SB Nation User Blog: Jim Schmiedeberg

From all of us to all of you, Merry Christmas

Jim Schmiedeberg — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:40:00 -0000

We're all going to take the day off to spend Christmas with our families, but before we do, we want to wish our Blueshirt Banter family a very Merry Christmas.

If you haven't watched them already this year, here are your "Must-see" movies today:

A Christmas Story: Nothing better than Ralphie and his Old Man.
Miracle on 34th St: (the original)
It's a Wonderful Life.
Christmas Vacation: Tell me you've never uttered the phrase "Merry Christmas! The _______ was full!!!"

On a personal note, I am a little off the grid for the time being. My family and I are currently relocating out of South Florida, so I am in transition until right around New Years Day. Joe, Nick, Rob and the gang will be filling in and making sure you guys are all caught up. I'll be poking my nose in periodically, but until I get my cable and internet going at our new place, I will be somewhat out of touch. Have a great holiday everyone!

Blueshirt Banter Radio Holiday Spectacular!

Jim Schmiedeberg — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:46:14 -0000

Tonight at 8 PM, join me and Eddie for the First Annual Blueshirt Banter Holiday Spectacular. We'll be taking your calls, talking Ranger hockey, mixing it up and having some fun. The number to call is 646-478-4692

It will be a star studded holiday event you won't want to miss!

As always, you can click the link for our show and join us in the live chat, or listen in the player below, hope to see you guys there!

Blueshirt Banter Radio w/Mouth and Jim

New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes: Open Game Thread

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:05:54 -0000

Next Game

New York Rangers
@ Carolina Hurricanes

Monday, Dec 21, 2009, 7:00 PM EST
RBC Center

Rangers News: Matt Gilroy recalled from Hartford

posted by Jim Schmiedeberg 1 day ago

19 comments | 0 recs

Rangers Recap: Rangers clip Flyers 2-1

posted by Joe Fortunato 2 days ago

42 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

Rangers vs Hurricanes coverage

Rangers vs Hurricanes preview

Fraternize with the Enemy: Canes Country

Between the Pipes:

Henrik Lundqvist

#30 / Goalie / New York Rangers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Mar 02, 1982

Cam Ward

#30 / Goalie / Carolina Hurricanes

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Feb 29, 1984

Probable Lines:

Vinny Prospal-Brandon Dubinsky-Marian Gaborik
Christopher Higgins-Artem Anisimov-Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery-Chris Drury-Enver Lisin
Donald Brashear-Erik Christensen-Ales Kotalik
Staal-Rozsival
Del Zotto-Girardi
Redden-Gilroy

Looking for a third win in a row, Let's Go Rangers!

A Special Thanks from All of Us

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:07:19 -0000

Blueshirt Banter hit a very special milestone today. Earlier this morning we registered our 500,000 visit. That is truly
remarkable for a site that started literally from scratch. The early days of this site were literally Ryan McFadden and I putting stories up, and then commenting on them, trying desperately to get people involved in the conversation.

We've come a long way in just 9 months, and we have all of you to thank. Your support of this site and of the radio shows is absolutely amazing, further proof that Ranger fans are the best hockey fans in the world.

So from me, Joe, Rob, Ryan, Eddie, Nick and Laurie, thank you all very very much for the continued success and growth of this site, because without you it wouldn't be possible.

Just an FYI, tomorrow night is our First Annual "Blueshirt Banter Radio Holiday Spectacular", it's just going to be more of a bull session, no guests scheduled, so we'd love to just have you guys join us and call in. Should be a fun show, we'll have some laughs and talk Ranger hockey.

Rangers News: Matt Gilroy recalled from Hartford

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:26:49 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

I'm back!

Browse more photos »

I hope those of you that go to Ranger games are buying programs, can't tell the players without a scorecard:

New York, December 20, 2009 -

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Matt Gilroy has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Gilroy, 25, has recorded four assists in five games with Hartford this season. He made his AHL debut on December 11 against Portland. Gilroy returns to the Rangers where he has skated in 30 games this season, tallying four goals and six points, along with 19 penalty minutes. He ranked second in the NHL among rookie defensemen in goals and was tied for seventh in points at the time of his assignment to Hartford on December 10. He made his NHL debut on October 2 at Pittsburgh, and tallied his first career point with the game-winning goal on October 5 at New Jersey.

The North Bellmore, New York native was originally signed by the Rangers as a free agent on April 17, 2009.

The Blueshirts return to action tomorrow, December 21, when they will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center (7:00 p.m.), to close out their three game road trip. Prior to the game, the team's morning skate is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at RBC Center. This is the first of four meetings with Carolina this season. The Rangers have tallied seven power play goals in their last five games for a 33.3% (7-21) success rate. The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Matt Gilroy

#97 / Defenseman / New York Rangers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 195

Born: Jul 20, 1984

Rangers News: Chris Kreider scores 2 as US Juniors defeat North Dakota

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:04:15 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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Press Release from USA Hockey:

U.S. Junior Squad Defeats University of North Dakota, 4-2, in Exhibition

Win Marks Conclusion of Pre-IIHF World Junior Championship Camp

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College) scored a pair of goals and Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.) logged two assists as a U.S. squad of candidates for the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team defeated the University of North Dakota's men's ice hockey team, 4-2, tonight at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Tonight's game marked the culmination of a three-day camp in Grand Forks, N.D., designed to prepare the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team for the upcoming 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Of the 30 players invited to the pre-tournament camp, 22 will be selected to the final U.S. roster.

