Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. The word “frustrating” is the best way to sum up the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the Oilers.
After all, then going into tonight’s tilt in Edmonton, my biggest thought was that even if the Oilers had touched up or blew out the Blueshirts – then while that would’ve been unfortunate – but it wouldn’t have been a doomsday scenario either.
Let’s face the facts:
The Oilers are a projected Stanley Cup contender, and where suffice to say, the Rangers are not.
While perhaps many of you were like yours truly – and expecting a blowout win for the Oil – then that was the furthest thing from reality come the final horn in Alberta.
Heck, and while we all know that the numbers on the scoreboard are the only thing that matter – but no joke – and the Rangers were the much better team for a sixty-minute stretch.
The Blueshirts out-shot the Oil to a tune of 29-20. The Rangers won more face-offs (31-26). Sully’s Squad also kept the best power-play in the league off of the board (0-3) – and for good measure? Then the away team penalty kill also scored a short-handed goal (Jaroslav Chmelar – who also doubles-up as “The Lone Ranger” scorer on the evening).
So what went wrong?
Outside of Dylan Garand gifting a goal to Connor McDavid 6:42 into the match (but at least it wasn’t fifty-seconds in – and as was the case the last time these two teams played), then it was of course the dreadful Rangers’ power-play, that not only went 0/5, but gave up an empty-net shorthanded goal too.
As I always say in this space – SPECIAL TEAMS SWING GAMES.
A brutally bad 0/5 power-play swung the Rangers out of at least one-point in the standings, and where arguably, they should’ve left Edmonton with two-points.
And of course, then your first-line overpaid center, Stinka Zibanedud, was at the center of all of it.
He finished the game with only one lousy SOG and after tonight, now has one whopping even-strength goal to his name following nineteen games played.
But hey, Mika March, am I right?
Then again, then at least Mika had one SOG, which is one more than his linemates, Alexis Lafreniere (0) and Gabe Perreault (0), registered.
Once again and it was Pavel Dorofeyev (6) and Tye Kartye (5) that set the tone in the SOG category.
Oilers’ goalie, Devon Levi, just had Kartye’s number all night – as no joke – and the new #24 in town could’ve had a hat trick in this Monday match.
And how much is Sully lovin’ the future 2027 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner?
Then Kartye, who as reminded to you last time around, could’ve been had by the entire league last season when the Krakheads placed him on the waiver-wire, played a Rangers’ career-high of 22:47.
And while you can’t make much of the plus/minus numbers tonight (due to the Garand gift to McDavid and the Leon Draisaitl empty-netter that officially goes down as a shorty), but the Kartye/Miller/Dorofeyev line finished as a collective -9 (a minus three each).
So yeah, this loss was frustrating.
In fact, then I think that I would have rather seen the Rangers lose 3-1 in game that they didn’t even get a power-play in.
If that was the case, then at least I could blame the officials for not giving the Blueshirts any calls!
As I try to look for both a silver lining and something that I haven’t said yet, then going into this road-trip, then you would hope for the team to go 3-1 and where that one projected loss would be to these Oilers.
After already downing Seattle on Saturday, the Rangers get a pair of struggling teams next – the Flames and the Canucks.
And like the Oilers did to them on Monday night – then it’s the Rangers turn to personify the adage of “the good teams have to beat the bad teams.”
But are the Blueshirts a good team?
We’ll find out for sure soon enough.
Before getting into our usual segments, including tonight’s Rangers/Oilers GAME REVIEW, then I just wanted to catch up on everything that I missed, including a few thoughts about the 4-3 win over Seattle from Saturday night.
And in case you missed it, then here’s where I last left off – the Rangers’ first comeback win of the season – and as was the case last Thursday night against the Flyers:
NYR/PHI 11/5 Review: Rangers Survive; Lady Liberty Spanks Gritty Late, Tye “Best Waiver Wire Pick Up” Kartye Shines As Usual; Drury Better Re-Sign Him Sooner Than Later, Pavel DINGorfeyev Strikes Iron Again – But Finally Scores His First Big Goal Too, Lots of Good, Bad & Ugly, Korpisalo Nears Return; Reimer Jettisoned To Hartford, Special Teams Swing Games, Monster Road-Trip Ahead, M$GN & More
Saturday was a long, yet rewarding, day for yours truly.
After working 1PM-12:30AM on Friday night, then I had to be back at the real j-o-b for an overtime shift that ran from 6:30AM-3PM.
