Yardbarker: New York Rangers

Rangers hurting

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:14:56 -0500

With both New York Rangers’ forwards Chris Drury (concussion) and Brandon Dubinsky (3-6 weeks) expected to miss some time, the team is all of a sudden real thin. According to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants: Chris Drury (concussion) was in the building briefly and rode the stationary bicycle, which is a good sign. Coach John Tortorella would not rule him out for Thursday’s game against the Thrashers but that seems like it’s a bit of a stretch. Regarding the Curtis Glencross hit on Drur...

Curtis Glencross suspended for hit on Chris Drury.

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:39:00 -0500

Former UAA Seawolve Curtis Glencross has been suspended by the NHL for three games for this hit on Former BU Terrier and New York Ranger Chris Drury. It seems like every day another person is taken out with a questionable hit to the head, it seems that the players have lost respect for their opponents. In this case it looks like Glencross was looking to hit Drury as he was skating across the blue line.
Andrew Gross of Ranger rants believes that maybe the penalty should have been 5 games.

The NHL has suspended Calgary Flames forward Curtis Glencross for three games, without pay, for delivering a high hit to an unsuspecting Chris Drury of the New York Rangers on Saturday night during the Flames' 3-1 win.

Glencross hit Drury 48 seconds into the game. Drury was helped off the ice and did not return to the game. New York coach John Tortorella said Drury suffered a concussion. No penalty was called on the play.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Glencross will forfeit $18,652.86. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Glencross will miss games at Montreal (Nov. 10), Buffalo (Nov. 13) and Toronto (Nov. 14). He will be eligible to return Nov. 17 against Colorado.
[NHL.COM]

Rangers could use help down the middle...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:14:00 -0500

The New York Rangers were interested in bringing in another centre already, but today's news that Brandon Dubinsky will miss 3-6 weeks with a broken hand means the search for another centre will likely be turned up. With Dubinsky out and Drury playing like he doesn't belong in the NHL, the Rangers are dangerously thin down the middle. Vinny Prospal is saving this team at this point.Manny Legace is back in the NHL after signing a one-year, $500,000 deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Th...

Video: Rangers lose Drury; fans lose outrage over head hits?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:03:19 -0500

Puck Buddy Keith sent this question over the weekend, regarding the hit by Curtis Glencross(notes) of the Calgary Flames on Chris Drury(notes) of the New York Rangers on Saturday:"Why is the Drury hit and injury being pretty much ignored? It has not gotten an ounce of the attention the head shots have gotten over the past few weeks. So, question is why the lack of coverage on this one?"Keith's not alone in asked where the outrage is over this hit, which gave Drury a concussion. ...

What Ranger Jerseys Can You Comfortably Wear?...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:34:00 -0500

I started compiling this list after I was at the Ranger-Islander game at the Coliseum last Wednesday and saw Nikolai Zherdev and Lauri Korpikoski standing next to each other. Of course, it wasn't actually them, but two people who paid a combined $360 for the jerseys of two players who no longer play on the Rangers.

Yet, some players no longer play in New York, but you can still wear their jersey and be proud of it. And even further, there are some players who play here whose jersey should not be worn, and if it is, you should be ridiculed.

Think you're safe? Check the list...

Good (Wear Proudly)
Jaromir Jagr #68 (had a great resurgence in NY; since he didn’t win a Cup, you have about 2 more years with this jersey before you should move on)
Brendan Shanahan #14 (I would never fault someone for having a Shanny jersey)
Henrik Lundqvist #30
Blair Betts #15/19; Jed Ortmeyer #41 (you can wear there jerseys for years and they would be appropriate)
Nigel Dawes #10 ; Petr Prucha #25 (it’s not your fault they were traded)
Sean Avery #16
Dan Girardi #5; Brandon Dubinsky #17; Marc Staal #18; Ryan Callahan #24; Artem Anisimov #42
Mike Del Zotto #4; Matt Gilroy #97 (buy with no hesitation; there two will be around a while)
Marian Gaborik #10
Steve Rucchin #20 (because I have one, and every once in a while, I still wear it)
Petr Nedved #93
Brian Leetch #2; Adam Graves #9; Mark Messier #11; Mike Richter #35
Jeff Beukeboom #23 (or mostly any member from the 1994 Cup team)
Ales Kotalik #12; Vinny Prospal #20; Martin Straka #82; Michael Nylander #92 (not the superstar of the team, but they compliment a Jagr or Gaborik well)
Eddie Giacomin #1; Rod Gilbert #7; Andy Bathgate #9; Ron Duguay #10 (or any other number he wore); Phil Esposito #77 (if you were old enough to watch these players play)

