Rangers Lose a Heartbreaker, Montreal Has The Right Price, Adam Graves & More Ranger Reaction

Just one of those games

Welcome everyone to another blog here on DOINOW.com. As always, archives on the right hand of the site, I'm not going to re-hash previous points I've made, tip your bartenders, spay or neuter your pets and don't text and drive.

Let me state off the bat, I'm doing this blog without seeing any post-game interviews or coverage. I just can't stomach it after a game like this.

What a fucking heartbreaker. What else is there to say, after the Rangers lost a 1-0 game to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. If you follow me on the twitter or on the facebook, I said after the second period, this game would be a heartbreaker or exhilarating and unfortunately, the latter didn't happen.

The Rangers were slumping into the All-Star break. After sweeping their California trip, the Rangers returned to the east coast, losing two games to the Islanders and Bruins with 3-0 scores. Once, the third highest scoring team in the league, the Rangers looked desperate to find goal scoring. Luckily, the Rangers went to Pittsburgh, whom they've owned in recent times. The Rangers rebounded, knocking an injured Penguins team down 5-2. In the last game before the break, the Rangers eked out an OT win against Ottawa, 3-2.

After the week-long All-Star break, the Rangers returned and were embarrassed by the Islanders 4-1. The game would've been a shut-out, if it wasn't for a Hagelin goal, with 8 seconds left in the game. Tonight, the Rangers were shut-out again. The Rangers are now slumping like a hitter in baseball, as they've hit a cold snap.

Before getting into the meat and potatoes, let's talk the positives. Until Max Pacioretty's goal, with 4 minutes to go in the third period, I really enjoyed this game. I'm sure if you're a Montreal or just a hockey fan, you still enjoyed this game anyway. There were things I  really liked and things I really hated in this game. It felt that when I was really feeling positive, something would happen to make me feel negative right in way. Case in point, the end of the first period.

A player every Ranger fan loves, but everyone else hates

The Rangers have played better first periods this season. They had several 3 goal first periods during this season. At one point, you had to wonder if Papajohns was losing money with all the three goal games the Rangers were putting up early on. However, this was my favorite first period of the season. For the first time, since the Penguins game, that the Rangers lost in that bullshit shootout (when the teams were brought back on the ice after Boyle's goal) I felt I was watching a playoff game.

I went to the Montreal/Rangers game on October 25th in Montreal. Walking into the building with my Jeff Beukeboom jersey, I felt like a bad guy/heel in wrestling, in the 1980's, taking on Hulk Hogan. The Montreal Canadien fans hated me and hated the blueshirts. After all, the Rangers took them out of the playoffs and got a Stanley Cup trip out of it. However, they were more mad that the series wasn't clean, due to Kreider's hit on Carey Price in Game 1, taking Montreal's All-Star goaltender out of the series. Lots of what-ifs for Montreal Canadien fans.

Let me say though, if you're a hockey fan, going to the Bell Centre is a bucket list thing you got to do. From the Montreal Canadiens museum, to the venue, to just exploring a beautiful city like Montreal, you have to do it at least once. I'm glad I was able to experience it, even if the Rangers lost 3-1 during my trip there. As was evident during that game, Price was better than the highest paid goalie in the league, Henrik Lundqvist.

The Rangers played Montreal, at home, in November, winning 5-0 against Dustin Tokarski, Montreal's back-up goalie. With the series at 1-1, and the Rangers desperately needing points in the standings, this wasn't a must-win game, but it was a game the Rangers needed to keep pace.

I look pregnant in this picture, but in reality, I was smuggling an American Miller Lite Keg into the Bell Centre!

The first period of tonight's game gave off a playoff atmosphere. Both goalies were outstanding. The intensity was through the roof. There were fights all over the place. Kreider wanted to punch Subban as much as I do. Let me state here though, Subban, like Simmonds on the Flyers or Ovi on the Caps, is a player you respect, but love to hate. He's not like Crosby, who is a punk ass pussy bitch. (So much for writing a PG column that will be covered by a mainstream source!)  Subban, like Kreider, is someone you hate, unless he's wearing your sweater.

Both teams brought it. The energy was contagious. It was fucking Sparta on the ice. What killed this game for me a bit, was the referees telling both teams, before the intermission, was to tone it down or else. With the threat of ejections and perhaps suspensions, both teams toned it down after that ferocious first period. In games like these, LET THEM GO. This is what the fans and most importantly, CUSTOMERS, want. I know the NHL wants to get away from the fighting, but I'm more invested as a fan when the players want it as much as I do. Us diehard sport fans, live vicariously through our teams. Why take that away?

The second period, while not as intense as the first, was another great period of hockey. Both goalies were lights out and on a Vezina level. By the time the horn went off for the second intermission, you knew this would either be a 1-0 or overtime game. The goalies were too good to allow anything else.

Price & Lundqvist added to their career highlight reels during this game. Lundqvist made amazing, show-stopping saves, and Lundqvist stopping Weise in the first period was as breathtaking as an original Picasso. I should mention, if the original call on the ice was a goal, I could see it standing. Gotta love the "inconclusive" ruling.

However, Hank's counterpart, Carey Price was no slouch. Price made stop after stop. Even when the Rangers had chances, and boy was Marty St. Louis close to scoring two goals tonight, Price was there or got help from some post. It was one of those nights, where both goalies were determined to stand on their head and steal one here, like a Katrina looter.

Price steals a "W" over NYR

With ten minutes left in the third period, in a scoreless game, both goalies matched each other spectacular save for spectacular save. What was clear was the better goalie would win this game. As it has been with Henrik Lundqvist all season, Hank was bested, yet again, by a better goalie. Hank's record against top teams in the NHL this season has been abysmal. Just check out his games against the Islanders, Tampa and Boston. Luckily the Rangers have owned Fleury this season, or I would dread to see those numbers.

Listen, we can bitch and moan that the Rangers didn't score. I won't argue with you. No shit, the Rangers couldn't find the twine tonight. However, neither did Montreal, until Pacioretty beat Hank on a weak ass shot with four minutes to go in the game. This was a goalie game, as advertised, and let the best man win. Price went two-for-two against Hank this year.

On an aside, the Ranger's run last year should've been their year. They snuck by Philly in 7 games. Tragic, yes, but the passing of MSL's mother helped propel the Rangers to steal a series against the Pens in 7 games. Montreal upsetting the Ranger killers, in the Boston Bruins helped out. When Kreider eliminated Price from the series in game one, everything was coming up Blueshirts. You have to wonder what would've happened if Hank didn't blow 3 games in the third period against the Kings last year. In reality, there was no reason for the Rangers not to come back to MSG, up 2-0, in the Cup finals last year. Again, Hank was the weaker goalie, thus the other team won. This is what drives me nuts about his contract. He is being paid to be Superman, but plays like Jimmy Olsen in big games.

What hurts the most about this Rangers loss wasn't that they didn't score, but that they were four minutes away from getting a point, grabbing third place in the standings, until a shot by Pacioretty that is stopped 99/100 times, trickles past Hank. The Rangers had ample opportunities to score all night, but it was a battle of the goaltenders. In the end, Hank broke down, while Price played the full 60 minutes. The highest paid goalie in the NHL, was bested yet again.

It's amazing how scores reflect the way we look at games. If the Rangers score two goals, I'm singing the praises of Henrik Lundqvist. However, in a goalie showdown, the better man won and this loss falls on Hank, instead of Hank getting the broadway hat.





Rangers coach, Alain Vigneault, juggled lines tonight. However, I don't think any line-up would've worked tonight, as Price was just a beast tonight. Hank was too, but Price was just extra beastier, if that makes sense. Fans will talk about Glass being in the line-up over JT Miller, but in the end, it didn't matter. Glass had a great game, with several near assists and bringing the passion & intensity to the ice. Shaking up the defensemen worked, as all three pairs held down the fort. The Pacioretty goal was a bad one, and not on the skaters.

I will say, while Hank did leave the ice like a crybaby, smashing his stick in the process, I liked his emotion. I hope he's not mad and blaming his teammates like he usually does after a loss like this. I hope he's mad at himself for being bested. I want that fire in the belly of my goalie.

I've made points about Hank all year on this blog. The newest development was that Ryan McDonagh & Cam Talbot vacationed together during the all-star break. I have always wondered why Hank doesn't hang out with his teammates and if we will hear after Hank's career that his teammates resented him for always throwing them under the bus when the team loses but always there to soak in the adulation after wins. I just wish Hank had that Derek Jeter mentality, which I've never seen during his career. Hank is easily the third best goalie in Rangers history, and a compiler in grabbing many team records, but he's never been able to be that leader, like  Mark Messier, like a Derek Jeter, like a Michael Jordan. Maybe he isn't on their level, but he is being paid to be.

As far as the game, I can bitch about the no-call slashes on Derek Stepan or the bullshit icing when Klein beat his defender to the puck. However, those two calls don't make up the entire 60 minutes of the game. The Rangers are in a scoring drought and need to find out what the fuck happened. With hopefully two good match-ups on paper, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers, coming to town, the Rangers can solve this puzzle.

In all, just a heartbreaking loss. With ticket prices going up, I'm not able to afford as many games as I have been able to in previous seasons, so I'm glad I decided to sit this one out. That train home from Penn Station would've been miserable. However, if Cam Talbot starts on Saturday, I'll see you there. IN CAM WE TRUST!





Let's try to end this blog with some positivity. Being born in 1982, the 1994 Rangers were super-heroes to me. None bigger than Adam Graves, and the previously mentioned Jeff Beukeboom. They were my favorite Rangers growing up. Of course, I loved Leetch, Messier and Richter too, but I always gravitated to the stylings and play of Graves & Beukeboom. When Graves was traded to the Sharks, I was crushed. I stopped attending as many games as I used to/do, during this period. I was just as heartbroken, as the loss here tonight.

