Charlie Klein
As of October 14, 2009, at 10:22 pm the New York Rangers are the best team in hockey. The Rangers are 6-1 and are firing on all cylinders. Not only is this team playing well, every one of their seven games have been exciting and driven by offense.
Over the past ten seasons the Rangers have lacked a team identity. Around the league they had become known as the team that attempted quick fixes for all of their problems. The signings of Eric Lindros, Theoren Fleury, Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev, Jaromir Jagr, and Bobby Holik were all indications of GM Glen Sather's misguided philosophy. It was not until the hiring of Tom Renney did the Rangers begin to develop younger talent and ship away their expensive stars. And yet Renney was unable to get the best out of his team, leaving many Rangers fans wanting so much more than they were getting. Enter John Tortorella.
John Tortorella, known as Torts around the Garden these days, has brought new life and true identity to a New York Rangers team that sorely needed both. Much in the way that Sean Avery's introduction to the team in the 2006-2007 season energized the rest of the team, Tortorella has managed to spark even the likes of Wade Redden and Michael Rozsival into at least average performances.
And yet the Rangers disappointed once again in 2008-2009. After going up three games to one on the Washington Capitals, the Blue Shirts proceeded to lose the rest of the games en route to another early exit from the playoffs. Many pointed out that the Rangers just needed more offensive firepower to seriously challenge the likes of the Capitals and the Penguins for the top spots in the Eastern Conference. And GM Glen Sather listened.
During the offseason the Rangers employed an old stand by and dipped their hand into the Dolan family wallet by signing free agent winger Marian Gaborik from the Minnesota Wild. Gaborik, incredibly talented, but oft-injured, has been a force for the Rangers this season with 10 points from seven games. Also brought in were defenseman Matt Gilroy, Vinny Prospal, Donald Brashear, Ales Kotalik, and Brian Boyle, all in an effort to make the Rangers more efficient in the offensive zone. The biggest trade made by the Rangers was the Scott Gomez for Christopher Higgins deal with the Montreal Canadiens. I always liked Gomez as a person, but frankly, he was not producing enough and was rightfully sent away. Higgins has yet to settle in for New York, but has shown flashes of what he can do this season.
So why are the Rangers the best team in the league? All of the pieces are starting to come together. The defensive quartet of Marc Staal, Daniel Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, and Matt Gilroy are coming together perfectly for Glen Sather and John Tortorella, and their average age is 23 years old. Brandon Dubinsky centres one of the best lines in the Eastern Conference, providing the much needed grit and puck-handling ability to meld perfectly with Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik. And the Rangers No. 2 line of Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, and Christopher Higgins has also been strong this season. Then there is always the strong play of the best dressed man in Sweden, King Henrik Lundqvist. The King had another great game tonight at the Garden making key save after key save earning the First Star of the game versus the Kings.
The Rangers started the 2008-2009 season in similar form. What makes this year different? It the new identity forged by coach John Tortorella. Having watched them defeat the Washington Capitals here in D.C. last week, I can personally attest to the fact that this year's Rangers team is much improved, and I expect big things from them this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment