Blog Archives
The Resurgence of Mats Zuccarello
Chris Vallely
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
“ZUCC” chants can be heard in every arena during the NHL season. Nicknamed “The Hobbit” by Blueshirts fans, Mats Zuccarello has always been a fan favorite. Standing at just 5’7, he’s one of the shortest players in the NHL. Even though size may be a weakness, Mats plays with a ton of heart and grit.
He plays with a certain edge that fans have fell in love with. His journey to the National Hockey League is a success story on its own. Since he played most of his career overseas and was never drafted, he wasn’t on the radar amongst NHL teams. After putting on quite a performance in the Olympics, Zuccarello was ready to make the jump.
On December 8, 2010, the New York Rangers signed him to a NHL contract. The Rangers wanted to see if he could adjust to North American play, so he started his career in the AHL. Despite dominating in the American Hockey League, Tortorella was unconvinced of Zuccarello’s play. The Norwegian winger only played in 67 games in 3 seasons with the New York Rangers, the rest were played with the Hartford Wolfpack. Read the rest of this entry
What is the most important area for the Rangers to improve in the offseason?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Over the course of the regular season and the brief playoff run, one thing was clear with the Rangers; changes needed to be made. They were outmatched against top teams, threw away games they should have won, and went “all in” on a trade for Eric Staal that didn’t pay off.
That leaves the team in a weird spot, not ready to rebuild and not ready to win a Cup. Jeff Gorton is stuck making some really tough decisions that could shape the franchise for the rest of the Henrik Lundqvist era and beyond.
Gorton will look to make improvements, but there are quite a few areas that they need to tweak and work on before moving forward and trying to capture that elusive Stanley Cup. But which one is most important? Read the rest of this entry
Ranking the Rangers—The Top 12
John Dundon
This is the final part of a three-article series ranking the best performers on the Rangers this season. If you want to read the earlier parts of the series, click here for part one, and click here for part two.
Without further ado, let’s get to the top 12.
BONUS: The Fans
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Blueshirt faithful.
Although the crowds at Madison Square Garden lacked the volume they’ve displayed in the past, the Rangers had the second highest winning percentage on home ice this season. They came in behind the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals—an accomplishment that we, the fans, should take solace in. Read the rest of this entry
Mailbag – Offseason predictions, the potential of trading Lundqvist, and a lack of heart?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Welcome back to another mailbag article, where I answer reader questions and give my honest opinion on the topic. With the Rangers being knocked out of the playoffs much earlier than usual, I might be doing more of these to fill the gap between now and the start of the season.
Check on Facebook and Twitter for an announcement for the next edition, and ask me questions about anything Rangers or NHL.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
What are your predictions for Staal, Girardi and Nash in 2016? Will they be kept and will they improve? Or will they be dealt and if so, what do you see coming in return? – Kevin Kelly
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Rangers head to Pittsburgh for Game 5 with their season on the line
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Just like the last two seasons, the Rangers find themselves in a 3 games to 1 series deficit, dropping two straight games on home ice to the Penguins. Starting tonight at the CONSOL Energy Center, Alain Vigneault’s squad will be looking to make it three straight seasons with a come from behind series victory.
In 2014, the Rangers defeated the Penguins after being down 3-1, winning two on the road and Game 6 at MSG. Last year, the Rangers found themselves in the same hole to the Capitals, winning three straight games including a Game 7 overtime winner from Derek Stepan.
The only positive to take out of this is that the Rangers have been in this situation before, they tend to respond well to adversity, and they’ve knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs for two straight seasons. Other than that, it’s a tough mountain to climb. Read the rest of this entry
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