The Avery Rule Now In Effect

Sean Avery is the worst kind of loser you can find. He not only gets under your skin, but he crosses the line, gets away with it, then lets you know he got away with it. What you just saw in that video was (and I use past tense for a reason) against the rules.

Rule 41 - Abuse of Officials and other Misconducts G) A misconduct penalty shall be imposed on any player who persists in any course of conduct (including threatening or abusive language or gestures or similar actions) designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty.

What's that you say? It was in the rule book already? Why the referee did not call it in the first place is beyond me. This is not what the NHL wants to look like. You cannot pick up your blade and wave it in front of another player's face, regardless if you make contact.

I would have been fine with a stern warning if it was anyone but Sean Avery. Another point I have to make is, this only sheds negative light on the Rangers. A leader from the Rangers (if they have any) should have stepped up and told him to settle down. I understand that it is the playoffs and you want to get into the opponent's head, but don't make it as obvious as that.

The NHL has decided to give an interpretation to the rule I quoted earlier, aiming it at Avery's antics.

An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.

For one, I applaud them.

The Unexpected: New York Rangers

*NOTE*: I will be writing a series of blogs discussing a handful of teams whose expectations were minimal to start the season or even now. Within these teams, I believe one will take home the Stanley Cup to their franchise.

The second team I will be writing about is the New York Rangers. They debuted their off-season with a bang last summer, acquiring the likes of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to an already offensive core. However, opinions varied whether or not this would prove to be a success.

As of today, they sit at 6th place in the Eastern Conference (37-24-9) and 5 points from 1st place. Much of their success has come from rock solid goaltending and reliable defense. While Drury and Gomez are not deemed failures, there is no player on their roster that has enjoyed a spectacular season offensively. In fact, not one player has a point-per-game, Gomez being the closest with 66 points in 70 games.

However, head coach Tom Renney has found an effective strategy for his forwards, separating his star players throughout three lines to form a good mix of offensive and defensive responsibility. The Rangers have potential to be an explosive team offensively, but they are currently struggling in the goal scoring department. If some of their key players can get back on track, the Rangers will be a complete team with minimal flaws aside from team character.

Imagine what a rejuvenated Jagr would do to the Rangers offense and team in general. He has only accumulated 18 goals and 59 points this season, quite low considering he won the Art Ross two years ago and posted 96 points last year. Don't be mistaken, if the Rangers are going to win anything this season, it will be because of this man. When he's on fire, so are the Rangers. And while he makes questionable decisions in his own end, he more than makes up for it if he's sniping goals and creating plays like used to.

A big reason as to why I think the Rangers have a good shot at the Cup is mainly due to their goaltending. "King Henrik" has had two Vezina Trophy nominations in the past two seasons and is capable of stealing games on a nightly basis. He displays a cool demeanor, quick reflexes, an incredible glove hand and perfect butterfly positioning. He has posted a 32-21-7 record to go along with a .910 SV%, 2.30 GAA and a remarkable 9 shutouts. As we all know, goaltending is the most crucial aspect to make a run for the Stanley Cup, and the Rangers don't have to worry about that.

A player who cannot go unnoticed for his efforts is Brendan Shanahan. At 39 years old he continues to be a force offensively, scoring 22 goals in 62 games this season. Serving as a veteran presence, he is an excellent mentor for players like Brandon Dubinsky and Nigel Dawes, displaying emotion and aggressiveness to his game. With an old-school wrist shot at his disposal, "Shanny" is a keeper once the playoffs come around.

In the off-season, many analysts questioned the Rangers' defense, and whether it would be enough to withstand the 82-game schedule. As you can tell, that criticism has ceased. The Rangers' defense has not been outstanding, but they have displayed a reliable, simple strategy. On most nights, they go unnoticed by viewers, and this is not a bad thing. It means they are doing their job and are not getting caught in their own zone with bad defensive decisions.

Going into the playoffs, you can imagine the Rangers won't be discussed as Cup favorites or even making a significant run. I think that's false, if the Rangers can polish all facets of their game to new levels, they will be a force to be reckoned with. While they have had problems with motivation and team character, it appears as though it builds stronger with every game, and once the playoffs start it's up to the players to redefine and strengthen it to new levels.

Don't Hate On Jaromir

As the trade deadline approaches, Rangers fans begin to wonder about what Glen Sather will do. Will he pick up a big player? Will he dump Malik or Mara? The biggest question mark is Jaromir Jagr. He doesn't seem to have much in the tank or much durability in the rear fender. He has scored only 16 goals and 38 assists in 63 games and does not seem prone to break out of his slump any time soon. Every player gets worn down with time and this seems to be Jagr's time. It would make sense to dump him now for something as opposed to losing him for nothing to free agency.