Iffy (Wear Cautiously)
Darius Kasparaitis #6; Pavel Bure #9; Theo Fleury #14 (I don’t mind the players, but it’s time for a new one, don’t you think?)
#28 Colton Orr (had a solid season last year, but there weren’t other choices?)
#99 Wayne Gretzky (can’t fault a Gretzky jersey, but it has been a decade since he left and he was in the twilight of his great career here. If he won a Cup, that would be different, of course.)
Alex Kovalev #27 (hey, he still might come back, and after all, he did win the Cup here as a rookie)
Chris Drury #23 (you obviously bought it during the summer of 2007 when you thought he’d be a superstar in New York, but he plays hard enough most of the time to warrant wearing him on your back... sometimes)

Bad (Give Them Away to the Garden of Dreams Foundation)
(Before you ask, yes, I have seen all of these jerseys recently.)
Dale Purinton #5 (seriously, I once saw one)
Andy Bathgate #9 (if you were born after 1955, you should not wear a Bathgate jersey. If you have seen him play in person, go for it.)
Lauri Korpikoski #29; Fedor Tyutin #51 (while it’s not your fault they were traded, it’s your fault for buying one in the first place)
Wade Redden #6 (must’ve been a present)
Ivan Baranka #21 (one NHL game and you have a jersey?)
Steve Valiquette #40 (you got it to be different, admit it)
Michal Rozsival #33
Eric Lindros #88 (Only one other jersey makes me madder, and I even have a Lindros jersey... safely in my closet. While Lindros, the player, wasn't awful, this jersey symbolizes a horrible stretch of time in Rangers history and wearing it only brings up good memories. No one goes, "Oh, the Lindros Era! What a jolly time!")
Luc Robitaille #20 (he wasn’t here long enough/didn’t play good enough to warrant having his jersey still 10 years later)
Chris Higgins #21 (until he proves otherwise)
Nik Zherdev #13
Markus Naslund #91
Ryan Hollweg #44 (Yes, I have one - I got it after his great 2005-06 season - and no, I’ll probably never wear it again, even though about 15 players have signed it)
Tom Poti #3/16
Dan Blackburn #31 (by this logic, you should’ve gotten a Lundqvist when he first came up)

And the worst Rangers jersey to wear...
Scott Gomez #19 (You bought it when he was signed. He never did anything in New York except play well against them. Everyone sighed when he was finally traded. Yet, you continue to wear this on your back when real players like Prospal and Gaborik actually show up to play. If you have a Scott Gomez jersey, please don't wear it. No one wants to see it, no one wants to remember him.)

What Ranger Jerseys Can You Comfortably Wear?…

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:34:00 -0500

It's a Saturday Night Without Any Stars

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:46:00 -0500

There has to be something about Saturday Nights that casts some kind of spell on the New York Ranger prospects as nobody stood out. Not one Ranger prospect earned a single star for their play which might have been a first this season.

Ryan McDonagh (Trade 2009) scored his first goal of the season but by the time he did the outcome of the game had long been decided. McDonagh's Wisconsin Badgers dropped a 5-2 decision to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Badgers gave up 3 goals over the first 2 periods and were trailing 4-1 before McDonagh scored at 12:14 of the 3rd period. It made the score 4-2 but it was too little too late for the Badgers.

McDonagh's teammate Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) had a night to forget as the sophomore center was a -3 with 4 shots. With the loss the Badgers fell to 4-3-1 on the season.

Roman Horak (2009 5th) had the only other goal scored by a Ranger's prospect on Saturday night as his 6th goal was the first goal for the Chilliwack Bruins who went on to a 5-4 overtime win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Horak's goal was a power play; his second power play goal of the season. Horak is now 6-11-17 for the season.

Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) stopped 40 of 43 shots as his Owen Sound Attack rallied from down 2-0 for a 4-3 win over the Guelph Storm. Stajcer improved to 7-9-1-1 3.71 0.903 in 19 games this season.

Mitch Gaulton (2008 6th) did not score but was a +2 as his Erie Otter made it a weekend sweep of the Niagara Ice Dogs with a 6-2 win. It was an emotionally charged weekend for the Otters after the events of the last 2 weeks and they have held up well.

Sam Klassen (2009 UFA) had an assist as his Saskatoon Blades rebounded from the end of their losing streak with a 4-3 shootout win over the Prince Albert Raiders. For Klassen it was his 9th assist of the season (3-9-12).

Chris Kreider (2009 1st) returned to the Boston College Eagle lineup after missing one game due to injury as the Eagles defeated the Northeastern Huskies 5-1. Kreider was scoreless but took 2 shots and was a +1 for the game.

Daniel Maggio (2009 6th) did not score and was a +1 as his Sudbury Wolves shut out the Peterborough Petes 2-0. Maggio's offense has quieted down after an early start with just 1 assist in his last 5 games.

Chris Doyle (2008 5th) had a rough night as he was a -2 along with 1-5 on faceoffs as his Prince Edward Island Rocket were beaten by the Halifax Mooseheads 4-1 in QMJHL action.

Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd) saw his 5 game scoring streak come to an end as his Quebec Remparts lost in the shootout 6-5 to the Gatineau Olympiques. Bourque was a -2 and held to just 1 shot in regulation as well as missing his shootout attempt.

Bourque put up 1-8-9 during his streak to raise his season totals to 7-10-17.

Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) and his "Up and Down" Medicine Hat Tigers were "Down" on Saturday as they were beaten by the Brandon Wheat Kings 5-1. It was a rough night for Kundratek as he was a -3 on the evening.

Carl Hagelin (2007 6th) and his 4th ranked Michigan Wolverines also had a lost weekend as they dropped Saturday's game with top ranked Miami of Ohio 5-1. Hagelin saw his 3 game scoring streak come to an end but for his Wolverines the loss meant they were swept by a team at home for the first time since October 26-27th of 2001.

Max Campbell (2007 5th) did not score but his Western Michigan Broncos improved their record to 5-2-1 after a 2-1 win over Lake Superior State.

Luke Walker (Traverse City) broke out of his mini scoring slump with 2 assists as his Portland Winterhawks had to go to the shootout before defeating their rivals the Seattle Thunderbirds 6-5.

For Walker it was his first points in 3 games as he recorded assists 10 and 11 on the season to raise his stats to 11-11-22.

Craig Cunningham (Traverse City) and his Vancouver Giants lost their 2nd straight game 2-1 to the Spokane Chiefs. Cunningham was held scoreless in this matchup.

Rangers halt skid on road with win over Oilers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:34:50 -0500

Ales Kotalik had a goal and two assists, and the New York Rangers halted a four-game, road-losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Bravo for the Irony

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:26:00 -0500

It is ironic that on the night before the Rangers faceoff against the Edmonton Oilers with their new "associate" coach Tom Renney that 2 undrafted Ranger prospects went against each other. Like Tom Renney as the Ranger's coach or not; his contribution to the Rangers will pay dividends longer than people will ever realize.

It was during the NHL lockout that Tom Renney made his greatest contribution to the rebuilding of the Rangers as he spent that season scouting, planning and helping to develop the prospect program that Ranger fans are seeing the benefits of today.

If not for Tom Renney, there is no Michael Del Zotto, no Brandon Dubinsky, no Ryan Callahan and many more yet to come. The prospect program that is in place today is because of Tom Renney, Gordie Clark, Christer Rockstrom and the 8 great guys who make up the Ranger's amateur scouting team.

With only 7 rounds in today's NHL Entry Drafts, it is really key for the Ranger scouting staff to find free agents who can help supplement the draft picks and sometimes turn themselves into Rangers like Dan Girardi did.

We bring this up because 3 of the Traverse City invitees were in action on Wednesday night starting with Craig Cunningham and his Vancouver Giants visiting Luke Walker and the Portland Winterhawks. Cunningham has been leading Ranger prospects in scoring prior to the game against the Winterhawks and added on to his lead.

Cunningham scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season to raise his prospect leading season totals to 12-16-28 (good for 7th in the WHL) as Cunningham's Giants shut out Walker's Winterhawks 4-0. For Cunningham he has now 7-8-15 over his last 10 games as the Giants have gone 7-2-1 during that span.

As for Walker and his young Winterhawk teammates it was their second straight game where they were shutout. Still Walker is also not having a bad season as he is 11-9-20 in 20 games which is 3rd among Ranger prospects.

Cunningham earned the game's second star for his efforts as his first goal of the game was also the game winner. Cunningham now has 4 game winners on the season also tops among Ranger prospects.

Yes Sam Klassen (2009 UFA) extended his "Plus" streak on Wednesday night to 7 straight games and yes that means that his Saskatoon Blades also won their 7th straight game this time coming from behind to edge the Swift Current Broncos 2-1.

This win in our eyes was more impressive because the Blades were playing their 5th game in their last 6 nights. How they were able to find the energy and effort to not only shut down the Broncos but to pull out the win is just amazing.

Klassen with a +1 is now up to +19 on the season which is 3rd in the WHL behind his defensive partner Stefan Elliot. In fact the Saskatoon Blades who are at the top of the WHL can credit their league leading defense as for why as they have only given up 2.25 goals a game also tops in the WHL.

Luke Pither (Traverse City) is the oldest of the Traverse City prospects but he is also having a pretty solid year with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. On Wednesday, Pither had 2 primary assists to help his Colts whip on Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) and the Owen Sound Attack 6-1.

For Pither, he is second among Ranger prospect scoring with a 12-13-25 record in 17 games. Pither is tied with Cunningham for most goals at 12 and has 3 game winners to his credit.

Scott Stajcer and the Attack once again saw the penalty kill as the main cause of their undoing as the Colts went 4 for 7 on the power play. Stajcer faced 45 shots and sorry when the goalie is facing that many shots it is almost impossible to blame him for the loss.

Then another prospect that the Ranger scouts can take a bow for is Roman Horak (2009 5th) as he was an unknown to most of us in North America but has been a pleasant surprise for the Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL. Wednesday night's results may not have shown it as Horak's Bruins got spanked on the road by the Spokane Chiefs 5-1.

Horak was held scoreless and for a rare occasion was a -2 for the night. On the season Horak is a respectable 5-11-16 in 19 games with a +7.

The hardest team for us to figure out is Tomas Kundratek and his Medicine Hat Tigers as no team in the WHL reminds us more of last year's Rangers than this season's version. It is "flip a coin" or "toss a dart" as we have never a clue as to what will happen with the Tigers.

On Wednesday evening it was the Bad Tigers who showed up as they got beaten 7-4 by the Regina Pats on the road. Kundratek was not bad with his play as he set up Taylor Gal for Medicine Hat's first goal (Kundratek's 9th assist) during a 4 on 4 but the Tigers were already trailing 2-0 at the time.

The Tigers were spending so much time playing catch up as they tied the game on 3 different occasions before giving up 3 third period goals for the loss.

(Cunningham courtesy of the Vancouver Giants, Klassen courtesy of the Saskatoon Blades)

Rangers' Byers suspended 1 game for instigating

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:02:55 -0500

New York Rangers forward Dane Byers was suspended one game for his role in a fight during the third period of Monday's game in Vancouver. The NHL announced the punishment Wednesday. Byers will forfeit $2,590 in salary to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Rangers coach John Tortorella was fined $10,000 because one of his players was deemed the instigator of the altercation. His fine goes to the NHL Foundation.

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…

Video: Rangers outnumber Canucks 10-7 in scrum; Avery fun

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:56:43 -0500

Terrifically odd scene last night in the third period of the Vancouver Canucks' 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik(notes) gives Ryan Kesler(notes) the weakest slash to the leg in recent memory, sparking a fight-less melee during a line change that actually had 10 players on the ice for New York. Once that situation was defused -- and it did look like it was going to boil over a few times into an old school 1970s sprawling slugfest -- the action moved to the benches, whe...

The Helper Helps Himself

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:29:00 -0500

Prospect Park Player of the Week Ryan Bourque

At first glance when we heard that the New York Rangers used their 2009 3rd round pick on Ryan Bourque we really liked the idea. Bourque was one of the top young playmakers in the United States Development Program and there was really only one reason why Bourque fell to the 3rd round; his size.

If Bourque was 6'1 210 then no way do the Rangers get him with a 3rd round pick but Bourque is a small 5'9 170. Talent wise there is not a question that Ryan Bourque can play but that concern about his size is not going to go away.

Bourque plays for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL and during most of the early part of this season we saw more goal scoring from Bourque than his playmaking skills. Until last week when Bourque showed the playmaking side and the Remparts reaped the benefits of that side.

Bourque had a 6 assist week as he helped his Remparts to 3 wins but it was more than just the assists as it was the kind of the assists that stood out. Against Moncton, Bourque had a career high 4 assists but his 2nd assist set up the game winner.

Against Prince Edward Island, Bourque only had one assist but his 3 good hits stood out in the Rempart's 4-3 win. To end his week, Bourque set up the game tying goal as the Remparts came from behind to defeat the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 3-2 in OT.

Altogether Bourque has a 4 game scoring streak (0-7-7) as his Remparts also have a 4 game winning streak. We also think that the more assists that Bourque puts up the more his Remparts are going to win.

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Game Action

Daniel Maggio (2009 6th) set up the first goal for his Sudbury Wolves as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Ethan Werek's (2009 2nd) Kingston Frontenacs and then held on for a 4-3 win. Maggio's assist was his 7th of the season and added a +2 for the evening.

Werek was held scoreless and was a -1 for the night.

People may think our watching Sam Klassen's (2009 UFA) "Plus" is crazy but here is what is not crazy; Klassen has been a "plus" in 6 straight games and his Saskatoon Blades won their 6th straight game edging the Moose Jaw Warriors 2-1.

Klassen may not be scoring but since his streak started the Blades have jumped to the top of the WHL standings. If anything we like Klassen because our firm belief is you can have all the offense in the world but defense will win you championships.

Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) and his Medicine Hat Tigers have been playing 500 hockey as of late so you never know which Tiger team is going to show up from night to night. Tuesday night the effort was there but the Tigers lost to the Everett Silvertips 3-1.

Kundratek was held scoreless and a -1 for the evening.

(Bourque courtesy of the Quebec Remparts)

Forget Sweet Sixteen We Got Seventeen

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:28:00 -0500

In 2004 when we first started covering New York Ranger prospects at best we felt that the Rangers had 4-6 quality prospects who had legit shots at becoming NHL players.
When Dane Byer's scored for the Rangers against the Wild; that meant that the 2004 draft class gave the Rangers 4 members who scored at least one goal in a Ranger uniform.

We bring this tidbit up because on this Friday evening a record total of 17 Ranger prospects were in action. It has been a very long time since the Rangers could honestly say they had not only quality but also productive ones at that.

Tonight's First Star

In a way it is a shame that most of the attention that Chris Doyle (2008 5th) has gotten this season has been for things other than his play on the ice. On the ice, Doyle has actually put up some decent numbers himself.

Before Doyle's Prince Edward Island Rocket visited Ryan Bourque's Quebec Remparts, Doyle was 7-6-13 in 14 games. Doyle had a goal and 2 assists as his PEI Rocket earned a 4-3 overtime win over Bourque's Remparts.

Doyle's 8th goal at 2:39 of the second period tied the game at 1-1, his first assist was a secondary assist at 0:30 of the 3rd period which pulled the Rocket to 3-2. It was Doyle's second assist that set up game's tying goal as Doyle fed teammate Adam Polasek on the power play at 12:22 of the 3rd period.

For his efforts Doyle was named the Game's 3rd star as he now has a modest 3 game scoring streak at 2-4-6.

Second Star

Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) scored 2 goals as his Wisconsin Badgers whipped on the University of New Hampshire 4-1. The first goal was more accidental as it bounced in off Stepan's arm to give the Badgers a 3-1 lead at the 5:22 mark of the 3rd period.

The second goal which put the nail in the coffin so to speak for New Hampshire came at 9:15 of the period and turned out to be the game's final tally. Stepan fired a shot from just inside the New Hampshire blueline that appeared to fool New Hampshire goalie Brian Foster.

Stepan who entered the game 1-2-3 helped the Badgers to their first home win of the season.

Third Star

Carl Hagelin (2007 6th) is very much off to his best start at Michigan as 5 games into the 2009-10, Hagelin after his 5th ranked Michigan Wolverines defeated the Lake Superior State Lakers 5-1 has 5 points. Hagelin earned the game's first star with his 3rd goal of the season along with his second assist as part of a 3 goal first period outburst.

Hagelin scored the game winning goal when he jumped on a rebound and put it in for Michigan's 2nd goal of the game at 10:30 of the first period. It was Hagelin's 8th career game winning goal at Michigan.

Just 5:27 later, Hagelin fed teammate Louie Caporusso for Michigan's 3rd goal and Hagelin's 2nd assist of the season. For Hagelin it was the 2nd multi-point game of the young season and 13th of his career.

Honorable Mention

Guess which prospect has quietly gotten hot and hardly anyone has noticed it? If you said Roman Horak (2009 5th) then you would be right as Horak after Friday has a 5 game scoring streak (4-1-5).

Horak's 5th goal of the season was also his first WHL power play goal of his career as Horak's Chilliwack Bruins whipped the Kamloops Blazers 7-1. Horak's goal was also his 2nd straight game winning goal and 3rd in the last 4 games.

Horak also added his 9th assist of the season also on the power play on Chilliwack's 5th goal of the game. On the season, Horak is now an very nice 5-9-14 +10 in 16 games.

Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) returned to the starting lineup and backstopped his Owen Sound Attack to a 6-2 win over the Plymouth Whalers. Stajcer stopped 29 out of 31 shots to earn his 5th win of the season (5-8-1-1) and break a personal 3 game losing streak.

Stajcer got support at both ends of the ice as the Attack scoring 6 goals was nice but the Attack penalty killing effort was even better killng off 6 of the 7 Whaler power plays.

The Rest of the Ranger Prospects

Ryan McDonagh (2009 Trade) had a secondary assist on the first Derek Stepan goal in the Wisconsin Badger's game. For McDonagh he is now up to 3 assists on the season.

Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd) had an assist in his Quebec Rempart's 4-3 loss to Chris Doyle's PEI Rockets. Bourque now has his own 3 game scoring streak (0-6-6) going as he is now 6-8-14.

Chris Kreider (2009 1st) was scoreless and held to just 2 shots as his 12th ranked Boston College Eagles had a dogfight with the Merrimack Warriors before just escaping with a 4-3 win.

Ethan Werek (2009 2nd) 8th goal of the season forced overtime but his Kingston Frontenacs lost in the shootout 3-2 to the Belleville Bulls. Werek missed on his shootout attempt.

Sam Klassen (UFA 2009) had an assist to extend his own scoring streak to 3 games (2-3-5) and another +3 performance as his Saskatoon Blades defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-2. Klassen now leads Ranger prospects with a +14.

Tomas Kundratek's (2008 3rd) 7th assist of the season was not enough to help prevent his Medicine Hat Tigers from losing their 3rd straight game this time to the Red Deer Rebels 4-2. The only positive out of this loss as the Tigers were not blown out as they have been in their previous 2 losses.

Max Campbell (2007 5th) was held scoreless as his Western Michigan Broncos lost their first game of the season 2-1 to the Michigan Wolverines. The Broncos fall to 4-1 with the loss.

Daniel Hobbs (2007 7th) also did not score but his UMass Minutemen defeated the Providence Friars 5-3. With the win the Minutemen upped their record to 4-0 on the season.

Daniel Maggio (2009 6th) was scoreless but his Sudbury Wolves overcame blowing a 3-1 lead and held off the Niagara Ice Dogs 5-4. Maggio was quiet except for a -1 on the night.

Mitch Gaulton (2008 7th) and his Erie Otter team was held scoreless as they were shut out by the Kitchener Rangers 4-0.