Do me a favor - Google "Adam Graves Charity". About a million stories will come up. I want to take space here to say that it makes me proud as a Ranger fan to see the work Adam Graves does on a daily basis. He gets some press for it, but he isn't seeking it. You never see him tooting his own horn. This is a guy, that has used his fame to insane levels, to help benefit the lives of the less fortunate on an every day basis. He is not only a great ambassador of the New York Rangers, but a great ambassador for the human race. I can't recap everything he's done, because I would be here for years typing it all up, but seriously, do the google search. The work he's done is inspiring.

Let me put it out here and who knows, maybe he reads this, as I do know several current Rangers have read this blog before - THANK YOU ADAM GRAVES. I'll never forget you signing autographs for me when I was 14, 15, 16 years old. Now I'm 32 and the work you have done is nothing short of amazing. Thank you for making my favorite team look good and thank you for dedicating your life to helping the lives of others. You are an inspiration for anyone.

Long live number 9.

I'll be back late Saturday/early Sunday with Rangers/Canes reaction. If Talbot starts, look for me at MSG in my WEBLEEDBLUE Tablot T-Shirt!

LETS GO RANGERS

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@nycthemic on the twitter

Rangers vs Islanders Reaction, Blizzard, Front-Runners in Nassau, Ticket Prices, King Contract & More

How many times will we see this face after a game with a top team?

 Before starting, when I started this blog, I didn't realize it would be this long. I hope you stick with it and submit your feedback on twitter/fb/email like usual. As I say below, thank you for reading as site traffic has increased exponentially this last week. I'm glad you take the time out to read my ramblings, even if you just skim through!

 Welcome to another Ranger game review/report blog, here on DOINow.com. I would like to thank all the new readers we have picked up here over the last week and for the feedback. It seems the "Rangers Mid-Season Report Card", "NHL All Star Game & Jagr's Snub", "Francesacon" & "The Royal Rumble Review" were all appreciated due to site traffic & response. So thank you for reading!

As always, you can find previous columns & reports on the right hand of the site in the archives section. I will not re-hash what I've said in previous blogs, so if you find a point kind of out there without an explanation, just scroll through previous blogs. I would suggest you read two of my "Henrik Lundqvist vs Cam Talbot" articles, which you can find here:

From 11/15/14 http://doisports.blogspot.com/2014/11/is-henrik-lundqvist-overpaid-looking-at.html
and
From 12/2/14: http://doisports.blogspot.com/2014/12/ranger-reaction-its-time-to-bench.html

The above blogs were both written before the Rangers historic winning streak. While it is impressive for Henrik to beast and feast on bottom feeder teams, Hank did, to his credit, steal a game or two during that stretch. That's what he's paid to do. He's the highest paid goalie in the league and takes up the most cap room than any other goalie in the league. He should be standing on his head every night.

However, I will always question Hank's relationship to this team. I made some points about why in this blog:
http://doisports.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-new-year-rangers-finish-strong.html

Before tonight's battle with the Islanders took place, I said and thought that Cam Talbot should've got the start. Yes, I know the Rangers were coming off of the NHL All-Star break, but the Islanders have owned Hank like a southern slave from the 1800's all season long. The Islanders have embarrassed Hank. They have exposed Hank. They beat Hank so bad, that Hank wouldn't even come out for the third period two weeks ago, in a game where the Islanders led 3-0, going into the third period. Despite the Islanders blowing more 3 goal leads than any other team in the league, Hank wanted nothing to do with them in that game. That's just a defeated man.

Cam Talbot Follows Me on Twitter! IN CAM WE TRUST!

I have been singing the praises of Cam Talbot here all season where it's basically come to a satire/parody level. While at times, I lay it on extra thick for shits and kicks, I do truly believe Talbot needs to play more for reasons I got more in-depth on during the Rangers Mid-Season Report Card blog. Long story short, this will be Hank's team due to that ridiculous contract he was presented. You need Hank fresh for the playoffs. Having him play more games than any other time in his career doesn't make sense. The Rangers had the long run last year and the Olympics. You need Hank to be the Hank of old or at least live up to his reputation and contract, come the playoffs. You don't need him out there every night.

We've seen Hank duck some teams before. He wanted no part of the LA Kings. He wanted no part of the Boston Bruins. He has opted for easier match-ups, at times during this season. It will be no shock to me if Cam Talbot starts on Thursday against the Habs, allowing Hank to raise his hands, in what should surely be a victory against Carolina, on Saturday.

Call me a Talbot fan-boy all you want, but the kid should play more, if at least to give Hank a rest for April. I think the team plays better in front of him too. Some people might say that's because he's young and the Rangers won't take as many chances. I think it goes back to the team CAM-araderie issue I've talked about before. Zucc takes a team picture on a plane and Hank is nowhere to be found. Then, during the pre-game interviews tonight, Hank said he traveled solo to the game! So while the team traveled together, Hank traveled alone. When Hank has his silly boat TV shows, you don't see his teammates ever on that boat, where you always see Zucc/Hags/Brass always hanging out.

I'm telling you, you won't hear it now. You won't hear it next year. But when the players, who have played with Hank, start telling war stories 15-20 years from now, I won't be surprised when they say "Hank was kinda of a dick." There's something wrong about a guy who is just never involved with his teammates socially. There's something wrong with a guy who blames his teammates after every loss, but quickly there to soak in the "HEN-RY" chants after a 6-1 drubbing of the Sabres. Anyone who has played team sports, at any level, will tell you this. Team sports, from at the earliest age, teaches the value of friendship, trusting your teammates and building bonds. Sure, the pros get paid to succeed, but really what's Little League? It's a way for kids to make friends. I don't see Hank with any friends on this team. If you do, send me your evidence and prove me wrong.

The Islanders Facebook Page got 150,00 More Likes During This Run

Switching subjects, as I continue on this extended introduction before recapping the game, let's talk Rangers vs Islanders for a bit.  As we all know, here in the northeast, we had some snow. While "SNOWMAGEDDON" was hyped up as the Titanic hitting the Hindenburg, in reality, it was a minor storm. Most places in NY got 8-12 inches of snow, after predictions of up to 36 inches being reported. Suffolk County took the brunt of it, getting 2 plus feet in some places. As far as NYC and Nassau County, we were inconvenienced, but not trapped in our houses.

On an aside, after Bloomberg bobbled those two snow-storms several years ago, the city will always over-hype storms. They will never want to be caught with their pants down again in this situation. You will never hear any snow storm being predicted as something minor and manageable ever again.

I live 15 minutes away from the Nassau Coliseum. At 12PM, the snow started to stop. I was checking ticket prices for the game with my friends. Ever since my freshman year of high school, I've always attended Islander vs Ranger games at the dump in Uniondale. Due to the Islanders being competitive this year, tickets that used to be $25 are now $100. Tickets that were $100 are now $400. Keep in mind, last season, during the first Ranger/Islander game of the season at the Coliseum, I paid $50 each to sit in 102x Row A seats 1&2. Now all of a sudden, the Islanders have a team and that seat yesterday was going for $1000+.

It's nice to see the Islanders are learning from big brother about "supply & demand." The Islanders, like the Mets, were always the little brother in this town. What attracted their fanbase was cheap tickets. The Mets have always been affordable. Until this year, the Islanders were always affordable. With the Islanders going to Brooklyn and raising their ticket prices astronomically next season (And what a bad business move, why would they fuck over their season ticket holders by raising prices during their move?) it's a shame that fans are being priced out in Nassau.

On Monday afternoon, with this snow storm being hyped up as the Hurricane Sandy of snow, ticket prices dropped to as low as $70, which is still too high for a regular season game at Nassau. I didn't buy tickets, as it looked like the NHL was hell-bent on getting this game off, and not postponing this game until Wednesday. I figured if I waited until Tuesday, at around 5PM, ticket prices would drop.

What happened is that News 12 and other media outlets reported that the snow was weak. Driving bans were lifted. Photos of clear roads were shown. At around 2PM, those tickets sitting at $70 jumped back up to $150 a pop on secondary market sites like SeatGeek and StubHub. I wasn't going to pay that much and decided to watch the game at home, where I always have a good time with my friends/neighbors in my building.

For shits and kicks, I checked to see what ticket prices were going for at 6:30, a half hour before game time. The cheapest ticket available was $170, on an end zone, in the 15th row, squished in the middle.  While it's great that the "demand" for the NHL is huge in NY & for the sport, it's a shame that creeps are gauging the secondary market to astronomical prices with their "supply."

Who are Six Guys the majority of Islander fans don't know, Alex?

 Listen, I don't want to do the Cup thing, I've done it before and it's dated. It's a fact, Rangers & the Islanders have the same amount of Cups. I get it. However, my point here is that Ranger fans are always there. MSG is always sold-out. For the limited talk Hockey gets in the mainstream NY media, it's always Ranger talk. Ranger tickets are always expensive, because there is always a demand for it.

The Islanders have the biggest front-running fan-base in all of NY. I have been to that Coliseum hundreds of times. It's so quiet in there, that you can hear the beer vendors complain about not getting paid over-time. All of a sudden, the Islanders are good and everyone you know is now an Islander fan. I mean their social media statistics, attendance, and trending measures alone, have jumped to numbers never seen before. You have Islander fans talking shit like they've been watching this team their whole life, but couldn't tell you the difference between John Spano and Bobby Nystrom. I truly feel bad for the life-long Islander fan, the father with his kids, those crazy women Islander fans, even the glitter guy fan, who have to deal with all these people jumping on their bandwagon and hurting their pocket with these elevated ticket prices.

