Blog Archives
Martin St. Louis announces his retirement
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis has finished his Hall of Fame career as a Ranger. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After 16 seasons, 1,241 NHL games, 1,033 points, three different teams and one Stanley Cup Championship, Martin St. Louis has retired from the National Hockey League as a member of the New York Rangers.
St. Louis, 40, sees his career come to a close following a 16 year adventure that saw him play for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally the New York Rangers. In over 1,200 career games played, St. Louis totaled 391 goals and 641 assists, putting him in the exclusive 1,000 point club, with just 82 players ever accomplishing that feat.
“I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL; it has been an amazing ride,” St. Louis said while making the announcement. “I would like to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers organizations and owners for providing me the opportunity to play the sport I love for so many years. I could have never played for so long or accomplished all that I have without the unwavering love and support from my wife, Heather, our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason, and my parents.” Read the rest of this entry
Will Broadway Brad be headed back to New York this offseason?
Bobby Bevilacqua
After winning the Stanley Cup in Chicago, could Brad Richards be heading back to New York for next season? Photo courtesy of Nick Laham.
Now that the Stanley Cup Finals are over, with the Chicago Blackhawks crowned as champions for the third time in six years, it’s time for trade rumors, surprise signings and speculations. And today, I’m starting with my own speculation and prediction, something that I have said since before the start of the 2014-15 season.
Brad Richards will be a New York Ranger for the 2015-16 season.
Before I start, this is pure speculation. I don’t have an insider tip, I haven’t talked to Brad Richards or his agent or a family member, and I don’t have contact with any members of the Rangers’ front office. But I do think that I have some fairly strong arguments for my case.
After the Rangers were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings in five games in June of 2014, Glen Sather used his final compliance buy out on Brad Richards, terminating his contract after just three years in New York. It was a foolish contract by Sather, mainly because it kept Richards until he was 40, with a cap hit of $6.67 annually, and it was a contract that realistically never would have been completed. Keeping him at that hit would have handcuffed the Rangers when trying to re-sign younger, core players in the coming years. Read the rest of this entry
Will Martin St. Louis be a Ranger next season?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis’ contract is up, and he likely wants to stay a Ranger. Will Glen Sather Give him a deal? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
As soon as the playoffs ended for the New York Rangers, hockey writers and Rangers blogs began sharing their opinion on Martin St. Louis and his future with the Rangers and the NHL. It seems as if fans, and St. Louis himself, have no idea where this situation is going.
“For me right now, of course I want to play,” said St. Louis during the Rangers exit interviews. “But I’m not sure which direction this team is going to go either, so it’s tough to comment. But I’ve been blessed to play parts of two years here for a great organization. We’ll see where that takes me.”
The soon-to-be 40 year old is coming off the worst postseason of his professional career, scoring just one goal and adding six assists in nine games. He saw his role diminish from a top six forward, to playing 13 or 14 minutes a night in sheltered minutes on the fourth line. 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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