SBNation.com User Blog: joereiter

James Dolan barred from 'players-owners only meeting'

joereiter — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:03:35 -0000

To paraphrase Sydney Greenstreet: I don't know why I'm posting this. I have no vested interest or care. And I certainly don't want to kick Richter1994 and BigB22 while they're prone....

....but there's not gonna be a season this year. That's not official, obviously, just more reading of the tea leaves. And hey, since I called this two years ago and predicted in August the season would wind up canceled, I may be on to something.

Players are apparently being selected now. Jeremy Jacobs will be there as well, presumably to keep owners in line. Basically it's a meeting without Bettman or Donald Fehr (Steve will be there, according to a report).

Per Allan Walsh, player agent and insider extraordinaire, Gary Bettman's edict has been handed down to keep Dolan out of the room. In a series of tweets earlier, he wrote:

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

Now that NYR+Knicks owner James Dolan (an enemy of Bettman) wants in on CBA talks, watch for certain pro-owner media to attack him. (1)

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

I hear NYR owner James Dolan wanted into the meeting in the worst way but Gary and Jacobs wouldn't let him in. @TimSassone

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

Dolan's already put out he wants in. Since he sued NHL, sent letter to other NHL owners demanding Bettman's firing, banned. @TheDteamHR

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

The owners-players meeting will take place about a mile from MSG and NYR owner James Dolan is not allowed in. #BannedByBettman

Unless the players cave in completely, the season is toast. This meeting will go nowhere, and with the holidays approaching, it's not looking good.

Even knowing Dolan and Bettman hate each other, if there was a serious effort to end this, why would you exclude an owner who wants to step in and get things moving? I mean, aside from outsized ego and desire to just win, baby?

To paraphrase Sydney Greenstreet: I don't know why I'm posting this. I have no vested interest or care. And I certainly don't want to kick Richter1994 and BigB22 while they're prone....

Per Allan Walsh, player agent and insider extraordinaire, Gary Bettman's edict has been handed down to keep Dolan out of the room. In a series of tweets earlier, he wrote:

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

Now that NYR+Knicks owner James Dolan (an enemy of Bettman) wants in on CBA talks, watch for certain pro-owner media to attack him. (1)

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

I hear NYR owner James Dolan wanted into the meeting in the worst way but Gary and Jacobs wouldn't let him in. @TimSassone

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

Dolan's already put out he wants in. Since he sued NHL, sent letter to other NHL owners demanding Bettman's firing, banned. @TheDteamHR

Allan Walsh ‏@walsha

The owners-players meeting will take place about a mile from MSG and NYR owner James Dolan is not allowed in. #BannedByBettman

Unless the players cave in completely, the season is toast. This meeting will go nowhere, and with the holidays approaching, it's not looking good.

A farewell to arms...and the NHL

joereiter — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 04:17:43 -0000

I'm sure Hemingway won't mind me borrowing his title for a hockey post....last thing I need is a haunting right now.

Some of you may know me as the guy who introduced Dig Deep to Allie Brosh, thus igniting a passionate love affair between Dig and his keyboard.

Some may know me as the elder statesman who likes to reminisce about the old days.

Some may know me as the guy who broke his toe celebrating Marc Staal's overtime goal against the Capitals in May.

Still others may know me from that DVD on the Rangers winning the cup in '94.

Well, this is...not quite a good-bye. I've seen the writing on the wall for a while, and now that midnight has come and gone, it's official. And since it's been fairly obvious that this was coming I've been evaluating my feelings on hockey, the NHL, life, and the New York Rangers over the last few weeks, and I've made a decision.

I suspect this will be a long lockout (though Richter1994 disagrees with me), and I've seen this movie before. I've reached a place in life where I still love the sport, and that's not something that will ever change, but it's time to let it go.

The day after the 2004-05 lockout ended I was on the phone with the Rangers ticket office securing a season ticket plan for myself and my buddy. At the time, the rep explained the benefits of the playoff plan with our package, to which I replied "Lady, look, this team is probably going to finish close to the bottom of the standings, but I don't care because they're back." At the time, I meant it.

But now.....

Well, I started equating this to a relationship breakup on twitter a little while ago, and that turned into my 'Dear John' letter to the NHL after the jump.

This is not an idle threat. I'm not vowing armageddon. I don't have a dog in a fight between billionaire owners and millionaire players. It's patently obvious they don't give a shit about the fans, so this is one fan who's going to return the favor.

Hockey has been the only reason I've held onto having a cable account, since I can get everything else via methods both legal and not legal now thanks to Apple TV, Netflix, a certain jolly roger website, etc. But hockey in HD? Specifically the Rangers? Nope, I've been content to keep paying $180 a month.

This is it, though. Cable is coming out at the end of the month. Many of you may still feel that connection where you'll come right back when the season eventually starts again.

Not me.

I'll still poke my head in on occasion. I'll still keep an eye out and watch from afar. But this is the end for me as a hardcore fan. I feel it in my soul. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, FML. But a fourth?

I'm sure Hemingway won't mind me borrowing his title for a hockey post....last thing I need is a haunting right now.

Some of you may know me as the guy who introduced Dig Deep to Allie Brosh, thus igniting a passionate love affair between Dig and his keyboard.

Some may know me as the elder statesman who likes to reminisce about the old days.

Some may know me as the guy who broke his toe celebrating Marc Staal's overtime goal against the Capitals in May.

Still others may know me from that DVD on the Rangers winning the cup in '94.

But now.....

Well, I started equating this to a relationship breakup on twitter a little while ago, and that turned into my 'Dear John' letter to the NHL after the jump.

This is it, though. Cable is coming out at the end of the month. Many of you may still feel that connection where you'll come right back when the season eventually starts again.

Not me.

I was young when I discovered my first love.

At the tender age of four, I found the girl of my dreams. Granted, she was older than me, but it didn’t matter. I was introduced to her through a friend of my father, and I spent the next fifteen years engaging in a relationship that was mostly one way.

It wasn’t necessarily unrequited love, but I wasn’t her only suitor. There were others, though each of us could only love her from afar. She was aware of us, she knew we existed, but she wouldn’t commit to any of us. She was bigger than that. She loved us in return, in a completely different way.

There were ups and downs through the course of our relationship. We had our first break-up during my senior year of high school. The timing could have been better, since it was two months before prom, but there was reconciliation after less than two weeks and we continued on, putting our problems behind us.

Two years later we suffered a second breakup. This one was a lot more painful and lasted a lot longer, and while we eventually got back together, something had changed for each of us. The passion was still there, of course, though I looked at her a little differently. I noticed things that I hadn’t before, little things, to be sure, but it was a case of something that couldn’t be unseen. Where she had seemed altruistic and interested only in making others happy I started to see her becoming more selfish and me-oriented.

I chalked it up to changing and maturation, because I sure wasn’t the same kid I had been sixteen years before. If I could grow and change, surely she could, too.

Our relationship ebbed and flowed again, until we suffered another breakup ten years after the last one. This time, we took more than a year off from each other, and in that time I found other ways to spend my time instead of pining for those lost moments we’d shared.

When she finally came back to me and promised to change. I hadn’t seen her lay her soul bare like this before, and she vowed to make things right. After a lot of soul searching, I took her back. I had to believe her. I wanted to believe her. While I had thought I moved on, I found a piece of myself missing without her in my life.

Our reunion led me to believe we were stronger and better than ever. We still had many issues, but what relationship doesn’t deal with problems? Problems will always pop up, and how you handle them sets the barometer for how your relationship grows. Ours seemed like we had finally figured everything out and I planned on being with her until death did us part.

But this isn’t going to be a happily ever after story.

All of the stories she told me during our last reconciliation? They were just more lies.

She told me everything I wanted to hear, and I wanted to believe it was true. For the last seven years, we’ve had a relationship built on a lie.

That lie has been exposed, and now we’re looking at yet another breakup.

And this time, I don’t know that we can reconcile.

I’ve heard this song before. I know how it’s going to play out. We’ll break up, she’ll figure things out, then she’ll come back with promises of how this time it will be different.

Except it won’t be. After all these years I know better than to accept her at her word.

So I think it’s time to break up and move on with life. I may still admire her, but it will be from afar. And it will be with a passion that’s greatly reduced. It won’t burn inside me like it used to. I may still check in to see how she’s doing from time to time once she gets her act together, but I won’t be running back to her.

So goodbye, National Hockey League. It’s been fun. This time, it’s you, not me. I'm moving on. I deserve better than you.

Marian Gaborik - rotator cuff surgery (possibly out six months)

joereiter — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:09:18 -0000

So everyone screaming about how Marian Gaborik didn't show up for the playoffs and needs to be traded, etc., pay attention: rumors swirling that he will need surgery to repair a rotator cuff and miss training camp and likely the first couple of months of the season.

Details after the jump.

Via Puck Daddy (via a slovak newspaper):

A few days have passed, and Slovak newspaper SME reports that Gaborik revealed he needs rotator cuff surgery that could cost him up to six months. He said at a press conference that he played through the injury for two months; and that "drugs and injections" allowed him to manage the pain but that the injury limited his effectiveness.

The link to the Slovak paper here.

Well. Torn rotator cuff. The fact he was playing at all is pretty amazing and should (but probably won't) squash the injury prone soft talk. I've never been a huge fan of the guy but most of you guys probably call out sick to work when you have an ingrown nail.

Running the link through Google translate:

Gaborik is awaiting shoulder surgery and a long pause

Marian Gaborik joined this season for the New York Rangers in the regular meetings of all 82 and has not missed one in 20 playoff duels.

TRENČÍN . Hockey forward Marian Gaborik play out the season with self-denial and the next week on Wednesday in New York to undergo surgery right shoulder.

Trenčan was already injured at the end of the base part, one of the fights in the first round of the playoffs with Ottawa, he has been exacerbated, and played only through injections and medicines. On Thursday, arrived in Slovakia on Tuesday, returning overseas.

"Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that I have a torn shoulder capsule and rotator. Awaiting the operation, after which I play out about 5-6 months. Last two months I played with injury and it was not easy. Drugs and injections although my dampened pain, but missed me more strength. I believe that convalescence and rehabilitation go as it should. do not know if he can start next year, everything will depend on whether or not lockout, "he said at a press conference in Trencin Marian Gaborik.

In the past, had several health problems and in three of the last five seasons always left at least 20 games.
Iowa pupil joined this season for the New York Rangers in the regular meetings of all 82 and has not missed one of the 20 duels knockout stage.

The 1990s: A look back at the last time the Rangers were elite

joereiter — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:33:12 -0000

Hello. You may remember me from such fanposts as....shit, I don't remember what they were called. Click my name and look them up. I've had a couple, though.

Anyway, I'm realizing that it's been over twenty years since the Rangers began what everyone thought would be a great run in the 1990s....and for the most part, they were one of the most successful teams in the league from 1990-1997, and easily it was the best period in Rangers history since the early-mid 1970s (you'd have to go back to the inception of the franchise, from 1927 until World War II to find a similar period of excellence. Yeah. I know. Not easy being a fan of this franchise)

I also realize that most of you whippersnappers were either not alive or crawling around in diapers, and therefore grew up dealing with the misery of 1998-2004, and the meh years from post lockout until now.

It amazes me to think that you guys look at the 1990s the way I look at the 1970s, so I figured I'd do a quick recap of how good things were, and how this is a hopeful replication of that period (albeit with more championships).

And maybe some day twenty years from now, one of you kids will tell similar stories to the next generation of whippersnappers while I'm eating my porridge in the home.

Hello. You may remember me from such fanposts as....shit, I don't remember what they were called. Click my name and look them up. I've had a couple, though.

And maybe some day twenty years from now, one of you kids will tell similar stories to the next generation of whippersnappers while I'm eating my porridge in the home.

1989-90: Trader Phil Esposito is gone. Michel Bergeron is gone. In their place: former Islander and Red Wing scout Neil Smith as GM, and defensive coach and captain video whiz Roger Neilson behind the bench.

They also have a budding superstar in Brian Leetch, a strong goaltender in John Vanbiesbrouck, and other veteran luminaries such as John Ogrodnick, Brian Mullen and Kelly Kisio. And they still have Ron Greschner, in what would be his final season, marred by injuries.

Amazingly, the Rangers win the Patrick Division (with 85 points, no less....not much of a feat until you consider only one team hit 100 points that year, but hey, a title is a title) playing a defense-first safe game as per Neilson, and make a massive splash before the trade deadline (completing both moves during all-star weekend, no less): Bernie Nicholls arrives from Los Angeles for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, and Mike Gartner is acquired for Ulf Dahlen.

Because it's the Rangers, March arrives with a disaster: Brian Leetch breaks his ankle and is done for the year. The Rangers knock off the Islanders in a five game first round matchup (punctuated by a vicious game one, in which James Patrick and Chris Nilan sandwich Pat LaFontaine, giving him the first concussion of his career. The ambulance carrying him to the hospital is rocked by fans as it leaves the building). Al Arbour sends out his goon squad in the final seconds of the game with orders to fight everyone, and Neilson can't get his tough guys on the ice before the gloves drop. Vukota and Baumgartner pound Jeff Bloemberg and Kris King as John Davidson calls out Arbour as 'garbage for doing this'.

Advancing to the second round, the Rangers square off with the juggernaut 78 point Washington Capitals. But the Caps have a secret weapon: John Druce, who decides that this second round matchup is the perfect time to showcase his never before noticed goal scoring skills. He scores 637 goals in five games, and ends the Rangers' season. Still, a division title for the first time in almost fifty years isn't terrible. And with a healthy Leetch next year....

1990-91: You think March 2012 was a swoon? The Rangers go from top in the division to second place after a hard charge by the Penguins (electrified by the Ron Francis-Ulf Samuelsson trade) vaults them into first place at the end of the year by three points.

Instead of a matchup with the Devils in the first round, the Rangers get the Capitals again. Even with home ice, the Rangers roll over and die, barely putting up a fight in game five at home, and putting up no fight at all in game six at the Cap Center. In desperation, recently signed college players Tony Amonte and Doug Weight are inserted into the lineup. It helps not at all.

Famously, Neil Smith has a meltdown post-game, vowing that he will change the culture of the franchise because he's enraged with the lack of effort. Veterans will go, and he has a list of who's first. The collective media yawns: We've heard this song before.

1991-92: A few months after the Washington debacle, Neil Smith signs Adam Graves. Compensation is sent back to Edmonton in the form of Troy Mallette. Smith reasons Graves won a Cup a year ago and can provide veteran leadership, even at the tender age of 23. Graves promptly gets #11, because Kelly Kisio is exiled to the expansion San Jose Sharks, and mostly because he worships Mark Messier.

The season opens in Boston with a loss. Fearful of another lost season, he goes shopping in Edmonton again, this time landing some guy named Messier. The media responds: Oh, good, another washed up veteran. The guy was hurt most of last year. Guy Lafluer redux. Marcel Dionne part two.

Instead of being afraid of curses and not discussing the Cup, Messier insists on a poster of the Stanley Cup being hung in the locker room for players to see. He reorganizes the dressing room so everyone has eye contact with everyone else. He arranges team get togethers to foster a bond among players, an alien concept for this franchise. He demands respect for the sweater. He bangs Madonna. He owns New York more than any other individual athlete in the city since Reggie Jackson.

He also has a couple of private issues with Neilson regarding the play it safe mentality. It's not how you win, he says. And points to his resume (five championships) versus Neilson's (zero championships) as proof.

A ten day lockout before the end of the season derails the momentum the team had been building with a ridiculously strong March, but end up with the President's Trophy (as the only 100 point team in the league), and they struggle through a seven game win against the Devils in round one (punctuated with the first ever game seven at Madison Square Garden. Soak that one up).

Then come the Penguins. Mario Lemieux's "broken wrist" from an Adam Graves slash. The contract Lemieux alleges was put on him by Neilson which he found out about thanks to an FBI investigation. Graves being suspended and threatened with death in Pittsburgh by the ever-brilliant fanbase which discovered hockey when the Penguins won the year before. Ron Francis' sixty foot slapshot. Ugh.

The season ends on a horrible note, well short of expectations. A division title and a regular season championship are nice and all, and we all take solace knowing the pieces are in place: this team will contend in 1993.

1992-93: Or not.

The Rangers nearly trade half their team for Eric Lindros. Smith brings in more depth players resulting in numerous healthy scratches, odd player lineup decisions, and general unhappiness in the locker room. Messier and Neilson's feud goes public. Neilson is fired. Messier catches hell. Leetch damages a nerve in his shoulder. The team muddles on. Leetch returns. Leetch breaks his ankle on a patch of 'black ice' (more commonly known as being too fucking drunk to step out of a cab properly).

The Rangers lose 92 consecutive games in March and April and miss the playoffs, finishing in last place in the division. Messier is booed in the home finale, and fans bombard WFAN with calls demanding he be traded, along with Leetch.

Neil Smith vows changes. The media reminds him he gave this speech two years ago. But this time, he says, I really, really mean it.

1993-94: We know all about this. blah blah blah Presidents Trophy blah blah Guarantee blah blah Matteau blah blah This one will last a lifetime.

1994-95: An owner's lockout derails the start of the season, which is good because Adam Graves would have missed the first half of the season following back surgery anyway. The season is saved in January. Messier gets locked into a contract dispute and only signs hours before the home opener.

Meanwhile, Keenan is off to St. Louis, along with Brian Noonan and Esa Tikkanen. Craig MacTavish is in Philadelphia. Depth issues surface as the team reaps what was sewn in the 1994 deadline deals, highlighted by the fact that Mark Osborne has a roster spot. Also, Petr Nedved gets under Messier's skin by not competing hard enough, and new coach Colin Campbell unsuccessfully tries burying him under the LIRR station.

With a short season, a poorly stocked farm system, and a team still dealing with a championship hangover, they look very much in danger of being the first defending champion to miss the playoffs since the 1970 Montreal Canadiens.

Then Smith trades a first round pick (pfft, like he needs to draft players) to Hartford for Pat Verbeek, and things turn around. Verbeek slots in on the right wing with Messier and Graves, Kovalev returns to pivot the second line, although problems surface when Mike Richter returns to his horrible 1993 form and winds up splitting time with Glenn Healy.

They back into the playoffs late, and as the eighth seed face off against the emerging powerhouse ~~Colorado Avalanche~~ Quebec Nordiques. Of course, the Nordiques have a problem: Jocelyn Thibault and Stephane Fiset are their goaltenders.

In a grueling six game series, the Rangers prevail, but are so exhausted and undermanned they have almost no chance against the big, rebuilt Flyers. The first two games are decided in overtime in Philly, wasting a hat trick by Leetch, and the Rangers go down in four straight.

Neil Smith vows to make changes to compete with bigger, more physical teams like the Flyers and Devils. Everyone rolls their eyes.

1995-96: We shouldn't have rolled our eyes. Smith trades Zubov and Nedved to Pittsburgh for Samuelsson and Robitaille. Who replaces Zubov? Bruce Driver.

There's still enough talent on the roster to hold on to first place for most of the year, until (stop me if you've heard this one) a March swoon vaults the Flyers into first place.

Neil Smith is not happy with the swoon and decides he needs more veterans on the team. Goodbye, Norstrom and Laperriere. Hello, Churla, Kurri and McSorley.

A first round matchup looms with the Montreal Canadiens, the last time the Rangers have home ice advantage in a playoff series until this year. They drop the first two games at the Garden, and everyone figures they're doomed since the Forum is their chamber of horrors. Instead, they win the next two in Montreal, dominate game five, and knock off Montreal in six.

Of course, they play the Penguins in round two, and Jagr scores 55 points in a five game Penguins romp. The now old and slow Rangers can't keep pace with the Penguins speed.

McSorley finally gets back for his backchecking assignment twenty minutes after the last Penguins goal is scored.

Well. That was interesting.

Amonte and Weight are developing into very good players. Zubov is kicking ass in Pittsburgh. But we did win that Cup so it was worth it....right? I mean, the team is old, sure, most of the prospects are gone, but they're still competitive.

96 points and a second place finish is nothing to sneeze at. Hell, only four teams had a better record all year.

1996-97: Neil Smith is not happy. There are still a few players under 30 on the team. He rectifies this by signing Wayne Gretzky.

And Pat Flatley.

Pat Verbeek, meanwhile, walks off for greener pastures in Dallas.

It's mostly a not so great season, with a regression to 86 points and a fifth seed matchup with the Panthers. Which they win in overtime of game five.

Next up: the Devils, who won the Atlantic division and finished 18 points ahead of the Rangers. Adam Graves knocks them out with an OT goal in game five.

Along the way, injuries pile up. Kovalev is hurt. Niklas Sundstrom is hurt. Pat Flatley is hurt. Leetch's shoulder is dislocated, but he plays on. Russ Courtnall plays meaningful minutes with Wayne Gretzky. I repeat: Russ Courtnall. Playing with Gretzky.

Dallas Eakins goes from spare defenseman to third line forward.

Dallas Eakins.

You want a comparable? He makes Woywitka look like Paul Coffey. And he's playing big minutes in the playoffs.

The Cinderella fun run ends against a much better Flyers team in the conference finals.

Two months later, Messier is a Vancouver Canuck, and Neil Smith proved he had no backup plan. He was on the unemployment line three years later.

So. Eight seasons from 1990-1997. Three division Titles. Two Presidents Trophies. One Stanley Cup. Two conference finals appearances.Two seasons with fifty wins.

By comparison, in the same stretch the Red Wings have four division titles, one Presidents Trophy, One Stanley Cup, two finals appearances, one season with fifty wins (the insane 62 win season in 1995-96).

That's a pretty damned good run.

Of course, over the next decade, the only similarities between the franchises were that they were members of the NHL.

Here's hoping this is the start of something better.

An exercise in insanity (or: an alternate history of the New York Rangers

joereiter — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:42:38 -0000

Hi there. My name is Joe Reiter. You may remember me from such posts as "Sather's Greatest Hits" and "Lead Paint: Delicious...but deadly". Wait, that last one isn't mine. Disregard, please.

Quite a while ago, I'd mentioned that I had been noodling around with this idea of a history of the Rangers based on not making a couple of moves in the 1970s, which a couple of people thought was interesting.

And now that it's the all-star break, and since I've wasted way more time on this than I originally intended, I'm going to share this ~~pathetic time waster~~ ~~stupid idea~~ interesting project with you.

For those not in the know, I'm a writer (see, Reiter rhymes with writer), and whenever I get started on a project, I usually do what I like to call a warm-up exercise to get the brain juices flowing: I'll pick some random topic or idea and just run with it until I feel sufficiently ready to do proper work.

For example: "You've just met with Michael Wilson and Barbara Brocoli and been given free rein to write the next James Bond movie. Go."

(Now THAT'S a whole other story. I hit on this idea for a trilogy of Bond flicks a while ago, the details of which are available to pitch, of course. I'll be in LA for meetings in a couple of weeks, so feel free to call me, guys.)

Anyway, not that long ago I got this idea into my head that, if Fred Shero had correctly traded for Colin Campbell in 1980 to shore up the defense, maybe things would've gone differently in the playoffs that year.

Maybe Campbell's presence on the blue line changes the outcome of the second round series between Philly and the Rangers, maybe the Rangers win out instead of losing in five (doubtful), maybe they push Philly harder, making it a seven game series. Maybe the toll wears on them in their next series, and the North Stars prevail, and knock off the Islanders and prevent their dynasty from starting. Maybe a school of mermaids show up in the East River singing songs that lure street-clogging tourists to their deaths....

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the difference between a championship/contending team and a dog are, besides luck, a handful of decisions, sometimes made years before, that impact the roster and look of a franchise.

Thinking of that, I looked at that 1977 draft and, after cursing Ferguson for skipping Bossy, realized that Emile Francis would never have let a scoring talent like that slip through his fingers twice.

That led to me skipping back a few year into the early-mid 1970s, and looked at some of Emile Francis' moves...more precisely the ones that led to his dismissal and the hiring of Ferguson.

Then I started playing Monday morning quarterback, trying to figure out what the impact would be of not making a move that really happened, or making a move that didn't.

(For reasons of sanity, I didn't go all the way back to the 1940s, when a teenaged Gordie Howe attended training camp for the Rangers, but got homesick and disgusted when some veteran Rangers players mocked him for not knowing how to put on his equipment. A year later Gordie went to camp with Detroit and.....arrrrrgh. Around the same time, the Montreal Canadiens tried trading their ‘fragile' francophone Maurice Richard to the Rangers early in his career. A deal was worked out, but the Rangers backed out at the last minute. Richard went on to dominate through the 40s and 50s, fighting with Howe for the title of best player in the league. Imagine those two on the Rangers in the 40s and 50s. How many Stanley Cups in a row does that team win? Five? Ten? Twenty?)

It got a lot more involved than I really thought it would, but it seemed slightly interesting. I then decided fuck it, and started replaying some of these moves, albeit with the knowledge of what the consequences would be for some of the trades made.

Yes, I know it's grossly unfair, but this was just a mental exercise. Everything that follows the reverse decisions I make below is absolute best-case speculation. Just needed to throw that out there, for anyone who starts shrieking "NO NO NO NO NO NO THIS IS STUPID". Yes, it is stupid, I agree. It's psychotic. But I never claimed to be sane...

And just to qualify this: I'm not using any metrics to determine outcomes (that's George's turf). I don't have the time or money to spend on putting something together that would actually tally outcomes based on the moves below. This is solely based on what the records were, what they might have been had players been on a different team, and how that impacted the league as a whole (which will be notable during the 1981 playoffs, where the Kings, instead of being knocked off by the Rangers in round one, make the finals in my reality because the Rangers were seeded higher and didn't bully them into submission until....ah ah ah....spolers....)

Once more, the criteria: I did this only from 1969-1982. I could've kept going, and I may revisit at some point, but only if someone is paying me. Or I have a lot of free time. Or a mental breakdown.

So without further ado, here is....

Hi there. My name is Joe Reiter. You may remember me from such posts as "Sather's Greatest Hits" and "Lead Paint: Delicious...but deadly". Wait, that last one isn't mine. Disregard, please.

For example: "You've just met with Michael Wilson and Barbara Brocoli and been given free rein to write the next James Bond movie. Go."

That led to me skipping back a few year into the early-mid 1970s, and looked at some of Emile Francis' moves...more precisely the ones that led to his dismissal and the hiring of Ferguson.

Then I started playing Monday morning quarterback, trying to figure out what the impact would be of not making a move that really happened, or making a move that didn't.

Once more, the criteria: I did this only from 1969-1982. I could've kept going, and I may revisit at some point, but only if someone is paying me. Or I have a lot of free time. Or a mental breakdown.

So without further ado, here is....

An alternate history of the New York Rangers (1970-Present)

June 1969: I'll start here: the Rangers trade (more accurately sell) Harry Howell to the Oakland Seals.

Howell was 37 at that point, but he went on to play another four years with Oakland and Los Angeles, putting up respectable point totals (20 in 1969-70), and while he missed time with the Seals he was durable in his final two seasons with the Kings, missing one game in 1971-72 and five in 1972-73 at the age of 41.

For the purpose of this exercise we'll begin with this move. Playing Monday morning Emile Francis, don't sell Howell to Oakland. Howell stays in New York to continue mentoring the young defense, which will pay massive dividends by the mid-late part of the 1970s.

November 1971: Rugged defenseman Andre ‘Moose' Dupont, the team's first round pick in 1969, is traded to the St. Louis Blues as part of the deal that brings Gene Carr to New York. Gene Carr scored 17 goals in three years in New York; Dupont became a cornerstone of the Broad Street Bullies' blueline, winning championships in 1974 and 1975. He was dealt because Emile didn't think he'd fit in with the finesse team and wasn't a fan of the rough style Dupont played.

This is the point in which I'm going to begin playing Monday morning GM...er...quarterback, for the simple reason that this is what I think is the turning point of this franchise for the next ten years, at a minimum. A big physical presence on the blueline would make all the difference in the world for a Rangers team that came close a few times in the early part of the decade, and then aged rapidly and went into a quick decline, undermined by bad personnel decisions.

This deal accomplished two things: it laid the seeds of the failures to come for the Rangers throughout the 70s, and eventually led to Dupont becoming the linchpin on the Broad Street Bullies teams that won back to back championships.

Think the Flyers beat the Bruins in 1974 if they don't have Dupont doing his best to knock Bobby Orr off his game? Credit the game plan by Fred Shero to wear Orr down, but Dupont led the way.

Besides, with Ratelle and Tkaczuk down the middle along with Bill Fairbairn, the deal Emile Francis made was one that wasn't needed. This was borne out by Carr's short tenure on Broadway.

Additionally, Brad Park would've benefited so much from a defense partner to watch his back.

So kill the deal, keep Dupont in New York, and let's see what happens.

(And again, this is all a best case scenario, trying to stay within the realm of the possible, not the improbable)

1971-72 season: The season unfolds largely as it does in reality, with one major difference: it is Dupont, and not Dale Rolfe, on the ice on that fateful night in March 1972. The shot Rolfe takes that breaks Jean Ratelle's ankle, sidelining him for the remaining 16 games of the season and hampering him in the playoffs, doesn't happen. Ratelle holds off Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, winning the scoring race and the Art Ross trophy. The continued presence of Ratelle in the lineup for the remainder of the month nets 60 goals for Hadfield and 52 for Rod Gilbert, both franchise records.

In the playoffs, the Rangers make the finals, squaring off with Boston. Dupont is deployed to shadow, harass, and throw Orr off his game, as he does in the reality we know two years later in 1974. With a healthy Ratelle, Esposito held in check by Walt Tkaczuk (Espo goes without a goal in the series here as well) and an Orr that isn't able to get completely untracked and run amok, the Rangers with the Stanley Cup in six games, sending the crowd at Madison Square Garden into a frenzy as captain Vic Hadfield skates the ice with the trophy, the Rangers' first in 32 years.

The top four defensemen for the Rangers, Brad Park- Andre Dupont, Rod Seiling- Jim Nielsen, form one of the strongest units in the league for the next two seasons. The presence of Harry Howell mentoring both Park and Dupont has a major impact on both players.

1972 NHL Draft: In the second round, with the 31st pick the Rangers select Denis Herron, with an eye on eventually replacing the aging Eddie Giacomin/Gilles Villemure tandem.

1972-73 season: The regular season unfolds almost exactly as the one we know it, with one minor difference: New York finishes with 109 points, good for second in the East Division. They take home ice advantage into the first round of the playoffs, beating Boston 4-1 as actually happened.

After surprisingly falling behind to Chicago 2-1, Dupont changes the tone of the series with a devastating hit on Stan Mikita. The finesse Rangers flex a little more muscle than normal, emboldened by their hard-hitting defenseman, dominate Chicago for the remainder of the series, winning in six.

Returning to the finals against the Montreal Canadiens, they battle for seven grueling games before losing game seven in Montreal. The champions are dethroned.

1973 NHL Draft: Recognizing the need to replenish the top six scoring talent, the Rangers select Blair MacDonald in the fifth round, 78th overall.

1973-74 season: The Philadephia Flyers' ascent to the upper echelon in the league is tempered without Dupont. The Rangers finish fourth in the NHL and knock off the Canadiens in a rematch of the previous year's finals, 4-2.

Their semi-final matchup against the Flyers is just as brutal as the one known in reality, with one difference: the seventh game in Philadelphia sees Dupont, not Dale Rolfe, squaring off with Dave Schultz.

Dupont holds his own with Schultz in the fight, squeezing out a decision, and the deflated Flyers lose a nail-biting seventh game 3-1 in Philadelphia.

Dupont once again forces Bobby Orr off his game, and Tkacuzk repeats his 1972 finals performance, holding Esposito in check throughout the six game series, won by the Rangers. The Stanley Cup returns to New York for the second time in three years.

For his efforts, Dupont is named winner of the Conn Smythe trophy.

1974 NHL Draft: Dave Maloney is selected 14th overall in the first round. Ron Greschner is taken 32nd overall in the second. Francis' best (real) draft. No reason to mess with it.

1974-75 season: The defense meshes into one of the most feared units in the league featuring two rookies: Park-Neilson, Dupont-Greschner, Maloney-Marotte.

Captain Vic Hadfield is not traded for Nick Beverly before the season, keeping the GAG line intact, although the aging core of the team begins to take a toll during the season, and in the playoffs the Rangers manage to knock off the rival Islanders 2-0 and the Penguins in four straight before falling to the Flyers in a rematch of the previous year.

Evaluating the team, Francis identifies the defense as a strong point of the team, but begins working to replenish the forward ranks with younger players. Rick Middleton and Blair MacDonald are identified as key pieces to build around, along with Greschner and Maloney on defense .

1975 NHL Draft: Instead of taking Wayne Dillon with the 12th overall pick, the Rangers grab Dennis Maruk in the first round with an eye on his playmaking abilities making him the ev/entual successor to Jean Ratelle. Francis can't pass up a guy who'd scored 149 points in juniors, can he?

1975-76 season: An infusion of youth keeps the Rangers from missing the playoffs, though the team is up and down for most of the year. The GAG line suffers when Hadfield suffers a knee injury that, combined with recurring weight issues, forces his retirement after the season. Dennis Maruk makes the team out of training camp and immediately finds chemistry with Rick Middleton on his right and Steve Vickers on the left, creating a formidable second line.

Blair MacDonald joins with Fairbairn and Tkacuzk on the third line, providing scoring punch to the checking group.

While the defense remains as strong as ever, goaltending becomes an issue. Gilles Villemure is dealt to Chicago for Doug Jarrett to add more size to the blueline, and Ed Giacomin suffers through a mediocre season, although Denis Herron replaces the departed Villemure well, but doesn't show enough to solidify himself as the number one.

The team earns 88 points, good for sixth overall in the league, and knocks out the Atlanta Flames in a preliminary round matchup in two games before falling to the rival Bruins in six .

With a pair of Stanley Cups championships under his belt, Emile Francis has more leeway, and is not fired when the team starts slowly. The consequences of keeping Francis and not bringing in John Ferguson will be felt throughout the rest of the decade.

Eddie Giacomin is not released by the team on Halloween 1975 in spite of the slow start, and the trade for Phil Esposito does not materialize as Francis doesn't feel a need to make a panic move.

1976 NHL Draft: Sensing that Denis Herron may not be the long-term answer in goal, Mike Liut is selected in the third round (instead of Mike McEwen). Liut contemplates signing with Cleveland of the WHA, but Sonny Werblin is convinced to pony up a better financial offer. That, combined with the chance to join a contending team, leads Liut to join the Rangers in time for the 1977-78 season.

1976-77 season: MacDonald moves up to join Ratelle and Gilbert, but the trio doesn't have the same chemistry as with Hadfield.

A new captain is elected with the retirement of Hadfield: Brad Park. Park will wear the C for the duration of the decade, and into the 1980s.

The Rangers meander through another up and down season, winning 40 games and making the playoffs as the sixth seed. Once at the big dance, they knock off Toronto in the first round before falling to the Bruins again in a tough seven game series.

1977 NHL Draft: After passing on him once to take Ron Duguay, Emile Francis decides he can't ignore the natural scoring abilities of Mike Bossy and takes him 13th overall. The knocks on Bossy, that he can't play defense and isn't a fighter, concerns Francis enough to ask some of the veteran players to police opposing teams when Bossy is on the ice during training camp. Nick Fotiu appoints himself Bossy's protector.

1977-78 season: With a top line of Ratelle-Bossy-Gilbert and a second line boasting Maruk-Middleton-Vickers, the Rangers boast the second-highest scoring offense in the NHL. Ratelle and Gilbert, playing with the rookie Bossy, are rejuvenated, playing like men ten years younger, and Bossy, playing with the veteran Francophiles, makes an immediate impact. Maruk and Middleton, along with veteran Steve Vickers, become a lethal second line combination. Toughness in the forms of Eddie Johnstone and Nick Fotiu from the bottom lines help keep opposing players honest and ensure space for the top two lines to work.

The defense, led by Brad Park, Ron Greschner, Dave Maloney and Andre Dupont, combines toughness and skill and keeps the crease in front of rookie netminder Mike Liut clear. Eddie Giacomin slides into a role as a full time backup and mentor to Liut. The Rangers win 50 games, claiming the second overall seed in the playoffs, and blow through Chicago and Philadelphia in the playoffs before succumbing to Montreal in six games in the finals.

After dropping numerous hints towards the end of the season, Giacomin announces his plan to retire after the playoffs are finished.

Losing badly in the sixth game, Francis pulls Liut in favor of Giacomin, and the crowd at MSG spends most of the third period chanting his name.

1978 NHL Draft: Without losing their first round pick to the Flyers as compensation for signing Fred Shero as coach, the Rangers select Al Secord with their first round pick, 14th overall.

1978-79 season: Another end of an era: Rod Gilbert announces his intention to retire at the end of the season. The team takes up the mantra of sending him out a winner, and second year goaltender Mike Liut wins 34 games. Bossy scores his 70th goal on the final day of the regular season, and the Rangers enter the playoffs with the third best record in the league.

With a series wins against Philadelphia, they advance to the semi finals against three-time champion Montreal. Liut outplays Ken Dryden, forcing Bunny Laroque into action to avoid elimination. Montreal forces a seventh game with an overtime win in New York, but Bossy scores twice in the decisive seventh game at the Forum. Ron Greschner tallies the game winning goal late in the third period, ending the Canadiens dynasty.

In a rematch of the 1972 finals, the speed of the Rangers proves too much for a stationary Boston defense without Bobby Orr or Brad Park, and the Rangers win the Stanley Cup at MSG in five games. Liut wins the Conn Smythe trophy as a rookie.

Rod Gilbert receives a ten minute standing ovation from the fans at MSG before finally leaving the ice for good, carrying the Stanley Cup overhead.

1979 NHL Draft: Seeking more depth down the middle, Emile Francis drafts center Neal Broten in the second round, 34th overall.

1979-80 season: The pain of consecutive finals losses to Montreal behind them, the Rangers defend their second Stanley Cup of the decade by marching through the regular season. Two key trades are made to shore up the defense: early in the season a multi-player deal involving Mike McEwen, Pat Hickey and Blair MacDonald along with cash is arranged to acquire Barry Beck from Colorado; at the trade deadline, Colin Campbell is picked up from Edmonton to take pressure off Dupont and Maloney from providing the physical play. Brad Park, having missed 40 games with injuries, returns refreshed for the playoffs.

Finishing with 52 wins and the best record in the regular season, the Rangers open the playoffs by knocking off the Edmonton Oilers in three straight, sweeping their old nemesis Chicago in the second round, and hold off the rival Islanders in the semi-finals behind a heroic effort from Liut. In a New York State Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers win their second consecutive Cup, beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 in the finals.

Brad Park wins the Conn Smythe, the only major individual trophy of his career.

1980-81 season: In what becomes the final season of Ratelle's storied career, the Rangers do not dominate the regular season, finishing with 41 wins and the sixth seed. They knock off Quebec and Calgary in the first two rounds of the playoffs and survive a seven game semi-final war with Minnesota before advancing to face Los Angeles in the finals. Led by the Triple Crown line, the Kings beat their way through the playoffs, setting up a finals matchup between two of the major media centers in the country. The Rangers prevail in a seven game classic series, winning in Los Angeles.

Bossy shines in the spotlight, winning the Conn Smythe trophy and leading the playoffs in scoring.

The New York-Los Angeles matchup puts the NHL firmly on the map and nets the league a contract with NBC to showcase a game a week, plus select games of the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring.

1981 NHL Draft: Drafting for organizational need, the Rangers select Al MacInnis with the 14th overall pick to shore up an aging defense, hoping MacInnis will eventually replace Brad Park.

1981-82 season: The retooled Rangers boast a new look on their top lines, featuring Broten-Bossy-Secord on the first line, and Maruk-Middleton-Vickers on the second. With Park anchoring the defense, and toughness in the bottom six from Eddie Johnstone, Nick Fotiu, the Rangers finish second in the league, two points behind the Edmonton Oilers despite finishing with three more wins (53).

They knock off the Penguins in the Divisional semi-final and survive a seven game war with the Flyers in the second round before cakewalking through the weaker Cinderella Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks in the final two rounds. The star of the finals becomes Fotiu, who moves up to the second line to keep the hard-hitting Canucks honest, and winds up scoring five goals in the finals sweep.

Barry Beck wins the Conn Smythe Trophy after netting three overtime winners and finishing the playoffs with twenty points, leading all defensemen.

Guilty Pleasures

joereiter — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:52:46 -0000

Ok, higher-ups, if I step on toes prematurely here, feel free to delete this.

So I usually, when stuck, give myself a writing exercise to untrack myself. Of late I've been getting the hell kicked out of me by a political satire/comedy that's just making me miserable, which is, in turn, making me not want to finish it, which is, in turn, annoying a production exec out in Hollywoodland...

Usually my excursions involve just writing whatever comes into my head: a proper pitch on how to do a Wonder Woman movie (Amazons are female Spartans, this isn't that hard, Warner Brothers), notes on a 1950s spy novel I've had tumbling in my head, a complete re-imaging of what the Rangers fortunes would have been with smarter personnel moves by Emile Francis from the early 70s onward....wait, what? That's a whole separate blog I may yet get to some day....

Anyway, Wyshynski's Puck Daddy special to pass the days in August until training camp is, like last year's Mount Puckmore (oh, the agita Jim wound up with) is called Guilty Pleasures, featuring guest bloggers answering nine questions about the sport they love.

Hoping to get my brain focused for the workload ahead, I spent twenty minutes writing this up. The formatting took longer than the answering.

Again, not sure if somebody is already doing one for Puck Daddy....I just needed to get the juices flowing tonight.

Ok, higher-ups, if I step on toes prematurely here, feel free to delete this.

Hoping to get my brain focused for the workload ahead, I spent twenty minutes writing this up. The formatting took longer than the answering.

Again, not sure if somebody is already doing one for Puck Daddy....I just needed to get the juices flowing tonight.

1. The Player You Most Love To Hate

Without question....Martin Brodeur. Blah blah blah greatest goaltender ever, blah blah blah Stanley Cups, whatever. All I see when I look at him is a guy using these things for his hockey pants who boned his sister in law and had his wife reveal the whole thing during a playoff run. Remember when Charles Wang jokingly (?) suggested using sumo wrestlers as goaltenders? A first round pick to the Devils for Fatso and he could've done his own experimentation. Hell, he must've hoped to lure him as a free agent....why else would they roll out those cupcakes? NOM NOM NOM NOM

2. Other Than Your Own, The Team You Can't Help Rooting For

The Blackhawks. Partly because I could relate to their pain last year as a downtrodden Original Six team with a ridiculously long drought suffering at the @sshole fans of another team with more recent successes. But mostly because the 'Hawks jersey is just awesome. Plus I was a big Roenick fan as a kid.

3. Favorite Fight Or Brawl Of All Time

Tommy Salo, meet Dan Cloutier. Dan Cloutier, introduce yourself to the Islanders.

Rangers vs Islanders Apr 4, 1998 (via hockeyfightsdotcom)

4. The Hideous-Looking Hockey Jersey You Secretly Love The Most

The San Diego Gulls. Ugh. But WANT.

via i168.photobucket.com

5. Your Favorite Hockey Cliche (terminology, traditions, announcer-speak, etc.)

"Just gotta go out and play our game". Translation: What the hell do you want me to say? That we've been spanked in the first three games of this series and have no chance of winning? Cue Joe Pesci's mom in Goodfellas: Shut up, you're always talking.

6. The Injury You Couldn't Stop Staring At (Non-Skate Lacerations Only)

We all knew it was going to happen, and finding a team to root for in Philly-Devils is like rooting for syphillis vs. herpes with a prostitute....but DAMN, Eric, should've kept your head up....

Bonus points to Darren Pang for a live on-air jisgasm.

1999-00 Round 3/Game 7: Scott Stevens Hits Eric Lindros (via McKay4429061)

7. Your Favorite Cheesy Hockey Reference in Popular Culture

I can tell you my least favorite: the Islander crap E keeps in his office on Entourage. Kevin Connolly should start perusing ebay for Quebec Nordiques stuff.

7a. Your Favorite Terrible Hockey Card or Hockey Action Figure

Anything showcasing the early Pittsburgh Jagr mullet (did you really think there'd be no Jagr on this list?)

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

8. Finally, What's The Thing You Secretly Respect Gary Bettman For The Most?

Figuring out how to open that hockey puck David Stern sent him in 1993.

Sean Avery Arrested

joereiter — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:35:37 -0000

As per NBC New York:

New York Ranger Sean Avery was arrested and charged with battery on a police office earlier Friday, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

Police responded to noise complaints at Avery’s Hollywood home at about 1 a.m. and arrested him. It wasn’t known what prompted the alleged assault on the officer.

The battery charge is a misdemeanor. Avery’s bail was set at $20,000.

More details from TMZ:

NHL star Sean Avery was arrested early this morning after he shoved a police officer who was trying to break up a loud party at his home in the Hollywood Hills... TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, a neighbor called police to complain about the noise coming from Avery's home. When police arrived at about 1:00 AM, we're told Avery answered the door ... then shoved a cop and slammed the door behind him.

Police then knocked again, and we're told Avery came to his senses and opened up. According to law enforcement ... Avery was extremely cooperative after that, but was still booked for battery on a peace officer.

He was taken to the Hollywood police station and is being held on $20,000 bail.

As per NBC New York:

New York Ranger Sean Avery was arrested and charged with battery on a police office earlier Friday, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

Police responded to noise complaints at Avery’s Hollywood home at about 1 a.m. and arrested him. It wasn’t known what prompted the alleged assault on the officer.

The battery charge is a misdemeanor. Avery’s bail was set at $20,000.

More details from TMZ:

NHL star Sean Avery was arrested early this morning after he shoved a police officer who was trying to break up a loud party at his home in the Hollywood Hills... TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, a neighbor called police to complain about the noise coming from Avery's home. When police arrived at about 1:00 AM, we're told Avery answered the door ... then shoved a cop and slammed the door behind him.

Police then knocked again, and we're told Avery came to his senses and opened up. According to law enforcement ... Avery was extremely cooperative after that, but was still booked for battery on a peace officer.

He was taken to the Hollywood police station and is being held on $20,000 bail.

Of course it's going to come out that the cop is a homosexual black guy, and the internet will explode.

Cabelvision is giving fans the middle finger.....again....

joereiter — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:37:43 -0000

Saw this tweet from agent Alan Walsh earlier:

NYR announce that ticket prices going up 23% next season. Good to know the lockout was all about making the game affordable for the fans.

Followed that up by doing a check, and sure enough....

Knicks season ticket prices will increase an average of 49 percent next season, MSG announced Friday. Rangers tickets will go up an average of 23 percent.

Yeah, that pretty much kills any chance of them getting my business. If I don't get tickets for free, I'm not going, thus likely ending my six year streak of attending home openers.

I'm wondering how they'll spin this if both the Knicks and Rangers miss the playoffs.

"Well, gee, sure we're not providing playoff teams....but we're making the concourses WIDER!!"

F this franchise and the saxophone Dolan rode in on.

Saw this tweet from agent Alan Walsh earlier:

NYR announce that ticket prices going up 23% next season. Good to know the lockout was all about making the game affordable for the fans.

Followed that up by doing a check, and sure enough....

Knicks season ticket prices will increase an average of 49 percent next season, MSG announced Friday. Rangers tickets will go up an average of 23 percent.

Yeah, that pretty much kills any chance of them getting my business. If I don't get tickets for free, I'm not going, thus likely ending my six year streak of attending home openers.

I'm wondering how they'll spin this if both the Knicks and Rangers miss the playoffs.

"Well, gee, sure we're not providing playoff teams....but we're making the concourses WIDER!!"

F this franchise and the saxophone Dolan rode in on.

And finally, for your reading pleasure.....THE CAPTAIN

joereiter — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:54:06 -0000

.....and still not talking about Chris Drury.

Finally got to finishing the revisions to the script, and as I've had an executive with a studio checking in with me more frequently lately (since I'd originally told her it would be done before Christmas), first thing I had to do was send it over to her.

Now, keep in mind this thing was written entirely on spec, with me fully aware I have a better chance of waking up tomorrow morning next to Christina Hendricks, Salma Hayek, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Sofia Vergara, Lucy Pinder, Keeley Hazell and one of the NHL Guardians than this getting done.....but stranger things have happened. Hell, Major League was written as a fantasy of seeing the Indians win a division title in the early 80s before it picked up steam and got made.

Anyway, if you know how to read a screenplay format and want to check it out, this link will take you to the page where you can download the PDF. Self explanatory which one it is.....I hope. Any feedback would be great, especially the "hey this sucked thanks for wasting my time" kind (looking at you, Dig).

Putting the logline/synopsis after the jump for all who need a reminder before diving into the script. FYI it's 100 pages long.

.....and still not talking about Chris Drury.

Putting the logline/synopsis after the jump for all who need a reminder before diving into the script. FYI it's 100 pages long.

Intro:

THE CAPTAIN is a mix of SLAP SHOT and BULL DURHAM, a comedy/drama about Brendan Connor, a veteran hockey player who's never won a championship trying to win the one award that's eluded him in hopes of cementing his legacy. The team has other plans, and trades for an arrogant young superstar named Ryan Kelly, whose attitude on and off the ice split loyalties in the locker room and threatens to derail Connor’s championship dreams. THE CAPTAIN is set to work within the world of the NHL, where the Stanley Cup is the most sought-after prize in sports and leads grown men to play through painful, debilitating injuries in hopes of having their names inscribed on it.

Logline:

A veteran hockey captain's final shot at a championship is threatened when management begins rebuilding the team around an arrogant rookie superstar.

Synopsis:

As the long-time captain and face of the New York Rangers, Brendan Connor has won every trophy in the National Hockey League except the one that counts most: a Stanley Cup Championship. As THE CAPTAIN opens, Connor has watched his team self-destruct in the decisive Game 7 of the finals in Detroit, losing the Stanley Cup. Not content to retire on a sour note, Connor returns for one final season, a last shot at winning, only to discover that the team's title-crazed owner has traded for Connor's eventual replacement: an arrogant teenage phenom named Ryan Kelly. Kelly’s presence and attitude cause friction in the locker room that worsens when Kelly's on-ice performance proves better than the declining Connor, who takes to hiding an injury to keep from being taken out of the lineup. Kelly’s agent, a slick hustler named Hollister, begins planting stories with the press that Connor is intentionally playing poorly because he’s unhappy with the presence of Kelly and thus an unfit leader, turning parts of the media and the fans on their longtime idol.

With the team's on-ice play inconsistent, the Rangers’ coach is fired and replaced with a younger assistant who immediately demotes Connor to a checking line and strips him of the captaincy, handing it over to Kelly as a show of support, and the team begins soliciting trade offers for Connor, now believing him to be a poisonous influence in the locker room.

Kelly proves unprepared to take control of the team and the veterans refuse to stand up for him. A trade sending Connor to Chicago is negated when he fails the physical, and his injury finally comes to light and the team learns why his play has dropped off so badly. Connor realizes he doesn’t need the captaincy to be a leader, and Kelly, upon finding out his agent is responsible for leaking the stories about Connor being unhappy, fires Boyd and vows to help Connor win a championship.

With the team finally coming together, the Rangers fight their way back to the finals and a rematch with the Detroit Red Wings, which again comes down to a seventh game in Detroit. With twenty minutes left in the game and losing just as they were the year before, Connor reveals the extent of his injury: he’s been playing with cracked ribs and wearing a bullet-proof vest for protection, and implores his team to be better for just the final twenty minutes. Inspired to leave everything on the ice, the Rangers rally to tie the game, and with five minutes left Kelly sets up Connor for the Stanley Cup winning goal, giving the former captain the championship he's waited fifteen years to win.

The Captain (no, not Chris Drury.....the screenplay)

joereiter — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:07:39 -0000

So roughly fifty years ago (okay, four months, it just feels that way), I put up a fan post detailing a hockey screenplay I was in the process of finishing a second draft of, and soliciting anybody interested in reading it.

Once it was finished, I let it sit for a month just to give myself some distance from it so I could do a proper re-write.

Then I went to the Austin Film Festival in October as a winner and guest, and my whole world was turned upside down (in a positive way) by meeting some film people who expressed interest in the pitch.

That led to me having a month long panic attack that the script sucked, and I went through a crippling writer's block that left the rewrite sitting and waiting.

Fast forward to early December, and a couple of production company execs, having read another script of mine that was a winner at Austin, wanted to read THE CAPTAIN.

Cue more panic attacks.

Then my grandmother died two weeks before Christmas, and I went on a week long drinking bender. And when I was done, I decided it was time to buckle down and finished the motherfucking script once and for all. And with a little inspiration from Michael Arndt (the credited screenwriter of Toy Story 3), I finally found the proper hook to fix the script. I'm now thirty pages away from finishing (five days of work if it's flowing smoothly, and it has been so far).

In the meanwhile, I've cleaned up the logline (the one or two sentence description of the script) and the synopsis. Because the movie is set in the NHL and more specifically involving the Rangers, I figured I'd share 'em. And once the script is done I'll have a watermarked version to read for anyone interested.

After the jump, the stuff you've waited (or forgotten about completely) four months for. All thoughts are welcome, especially any haiku from frankiec.

Once it was finished, I let it sit for a month just to give myself some distance from it so I could do a proper re-write.

That led to me having a month long panic attack that the script sucked, and I went through a crippling writer's block that left the rewrite sitting and waiting.

Fast forward to early December, and a couple of production company execs, having read another script of mine that was a winner at Austin, wanted to read THE CAPTAIN.

Cue more panic attacks.

After the jump, the stuff you've waited (or forgotten about completely) four months for. All thoughts are welcome, especially any haiku from frankiec.

Intro:

Logline:

A veteran hockey captain's final shot at a championship is threatened when management begins rebuilding the team around an arrogant rookie superstar.

Synopsis:

As the long-time captain and face of the New York Rangers, Brendan Connor has won every trophy in the National Hockey League except the one that counts most: a Stanley Cup Championship. As THE CAPTAIN opens, Connor has watched his team self-destruct in the decisive Game 7 of the finals in Detroit, losing the Stanley Cup. Not content to retire on a sour note, Connor returns for one final season, a last shot at winning, only to discover that the team's title-crazed owner has traded for Connor's eventual replacement: an arrogant teenage phenom named Ryan Kelly. Kelly's presence and attitude cause friction in the locker room that worsens when Kelly's on-ice performance proves better than the declining Connor, who takes to hiding an injury to keep from being taken out of the lineup. Kelly’s agent, a slick hustler named Boyd, begins planting stories with the press that Connor is intentionally playing poorly because he’s unhappy with the presence of Kelly and thus an unfit leader, turning parts of the media and the fans on their longtime idol.

Congratulations Jim!

joereiter — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:00:52 -0000

Your Jagr-Mount Puckmore was named one of the favorite hockey stories of 2010 on Puck Daddy....though I get the feeling it was a very tongue-in-cheek thing.....

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Daddy-s-20-Favorite-Hockey-Stories-of-2010;_ylt=Ai02daF9SMUO.hepn4GigT97vLYF?urn=nhl-301115

Yeah, I thought we all beat this horse to death, too....but like Leeeeeeeeeeroy Jenkins, epic beard man, and 'charlie bit my finger', What, no Jagr? is now a meme all its own.

Your Jagr-Mount Puckmore was named one of the favorite hockey stories of 2010 on Puck Daddy....though I get the feeling it was a very tongue-in-cheek thing.....

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Daddy-s-20-Favorite-Hockey-Stories-of-2010;_ylt=Ai02daF9SMUO.hepn4GigT97vLYF?urn=nhl-301115

Yeah, I thought we all beat this horse to death, too....but like Leeeeeeeeeeroy Jenkins, epic beard man, and 'charlie bit my finger', What, no Jagr? is now a meme all its own.

Possible concussion for Boogaard?

joereiter — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:35:51 -0000

So tweets Larry Brooks, Andrew Gross, etc.

From Andrew Gross:

However, enforcer Derek Boogaard’s eventual return is also on hold. Boogaard has missed five games with what started as a strained right shoulder. However, coach John Tortorella said today Boogaard has been experiencing headaches so the Rangers have shut him down from exercising and will most likely (make that almost certainly) have him tested for a concussion. It goes without saying that until the headaches cease, he will not be allowed to practice/skate/workout.

Link to his updated blog here.

Larry Brooks' tweet:

NYP_Brooksie Larry Brooks

Boogaard experiencing headaches, may have concussion in aftermath of Dec. 9 fight in Ottawa v. Carkner.

So tweets Larry Brooks, Andrew Gross, etc.

From Andrew Gross:

However, enforcer Derek Boogaard’s eventual return is also on hold. Boogaard has missed five games with what started as a strained right shoulder. However, coach John Tortorella said today Boogaard has been experiencing headaches so the Rangers have shut him down from exercising and will most likely (make that almost certainly) have him tested for a concussion. It goes without saying that until the headaches cease, he will not be allowed to practice/skate/workout.

Link to his updated blog here.

Larry Brooks' tweet:

NYP_Brooksie Larry Brooks

Boogaard experiencing headaches, may have concussion in aftermath of Dec. 9 fight in Ottawa v. Carkner.

Something for the Dolans to consider

joereiter — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:03:58 -0000

This isn't so much a hockey post as it is a post aimed more at ownership.

Every spring since the dawn of time the circus comes to Madison Square Garden, and back in the old days that used to mean 'home' playoff games in Toronto because the circus apparently brought in more money (in the days before spiking ticket sales meant greater revenue).

All that changed when Emile Francis was offered the chance to take over the team, and did so only with the assurance that the team would be able to play home playoff games at MSG. Luckily for us, ownership agreed....otherwise who knows what might've happened and where the franchise would be now (metaphorically, not geographically).

Anyways....

As an self-avowed animal lover, I've never been a big fan of the circus. I don't like the stories that have historically been attached to circuses involving abuse of the animals, and as a kid I always hated those field trips to see the circus, the flashing lights be damned.

But now, there have been pictures posted showing how baby elephants are 'trained' to do all those tricks, and it involved what essentially boils down to torture.

This link details, with photos, some of the tortures being heaped on the elephants. I can't imagine the bears or tigers fare much better.

So what's the point here, you may be asking?

Ideally, I'd like to see the Dolans shut out Ringling Brothers from performing at the Garden, now and forever, but that would involve some serious moxie, and I'm reasonably certain they'll never do that because as long as there's money coming in they'll look the other way.

I don't know, this just really pisses me off. I really wish there was an ownership in place that had guts and integrity....but I guess I'm just too much of an idealist. A good owner would've fired Sather years ago, never mind allowing animal torture to go on in the name of profits.

As long as li'l Jimmy can keep strumming his instrument out on the island with his bought & paid for band, nothing will ever change at the Garden, and that just really depresses me.....on both a hockey and personal level.

This isn't so much a hockey post as it is a post aimed more at ownership.

Anyways....

But now, there have been pictures posted showing how baby elephants are 'trained' to do all those tricks, and it involved what essentially boils down to torture.

This link details, with photos, some of the tortures being heaped on the elephants. I can't imagine the bears or tigers fare much better.

So what's the point here, you may be asking?

Training Camp Cuts

joereiter — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:09:25 -0000

From a variety of Twitter feeds (Rangers official, Larry Brooks):

PLAYERS ASSIGNED TO HARTFORD (AHL) ON 9/27/10:
Goal (1):	Chad Johnson
Defense (1):	Wade Redden
Forward (6):	Dane Byers, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams*, Mats Zuccarello


PLAYERS RELEASED FROM TRYOUT AGREEMENTS ON 9/27/10:
Defense (3):	Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov

PLAYERS STILL IN NEW YORK RANGERS TRAINING CAMP:
Goal (2):	Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
Defense (9):	Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michal Rozsival, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal, Pavel Valentenko
Forward (16):	Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Derek Boogaard, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Alex Frolov, Marian Gaborik, Tim Kennedy, Vinny Prospal, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, Todd White

From a variety of Twitter feeds (Rangers official, Larry Brooks):

PLAYERS ASSIGNED TO HARTFORD (AHL) ON 9/27/10:
Goal (1):	Chad Johnson
Defense (1):	Wade Redden
Forward (6):	Dane Byers, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams*, Mats Zuccarello


PLAYERS RELEASED FROM TRYOUT AGREEMENTS ON 9/27/10:
Defense (3):	Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov

PLAYERS STILL IN NEW YORK RANGERS TRAINING CAMP:
Goal (2):	Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
Defense (9):	Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michal Rozsival, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal, Pavel Valentenko
Forward (16):	Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Derek Boogaard, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Alex Frolov, Marian Gaborik, Tim Kennedy, Vinny Prospal, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, Todd White

STAAL IS SIGNED

joereiter — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:21:04 -0000

Sorry for the caps, this just came over twitter via Bob McKenzie:

Marc Staal has agreed to terms with NYR. Five years, $3.975M per year. Done deal.

Everybody can breathe easy now.

3.975 is less than I thought he'd get, was expecting to hear it was 4 and change per year for the next five or six. Either way, it's a great signing and is the final nail in the coffin of the Rangers career of Wade Redden. I mean, it just has to be.....right?

Sorry for the caps, this just came over twitter via Bob McKenzie:

Marc Staal has agreed to terms with NYR. Five years, $3.975M per year. Done deal.

Everybody can breathe easy now.

Sather's greatest hits

joereiter — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:38:24 -0000

Note by Jim Schmiedeberg, Just wanted to let the Rangers know, we're about to delve into more "irresponsible fan behavior"......take it away joereiter:

Yeah, we all know the deal. Terrible with free agents, worse with his own RFAs, completely invisible to the fan base and media, a cigar smokin' tool sitting in Banff and running the team remotely like it's his fantasy hockey entry.

But in the course of looking up the "you've got to be a lion" quote in the aftermath of the Lindros trade waaaaay back when (which led to my calling him Simba in a bunch of emails after someone I knew got me his personal email address, they started getting bounced back shortly thereafter), I found some quotes, mostly pre-lockout, that are just a window into what a complete FAIL the Sather Error has been.

The best of the bunch after the jump.

Note by Jim Schmiedeberg, Just wanted to let the Rangers know, we're about to delve into more "irresponsible fan behavior"......take it away joereiter:

The best of the bunch after the jump.

I'll try to do these chronologically, but some of 'em just aren't dated.

The infamous pre-Rangers hire quote:

"If I had the Rangers payroll, I'd never lose a game"

Still in the pre-Rangers hire mode, a commentary on free agency:

"But even if I had been in Atlanta and I had the budget that team may or may not have, I still would not have paid
(goalie) Curtis Joseph $24 million for four years. I think you're a lot better off getting a group of young guys
together, teach them about the game and about life and bring them along. You're much better off than trying to hit a home run with a bunch of 30-year-old free agents."

After being hired by the Rangers:

"I'm going to send out a bit of a wakeup call to the entire team. If you're not going to work and sacrifice yourself, then there's no room for you."

"I'm not singling anybody out, but if these veterans don't come in ready, we'll be the first team to have $6 million players in the minors, and I'm not kidding. I don't want anyone to waste my time."

"I'm going to send out a bit of wakeup call to the entire team," Sather declared. "If you're not prepared to work
and sacrifice yourself, there's not going to be room for guys on this team that are just along for the ride. It's
not a retirement process here."

After introducing Ron Low as head coach in July 2000:

"It's not acceptable for this team not to make the playoffs"

On signing Vladimir Malakhov:

"If you look through the NHL, there aren't many players with his type of ability; he has superstar ability."

On trading for Lindros:

"No. I don't think it's very risky. You can be a lion maybe once in your life. If you don't make this deal, you're a
mouse forever….Wouldn't you rather be a lion for one day than a mouse for life?"

