BCBS For 10/7: Chris Kreider Puts The Rangers On His Back; Cements Case For The “C”, NYR/NJD Game Recap, Reaves Injured By Cowardly Subban; Social Media Doctors, The “Eye-Test”, Blais’ Highlight Reel Goal, Mr. Norris, Igor’s Strongest Start Yet, NYR Line-Up Set, Fischler Report & More

The question of “who will become the next captain in Rangers franchise history” may have been answered on 10/6/21 during a Rangers vs Devils preseason game at M$G. In the most fiery game of the preseason, it was Chris Kreider sticking up for fallen teammate Ryan Reaves after a disgusting and dirty slew foot/trip committed by P.K. Subban.

Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. If Jacob Trouba gets the “C” on his sweater as predicted by many, then I give up. After Wednesday night’s game, it has to be Chris Kreider – and I say that as someone who has been pulling for Adam “Mr. Norris” Fox the whole way.

On Wednesday, October 6th, the Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden where they defeated their Hudson River rival, the New Jersey Devils, by a final score of 6-2. While this wasn’t truly a revenge game after Friday’s 7-1 drubbing, for the Rangers, they did what they were supposed to do in this game. After all, and as talked about last blog, the Rangers (Gerard Gallant specifically) pretty much dressed their opening night line-up in this game, sans a few tweaks and adjustments. (More on this to come.)

Following the overtime win over Boston, team bonding activities and two practices in Rhode Island; the rejuvenated Rangers gave their fans plenty of positive things to talk about after this 6-2 victory over the Devils. Of course (because it wouldn’t be the Rangers without one), there’s also a dark cloud after this win, as Ryan Reaves was injured during the contest – the end result of a lowly and disgraceful slew foot from the overpaid P.K. Subban. As of this writing, there’s no word on what Reaves’ status is for opening night and the regular season.

I’ll get more into the Reaves/Subban play as we motor on tonight. After all, this was a game where you really want to accentuate the positives and not harp on the negatives. Like a market in Wuhan, there were a lot of positive results tonight for the Rangers, and as you’d expect when seeing the 6-2 final score.

To me, no one stood out more than Chris Kreider in this game, despite #20 not being involved in any of the scoring. However, (and this is why I always preach the merit and values of the “eye-test”), if you watched this game, you know exactly why Kreider receives top billing tonight.

In addition, especially after this game, I’ll go to my grave saying “physicality and fights will always be more important and more entertaining than charts and graphs.” And even better – no Steve Valiquette on the broadcast tonight, where he would’ve junked up Kreider’s amazing game with all of his foolishness and tales from the world of make-believe.


On the day where Mika Zibanejad was announced as a roster member for Sweden’s Olympic team, Zibanejad scored two goals in this contest, with both goals being set-up by Adam “Norris” Fox. Photo Credit: Getty Images

While Kreider did the heavy lifting and inspired his teammates, it was Adam Fox who executed two perfect passes in the game, two passes that saw the puck go into the back of the net courtesy of Mika Zibanejad. To see the top stars of the Rangers deliver spoke volumes, even if “it’s only the preseason and blah blah blah”.

And to expand on my “it’s only the preseason and blah blah blah” stuff that I’ve been saying during the entire course of this preseason; while yes these games don’t count in the standings, at the same time, you really want to see the Rangers peaking and playing their best games of the preseason in games five and six, especially since nearly the entire opening night roster are now playing together. And that’s what we pretty much saw in this game. If there’s one takeaway any fan should get out of this game, it was that with nearly a complete line-up on the ice, the Rangers excelled.

When you look up-and-down the roster, Kaapo Kakko capitalized off of a turnover and buried a puck past Devils goaltender Jonathan Bernier for a breakaway goal. Sammy Blais, who as mentioned last blog, makes you say “Pavel WHOnevich?” – scored the biggest highlight reel goal of the preseason tonight. (I’ll have the clip of it for you in a bit.) For Blais, who was thought to only be a “TOUGHNEZZ AND GRITZ” player, well we’re now starting to see a lot of scoring touch out of him. Even when Blais isn’t scoring, he’s constantly crashing the net. More importantly, Blais is usually in the right place and at the right time.

Conversely, someone else who seems to be in the right place and at the right time is Julien Gauthier, a Gauthier who only played tonight as the Rangers take the safe approach with the previously injured Vitali Kravtsov. (Kravtsov was practicing with the team on Wednesday and he seems like a go for opening night.)

Unfortunately for Gauthier, and unlike Blais, Gauthier hasn’t been able to capitalize on his multiple scoring chances this preseason, as he’s been a bit snake-bitten. Had Gauthier been able to score on some of these chances, he would’ve made Gerard Gallant’s decision on what to do with the roster harder. At the present moment – it’s easy to see Gauthier either being carried as a spare forward or being sent to Hartford.

Another player picking up a goal in this game, and to stay on the subject of Sammy Blais here, was Barclay Goodrow, who like Blais, is a former Stanley Cup champion and another “sandpaper” type. Blais actually got the secondary assist on this goal, helping Goodrow to score his first goal of this preseason.

Up 5-2 and late into the third period, Artemi Panarin, who before scoring the Rangers sixth goal was without a point; Panarin sniped a puck for a goal after receiving a slick pass from Ryan Strome, a Strome who was behind the net at the time of this pass/assist. Obviously, I was impressed and happy about this goal, but what impressed me even more, was that before this goal, the Rangers had five goals on the board without “The Breadman” being involved in any of them.

Think about it – when’s the last time Panarin was in the line-up, preseason or not, and the Rangers scored five goals without Panarin being involved in any of them? This showed me that the Rangers can score goals on the nights where Panarin is either the defensive focus of the other team or having an off-night.


For the Rangers to make the playoffs and make a dent in them, they’ll need their top two offensive stars to show up and not pull a “Gerrit Cole”. Photo Credit: NYR

Lost in all of the offensive explosiveness and the Reaves injury from Wednesday night, is perhaps the newly minted CZAR IGOR Shestyorkin, a Shestyorkin who played his best game of the preseason yet, going the full way and making 32 saves on 34 shots.

Of the two goals allowed, the first one wasn’t on him, as a gaffe from Ryan Lindgren left Andreas Johnsson wide-open at the backdoor. (I could make a Vally joke here but I will refrain! I’m classy now!)

The second goal allowed came with about ten minutes left in the blow-out, a goal which was pretty much the result of the Rangers getting lazy and trying to skate out the rest of game. However, right after giving up this second goal to Marian Studenic, Artemi Panarin scored twenty seconds later. This was kind of a “no harm, no foul” type of thing, but at the same time, you don’t want to see the team thinking about what to get for dinner either. I’m sure Gallant will stress this to the team. And with a 6-2 final, this Devils second goal is pretty much forgotten about by Ranger fans already.

Despite all the goal scoring and the great work in net, without a question, Chris Kreider lifted the Rangers in this game. I’ll get into Kreider, and more about this game, on the other side of the PLUGS segment.


The hardcover version of “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” is now on sale. I may have mentioned this in the past.

The first plug of tonight’s blog –  the mandatory plug for my new book, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden”.

As mentioned previously, the book is now available in hardcover, in paperback and in Kindle formats. To purchase a copy of the book, visit this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rangers-Rafters-Madison-Square-Garden-ebook/dp/B09CM5N2WD

For those still looking for signed paperback versions of the book, I have 21 copies left for sale for $25 (includes shipping price) through me directly. Here is all the information on that:

Order “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” Book Today


Of note, and as I’ll explain at the end of this blog – this book created a new writing gig for me with Stan Fischler and his “Java Jive”.

Lastly, before getting into the meat and potatoes of tonight’s manifesto, here are my last few blogs in case you missed them:

BCBS For 10/3: “The Many No Saints of Newark” & “The Bishops of Boston”! Rebounding Rangers Play Best Preseason Game Yet; Knock Off “Perfection Line” Bruins, Lundkvist, Kakko, Blais, Rooney, Lafreniere & Wall Step Up Big, Jacob Trouba Talks the Talk But Hasn’t Walked the Walk, Gallant, Roster Cuts, Goalie Log-Jam & More


 

NYR/BOS 9/28 Preseason Game Recap & Thoughts: Panarin Puts on a Hart Trophy Finalist Performance; Beefed Up Kakko Shines Too, Zac Jones Makes His Case for a Roster Spot; Hajek Does Not, Special Teams, Reaves & Miller Show Up; Trouba Watches, NYR Goalies, Henrik Lundqvist Night Ticket Prices Go Through the Rafters & More


 

The line-up that head coach Gerard Gallant used on Wednesday night. Photo Credit: Colin Stephenson/Newsday

Let’s get right into the Kreider, Reaves and Subban stuff.

At 3:23 into the first period, Adam Fox found Mika Zibanejad wide-open for a Rangers goal. Perfection. However, after this goal, the Rangers turned into molasses and the Devils then took control for the rest of the period. I don’t know the exact length of time, but it felt like there was over a ten minute stretch during the period where the Rangers didn’t get a shot on goal. Thankfully, Igor was fantastic in net and kept the Devils and their attack off of the board.

As the clock approached ten minutes remaining in the first period, this happened:

This was a flat-out dirty play, a play that sent Reaves to the locker room. Reaves, who had to be assisted off of the ice by Sammy Blais and Rangers trainer Jim Ramsey, wouldn’t return to the game.

For what it’s worth, after the game, both Gerard Gallant and P.K. Subban said this slew foot was accidental, but I don’t buy it. You be the judge and formulate your own opinion here.

For Gallant, he’s not going to go nuts during a preseason game, as it’s better to keep the cards close to your vest. For Subban, he’s not going to say, “hey, what do you want, I’m a cowardly piece of excrement.”

This drove me up a wall, because as stated, I thought this was a cowardly and a dirty play out of Subban. I just don’t see how you accidentally slew foot someone like this. What I really wanted here was a response out of the Rangers. It never came, at least not in the first period. Thankfully, a response did come in both the second and third periods.

A P.K. Subban slew foot resulted in a nasty looking injury for Ryan Reaves. While we all hope that Reaves is able to return soon and not miss time, Kreider and the Rangers used this disgusting play as motivation. Photo Credit: M$GN

As I write these words, after the game, Gallant told the media that he doesn’t think that this is a serious injury. Gallant said he thinks Reaves will be day-to-day and shouldn’t miss much time, if any. That said, we don’t know if this will effect Reaves’ status for the regular season, with the first game of the season taking place in Washington during TNT’s national broadcast – their first NHL national broadcast ever. You can bet your bottom dollar that TNT is hoping for the best for Reaves too, as I’m sure they already have their Ryan Reaves vs Tom Wilson video packages in the can.

You know my feelings on the NYR media already, so I won’t rehash all of that. However, I felt the media once again missed out on asking the right questions concerning what happened at the start of the second period.

While the Rangers did give Subban some hits (Strome took a high-sticking penalty on Subban too), I really wanted to see a Ranger show some balls and drop the gloves. I know it’s only the preseason, but in this situation, I thought a fight was warranted.

In addition, and really, this is probably the biggest point here, Ryan Reaves was acquired to protect the Rangers. He’s here as the enforcer. He’s here to keep everyone honest. When Reaves goes down, someone else must step up and show appreciation for what he does for the team. It took a horn and an intermission, but that’s what eventually wound up happening. And after what happened, you know the next time Reaves is on the ice, and if someone even looks at Kreider the wrong way, they are going to have their world rocked.

While I’m still in the “Fox For Captain” camp, I have no issues if Kreider gets it. Anyone but Trouba! Of note, I made this horrible Travis Bickle inspired photoshop two seasons ago!

Despite the 1-0 lead at the time, the Devils were dominating the game. That changed immediately once the second period started.

Once the puck dropped, Kreider made a bee-line for PK Subban, where Kreider dropped his gloves and challenged Subban to do the same. Subban, being a wuss, hid behind the referees while Kreider begged for Subban to throw down. This was monumental and swung the game for many reasons:

— Prior to this tussle, in the first period, Kreider just talked to Subban about what he did to Reaves. As Gallant said two weeks ago, “talk is cheap”. If Kreider or someone else didn’t physically challenge Subban here, “talk is cheap” would’ve been tonight’s headline. Kudos to Kreider for manning up.

— We all know about the current vacancy for team captain and all of the candidates in the running. If there were Vegas betting odds on who the next captain of the Rangers will be, Kreider easily leap-frogged timid Trouba tonight.

— Keep in mind that Kreider isn’t a fighter, yet was willing to get scuffed up, not only during this altercation, but later on in the game too.

— With the Rangers not looking so hot at this point in the game, guess what happened next? The Rangers had a four-goal period and drew several power-plays too, where the Rangers, for the first time in three opportunities this preseason, scored a 5 x 3 power-play goal – a rare feat!

Again, I can’t stand the analytics, the charts, the graphs, the hieroglyphics, the heat-maps and all of that other horseshit. None of that crap can predict a game nor ever takes into the account the human factor. In this game, Kreider was a pure Father Finkin’ hockey player and single-handedly motivated and lifted his team.

No joke – I’m not exaggerating at all. Once Kreider challenged Subban here (both were sent to the box afterwards), the Rangers pulled a complete 180. The team was winning face-offs, laying the body, scoring goals, out-skating, blocking shots and just took over the game. Yes, Kreider didn’t get on the scoresheet, but without him, many of the Rangers may have not either.

And this is where I think the media missed out on an opportunity. I want to know if Kreider did this all on his own, or asked for Gallant’s permission/sought approval, before going after Subban. With a new coach in tow, I wonder if Kreider wanted Gallant’s input before going into business for himself and the team. If that’s the case, it would make sense why Kreider waited until the second period to strike, rather than immediately jumping Subban after the dirty play.


As the longest tenured Ranger on the team, no one should have a problem if Kreider becomes captain. Photo Credit: NHL

After Subban sulked away from Kreider’s challenge, Kaapo Kakko would score the second goal of the game on a breakaway. Less than two minutes later, Mika Zibanejad scored his second goal of the contest, the Rangers third, to push the Rangers up 3-0.

Johnsson, as mentioned at the top of this, scored at the half-way mark of the game/period, with a backdoor goal.

With four goals on the board, no goal was better than the fifth goal of the game, a goal that put the Rangers up 4-1:

At this time, let me share you a picture I made several nights ago:

Sammy Blais All Day!

Blais, who has had a tremendous preseason thus far, went into Wayne Gretzky meets Michael Jordan mode, as not only did Blais force a turnover before scoring, Blais also showed off his hands, did some razzle-dazzle and finished Bernier off with precision.

Twenty seconds later, Blais assisted on Goodrow’s goal. 5-1 good guys, where really, it’s hard to envision any of this happening if it wasn’t for Kreider talking to his troops by his actions on the ice. As they say – “actions speak louder than words.”

And oh, Kreider wasn’t done just yet.

At the start of the third period, P.K. Subban, who got what he deserved, as he was harassed by the Garden Faithful all night (Subban’s name even replaced Potvin’s name in the tired “POTVIN SUCKS” chant), tried to go after Kreider, where Kreider brought Subban down and wanted to fight. Of course, the refs broke this up too. I hope this isn’t a new trend and this is only a preseason thing, because I’m tired of watching these refs not letting these guys duke it out. Let them go! After all, players need to work on their fight game during the preseason too!

Subban, with the Rangers well on their way to a win, would eventually get kicked out of the game, but it was never explained why. Ditto Barclay Goodrow, who had no issues with getting into Subban’s face.

What made this all weird was that Goodrow was out there for his shift (a Rangers offensive zone face-off), while Subban was the sixth man on the ice for the Devils. If anything, the Devils should’ve got a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty here, but I guess the refs had enough and just told Subban to take a hike. I still don’t get what Goodrow did to receive his boot from the game. Kind of like Brendan Lemieux before him, this felt like a reputation call against Goodrow than anything else.

And as it always goes, Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti, when wondering about the penalties assessed, babbled incessantly as the public address announcer was reading off the penalties. If they would shut up for a minute, they would’ve known what the penalties were.

With Subban gone, new Devil, Mason Geertsen, who as a result of this game, has been on the wrong side of two different blow-outs between these two teams and in less than a week’s time, tried to get cute with Ryan Strome. Maybe this was Geertsen’s way of trying to show up for Subban or to impress Lindy Ruff and the organization, but whatever the case, it was tough to see what triggered Geertsen. Maybe Strome cut-up his jersey or pulled another joke on Geertsen during Rangers training camp!


While Igor didn’t shut out the Devils tonight, I’m sure he’ll do it again, just like he did last season.

This was a great all-around win for the Rangers tonight, where once again, I just want to stress how good Shestyorkin looked. He needed a game like this, especially since this was his final game of the preseason. (Alexandar Georgiev will start against the Islanders on Saturday, in the sixth and final game of the preseason.)

Quick question for you guys – if you’re Gerard Gallant, how do you manage your goaltenders at the start of the season?

For some strange reason, the Rangers open up the 2021-22 season with a back-to-back set, with a road game in Washington followed by the home opener against Dallas. Two days later, the Rangers travel to Montreal, meaning that the team will play three games in four nights – not ideal.

Traditionally, you usually see your starting goaltender in a home opener. However, with Washington being a divisional opponent, you’d have to think that Igor would start that game. Does Igor get the back-to-back starts? Does Igor get all three starts or do you work in Georgiev somewhere?

My prediction, unless he has a terrible game or something, I think Igor gets the first two games of the season and then Georgiev gets Montreal. Georgiev has had some success in Montreal for what it’s worth, including that epic 6-5 Brendan Lemieux infused win over the Habs from November of 2019.


We know Trouba can lay the body when he wants, which is why I’m surprised it was Kreider, and not Trouba, who did the heavy lifting for the Rangers on Wednesday night. Photo Credit: MSGN

Defensively in this game, Jarred Tinordi played in steed of Patrik Nemeth and was paired with Nils Lundkvist. In turn, this was Lundkvist’s worst game of the preseason, as he finished -1 and was barely noticeable in his 18:44 worth of ice time. I wouldn’t look too much into that, but it is worth noting.

Also invisible tonight was Alexis Lafreneire, who also finished with a -1. Again, I wouldn’t read much into that, but it has to be mentioned. Keep in mind, Lafreniere’s linemate, Chris Kreider, received 17 penalty minutes tonight, so the Rangers top line didn’t get that much work together.

I thought Fox and Lindgren were the top pairing of defenseman in this game. I’ve been really hard on Trouba on this site during this preseason. I thought he played better tonight (he couldn’t be any worse), but nothing will change my opinion that his contract is an albatross and will hurt the Rangers. Just ask Zac Jones.

Trouba’s partner, K’Andre Miller, played better tonight too, but we still haven’t seen the Miller that we saw during his first handful of games from the 2020-21 season.

You know I don’t do the “PROPOZED LINEZ” stuff on this site, but after this game, we pretty much know what we’re getting. The top four lines in this game is what we’ll see on opening night, and in the event that Ryan Reaves is healthy. And if Kravtsov is able to return, I’d imagine he’d take Gauthier’s spot.

Defensively, while Zac Jones has had a much better preseason than Trouba, Miller and Tinordi, I just don’t see where he fits. I think we pretty much know that Lindgren/Fox, Miller/Trouba and Nemeth/Lundkvist are set as your three defensive pairings. With Jones’ age and lack of experience, he probably goes to Hartford, while a veteran like Tinordi hangs around in the old Brendan Smith/seventh defenseman role. Of course, the Rangers could always carry Jones and try to alternate him into the line-up, but I’m not sure if the Rangers want him in the press box every other game.


Get well soon Reaves! Photo Credit: NYR

Finally, as I impart my closing thoughts and opinions on this game, I wish that fans would stop jumping to conclusions the second any player gets hurt. This goes on all the time, and just like in this game with Reaves, all over Rangers social media I read stuff such as “REEVES IZ DONE FOUR THE SEAZON I SWARE”, “HEE DEFENETLY TOAR HIS ACL”, and “I PLAY NHL ON X-BOCKS AND I KNOW HE WILL MIZZ AT LEAST 50 GAMEZ!”

Hockey, or no hockey, here’s some sage advice – never trust medical opinions from people on Twitter.

And as mentioned, according to Gallant WHO IS THERE and WOULD KNOW, this injury doesn’t seem to be as serious as it looked. Let’s just hope Gallant isn’t on Twitter!


As mentioned a few weeks back, the iconic Stan Fischler will be inducted in to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame later this year. It’s still a damn shame and wrong that he isn’t in the Hall of Fame in Toronto. Photo Credit: USA Hockey

Some personal news as we wind down here.

As mentioned on this site previously, I booked a Seattle/Vancouver road-trip for this season. However, Canada has insane laws and regulations about entering their country, including where you have to pay over $200 for a worthless 72 hour PCR test to get in. Entering Canada is just too much of a hassle right now. Plus, in the event that I, or one of my friends get sick out there, we then run the risk of having to quarantine and not being able to get home in a timely fashion. Long story short – my Vancouver trip is sacked, but I will still be going to Seattle.

I know many of you guys like my road-trip blogs, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what the Seattle experience will be like. In addition, with Vancouver now out, I’ll be attending the Rangers game in Nashville later this month, so maybe I’ll see a few of you Tennessee readers at “Tootsies” before the game.

Switching gears here, I’m happy to announce that I’ve accepted a gig with Stan Fischler, where I’ll be contributing articles to his “JAVA JIVE” and “The Fischler Report” website. This is a unique opportunity for me, as Fischler doesn’t want me to write about the Rangers specifically and wants to see what I can do when writing about other topics. This offer was the result of Fischler enjoying my book – the highest of compliments imaginable for me, especially since I’m such a fan of Fischler’s work. (You may have read about this one or a million times before on this site!)

And really, for me personally, to have a legend like Stan Fischler concerned about my writing and wanting to showcase it to a larger audience, it means a lot. After all, as mentioned in “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden”, he was my biggest influence and source when getting into Rangers history.

I plugged my first article for the “JAVA JIVE” on social media earlier today, and was told that the article is behind a paywall. However, I’ll share the article with you below (not sharing everything in the “JAVA JIVE” here; I’m just sharing my own work) and you can follow the rest of my writings for Fischler by visiting https://www.thefischlerreport.com/

I’ll also tell you in advance that I have to adjust my writing style when writing for Fischler. It’s a good challenge and it’s fun to have a real editor and legend critique my work and suggest edits. Even more unique? Having to abide by a word-count! 10,000 word blogs won’t work with Fischler!


Here’s my first entry for “The Fischler Report”/”JAVA JIVE”:

HEADLINE: MY FAVORITE NHL CITY — MONTREAL

THE JIVE: Hockey author Sean McCaffrey does several NHL tours every year. Here Sean explains why he loves watching the Canadiens play in their home town and what’s so neat about watching hockey in Habtown.

As a die-hard Rangers fan who has been lucky to visit over twenty NHL cities to watch the Rangers play, including locales such as Edmonton, Calgary, Las Vegas, Denver, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville; without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite NHL city to visit is Montreal, Quebec.

Montreal, one of the mother cities of professional hockey, is a city rich in tradition and features many things to do for vacationing fans. Whether it’s nightlife entertainment, visiting the historical buildings and churches, five-star restaurants, the old-school Irish bars or something else that suits your fancy – there’s something for everyone. And oh yeah – the oldest and most successful team in NHL history plays there too!

Whenever hockey fans think about Montreal, these people immediately think of the “bleu, blanc et rouge” and how the Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups – the most amount of Stanley Cups ever won by a hockey franchise. Even better, the Montreal Canadiens proudly exhibit all of their success and legends for fans to enjoy.

At the Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell), home of the Canadiens, hockey fans can take a step into history and take in the numerous plaques and statues both inside and outside of the arena which honors all of Montreal’s greatness. While visiting these displays, underneath your feet is a “Canadiens Walk of Fame” where every prominent Montrealer and Canadien Hall of Famer is honored.

I’ve attended nearly a dozen games at the Bell Centre, where I have seen my Rangers do their best when trying to topple their Original Six rival. While I’ve always enjoyed all of my trips to Montreal, needless to say, I haven’t enjoyed every game result while there! After all, Henrik Lundqvist fared so poorly in Montreal, where the Bell Centre eventually became known as his own “House of Horrors”. (Fortunately, Lundqvist had a higher rate of success against Montreal come playoff time.)

One of my favorite game memories in Montreal is from my last trip to the Francophile city, and a trip that took place right before the pandemic shook the world upside-down.

On November 23rd, 2019, the Rangers down 4-0, would erase the whopping deficit, where Brendan Lemieux, playing with a black eye, scored two goals in the Rangers 6-5 comeback victory. After that game, inside of the numerous bars located on St. Catherine’s street, which is a short walk away from the Bell Center, I heard many Canadien fans use a few “bleu” expletives – in both English and French! To myself, all I could say was “Merci Lemieux!”

During all of my trips to Montreal, I have always found Canadien fans to be friendly and excited to talk puck with their American fan counterparts – except once. However, I could only laugh to myself, as my friends and I received some sneers from Hab supporters on October 25th, 2014, which was the date when the Rangers first returned to Montreal after the 2014 Eastern Conference Final. As you may imagine, #20 Chris Kreider jerseys didn’t go over well, but fortunately we didn’t have to pay the “Price” while enjoying the bars of “Rue Bishop” on that day!

For hockey fans who double up as “foodies”, Montreal also boasts a unique cuisine, where poutine is the dish of choice. For fans not big on french fries and cheese curds, Montreal is also famously known for their “chien chauds” – the French word for hotdogs. In fact, hot dogs at the Bell Centre are a tradition for NHLers, a tradition that even goes back to the days when the Habitants played at the old Montreal Forum. If you don’t believe me, ask Phil Kessel!

In my opinion and if you’re lucky enough to ever get the opportunity, I believe Montreal is one of those “pilgramage” cities that every hockey fan should visit at least once in their life. Whether you speak French or not, Montreal is a beautiful city and full of great people. Experiencing a hockey game in Montreal can be overwhelming and electric too, as the Canadiens play in front of one of the best fan bases in all of the league. Just don’t wear a Leafs jersey if you go!


Spoiler Alert: My second article for Fischler will be about the officiating in the NHL. Photo Credit: Unknown

One more plug before wrapping up here.

On Tuesday, October 5th, “The Blueshirt Underground Show” returned with another award-winning episode. To get their perspective on everything going on in Rangerstown, USA, click the play button below:

If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:


Buy the book today! Now in hardcover! (I’ll change this closing graphic when the regular season starts.)

Five preseason games down and one to go. This final game against the Islanders will be the team’s biggest test yet, as the Rangers haven’t fared well against the Islanders in recent seasons. With the Rangers once again going with their starting line-up (although Georgiev will be starting), it’s imperative the Rangers have a good game to close out the preseason and not come out horrendous.

I’m sure we might get a cut announcement or two between now and Saturday. If we do, maybe I’ll put up a quick article, as I did last Sunday regarding Tyler Wall. If not, I’ll be back Saturday night and then it’s off to the regular season.

Until next time…

Stay FABULOUS my friends.

As always here, thanks for reading and…

LET’S GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@NYCTHEMIC on Tweeter

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4 thoughts on “BCBS For 10/7: Chris Kreider Puts The Rangers On His Back; Cements Case For The “C”, NYR/NJD Game Recap, Reaves Injured By Cowardly Subban; Social Media Doctors, The “Eye-Test”, Blais’ Highlight Reel Goal, Mr. Norris, Igor’s Strongest Start Yet, NYR Line-Up Set, Fischler Report & More

  1. I jumped up and started yelling at the TV when Micheletti said PK was not known as a dirty player.

    I have always heard him referred to as P.K. Slewfoot.

    Kreider would have made a lot better impression on me if he threw some punches, instead of hugging him twice.

    It was nice to see Kappo score. He will probably score quite a few this year.

    Lafreniere may have a sophomore slump. But only for a few weeks.

    playoffs? next year for sure.

    1. Just seeing something out of Kreider was encouraging, and who knows what would’ve happened if the refs didn’t keep breaking it up?

      I think if they miss the playoffs, heads will roll again.

  2. Congrats on the new gig. Falling in with the likes of Stan Fischler, pretty heady heady company for a “humble blogger.” Great hockey endorsement!

    I was a little surprised about the “tape delay” aspect to Kreider’s avenge move against Subban. Nice to see, but I don’t see how he couldn’t have just turned to Gallant on the bench at the time. Makes me think maybe it was Gallant who asked about doing something for the Reaves who was there to protect THEM.

    Yes, 5 goals and not a Panarin on the scoresheet. Great stuff and hopefully a huge step forward for the upcoming season.

    Lastly, yes, The Rink of Honor – such a fun read. So much to learn about the early Ranger teams and the start of the Franchise. Thanks.

    1. Thanks, it’s definitely cool for me.

      Glad you’re enjoying the book!

      Maybe Kreider saw Reaves in the locker room and/or a replay, and decided then to get some revenge. Funny how the media never asked about this.

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