Wait... What?

All bloggers have had a typo or two in their day, and I am certainly not one to pass judgement on anyone on this front, but this error is pretty funny.

The Versus [drinking] Game of the Week (Rangers at Carolina)

A few years back, I went to a Wild-Canes game with a college friend of mine (he is an Avs fan. We haven't spoken since graduation). We thought it would be cool to make some signs to pretend that there was some actual vitriol between the Wild and the Canes. We also picked the shortest name on the team (Kuba. Why we didn't go with 'Wild' I don't know) and turned it into an acronym. There was also a sign that said something about Marian Gaborik. Believe it or not, he was hurt and not playing that game.

That's not the point. We made a sign that said "go back to Hartford" and had the old Whalers logo on it. Kevyn Adams totally looked at it and probably laghed, because the logo was horribly drawn. I don't really hate the Canes though. I'm pretty indifferent about them. In fact, I sort of like them, because I'm a meteorologist and now I work with Dave, who I guess is sort of into them.

More or less, after the trading line yesterday and after what the Wild did(n't do), I need a drink.

DRINK

... if the term "sloppy seconds" is used.

... when the announcers get into a long winded explanation about how Eric Cole used to be a Hurricane and then he wasn't and now he is again. WHAT A CRAZY TRIP!!!!

... once everytime Derek Morris does something good, three times (once for every player sent to Phoenix) for every time he does something bad.

... if Nik Antropov walks around like he owns the place

... Every time they pan to the Hurricanes alternate logo, which is nautically correct! Awesome!

Freebasin': Random Thoughts Cause I've Got Nothing Else

Wikipedia -- a website on which everything is true (I'm still waiting for that Cassel/Guerin trade!) -- provides the following definitions for the term freebase.

• Freebase (chemistry), the standalone basic form of an amine, usually an alkaloid natural product, as opposed to its water-soluble salt form.
• Freebase (database), an "open, shared database of the world's knowledge" developed by Metaweb.

There are actually more definitions, including the whole jumping off really high structures thing, but I was too lazy to copy them. Today, we're not doing any drugs. We're going to go with the database one. This is a post that is an "open, shared database of my thoughts."

First off, how about that trade deadline, huh? 

Kidding! I'm only kidding! I'm sure you're sick and tired of it at this point (I am) and let's face it, unless you're a fan of the Flames, your team wasn't really a winner and hell, even Flames fans aren't happy about the whole ordeal. 

And then, if you really want to hear my thoughts on the deadline (I know you don't but bear with me), you can take a listen to the Program's podcast I partook in last night. That was a lot of fun and Chris and Rick are really good guys who sure do know a lot about hockey. That was my first time doing any sort of non-written media and I think, for now, I'm certainly sticking to the written thing. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but I'm no professional orator. Barack Obama hangs his head in disappointment. But anyway, thanks to the folks over there for putting up with me and you should really check out their stuff.

Right now, the Islanders are playing the Rangers and Sean Avery has not gotten benched or suspended yet. I think we may have to go with a full-on Avery watch, cause you know this is just a powder keg waiting to explode. This is like the NHL's version of Terrell Owens except he's more fun and less of a team killer. 

That's about all for now, but we may have a big surprise towards the end of next week... Hopefully... And if you're not doing so already, you can be having fun with us all hours of the day over on Twitter.

The Versus [drinking] Game of the Week (Rangers at St. Louis)

Beneath Chuck Norris' beard is another fist

Apologies for getting this up so late. The real world beckoned and here I am, only, you know... like 4 days early instead of 5 for the game. Anyways, the Rangers at the Blues has to be one of the most curious options for Versus to air. Sure, the Rangers play in New York and have a huge fan base. Add to that the fact that they have been competitive recently, and they are a natural fit for TV. The Blues, of course, have ALL STAR Keith Tkachuk. The teams have almost nothing in common except being the former home of Gretzky past his prime and wearing blue. The fact that this is a nationally televised game boggles the mind. Let's drink.

DRINK

... if Chuck Norris is ever cited as an example of a "Ranger"

... if B.B. King is mentioned in reference to the Blues.

... Anytime they say that this is a matchup between the "Blueshirts and Blues". Ugh, they're going to say that a lot, aren't they?

... when they mention the name "Girardi". Twice if it's Rangers' defenseman Dan. Three times if it's Yankees manager Joe. Five times if you didn't know one of the two existed.

