Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. We’re still looking for our first Rangers’ goal of this 2025-26 season!
(And had Chris Kreider been in the line-up tonight – then I think that we would have seen it!)
Oh yeah, this too:
One down, eighty-one to go – and then the real fun begins – the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery!
And if you still remain as positive as Charlie Sheen or Magic Johnson when talking about the Rangers’ chances this year (that’s an HIV joke – we’re starting off this season with a bang tonight!), then kudos to you.
Me?
Then I feel that this season will eventually end up as Rock Hudson.
As a reminder, then here’s your daily BlueCollarBlueShirts.com mantra/slogan/war-cry for this 2025-26 Blueshirts’ campaign – and one that’s not exactly as sunny when compared to previous seasons:
I hate to rewrite what I’ve previously written long-form on this site; but for the readers who skipped both the summer and the preseason (I don’t blame you – but I’d also suggest that you check out the archives of this site for my complete explanations) – and I have no faith in the Rangers’ centennial campaign – and none at that whatsoever.
In fact, I see the Blueshirts’ season going down very similar to the New York Giants’ centennial season (2024) – and where if you recall, then Big Blue blew – and to a tune of 3-14.
There’s a whole lot of stuff not to like about what’s a very unlikable organization these days, including, but not limited to, the following:
— Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured Ranger of the past several seasons, and the franchise’s best special teams player too, was traded to Anaheim for practically nothing in exchange.
— CK20’s BFF, the worst offender from last season, Stinka Zibanedud, still remains – and the Rangers, specifically head coach Mike Sullivan and general manager/team president Chris Drury, are coddling this mental midget more than ever. We should all be as lucky as him to get such treatment from our own employers.
— Artemi Panarin – or as I call him “Assaultin’ Artie” (and sometimes, NDArtemi) – was alleged of drugging and sexually assaulting a female M$GN employee. In news that was later confirmed, his alleged victim signed a no-disclosure agreement (NDA), where in turn, she received a hefty cash settlement as a trade-off for her silence.
(Call me soft here, but I got nieces, a mother, aunts, you name it – and this shit pisses me off to no end.)
— As noted in this space before, then if someone like a Tony DeAngelo or another Republican that the liberal media didn’t like had done the same – then you’d never hear the end of it.
— Panarin? Then this story was swept under the rug faster than the Rangers jacking up the cost of their tickets – and that’s why I will continue to bring it up here – as nobody else will.
— For Lyin’ Larry Brooks, and others like him, you know, the birdbrain Blueshirts’ beat who will go on-and-on about Alex Ovechkin’s friendship with Vladimir Putin – and not one word about Panarin’s alleged crimes and confirmed NDA.
— I’m supposed to support this guy? And keep in mind – this is all coming from someone who has always given him the benefit of the doubt (site archives and social media postings don’t lie).
— The Blueshirts, after one of their most horrific seasons in 99-years of action, decided to address all of their 2024-25 problems by basically doing nothing. Sure, they dealt Kreider and K’Andre Miller (Carolina) – but all they brought in this summer was the aging defenseman from Los Angeles, Vladislav Gavrikov.
— Again I ask you – how is this team any better than last year? What, because they changed the head coach for the fourth time in five-years?
(Prediction? Drury’s nepo-hire, Sullivan, will be out of here in 2-3 years – and hopefully by then – the worst captain in franchise history, the Pizza Makin’ GM of today, goes with him.)
— I know that the Rangers, as an organization, are trying to promote this centennial season as if they have a history akin to the New York Yankees. However, when then names of Frank Boucher, Bill Cook, Bun Cook and Bryan Hextall are STILL omitted from your rafters – then – and pardon my French – you’re a fucking joke. (And as regular readers know – I don’t drop f-bombs on this site very often, as this way, they mean something when I do.)
— Worse than that? The Rangers are actually charging full price to both the alumni and their relatives alike, in order to attend games at M$G this season. That’s just bullshit – and especially from a multi-billion dollar company.
— Since the Blueshirts are trying to promote this centennial season as if the second coming of Jesus Christ is now upon us, then one-word has become so dirty in the streets of Rangerstown, USA, so filthy as if it was a slur, you know, this word – REBUILD.
— So rather than accepting that Dumbass Drury blew the team’s best chance of winning the Stanley Cup during the past thirty-years (the 2024 trade deadline, where the likes of Alex Wennberg, Jack Roslovic and Chad Ruhwedel were preferred over names such as J.T. Miller, Jake Guentzel, Adam Henrique, Radko Gudas and others) – and instead – we’re stuck with retreads and future one-and-done players such as Taylor Raddysh and Conor Sheary.
— Paying for Drury’s thick-headed thinking are guys like Brett Berard and Gabe Perreault – a pair of Baby Buck Blueshirts that should be developed in the here and the now – and again – this is coming from someone who always preaches veteran experience – but of course – that solely implies to WIN NOW teams, which the Rangers are NOT.
— The defense from last year, one so bad that both CZAR IGOR and Jonathan Quick sought psychological help for it over the summer, is mainly all back in-tact. Outside of the Miller for Gavrikov exchange, and you got guys with no future here in the likes of Carson Soucy and Urho Vaakanainen.
— Speaking of the Miller for Gavrikov replacement on defense – and Drury never brought in anyone to replace Kreider. Instead, and there have been two-words repeated by both management and pundits alike when describing the Rangers’ chances this year – “bounce-back” and “hope.”
— All over the place and you have people saying that a guy like Zibanedud will “hopefully bounce-back.” Yeah – and maybe I’ll take a shit out of my penis too. Elsewhere and the words “bounce-back” and “hope” have also become affixed to Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, and to a lesser extent, NDA Panarin too.
— What’s next? Drury and Sullivan promoting two other words – “thoughts and prayers?”
So yeah, the glass on this site, which was previously half-full, is not only broken – but it’s completely shattered all over the floor too.
If you don’t like the negativity, then I understand.
But I must be true to myself.
After all, I don’t sell ads to you. I don’t break up these blogs into 79867867986798 articles in order to pump-up artificial traffic.
Instead of all that jazz, I just write what I think and that’s that – and in a self-pat on the back moment – my batting average with my public Ranger predictions over the past dozen seasons is hovering at around 90% (again – the archives of this site don’t lie).
Suffice to say – and I don’t see the Rangers doing anything this year.
Drury blew that 2024 Trade Deadline – and it’s now become the latest and biggest “WHAT IF” question in franchise history.
Making matters worse is that your two highest-paid forwards, Mika and NDA, are not that likable.
All Mika does, and as you’ll see below, is make excuses, while the other pays off people after his off-ice mistakes and potential (and ALLEGED) felonies.
But hey – I’m still here (for now – and as noted earlier this summer – I may take time off when all of the losing breaks me), I remain loyal (my father, and for that matter, his father too, couldn’t have grown up as fans of the Montreal Canadiens?) and if you’re going to suck the biggest of in-between leg appendages – then you may as well look nice when doing it:
Let’s quickly summarize tonight’s mess first, breeze through the news and then rapid-fire through the GAME REVIEW segment.
As noted up top – then everything that I said heading into this tilt transpired tonight.
Furthermore – and I even put my money where my mouth was too – but with that said – and I didn’t bet that much moolah on the final result either:
I never thought that the Rangers would win this game.
Heck, I didn’t even give them a 1% chance to win – and despite every sports-book in the land pegging them as 2:1 favorites.
As opposed to the black-and-yellow team – and the Rangers never had a full preseason game with all of their regulars dressed.
Heck, NDArtemi barely practiced, much less skated in an exhibition match.
Elsewhere, and the new captain in town, J.T. Miller, only played in one preseason game, then rarely practiced due to a non-contact injury following it.
And after the game?
Then Miller said exactly what I predicted – his legs were heavy and his conditioning wasn’t there – as he didn’t get enough reps due to his injury.
And had I known that the Penguins were going to start a back-up goalie tonight?
Then I would’ve put my mortgage payment on them!
Elsewhere, and I thought that the Blueshirts would bomb because they had to learn new systems, while also having a group that unlike the Penguins, weren’t that overly familiar with one other.
(That said – and the Penguins did dress two rookies in their line-up – or twice the amount as Sullivan did.)
I should’ve said this earlier, but I’ll say it here (these manifestos are always written in a stream-of-consciousness matter):
The entire organization, and with the backing of their controlled state media/birdbrain Blueshirts’ beat reporters as well, are desperately trying to sell that this is a whole new team – and that everyone should forget about last season too.
Fuck that.
After all, if you don’t learn from history, then you’re doomed to repeat it.
Yes, we’ve only seen six preseason games and one game that matters (tonight’s home-opener) – but if you total all of this as a seven-game sample size – then the Rangers have DONE NOTHING to make your mind move past what happened last year.
Heck – all they’ve done is amplified such reminders – so much so – that the Big Apple hockey club are currently bordering on green-and-white territory (The New York Jets) – which in turn -makes them THE SAME OLD RANGERS!
Again, this game felt like a preseason match – and as noted earlier – because many of these guys rarely played in the exhibition contests.
This was also one of those games, where if you were trying to interest a person new to the sport, then as a result, this potential new fan would’ve said “I’m done, but hey, at least I tried!”
The Rangers were all of the -less’s tonight:
You know – listless, lifeless, careless, hopeless, useless, joyless and you get the rest.
In what was a bore of a first period (and eventually – the whole game too) – and in another SAME OLD RANGERS moment – and it was a final minute of a period allowed goal (and the SAME OLD RANGERS are bound to do what they always do too – give up a goal in the opening minute of a game) that buried them.
During a Penguins’ o-zone faceoff and Trocheck lost a draw to Evgeni “Shrek” Malkin.
Two-seconds later, and with only 32-ticks left to be ticked too – and Justin Brazeau beat CZAR IGOR with a backhander.
This shot, of a total of 28 that CZAR IGOR faced, wound up becoming the game-winning shot/goal.
It was also a goal allowed that was 100% on the shoulders of a Rangers’ skater – and where Alexis Lafreniere, with his piss-poor defense, was to blame here.
Similar to the prime years of CZAR IGOR’s predecessor, Henrik “Give Me Two Goals And I Got This” Lundqvist – and the Rangers’ starter did everything in his power to carry his team to a win.
But CZAR IGOR never got the two goals for.
Hell, he never even got one.
Despite two separate power-plays (and don’t forget my tag-line either – “SPECIAL TEAMS SWING GAMES”) and the Rangers finished as 0-2 on the man-advantage.
Rather than racking up power-play goals, and instead, the Blueshirts opted to boost their turnover totals.
Officially, and Sully’s Squad were “credited” with 17 turnovers – but it felt like 17-million.
Outside of a few elongated shifts in the Penguins’ zone – and most of this game felt like the early montage out of the first “Rocky” movie – the Rangers trying to chase chickens.
In crunch time, and still trailing 1-0 with under 2:30 remaining in regulation – and CZAR IGOR was pulled for the extra attacker.
But before CZAR IGOR could even place his royal Russian rump onto the Rangers’ bench – and there was Brazeau once more – this time by depositing the rubber into the vacated Blueshirts’ goal.
And when the Rangers’ employed their 6 x 5 attack once more?
Then CZAR IGOR couldn’t even find the time to put his baseball cap to put on – as Blake Lizotte sealed the deal with his 3-0, hurry up and get the early train home, empty net goal.
It should be said that prior to the pair of Penguins’ empty-netters, and the Rangers had chances – but they may as well have been playing Powerball (where the winner has a one out of 79867869867986798677986986 zillion chance to win – which admittedly – were better odds of the Blueshirts winning on Tuesday night).
Minus Mika (-2), and I lost count, had numerous chances to score – but every freakin’ time – and the man who should’ve been deported out of town over the summer either went high or wide – and on vacated and GAPING nets no less!
And when he did put the puck on net?
Then it was all from the perimeter – and where Silvos had a good laugh after all of them – seven in total.
Lafreniere?
For the minus-three player, he had a second-best team-high six shots on goal – and were all of them were of the high-danger variety too – but alas – he could never finish.
Obviously, a second career as a male porn star is not in his future – as he can never hit the money shot.
It should also be said that Lafreniere’s linemates, Panarin and Trocheck, which also doubled-up as the team’s first line (most TOI collectively), also finished as a minus-3 in the box score.
All of the hub-bub and jazz surrounding the first game of year one-hundred – and this was a dud – and just like last season.
SAME OLD RANGERS!
At this time, then I’d like to share with you my last blog entry that was posted on this site:
NYR/NJD 10/2 Game Review: The New Great Debate of Noah Laba v. Gabe Perreault – Who Goes & Who Stays? B-Teams Split Ranger/Islander Preseason Set; IBS Arena Remains The Best, “The Untouchable” Brennan Othmann (Rightfully Cut); Another Big What If Question, Stinka Zibanedud Still Cries; Drury Kowtows, Dave “Riiiiiight?” Maloney Still Rules; “The Canadian John Wayne” Will Cuylle, Faust Fine in First Foray, J.T. Miller Injured; NDA-rtemi Panarin Yet To Play, Wake Up Lafreniere, BIG BLUE/NY GIANTS Line, Photo Gallery & More
Let’s quickly catch-up on the news that I’ve yet to talk about on this site:
— Jonny Brodzinski, the former captain in Hartford prior to his promotion to New York, is now a three-time father. He also remains as a varsity regular. JONNY HOCKEY (and with no disrespect intended for Johnny Gaudreau – as I was using this nickname prior to Gaudreau’s murder) missed the final preseason game in order to attend the birth of his third child – and as a result – a big congratulations and well-wishes from me to the Brodzinski Brood.