Let me make it clear. There are good and loyal Islander fans out there. However, more and more of them are jumping out of the wood-work like creepy pedophiles lurking at a school playground. Please, as a dedicated sports fan, please do not talk shit about how good the Islanders are or winning a game in January unless you went through the fishstick years, the Yashin years,  the Peca years and the Nabby years. You are the same people that won't be in Brooklyn the second the team falls off.

Plus, what these fans don't know either is that the Islanders have sucked for so long and have been cheap even longer. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. These shit-talkers don't realize this Islanders storm has been tracking for a while. With all these great draft picks from sucking for so long, the Islanders built a great nucleus. With not paying anyone for so long, the Islanders made savvy trades with playoff teams that had to dump players due to a salary cap. The Islanders are making the most with their perfect mix. They got the youth, they had time to develop homegrown talent and they had the money to make deals for Boychuk, Leddy and Halak.

Oh and for these all of a sudden "diehard" Islander fans - the real games start in April.

With the longest intro ever now complete, let's look at the game:
 If there was a true blizzard in the NY area, it was the beating the Rangers took last night, losing 4-1. The game was effectively a shut-out, with Carl Hagelin connecting on a powerplay goal with 8 seconds left in the game. What has to make you happy as an Islander fan, is seeing Halak and his teammates pissed off that Hags scored. Whenever I see Hank giving up goals, I just see him pout and whine. When that Hags goal went in, Halak slammed his stick. This Islander team has something special, as much as I hate to say it. Of course, let's see what they do in the playoffs, but if you're an Islander fan, there's no reason not to feel on top of the world right now.

The Rangers traveled to Nassau Coliseum, early Monday morning due to the weather reports. They were rested off the break and had no travel issues with this game. There was no excuse to come off so flat-footed, committing turnovers and just being beat in every facet of the game. It's easier to make excuses when the team is coming off a back-to-back or has mumps (Can you believe mumps is a thing in 2015?) but no excuses here - the Rangers got beat by a better team, yet again.

As I said earlier, I thought Talbot should've started. Hank made 30 saves and was pressured alot. However, on the other side, Halak made 40 saves and made fantastic saves as that. My issue, with Hank, as it's always been, if you want to be the highest paid goalie in the league and called "King", then you need to outplay your competition and steal games. You can't say the Rangers didn't have opportunities. They did. Halak made the big saves. Halak shut the Rangers down. On the other side of the ice, Hank couldn't pull off the superhuman saves that his counterpart was making. You could make the argument that Talbot may have not either, but the loss would've cost you $8 million less a season & with that money, maybe you get another center or a defensemen not making bad turnovers.

Some people said that Hank prevented this game from being 6, 7, 8 to nothing. What's to say that Talbot doesn't go out there and plays the game of his life? We will never know. All I do know is that Halak came up big for a big game.

I thought Hank had no chance on two of the goals tonight, as the Rangers defensemen played defense just as great as the defense in the All-Star Game at times, (Yes that's a joke), but Hank gave up two bad goals. One of the goals, the Nielsen goal, made Hank look like Bill Buckner, as it just dribbled right by him. All you could do is groan. The first Islander goal, off the stick of Grabovski, looked like something out of the All-Star Game, a perfect tic-tac-goal. (And that's not a joke.)

I can't sit here and dump on Hank though. As a team, the Rangers just couldn't find the net. I thought Nash made some great plays, but Halak was there to stop him time and time again. The Rangers got 40 shots off and the majority of them were good looks and powerplay shots, especially in that second period. They just couldn't find the net. In the second period alone, Halak turned back 18 shots.

Where the Rangers just match up better against the Penguins this season, the Islanders just have the Rangers number this year. Sometimes I wonder if it's a money thing. The Islanders are a young group, with solid veterans sprinkled in, where a lot of the Rangers already have their contracts and are an older team.

Zuccarello, who became a fan favorite very quickly, has not produced like he did last season. While he's a punchy guy, he seems lost at times in these big games. He's in a contract year and subject of trade rumors. Games like this doesn't help his case, and that's sad, because I enjoy him on this team.

I thought the Kreider penalty, where he was pushed into Halak, netting a goalie interference call, was a reputation call. Kreider's name has to be discussed by the referees before every game. He just has that reputation, and I believe he will be looked at under a microscope. Can't say it's not deserved though.

I was kind of disappointed in the Rangers intensity. Tanner Glass & Dan Boyle, involved in scraps with the Islanders previously, with Boyle starting a fight at the end of the game two weeks ago, didn't decide to get tough until the final result was long decided. I miss the old fights of old between these two teams. It's not intense or important if you're starting a fight when you're already losing 4-0. It comes off cheap and desperate.

There's not much else to really say about this game. It was one of those games where the Rangers goal scorers, outside of Nash were just there. I've talked about how in some games MSL is all the difference in the world or he's just not noticeable. Today was the latter. The defense, which has been strong this year, was busted open. Hank, who looked like sharp in recent one-goal victories, couldn't put up with the 60 minutes of pressure like Halak did.

Overall, this was one of the most disheartening losses of the season. There is nothing positive or anything to take away from this game, unless you think snapping a 2 hour goal-less streak against the Islander is something to jump up and down about.

Congratulation to the true Islander fans reading this blog, you deserve it. For the Rangers, it's time to forget this shit-show and move on to the Canadiens.

If Cam Talbot is starting on Thursday, like I'm predicting he will, I will see you at MSG. Look for the guy in the Cam Talbot shirt, with a Miller Lite in his hand, if you want to talk or scream HEN-RY in my face.

As mentioned, Rangers finish off the month with two more games, both at home, playing Montreal on Thursday and Carolina on Superbowl Eve on Saturday. With the Islanders and Penguins both winning, the Rangers need a quick turnaround to keep pace in the standings.

I'll be back late Thursday/early Friday with Habs/Rangers reaction.

Thanks for staying with this long blog and always, LETS GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter gimmick

WWE Royal Rumble Review, Canceling the WWE Network & More

Welcome everyone to another blog here on DOINOW.com. As always, check out the right hand of the site for the archive section for previous news/reviews/opinions. Thanks to everyone for the comments I received on the Francesacon report.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy writing about things I enjoy. Writing about Francesacon or the Rangers is fun and comes easy to me. I've been a wrestling fan my whole life. For 10+ years, I wrote about professional wrestling, during both the good times and bad. It is always easier and more fun to write about a good wrestling show than a bad wrestling show.

For 8 out of those previously mentioned 10 years, I either booked or promoted wrestling. Some shows were homeruns, some shows were a swing & a miss. While running or booking shows, I always tried to listen to the fanbase, especially at the independent level. Fans not buying your product, whether it be through tickets or DVDs (which was my company's bread and butter) can cripple you. While the WWE is at a level my company would've never attained, the same principles and rules apply. The customer, or fan, always comes first. Many wrestling promotions over the years have booked for the promoter first, the fan second and that piece of business never leads to profits.

For a while, I feel the WWE has been booking to Vince McMahon's interests. From the start of Batista winning the Rumble last year, to the fiasco we got tonight, there have been many times the WWE has not listened to their audience. Vince can give all the lip service he likes and Triple H can say how twittter & live crowds is their test market sample, but at the end of the day, when you produce a show like the 2015 Royal Rumble, all I get is that Vince & HHH are speaking in cliches and feeding everyone a line of shit.

It seems that many customers/fans had the same feeling as I did after the 2015 Royal Rumble. Imagine my shock when I went to cancel the WWE Network after the event, only to get a message telling me that the page was not found. In essence, either the page to cancel crashed due to a server overload or the WWE cowardly took the page down. When I went to investigate, I feel it was the latter because #CANCELWWENETWORK was the number 1 trend on twitter in the world. I wish I could see Vince's face, especially because of how much stock he puts into twitter.

All I've seen on twitter is this picture, from hundreds of accounts:


Since I got to the page late, and it was taken down. I had to cancel through paypal. I found out I wasn't the only one, as this image also popped up all over twitter:



Don't take my cancellation of the WWE Network as a knee-jerk, butt-hurt reaction. In my WWE reviews on this site, I've been saying all along, that the WWE is not geared for me. It is marketed for 9-10 year olds, while the WWE Network, with their archive footage, is marketed for people like me, in their 30's. I don't understand how the WWE wants to protect their Mattel deal, by going PG, but promotes a network to adults with the credit card to purchase the network. I've just finally had it. I'm not one of these people who will say "I'M NEVER WATCHING AGAIN!', because wrestling has always been in my blood. Watching WWE is just like watching another episode of a tv series. However, I just refuse to pay for it anymore.

If enough people cancel, perhaps WWE will get the message. The kids they are marketing their product for can't buy the network because they don't have a credit card. It is up to the adult fans to cancel. Losing money is the only way to make conversation with Vince McMahon. You can bitch and moan if you want, but if you're giving him money, there is no reason to change the course. Plus, February is a free month, because they are desperate for customers, so you can get all of next month free anyway, which is great if you are really starved for 73473043754745 different documentaries, all using the same clips, about the Attitude Era.

I watched the Royal Rumble with two friends. One of them is a current independent wrestler who knows his shit. The other is a life-long fan and will watch anything that's on TV, whether it's Smackdown or TNA. Before the show started, I commented that whatever the WWE does tonight, they will be second and third guessed. I thought that going in either a Bryan vs Cena or Bryan vs Rollins direction would've been best. I thought the worst scenario would be  Reigns vs Lesnar direction, especially if Lesnar is going into Mania as a lame-duck champion. Of course, Vince once again went in the direction of what he wanted the most, not what the fans wanted.

Of course, you can say this is just another obstacle and WWE can change their plans. That's fine and true. However, this is the second biggest "Free-Per-View" of the year. The network is their life-blood. If they can't give me what I want all year long, I'm going to cancel my subscription. If a TV show is bad 85% of a season, I'm not going to watch and I'm surely not going to pay to watch it. This is where WWE falls for me.

WWE needs to listen to their audience. If they want to say UFC isn't their competition (It is) and TNA isn't their competition (it's not), that's great. However, HBO GO, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and any other VOD service is their competition. For the time and the money, I'm just not going to waste it on WWE anymore.

If there was anything I took out of the Royal Rumble this year, it was the fact that WWE does not learn from their history and will make the same mistake twice.

Talk about an intro. Let's get into it:





ROYAL RUMBLE
January 25, 2015
Philadelphia, PA

Please notice where this show took place. There are three markets in the United States that will let you hear it if you are fucking up. New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Why the WWE would book the Rumble match the way they did is beyond me. You had to know the crowd was going to revolt.

Also, who starts a show off with four straight tag matches? Terrible format.

Additionally, whose bright idea was it to put Booker T in a prominent role on commentary? Is it an affirmative blacktion thing? He is fucking horrendous. It would be like pumping John Madden for Shannon Sharpe for a Superbowl broadcast. Even the stuff he brings up is not effective. He was talking about a C-level UFC show at one point, and then went on to talk about how Rusev was Bulgarian, despite being promoted as a Russian for the last year. Is Booker's employment a rib on someone?

PRESHOW:
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro d. The Blacks
Glad to see Kidd & Cesaro get a win. I would enjoy Cesaro more, but he's Swiss. He is just not connecting with me. At least that's what Vince McMahon wants me to think. Ok match, but what a waste of Cesaro. The "make a faction of a certain race" crap is so dated.

ROYAL RUMBLE 2015
AKA
Let's get #CANCELWWENETWORK trending world-wide

The Ascension (Connor & Viktor) d. The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg)
Billy Gunn looks amazing at 51. He looks better than half the roster today. Speaking of good looks for someone aging, Lilian Garcia doesn't look like she's gained a day since the 1990's.

This match was indicative of WWE's current problems. The NAO are more over than anyone not named Bryan or Cena. All these guys they bring back come from the Attitude Era where they had all the lee-way in the world. Vince then wonders why guys don't connect in their tight scripted PG world. A Stone Cold or Rock would never exist under today's conditions or environment. Sad.

I've talked about the Ascension before, so not going to rehash my previous points. Check the archives for that. They suck, the gimmick sucks and they belong on WCW Saturday Night. They get a cheap win, that will not turn the fans to accept them as something to care about.

For the WWE Tag Team Titles
(C) Uso's d. Miz & Mizdow
Same match you've seen for the last two months. Every Uso match is the same, but this was particularly boring and repetitive. Biggest story of the match was Miz refusing to tag in Mizdow. I hope this is a slow burn, as they deserve a Mania match, not a TV show feud that culminates on Smackdown.

Jey splashes Miz for the win. Remember when Miz was world champion? Remember when Cena wasn't allowed to beat Miz cleanly at a Wrestlemania?

The Bella Twins d. Nattie & Paige
Who cares? This match had a crappy build and was full of botches. Someone PLEASE, PLEASE, give Paige a toothbrush and show Paige how to use it. I haven't seen worse teeth since the last time I saw Balls Mahoney.

Sloppy match with Nikki giving Nattie a forearm for a finish. This match felt longer than most matches. Nattie was also blatantly calling out spots.  Bellas are improving in the ring, but the level of women matches in the WWE has dropped since AJ's sabbatical.

For the WWE World Title
(c) Brock Lesnar w/Heyman vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins w/Stooges
Very good match. I enjoyed this, although I didn't care for the finish. Unless Lesnar is staying, I don't want to see him go to Mania as a lame-duck champ. I also don't like the WWE title never being on TV. I would've rather seen Cena win, and Rollins do the cash-in on him.

Lesnar going over aside, this was a dramatic match with many twists and turns. I read the Vegas odds before, so I expected Lesnar to win. However, I still was never 100% sure. In this day and age, if I can't predict a finish, that's a good thing. I want to be tricked. I want the rollercoaster ride of a good story.

One thing that got on my nerves a bit was everyone no-selling Cena's AA. This isn't a video game or a Young Bucks match, finishers should matter.

Rollins put Lesnar through an announcers table, via a top rope elbow. Don't know if Lesnar was really hurt or not, but the announcers claimed he broke a rib. It did seem Cena & Rollins were stalling for time, as doctors checked out on Lesnar. If it was gimmick doctors, I just feel the camera would've focused on it more.

Cena had the match won, until Lesnar ran in and went into beast mode. Lesnar pins Rollins after a F-5. Lesnar vs Reigns is a match I do not give two shits about. I do not want Lesnar as a lame-duck champion. I would like to see a lame-duck Lesnar vs Rock or a staying Lesnar vs Bryan. Since I'm not getting either, I canceled my subscription. The customer is always right.

Royal Rumble Match
Vince McMahon's Chosen One Gets Booed out of the Building to become #1 Contender at Wrestlemania

The Good:
- Bubba Dudley. A total legit surprise. I think I enjoyed this more because it hurts TNA and I just want them to go out of biz already. I know, I know, the more competition and companies the better, but TNA is a wasteland and has been for some time. Let them go out already, and open up opportunities for another company to start up. Bubba does alot of backstage work for TNA, so this is a major blow. Firing his girlfriend, in hindsight, was probably a reason why he was here tonight. Bubba has been politicking to return for sometime. Since they were in Philly, the crowd ate it up huge.

- The What's Up Spot: Did R-Truth forget to say "WHAT'S UP" on purpose? Bubba & Truth's spots were perfectly booked. Don't play the race card here, R-Truth was perfect because of the what's up shit.

- Boogeyman, DDP & Ryder were your returning surprises. I was glad not to have suffered through Orton or Sheamus. RVD was rumored, but it's been done. Ditto Jericho. I heard rumors about Scott Steiner. That would've been cool. Bubba Dudley was the ECW guy, killing the effective bWo fan movement. It would've been cool to see a genuine good guy like Blue Meanie get a payday, but Bubba was the right call for the nostalgia pop. Plus, he probably has a run in him and WWE could use a guy that is over, considering they are having trouble creating new stars.

The Bad:
Bray Wyatt - it's run its course. He's not over. People just like doing the cell phone shit. He will never draw. Is he another HHH creation that is shoved down our throats because everything else he's backed has failed?

Rusev- I DO NOT WANT TO SEE RUSEV VS CENA OR RUSEV VS ROCK AT WRESTLEMANIA. Apparently, that's the direction they are going. That is a good reason why I'm part of the #CANCELWWENETWORK movement. Nationality angles never have long shelf-lives. How long will this be dragged out? Once Rusev becomes the next Khali or Koslov, Rusev will be shit-canned to doing tags with Santino. Then Rusev can talk to Marc Mero about how their girls became bigger stars than them and dumped them for a bigger name.  This Russian shit can only go so far and for so long. I would never would want to waste a legit draw like Cena or Rock doing a patriot angle.

The Ugly:
Daniel Bryan's elimination - how come myself and every other customer in the WWE Universe could predict that if you eliminate Bryan, you will have the same reaction you had last year, when Misterio came out at #30? The second Bryan was tossed, the crowd deflated like a Bill Belichick football. The match literally died like a Benoit family member. Everything else got booed out the building.

Roman Reigns- It's not his fault, just like it wasn't Batista's fault last year. He was booked in a terrible position. He's getting X-Pac heat now. Fuck, the whole match got X-pac heat the second Bryan was tossed. Put it this way, you had Reigns do the same formulaic bullshit, pointing at the Mania sign. You had the Rock endorse him. You had HHH/Steph come out to try to make him a babyface. NOTHING WORKED. THE CUSTOMERS DID NOT WANT THIS. Why not give the customers what they want?

Even worse - Reigns did a whole lot of nothing until the end. With the Bryan reaction already against him, he was booked to look like he was overcoming the odds against two guys in their mid-40's. How could the WWE think this was good?

Kane & Big Show in the Final Four - Really? I'm also sick of the announcers, every year, saying "HOW DO YOU ELIMINATE THE BIG SHOW?" Go watch the last 15 or so fucking Royal Rumbles.

Ambrose & Ziggler - two guys the fans didn't boo out the fucking building after Bryan and they are fodder for Show & Kane? Where is this company going? Who knows, I just won't pay to see it.

The Rock - why would you not advertise him? Wouldn't that benefit WWE network subscriptions? You could hear the crowd half-groan when Ziggler was number 30, as WWE tweeted the Rock was in the building right before the show. Once Bryan was eliminated, it was a forgone conclusion that Reigns was winning. However, there was that glimmer of hope that Rock would enter and win. Even if he won, he may have been booed. THINK ABOUT THIS: EVEN IF THE ROCK WON THIS MATCH, HE MAY HAVE GOT BOOED BECAUSE OF DANIEL BRYAN. And they think Bryan isn't over? Roman Reigns winning this rumble would be like booking Ken Shamrock to win the 1998 Royal Rumble instead of Austin. LISTEN TO YOUR FUCKING FANS, they pay the bills.

Going forward, unless WWE corrects their mistakes like they had to do last year, Mania shapes up as this:

Lesnar vs Reigns for the WWE title - a match that will do Reigns no favors if Lesnar is gone the next day.

Sting vs HHH - only HHH and his family care about this match. Half the crowd doesn't even know who Sting is, because they are all young. The money match is Taker vs Sting, but since it's the customers idea and not WWE's idea, that won't happen.

Wyatt vs Bryan or Taker - Bryan looks like the back-up plan if Taker can't go. I could care less about either match. Wyatt doesn't do it for me.

Cena or Rock vs Rusev - I would rather see Cena/Rock 3 then see a blockbuster main eventer wasted with a cheap nationality match.

Rollins vs Randy Orton - I feel like I've seen this match a 1000 times already.

WWE can still book themselves out of this hole, but to do so, they will have to admit they are wrong again. They may say Philly is just a weird crowd. The only way I see WWE trying to fix their mistakes is if people keep canceling their subscriptions or future crowds react the same way this one did.

Overall:
Paying $9.99 was too much. I would've rather put the Pro Bowl on my main TV and not even stream this show on my smaller TV.

----
QUICK MENTION:
- The NHL All-Star & NFL Pro-Bowl games were no better. It was just a disappointing day of Sports & "Sports Entertainment". The fantasy draft crap kills these all-star games. The NHL was such a disgrace and I really hope those goalies don't get some mental issues after that game. What's the point of having all-star games if the elite players go half-speed and don't care?

The northeast is supposed to be clobbered with a blizzard on Monday night-Tuesday morning. If the Rangers & Islanders play Tuesday night, I'll be back here. Until then....

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter

Francesacon Review: Mongos Make Event an Enawmous Success

 Welcome everyone to another blog here on DOINOW.com. As always, check out the archives on the right hand of the site for previous columns and opinions.

For the past week, I've had various friends and my girlfriend ask me, "What exactly goes on at Francesacon?" I didn't know how to answer the question. I figured it would just be anywhere from 100-200 people dressed up in bad gray wigs, slugging diet coke and finishing their sentences with the word "ok". When I left Francesacon, I knew how I would be able to answer this question next year - Francesacon is one of the greatest experiences ever.

Francesacon, the brainchild of Ron Haraka and Michael Leboff, two young bucks, was created last year. On an aside, it turns out I've actually known Michael for a while, as he bartends at one of the bars I visit! Who knew he was one of the biggest mongos of them all? Maybe it's time to walk away from the Broadway machine & Miller Lites and talk about Mongonation instead with young Mike! And for Mike - just give me 5 minutes and I'll be out of heah!

Last year, during Superbowl week, Francesacon was a bar crawl for Mike Francesa fans. Bill Buchanan, who does the Mike Zaun American history videos, as well as Michael Benevento, who does a great Chris Russo impersonation, were the stars. It was for the fans, by the fans.

This year, when Francesacon II was being discussed, interest was so high, that Haraka & Leboff booked an enawmous venue for someone who can't truly only be yumen, the sports pope himself, Mike Francesa. Francesacon II, held on January 24th at Irving Plaza drew 1000+ mongos. For myself and the 1000 or so people in the building, it was one of the greatest sports experiences we've ever had.

Myself with Dana from HipHopShortStop.com & Pro Wrestler, The Revolting Blob

 As a customer and fan, Francesacon 2 was a raving success. In fact, it was such a success, I think the event coordinators are going to need a bigger venue. Benevento, the Russo impersonator, joked about MSG, and while that probably isn't feasible due to costs, it is no joke that Francesacon 3 will need more space.

From 12pm-2pm, Francesacon 2 was just an excuse to day drink on a Saturday with fellow Mike Francesa fans. What made it great, aside from the sea of Francesa fan made t-shirts and people dressed up in various costumes, in tribute to Francesa, was putting faces to some of the twitter names and realizing that there are people just as insane as you. Even minah Francesa related trivier and minutia were all discussed.  When Francesa would eventually take the stage at around 2:45 I felt like I was at a white power rally and professional wrestling show all at once. From the non-stop chants in unison to people cheering like Stone Cold Steve Austin stunning Vince McMahon, you couldn't bottle the phonetic energy at Irving Plaza on that Saturday afternoon.


If you weren't there, and shame on you if you weren't, you can view Mike's full appearance on stage at this link:
Mike Francesa at Francesacon 2
Or you can view it directly here:

Credit to Mongo Jon Frattini for uploading Mike's full appearance!

Before getting into the meat of the show, let's get the biggest positive fact into the limelight.  All profits from the event went to two charities - the Children's Network for Hope and the Theodore Atlas Foundation. Both charities work with sick and needy children. I don't know what it costs to rent the Irving Plaza, but with 1000 or so people there at $15 bucks a pop, I'm sure sizable monies were raised. Even better, a portion of the beer sales was going to charity as well. When you drink expensive $9 beers, at least you feel better about it. Trust me, I'll drink like a pig at Francesacon and be happy about it, knowing the money is going to a good cause. I never have that feeling with those $10 beers at MSG! Screw  you Dolan!

From 2pm-2:30pm, Mike Zaun & Michael Benevento took the stage. Their material was a hit, as everyone loved the shots at that cocksucker wannabe, Michael Kay. When Mike Zaun opened up talking about "BAWLZ", the crowd was roaring. Honestly, Zaun & Benevento could've done a racist, homophobic, communist, terrorist bit and people would've been cheering like a winner on "Price is Right." It was their day. It was their audience. Nothing was going to fail with this crowd. The crowd ate it up and the two impersonators delivered the best steak & lobster any Mongo could've ever asked for. Making things even bigger, was that Carl Banks even showed up to play off the impersonators. It was the perfect cherry on top.


At around 2:40pm, a roar broke out from the upper section of the Irving Plaza. A gray haired man with teeth whiter than ivory tusks parted the sea of people like Moses. How fitting for the sports pope. Mike Zaun saw it coming and you could hear the glee in his voice. Listen, I did independent professional wrestling for 10 years. I understand a positive crowd reaction. In the wrestling business, we call it a "pop". When Mike Francesa's feet hit that stage, the crowd erupted like Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3. Being at the Irving Plaza, I felt like I was at an ECW show. It just had that vibe of everyone being united and on the same page, for the same cause. It was pure electric.

I posted Francesa's appearance in the video above. The pope spoke. The congregation praised him. You can see how much this really hit Mike. I don't think Mike truly understood what MongoNation was or the effect he has on people's lives. He's with us 25+ hours a week.

What really hit me, at near 33 years old, is that I felt like I was one of the oldest fans there. I feel like most of the crowd don't remember the Yankees without Derek Jeter. That's how I peg myself as old! I'd say the majority of the crowd was 21-27 years old. I knew that most of the social media mongos were younger, but I didn't realize how many of them there were either. I think Francesa finally realized as well, how vast his audience is. You're not gonna get the Bruce from Bayside's or Brett from Long Island, or any other famous older caller, going to, what basically boils down to a frat party for a good cause, you're going to get another demographic of Mike's huge numbah one fanbase.

It's amazing how Francesa, who is truly numbah one in the ratings and paychecks, has this demographic. It's hard for twenty-somethings to relate with a 60 year old man who sometimes resembles a lesbian grandmother with his choice of clothing, but the connection & bond is there. The love is there. Mike, who watched his impersonators riff for a bit, was into it. He gets it. While he may sometimes act ornery or stubborn on-air, at the root of it all, he loved this. You can see it in his face he truly appreciated it and didn't know what to expect. I wish I could hear the big guy, when he got home, describe to his wife what Francesacon 2 was all about. The guy had to be beaming the whole way home and probably didn't mind if Julio hit a little LIE traffic.








What really impressed me is how Mike knew the audience and how to work this crowd. Like a politician or a babyface professional wrestler, Mike made it clear that the fans weren't gonna line up to get a picture-  he was going to come into the crowd and walk right into the smell of sweat & stale beer cans. Despite there being 1000 people, Mike took a picture and signed anything. Keep this in mind - this was a for the fans, by the fans, convention. Mike didn't have to show up. He didn't have to visit with his legions. While he's known as "The King", he was a man of the people. For people who already were fans of Mike, this was just a great experience, as it's always great to know your heroes are good people. For the people who are not Francesa fans, his appearance here would've turned you.

If there were any negatives about the event or suggestions I would make to the coordinators, I would put more stuff up for sale. Maybe next year Mike can sign 500 8x10's before the event and sell them off for charity. Selling different color T-Shirts would be good too, because it just looks like the same T-Shirt as last year. As this craze continues to grow and grow, I think you're not far off from having vendor tables and other people from the sports world attending. I don't see Francesacon ever going "off duh aiyah", as a day like this and great word of mouth, will make this event be something everyone looks forward to. I know I am. Let the countdown begin for Francesacon 3!

Mongonation, you did everyone proud. Heah's Mr. Mink, Back Aftuh Dis!

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter

The NHL All-Star Fiasco & Looking at the One of the Greatest Players of All-Time, Jaromir Jagr

 Welcome to another unexpected blog here, on DOINOW.com. I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback on the Rangers Mid-Season Report Card blog that was posted Tuesday night. As always, you can check out that column, along with everything else I've ever written, on the right hand of the site in the archive section. With some time off between now and the next Ranger game, I figure I would chime in a few thoughts about, and to quote Peter Griffin, what's "grinding my gears."

This NHL All-Star Game is a complete fucking shit-show. If it wasn't for the NFL and their Pro Bowl, this would be the biggest joke of an All-Star game in all of sports. I grew up watching NHL All-Star Games my entire life. I looked forward to seeing the big stars of every team. I looked forward to seeing big name players that I didn't see on an every day basis, especially from the Western Conference. Keep in mind, I'm 32, turning 33 this year, and when I started watching the NHL, there was no NHL Network, no internet and ESPN barely covered it. You got most of your hockey knowledge from trading cards, NHL '94 and watching whoever the Rangers & Islanders were playing.


This All-Star Game, which should be big, because it's the first All-Star Game in three years, due to the lockout two years ago and the Olympics last year, has been a haphazardly mismanaged shit-show from the jump. In 2011, the NHL started doing "Fantasy Draft" line-ups for their All-Star Games. Who gives a fuck? Before that, the NHL tinkered with North America vs the World. I didn't care for that either. (For the sake of this blog, we're not getting into the All-Star Games prior 1970.)

 Just like the hip-hop world, what's wrong with some East Coast vs West Coast battles? What happened is the NHL has re-aligned itself so many times that you have teams that haven't belonged in certain divisions over the years. I mean the biggest travesty of them all is seeing long time Western Conference perennial powerhouse, the Detroit Redwings, in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

I want to see Gretzky vs Super Mario. You want to see Borque & Neely take on Kurri & Messier. You want to see the big names, of the biggest teams and want to see rare match-ups. Now, it's like picking teams in gym class - the fat kid is picked last. With fan voting deciding who makes an All-Star Game, you have lopsided voting and some of the top stars of the game have been snubbed, while some people who deserve a spot, like Kevin Klein of the Rangers or Subban of the Habs, get snubbed.

There is no vested fan interest in this game, which is being played for the fans in the first place! For example, I'm a Ranger fan, with only one player in the game, with Rick Nash. Out of the 30 NHL Clubs in the league, the majority of teams have only one player represented. Why should I care what team wins? I just want to see Nash do well. I have no allegiance to either squad. It's like watching two strangers showing me their fantasy football line-ups for the week in a bar. I just don't give a fuck.

How about those jerseys? It looks like a Monster can had sex with a racecar. Hockey has always been known for their beautiful sweaters. While it's not part of the game, it is part of the game, if that makes sense to you. The NHL always had classy and good looking All-Star jerseys. This looks like something you would wear to a hillbilly rave.

I guess this is all to be expected. After all, the NHL has had the worst commissioner in the history of sports, in my opinion, running this league for way too long. 3 lockouts. One lost season. Owner fraud. John Spano fiasco. Rigged drafts. Luckily, the players are for the most part classy. You don't see the bullshit that happens in the NFL happen in the NHL. The biggest problems in the NHL come from the top.

What brings me to penning this column, is what I'm pissed about the most about this game. The snubbing of Jaromir Jagr.






























As is evident from the photo above, Jaromir Jagr has had some hell of a history in his on-off 24 year NHL career.  The two oldest players in the NHL today are Martin Brodeur and Jaromir Jagr, two first ballot unanimous future Hall of Famers, hands down. Unlike Marty Brodeur, Jagr is still playing at a top level, at just shy of 43 years old.  Jagr, currently with the NJ Devils, is rumored to be on the trading block, as several teams that are contenders, like the Bruins and Penguins, are looking to deal for him. On an aside, the hockey fan in me would love to see Jagr get one last run in the Penguins black and gold sweater.

Jaromir Jagr has been the best hockey player in the world ever since Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux retired. Nobody comes close. No one has had the career Jagr has had. Put it this way, if he continues his level of play for the rest of the season, Jagr will be Top 5 in Most Goals, Most Assists and Most Points in NHL history.

Just take that in for a second. We are seeing a hockey god, in that 68 Devils red jersey every time he takes the ice. For me, I live in the NY/NJ area and will watch Devils games on MSG, just to watch Jagr play. Sure, Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovi and anyone else you want to say are great hockey players, but none of them are Jagr.

Let this seep in now. While Jagr is Top 5 in Goals, Assists & Points, how about the fact that Jagr has missed out on 5 NHL seasons! WHAT! Just think about it, if Jagr plays those 5 seasons, which were lost due to lockouts and playing in the KHL in protest of the silliness of Gary Bettman, we might be  looking at not only the highest goal scorer of all time, but a guy who would've had a legit threat at 1000 goals. Who knows, Jagr shows no signs of not being a top 9 forward, maybe he will pull a Gordie Howe and keep on trucking!



You can call me a Jagr fanboy, and you would probably be right. He was great during his stint with the NY Rangers. I still don't understand why Sather, the Rangers GM, didn't keep him. He was still producing and we weren't in the cap era yet. I wonder if Sather regrets not keeping him around, as Jagr has continued to produce at different stops during his NHL career.

When I look at the All-Star Game, and I see guys getting a spot, just because the NHL mandates that a player from every team must be selected, it makes me sick not to see Jagr there. The Devils representative, Patrik Elias, has played well this season, but better than Jagr? I don't think so.

The All-Star Game is supposed to be for the fans. It's supposed to celebrate the sport of hockey. It's supposed to be a day where the NHL showcases their best.  Put it this way, even if Gretzky had a 7 goal, 5 assist season, he would still be selected to the All-Star Game. Derek Jeter was selected to All-Star Games in his final years because he was a legend. Kobe Bryant still gets All-Star nods, despite playing for a crappy team and his best years long gone. This happens because it's good for the sport. Fans want to appreciate greatness. For Jagr, not only to be snubbed, but to not even be honored, is disgusting.

The negatives against Jagr, in my eyes, are the fact that he's been about money for the majority of his career, took time off to play in the KHL and has played for 7 different NHL teams during his career. Still, with all those sweaters he's donned, you would think the NHL could do a nice video package and honor the last true icon this league still has currently playing, if you don't count Brodeur's weak tenure in St. Louis. You can say I'm examining this too deeply, but my opinion counts. Do you know why? Because I'm a CUSTOMER of the NHL. I spend money on games. Spend money on merchandise. Follow the league. Have the NHL package. As a CUSTOMER and FAN, I would love to see Jagr in this game, and there's no fathomable reason why he's not in this game.

How is Patrik Elias, as good as he is, who is 5th in scoring for the Devils this year, selected to the ASG, while Jagr, who is 1st in scoring for the Devils, is not? How the fuck does this make any sense to anyone is beyond me!


 Jagr, who will always be remembered for his run with the Pittsburgh Penguins and his two Stanley Cups, will always be included in talk for who is the greatest NHL player of all-time. While he won't be named the greatest, he's arguably a top 5 greatest player in NHL history.

I don't need to give you Jagr's career stats, or copy & paste his milestones and records from Wikipedia. If you're reading this, you know the legacy of Jagr. I just wish the NHL did too.
------

I have a good friend visiting me from Florida for the weekend, as we're going to hit FRANCESACON on Saturday. If you're a New Yorker and into sports, you have to love Mike Francesa. Details on Francesacon are here:
https://twitter.com/francesacon

All profits go to charity, and it should be a great time.

After Frannycon, my friends all plan on watching the NHL Skills competition, followed by the Royal Rumble and NHL All-Star game on Sunday. Depending on time, I'll try to get a recap of the weekend's events here. If not, I'll be back late Tuesday for the Rangers/Islanders recap/opinions.

As always, thanks for supporting DOINOW.com and spread the word!

Enjoy the weekend.

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter

NEW YORK RANGERS MID-SEASON REPORT CARD: Grading Every Ranger!

 Welcome everyone to another blog here at DOINOW.com. If you haven't already, check out the archives for the Rangers/Senators game review/recap, in addition to blogs on other NY Ranger and NY Sports material.

Today, I will be giving my Rangers Mid-Season Report Card Grades, as we head to the NHL All-Star break. With over half the season over, the Rangers find themselves in third place, but in range of first, in the Metropolitan division. The Rangers started off slow this season, which was disheartening, because many of the losses came at home. Many of the losses were ugly, with several blowouts to Toronto, the Islanders and the Lightning hurting the team. The Rangers started off slow last year as well, but also had their first 9 games on the road, due to renovations at MSG.

This will be a fun blog to look back at, come the seasons end. Who will progress? Who will regress? Will this be a magical year? The Rangers have accomplished many historic feats during this first half of the season, such as sweeping Western Canada on the road, sweeping all three California teams on the road and going on many different win-streaks.

Keep in mind, this blog isn't official or anything. Just one fan's opinion. I'm doing this for shits and kicks. Feel free to comment on this blog, either through email, twitter or facebook. If you like what you read, feel free to spread the word about this blog to your friends, family and enemies.

As far as grading, this is what I'm looking at, when making my grades: Productivity, Stats, Intangible factors, Player's worth vs his contract/cap hit, Clutchness and what the player means to the team. This is not just a cut and dry stats report card, as I'm looking at how the player fills his role for the team. For example, Kevin Klein is over-exceeding expectations due to his spot and contract with the Rangers, where I think Dan Boyle needs to produce more due to his spot and contract with the team. That is why I gave Klein a better grade than Boyle.

Another thing to take into account is the Rangers are on fire right now and one of the hottest teams in the league. I didn't really give too many bad grades, not because I'm a light grader, but because the team is winning, players are living up to their role and expectations and for the most part, everyone is playing well. There really is no "Michael Del Zaster" of this team.  Some players are just better than others.

With nothing else left to say, let's get into it. For the sake of making this easy to follow, I will do this in Alphabetical order, by position. Forwards first, defense second and goalies last.

Enjoy:


FORWARDS:

Derick Brassard- B+
Brassard, one of the centermen of the NY Rangers is having another good season. Brassard has been scoring, both via the goal and via the assist. He's arguably the Rangers best defenseman, due to Stepan's injuries over the season. "PASS THE BRASS" has been a comment saying by Ranger fans, due to Brassard's production this season.

Jesper Fast- B-
Fast didn't break into the line-up until the beginning of the Rangers 12/13 game winning streak. Fast, who played some games last year as a call-up, has become a solid fourth line forward. Fast has scored and has shown he belongs in the NHL and not with the Wolfpack. While a defensive liability at times, Fast is a young kid that shows a ton of promise. For a guy getting his feet wet, he is not hurting, but adding to the team. That's all you can ask for.

Tanner Glass- D
Not only is Glass is overpaid, he's been a liability for this team on offense and defense. In my opinion, he's the worst player on this team. Once an AV favorite, Glass has been a healthy scratch as of late, due to the play of Fast and Miller. Glass was signed to this team to fulfill the Dorsett/Carcillo role, but isn't producing offensively nor has he protected the Rangers when it has come to fisticuffs. It took a while for Glass to make AV's shitlist, but one thing is for sure - this Glass is broken.

