BEST GAME SEVEN EVER

Hello New York and everywhere else, welcome back.

Normally a game seven is something one sweats out. It's nerve wracking, stressful and causes terrible pain to endure. Of course the players don't have it easy either. But us fans, New York Ranger fans.....we know a little about game sevens. Out of the ten played in NY Ranger history before last night the Rangers won all five at home, lost all five on the road. Last night in DC something very strange happened. Not only did the Rangers win, they did so in convincing fashion.

I admit it was kinda surreal. As any good Ranger fan would be I was worried that any lead the Rangers may have had would be gone as the closing seconds of the third approached. I mean, who could have expected goals from Arron Asham and Taylor Pyatt to hold up? Who would have expected them to score at all? This was not expected. What happened to the Leafs? That's what was supposed to happen to us. I could see Ovie popping two or three in the third. I could see a game tying goal late as seconds tic off one by one. I could even see a game winner in OT by a Cap player finally ending the agony that is being a Ranger fan.

But that's not what happened at all.

Nope, the NY Rangers played the second best game of the series (game 6 1-0 win) the night before and then topped it with the 5 goal outburst and a second consecutive shut out by Lundqvist. It's the only time I have ever enjoyed a game seven featuring the Rangers. It was kinda fun not stressing out each shift. I mean, after the first period I never felt like the Caps could come back based on the play on the ice. Of course my mind was telling me that the Leaf collapse was right around the corner but my eyes kept saying, "relax, we got this".

The Great Eight had planted McDonagh into the boards, no call. He was skating like crazy and looked determined. Thankfully, Ryan was OK and returned to help shut down Ovie. In fact many players contributed to stopping Alex. It got to the point that I didn't cringe when Ovie picked up the puck, rather I was excited to see who would stop him this time. It was fantastic to watch. Never in a million years did I think I could watch a NY Rangers game seven and not have a cow during the game at some point.

Now the Rangers face the Boston Bruins with game one on Thursday night. The Beans had their own game seven, referenced before so neither team has a rest advantage. This is an old rivalry that will be renewed. Those longtime Ranger fans who hated Boston in the past will get to hate them again.

So, to wrap this up, we enjoyed the best game seven ever. Little to no stress, an easy win if you will. Not sure what it says about the Caps but I'm quite sure it means the Rangers will torture us for at least two more weeks.

----}- Bird

NEW HOCKEYRODENT HOCKEYBIRD RADIO SHOW Playoff Edition

Hello New York and everywhere else, I know you've all been holding your breath in anticipation just praying that the Rodent and I would sit down and record another show. Well, your request has been granted. Grab it here and enjoy. It should take you awhile to listen, perhaps up to the puck drop on Thursday in Washington!

----}-

NEW BLOOD BLEEDS BLUE?

Hello NY and everywhere else.....

I meant to post this type of article a few days ago but my computer ate it. After a debate on Twitter last night it seems to be appropriate to revisit as 140 characters are just not enough to explain this (and there's no room for fluff). I'm talking about the changes in the NY Rangers roster that have had quite a positive effect on the teams results.

Let's go back to the off season. I have said many times that given the NY Rangers cap situation, Sather had no choice but to NOT match the offer tendered to Brandon Prust by Montreal. The Rodent has documented the Cap woes that Sather faces in the next two years and it's going down, not up next year. The Prust signing affected the team in two ways, we lost what he brought and the Habs gained it. Ouch. Brandon has had a definite impact in the turnaround in Montreal.  In addition, The Nash trade meant that Dubi and Artie were no longer available to kill penalties like Brandon did and all three are big bodies with only Artie not very physical. John Mitchell and Ruslan Fedotenko played key roles as well on a team that was two wins away from a Stanley Cup series.

Feds is a big game guy, has a history with Torts (and Richards) and did all the little things a team needs to win even though it might not show up on a score sheet. Mitchell and Dubi took faceoffs and when you boil it down, last season's team was a real pain in the ass to play against. Dubinsky was second only to Prust with 110 penalty minutes. The gritty, in your face style of play was a welcomed sight for most Rangers fans and MSG was no longer a fun stop on opponents road trip.

To have all five of these guys leave meant that Glen Sather had to back fill. Of course the Nash trade was a win but the players that replaced the five who left changed the team's personality. The record speaks for itself. Watching games this season (until recently) had become painful to watch as not only were they losing, they were out worked and out played. This team who lead the entire NHL in fighting majors last season has been reduced to a tie for 26th place (this season). If that doesn't tell you that Slats had a tough off season, nothing will. The players brought in did not adequately replace what was lost. Arron Asham was hurt for so long I'm not quite sure what he means to this team just yet. Pyatt is a big body but hardly noticeable. Powe has been a good penalty killer but he's also been a healthy scratch. Again, the record kinda speaks for itself, no?

So that is the past and here we are after a trade deadline that in my opinion has given coach Tortorella the players he needs to get back to the gritty, hard working team that not only wins but is once again fun to watch and root for. The last few games have had much more of an edge, much more nastiness and frankly, much more entertaining. Based on everything I've been able to read, the new players have not just fit in and helped win, they enjoy being Rangers (who wouldn't?). Based on my time playing I can read the body language and all the players have a bit more swagger, a bit more of a sandpaper attitude. It is infectious after all. Players play a little "bigger" when a teammate shows up with some big hits and perhaps wins a fight in support of another guy.

So while my opinion that Sather had a tough off season was challenged, I believe there is enough evidence to back it up. I'm also complimenting him for making the necessary corrections. I'm just hoping it's not too little too late.  Fighting for a playoff spot with 20 days left in the season is not what I expected at the open and many pundits had the Rangers in the top 5 of the league. I believe they can make it (The Rodent's berthwatch has then at a 65.3% chance as of this post) and once the playoffs begin, anything can happen as we saw from Los Angeles last season. I am predicting an all out push for the cup next season but it's not out of the question that this team gets hot and rides Lundqvist on a long run. It CAN happen.

Don't agree with me? Leave a comment below.

Tonight the Rangers take on Toronto in the worlds most famous arena (still can't believe I got to say that on that sound system and in that building). One would hope the Rangers avoid the quick goal against that's haunted them in the past and of course the two points on the line are HUGE.

Follow me on twitter @hockeyangrybird for real time commentary although you should be following @HockeyRodent as he schools 1994 Cup winner Neil Smith (and the rest of us) on the NHL.

----}- Bird

DEPTH CHARGE

"Hockey is an inherently dangerous sport"

That was printed on equipment I purchased back in the day and I'm sure it's still there on today's stuff. After watching Marc Staal squirm in pain after taking a puck in the eye, it was obvious to me that a debate would explode about wearing visors in the NHL. This is similar to the debate on firearms after the horror in Connecticut. I very much dislike people who use a tragedy to impose their point of view. What I mean by this is that one sounds like an idiot opposing any new gun legislation as little kids are being buried. Similarly, after watching the Stall injury it's kinda tough to have a position against visors in these discussions. Actual debate doe not take place right after an incident like this as emotions play too strong a part in my opinion.

No matter what equipment players wear (or not) there will be injuries in this game, it's unavoidable. No rule will change that. I just think it's disingenuous to use an incident like this to try and impose new rules. That being said, I am not against grandfathering in the visor like we did with helmets. Players in juniors and the NCAA are required to wear face protection in one form or another and may remove it by choice once in the NHL. Currently they do so at their own risk. If the GMs want that changed, so be it. Rules regarding visors and fighting must be looked at and adjusted accordingly.

DEPTH:

It's quite obvious that the Rangers are not blessed with depth up front. If Nash or even Captain Cally is out, the Rangers lose. There doesn't seem to be any guys who can step up and over achieve during the absence of one of our key players. In a salary cap world this is not an easy roster achievement but other teams have injuries and some do have players that fill in until their key guy returns....and they still win. The Rangers do not, plain and simple. It's still unclear if Richards will be back for tonight's Islander game and Arron Asham has been MIA for a few weeks now. Whether it's a call up for the Whale or someone getting moved up, those minutes have to be filled.

Look, the Rangers have yet another frustrating season (it seems like 20 in a row) on the power play so far and have struggled to score goals at times during five on five play and that was with Richards on the ice. Perhaps Mr. Third Period Rick Nash will go on a tear. While all of his seven goals have been 3rd period tallies he has been the main force behind several Hagelin goals early in games. We are going to need more of that.

You don't hear much about the contribution of our penalty killers Powe and Halpern but you will when one of them breaks through and pops a shorty. It's going to happen sometime and heck, it would be nice for one of these guys (or anyone playing 4th line minutes) to contribute with a goal or two.

On Asham, while his signing to fill the "Prust void" seemed like a good idea it just hasn't worked out so far. Arron has not been on the ice and thus has had zero positive effect on this team. I am beginning to question the listed "back spasms" as the real reason for his being unable to practice or play. I have no info on this I guess I'm just wondering out loud. I was hoping for a guy who could bring some energy, play with an edge and yes, drop the mitts a few times. Right now we have nothing. His being on IR does allow for another to step into that role but it's yet to be filled.

The defense is a different topic. I do believe we have some depth there and the addition of Hamrlik increases that depth. Of course we'll see how long Staal is out and how the Rangers fair in the coming days/weeks. Last season Eminger stepped in to fill a void for a while and Stralman will get an opportunity. Matt Gilroy of Long Island fame may also have a chance to show his stuff. However, Marc Staal's skates will not be filled by one player. Those will be (and should be) filled by committee.

Of course we care about Marc as a person just like when he was out with the concussion, but his play this year was really outstanding and I'm sure I tweeted (@hockeyangrybird) that he's not just returned to form but improved. We need Marc Staal on the ice. In this shortened, compressed season our first line D men will now be asked to eat up even more minutes and contribute a bit more offensively. Del Zotto will have to do the same. Regardless of injuries this winning streak needs to continue beginning tonight at Nassau.

Fill the fridge with beer, hide the kiddies and fire up your twitter device. Join me @hockeyangrybird (or the Rodent @HockeyRodent) for real time tweets during most of the games this year, tonight's NY RANGERS vs NY ISLANDERS included!

----}- Bird

HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA

Hello New York and everywhere else, I hope you all enjoyed Hockey Day In America.

Unlike Hockey Day in Canada, the broadcast on NBC did not have the tradition it could have. True, the game is not a part of the American culture as it is in the great white north. But if you think about it, while Canada has been the keeper of this great game, the US has financed it.....at least at the NHL level. Of the original six teams, only two are based in Canada with the other four (75%) being U.S. based clubs. Those numbers continued with expansion and through today.

Herb Brooks

The game at it's grass roots level has all kinds of Canadian tradition. However, the U.S. has been building it's own hockey tradition. Few remember the 1960 U.S. gold medal at the winter Olympic games but just about everyone knows of the Miracle on ice 1980 team. Most hockey historians point to the Herb Brooks coached team as the catalyst for the growing strength of the game in the lower 48. Many of the guys I played with and most U.S. born NHLers point to that team and that historic event as their inspiration. Sure, I was already in love with the game before Kenny Morrow won his gold medal and four consecutive Stanley Cups with the NY Islanders but it sure didn't hurt.

I had begun playing at a pretty young age for an American kid. The sport was a big hit in my neighborhood so I had a chance to play street, roller and even on ice as a five year old right through junior high school. Unfortunately, Levittown had voted down the school budget and my chance to play organized hockey in high school was eliminated as the result of austerity. It was 1976 and the first part of my playing days had ended. That would not have happened in Canada. The baseball and football programs were not eliminated as they were mainstay community events. Even lacrosse enjoyed support from the town built for the returning GIs of WW II. It took that Olympic team of 1980 and the four Islander Stanley Cups to have the game I love get the needed attention allowing it to grow on Long Island. After the New York Ranger Cup win in '94 I once again laced up the skates and to my surprise, found many more rinks, pro shops and leagues than had existed in my youth.

Area's like Boston and Minnesota had strong youth programs that produced many of the U.S. born players that eventually would play in the NHL back in those days. Now it's much different however. There is a tradition building for this game in areas one wouldn't normally connect with ice hockey. Southern California, Texas, Pittsburgh and yes, even Florida have joined the hockey world. Let me be specific.......

One has to look no further than this years World Junior Championship in Russia. Players like the Rangers J.T. Miller and future NHLer Seth Meyers not only helped USA hockey achieve gold, they are paving the way for the next crop of US born players. This years roster included players from non-traditional areas like Irvine, Calif and Plano, Texas. I even know a few who could be in that next crop.......

The Palm Beach Blackhawks - Champions!

Included in a new group of employees at my last job was a nice lady from Minnesota. She and her husband moved the family to south Florida. Andrea found out about my passion for the game and we hit it off right away. I recall giving her one of my old goalie sticks for her kids thinking it would maybe inspire the boys a little. The family has roots in Finland so I wasn't surprised to find out that she and her husband joined the local rec league as well as signed up the kids for lessons. The kids have since become part of the Palm Beach Blackhawks. Andrea Lorbach is not just a hockey mom but she's a hell of a good hockey mom as the boys are always playing or practicing and one can follow along on Facebook as she and the kids travel the state of Florida and beyond winning games and trophies. Summer usually includes a trip back to Minnesota for a goalie clinic and skating classes with NHLers or Gopher alum. You can click here for a collection of pictures of the boys in action.

My simple point is this, those at my age or older still look north when it comes to the tradition of the game we love so much. But today our boys and girls all over the US are living their own traditions. With over 200 U.S. born players in todays NHL we really do have hockey in our blood here in the lower 48. Guys like Nicky Fotiu and the Mullen brothers were unique in their day. Brian Leetch and Mike Richter who led the US to that 1996 World cup championship proved that the US could develop world class talent consistently. There are several players in the NHL today who grew up playing the same rinks I played on (Matthew Gilroy , Michael Komisarek) and perhaps someday it will be the Lorbach brothers winning gold for the U.S.A. during their long NHL careers.

Yes, hockey is growing here in the states and as much as I enjoy looking back, looking forward......USA hockey should provide years and years of tradition in the game I love so much.

----}- Bird