— I’m not even going to talk about that fucking dreck which was the Rangers’ final preseason game in Boston. However, if you want all of it, then check out my Tweeter feed over at https://x.com/NYCTheMiC
— But in short, then if you’re looking for a quick summary of that game, then the Blueshirts looked like a walking abortion – so much so – that even the most ardent pro-life people would reconsider their stance.
— Brett Berard, and like Gabe Perreault before him, was sent down to Hartford during the Rangers’ final cut of camp. In other words, you now have a bunch of players in the AHL that looked much better during the preseason than the ones in the NHL.
— How Berard and Perreault (and to a lesser extent, Scott Morrow too) are now howlin’ with the Wolf Pack rather than growing in New York, while U.V., Soucy, Raddysh and Conor Sheary remain, is beyond me.
— And this is what just sickens me – because like my previous predictions that later proved to be true over the course of time on this site – and we all know how this will end.
— In alumni news and Vitali Kravtsov (VAN) and Alexandar Georgiev (BUF) were both waived. While the demotion and removal of Crybaby Kravtsov shocks no one – but the downfall of THE BULGARIAN BEAST is quite surprising. More surprising was the fact that AG40 hooked up with the Sabres in the first place – as the perennial failure of a franchise had already signed four goalies to him previous.
— In other big news, then following Kirill Kaprizov’s huge deal in Minnesota, and Connor McDavid, who every Ranger fan in the land had their eyes on (and even if it was only a 1% chance that he’d ever enter the cesspool known as Manhattan), extended in Edmonton – but for only two-years.
Captain Connor, #97, also put his money where his mouth was – and by that – I am 100% implying that HE WANTS TO WIN.
Following Kaprizov becoming the highest-player in the league ($17M) annually, and McDavid, the best player of a generation, agreed to only a two-year deal worth $12.5M-per-year.
Yeah, $12.5M for twelve-months is nothing to sneeze at – but for the former first-overall draft pick (and future Hall of Famer too) – he’s now approaching the age of 29-years-old.
This is to say who knows?
He could suffer a career-ending injury tomorrow. He could get hit by a bus. Hell, he could even get infected with Rangerssuckitis!
Long-story short?
Then McDavid could’ve very easily asked for an eight-year deal worth $160M overall – or $20M annually – which would have made him the highest-paid player in the league – and as he deserves to be.
Furthermore, by not taking term, he’s literally leaving over $100M on the table!
And had he waited until the 2026 free agency period – then who knows – he may have received a seven-year deal worth over $20M annually!
But the man wants to win.
And he wants to win in Edmonton.
In other words?
Then should the Rangers become a lottery team – then the likes of McDavid and Kaprizov won’t be available this summer during a free agency period that’s shaping up to be like the one that just passed – not that exciting.
But NDArtemi may become a UFA!
(But as predicted on this site – then I believe that come the 2026 trade deadline – and “The Breadman” will join his best buddy, Sergei Bobrovsky, in Florida – and especially if Sasha Barkov is ruled out for the season.)
In news that came to the surprise of no one; then prior to the Rangers’ dreadful home-opener loss, and Drury’s nepo-hire, Sullivan, was able to sign his former charge following what was really a so-so PTO contract performance.
Here’s how the Rangers broke the story, courtesy of https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-agree-to-terms-with-conor-sheary:
New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has agreed to terms with forward Conor Sheary on a one-year contract.
Sheary, 33, played in four preseason games for the Rangers while attending Training Camp on a Professional Tryout (PTO). He registered one goal and two assists for three points in the exhibition season.
Last season, the Winchester, Massachusetts native recorded 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points in 59 games with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL). He led the Crunch in points and shots (157) while ranking tied for first in goals and second in assists. Among all AHL skaters during the 2024-25 campaign, he tied for ninth in assists and tied for 10th in points. Sheary also skated in five games for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.
The 5-8, 180 pound forward has collected 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points in 593 career NHL games across 10 seasons between the Lightning, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Sheary notched career-high tallies in goals (23), assists (30) and points (57) in 61 games with the Penguins during the 2016-17 season. He has skated in 72 playoff games, tallying seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points, and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Sheary was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst by Pittsburgh on July 1st, 2015.
Not mentioned in another Blueshirts’ press release?
The real facts, including the following:
— It’s a one-year and two-way contract worth $775K overall – aka – the veteran’s minimum.
— By adding Sheary, most likely a one-and-done Ranger, then it takes playing time away from people who deserve it, such as Perreault and Berard.
— I should also remind you that what the roster looks like right now won’t be the same come April. Heck, it could even change next week – but with hat said – and I still don’t get it.
However, I fully, and 100% at that, understand our next news item.
On Monday, at the conclusion of training camp, and the Rangers announced the following on social media – but nary a word on their official team website:
“Congratulations to Noah Laba on winning the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award, given annually to the top NYR rookie in training camp as selected by the media.”
For those who don’t know the history and/or meaning of this award, then let me share with you what I reprint on this site every year during this time on the calendar:
Lars-Erik Sjoberg, who at the prime of his playing career, won three Avco Cups as the captain of the WHA Winnipeg Jets – where as a result, the defenseman was later inducted into the WHA Hall of Fame too – the Swede then became a scout (head of the European department) with the Rangers following his one-and-done NHL season in 1979-80.
(He only played in the NHL with the Jets because of the league’s merger with the second league.)
On October 20th, 1987, and at only the age of 43-years-old – and Sjoberg sadly passed away after a battle with cancer.
During his eight-years with the Rangers, he helped general managers Craig Patrick and Phil Esposito discover the likes of Tomas Sandstrom, Jan Erixon, Kjell Samuelsson and Ulf Dahlen.
(And you can read about how all of these players were then traded away in my four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade” – and where the Samuelsson trade “trumps” all.)
Due to Sjoberg’s work as a scout; then starting in 1988, and the Blueshirts created an award in his namesake, which annually honors the top Rangers’ rookie in camp.
For the sake of posterity, then here are all of the winners:
1988 Mike Richter
1989 Troy Mallette
1990 Steven Rice
1991 Tony Amonte
1992 Peter Andersson
1993 Mattias Norstrom
1994 Mattias Norstrom
1995 Niklas Sundstrom
1996 Eric Cairns
1997 Marc Savard
1998 Manny Malhotra
1999 Kim Johnsson
2000 Filip Novak
2001 Dan Blackburn
2002 Jamie Lundmark
2003 Dominic Moore
2005 Henrik Lundqvist
2006 Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky
2007 Marc Staal
2008 Lauri Korpikoski
2009 Matt Gilroy
2010 Derek Stepan
2011 Carl Hagelin
2013 Jesper Fast
2014 Anthony Duclair
2015 Oscar Lindberg
2016 Jimmy Vesey
2017 Filip Chytil
2018 Lias Andersson
2019 Adam Fox
2020 Not Awarded (Pandemic)
2021 Nils Lundkvist
2022 Brennan Othmann
2023 Will Cuylle
2024 Adam Edstrom
2025 Noah Laba
As you can see from the list posted above, then it’s pretty much all over the place.
For legendary players such as Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist, then there’s also Crybaby Andersson and Nils Lundkvist too.
However, if you look at this collection of names as a whole – then most of these players have gone on to enjoy lengthy NHL careers – as the amount of “BUSTS” is minimal.
Over time, we’ll see if Laba becomes the real or becomes a bust.
The last two winners of this award, Cuylle and Edstrom, seem to have promising futures.
However, the winner before this trio (Laba included), does not – but hopefully Brennan Othmann can move away from the label of Lias Andersson 2.0!
For those who care, then here were Sullivan’s empty words heading into Tuesday’s 3-0 home-opening loss:
Yeah, and despite Sullivan’s former status as a Rangers’ assistant head coach under John Tortorella (and where I would have been completely on board with a Torts 2.0 tenure too) and his present role as the head coach of USA Hockey as well – and I just can’t get into Sully at all.
Perhaps it’s because I’m so used to hating him – as he won two Cups in Pittsburgh – while also inducing a lot of Blueshirts’ heartbreak during those years too.
But I just don’t find him interesting – and as I previously did with Gerard Gallant. (And as you know – I could never get into Peter “Lateralette” either – which don’t you know it – was another successful prediction of mine!)
That said – and Sullivan did give us an interesting post-game response to this loss – but we’ll get there once we get there!
At this time, then let me show you, via video, how much ASS Stinka Zibanedud was tonight – then give you the line-up!
Here was Sully’s line-up for the first game of this 2025-26 season:
FIRST LINE: Lafreniere/Trocheck/Panarin
SECOND LINE: Cuylle/Miller/Zibanejad
THIRD LINE: Sheary/Laba/Raddysh
FOURTH LINE: Edstrom/Carrick/Rempe
FIRST PAIR: Gavrikov/Fox
SECOND PAIR: Soucy/Borgen
THIRD PAIR: Vaakanainen/Schneider
STARTING GOALIE: CZAR IGOR
BACK UP GOALIE: Jonathan Quick
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: Jonny Brodzinski, Juuse Parssinen and Matt Robertson
BOX SCORE time.
