Fact or Fiction: Did you Know ... ?

Like our Rangers, the team's beat writers have become
pretty damn lazy and complacent.

The Daily News writes today about the team's need to generate
a winning streak. Ooh, thanks - couldn't figure that a team
who's played more games than its counterparts and sits in the
cellar needs to put some wins on the board.

Then there are a few generic articles about Sather saying that
he doesn't want to make a trade until the coaches and team
get their act together. Yes, because if a favorable trade for
one of his underachievers came across his desk he'd decline.

So, instead, I've decided to compile a quick mid-season
"did you know ..." to spice things up.

Misc Ranger Meanderings...

Messier (18:34) averages more ice time than Holik (17:15)

If you add up the average ice time given to Rico Fata (6:47),
Sandy McCarthy (6:50) and Krzysztof Oliwa (3:45) you get
the average on-ice total for Radek Dvorak (16:04).

Repeat the same excercise for Mikael Samuelsson (15:45).

Now repeat after me - "you need to earn ice time in NY".
Now laugh.

Dale Purinton (3) has more goals than Malakhov, and is
slightly ahead of him in points-per-game average. Note:
half of Vlad's points have come on the power play. Dale
doesn't see the ice on the power play.

Poti (40) and Nedved (36) have more PIMs than
Vlad Malakhov (26).

'Selfish' Pavel Bure, the one who doesn't backcheck or
play defense, is the only one of our top seven scorers
to be on the right side on the +/- category at +7.

Robert Petrovicky hasn't scored a point in fifteen games,
and in not one of those games was he on the positive side
of the +/- category.

Messier's Resurgence?

Could Messier get any more accolades for his "resurgence"
as one of the team's top scorers? When scoring problems
surface when he's out of the lineup, invariably beat writers
point to his absence as a factor.

OK, facts are he has scored 12 goals and 7 assists in 39 games.
Well, let's check in on a few castoffs from last season:

Reality check #1: Andreas Johansson has 13 goals and 10 assists
in 34 games with low-scoring Nashville.

Reality check #2: Bryan Berard has 8 goals and 11 assists
in 37 games with Boston.

Reality check #3: Mike York has 11 goals and 14 assists
in 38 games in Edmonton.

Reality check #4: The combined salary of York, Berard and
Johansson is $2.7 million. Messier is making $4 million.

Ranger Regret?

The Kovalev rumors will start soon, leading many Ranger
fans to light Neil Smith-looking troll dolls (is that
redundant?) on fire.

Me? I think we're spoiled. Other teams have real angst -
and none worse than the team on the Island.

One moment in 2000 likely has reaped a fortune for Pepto
Bismol sales on Long Island. It was then Milbury traded
Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokkinen for Mark Parrish and
Oleg Kvasha.

He did so in order to draft Rick Dipietro with the first
pick in the draft. Danny Heatley and Marian Gaborik
were drafted with the next two picks.

They can't even fall back on the financial problems as
an excuse. This was not money driven.

Want more?

The throw-in to the original deal, Olli Jokkinen has 34
points in 38 games.

That's more than Alexei Yashin, who has 9 goals and 23
assists... and is -14.

Which brings us to signing Yashin for 10 years to an
unmoveable contract and trading Chara and Spezza for him.

All that, and I didn't even need to mention Todd Bertuzzi,
who has 43 points 90 PIMs in 39 games in Vancouver.

Still whining about Kovalev-for-Nedved?

Ottawa Salary Matching

Matthew Barnaby makes $1.575 million.
Radek Dvorak makes $1.575 million.
Total of their two salaries is $3.150 million

Radek Bonk makes $3.2 million.

Arvedson is a ufa this summer, so while a trade will take
him off Ottawa's books this season, it won't mean a
long-term obligation.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Speaking of Dvorak...

He had a breakout 2000-01 season, scoring close to
a point-per-game and enticing fans with his talent.

He lapsed the next year into mediocrity, scoring only
35 points in 70 games.

And this year, he started incredibly slow, recording
only 3 goals and 6 assists in the first 30 games.

Only the story above belongs to Alex Tanguay, not
Radek Dvorak.

I'm as frustrated with Dvo as anyone else, but before
we trade him for a bag of pucks, remember that he just
came back from a major knee operation and is only 25.

As for his scoring touch - Dvo has cracked the 30-goal
barrier. Tanguay has not.

Cut his minutes. Demote him to a lower line. But there's
absolutely no reason to trade the guy for nothing when
he could return to form.

Especially when rumors see Tanguay and Skoula being
dangled for big names around the league.

Happy New Year!

-Gabe

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