They won! How exciting is that? Especially considering that the Pack and their big brothers in New York won on the very same day! And we beat the worst team in the league to do it! In our own house! Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t life great?!?!

Okay, so I’m not really THAT excited about the win. After losing four in a row, it was a nice surprise to say the least. Particularly for their last home game before a three week road trip. I have been waiting to have something good to say before writing, since my father commented a month ago that it all sounds the same since all I am doing this season is complaining. Hey, I just report what I see and hear - not my fault the Pack has decided to take the year off. Well, okay, so it’s been two years now… anyway, I thought I’d give you a little update on what’s been going on in Hartford now that it isn’t ALL bad news.

In this issue, I want to talk about the amazing goalie shell game. Don’t blink, because you might lose track of who is where and when. At the moment, Johan Holmqvist is playing in Hartford. Paddock started off the year alternating goalies, but then latched onto Johan and played him into the ground (we think he is channeling Ron Low on this one). Then Jason Labarbera played for awhile, and we were back into the rotation until Jason got drilled in the head at practice this week, thus earning him a vacation in the stands as the fourth member of our team to be out with a concussion at the same time.

Scott Meyer (25 years old, signed by the Rangers out of St. Cloud University) was brought up from Charlotte. When I saw Scott in the preseason, I was quite impressed, and was shocked when he was the one who got sent down. Tonight he looked smaller than I remember and terrified during warm-ups. The team has been less than cordial to outsiders this year, and I hope that wasn’t the case here, since he is going to be with us for awhile until Jason heals. And, based on how Johan played when he returned from his concussion earlier this year, it might not be a bad idea for Jason to start off down in Charlotte as he works his way back. I keep wondering who is playing in net for Charlotte now, as the last time I heard, Bryce Wandler was out with a concussion after – you guessed it – being hit in the head with a puck.

But wait, there’s more!

With Dan Blackburn on the outs in New York, it’s almost certain now that he will be joining the Pack for a 10 day conditioning assignment from February 1-10. The Pack opens its road trip on Friday the 1st in Manitoba, and the idea is that Blackie will get the bulk of the playing time during that period in hopes, presumably, of relocating his confidence and his game. So, who will sit on the bench while the Pack travels? Presumably Scott Meyer, since SOMEONE has to back up Richter in New York, and it makes much more sense for that someone to be Holmqvist than Meyer. As a side note, there are two sets of back to back games during the road trip, so it would make sense for Meyer to play one night of each, right? Right? The Pack play six games in those ten days that Blackie will be with the team, and don’t forget they are ALL on the road – are we supposed to play this kid into the ground?

But to overstep my normal boundaries for a moment – let’s think about New York. I feel entitled to reach a bit here, since we are talking about one of my boys, and I can be a little protective. Holmqvist is going to be up in New York during the time that Blackburn is traveling with the Pack. The NHL All-Star game is the first two days (thankfully, Richter isn’t playing), and then the Rangers play at Detroit, then at Atlanta two days later, and then two days after that they host Pittsburgh back at MSG on the 10th (at which point Holmqvist and Blackburn must swap back to their original teams) followed by playing at Dallas the day before the Olympics start – in which we all know Richter is playing. Word so far is that Richter is playing all the games up until – and through – the Olympics.

Why?

As the Ranger organization again considers trading Richter, isn’t it time to assess how the goalies have progressed in the past year? Both Labarbera and Holmqvist played in New York last year, with disastrous results. Johan is going to New York simply to make room for Blackburn in Hartford – why not play him and see how he does? May I suggest in Atlanta? I am of course well aware of the irony of Holmqvist playing against Hnilicka, the goalie the Rangers abandoned after we won the Calder Cup (he also won the trophy for best tandem goaltending with J.F. Labbe that year) – but what better time than then? Obviously Richter will play in Detroit, but Atlanta and even Pittsburgh are ones in which we could stand to start someone other than our number one net minder. Labarbera also deserved another test, but fortune has struck and he is out for now, although he certainly might be well enough to jump in by the end of that ten day period.

Both Labarbera and Holmqvist are much better than they were a year ago. I said from the beginning of the year that while neither is at the level of an NHL number one goalie, both would do just fine as a backup. But the Rangers need to find out whether or not this is true before trading Richter, just so they can make an informed decision on what they need in return.

AND, I want my boys to have a chance to show how far they have come before the Rangers make a long term decision in net. Don’t you think Hnilicka would have appreciated that?

Heather

Recent Articles 19 Years Of Mike & The Mad Dog

Web Hockeybird.com