... Every time the Blues turn the puck over in the defensive zone. This is a good one, especially if you didn't have a date for Valentine's Day. Booze makes it better.

And of course, more in the comments

The post in which my maturity level is defined

When Hockey Fights Go Bad: Semin vs. Staal

This is going to be a YouTube post, so there's one drink for you already if you're playing along at home.

If you were watching the Caps/Rangers game last night -- which you probably weren't unless you're a fan of either team since there were 10 other games on the schedule -- you saw one of the oddest fights in recent memory. Mark Staal of the Rangers getting pummeled with what can only be described as 'slaps' by Alex Semin of the Capitals.

In the wake of Sidney Crosby fight-gate, I didn't think we would get another odd fight so quickly. And then we had Semin and Staal doing their best to totally confuse and bewilder us.

"...we have Semin who seems to have developed a strategy similar to the ones we all used to see in high school. You know, when Jessica tried to fight Nicole for kissing Josh behind the pop machine."

That's probably the most accurate description we're going to get, courtesy of Adam Gretz of FanHouse. There's a reason certain types of players in the league don't fight, and these two guys just proved it to us.

And yes, I did just tag this post as "Dance Fightning".

Understanding Sean Avery

After reading Chris Botta's accounts of Sean Avery today, I may have to change my tune about Avery's suspension. If you look at it as a one time thing, as I did at FanHouse earlier, it may be over the top. If you look at it in the context of an entire career and prior incidents, it looks very different.

"Two things shocked me about the incident. I knew Avery was off-center, but always figured the sideshow routine was just a role he played at the rink and for the cameras. During this confrontation, the media were gone from the hallway and there was no one around to entertain. The look in Avery’s eyes told me there was a whole lot more going on with this man.

But what surprised me more at the time was the Rangers’ reaction. As I’ve written, the NHL is a league where the teams take the mantra of you’re-on-our-side-or-you’re-not to cult-like levels. When Rangers higher-ups went out of their way to find Snow and apologize for Avery’s behavior, you realized how seriously out-of-control he must have been for a while."

- Chris Botta, Point Blank

Read the full article at Botta's blog, NYI Point Blank. It's a good read and sheds light on what's actually going on in Avery's head.

The Rangers Would Like Compensation for Cherepanov

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. It's a very touchy subject, and the Rangers have approached it in that way, which is good. I'll let Larry Brooks explain.

The Rangers New York Rangers are seeking a compensatory selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft for the loss of Alexei Cherepanov, The Post has learned.

Glen Sather raised the issue at the general managers' meeting in Chicago two weeks ago, citing CBA Article 8.3 (b) that stipulates that compensatory picks be awarded to teams unable to sign first-round draft picks.

Sather is submitting that the Rangers should receive the 17th selection in the second round of June's draft as compensation for losing Cherepanov, the 17th overall selection in the 2006 Draft who died in Russia on Oct. 13 while playing for Omsk.

Wow. Well... Um. I mean, they are technically entitled to a compensation pick. They are between a rock and a hard place. There may no be any easy way to go about this. Business is business and you have to move on at some point. Sure is a unique and interesting situation, though. James Mirtle has an interesting poll on the subject, and his readers are pretty definitive on the subject. I'll leave you all to judge this one as well because I'm pretty toungue tied.

Tom Renney is Not Very Excited

Your morning YouTubage... Enjoy!

Whoa.

Really sad, scary, makes-you-take-a-step-back news coming across the wires tonight. Apparently Alexei Cherepanov, a 19-year old kid in the Rangers' organization currently playing in Russia, collapsed and died on the bench during a game yesterday.

Cherepanov was the Rangers' first round pick in 2007, a really promising young kid.

Here's the situation from SovSport via Yahoo:

"He collapsed on the bench on the 18th minute of the third period in the game against Vityaz Chekhov after a collision with Jaromir Jagr [his teammate on Omsk in the KHL]. He went to the bench and his heart stopped. He was taken to the emergency room at a local hospital where the best doctors in town worked for about an hour trying to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at 22:55 Moscow time (2:55pm EST). "

I'm not sure what there really is to say about this. Just really sudden and saddening. All the best to his family and the folks in Russia. I can't even imagine... RIP, Alexei.