The following graphics and information come from ESPN.com:
SCORING:
PENALTIES:
TEAM STATS:
GOALIES:
|
NYR
|
|
SA
|
GA
|
SV
|
SV%
|
ESSV
|
PPSV
|
SHSV
|
SOSA
|
SOS
|
TOI
|
PIM
|
| 28 | 1 | 27 | .964 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59:37 | 0 |
|
PITT
|
|
SA
|
GA
|
SV
|
SV%
|
ESSV
|
PPSV
|
SHSV
|
SOSA
|
SOS
|
TOI
|
PIM
|
| 25 | 0 | 25 | 1.000 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60:00 | 0 |
Tuesday’s tilt was broadcast on ESPN – but M$GN did provide both pre- and post-game coverage.
I tried to watch the M$GN pregame show – but once I saw that feckless self-serving piece of garbage, Sieve Vagistat, on-air – and that was it for me.
As noted many times over the years – and I just can’t stomach all of his nonsense and made-up charts – you know – ANALytics that nobody else in the league uses. (90% of the league uses SportsLogiq for their ANALytics.)
Since this was a national (and prime-time too) broadcast (and what a way for the Rangers to showcase themselves to the league) – then ESPN didn’t pick up Laba’s rookie skate/lap:
Noah Laba takes the ice for the first time before an NHL regular-season game 👏 pic.twitter.com/0quobM2459
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2025
While I always enjoy Messier on these broadcasts; but this was also another game that solidified this fact:
TNT does this much better than ESPN – and about a 79867986786786986986 zillion times better at that.
That said, and it was nice not to see P.K. Slewban there (ESPN said he’d be back in January), as the recently retired T.J. Oshie, formerly of the Capitals, and who also predicted the Blueshirts to miss the playoffs, filled the seat.
In other news (and news that wasn’t mentioned on ESPN airwaves either), and Ryan Callahan is no longer with the network.
I don’t know if this was just a saving face moment or 100% the truth, but according to Captain Cally, now 40-years-old – and he wants to spend more time with his family.
My hopes?
Perhaps Cally, still local, takes some part-time work with M$GN (he previously did two games a few years ago) – and gets that seven-foot piece of shit Islander alum,Vagistat, off-air!
ESPN aired some of Sullivan’s pregame speech prior to puck drop, but the prophetic Messier responded with the following:
“It’s one thing to say it, it’s another thing to do it.”
And isn’t it amazing Suzyn that the majority of my opinions, first posted on this site, are later shared by the likes of Messier and Lundqvist on-air?
I’m happy that’s the case – as Vagistat always offers bullshit that differs from my own thinking!
As I was wondering about the Yankees’ fate (there will be a Game 4!), I was also pondering this question:
“Will the Rangers come up for Sully – or will the Penguins come up for their new “Muse”?
We received that answer at around 10:30PM – but not before John Brancy, who has succeeded John Amirante without issue, belted out another lovely and patriotic rendition of our National Anthem.
Following that, and after more excellent shots of those beautiful Blueshirt jerseys too (if you’re going to lose, then at least lose in style); the Rangers then decided to shit the bed for the next sixty-minutes.
Let’s blow through this GAME REVIEW, as it’s getting late in real-time for me – and who wants to relive all of this crap too!?!?!
FIRST PERIOD
Just twenty-seconds into the match – and CZAR IGOR recorded his first save – and against who else – Sidney Crosby!
Ah, the Bad Habit Blueshirts were already in mid-season form – and that trend would continue for the next 58:40 of play.
At just the 59-second mark and Fox drew Harrison Brunicke for hooking.
The Rangers, now gifted with an early power-play?
0-1 – and where only Lafreniere challenged the back-up backstop.
Impressive.
(I should also note, that if you want the complete play-by-play from this game – as I’m only hitting the highlights – or should I say low-lights? – then check out: https://x.com/NYCTheMiC )
Once returned to 5 x 5 play and the man with the Palestinian supporting wife, Stinka Zibanedud, missed a wide-open net from a foot out.
Mid-season form!
And SAME OLD RANGERS too!
With 12:27 remaining, Fox, who drew the Rangers’ first power-play, then gave the Blueshirts’ their first penalty kill of the season too, as #23 with the bad knee interfered with Crosby.
The Rangers’ PK, which was good for large portions of last season, came out of this as a perfect 1-1 when down a man.
