Blog Archives
What the Rangers lineup should look like in 2015
Bobby Bevilacqua
Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard are two players that should remain together for the upcoming season. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Since the 2011-12 season, when the Rangers began to consistently make long runs in the playoffs, there has been a lot of roster turnover. Every year, different players are shown the door, whether it be through trades or free agency, and new people are brought in to replace them.
Despite the constant change, the Rangers have managed to stay competitive, consistent, and retain a very strong, young core group of guys. This year was no different, with the forward group set to almost completely change for the upcoming season.
If assembled right, and if some of the young talent pans out, then this year’s team has the chance to be even better than last year’s Eastern Conference Finalist team. With a great balance of veteran leadership, star power, and youth, we could see big things in New York for the 2015-16 NHL season. Read the rest of this entry
Dominic Moore’s Smashfest IV a huge success
Bobby Bevilacqua
Dominic Moore’s fourth annual Smashfest tournament was a huge success this year. Photo courtesy of Anthony J. Causi.
This past Thursday, Dominic Moore hosted his fourth annual Smashfest IV, a ping pong tournament with current and former NHL stars, including some Rangers players, to raise money for charity, including research into concussions and rare cancers.
This year, Kevin Klein, Emerson Etem and Derick Brassard all came to support their teammate, with former Rangers Michael Del Zotto, Cam Talbot, John Mitchell and Eric Lindros joining the tournament as well.
Many people know that teams will kick around a soccer ball as a warmup before a game, but what most people don’t know is that many locker rooms have ping pong tables for the players. This inspired Moore to create a charity tournament to benefit the Katie Moore and Steve Moore Foundations. Read the rest of this entry
Fixing the Rangers fourth line problems
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers need to get creative and go with a different look on the fourth line. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
All of the glory and attention goes to the top lines in the NHL. On the Rangers, the likes of Rick Nash, Chris Kreider and Derick Brassard get the fans talking, because of their exciting ability to create offense and score goals.
The importance of the fourth line is often brushed aside, with many people not realize how important a team’s bottom six depth can be when making a long run in the playoffs. Having a great fourth line can be the difference between an early exit and a Stanley Cup Championship.
Looking back at the 2013-14 season, when the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994, the bottom six was tremendous. Benoit Pouliot, Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello were probably the team’s best offensive line for large parts of the season and playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
6 Things the Rangers needed to do better in the playoffs
The Rangers fell short of their lofty expectations in the playoffs. These are a few things that they needed to do better. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Bobby Bevilacqua
A promising season led to postseason disappointment for the Rangers, falling short of their Stanley Cup goals, and losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They came just 20 minutes shy of a second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals berth.
After acquiring Keith Yandle at the trade deadline, many believed that this put the Rangers in a “win-now” mode. The players had these same expectations, which is why they too seemed disgruntled during their exit interviews yesterday.
A lot of people thought that this was the year that the Rangers would finally recapture the Stanley Cup after 21 long seasons. But there were injuries, failed game plans, as well as a strong Tampa Bay team standing in their way.
Hindsight is 20/20, so here is what the Rangers needed to do differently or better in order to win. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers breakup day: Injuries galore, Zuccarello recovering, St. Louis’ future uncertain
Bobby Bevilacqua
Derick Brassard, along with other Rangers, spoke to media members today during the exit interviews, with the season officially over. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
At the end of each team’s season, a breakup day is conducted, with players and coaches giving exit interviews, equipment being removed, and new information being released, regarding things like injuries.
To some extent, it was known that some Rangers were dealing with injures. But today’s interviews revealed a lot more than just bumps and bruises.
After Game 7, Alain Vigneault announced that Ryan McDonagh had been playing with a broken foot for a few games. It was obviously quite serious, because he came into his interview on crutches and wearing a walking boot. He fractured the foot while blocking a shot at the end of the second period of Game 4 against the Lightning. He’ll wear the walking boot for four weeks, and will then be reevaluated.
The Rangers were dealing with a lot of other injuries on the blue line as well. Read the rest of this entry
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