Carl Hagelin- B-
Hagelin, arguably one of the fastest players in the NHL, has scored a bunch of goals, although many of them have been empty netters. I don't think we've seen Hags play the best hockey he's capable of. He relies on the slapshot way too much, a slapshot that hasn't really produced any goals during breakaways and one on one's. Criticism aside, Hags gives it his all and has done a great job of clearing the puck when the Rangers need him to. You would just like to see more offensive production out of the guy, especially during a contract year for him.

Kevin Hayes - B-
Hayes has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers. During his rookie campaign, Hayes is scoring and producing. He needs to up his faceoff game, as he's lost many crucial faceoffs during games. For a rookie, Hayes is holding his own, and it doesn't matter if he's with the third or fourth line. We may be looking at the future of the Rangers with Hayes. Put it this way, he's not lights out, but he's adding, not subtracting to the team. It's a culture change, coming from college and Hayes is holding his weight.

Chris Kreider - B-
Kreider is looking to match the production that he had during his first year under Coach Vigneault. It's slowly happening mid-way into the season. Kreider had to deal with his grandfather's death early in the season. Kreider is also getting the reputation of being a dirty player. He needs to learn how to fight if he's going to make questionable plays. Kreider has been nasty, of late, with his breakaway backhand shot. A  young player, just like Hagelin, I think the best is yet to come for Mr. InKREIDable.

JT Miller - B
I rank Miller above several of the other Ranger forwards, due to the fact that he has a rookie contract and is playing way above his salary. MILLER TIME has scored many big goals during this run. While he has committed several bad turnovers, Miller is learning. As a fourth liner, Miller has bumped the overpaid Tanner Glass for a spot on the team. You have to like the Rangers future with a guy like Miller in the line-up. He's making a lot out of his minutes on the ice.

Dominic Moore - C
Moore, who will forever be remembered as scoring the Game Winning Goal in Game 6 of the ECF, is off to a rough start. The fourth line center has been the least productive of his various linemates during the season. He's been strong defensively at times, but you want to see Moore produce more on the score sheet. Perhaps the second half of the season is when he nails it down.

Rick Nash- A+
What other grade can you give Nash? He leads the league in goals, and could be a Hart Trophy winner when this season is over. This is his first full season as a healthy NY Ranger. He's been the Ranger everyone expected him to be when the Rangers got him from Columbus. Concussions are a motherfucker and a healthy Nash is the most productive NY Ranger today. Nash wasn't a force during last year's playoff run, but if he doesn't get a case of the "A-Rod's", Nash could carry this team to another Stanley Cup Final.

Martin St. Louis - A-
The Rangers alternate captain, MSL is a major part of this team. MSL provides the sweetest passes in the NHL. MSL's goals stat is not indicative of the player he is, as he's made many shots that were tipped in by his teammates this season. MSL leads this team in assists and at times, is the heart and soul of this team. Perhaps I'm biased, because I'll never forget what MSL did for this club during the playoff run last year. As I type this, I'm wearing a MSL jersey right now! Even in his 40's, MSL is a major factor on this team and makes everyone he plays with a better hockey player.

Lee Stempniak - B-
Some might say this is an overgrade, but Stempy has been huge this year for the Rangers, scoring many clutch goals. Another forward who can go from the third to the fourth line, Stempy has produced, has been solid on defense and holds his own on the ice. Even when Sam Rosen isn't calling out his name for goals, Stemp is playing good hockey and doing his job to a tee.

Derek Stepan - A
This was one I went back and forth on. Sometimes I wonder if he's injury prone, but when I think about it, he comes back usually sooner than he should. Does anyone remember the playoffs last year? Step has a hat trick this season and has produced a point a game. What more do you want from a first line center? Step will also be due for a big contract come the offseason. He deserves it. At times, Stepan carries this team and takes the load off his linemates.

Mats Zuccarello- C
I really hate giving Zuc one of the lower grades here, but while Zuc is scrappy and has a no-fear attitude, Zuc isn't producing like last year. Zuc's biggest enemy is the post this season. I feel bad for Zuc. I feel the Rangers will lose him during the off-season due to free-agency. He deserves more money for the production he gives. Things aren't going his way this year, even if he's the highest scoring player from Norway in NHL history. From what we've seen with Zucs, you just expect more production on the stat sheet. Out of every Ranger graded here, I expect his grade to jump the most come the final report card.

 

 DEFENSEMEN

Dan Boyle- C+
I would've graded him higher, if it wasn't for the fact his contract was so high and he was one of the reasons the Rangers didn't keep Stralman, who has been having a fantastic year in Tampa. Boyle, who has been called the Quarterback of the Rangers Powerplay, has turned it on as of late. Boyle battled many injuries earlier in the season, which is why his numbers aren't where they should be. Like Zuc's, I expect his grade to jump up once the final report card is written.  Boyle is expected to produce daily and it hasn't happened just yet, both from an offensive and defensive side of the puck.

Dan Girardi- A-
Another Rangers alternate captain, DG has been a pure defenseman's defenseman during this Rangers campaign. Girardi is logging more minutes than anyone else and had to carry the Rangers defense when players like MacTruck, Boyle and Klein were down with injuries. Girardi has been all over the ice, doing his job and holding down the D. You would like to see more goals from DG, but on this Rangers team, he is needed to stop the other teams best players and he's been doing just that.

Matt Hunwick - B-
Hunwick has been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers. He's bumped John Moore out of playing time. Hunwick has been huge on D and has been the Rangers best call-up. Hunwick earned his playing time due to other Rangers being hurt, and he hasn't looked back. The sixth defenseman of this team is constantly moving the puck up the ice and laying the body. He's definitely one of the the best 6th defensemen in all of the NHL.

Kevin Klein- A+
Along with Rick Nash, Klein gets the highest grade. I mean where to start? How about he has the most even strength goals out of any defensemen in the league, despite being a third line defenseman? How about three game winning goals? How about beating guys up? How about preventing many goals with his stick? How about his offensive and defensive awareness? The guy was a fucking steal from the Predators. You can argue he's one of the best trades Sather ever made, if you look at pure value. Klein has been the best Rangers defenseman all year and it's disgusting he was snubbed out of the All-Star Game. Optimus Klein is quickly becoming a Rangers fan favorite.

Ryan McDonagh- B+
The captain of the Rangers had some early difficulties due to injuries, especially with the shoulder that plagued him last year. However, during the recent win streak, Mac Truck has turned it on. Mac is making big hits, holding down elite goal scorers like Sidney "The Crybaby Cunt" Crosby, and getting on the score sheet. Mac is one of the youngest Rangers captains ever in history, but his maturity is of a seasoned veteran. Personally, it's great to see an American player on the Rangers, and at Captain nonetheless. You have to love what you're seeing from MacTruck as we head to the second half of the season.

John Moore - C-
Moore has been a healthy scratch, more times too often, due to the play of Matt Hunwick. Moore, who was a fan favorite last year, is slowly being forgotten about. He's not scoring. He's made bad turnovers. He's also being left in the dust, or ice, if you will, by Hunwick. I would be surprised to see him back next year and surprised to see him get time in the playoffs, unless Hunwick has an aneurysm or goes down.

Marc Staal - A
Another Rangers alternate captain, Staal has played so well that he got a 6 year deal at $5.7 million per. I think his contract is kinda high, in the salary cap era, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it. Staal is one of those defensemen where if you're not talking about him, it's a good thing - it means he's doing his job. He's produced the least amount of turnovers this season by Rangers defensemen. You're not getting goals out of him, you're getting a guy who moves the puck to his forwards, clamps down under pressure, gets the puck in dirty areas and is not afraid to step up to anyone. Staalsy would be the best Rangers defensemen at the break, if it wasn't for the superb play of Kevin Klein.



GOALIES:

Henrik Lundqvist - B+
I would've ranked Hank higher if it wasn't for two things - his contract that hurts this team from making much roster movement and the first 25 games of the season. Hank bolstered up his stats during the recent winning streak. A notorious slow starter, Hank has improved as the season has worn on. However, he scares you at times, as he's prone to getting blown out, especially against playoff teams. He's given up 15 goals to Tampa in 3 games, 9 goals to the Islanders in four periods. However, he will then give you 30+ saves against top teams. Hank has stolen 2-3 games this year. You need Hank to be Hank come the playoffs. Hopefully, whatever mental block or crap he has going on, he can shake out come the playoffs. The Rangers need him at his best to win a Stanley Cup.

Cam Talbot - B+
You can make an argument that he's the best back-up goalie in the league. The Rangers thought so, giving him a million dollar raise per season for next year. Talbot has more shutouts than starting goalies, in limited playing time, with 3. Hank has blown several big games this year, only for Talbot to come back with a shutout win. Talbot also beat the Kings, who have instantly become a hated team by Ranger fans, due to last year. You have to wonder how many wins he would have if he played more or got the goal production Hank has gotten this year. Sure, it's an ongoing joke/somewhat serious commentary when I say WE WANT TALBOT, but this is Hank's team. Talbot has done a great job in relief and never do you worry when he's in net.

INCOMPLETES:
Anthony Duclair - INC
The Duke played well during his limited stint with the Rangers. I wish he would've stayed with the team, as I think he's proven all he can on the minor league level and could benefit from practicing with top NHL talent. Coach AV only wanted him if he could be a top 9 forward. He wasn't that during his stretch, but it was a small sample of games. The Duke should have a spot with this team next year.

Michael Kostka - INC
Kostka showed he doesn't belong in the NHL during his limited run, playing only due to starting defenseman injuries. He was a bigger turnover machine than Mark Sanchez. Unless the whole Rangers defense gets AIDS and Cancer, I don't see Kotska playing for this team at all this year or next year.

Dylan McIlrath- INC 
The Undertaker got some opportunities last year and this year. He seems to be the last of the NHL goons, as he hasn't showed he could do anything else but fight and take penalties during his limited NHL minutes. Every team needs a tough guy, but not at the expense of the team. He's a young buck and maybe he figures it out, but McIlrath has been a pure goon, although that's not a bad thing, during his time in his #42 Rangers sweater.

 
COACH:
ALAIN VIGNEAULT: A
Coach AV, and I'll admit, I wanted Messier last season, has steered this ship positively, just like last year. Don't let the above picture fool you, AV never shows emotion on the bench, as he shows more fury snapping his gum than at his players. A pure poker face of a coach, AV has juggled this line-up time and time again and has produced results. Listen - as fans, bloggers, outsiders, we don't know the team on an everyday basis. Only AV does. AV has done well with his mixes and matches. I would give him an A+ except for one reason - I think he's playing Hank too much. We need Hank healthy for the playoffs. Talbot needs to be eating up the Sabres, Devils and Hurricanes of the world. When Hank gets blown out time and time again by the Lightning and Islanders, perhaps it's time to give Talbot a chance. Perhaps Talbot isn't as scouted as well as Hank is. All the stuff  I write about goalies on this blog, I KNOW AND YOU KNOW, a healthy Hank is how we win the Stanley Cup. Hank needs more rest as the Rangers should have a long spring this year. Outside of that, I don't question AV on any of the moves he's made.


 
That wraps up the first ever Rangers mid-season report card here on DOINOW.com. Feel free to share, discuss and critique my rankings with anyone. This is a NY-centric blog, with heavy emphasis on the Rangers. I'll revisit and do final season rankings before the start of the playoffs.

Looking forward, this team needs another magical run. The Rangers will lose many players in free agency come the summer. This is a team built to win now. Let's hope they can do so.

I'll definitely be back 1/27 with Rangers/Isles reaction. Maybe I'll squeeze in a Francesacon, Royal Rumble and NHL All-Star Review in the mean time. Until then,
LET'S GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter! 

Rangers/Senators Reaction, Stubhub Mess, Rangers Head To The Break & More

 Welcome to another blog here on DOINOW.com. As always, check out the archives for previous news, thoughts and opinion, tip your bartenders, lift up the toilet seat, look both ways before crossing the street and don't drink and drive.

The Rangers played their final game before the All-Star break on Tuesday night. While it wasn't a must win game, it was a great game to win, as the Rangers can rest off the week-long break with a W. The Senators have been a thorn in the Rangers side at MSG, so to put them away in a tough game, showed a lot of character for the Blueshirts.

Funny story before going into this recap of the game. One of my good friends, who for the sake of this blog, I'll just call JEFFREY, is a long-time Rangers season ticket holder. JEFFREY (it's only funny if I capitalize his name) sold his tickets to this game, thinking he had work, early on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, as most construction workers are, he got a temporary layoff check, meaning he's off for the week, but will be back to work soon.

Since I'm also a construction worker on a layoff, I understand Jeff's plight. JEFFREY asked if I wanted to buy tickets last minute with him and go to the game. I agreed. JEFFREY, living 20 minutes away from me, asked if I could pick him up, and take us to the train station, while he bought us tickets off Stubhub. JEFFREY is a good friend, so no problem, I was in my car within minutes.

As JEFFREY was heading to my car, he realized that the tickets he printed out for tonight's game, off Stubhub, were for the Carolina 1/31 game. Basically, whoever uploaded and sold the tickets off Stubhub, uploaded the wrong tickets. After a phone call to Stubhub, JEFFREY got his money back, but it was too late to get to the game from Long Island, due to train times and having to print out new tickets.

I bring up this story for several reasons. One, it's funny that this could only happen to JEFFREY. Two, and on a serious note, Stubhub really needs a booth/kiosk at or near MSG like they have at Yankee Stadium. As many people know, you can't use Stubhub tickets at MSG, unless they are printed out, as opposed to Ticketmaster or Ranger account tickets, which you can scan off your phone. MSG will not scan Stubhub tickets off your phone. So in a case like this, if you have Stubhub tickets, you're fucked, because Stubhub isn't there to give you a 100% guarantee. In this day and age, MSG should accept Stubhub tickets or Stubhub should have a kiosk, in walking distance of MSG.

While JEFFREY did get his money back, it was an unneeded headache. How nice of Stubhub to accept his money 10 seconds after his order, but told him it will take 10 days to refund it. In the end, we watched the game in my mancave with my other diehard Ranger friends/fans. An 18 pack of Miller Lite and a plate of proscuitto later (THANKS STANZI), we forgot all about the Stubhub fiasco. Still, we can't be the only ones who wait for Stubhub tickets to down in price an hour before game time. How could the blue collar fan afford to go any other way? Stubhub really needs to up their game in the NYC area. I'm sure not only us, but other Ranger and Knick fans are affected daily. I mean what are you supposed to do if you want tickets last second, wait inside a Staples to print them out?








As far as the game itself, I thought the Rangers looked sloppy and slow in the first period. Henrik Lundqvist, who is a notorious slow starter, has been hot as of late. He stole another game here tonight, stopping Ottawa time and time again. No one has been harder on King Contract than me all season, so this isn't false praise. Hank is stealing many one goal games of late, and this is what I expect for $8.5 million a year. I would just like to see it all season and I would like to see Hank do this against the fucking Islanders!

Hayes got the first goal of the game, 9 minutes and change into the second period. It was an easy goal, but a much needed goal, in what looked it would be a goaltenders game. Craig Anderson and Henrik Lundqvist were both on top of their games tonight and it looked like goals would be scarce. However, as soon as Hayes scored, Erik Karlsson scored his 9th of the season immediately after.  The Rangers were committing turnovers, Ottawa was stealing pucks and ripping shots, it was only a matter of time before one went in.

With the score tied at 1-1, Milan Michalek scored a PP goal, 9 seconds into the powerplay. It was an ugly goal, as it seemed Hank scored on himself while trying to protect the puck. Hank should've made the save, but it was during a period of time that the Senators were amping up the pressure and laying in a barrage of shots. I'm one of Hank's harshest critics, while I thought the goal was bad, the guy made 10-12 crucial saves on sure-fire shots. He held down the fort.

However, this game seemed like it would end at 2-1, due to the great goaltending from both sides. That was until the Amazing Kreiderman, who led the game with 10 shots, found open twine, via a forehand shot on Anderson's blocker side. 2-2 game, with only several minutes to go.

Since I have two TVs in my mancave, one big one on the bottom, a smaller one up top, I was watching the NHL Network and flipping through Capitals/Oilers and Flyers/Penguins highlights. I would've been happy with the Rangers just getting a point, as it seemed the same thing would happen in the other games.  Fortunately for the Rangers, it did, as the Oilers beat the Caps and the Flyers beat the Pens, giving each team a point, while the Rangers would eventually get two points.



The last two minutes of the game were nerve-wracking, as Hank came up with several big saves of his 33/35 performance. The game went into OT and the Rangers got their point. They weren't done yet.

With the OT period more than halfway over, Derek Stepan rifled in a backhand pass, that went off Hagelin's stick and into the net, giving the Rangers a 3-2 victory over the tough Ottawa Senators.  What a way to finish, as the Rangers hit the unofficial mid-way point of the season. This was also the first time the Rangers beat the Senators at home since 2009.

With the win, the Rangers are 1 point out of second place, gained a point on the fourth place Capitals, whom the Rangers have two games in hand on. I've said it before here, you do not want the Islanders or Boston in the first round, if you're a Ranger fan. The ideal match-up is Pittsburgh, since the Rangers just match-up better against them. Let them get their feet wet with the Pens then move on to the trials and tribulations of the NHL playoffs.

While I thought some of the game was sloppy, due to turnovers, not being able to clear the puck and missing checks, the Rangers found a way to win. The good teams always do. The Rangers are a good team. In NY, what is, for lack of a better word, marginalizing the Rangers success are the NY Islanders, the biggest rival the Rangers have and the best team in the East. The Rangers return on 1/27, after the break, for a showdown at the dump in Nassau. Again, not a must-win game, but a game the Rangers need to win to show themselves that they can beat the best teams today. They did it on the west coast, and there is no reason they can't do it 20 or so miles from the homebase.

Couple of quick parting shots:
- Zucc's agents were in town today. I fear the Rangers will lose Zucc next year due to the salary cap. I can't see how they keep him with King Contract and the top 3 defensemen signed until 2020. How many hometown discounts can you give?\

- I will say, I have heard of several trade rumors, with Zucc, Miller and Hag's names mentioned. If it's on me, I don't trade anyone. This is a team built to win now. Why break up a good thing? If anything, this team needs a center. Bozak? I don't know who the  Rangers would make a deal for, but I wouldn't be shipping anyone off this team, except for Tanner Glass.

- Hags is another free agent. With Stepan being a slam dunk signing come the off-season, I hope the Rangers keep Hags. I don't think we've seen him play his best hockey yet, and the best is yet to come.

- With the ticket prices the NHL are charging, basically pricing out the next potential generation of fans, the NHL should increase the salary cap to reflect that.

The All-Star Game is Sunday. Rangers return Tuesday with the Islanders, before returning home Thursday with a big game against the Canadiens. I  went to Montreal in October to see the Rangers play, and trust me, Canadien fans hate the Rangers. Expect a physical game there. The Rangers close out January with the Hurricanes. Good teams should always beat bad teams, that's all I'm saying.

I'll be back shortly with my RANGERS MID-SEASON REPORT CARD.

LETS GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@nycthemic on the twitter