EuroTrippin': Rangers Sweep in Prague, Temporarily Avert New York Media Implosion

AFP/Joe Klamar

For one weekend, everything looked good for the New York Rangers. Somewhere in New York City, Scotty Hockey is smiling contently after watching his team take two games from the Lightning in Prague.

Amid some controversy and a poor pre-season showing that had fans tugging on their collars (1-5 record in the States), the team took off for the Czech Republic hoping to avoid further trouble. Ranger fans were probably thinking along the same lines -- let's not make this worse. But were things even that bad to being with? Was it all overblown in the media?

It all started on Friday when there was a minor dust up before the team even took the ice against the Lightning when Prucha-gate went down. With 20+ relatives in attendance in Prague, it was reported that Prucha would not play in front of them, as he was benched by coach Tom Renney. But, hours later, it turned out to be a big misunderstanding, depending on who you believe.

"I didn't change my mind, I made up my mind," said Renney.

Or maybe he just realized that the dumbest thing he could have done was sit Prucha in his home country. Or maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Either way, there was a dust up that was pretty aggravating inside the locker room.

And then, to pile on, there was Larry Brooks' scathing report about the organization's direction.

It doesn't compute. None of it computes. This entire disjointed training camp does not compute. Jumping from city to city and country to country with split squads in order to jam in three Garden gates and eight preseason games altogether? Ridiculous.

Carrying 15 forwards into the season and against the cap because management can't make a decision on which of the glut of million-dollar fourth-liners to cut? Absurd.

Having Jim Schoenfeld, the assistant GM, on the ice at every practice barking out instructions as if he were a member of the coaching staff? Outrageous.

Then again, it's Larry Brooks. Take that with a grain of salt, I guess. It was also published in the New York Post. They're never above a bit of sensationalism. But you always have to wonder how much of it is right on the money or, worse yet, if it's even half of the problems going on.

Fast forward to tonight, and winning changes everything... Or maybe it just quiets all the naysayers. The Rangers took two-of-two from the Lightning over the weekend, out shooting them 80-40 and outscoring them 4-2 over two games. Total domination more or less, even if it didn't quite show on the scoreboard.

“We used the time well to get to know each other,” [Wade Redden] said. “It was good for everyone to get away and just focus on what we’re going to do and what the team is all about.”

Redden might be on to something. An escape from the New York Media Circus may be all this team needed. Prague provided a nice escape but now it's back to living under the big top. And despite the loss of media feeders Sean Avery and Jaromir Jagr, the clowns are still going to have their fun.

A Rough Start for a New Ranger Beat Writer

And Ranger fans aren't exactly pleased. That's my latest over at FanHouse.

Your Obligatory Atlantic Division Preview

Seeing as though we're only a little more than a week away from the regular season, it's probably about time to start previewing things. This year we're going to go division-by-division, starting with the Atlantic. Because everyone knows it's the best. Or at least the only one that matters.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Where else to lead off but with the defending Eastern Conference champs, the fuel for a lot of debate during the summer. The debate has been beaten into the ground about as bad as the Bulgarian women's hockey team (Ba-dum-bum. Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week!), so I won't bother to bore you with it. There's no reason to go over all of that again. Instead, please accept the following as consolation.

What's New: New deals for Therien, Fleury and Malkin. Mass exodus to Florida (Roberts, Malone, Hall). Picked up New York's trash (Satan, Fedotenko). Also added Matt Cooke. That Hossa guy left, but he wasn't in town for very long.

Questions that Need Answering: Can they repeat last year even with a different set of mid-level and role players? Is Malkin recovered from his playoff cold streak? Can MAF have another stellar year? Will everyone finally realize that Hossa was not important to the regular season success of this team last year?

New York Rangers

The Rangers come into this season much like they did the last -- a couple big time free agent signings and a lot of holes on defense. Outside of a Redden and Rozsival, there isn't much of a backline. Lucky for them that they still have King Henrik. The forwards look a bit different, with the most significant change being the departure of Jaromir Jagr for Russia. Tom Renney is still behind the bench and, if you were wondering, the Knicks are still going to suck.

What's New: No more Jagr, Avery or Straka. Shanahan is still in purgatory. Naslund, Redden and Kalinin are the big additions to the Garden.

