Yes please let Simon get kicked out of every game(2 ejections in last 4 games), lets give the other guys a 4 or 5 minute PP every night and that way Jaime Lundmark will get to play regular shifts like he did last night.

Bird You said I complained about everything regarding the Duck game because I disagreed about the effort the Rangers showed. I said it then that the Rangers played down to the Ducks after giving a solid effort against the Wings.

Let us see the difference between the Cane game and the Duck game which was the amount of emotion, the amount of passion and the fire the Rangers showed last night. How often can you say the Rangers showed any fire like they did last night? Heck they didn't even show this kind of fire against the Red Wings.

That sir is the difference NOT because they won but rather the refusal to back down when they were challenged. Instead of fading late in the 3rd as they seem to do all the time you could see that the team was running with the emotional lift from the Nedved and Lundmark goals that even Messier didn't look so tired at the end of the game.

You could clearly see the difference playing with some emotion does to a team and that perhaps has been the main missing ingredient from the Rangers. Instead of being a team of white collar robots the Rangers went into the trenches, they fought for the puck and they refused to back down from the Canes.

Now I do also look forward to seeing how many people still question Lundmark's game after seeing what happened when he got regular shifts and role on the team. He rightfully deserved the first star for his efforts and hard work.

Now let us see if Mr Accountability rewards that said hard work from the kid.

Wait a minute. I'm begiing to wonder if I watched a different game at the Garden last night than some people saw on TV. I don't get these reference to the Rangers not "backing down" against the Canes. I don't even see that as a issue. The Rangers just played better hockey and won the game on skills. Once they were ahead, they skillfully protected their lead. I don't feel emotion had all that much to do with it. I would substitute the word confidence for emotion.

Jess,

Simon was tossed the other night but the league rescinded the call. I expect the same on the call last night. So....I don't understand the comment.

I'm not trying to start up old wars, but why is it when they win....they are great and if they lose they suck ?

I suggest a more objective approach. Fact is, the Rangers were not better than the Ducks game....they scored this time. When it goes in, you win.

And, I discard your comment about playing the game from another thread. It is only those who have played that can feel what is happening specific to certain on ice issues.

That's not to say that those who haven't played don't have great insight on the game, of course they can.

----}-

Bird

So what if the NHL rescinds the call after the fact, the damage is already done when he gets called for those penalties and leaves the team both shorthanded on the ice and on the bench. It still hurts the team to have to juggle lines to make up for the loss Simon causes because of his actions.

If you have paid attention to anything I have ever said about the Rangers I have been critical win or lose and why certain things are wrong with this franchise. One of them has been the lack of fire and emotion which in turn was due to the team simply not wanting it bad enough.

They could have lost last night and I still would have been happy because the team played with fire instead of the all too typical "go through the motions" the Rangers are famous for.

How many times have we all have called Ranger efforts as flat, lacking in emotion or passion? Even someone like yourself who plays the game has to realize how a team playing with both offers more than one that is simply going though the motions.

Look at how the crowd responded to the passionate play from the Rangers, that too has been missing from the WMFA in recent years. The crowd fed off the players and the players fed off the crowd.

Instead of sitting on the lead when it got to 3-1 as they have been known to do the team instead continued to take the play to the Canes. They went for the kill and didn't allow the Canes to mount any kind of comeback.

I will take that kind of effort last night any day of the week.