Hats Off to The Kings and Thank You New York Rangers

20 years ago today, Flag Day, 1994, the New York Rangers hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years. Friday night's Game 5 of this year's final between the Rangers and LA Kings went past midnight on the East coast. That meant that when Alec Martinez scored the game and series clinching goal in double overtime, the Kings were carrying the Cup in celebration on Flag Day, 2014.

It ended a dream that Rangers fans have carried since that magical night 20 years ago when team captain Mark Messier hoisted the Cup in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd. It was the first time the Rangers have made it to the finals since that night two decades ago. For a team with only four Stanley Cup wins since in it's inception in 1926, you don't want to let opportunities slip through your fingers.

Unfortunately, the Rangers ran into a powerhouse in the Kings. While the Rangers, with the exception of Game 3, led or were tied for the majority of most of the games, it was the Kings who won four out of five. It was the LA's second title in the last three years.

People will talk about the blown two-goal leads the Rangers held in the first two games, but their opponent was a relentless one. The Kings used their size to slow down a speedy Rangers team, which wasn't shy on size either, but couldn't compare to the linebackers playing for the Kings.

The players and fans are hurting right now, but this was one helluva run. One that was not anticipated during the stretch run of the season. The "only" significant move the Rangers made at the trade deadline was sending captain Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning for their captain, Martin St. Louis. The acquisition of St. Louis was to send a jolt to the offense, but the (reportedly) 5'8" winger managed just a single goal in 19 games.

Then the playoffs started and things changed. The Rangers knew they had the goalie to win a Cup in Henrik Lundqvist, but the remainder of the roster had little Cup experience. In fact, St. Louis and Brad Richards, teammates on the 2004 Lightning team that captured the Cup, were the only Rangers players to previously play for a title.

But the Rangers showed plenty of grit and heart, especially after they fell behind the Pittsburgh Penguins three games to one in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Their play over the remainder of the Penguins series was remarkable, especially considering the death of St. Louis' mother prior to Game 5. The support of his teammates and the fans seemed to help elevate St. Louis' play and in he, in turn, fired up his teammates.

The Rangers then exorcised some demons in defeating the Montreal Canadiens, a team they have always struggled with in the regular season, in the conference final. Then it was the two major markets playing for the greatest trophy in sports. Unfortunately, Rangers fans will have to hold on to that image of Messier, Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, and Adam Graves a little while longer. While there is encouragement that teams in recent years have gotten back to the finals more often - Kings (Cups in '12, '14), Blackhawks (Cups in '10, '13, conference finals '14), Bruins (Cup in '11, finals in '13) - the Rangers roster could quite different next season.

But in the meantime, thank you New York Rangers for a great ride!


And for a semi-dose of reality...
2014-2015 Rangers

One of the first players that will be looking for a new team next year will be Richards. The unofficial captain after the departure of Callahan, Richards played much better in Alain Vigneault's system than he did under John Tortorella, but he didn't play well in the finals. Richards entered the series with 12 points in 20 games, but only managed to pick up one assist against the Kings. But more than anything it's the absurd contract that Glen Sather signed him to prior to the 2011-2012 season that will cost him his Rangers career. The nine-year deal still has six years and $27MM remaining on it.

Richards will receive an amnesty buyout, which in his case will amount to roughly $18MM. The buyout will not count against the team's salary cap, which the league reduced from $70.2MM to $64.3MM as part of the last collective bargaining agreement. It will be the second and last buyout the Rangers will be allowed after they exercised their first buyout on defenseman Wade Redden last year.

The Rangers have a number of unrestricted free agents as well. Chief among them defenseman Anton Stralman, center Brian Boyle, and center Dominic Moore. Stralman was on the Rangers' second defensive pairing with Mark Stahl and earned $1.7MM this past season. He should be one of the Rangers top priorities this off-season.

Boyle and Moore are two of the players that are easier to replace, but both have been solid for the Rangers. Moore was one of the Rangers best forwards in the finale with this tenacious, gritty play. Boyle is an excellent faceoff man, penalty killer, and has a combo of size (6'7") and speed. But Boyle earned $1.7MM last year and the Rangers are likely to look for a cheaper alternative. Moore earned $1MM this season and would not likely earn much more than that if the Rangers retained him.

Benoit Pouliot showed a scoring touch at times, but after making $1.3MM, the Rangers will let him walk. Dan Carcillo is a question mark. He made $8.25MM this year and played reasonably well until he got physical with a linesman in the Montreal series and missed all of the finals. (He was eligible to play in Game 5.)

Among the restricted free agents (2013-2014 salaries in parenthesis) the Rangers will try to retain are forwards Derick Brassard ($3.2MM), Chris Kreider ($1.325MM), Mats Zuccarello ($1.15MM), and defenseman Justin Falk ($975K). Defenseman John Moore ($925K) would seem to be on the bubble.

Unless you've followed junior hockey or the Hartford Wolfpack, you may not be aware of Danny Kristo, another restricted free agent, who has yet to play in the NHL. Kristo had 43 points for the Wolfpack in 65 games this season. Drafted by the Canadiens in 2008, the Rangers acquired him last season for Christian Thomas.

8 Years A Blog, and the Future

Melo and the Captain at a promotional appearance in November

On December 12, 2005 I introduced My Pinstripes to the blog world and the "internets". I began not knowing how long I would continue the blog, which is Yankees-centric, but also has a number of posts on MLB, the NFL, NHL, and more.

There have been times where I just didn't feel like writing anything for long stretches of time and other times, like this off-season, where my fingers have been rapidly banging away on a keyboard several times on most days.

Page views have gone up and down, nearly bottomed out when I ignored the blog, and soared at other times. What has always mattered most to me has been the quality of the work even if two people, myself not include, are reading it.  Be that as it may, I want to thank those who visit regularly, those who have come and gone, and those who are new to My Pinstripes.

I hope you all enjoy what I write, I know enjoy writing it. And to me it's more of a baseball journal than a blog. I think the word blog has been worn out, abused by the "real" media, and is considered by many as the black sheep of the family. Those of us who blog obviously feel differently, especially since a "Blog" is simply a format to write in. We are all writing, whether paid or unpaid, whether it's done poorly, well, or greatly. (talk about awkward sentences)

What you see on this baseball journal ;) is opinion, fact, and some rumor. What you will never see are columns written merely for the sake of getting attention. There will no accusation against a player (Raul Ibanez) for supposedly using PEDs when there is no evidence to back it up. I like my friends and relatives, but their word, like mine, is not gospel. You will also not see pictures of WAGs or supermodels, etc., just to drive attention to the site. I think it's a cheap and ridiculous way to get viewers.

While My Pinstripes will continue to roll on, I'll be launching a new site - Designated For Assignment - in April. We'll have stories on the four major sports as well as World Cup soccer coverage, golf, MMA, just about anything you can name that is sports related. We'll also have coverage of movies and music, past, present, and future.

We'll cover Derek Jeter's comeback, Jonathan Quick's goaltending for Team USA in the Olympics (there's a temporary Wordpress site we will be using until the launch of the full site), Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson in Super Bowl XLVIII, and will Carmelo Anthony remain a NY Knick.

And this is where you come in. I am the publisher and managing editor, but if you want to write, edit, take photographs, etc., for the site, please contact me at dsarver@d4assignment.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Drew Sarver

Messier is Still the Man, but Not the Right Man to Coach the Rangers

I've been a New York Rangers fan for over 40 years and in that time I never saw another NHL player that was as strong a leader as Mark Messier. Over the span of his 25-year NHL career (plus three seasons in the WHA), Messier did it all- fighter, goal scorer, face off man, checker, specialty teams regular, captain and six time Stanley Cup winner.

He was the man who proved he could win a Cup without Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton and brought the Cup to Rangers fans for the first time in 54 years. Next season's post-season will mark 20 years since the Rangers won that lone title since 1940 and that is just one of the reasons that the man that guaranteed a conference finals win and ensured it with a hat rick is not the right man for the job.

You can be the greatest player of all time, but that doesn't mean you can make a natural transition to coaching.  Just look back at how things went for Ted Williams when he tried to manage Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. Messier knows just about everything there is to know about hockey, but that doesn't mean he can help coordinate the power play, motivate players that are not teammates, or win hockey games. It's also unusual for a player of any status to become a head coach with no coaching experience in any of the major sports.

It's hard to know how interested Messier is in getting the job since everything we've heard is through the media, but reportedly there is a high interest. His former teammate and the greatest hockey player of all time, Gretzky, is keeping his eyes on the job as well. The "Great One" never finished higher than fourth in his four seasons at the helm of the Phoenix Coyotes.

An experienced, and hopefully successful, coach has a better chance to take the current group of players to the finals. As worn out as the team and fans were with John Tortorella, he had coached a team (Tampa Bay Lightning) to a Stanley Cup championship, and took the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals last season. Torts' predecessor Tom Renney was a good coach who couldn't get the team past the second round.

There is an urgency for success due to the clock ticking on the team's key to success, Henrik Lundqvist. The 2011-2012 Vezina Trophy winner will be 32-years old when next year's playoffs come around. He'll also be in the final year of his current contract. Right now, Lundqvist's response to reporters' query about an extension is "We'll see." The correct coaching move could entice the "King" to remain in the Rangers' red, white, and blue.

Messier has been an assistant to GM Glen Sather, a job far removed from coaching. If Mess wants to coach, groom him as an assistant to the next coach or let him cut his teeth by having take over the Rangers AHL affiliate in Connecticut.

Whether it be rumored candidates like Lindy Ruff, Alain Vigneault, or Dave Tippett (under contract to Phoenix until June 30), the Rangers need someone familiar with the X's and O's and not just someone who would be an extremely popular choice with the fans.

NHL 1st Round Predictions: Rangers vs. Caps

Every first round matchup has already begun except for the New York Rangers - Washington Capitals, which kicks into gear tonight (Thursday). So that's where I'll begin. It's been 19 years since the Rangers last won the Stanley Cup, which means if you are a Rangers fan, you and I have been frustrated before and after 1994.

Stepan has given the Rangers plenty of reason to celebrate

The Rangers had high hopes last season, but lost in the Eastern Conference finals to one of their chief rivals, the New Jersey Devils. The team struggled to score last year and it got even worse on the power play.  The Rangers were the #1 seed in the east last year, but for much of this season it didn't look like they would even make the playoffs.  Despite the acquisition of Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team still struggled to score at even strength or with the man advantage. Last year's Veniza Trophy winner for best goalie, Henrik Lundquist, also struggled at times.  The Rangers finally did clinch a spot, in the final week no less, and actually moved up to the 6th spot in the seeding.

Moving out of the 8th seed was a big accomplishment in itself since it meant not having to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. The Rangers simply cannot handle Pittsburgh's game - especially with a healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup. But back to the Pens at another time.

The Rangers closed out the season 10-3-1, due in large part to the emergence of Derek Stepan, who really stepped up his game down the stretch. Suddenly the Rangers are getting goals from different lines and even on the power play. Another deal with Columbus has paid off as well with contributions from Derrick Brassard and John Moore. The Rangers also got Derek Dorsett, who has not played due to injury, but the Rangers are hoping he can return from injuries in the post-season.

The Caps looked like a team that definitely wasn't going to make the playoffs after Alex Ovechkin got off to another sluggish start. Ovechkin was benched during crucial moments of the Rangers-Caps series in last season's seven game second round series. His 38 goals and 27 assists in 78 games gave him a career low 65 points for the regular season. He was also -8 and managed just nine points in 14 playoff games.

Ovechkin lit the lamp just 10 times times in the team's first 27 games this season, three of them in one game. But the old Ovie reappeared in the nick of time and scored 22 goals in the season's final 21 games to help the Caps win the Southeast division.  Troy Brouwer also made a big contribution with seven of his 19 goals coming with the opponent shorthanded.

The Caps also got better when the defense and goaltender Braden Holtby both improved. Holtby won nine of his last 10 starts and the Caps finished the season on a high note- 15-2-2.  The 23-year old played in all 14 playoff games last season.

And the winner is...the Rangers in 7 games. I expect a hard fought series with the Rangers defenseman and Lundquist making the difference.

Another Year of Inconsistent Hockey

60 minutes; that's what a regulation hockey game is. At some point, someone needs to inform the NY Rangers or some day, some way, maybe it will set in with them.

Fresh off their surprising opening night win in Buffalo on Friday, the Rangers went out to the Mausoleum in Long Island to play their hated rivals, the New York Islanders, on Monday afternoon.

I only saw the 2nd period of play live. A period in which the Rangers dominated, but gave up a late goal to go into the third period tied 3-3.

The Rangers have had a habit of taking bad penalties the last few seasons and it continued in today's game. Now granted, the first call which led to the game breaking 5 on 3 power play was a questionable one. Ryan Callahan went off for a tripping, a trip that coach John Tortorella said was non-existent. That being said, Marc Staal went off shortly thereafter and the Islanders took advantage, netting a pair of power play goals.

As usual, the Mausoleum crowd was sparse, and in this particular case, was filled with many Rangers fans.

Rick Di Pietro stopped Marian Gaborik on a 1st period penalty shot.

Round Two

We've got the fever...NHL Playoffs fever. Round 2 started last night and tonight the Rangers have their first conference semi-final game with the Pengiuns at "The Igloo".

Here are 2nd Round predictions (and hopes).

Rangers over the Penguins in 6. Must must must keep the Pens off the power play or Crosby and Malkin will kill ya.

Canadians over the Flyers in 7. Should be a great battle. The Flyers are playing hot, but the Canadians got a huge life by winning game 1 in oT.

Sharks over the Stars in 6. We've been impressed by this Sharks team all season even though we couldn't tell you half the players this year. We do know that Evgani Nabakov has been great in goal and that should make the difference.

Red Wings over the Avalanche in 5. Not quite the war it was when Claude Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Darren McCarty, and Kris Draper were involved (though the latter two are still on the Wings). We're just not taken with this Avalanche team. Peter Forsberg is not the old PF.

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Round Two

We've got the fever...NHL Playoffs fever. Round 2 started last night and tonight the Rangers have their first conference semi-final game with the Pengiuns at "The Igloo".

Here are 2nd Round predictions (and hopes).

Rangers over the Penguins in 6. Must must must keep the Pens off the power play or Crosby and Malkin will kill ya.

Canadians over the Flyers in 7. Should be a great battle. The Flyers are playing hot, but the Canadians got a huge life by winning game 1 in oT.

Sharks over the Stars in 6. We've been impressed by this Sharks team all season even though we couldn't tell you half the players this year. We do know that Evgani Nabakov has been great in goal and that should make the difference.

Red Wings over the Avalanche in 5. Not quite the war it was when Claude Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Darren McCarty, and Kris Draper were involved (though the latter two are still on the Wings). We're just not taken with this Avalanche team. Peter Forsberg is not the old PF.

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Bring on the Conference Semis

We're to tired and disgusted to discuss the Yankees-Orioles game at Camden Yards tonight. But our evening was made joyful by the New York Rangers. The Broadway Blueshirts scored early and often and then held off a charging New Jersey Devils team, for a 5-3 win. The Rangers took the series in 5 games and now move on to the conference semi-finals against an undetermined opponent.

Bring on the Conference Semis

We're to tired and disgusted to discuss the Yankees-Orioles game at Camden Yards tonight. But our evening was made joyful by the New York Rangers. The Broadway Blueshirts scored early and often and then held off a charging New Jersey Devils team, for a 5-3 win. The Rangers took the series in 5 games and now move on to the conference semi-finals against an undetermined opponent.

Close It Out

Rangers-Devils at "The Rock" tonight. Game 5 with the Rangers having a chance to close out the series. Seal the deal!

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Close It Out

Rangers-Devils at "The Rock" tonight. Game 5 with the Rangers having a chance to close out the series. Seal the deal!

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Lets Go Rangers!!!

Yankee Stadium is getting closer to having the New York Rangers and the NHL close out the grand old place with an outdoor hockey contest. Spurred on by the popularity of this season's Penguins-Sabres match, the NHL has been working with Yankees officials to try to set something up for the Stadium.

Source - NY Daily News

"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."

Most insiders feel that the game should be played against a fellow "Original Six" team - Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings - to maximize the television ratings.

Lets Go Rangers!!!

Yankee Stadium is getting closer to having the New York Rangers and the NHL close out the grand old place with an outdoor hockey contest. Spurred on by the popularity of this season's Penguins-Sabres match, the NHL has been working with Yankees officials to try to set something up for the Stadium.

Source - NY Daily News

"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."

Most insiders feel that the game should be played against a fellow "Original Six" team - Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings - to maximize the television ratings.