Yardbarker: Michal Rozsival

Good Stuff Tonight...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0500

I try not to be one of "those fans" - you know, the type who sulks and glooms and says the team is horrible after a loss, but they're the first one to chant "We Want the Cup" after a convincing win.

However, tonight was a good game. The difference between Edmonton and Vancouver, between 1,160 kilometers or 721 miles (thank you, Google Maps), was the offense. It was firing tonight. They took advantage of power plays. (The 0% on the power play was misleading in Vancouver, by the way. Chris Higgins scored a second after one expired.) They swarmed the net. They passed well. But more importantly, they took shots. Take a shot, you never know what will happen.

They had 23 shots in Vancouver - 14 in the second period and then 9 combined in periods 1 and 3. Tonight, they had 39. Phil Esposito always says - and I'm sure Alex Ovechkin will concur - you can't score if you don't shoot. Dan Girardi had a great pass/shot today that Sean Avery deflected. It didn't go in, but it was close. Get the puck to the net. If they don't get the puck to the net, Marian Gaborik doesn't one-hand that last goal home.

The effort was definitely there tonight...

Aaron Voros - Horrible 1st period, but he did play better in the 2nd and 3rd... saving his job for another day. Granted, he probably only had another 3 minutes all game, but they were better than his first minute, where he took 2 penalties. When he swung his stick at an Oilers' knees (can't remember which Oiler) and took a two-minute minor, did you see how *shocked* he was? How could he be surprised! It looked like he was cutting down a tree!

(By the way, I've never used the two asterisks on a word before in my life.)

Brian Boyle - Good ol' T-Bone. How many open nets can a man miss in one period? The answer, it seems, is two... twice. But he had a few good shots, a couple of good hits, and played like a 4th line player should: Good enough for the coach not to be nervous to put you out on the ice.

Chris Higgins - I won't profess him a great pickup yet, although we're all happy he is here instead of Scott Gomez. However, isn't it amazing how much better he is playing since he scored one goal? He has another goal already and played inspired, tough hockey tonight. If only he would do a move on a breakaway. Every time he gets one, he just shoots, and so far, it hasn't worked.

Ryan Callahan - "Gritty." Good word to describe his play tonight, as far as most nights.

Brandon Dubinsky - Was he even out there tonight? I noticed his play as much as I noticed Healthy Scratch Donald Brashear.

Wade Redden & Michal Rozsival - Weak games as well. Redden reminds me of myself, when I was 9. Any time I got the puck, I would get scared and pass it to the nearest teammate. That's what he does. Don't believe the hype in his "great pass to spring Higgins on a breakaway." It was lucky, he was just clearing it. And Rozsival? For a defender, he sure doesn't defend. I wouldn't want him on my team during an autumnal game of capture the flag, let alone near my crease in an NHL game.

Steve Valiquette - The team played good in front of him - especially Girardi and Marc Staal. It was huge for him to win this game, especially after the Sharks game where he got shellacked. Now, like Boyle, John Tortorella should feel safe putting him into a game.

Now, let's not be overly optimistic. Edmonton is a mediocre team. They were .500 going into tonight, and they were on a slide. Sheldon Souray is hurt, significantly impacting their power play. Mike Comrie was sick. A lot of other players got hit with the flu bug also the past 10 days.

So, what did the Rangers really do? They beat up on a weak team. And sometimes, that's just what you need to get back on track. Now, let's see if they can keep up the pace against the 9-4-1 Flames, who suddenly are an offensive team.

(By the way, I love these 9:30 games. I leave work at 8:20, clean up, eat, and I'm ready for pre-game and the opening faceoff.)

Good Stuff Tonight…

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0500

I try not to be one of "those fans" - you know, the type who sulks and glooms and says the team is horrible after a loss, but they're the first one to chant "We Want the Cup" after a convincing win.However, tonight was a good game. The difference between Edmonton and Vancouver, between 1,160 kilometers or 721 miles (thank you, Google Maps), was the offense. It was firing tonight. They took advantage of power plays. (The 0% on the power play was misleading in Vancouver, by the way. Chris Higgins scored a second after one expired.) They swarmed the net. They passed well. But more importantly, they took shots. Take a shot, you never know what will happen.They had 23 shots in Vancouver - 14 in the second period and then 9 combined in periods 1 and 3. Tonight, they had 39. Phil Esposito always says - and I'm sure Alex Ovechkin will concur - you can't score if you don't shoot. Dan Girardi had a great pass/shot today that Sean Avery deflected. It didn't go in, but it was close. Get the puck to the net. If they don't get the puck to the net, Marian Gaborik doesn't one-hand that last goal home.The effort was definitely there tonight...Aaron Voros - Horrible 1st period, but he did play better in the 2nd and 3rd... saving his job for another day. Granted, he probably only had another 3 minutes all game, but they were better than his first minute, where he took 2 penalties. When he swung his stick at an Oilers' knees (can't remember which Oiler) and took a two-minute minor, did you see how *shocked* he was? How could he be surprised! It looked like he was cutting down a tree!(By the way, I've never used the two asterisks on a word before in my life.)Brian Boyle - Good ol' T-Bone. How many open nets can a man miss in one period? The answer, it seems, is two... twice. But he had a few good shots, a couple of good hits, and played like a 4th line player should: Good enough for the coach not to be nervous to put you out on the ice.Chris Higgins - I won't profess him a great pickup yet, although we're all happy he is here instead of Scott Gomez. However, isn't it amazing how much better he is playing since he scored one goal? He has another goal already and played inspired, tough hockey tonight. If only he would do a move on a breakaway. Every time he gets one, he just shoots, and so far, it hasn't worked.Ryan Callahan - "Gritty." Good word to describe his play tonight, as far as most nights.Brandon Dubinsky - Was he even out there tonight? I noticed his play as much as I noticed Healthy Scratch Donald Brashear.Wade Redden & Michal Rozsival - Weak games as well. Redden reminds me of myself, when I was 9. Any time I got the puck, I would get scared and pass it to the nearest teammate. That's what he does. Don't believe the hype in his "great pass to spring Higgins on a breakaway." It was lucky, he was just clearing it. And Rozsival? For a defender, he sure doesn't defend. I wouldn't want him on my team during an autumnal game of capture the flag, let alone near my crease in an NHL game.Steve Valiquette - The team played good in front of him - especially Girardi and Marc Staal. It was huge for him to win this game, especially after the Sharks game where he got shellacked. Now, like Boyle, John Tortorella should feel safe putting him into a game.Now, let's not be overly optimistic. Edmonton is a mediocre team. They were .500 going into tonight, and they were on a slide. Sheldon Souray is hurt, significantly impacting their power play. Mike Comrie was sick. A lot of other players got hit with the flu bug also the past 10 days.So, what did the Rangers really do? They beat up on a weak team. And sometimes, that's just what you need to get back on track. Now, let's see if they can keep up the pace against the 9-4-1 Flames, who suddenly are an offensive team.(By the way, I love these 9:30 games. I leave work at 8:20, clean up, eat, and I'm ready for pre-game and the opening faceoff.)Continue reading Good Stuff Tonight…

Tom Renney...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:21:00 -0500

Last time two Edmonton faced the Rangers, the Rangers lost in a shootout. Last time, they fired 42 shots on net and scored on only 2 - on a backup goaltender. Ah, the Tom Renney era...

Well, tomorrow, the Rangers meet Tom Renney again, and while not many current players were there for a lot of his reign (Henrik Lundqvist and Michal Rozsival were the only ones there from his first full season in 2005-06), it should be an emotional night for him. Imagine if the game were at Madison Square Garden?

While I rip on Renney a lot here, I do think he was a very good coach, and I'm sure he will be sometime soon. There are a few coaches who will "always be a Ranger," no matter where they wind up coaching or working. Mike Keenan, though he only had 1 season, is one of them. Renney is another.

No coach could have done what he did after the lockout. He took a team destined to fail -at least according to the experts - and brought them into the playoffs, one point away from winning the division. He got 123 points out of Jaromir Jagr - a man who would have refused to return to the NHL if he wasn't playing for Renney in New York, he once said. He turned a team of veterans - Rucchin, Jagr, Straka, Rucinsky, Kasparaitis, Nylander - and young no-names - Jay Ward, Ortmeyer, Dom Moore, Hollweg, Orr, Prucha, Betts - into a contender.

I still say that if not for the Olympics, the Rangers could have gone far that year. Jagr and Lundqvist came back injured - Jagr with hip and groin problems, Hank with headaches from grinding his teeth. And then there was Sandis Ozolinsh, who seemed like a good trade at first until he came apart in the Devils' series and cost the team 2 games.

Still, Renney was a huge part of the rebuilding process. While they rebuilt, he brought them into the playoffs. He just wasn't a good fit for the team last year and going forward. His style had stopped working, and he continued to play people based on their paychecks rather than skill (see: Wade Redden on the power play while Petr Prucha sat in street clothes).