After signing Dave Karpa and Igor Ulanov as free agents:

"I just want to make sure that these are the kind of guys that we were going to get. I've talked a lot about Karpa
with other people, and I know that both of them wanted to come here. So I was very happy to get both of them."

On trading for Tom Poti:

"I think he'll be one of the top players in the league."

Sather's thoughts on fans booing throughout the 2001-02 season:

"Well, that's the way it works in sports. You cheer and help the team get better. You boo them, they get worse. It's the same as your children. If you have a child who is having trouble in school and you berate him every day he's never going to get any better."

After several years of running amok on the free agency market and stockpiling high-priced veterans without an infusion of youth:

"At some point in time, this organization has got to get younger and get some enthusiasm."

On his plan for the future, I think pre-lockout:

"The hardest part for everyone will be to stay patient and understand that we are committed to building a team from within that can have long-term success in New York"

On signing Marek Malik:

"Marek is a big, strong defenseman who adds a physical presence to our blue line. His size and skill will bolster our penalty-killing unit."

On his #6 overall pick, Al Montoya, currently a backup in the AHL:

"Al is one of the top goaltending prospects in hockey and we are extremely pleased to have signed him, ... We feel this will be a big step for Al in advancing his development. He has been working extremely hard this summer and we are looking forward to seeing him on the ice at training camp in September."

On the overall plan for the future of the Rangers.....again:

"I feel really reluctant to talk too much about it because this is only the first step in what we are trying to do and what we are trying to accomplish. There are more goals to achieve and there is a bigger picture ahead of us."

........

This is just a stunning collection here amassed from across the interwebs, and the scary part is how much it shows a clear disconnect between his talent evaluation and the actual talents of the players mentioned. Poti & Malakhov superstars? Did he really believe that?

I didn't even include the 'best first passer' line he had after signing Redden, and I'm probably missing some other doozies...but this just goes to show nothing has changed in his running of the team in ten years.

I was TWENTY-FIVE when he took over. Sather has been GM almost 1/3 of my life.

I need vodka.

Brophy reporting Staal & Rangers close to deal

joereiter — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:16:58 -0000

Here's the link to the article on sportsnet.ca, it was posted a little while ago, no details provided yet so it's all still speculation....but this is the first time there's been something to report other than "both sides far apart, no talks planned".

Kudos to Sather if he gets it done by week's end, maybe he did learn a lesson from the Dubinsky debacle.

Figure Staal gets 4-4.5 mil, and figure Redden will be house-hunting in Newington, CT by the end of the month.

Kudos to Sather if he gets it done by week's end, maybe he did learn a lesson from the Dubinsky debacle.

Figure Staal gets 4-4.5 mil, and figure Redden will be house-hunting in Newington, CT by the end of the month.

Anybody up for some semi-light reading?

joereiter — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:34:28 -0000

I’m not much of a regular poster here, jumping in only on rare occasions to throw in my two cents (Jagr on Mount Puckmore? WTF?? Oh sorry....wrong topic). However, I’m in kind of a unique position at the moment, and this is the one place where I think/hope I might be able to get a little help.

Here's some background info: I've been a Ranger fan since I was four years old and saw my first game in 1979; game three of the '79 finals, which I watched in the basement of a drug dealer friend of my father's (don't ask). I remember being excited as a five year old during the Miracle on Ice a little less than a year later, mostly because my parents were going crazy, but the passion stuck. Aside from the glory that was 1994, I suffered through the Islander dynasty, the misery of the smurfs, Dave Brown, Patrick Roo-ahh and his goalposts, Trader Phil, Michel Bergeron, John motherf**king Druce, Leetch's ankle(s), Messier's Vancouver departure, every year from 1998-2004, the Leetch trade, Glen Sather's reign of error, and on and on and on....

I'm also a writer by trade (screenplays and script doctoring for the most part, though I did try out for this blog a couple of years ago before other work forced me to pull out of the running), and a few years ago, before Miracle came out, I went on a drunken rant complaining about the lack of decent hockey movies made by Hollywood. I was tired of counting off Slap Shot, then burying my head in my hands because next on the list was a toss-up between Youngblood and the Mighty Ducks. And I'm counting US-made movies, so the Rocket is out. Right now, to me, it's Slap Shot, Miracle, and then a drop off to anything considered a good movie (The Cutting Edge doesn't count as a hockey movie).

I'll continue my story after the jump....for those who want to keep reading...

I had this vague notion of a movie about the difficulties of winning a Stanley Cup, something semi-documentary style just detailing all the pressures involved on players, coaches, management, etc, but had no real hook. For years it sat in the back of my head, fermenting.....until I saw The Wrestler.

That, plus the whole Joe Sakic-Ray Bourque Stanley Cup passing mixed in my head, and I came away from it with the idea of showing how tough it is to win, from the point of view of a veteran captain at the end of his career, a Bourque type player who's won every individual trophy possible but has always been dogged by being on non-competitive teams (sorta like Marcel Dionne). A veteran player looking for redemption had more foundation, but I needed more.

As some of you may have noticed from my limited postings, I'm a student of history of the game, and that's where the final piece fell into place. I took the Nordiques' Eric Lindros trade on draft day '92 to the Flyers and Rangers and ran with that, giving our veteran captain the antagonist he needed: a rookie superstar, a Lindros-Crosby type whose style of play is the antithesis of how the veterans think the game should be played.

So, if you've made it this far, you're asking Yeah, and what the hell is the point of all this?

Well....I knew full well the troubles that would lie ahead in doing this, but I wrote the script like David S. Ward did when he wrote Major League: I used the NHL, the Stanley Cup, and set the veteran as captain of the New York Rangers.

I did this knowing the script has a maybe, if I'm very lucky, a .006% chance of ever getting made because of all that would be involved in it (Hollywood's eye rolling regarding hockey flicks, the rights that would need to be given by the NHL and all involved teams, etc).....but this script has been my passion for quite a few years. I've used a lot of material gathered in the recesses of my brain about stories from the locker room, on the ice, and off it to build this puppy up. It's a definite labor of love, and I figure worst case it'd make a nice spec sample. Plus, given the state of the Rangers, I knew this would be the only way to ever see them win a championship again.

A few days ago I finished a first draft and registered it with the copyright office and the WGA. I'm in the process of taking a couple of days away from it before I go back to re-writing. I've also got a couple of people who've read some of my stuff before who have requested a look at it once it's completed.

The reason for this post, at long last, is this: I've got people lined up to read it who can critique me on structure/plot/dialogue/subtext/etc, but what I'm looking for now is some hockey critique. Did I make it work? Does it feel like something natural and/or real?

If you're interested, I'm going to be posting it to my blog within a couple of weeks. Ideally if you want to check it out you have a semi-working knowledge of what a screenplay looks like and how it reads, and then give me some feedback....preferably other than "THIS FREAKING SUCKS!!!"

Also, I really, really, really wanted to finish mine before Kevin Smith finishes the one he's been working on based on Warren Zevon's Hit Somebody.

So, if you're interested, consider this an informal poll. If there's some interest, I'll post an update when the script's ready to read.

Thanks for the time, gentlemen (and ladies)!

Odds of an NHL lockout in 2012 just jumped 65%

joereiter — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:58:36 -0000

I'm making the percentage up off the top of my head, of course, but when the guy behind the '94 baseball strike is named executive director of the NHLPA, it's not really that far off.....is it?

Of course nobody's confirmed it, but considering he's been acting as an 'advisor', it's not much of a stretch.

It just figures that right when Drury & Roszival's odious salaries come off the books there won't be any more hockey to play.

I'm making the percentage up off the top of my head, of course, but when the guy behind the '94 baseball strike is named executive director of the NHLPA, it's not really that far off.....is it?

Of course nobody's confirmed it, but considering he's been acting as an 'advisor', it's not much of a stretch.

It just figures that right when Drury & Roszival's odious salaries come off the books there won't be any more hockey to play.

THN ranks Rangers 13th in Eastern Conference

joereiter — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:11:09 -0000

If you haven't seen it yet, this was posted by Puck Daddy an hour ago, here's the link to THN's breakdowns.

Basically it's a "no way Gaborik stays healthy so they're going to be screwed and even more so without Lundqvist" kind of reasoning.

They also rank Calgary 8th in the west. Basically, they threw darts at a board to come up with these picks, although I don't think the Rangers will make the playoffs if only because teams behind them improved more over the off-season...and they needed a massive late season surge just to almost-make-it.

The verbatim quote:

Why: Missing the playoffs on the last day of the regular season must still be stinging the Rangers and it won’t help we’ve slotted them in at unlucky No. 13 for 2010-11. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is about the only reason the Rangers are still afloat and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Marian Gaborik will make it through another season untouched by injury

If you haven't seen it yet, this was posted by Puck Daddy an hour ago, here's the link to THN's breakdowns.

Basically it's a "no way Gaborik stays healthy so they're going to be screwed and even more so without Lundqvist" kind of reasoning.

The verbatim quote:

Why: Missing the playoffs on the last day of the regular season must still be stinging the Rangers and it won’t help we’ve slotted them in at unlucky No. 13 for 2010-11. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is about the only reason the Rangers are still afloat and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Marian Gaborik will make it through another season untouched by injury