Questions that Need Answering: Is this defense going to be capable of not letting Lundqvist hang out to dry for 82 games? Can Jagrs shoes be adequately filled? What kind of shoes can Redden buy with $6.5 mil?

New Jersey Devils

The Devils are coming off a year where they surprised the heck out of a lot of people, finishing third in the division in points. Despite that, Lou Lamoriello decided that he needed to jump in a time machine and take his team back to it's glory days. He signed former Devils Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik although Ken Daneyko could not be lured out of retirement. Greg Wyshynski, however, is still available.

What's New: Ex-Devils return (Holik, Rolston). Re-signed a whole bunch of players. Not much else to talk about here.

Questions that Need Answering: Will people lay off Marty Broduer because the guy proved that he can still play? Will Bobby Holik, you know, remember how to play decent hockey? Is it really that hard to believe that this group of guys will challenge for the division again this year? (Yes, it is.)

Philadelphia Flyers

Last season, the Flyers pulled a massive 180-degree turn by making it to the playoffs after finishing last in the NHL the previous season. This year they play to turn things right around and lose all 82 games. Not really, but that would be hilarious if they tried it. In other news, lets start a pool on how long it will take a Flyer to get a massive suspension. I'm going to go with five days.

What's New: Sent away Umberger, Prospal, Dowd, Modry and Jason Smith. Brought in two Ex-Isles; Arron Asham and Bryan Berard. Ex-Isles. Get it?!!?

Questions that Need Answering: Was that really Mr. Feeny during the playoffs? (I refuse to let that go.) Can the dancing orange shirt guy be utilized as a mascot? Talking about the Flyers makes me queasy, so can I stop now?

New York Islanders

Ah, yes. Saving the best and possibly craziest for last. As I'm sure you've heard, things went sour for Ted Nolan and the Isles last spring. After a long, drawn out divorce the team has a new coach and a whole bunch of fresh faces. Like last year, nothing is expected out of this team. Two goals for this year; hope the kids show some spunk and get the Lighthouse Project through already.

What's New: New coach, new kids (Okposo, Tambellini, etc) and hopefully breaking ground on a new (sort of) arena. Added Streit and Weight. Let go of dead wood (i.e. Satan, Vasicek, Fedotenko).

Questions that Need Answering: Is this team going to have to pay their fans to watch the games? How much legal hot water is owner Charles Wang in, if any? Will Wade Dubielewicz be hired to replace Garth Snow at the end of the season?

An Open Letter to Jaromir Jagr

'Ey! Nice to see yous guys. It's me, Tony D. from Bensonhurst (for you no good out-of-towners, that's Brooklyn to you bud). How are you? Hows the family? Good. Good. Your daughter's fifteen now? Jeez. That makes me feel old. And 'ey, give my regards to da misses.

But 'ey I just wanted to stop by and leave a few parting shots for my good friend Jaromir Jagr. You know the guy I'm talking about. The one that didn't show up for all of last season. The one that left us high and dry on a nightly basis. You know 'em. He's the one who was a waste of space in the locker room. Yeah, I thought you might know him.

Well, Mr. Jagr I got one thing to say to you. YA'RE A BUM JAGR! YA HERE ME? A BUM! TAKE YOUR RUBLES AND RUN BACK HOME YA PANSY! YA BETTER CAUSE OTHERWISE I GOT A BASEBALL BAT WITH YA NAME ON IT!

So get outta here before somethin bad happens if ya know what I'm sayin. Thanks for nothing ya commie bastard! No disrespect, know what I'm sayin? Forggetaboutit.

- Tony D.

DelAssandro Brothers Towing

New York, NY

Sigh.

Well, Garth Snow has been true to his word today by not doing a damned thing on the first day of free agency. Glad he is at least being honest. But, for one brief moment, I thought we had something.

I saw the following on TSN's front page:

"One of the NHL's top free agent blueliners is off the market, as the New York..."

Wait for it... Wait for it...

"Rangers have signed defenceman Wade Redden to a six-year contract worth $6.5 million a season."

There we go. Now I feel better.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Stuff Like This

Mark Messier's reaction to this? Typical.

This would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever happen... BUT it would be HILARIOUS!

Per Sporting News (not AP cause they are big dumb stupid heads):

The NHL has proposed disciplinary proceedings against Madison Square Garden that could result in the suspension or termination of the company's ownership of the New York Rangers, according to a draft letter written by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that was filed in New York district court late yesterday.