"I was really impressed with what I saw tonight," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We played with a lot of energy, which is what you want to see from guys trying to make a team."

A scoreless first period saw Team USA generate a pair of quality scoring chances. Midway through the frame, Jordan Schroeder (Prior Lake, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota) darted around a North Dakota defenseman for a shorthanded breakaway, but his backhand shot was turned aside by goalie Brad Eidsness. Five minutes later, Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./U.S. National Under-18 Team) launched a snap shot that rang off the near post.

Kreider scored the game's first goal seven minutes into the second period when he redirected a Fowler shot over Eidsness' glove for power-play goal. But North Dakota's Evan Trupp tied the game at 1-1 heading into the third with a power-play goal of his own.

Less than four minutes into the third, Kreider struck again, this time just seconds after another Team USA power play had expired. A hard pass from defenseman Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla./Univ. of Denver) hit Kreider in the crease, and he slammed the puck under goalie Aaron Dell for his second of the night.

More after the jump, including the boxscore.....

Midway through the third, Zucker made up for his first-period missed opportunity, burying a hard wrist shot from the left circle to give Team USA a 3-1 lead. North Dakota cut Team USA's lead in half with less than a minute remaining in the contest on Trupp's second tally. But Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) collected an empty net goal against his former teammates just seconds later to solidify the Team USA victory.

Team USA goalies Mike Lee (Roseau, Minn./St. Cloud State Univ.) and Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./U.S. National Under-18 Team) split time between the pipes, combining for 32 saves in the win. Meanwhile, North Dakota goalies Eidsness and Dell turned aside 22 shots in the loss.

NOTES: The 2010 U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster will be trimmed tomorrow morning before the team travels to Regina, Sask. ... The final 2010 U.S. National Junior Team roster will be announced Wednesday (Dec. 23) following Team USA's exhibition game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Dec. 22) ... For a list of the preliminary roster players and their 2009-10 season stats, click here ... Only 23 players skated for Team USA tonight, with Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.), John Carlson (Colonia, N.J./Hershey Bears), Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./U.S. National Under-18 Team), Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./U.S. National Under-18 Team), Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./Univ. of Notre Dame), Luke Walker (Portland, Ore.) and Dave Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich./Univ. of Michigan) serving as scratches ... The 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship will run Dec. 26 - Jan. 5 in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask. For Team USA's full schedule, click here ... For full coverage of the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including photos, videos and features, click here.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA	0 -	1 -	3 -	4
UND	0 -	1 -	1 -	2

First Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: UND, Lamoureux (boarding), 5:03; USA, Lashoff (holding), 10:04, UND, Team (too-many men), 15:07, USA, D'Amigo (roughing), 16:17; UND, Hextall (roughing), 16:17.

Second Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Kreider (Fowler, Stepan), 6:51 (pp); 2, UND, Trupp (Malone, Marto, 17:37 (pp). Penalties: UND, Blood (tripping), 6:04; USA, Ramage (hitting after the whistle), 7:03; UND, Knight (hitting after the whistle), 7:03; USA, Brown (interference), 12:59; USA, Morin (holding), 17:06; USA, Johnson (boarding), 18:46; USA, Warsofsky (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:16; UND, Hextall (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:16.

Third Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Kreider (Donvan, Fowler), 3:36; 4, USA, Zucker (McRae), 8:57; 5, UND, Trupp (Marto), 19:11; 6, USA, Kristo (Stepan, D'Amigo), 19:44 (eng). Penalties: UND, Blood (contact to the head), 1:35; USA, Brown (hooking), 5:40; USA, Kreider (slashing), 10:58.

Shots by Period	1	2	3	Total
USA	6	11	9	26
UND	7	11	16	34

Goaltenders (SH/SV)	1	2	3	Total
USA, Lee 29:16	7-7	5-5	---	12-12
USA, Campbell 30:44	---	6-5	16-15	22-20
UND, Eidsness 29:52	6-6	8-7	---	14-13
UND, Dell 28:59	---	3-3	8-6	11-9

Power Play: USA 1-4; UND 1-6
Penalties: USA

Rangers News: Sanguinetti and Heikkinen sent back to Hartford

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:27:26 -0000

So much for playing the kids.....