On the other hand, the Rangers are playing very well having jumped into a tie for 6th place in the Eastern Conference and sitting only 7 point behind the division leading Devils. They have gone 9-3-2 since January 22 and have seemed to put offense, defense and goaltending together. More importantly, they have played a solid, full game on every night with the only exception being the Montreal Massacre. Jagr's line, if not he himself, has been producing well. Dubinsky has thrived on a line with Avery and Jagr. A shakeup at this stage of the game, especially on the top line, may be more destructive than beneficial.

That, along with other internal and external deadline trades, is what Glen Sather must decide on Tuesday and that will decide whether Jaromir Jagr will be wearing the blue sweater in Carolina on Thursday.

You may want a trade and you may not, but either way, don not forget what Jaromir Jagr means to this New York Rangers organization. 54 goals, 69 assists and 123 points. It is hard to remeber the days when Jagr's production was so high but it was only two years ago that Jagr was voted MVP by the players. His monstrous year carried a young and relatively untalented team to their first postseason since 1997. His stats were worthy of may awards and he seemed a shoo in for the Hart, Rocket Richard and Art Ross trophies until all three awards were heisted by the dynamic duo of Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo on the last day of the season. He broke Adam Graves' single season goal record and John Rattelle's point record. Most importantly, he carried this team to the playoffs on his back and ended a painful drought. Everybody was calling for him to be made captain. And he was.

Jagr didn't stop there. He posted 30 goals and 66 assists in the next season and with the help of new Ranger Brendan Shanahan led a fearsome offense to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He led this team as the captain past Atlanta and 7.7 seconds away from a 3-2 lead on the #1 Sabres. The first playoff berth, win and series win since 1997 had been captured thanks to Jaromir. He was our captain just one year ago. Now he has become our cancer as the stubborn Rangers fans (myself included) love to toss away useless old ones.

Lets face it. Without Jaromir Jagr, the Rangers do not make the playoffs in 2006. They almost certainly do not make it in 2007 either. Without Jagr, Adam Graves would still hold the single season goals record and Rattelle would hold the single season points record. Glen Sather would trade away youth to improve the team now and we might not have Staal, Tyutin, Girardi, Dubinsky, Callahan, Prucha and Dawes to name a few. The Rangers would not be talented now and prepared for the future. Jaromir Jagr may need to be traded, but don't forget how much Jagr did for this team, regardless of his bad habits and attitude. Jaromir Jagr saved the Rangers. Be grateful for that and cheer for him in this tough stretch. He may not be able to lead us to a Stanley Cup but he build the foundations for this team to do so. Wherever he ends up, I wish him luck.

Jaromir Jagr is not my scapegoat. He is my hero.

Sean Avery Out of Action

Word has come out that Sean Avery underwent wrist surgery today and will be out for at least a couple of weeks. Avery took a shot toff of his wrist from teammate Brendan Shanahan in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and couldn't even shoot the puck during Monday's practice. It was routine arthroscopic surgery to fix some of the nagging problems he's been having. The hockey world will sorely miss the "services" of Mr. Avery for these next few weeks, especially Martin Brodeur, Jason Blake, and Darcy Tucker.

Killer Kids

In a season so dominated by the hype of stars Gomez and Drury, the other "new" Rangers have given fans a reason to get excited. Rookies Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal have provided a total of 7 goals in this young season. And indeed, the season is young as the Rangers have drawn success from their kids more than from the seasoned vets.

The three rookies all scored in the Rangers 4-2 win over the Devils, the Rangers 3rd straight win and 7th out of their last 8.

Dawes

Nigel started the season on a roll after getting called up a few games in. He scored three goals in his first four games but slowed down for a while.

Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the first minute of regulation givng the Devils a 1-0 lead.

40 seconds later, Dawes got his chance. Drury stole the puck at the Rangers line and sent it to Dawes who was streaking down the right wing. He entered the zone on a 2 on 1 and moved in quickly on Marty Brodeur. As he approached the crease, he squeezed it between the blocker and pad of the Devils goaltender. The tying marker was Dawes 4th goal this season and would be the last goal of the first period.

