Forgive me whilst I partake in a little self-indulgence. I am just getting back into the swing of things as my wife and I welcomed our first child, Allison Rose, into the world. You can see pictures of the newest Rangers fan here.
I would have loved to have seen the Rangers beat Marty and the Devs last night, but of course the game was not televised. Instead, the MSG network aired Golden Gloves classics, including palooka Gerry Cooney's heavyweight championship bout. Real exciting.
Anyway, as you already know, Brandon Dubinsky, Blair Betts, and Adam Hall all beat Brodeur to lead the Blueshirts to a 3-1 victory. By all accounts, Al Montoya was solid, Hugh Jessiman was physical, and the most of the rest of the youth played a strong game. Marc Staal was +2 with 2 shots in just over 19 minutes of play. Marcel Hossa still struggles to score, however, missing on two doorstep shots.
Most of the locals focus on the youngsters, as well as Tom Renney and the organization's commitment to developing them. One local, on the other hand, continues to write the same crap all the time. Coming off of a win over the Devils where the youth of the system played strong and the depth in the organization showed itself, John Dellapina just HAS to write another article on Brian Leetch.
Dellapina has lost a lot of credibility in my eyes. I have never been vulgar on this website before, but why doesn't John get down and get busy on Brian, because it's just about that time. In his article, John admits that 1) Brian Leetch never reached out to the Rangers, 2) he is not sure if he wants to play or retire, 3) he isn't even sure if he is in sufficient physical condition to attend training camp, and 4) he is coming off two "unsettling" seasons. Dellapina then goes on to say that the Rangers could "clearly" use Leetch's "still-elite" ability to quarterback the powerplay.
What the f*** are you talking about, John?!?! Seventeen points. That's it. Seventeen power-play points last year. I'm not getting into this analysis again, but c'mon already. Move on, please, for the love of Pete Rocha, move on.
Luckily, all of the other non-fellating beat writers have moved on.
Steve Zipay at Newsday covers last night's game: Center Blair Betts opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first period, sliding a backhander through Brodeur's legs. Betts and Ryan Hollweg were the only two players on the ice who had dressed for last year's 5-1 opening loss.
Sam Weinman at the Journal News talks about the Rangers commitment to developing youth: Three years after purging their roster of high-end salaries in hopes of building for the future, the Rangers now feature such a wealth of prospects, they have been forced to actually field two teams through the early part of their exhibition schedule. One of those teams will feature the expected array of established NHL players when at Madison Square Garden tonight. But it was the obscure mix of skaters who topped the Devils 3-1 last night at Continental Airlines Arena that seems to best represent how far the organization has traveled.
Larry Brooks quotes Tom Renney on his feelings regarding young players making the team: "I don't have a problem with the integrity of having a young player on our fourth line. By playing him in that spot, I can protect his minutes while giving that fourth line the enthusiasm and energy young players bring to the task. Plus, we might be able to conceal some offense by having the talent level of a Dubinsky on a line you don't generally associate with that."
Joe Mac and NY SportsDay continue their coverage of the Rangers and the pre-season.
The Rangers website has a prospects update daily now, and just take a look at what Jan Marek is doing over in Russia, seven goals and an assist in six games.
The pre-season continues tonight as the Rangers host the Devils. The Blueshirts are expected to dress a team of mostly veterans, rather than the group of prospects that played last night. Brendan Shanahan and Matt Cullen will make their Rangers' debuts. Jaromir Jagr will not dress to protect his recovering shoulder.
I am looking forward to it. The game will be broadcast on the MSG Network. Now, if I can just figure out how to get this kid to sleep for those 3 hours . . .
HDH
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