The letter, part of the league's ongoing legal fight against MSG, alleges that MSG -- by suing the NHL -- has violated the league constitution. The letter was part of a counterclaim the NHL filed asking the court to issue a judicial declaration allowing the NHL to discipline the Rangers and MSG internally. If the court fulfills that request, the league will immediately begin disciplinary proceedings against MSG.

Can you imagine the NHL kicking out Dolan and MSG? Ouch. The Rangers would be in trouble then. Hamilton Rangers, anyone? OK, seriously this isn't going to happen. But it's fun to think about.

Sean Avery is Hospitalized

As per McErlain at FanHouse:

Just about an hour ago, the news hit the wires that New York Rangers winger Sean Avery had been transported to a Manhattan hospital overnight after suffering from cardiac arrest. Now TSN is reporting the why: A lacerated spleen:

Sean Avery has a lacerated spleen and will be out the remainder of the season, sources tell TSN.

The source went on to say that the laceration was detected with a CT scan after Avery was taken to hospital following the Game 3 with the Penguins.

The New York Rangers expect Avery to make a full recovery in the off-season.

The FanHouse guys are going to be all over this, so stayed tuned to them as the story develops.

Marty Brodeur is Not Above Sean Avery

You know, of all the people in the world who I thought might be the mature one -- who might take the high road -- when it comes to a spat with Sean Avery, I thought Marty Brodeur would be on that list. From my distant perspective, he has always seemed like a pretty classy guy. And then, well, he does something small yet significant. He skipped shaking Avery's hand after the Rangers/Devils series ended last night after Game Five. Now, I'm not going to lay into Marty. This isn't anything really significant or world changing. Hell, can you really blame him?

It's just that sometimes, when you least expect it, people don't do what you think they are going to do. I guess I just figured Brodeur was going to take everything in stride, how he had pretty much been doing throughout the series. I figured he wouldn't stoop to Avery's level. But I'm torn here, after all he was dealing with Sean Avery and it's hard to blame him.

--

Speaking of Seans... I'd also like to add that friend of the blog Sean Leahy has come on board as part of Yahoo! Sports' new hockey blogging extravaganza. Best of luck to Sean and the folks over at Yahoo.

The Truman Show on Ice?

Boy, it sure seems like the media can't keep it's collective hands, I mean cameras, off of Sean Avery. Seriously it seems like everything this guy does is recorded and then dissected to the point of absurdity. I can only imagine that pisses him off more.

Anyway, this latest bit was reported on by FanHouse earlier today. Cameras apparently caught Avery re-enacting his weekend antics and when he realized it, he threw some birds out. Given all the attention he gets, I think it would be more appropriate for Avery to change his name to Truman Burbank or Britney Spears. The media attention he garners sure seems to equal that at times. And yes, this blogger admits that he falls into the category of Avery Stalker sometimes too.

I would label this NSFW, but I guess if it's on the local news, it's OK.

Sabres Fans, as it Turns Out, are Not Fans of Sean Avery

REUTERS/Gary Wiepert

It's hard to blame someone when they get upset about their team losing. We've all been there. It's part of sports, especially if you're a fan of certain teams. It's also hard to blame someone when they don't like Sean Avery. In fact, if you're one of those people, you could very well be in the majority. So, when Avery scored what would be the eventual game winner yesterday in Buffalo, Sabres fans in the stands were quick to react and did so in a fashion that is, I guess, pretty natural and expected given the circumstances.

You have to give them credit too, to react so quickly and in such large numbers is impressive. Imagine what it would be like if Brett Hull or Troy Aikman ever showed their face up there. They would be run out of town before their plane ever landed. Getting slightly off topic for a second, that's why it's probably not a smart move for the Bills to flirt with Toronto. I imagine Buffalonians would block the borders in at least the eastern half of the country to prove a point. I'm not slighting Buffalo either. It's one hell of a sports city and the NHL numbers on jersey sales, not to mention last year's playoff run, only help to drive home that point.

Gotta love the one person in the middle who decided to go with the classic "Loser's L" rather than flip the bird.

Thanks to reader and Rangers fan Mike R for sending these screen caps in. As it turns out, Rangers fans can put up with me but I imagine that it takes a lot of patience on certain days.