Following eight-minutes of uninterrupted whistle-free hockey, where most of it was the Penguins attacking and the Rangers clearing; CZAR IGOR then made his best save yet, when with 4:23 remaining, he stopped Philip Tomasino from point-blank range.
About four-minutes later, and following a Trocheck d-zone faceoff loss, then this is when Lafreniere brain-farted while Justin Brazeau ejaculated into CZAR IGOR’s net, for the bad guys 1-0 goal.
SAME OLD RANGERS.
And 1-0, Pens, following twenty-minutes of play too.
Here’s what I said at the time:
1-0, bad guys, after 20. 1P Thoughts:
— Special Teams Swing Games and #NYR couldn’t score on their PP.
— SAME OLD Rangers – of course a goal allowed in last minute.
— Miserable Mika misses an open net from a foot away – shocker.
— Panarin and Miller need time to knock the…— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) October 8, 2025
SECOND PERIOD
Man – have I really gone overboard with the four-letter words and foul language tonight!
I guess that speaks to my state of mind about this team – and perhaps the (Buffalo Trace) whisky is talking too!
After Crosby beat Miller at the dot to open this middle period – and just 2:00 later – and Raddysh almost set-up Laba for a one-timer.
And had that shot went in – then M$G would’ve sounded like Yankee Stadium after Aaron Judge’s 3-run bomb off of the left-field foul pole.
Speaking of the word foul, then right after this – and Miserable Mika missed another wide-open net.
Yes – and granted too – and Zibanejad did get to the net a lot tonight.
That said – and he’s one of the highest-paid centers in the league – which means that he’s paid to score.
At this point of his career – and I don’t think that the Swedish-Iranian – and with a fistful of $100 bills in his hands too – could even score in a whorehouse.
No joke – and I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again here:
Zibanejad has replaced the likes of Erik Karlsson and Jeff Skinner as having the absolute worst contract in the NHL.
His contract no longer handcuffs the Blueshirts anymore.
Instead, and it is his ridiculous deal that ABSOLUTELY anchors them.
Following more CZAR IGOR saves; then at the 5:20 mark, he got some much needed assistance from his BFF – the iron – as a puck hit the post then took a Rangers’ bounce.
As we hit the two-minute warning – surprise, surprise – and Mika, after creating a turnover – couldn’t score on a breakaway.
Color me shocked!
Down to 65-seconds remaining, and another Silov save made on Lafrienere too – and Letang tripped the man accused of drugging and sexually assaulting an M$GN employee.
(And for those who missed it – then the full story on Panarin’s offenses can be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6284856/2025/04/17/artemi-panarin-sexual-assault-settlement-ny-rangers/ )
After the ESPN announcers, Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro, tried their best to jinx Silov (as they mentioned the word “SHUTOUT” no less than fifty-times in a minute); then the Rangers did nothing during their first 1:05 of power-play time.
In turn, this remained as a one-goal game as we hit the second intermission.
Here’s what I said at the time:
1-0, black & yellow after 40, 2P Thoughts:
— #NYR don’t look so hot
— These ESPN announcers sure love using the word “shutout.”
— A back-up goalie having his game of his life against the Rangers – a tale as old as time.
— Mika sucks.— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) October 8, 2025
THIRD PERIOD
After a pissed-off Messier expressed his displeasure with the Rangers, we soon returned for the final twenty-minutes – and where the Blueshirts did nothing with their remaining power-play time.
0-2 on the power-play – and in a game where one-shot was the difference.
To ESPN’s credit – or to be specific – McDonough and Ferraro – and the world-wide leader in sports spent a lot of time praising David Quinn – and despite the leader of the Rangers’ power-play 0-2 showing.
As I said all summer – and as ESPN stated too – and DQ is a better – and much more forgiving – person than most of us.
After all, if my job publicly fired me, where in addition, my employees then immediately smack-talked me too – then I would never return.
DQ?
He did just that after his 2021 exit (and where as I said at the time – he didn’t deserve to be fired either) – and where in addition – he took a lesser position at his former place of employment.
Seriously – how many of you guys and gals out there would do what DQ is doing this season?
Not me, that’s for sure!
(Ironically from a personal standpoint? I’ve worked for the same employer twice – but I should say – I also left on good terms the first time – and I didn’t have anyone talking shit about me after I left either!)
The only roar from the crowd that you heard this period?
When the M$G scoreboard replayed Judge’s series-saving three-run homer.
After that?
Two immediate Penguin empty-net goals.
2-0, bad guys.
3-0, bad guys, your final score from the SAME OLD RANGERS.
But wait K-Mart shoppers – there’s more.