New York, December 19, 2009 - New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defensemen Bobby Sanguinetti and Ilkka Heikkinen have been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Sanguinetti, 21, has skated in five games with the Rangers this season. He made his NHL debut on November 27 at Tampa Bay. Sanguinetti returns to Hartford where he has registered six goals and 17 assists for 23 points, along with 10 penalty minutes in 27 games this season. He was tied for the AHL lead among defensemen in scoring and ranked second overall on Hartford with 23 points at the time of his recall on Wednesday. He has registered six multi-point efforts on the season, including an AHL career-high four-point performance on October 31 against Providence (two goals and two assists). Last season, Sanguinetti led Wolf Pack defensemen in points (42) and assists (36), and set a Hartford single-season rookie record for assists by a blueliner. He also led all Wolf Pack skaters with five points (one goal and four assists) in six AHL playoff contests.

The Trenton, New Jersey native was originally the Rangers first round selection, 21st overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Heikkinen, 25, has appeared in seven games with the Rangers this season. He made his NHL debut on December 5 at Buffalo. Heikkinen returns to Hartford where he has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points, along with eight penalty minutes in 24 games this season. He was tied for fifth among AHL defensemen in goals, sixth in points and ninth in assists at the time of his recall on December 3. He also ranked second on Hartford overall in shots (54), fifth in points, and was tied for second on the team in shorthanded goals (one), third in assists and seventh in goals. Heikkinen has recorded four multi-point performances on the season, including two multi-assist efforts. He tallied a point (assist) in his AHL debut on October 3 at Binghamton, and notched his first career AHL goal on October 11 at Providence.

The Rauma, Finland native signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 20, 2009.

New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers: Open Game Thread

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:56:30 -0000

Next Game

New York Rangers
@ Philadelphia Flyers

Saturday, Dec 19, 2009, 1:05 PM EST
Wachovia Center

Complete Coverage >

Philaldephia Freedom: Broad Street Hockey

Rangers vs Flyers coverage

Between the Pipes:

Henrik Lundqvist (Who Else?)

#30 / Goalie / New York Rangers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Mar 02, 1982

Brian Boucher

#33 / Goalie / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 02, 1977

Simon Gagne back for the Flyers today.

Probable Lines for today

Vinny Prospal -Brandon Dubinsky- Marian Gaborik
Christopher Higgins-Erik Christensen-Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery-Artem Anisimov-Enver Lisin
Donald Brashear-Chris Drury-Brian Boyle
Marc Staal-Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi
Ilkka Heikkinen-Bobby Sanguinetti

Let's see if the Blueshirts can build on Thursday night's spanking of the Fish Sticks.

Rangers Recap: Rangers snap losing streak, whip Isles 5-2

Jim Schmiedeberg — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:36:54 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

7 days ago: New York Rangers center Chris Drury, right, checks New York Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen against the boards in the first period of their NHL hockey game in Uniondale, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Player's only meetings, tirades from the coach, lineup changes, and fan discord. It was a full day in the world of the New York Rangers.

Oh yeah, they played a game too, and it was Henrik Lundqvist putting the Rangers on his back early, and then the offense did the rest.

Only the end result of tonight's first period looked different than last nights. The Rangers were still outworked and outshot for most of the frame, but managed to score twice off of Islanders goalkeeper Dwayne Roloson and took a 2-0 lead in to the intermission despite being outshot 14-4. The Rangers got goals from Ryan Callahan, who continued his recent hot streak, and Chris Drury (not a misprint) also found the back of the net. Drury's goal was his first since October 19^th.

Callahan didn't waste any time adding to his totals, scoring his second of the game and ninth of the season just 27 seconds into the second period. The goal came on just the fifth shot on goal for the Rangers. Tonight was the first time in 8 games the Rangers found their way to the three goal mark, and they weren't done.

Marian Gaborik added the Rangers third power play goal of the night, scoring his 24^th goal of the season with the Rangers on a two man advantage early in the third period. Artem Anisimov broke out of his drought as well, picking up his sixth goal of the season a few minutes later. Callahan assisted on Double A's goal, giving him the first four point night of his career.

Lundqvist was incredible for the Rangers tonight, making 35 saves. He kept the Islanders off the scoreboard early, when the Islanders were buzzing hard to the net, the Rangers were able to feed off their goalkeeper, and turn it into a big victory.

So after all the turmoil of the last 24 hours, the Rangers and their fans can take a deep breath and enjoy a well deserved victory. It feels like it has been a month since the last one.

Final Thoughts:

Can't say enough about the Rangers special teams tonight. 3 for 6 on the power play, and killed off all 7 minor penalties they took.

Michal Rozsival has deservedly taken a lot of heat from all of us, but he probably played one of his best games of the year tonight. Same goes for Chris Drury. Maybe Torts knew what he was doing by not benching them along with Wade Redden and Ales Kotalik. He dropped Drury to the fourth line early in the game, and at least for a night, it paid off.

Now can Artem Anisimov get more playing time?

How long has it been since my last apology for agreeing with the Brashear signing? Probably too long, so again, I am sorry. I was so wrong. Like "New Coke" wrong. Like the Wilpons giving all their money to Bernie Madoff wrong. Like Garth Brooks trying pop music wrong.

Ilkka Heikkinen looks to be getting more and more comfortable every game. If he keeps playing like this, he could make it very tough for the Rangers to keep him out of the lineup.

Banter Star of the Game: