We knew it was coming, but it still seemed surreal. Madison Square Garden felt different last night. It appeared unusually empty just before the National Anthem, yet when the puck dropped there was electricity in the air. Out of nowhere, the noise began to grow. Perhaps it was the opponent, or perhaps it was the anticipation of watching Jaromir Jagr steal another show.
Bad blood was evident in the opening minutes. First, Martin Straka was leveled by Denis Gauthier, but fortunately recovered quickly. Shortly thereafter, Mike Richards and Ryan Hollweg squared off. While not winning outright, Ryan came on at the end and drove Richards to the ice, prompting a roar from the crowd.
You know where the game went from there. Some back and forth, some sloppy play, and some defensive breakdowns later, the Rangers found themselves a goal down. Jagr did everything he could, only to be bested by Flyer goaltender Robert Esche (truth be told, Esche was the best player on the ice last night). The once-leveled Martin Straka then emerged from the faceoff circle to tie the game up at two goals each.
After that, it was the Kevin Weekes Show. The last time Weekes received an ovation from the MSG crowd like the one last night was against the Flyers back in January, when he made a spectacular save on Peter Forsberg to force the game into overtime. Those cheers turned to jeers as Simon Gagne scored just seven seconds into the OT, and it has been rough ever since. Yesterday, Kevin brought the crowd to its feet numerous times. He made only 21 saves, but it seemed like every single one of them was huge. After one of the breakaway stops, radio announcer Dave Maloney commented that Weekes "MUST" make the next save to keep the crowd and momentum going. He made the next save . . . and the next one . . . and the next one . . . and the next one.
Kevin Weekes earned every single clap, every single chant, and every single cheer. That ovation was long overdue. And so were the playoffs. Let's go Rangers.
Jay Greenberg makes an appearance today with a great article about KW, his poise and his class. Colin Stephenson chimes as well.
Larry Brooks of the Post: Nine years, eight seasons, 173 players and five head coaches had come and gone between invites to the postseason ball, but this year - this incredible year - the Rangers will get to put on their party hats and make some noise with all the other NHL big boys.
Steve Zipay of Newsday: Weekes, often the target of jeers at home this season, was booed after allowing two goals to the Flyers in the second period last night. Then he played a spectacular third period and stopped two of three shots in a shootout for a 3-2 win that clinched the Rangers' first playoff spot since the 1996-97 season.
John Dellapina at the Daily News: Playing the kind of game on Broadway he has been envisioning for two frustrating years, Weekes brought a raucous Garden crowd to its feet and lifted the Rangers into the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a superb spot start in a scintillating 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jason Diamos of the Times: There was no Champagne in the dressing room after the Rangers ended the longest playoff drought in club history and the longest current streak in the league . . . When asked about the lack of celebration, the 34-year-old Jagr said, "We have bigger goals."
Andrew Gross of the Journal News: When the Rangers rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the season opener, it was considered a nice victory and not much more. Other than the Rangers themselves, few could claim to realize it was to be the start of such a successful season.
The Rodent whips out the extra large bold print to announce that the Blueshirts are "Playoff Bound".
NY SportsDay: The drought is over. Nine years and eight seasons later, the Rangers are finally back in the playoffs. They did it by edging the archrival Flyers 3-2 in a shootout before an energized capacity Madison Square Garden crowd Tuesday night. Amazingly enough, it was the first time the home team prevailed in the first seven meetings.
Henrik Lundqvist will be featured in a new advertising campaign to celebrate the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Wolf Pack defenseman Daniel Girardi was voted on to the 2005-06 AHL All-Rookie Team.
Kevin Weekes was voted one of the NHL's three stars for last night's performance.
Prospects Lauri Korpikoski and Dane Byers signed amateur tryout contracts and will skate with Hartford for the rest of the season.
A story over at Foxsports says several Rangers are award-worthy, including Jagr, Lundqvist, and coach Tom Renney.
Around the league . . . ah screw it. It's all about the Rangers today.
HDH
Posted by Jim at April 05, 2006 02:37 PMeMail this entry!
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