Check out these two post-game interviews:
In the first interview, and aside from Miller admitting what I predicted (he was going to be rusty) – and this disgusting crybaby, Stinka Zibanedud, went into his SAME OLD SHIT, and especially when he said, “we have to play more desperate.”
First off – STFU Mika – you already said this nearly 82-times last season – and about 100-times more before that.
Secondly, and most importantly, is what Sullivan said when being told what the most-overpaid player in all of the world told the media:
“I’ve never been a big fan of that word [desperate]. It implies hopelessness.”
Another word that implies “hopelessness?”
Mika.
One more time – sorry if all of this comes off as negative – but I can only work with the material that I’m given!
I know, I know, I know: I hate to sound like a braggart, but seriously, look at all of my previous predictions over the years.
More times than not, and as in 9/10 times – and I’m usually proven correct.
In short, I just look at Drury’s summer, and this roster as a result of it – and I remain sickened.
But don’t get it twisted – I still love this franchise – and despite how much it pains me (and at the top of the list – their refusal to honor all-time legends).
I guess to compare myself to someone else out there – then I’m a potty-mouth version of a Jets’ talkin’ Joe Benigno!
Until something changes (and where I should add – I’d love to be proven wrong too) – and I just can’t ignore the nonsense unfolding in front of my very own two-eyes.
Had the Rangers embraced a rebuild – then I could get behind that – and as I was in 2018 (again – archives of this site don’t lie).
Instead, management, and all of their minions too, are selling WIN-NOW.
They are only lying to themselves.
I should be back Thursday night with a Rangers/Sabres review.
Also on Thursday night?
The Ducks’ first game of the season (at Seattle) – and where I’ll most likely be watching the majority of Anaheim games this season – and for all of the obvious reasons.
Give them hell Kreider – and speaking of that word – “hell” – and this is what this Rangers’ season is most likely going to be like!
At this point, I feel like an old-school battered Irish house-wife with these Blueshirts – but I still love them anyway.
But I just won’t stick my head in the sand with them anymore either.
After all, I’m all too aware of this team’s history, which is a perfect segue-way to…
PLUGS TIME! (Buy a book and support my Rangers’ induced therapy bills. After all, I don’t run ads on this site!)
My fourth title and tenth book is now available!
“The Top 100 Villains of New York Rangers History,” is now available for sale!
For complete information, please visit: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/rangerkillers/
My second plug of tonight’s blog – the mandatory plug for my 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 re-ordered more copies. I now have a few signed copies for sale at $25 a pop (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
My four-volume set of books, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is a game-by-game recount of the Rangers 2021-22 campaign.
My second title as an author, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover formats.
To obtain signed copies, visit: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/onegamebook/
To purchase all four volumes on Amazon, visit: Amazon.com – “One Game at a Time.”
The greatest volume-set of books on Rangers’ history today!
“Tricks of the Trade – A Century-Long Journey Through Every Trade Made In New York Rangers’ History,” a four-volume set of books that meticulously covers every trade made in franchise history, is now on sale.
All four volumes of the title can be purchased on Amazon.com and are presented in three different formats – eBook, paperback and hardcover.
To purchase Volume I: Conn Smythe (1926) – Craig Patrick (1986), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume II: Phil Esposito (1986) – Neil Smith (2000), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume III: Glen Sather (2000-2015), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume IV: Jeff Gorton (2015) – Chris Drury (2022), visit Amazon.com
To purchase signed copies of all four volumes, visit https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/
If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:
Don’t forget to order my four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade!”
If you don’t order through me, all four volumes are now available on Amazon.com
For more details, check out: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/
Thanks for reading.
LET’S GO RANGERS!
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
Difference of opinion; Glider Kreider would have fit right in in the parade of utter offensive indifference. He looks great in the rear view. But when he was here, lots of games he didn’t show up either. He was a very big part of this team sucking. Meeka and him were exhibits 1A and 1B of andwhy it’s gone sour.
Either 1 of 2 outcomes are likely; NYR manage to limp into the playoffs and ride Igor for as long as he goes . Or it implodes, and Drury gets to draft Gavin McKenna and jettison the nonhackers.
There is a very big difference this time around. Sullivan is Drury’s boy. He has 2 rings. Drury is gonna burn the boats on this hire. Because he can’t go to Dolan and say another coach is the problem this time.
I love your motto for this year, basically that’s it in a nutshell. As per last night, what changed, absolutely nothing, besides turnovers and shooting the puck right at the goalie maybe try lifting the puck, hey that might work. Also playing lethargic like they could care less and chasing, this is the 2025 Rangers, I sure hope things change because as of now, so pathetic.