For all the good he did, he will be remembered for 2 things: being fired when the team couldn't score and for Game 5 in Buffalo, where Fedor Tyutin and rookie Dan Girardi were on the ice with 30 seconds left with a 1-0 lead. When they iced the puck, Tyutin and Girardi had to stay on, they couldn't clear the puck, and Chris Drury scored.

Besides that being the one game that still upsets my stomach (and the only time I ever lost sleep over a sports event), you know that if they won that game and went up 3-2 in the series, they would not have lost Game 6 at MSG. I'm not saying they would have won the Stanley Cup - hell, they might not even have beaten Ottawa in the Conference Finals - but they would have beaten Buffalo. And maybe Chris Drury never would've been signed the following summer, and maybe everything would've been different.

But this is how it's played out, and I wish Tom Renney the best in Edmonton - no matter how often I make fun of his healthy scratches or his power play.

Tom Renney…

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:21:00 -0500

Last time two Edmonton faced the Rangers, the Rangers lost in a shootout. Last time, they fired 42 shots on net and scored on only 2 – on a backup goaltender. Ah, the Tom Renney era… Well, tomorrow, the Rangers meet Tom Renney again, and while not many current players were there for a lot of his reign (Henrik Lundqvist and Michal Rozsival were the only ones there from his first full season in 2005-06), it should be an emotional night for him. Imagine if the game were at Madison Square Garden? While I rip on Renney a lot here, I do think he was a very good coach, and I’m sure he will be sometime soon. There are a few coaches who will “always be a Ranger,” no matter where they wind up coaching or working. Mike Keenan, though he only had 1 season, is one of them. Renney is another. No coach could have done what he did after the lockout. He took a team destined to fail -at least according to the experts – and brought them into the playoffs, one point away from winning the division. He got 123 points out of Jaromir Jagr – a man who would have refused to return to the NHL if he wasn’t playing for Renney in New York, he once said. He turned a team of veterans – Rucchin, Jagr, Straka, Rucinsky, Kasparaitis, Nylander – and young no-names – Jay Ward, Ortmeyer, Dom Moore, Hollweg, Orr, Prucha, Betts – into a contender. I still say that if not for the Olympics, the Rangers could have gone far that year. Jagr and Lundqvist came back injured – Jagr with hip and groin problems, Hank with headaches from grinding his teeth. And then there was Sandis Ozolinsh, who seemed like a good trade Continue reading Tom Renney…

The Mark Of A Good Team - Rangers@Capitals Post Game Thoughts…

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:04:19 -0500

After tonights game, I really have a good feeling about this club. Not because they played a particularly great game. When they weren’t taking retarded penalties they had Michal Rozsival there to have stupid turnovers. But what I really was amazed to see last night, was here was a team that had their goalie…the man who has basically carried this sad lot on his shoulders for the past several years give up a bad goal…and they didn’t lose. Just chew on that for a while. W...

Playoff Tickets...

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:10:08 -0500

I got my playoff ticket invoice today. Madison Square Garden is telling me that for $3,888, I can 2 tickets to 16 home playoff games. That assumes that not only will they have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but that every series will go 7 games.?
Home ice advantage? They aren't even technically in the playoff picture, although they do have a game in hand against the Penguins. The thing about games-in-hand is that you have to win them. They had two objectives today - get 2 points, and stop the Carolina Hurricanes from getting any points. They failed in both.
But don't worry. If I pay nearly four grand, anything left over from games not played or series (don't know the plural of "series") not played goes towards my tickets next year.?
All of this on a day when the offense thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. And to be honest, with all the ice time - and power play time - that Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden had, I thought Tom Renney was behind the bench. Wasn't one of his biggest problems his over-reliance on players who didn't ever help the offense? John Tortorella comes in claiming "change" and "hope" and "a better economy" and we get #33 passing the puck continuously and #6 getting busted on goals time and time and time again.
The first period of tonight's game was sporadically exciting but mostly boring. The second period I enjoyed, very fast, up-and-down. Steve Valiquette was excellent for most of the game. The 3rd period made me wish I hadn't napped earlier in the day. It was boring, horrendous hockey with uninspired play.
Wade Redden is making $6.5 million dollars this year (or enough to buy 3,433 people playoff tickets for all 16 home games). Maybe he can take some of that money and buy some heart.

Rangers Postgame Video: Loss to Maple Leafs

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:47:55 -0500

Michal Rozsival, sporting his new No. 33, tied the game late in the third, but the Rangers could not pull out a victory on Bathgate-Howell Night as the Leafs scored an OT powerplay goal to win 3-2.