Craig Cunningham (Traverse City) and his Vancouver Giants were also shut out as they were blanked 2-0 by the Calgary Hitmen. Cunningham saw his prospect high 7 game scoring streak (4-6-10) come to an end in the loss

Luke Pither (Traverse City) just might be starting to heat back up as Pither scored for the 2nd straight game as his Barrie Colts won a wild one 7-5 over the Guelph Storm. In addition to Pither's 12th goal of the season; Pither added his 11th assist and a +3 in the win.

(Doyle courtesy of the PEI Rockets, Stepan courtesy of the Wisconsin Badgers, Hagelin courtesy of the Michigan Wolverines)

Avery Accused Of Sizism

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:16 -0500

(the phrase, “have another doughnut, you fat pig”, is of course, trademarked by Jim Schoenfeld) Did NHLPA interim executive director Ian Penny jump or was he pushed? Who gives a **** when we’ve got another sensational item involving hockey pariah Sean Avery? The fashionista / loose cannon’s former AHL coach, current Capitals boss Lou [...]

Avery Accused Of Sizism

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:16 -0500

Plenty of Helpers

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:28:00 -0500

When the New York Rangers used their 2009 3rd round pick on Ryan Bourque there was no question that they were looking at one of the top young playmakers to come out of the USA Hockey program.

Despite his having 6-3-9 for stats so far as a member of the Quebec Remparts; our belief remained that Ryan Bourque's best potential was as a playmaking forward. On Thursday evening Bourque showed exactly why we had that belief.

Ryan Bourque had a career high 4 assist evening as his Quebec Remparts defeated the Moncton Wildcats 5-2. It was a truly impressive performance for the 18 year old from Boxford Ma.

Bourque got his night going when he fed Kelly Tessier for a power play goal and a 1-0 Quebec lead at 4:20 of the first period. At 13:54 of the same period, Bourque this time set up teammate Marc-Olivier Vallerand for another power play goal and a 3-0 lead.

That assist proved to be the game winning one as the team's traded goals in the second and third periods with Bourque earning secondary assists on both Quebec goals. For his efforts, Bourque earned the game's second star for his 4 assists and a +2.

What is interesting to note is that despite the 4 assists, Bourque never got credited for a shot on goal in this game.

Luke Pither (Traverse City) also earned a second star for a goal and two assists (+2) as well) as his Barrie Colts blew out the Niagara Ice Dogs 7-0 in OHL action. For Pither it was his 7th multi-point game of the season (11-10-21).

It took Pither all of 18 seconds to get on the scoresheet as he fed teammate Byran Cameron for a 1-0 Barrie lead and eventual game winning goal. Pither added a secondary assist on Barrie's second goal at 6:56 also in the first period.

In the second period Pither scored his 11th on the power play at 6:55 for Barrie's fourth goal of the game. For the Colts it was a great performance as they got 7 goals from 7 different players in the win.

Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) got the night off as his back up Jordan Binnington got the start and led the Owen Sound Attack to a huge 5-4 upset shootout win over the Windsor Spitfires on the road. Too bad the Attack do not give Stajcer this kind of support on a regular basis.

Finally we want to send out our congratulations to Craig Cunningham (Traverse City) of the Vancouver Giants for being named to Team WHL for the Subway Super Series against Russia. Cunningham very much was a deserving pick as 7th leading scorer in the WHL (9-14-23) which is also tops among Ranger prospects.

The Subway Super Series is used by Hockey Canada to help decide who earns an invite to tryout for Canada's Under-20 team. Cunningham joins Ethan Werek as the only Ranger prospects who are getting to face Russia in this series.

Now before anyone wonders why; to earn an invite you have to be Canadian, under 20 and playing in one of the 3 CHL leagues.

Right now it looks like Derek Stepan, Ryan Bourque and Chris Kreider are remain in the hunt for Team USA. Roman Horak is expected to join the Czech Republic team with a possibility that the Rangers will release Evgeny Grachev from Hartford to join Russia.

The odds are stacked against both Cunningham and Werek making the Canadian team.

(Bourque courtesy of the Quebec Remparts)