.

Avery had some problems though. Ownership wasn't really convinced he meant that much to the team. He took a lot of unnecessary penalties that put the team in tough spots. In Dallas, the Stars started the season miserably but are a solid 17-7-3 since he left the team. Avery brings a gritty and feisty presence to the team but can also be a distraction.

I'm not sure he is what the Rangers need at this point. Their biggest problem is scoring, especially on the power play. Avery will not really provide the scoring, but could provide a body in front of the net that is more frustrating for opposing goalies than Aaron Voros. The Rangers really need a guy like Jaromir Jagr who will just set up and blast shots on net and is not afraid to shoot. Avery is not that guy, although I do think he could inject a little more life into this team. So if you ask me, I say no, unless the Rangers don't have to pay that much for him. He's not worth the investment. Just look at Wade Redden.

Wrapping Up an Emotional Night at The Garden

Adam Graves was bestowed with the New York Rangers' highest honor on Tuesday night as his #9 was raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters, joining Rod Gilbert, Ed Giacomin, Mike Richter, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch as the only Rangers with their numbers retired. While some question whether his numbers are good enough to warrant his number being retired, I think there is no doubt that his play on the ice along with his contributions off it make him one of if not the most worthy candidate. He truly is a very admirable person for his work while playing and his extra effort in the community.

Last night, the Rangers put together another stirring ceremony, theming the evening "Heart of a Ranger." They had some of the trophies he had won on display: The King Clancy and Bill Masterson Memorial Trophies along with the Stanley Cup, which he famously helped win the Blueshirts back in 1994. They introduced Graves, and showed him walking in, in what was one of the first emotional moments of the night. Several fans lined the hallway to the arena, and he shook many of their hands, stopping to give a big hug to several handicapped children there. That was the first tear-jerker of the evening.

He walked out to a thunderous ovation, and was soon flanked by several teammates of his (Tie Domi was an fun one to see along with Darren Langdon, Stephane Matteau and Jeff Beukeboom also got loud applause, and a nice ovation for the cast of the Sopranos and Police Offer Steven McDonald as well). He was then joined by the other Rangers with retired jerseys and then his family. Then came a wide variety of gifts, from a mosaic made by fans, to a Bruce Springsteen guitar, to a collage by the Sopranos cast.

Messier spoke after the gifts, and his emotions got to him once again and made the fans tear up as well. It's amazing how emotional Mess is, but it just shows how he always wore his heart on his sleeve. His speech was beautiful and spoke a lot about how Graves really was a true leader on the team and was someone who everyone should try to emulate.

After that was the man of the hour. Graves was applauded loudly throughout and all the fans screamed their praise. He spoke about how great it was to play in front of the fans in New York, how much they meant to him, and how much his teammates helped him become the man he is. He was overwhelmed by "the weight" of the honor being bestowed on him that night. Graves spoke beautifully as well and was visibly emotional but never let it stop him from saying what he wanted.

Then, the Banner Raising. This was the most emotional of all in my mind. I have never seen a banner get raised to the rafters before, and getting to see it live was unbelievable. The applause and cheering was so loud and seeing Graves and even his son crying made even the toughest of men shed some tears. Seeing him in a Rangers jersey one more time as he took pics with the other retired Blueshirts and then with Richter, Messier, and Leetch was another great capper on the evening that could never be duplicated.

Graves then walked off to thunderous applause, and tapped his heart, letting all the Garden Faithful know how much he loved them and how much he appreciated their love for him. It was heart-warming for sure.

Although the current version of the Rangers was fairly unimpressive in a 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Thrashers, the night's main focus was that of Adam Graves and all he has meant to the Rangers organization, Madison Square Garden, and Rangers fans everywhere. He truly has the "Heart of a Ranger" and is someone who I admire tremendously. I wish there were more people like him, who go out every day and strive to make a difference in someone's life.

Heartbreaker in Boston

A tough week for the Rangers got tougher on Saturday as they lost a 1-0 battle with the Eastern Conference-best Bruins in Boston. Not only did they not get a point, but they also were shut-out by not Tim Thomas and not Manny Fernandez but Tuukka Rask. Rask was making just his fifth NHL appearance. Rask was strong, stopping all 35 shots and the Rangers lost their second in a row after getting pasted by the Penguins earlier this week.

Things also got bad for the Rangers when Dmitri Kalinin went down with a knee injury in the first period and did not return. Now, Ranger fans are probably rejoicing over the fact that Kalinin may be out for a bit because he was the brunt of boo's almost as bad as Marek Malik this season. However, he had been playing much better as of late and has improved his plus/minus slowly but surely.

If he misses time, newly-acquired defenseman Eric Reitz will likely fill his spot. Should be interesting to see if he can provide a spark at the blueline. Either way, the Rangers are slumping a bit right now. They get an easier opponent with the Thrashers as they celebrate Adam Graves Night, but they can't look past them. I'll write a piece on Graves night, which I will be attending, later in the week.

Start Me Up!

After the All-Star Game this past weekend in Montreal, it's time to look forward to what the second half of the season has in store for New York area hockey teams. While the Islanders are clearly out of it (barring a miraculous comeback...which is highly unlikely), the Rangers, Devils, and Sabres are all clearly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Here's an outlook on the second half for each of the teams and what their goals should be (records and standings include Tuesday night's games):

New York Rangers (29-16-4, 62 points, 2nd in Atlantic, 4th in East)
Analysis: The Rangers started the year sky high, from their opening games in Prague through the first few weeks. However, the Rangers have since returned to earth but are still proving they are a solid team. This team has a great mix of veteran leaders (Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund) along with solid young talent (Nikolai Zherdev, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes), and good goaltending (Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Valiquette). The team's had stable defense and tremendous penalty killing, but the power play has been inconsistent and often times, the team struggles to score. Still, they've won 5 of their last 6 and find ways to win games.
Second Half Goals: Find consistency on the power play, shoot the puck more, maintain solid penalty kill, and earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

New Jersey Devils (30-15-3, 63 points, 1st in Atlantic, 3rd in East)
Analysis: The Devils haven't done anything except get better after Marty Brodeur went down early in the season with an injury. The Devils have found the net and played great defense, getting great goaltending from Scott Clemmensen in Brodeur's absence. The power play and penalty kill are both good but could be better. They also have a good mix of veterans and younger players. When Marty Brodeur comes back, if he can regain the Hall-Of-Fame form he's had, even at his age, the Devils will be very hard to beat.
Second Half Goals: Improve the PP and PK, continue scoring, do not burn out Scott Clemmensen, and finally, win the Atlantic Division.

Buffalo Sabres (25-18-5, 55 points, 3rd in Northeast, 7th in East)
Analysis: Right now, the Sabres are the closest to falling out of the playoff race. Like the Rangers, their penalty kill has been excellent, and like the Devils, their power play has been above average. They've struggled to score at points this year, and the defense has been inconsistent. Basically, inconsistency is the best word to describe the boys from Buffalo. Their big struggle has been holding leads. They only have a .600 win percentage when scoring first. That's been one of their biggest problems.
Second Half Goals: Find ways to maintain leads, improve the power play, stay healthy, and hold onto a playoff spot while praying not to finish 8th and being forced to face the Bruins (most likely) in the first round.

And because I shouldn't leave them out...

New York Islanders (13-29-5, 31 points, Last in Atlantic, Last in East, Last in NHL)
Analysis: It's another one of those years for the team on Long Island. Aside from problems scoring goals, they've allowed a ton, and just haven't been able to develop any momentum. Oh, and on top of that, their starting goalie is done for the year with persistent problems from surgery, and their back-up was injured against their arch-rivals and will also miss time. And, on top of that, they couldn't regain their former back-up because he was picked up off waivers by the Blue Jackets. Oh, and on top of that, there have been rumors they might move to Kansas City. Just complete disaster right now at the Nassau Coliseum...or Mausoleum.
Second Half Goals: Get some talent at the trade deadline, avoid serious injury, develop the talent of younger players, get started on the Lighthouse Project, and get on a winning streak that could start a miracle run to the playoffs.