Tons of trade rumors today

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:22:55 -0500

via Ottawa Sun: There's a lot of talk the Rangers are looking to move either D Wade Redden or D Michal Rozsival. Both were signed to new deals in the off-season, but Redden, who agreed to a six-year, $39-million deal, has a no-movement clause in his contract, making it more likely that Rozsival ...

Sather to step down, Burke to step in?

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:50:32 -0500

It's definitely a rumor that is gaining alot of steam since it was announced, that's for sure!

Yesterday on ESPN, Scott Burnside said that Rangers GM Glen Sather and former Ducks GM Brian Burke have been spending a ton of time together and recently just came back from a hunting trip.

This is ...

Rangers Re-Sign Rozsival | Rolston Returns to Jersey

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:00:26 -0500

The Hudson River rivals agreed to a pair of four-year, $20 million deals today with defenseman Michal Rozsival returning to the Rangers and Brian Rolston returning to the team with which he began his career. In the duel of duplicate deals, the Devils come out on top here, adding a player who has scored 30+ goals in each of the last three seasons to their anemic offensive, not to mention a player who they already know will thrive in their system. Meanwhile, Michal Rozsival hits pay dirt with the Blueshirts. Here's what I had to say on the prospect of Rozsival returning back in early May: "One has to imagine that Rozsival will be seeking a sizable raise over the $2.3 M he earned this past season, especially given the fact that [Christian] Backman is pulling in $3.4 next year. Putting aside my personal feelings on Rozsie, the defenseman played first-pair minutes all season-long and appeared in at least 80 games for the Blueshirts for the third consecutive year. He's scored roughly 40 points in back-to-back seasons, and while his goal-production slowed considerably in the season's second-half, his 13 tallies was still good enough for 12th overall amongst NHL defenseman and puts him in the company of some of the league's premier offensive-dmen. If Mathieu Schneider can earn $5.750 million from Anaheim, why should Rozsival sign for anything less than $4 million?" As it turns out, Michal will be pulling in $5 million per, putting him at a pay-scale commensurate with some of the league's elite defenseman. Back in May I presumed that such a hefty raise would price him out of Glen Sather's plans. Unfortunately, as it turns out, it's the Garden that will be signing those fat checks. Needless to say, this move doesn't please me. The fact that Rozsival is now being paid like a No. 1 or 2 defenseman reduces the chance that the Rangers will go out and acquire a legitimate first pair d-man, whether via trade or free agency. Moreover, in my mind, Rozsival is not a top-pair defenseman, and in fact, following the Blueshirts' season-ending postseason loss to the Penguins, I cited Rozsival as one of the more overmatched players on the ice. In Rozsival's defense, he clearly played the Pittsburgh series though injury and underwent hip surgery in the offseason. To me, however, injury doesn't excuse timid and undisciplined play.

Hot Stove: Rangers Trade Rumors

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:04:06 -0500

The most recent rumor has been that the Rangers are targeting Dan Boyle of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Boyle is in the final year of his contract and it is likely that any deal he signs will be worth about $6 million per season, which means he would probably only be a rental for the Rangers. Boyle also has a no-trade clause in his contract, although according to the NY Post, he is willing to waive that in order to become a Ranger. The Blueshirts have also made an offer to the Buffalo Sabres for offensive defenseman Brian Campbell according to the Toronto Sun. Campbell is another potential unrestricted free-agent on the lookout for a big contract this off-season. Because the Rangers are restricted on cap space and already need to resign Michal Rozsival, Campbell would likely only be a rental player, but one who could have a great effect on the Rangers' power play.

Sather Wants the Moon for Malik

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:17:58 -0500

I must admit, my oatmeal went down a bit funny when I read this line from Larry Brooks' report: "Sather, we're told, is demanding the equivalent of a top-four defenseman in return for Malik, who carries a cap charge of approximately $950,000 the remainder of the way for this, the final season of his contract. While there is widespread interest around the league in Malik, no GM has been willing to meet Sather's requirement for making a deal." Well I should certainly hope not! Honestly, what's Slats thinking here? You may have been able to pass Malik off as a top-four defenseman a year or two ago when he was playing every game with Michal Rozsival on the team's top defensive pair, but during a season in which Malik has bounced in and out of the lineup, effectively serving as a sixth or seventh man on the blueline, even Glen Sather couldn't have the audacity to demand a top-four defenseman in return, could he?

Fantasy Hockey 101: These Three Turkeys

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:27:57 -0500

The turkeys are loose again and running all over...but we caught the three we needed to for this week's turkeys of the week.