Dubinsky

Brandon earned a roster spot in training camp and was slated to center the third line. But when things got ugly on the Jagr line, Dubinsky was sent to the top line on a experimental basis. He never came down. Jagr loves playing with him, which is a victory in itself, and feels reponsible to help Brandon in his development. This has given the young center the best possible situation for success now and down the road.

On Wednesday, Dubinsky gave the Rangers their first lead of the game. Jagr had gotten the puck along the right boards and skated to the center of the zone for a wrist shot. Brodeur knocked it down but left the rebound at the top of the crease. Dubinsky pounced on it and banged it past a diving Brodeur. The marker was the second goal of the season and his career. Jagr added a power play wraparound goal in the last minute of the second, his fourth goal of the season.

Staal

If Gomez and Drury are big hockey names, Staal is even bigger. The four Staal brothers are Eastern Canada's equivalent of the Sutters, all of them with bright NHL futures. Marc is the only defenseman in the group but may be the most talented. After promising seasons in the OHL, Marc broke through to the big club. And has not dissappointed. His growth in the few weeks he has had with the team has been unbelievable. He has gone from looking like a...well...rookie into looking confident and solid on the ice. He has made great defensive plays and rarely any errors, something that can go unnoticed but is really the most important thing to have in a hockey player (see Malik). The Rangers drafted a great player and he should be the Rangers #1 D-man for years to come.

In the third period, Staal got on the board. Gomez had the puck in the right corner and center to Shanahan in the slot. Shanahan faked the one-timer put let the puck slide past his stick. Staal hesitated after the unexpected move but recovered and made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone. The Devils were still wondering where Shanny's shot had ended up and Staal had room to walk in from the point. He sent a quick wrist shot over the right shoulder of Brodeur and to the top corner of the net. for his first career goal. The accuracy and power of the shot was remarkable but not surprising. After all, he is a Staal.

Last Ditch Effort

The Devils answered at the midway point with another goal from Langenbrunner. He is in his first game back from an injury and celebrated his return with a two goal effort. The Devils rallied around the goal and put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Rangers. And then they got their chance.Brian Gionta stole the puck on a Rangers power play and had a clear breakaway on Lundqvist. As soon as Gionta touched the puck, Lundqvist came out of his crease and got in position for the breakaway. Gionta came head on and fired a wrist shot that was wired for the top right corner. Lundqvist threw his glove up and knocked it away, sealing the victory and giving the blueshirts their third win over the Devils this season.

Blue Bites

-Scott Gomez extended his point streak to 7 games. His two helpers tonight gave him 8 on the season.

-Jason Blake told Sam Rosen of MSG Network that he did not hear Sean Avery make any comment about his cancer during a pregame scuffle betweeen the Rangers and Leafs on Saturday night.

-The Rangers had their third 4+ goal game of the season, the other two coming against Florida and Pittsburgh at MSG.

-The Rangers improve their road record to 2-5-1 and overall are 10-7-1 with 21 points. They are currently 1 point behind the Flyers for 1st in the Atlantic Division

The Week That Was And Preparing For An Old Foe

Well, after stating that this week would be crucial for the Leafs. They came out... exactly the same. They started 6-6-3 and ended 7-7-4. But this can be viewed as a positive for this inconsistent and mediocre club. After being destroyed by the Sens 5-1 they rallied back with a 3-0 win over the struggling Sabres ( it'll turn around, Max) and salvaged a point against the surging Rangers and one by the name of Sean Avery, we'll get to him later. Let's re-cap the recent turn of events in Leaf-land shall we?

The week began with an important match-up against the Sens, one that would potentially turn this Leafs club around. But what skated the ice... is a different story. A few players were ready, specifically Vesa Toskala, who tried his best to cover up the massive mistakes from the Leafs D. In the end, he just couldn't do it. These mistakes aren't your ordinary gaffes... these are mistakes that the goaltender would have to pull a Jesus-like save from his hat...which is not happening, by any goaltender. Jada, Jada, Jada, score here, score there and we got a 5-1 score for the Sens.

On we go to the Buffalo Sabres, a club that I thought would ignite against their divisional foes and turn their club around, who I still believe, will do so! To the Sabres credit, they played solid. The offense was generating shots but, very surprisingly, our D was good. And Raycroft took advantage by getting the goose egg. A great accomplishment with our D, truly a rare feat. So things were turning around, one team left for the week that was and it ended with the New York Rangers and thug-boy Sean Avery.

Hockey Night in Canada, Saturday night, game against an original six foe. Doesn't get much better right? Well apparently Sean Avery thought it could, and he started by trolling Darcy Tucker and then Jason Blake who came to his defense. Classy move, Avery... you are not surprisingly taking this to far. I await the day you get clocked and pay for your tom-foolery. Excuse my un-classiness, I suppose. The game was a good one, the Rangers showed up, and so did the Leafs. Our D helped Toskala who played a solid game but unfortunately for us... the game went to a shootout. Yup, the shootout. A skills competition that our club can't handle it seems. Our forwards have a tough time scoring, really tough actually, and our goaltenders can't seem to make the save ( Toskala looks horrible in the shootout, maybe his height is in play?) . So we lose 3-2 but garner a point for our efforts and move on to a new week. One that begins with the Montreal Canadiens.

It will be a Tuesday night battle. Leafs vs. Habs. Original-Six showdown with two teams who create the one of the biggest and best in sports today. But this time, a twist! Carey Price will face the Buds rubber rather than Cristobal Huet, a goaltender who clearly struggles against the Blue and White. Although I'd love to see Justin Pogge in the cage facing future superstar Carey Price, we'll see either Toskala or Raycroft. And my guess is Raycroft after a spectacular start against the Sabres. But something to keep in mind is that Toskala has stolen the W for us both times with the Habs so the better choice, IMHO, is Toskala. We'll have to wait and see.

All this and more in the next installment of... Toronto Maple Leafs Mediocricy, starring JFJ and MLSE!

Leafs Lose To Sens, Look Ahead For Hope

After the Leafs looked to start off the week with a bang... they did just the opposite. The defense was sloppy and once again, did not care for goaltender Vesa Toskala. The offense was also lackluster and Toronto did not generate much in terms of anything really. Give Ottawa two points and leave ScotiaBank Place... job well done, boys.

Up next, the Buffalo Sabres. A inner-division rival club who has our number in the recent years, but with the Sabres struggling does this put an end to era that was? Or will the Sabres lay waste of the Buds and use them to break-out of their slump? Well, one thing to definitely count on is Andrew Raycroft starting after Vesa started 9 games in a row. And if memory serves correctly, the Sabres love to play Raycroft....yikes.

Next on the list is original six foe, New York Rangers. Keywords: Lundqvist, two shutouts in a row, Avery, Jagr, Rangers comeback. Watch out, Leafs. The Rangers are indeed a top conference team and they'll be looking to get back up there, the Leafs will have to be on their A-game and playing two nights in a row should help that...seeing on how we need a jump start to actually play a solid game.

So far, the Leafs are losing the games that ultimately led them to their demise last season....lose important games and miss the playoffs by a couple of points. If they want to attain that feat, then smarten the F up and start backing your goaltender Toskala, because he is playing very solid. Frankly, I'm extremely tired of seeing Vesa get ripped apart by laughable defense and lackluster effort by his teammates.

With all this said, I'm gonna try to stay as positive as possible this upcoming weekend, two teams, one on the up rise and one on the verge of breaking-out... play your cards rights, boys.

The Savior

2006: They haven't made the playoffs since 1997. They have a no-name defense and no depth on offense. Starting goalie Kevin Weekes goes down with a groin injury. Only a 7th round, unproven, unexperienced Swede can fill that spot.

2007: A disappointing season that included a 9 game losing streak and an awful record. They were guaranteed to miss the playoffs before the season was halfway through. That once-heralded Swede seemed to have lost it.

2008: After offseason signings, things looked headed downhill. The 2-5-1 record do nothing to help the spirits of the team, the fans and the city. Looks like those same old Rangers.

Similar story lines...


Same results...

2006: He lifts his team to their first playoff berth in 9 years. Becomes a Vezina finalist in his rookie year. 30 wins. 2.18 GAA. His team was picked to go 30th. Not even close.

2007: Picked up his game. Best goalie on the best team during the second half. Another Vezina final. Another playoffs berth. A sweep and two wins against Buffalo to go with it. 37 wins. 2.34 GAA. 5 shutouts. Yeah, the critics shut up.

2008: Hes good when times are bad. Unstoppable when they are good. 12 games. 3 shutouts. 1.67 GAA. .937 SV%. And hes 5-6. The Rangers were 2-5-1. He had a shut-out. In a shootout loss. Consistent 2 goal efforts. Consistent losses. Hold down the fort until times get better on offense. They do. Win 3 out of last 4. Give up only 5 goals in those games. 2 shutouts. Has given up more than 2 goals in only 3 games. Shooting for another Vezina final? Try Vezina winner. Try Stanley Cup Champion. Try.....


THE SAVIOR