Since the Rangers game in Frasier Crane’s favorite city featured a puck drop of 5PM, then I just gutted it out.
Sleep when you’re dead I say!
While Saturday was a busy work day for me, it was also a busy sports day.
After all, not only did the Rangers play (and then win), but so did two of my other teams, Notre Dame (and they won too) and the Knicks (and they also won)!
By the time I stumbled into my door around midnight Sunday, I passed out and then woke up just in time for the huge BIG BLUE (New York Giants) win in Philadelphia.
A perfect 4/4 weekend – and in-between having to do normal household chores and everything else, then I just didn’t have the time to write about the win in Seattle.
Since a GAME REVIEW would now be dated, and since these daily manifestos go on long enough already, then here are just my Top Ten (unordered) thoughts about the 4-3 victory.
TOP TEN THOUGHTS FROM SATURDAY IN SEATTLE
— The choice to favor Ranger hockey over sleep (and health in general) seemed wise after one period. Just ninety-seconds in and Gabe Perreault scored the all-important first goal, and where come the end of the match, the Blueshirts improved to 9-1 this season whenever scoring first.
— Tye Kartye continues to up his stock as he scored his sixth goal of the season, also his first of the power-play variety, at the 9:05 mark of the game. Jaroslav Chmelar scored his first goal of the season some four-minutes later to give the Rangers an early 3-0 lead. Also of note? Then it was nice to see Sullivan start the game with Kartye & Bjorkstrand (Miller centered them), as it is tradition to give players playing against their former teams the first shift of the game.
— Pavel Dorofeyev made the game 4-0 at the 12:46 mark of the second period and where at the time, it felt like the rout was on. But not so fast – as some bad habits die hard.
— Come the second intermission and I thought the Rangers played two strong periods of hockey. The third period was anything but strong for the Blueshirts. Similar to the way Dylan Garand has lost shutouts twice this season with about a minute-or-so left to play in regulation – and the Rangers turned what should’ve been a blowout win into a sweat-your-ass-off victory.
— I don’t want to fault Joonas Korpisalo, now back with the team and who started in his first game for the Rangers in Seattle, over the Krakhead’s third period field goal. As we’ve seen in the past with Garand, and sometimes, the Blueshirts don’t go for the kill shot.
— Kreepy Kakko Kakko (of course) scored 1:50 into the the final frame. Jordan Eberle, via the power-play, made the score 4-2 at the 6:38 mark. Vince Dunn, with under five-minutes left to play, edged the score to 4-3.
— When Dunn scored, the SOG total in the period read as SEA 14 – NYR 1 – and where the Rangers once again had an elongated SOG drought, this time, one over twelve minutes.
— If Berkly Catton didn’t hold Mika Zibanejad with 2:26 left in regulation, then I’m not so sure if the Blueshirts wouldn’t have blown it. The ill-advised and poorly timed penalty prevented Seattle from pulling their goalie. After all, then once pulling Joey Daccord in the first period (who gave up the first three Ranger goals), then Seattle went on to out-score the Blueshirts 3-1, including the one man-up goal as scored by Eberle.
—Granted, Zibanejad had a two-point night (two assists), but this was Game 18 and he’s still stuck on only three goals scored this season and where only one of them are from the even-strength variety. If not now, then when? Fortunately for him, this win gave the Rangers their third consecutive victory, so the heat isn’t on him from the beat reporters.
— Similar to Korpisalo (25/28, .893 save percentage), and I thought Matthew Robertson, who played in steed for the injured Alberts Smits, was serviceable in his 11:14 spent on the ice. For that matter, and of all the current Rangers looking to remain in Sullivan’s line-up, and I thought Matt Rempe, who has been a part of the past three wins, also played well.
Not all wins are pretty.
The only thing that matters is that you win.
And as we all know, road wins have been tough to come by for this team – so you’ll take them when you get them.
That said?
Then I’m glad that Catton took that late penalty – or the tone of this brief recap would be much different.
Just praise the hockey gods that Tye Kartye is putting this team on his back right now, as he awaits the FAT CATS to match him production-wise.
As we now enter the NEWS segment, then if you haven’t already seen it, then check out the post-game interviews from the 4-3 dub in Seattle – and especially Sullivan’s five-star review of Kartye:
As touched upon above, then prior to puck drop in Seattle and Smits was ruled out with an undisclosed injury. Robertson, already recalled for the four-game road-trip due to the Sean Durzi injury, made his 2026-27 debut on Saturday as a result.
The Rangers, who practiced on Sunday in Edmonton, also made a roster transaction.
At 3PM, and while the rest of us were all watching football, and the Blueshirts announced a recall of Marc Del Gaizo, who as reported some two-weeks ago, is now serving as the captain of the Hartford Wolf Pack.
This call-up told us that whatever Smits is going through was serious enough to get a body out of Hartford.
The concern around Smits became official on noon Monday, as the team announced that Smits is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. At the time, and Smits, and similar to Durzi last week, wasn’t placed on the injured reserve.
(When the Smits injury was first announced, then just like Durzi, and I was expecting him to be retroactively placed on IR. As of this writing, and this is yet the case.)
This news was great for Robertson.
As talked about last season, then Sullivan made a healthy scratch out of him when the team was last in Edmonton, thus preventing Robertson of playing his first NHL game in his hometown.
Come Monday night, then he’d be able to play in front of his friends and family (about twenty people in total).
In another piece of clean-up that needs addressing, then following Thursday’s news that Korpisalo is back and how James Reimer was placed on waivers in advance of an anticipated move to Hartford, then “REIM TIME” with the Rangers is now complete.
Rather than to continue his career in the AHL, and instead, the Rangers & Reimer agreed to a termination of his contract.
Such a move allows Reimer to seek an NHL job elsewhere, should he desire.
It also gets the Rangers off of the hook for the remainder of his prorated $850K salary.
The James Reimer era, following three goals allowed, lasted all of twenty minutes.
We’ll never forget it!
With injuries to consider, the ascension of Kartye and other events, then Sullivan would be forced to debut a new line-up come Monday night in Edmonton.
Last but not least, and the Rangers held an optional morning practice prior to Monday night’s match.
It was revealed there that Luke Glendening would return to the line-up, while Rempe, and despite being Albertan, would be made a healthy scratch.
Why Sully felt the need to scratch a player that was part of a winning line-up for the past three-games, a player that needs a confidence booster too, and all for a broken down veteran, well that was beyond me.
Glendening did absolutely nothing on Monday night – who would’ve thought?
Here was Sullivan’s line-up for the nineteenth game of this 2026-27 campaign:
FIRST LINE: Perreault/Mika/Lafreniere
SECOND LINE: Kartye/Miller/Dorofeyev
THIRD LINE: Cuylle/Laba/Bjorkstrand
FOURTH LINE: Tolvanen/Glendening/Chmelar
FIRST PAIR: Gavrikov/Fox
SECOND PAIR: Pettersson/Schneider
THIRD PAIR: Robertson/Morrow
STARTER: Garand
BACK-UP: Korpisalo
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: Rempe & Del Gaizo
WEEK-TO-WEEK (Not on IR yet): Smits
IR: Durzi
LTIR: Veleno
SEASON ENDING LTIR: CZAR IGOR
BOX SCORE time.
The following graphics and information come from ESPN.com:
SCORING:
PENALTIES:
TEAM STATS:
GOALIES:
|
NYR
|
|
D. Garand#33
|
|---|
|
SA
|
GA
|
SV
|
SV%
|
ESSV
|
PPSV
|
SHSV
|
SOSA
|
SOS
|
TOI
|
PIM
|
| 19 | 2 | 17 | .895 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 58:21 | 0 |
|
EDM
|
|
D. Levi#27
|
|---|
|
SA
|
GA
|
SV
|
SV%
|
ESSV
|
PPSV
|
SHSV
|
SOSA
|
SOS
|
TOI
|
PIM
|
| 29 | 1 | 28 | .966 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60:00 | 0 |
John Giannone, with no puns to be had, opened up the pregame show.
But the man of a 1,000 puns then told us how the Rangers got “krackin'” on Saturday in Seattle.
How “punny!”
And I guess tonight was an “Oil Spill” too!
Since this was a road game, then I am happy to report that Sieve Vagistat wasn’t around, as Brian Boyle joined Giannone at the media level in Edmonton.
Boyle thought the Rangers would like to redeem themselves, following their loss to the Oil at M$G from less than two weeks ago.
Boyle then echoed something that I’ve been saying for years – the word “elite” is way too overused/thrown around loosely these days.
Boyle then agreed with me again – as after this qualifying statement, he then called Adam Fox, who is currently on pace to break Bobby Orr’s assist record (102 in 1970-71), “elite.”
Speaking of “elite,” we were then told that Connor McDavid has 47 points in 18 games played this season.
After this, the always reliable Alex Faust interviewed Scott Morrow. While Faust did ask Morrow about Robertson, then I’m surprised that ROBO wasn’t the one being interviewed here.
Faust brought up how this wasn’t only Robo’s homecoming, but how Robo, with just minutes prior to puck drop in Seattle, had to get dressed for the game. In turn, Morrow said that Robertson would be more ready and relaxed tonight.
After this, M$GN then spent a few minutes sucking off the big three in Edmonton – McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard.
In the final video package before puck drop and M$GN ran a piece on Fox to tie everything in together.
After that, we then went to tonight’s announcers, Kenny “No one logs more miles than me” Albert and Boyle.
GAME REVIEW time.
FIRST PERIOD
As Dylan Garand and Devon Levi (7-1 entering Monday night) took their respective places in-between the pipes, then Ryan Nugent-Hopkins beat J.T. Miller at the dot. Four seconds later and Garand made his first save of the game on Connor Murphy.
About a minute in, and Mika, still stuck on one even-strength goal this season (have I mentioned that yet?), flubbed the puck from a foot out while trying to dangle the rubber in-between his legs.
About two-minutes in, Laba, Morrow and Bjorkstrand went wide, while a Laba wrap-around try was also denied.
Come the 3:00 mark and Murphy just floored Chmelar with a huge hit as the Rangers were attacking.
At the 3:52 mark, Bouchard broke up a Mika-to-Perreault 2 x 1 try.
At the 5:00 mark, Robertson set-up Dorofeyev in front of Levi, but no shot on goal was to be had, and where at the time, the Oil were out-shooting the Blueshirts 2-1 too.
Following a Rangers’ icing, we were relayed that the Rangers are 9-0-1 whenever scoring first, while the Oilers were 10-0-2 under the same parameters.
And after the icing?
Then at the 6:42 mark, who else, Connor McDavid:
Dylan Garand coughs up the puck to CONNOR MCDAVID OF ALL PEOPLE and he buries it 😵💫🚨 https://t.co/4rHf8JL4BO
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 10, 2026
1-0, Oil, as Garand turned over the puck directly to #97 – and where even my beer-bellied blogger butt could’ve scored a goal after this gift from the Blueshirts’ backstop.
McDavid almost scored again after a Mika turnover, but the Rangers’ center was able to hustle and get back in order to prevent a 2 x 1 chance for the Oil.
Garand, at the 8:26 mark, was then able to stop Mathieu Joseph in order to get a break (TV timeout).
At the 9:30 mark, Levi was able to zip up Dorofeyev for the goalie’s third save of the game.
A few seconds later and Levi was able to stop Fox off an o-zone faceoff win blast.
Down to 7:10 to go, and Garand stopped Vasily Podkolzin. This Oil shot, their sixth, broke up about a five-minute SOG drought, as both teams were playing clean and hard-workin’ hockey.
Come 5:52 to go and Laba was wiped out by Emberson as the third line center was streaking towards Levi.
Dorofeyev tried to put the moves on Levi with 4:40 to go but the Oil goalie wasn’t having any of it. Eight-seconds later and Pettersson was boxed for interfering with McDavid – and where giving the Oilers a power-play wasn’t exactly ideal here either.
The Rangers’ heralded penalty kill, now tasked to work for the first time in this contest, looked strong here as they got several clears. Cuylle and Laba also had a 2 x 1 chance prior to the PK going 1/1.
Right out of the box, and Pettersson almost scored the equalizer after a rush to the net from Kartye. No goal was scored here, nor was it with 2:00 to go when Levi stoned the future 2027 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner from point-blank range.
Come 90-seconds remaining and Mika missed a wide-open Perreault, as the sophomore had nothing but the left net of Levi to shoot at.
Down to 8.7 seconds to go and Levi was able to stop Robertson. However, and at the same time, and Emberson went to the box for interfering with Chmelar, thus earning the Rangers their first power-play of the game.
A 1:52 power-play would carry over into the second stanza.
1-0, Oil, after one.
Here’s what I said at the time:
1-0, Oil, through 20-minutes. #NYR 1P Thoughts:
— They aren’t playing bad, and without that Garand turnover, then we’d still be scoreless.
— Feels like the Rangers had a lot of odd-man rushes – just can’t capitalize yet.
— Of course McDavid scored – he did so last game – and also single-handedly drew a 5 x 3 power-play himself too.
— The new faces don’t look out of place at all.
— Rangers open up 2P with a 1:52 PP, imperative to score here.
— Blueshirts’ PK looked fantastic too. About 5-6 clears, only one SOG allowed and then set up some scoring chances themselves afterwards.
SECOND PERIOD
The Rangers, as noted, began this period with a 1:52 power-play.
Just 30-seconds into the power-play and Kartye was robbed.
That was the only chance the Rangers had on this power-play, and as a result – the man-up teams were now 0/1.
Come the 2:30 mark and Garand gloved a Draisaitl-to-McDavid try.
Draisaitl wouldn’t be off the board for long, as some 29-seconds later, and the Big German made it 2-0:
Edmonton goal!
Scored by Leon Draisaitl with 17:01 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Vasily Podkolzin and Mattias Ekholm.
EDM: 2 | NYR: 0
#NYRvsEDM #LetsGoOilers #NYR https://t.co/AStRngvU9A
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 10, 2026
What a screen by McDavid too.
The screen?
Sullivan challenged it for goaltender’s interference.
I thought this challenge was a waste of time, as one they weren’t going to take away a scoring play from McDavid and two, there wasn’t anything clear-cut to overturn it.
As a result, the Oilers remained up 2-0 and now had a power-play (Chmelar served it).
With 15:22 left in the period, 21-seconds on the Oil power-play and we now had a brief 5 x 3 power-play for the home team as Schneider, when trying to clear a puck in his own end, airmailed a puck over the glass for the delay of game infraction.
The Rangers not only killed off the 5 x 3 power-play, but once released from the box and Chmelar scored a major shorthanded goal – and his second goal in as many games played too:
OUT OF THE BOX AND ON THE BOARD SHORTHANDED FOR JAROSLAV CHMELAR 🫨🚨 https://t.co/VcoTgrCB6E
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 10, 2026
2-1, after Chmelar’s jack-in-the-box goal!
Sad to say?
Then at the time, we didn’t know that this would be the only Ranger goal of the match.
Once returned to full-strength with 13:22 to go, and the Rangers’ PK was now a flawless 3/3 – and with one short-handed goal accredited to their ledger too.
Down to 12:10 remaining and Garand survived a Zach Hyman backhanded attempt.
At the half-way mark of the game/period, the Oil kept on attacking, and where each team had 14 SOG a piece.
Down to 8:14 to go, Miller led a 2 x 1 with Kartye as his flank. Just as you thought the equalizer was coming and Levi was able to prevent #24 from his third consecutive game with a goal.
Come 7:26 remaining and the Rangers drew their second power-play of the game as McDavid went to the sin-bin after interfering with Perreault.
The Rangers’ power-play, 0/1, and now entering their second try, got some chances early, including when Levi denied Kartye once more. Levi was also able to prevent Chmelar from scoring another special team’s goal.
While the Blueshirts did look better on this power-play, the end result was still the same – 0-fer and now 0/2.
Down to 4:37 remaining and Bouchard tripped a streaking Laba as he was approaching Levi. This gave the Rangers their third power-play of the game – and where I don’t know how Laba wasn’t awarded with a penalty shot here.
(This play was later explained by the league – Bouchard had touched the puck first before tripping Laba. Had Bouchard touched Laba prior to touching the puck, then it would’ve been a penalty shot.)
This Rangers’ power-play wasn’t as impressive as the last one, and as a result the man-up teams remained as a goose egg (0/3).
Come 28.1 seconds to go and Kartye got hit at the boards by Murphy – and late at that. This led to our first full 5 x 5 scrum of the match.
And kudos to the $11M man, Dorofeyev, for jumping in first.
Also as a result? Off-setting roughing penalties to Miller and Murphy.
Following some brief foreplay we then went to the second intermission and with the score 2-1, home team.
Here’s what I said at the time:
2-1, Oil, after 40. 2P Thoughts:
— The Rangers should really be winning this game. Their power-play, while looking good at times, isn’t producing results. 0/3.
— At least their penalty kill is producing – a flawless 3/3 and with one huge shorty scored by Chmelar.
— Garand settled down after the early poo poo mistake.
— Kartye remains a house of fire, he’s been all over Levi all game.
— Nice to see Dorofeyev be the first to jump into a scrum.
— Is Mika ever going to score an even-strength goal again?
— Still didn’t like the Sullivan challenge on the Draisaitl goal, but it did work out in the end because of the Chmelar jack-in-the-box.
— Make it four in a row!
THIRD PERIOD
Come the 1:32 mark and we were returned to even-strength without a difference on the scoreboard.
As we hit the three-minute mark, then it was noticeable that the Oilers were still stuck on 14 SOG (the Rangers had 20).
At the 4:36 mark, the Rangers got shot #21, but Levi was able to stop Cuylle.
A few seconds later – and Bjorkstrand just missed the net high with a try from two-feet out.
Garand made his 14th save of the game at the 6:51 mark when he stopped an innocent shot from Ryan O’Shea.
Come the 7:06 mark and the Rangers received their fourth power-play of the game – as Kasperi Kapanen went off for hooking Dorofeyev as the Russian was crossing the Oilers’ blue line.
Garand had to make the first save of this Rangers’ power-play as he denied a Draisaitl backhander.
And that was it for this Rangers’ SOG-less power-play – and one that was now 0/4.
As we hit 9:44 to go (after an Oilers’ icing), we remained at 2-1, and with a SOG counter featuring Rangers 22, Oilers 16.
The first line almost tied the game after the icing, but no dice.
With 9:00 remaining, Shakir Mukhamadullin (say that fast three times) blocked a Pettersson shot that screamed “goal” all over it.
Come 7:00 to go and the Oilers had a chance following a Rangers’ icing. However, Mika won the draw and that was that.
With 6:30 left on the clock, and Garand, who was pretty much in lockdown mode after the gaffe to McDavid, stopped a bomb from Ekholm.
A minute later, and Kartye just missed the net from near-distance.
Down to 2:46 remaining and Garand prevented McDavid of the 3-1 insurance goal.
And with 2:15 to go?
Then that’s when Garand left his net for the extra skater.
Come 87-seconds remaining – the game was on the line – as Shea tripped Lafreniere.
As you’d expect, then Sullivan used his timeout for the upcoming 6 x 4 empty net power-play attack.
Following a block on Fox, Draisaitl sealed the deal with an empty net shorty with 1:13 to go.
3-1, Oil.
However, there was still 1:46 remaining on the Rangers’ power-play and where Garand once again left his net for the extra skater.
Come 26.1-seconds to go and we had another scum, this time of the 5 x 4 variety due to the Rangers’ power-play.
Of course, Kartye was at the center of it.
Miller took the initial penalty for slashing, then had a game misconduct tacked on too.
Also receiving game misconducts were Kartye and Ekholm.
This gave us some foreplay to conclude the game.
3-1, Oil, your final.
Following the recent news in regards to the death of Ron Duguay, and the 1979 Stanley Cup Finalist New York Rangers just lost another member from that most memorable team, as the NHL Alumni Association announced the passing of Bobby Sheehan on Monday morning.
Sheehan was 77-years-old.
Winning changes everything.
I don’t say this to be cruel or callous, but let’s face it – if those 1979 Rangers had toppled the mighty Montreal dynasty, then Sheehan, and just like any other 1994 Ranger (Stephane Matteau anyone?), would be a household name in New York.
Sheehan, who centered both Duguay and Pat Hickey during that epic run, scored four goals and picked up three assists in his fifteen postseason games played with the Blueshirts.
Sheehan, who had his best years in Montreal (being Massachusetts-born, then he became the first ever American to ever win a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens – and as he did in 1971), became a hockey journeyman following his days in French Quebec with stops in Chicago, Detroit, California (Seals), Colorado (Rockies) and Los Angeles.
He also spent three-years in the WHA when the money was good there.
Sheehan, who wasn’t a Ranger for long, received this tribute from the franchise once the news was made public:
“We join the hockey community in mourning the loss of Bobby Sheehan, who played an integral role in helping the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 1979. Our thoughts are with Bobby’s family, friends, and former teammates during this difficult time.”
Here’s how the NHL Alumni Association broke the news:
The NHL Alumni Association is saddened to learn that Bobby Sheehan has passed away at the age of 77.
From Weymouth, Massachusetts, Bobby played junior hockey with the Halifax Junior Canadiens and the St. Catharines Black Hawks before being selected by the Montreal Canadiens in 1969.
Bobby began his professional hockey career the following season with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, and on January 3, 1970, Bobby made his NHL debut with the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum against the Oakland Seals, picking up an assist in his first career game. In his fourth career game on January 11, 1970, Bobby registered his first career NHL goal. At the conclusion of his second season, Bobby and the Canadiens captured the 1971 Stanley Cup.
Bobby joined the California Golden Seals during the 1971 offseason, later moving to the WHA, where he played from 1972 to 1975. Bobby returned to the NHL ahead of the 1975-76 season as a member of the Chicago Black Hawks, and would play for the Detroit Red Wings the following season.
After moving to the WHA for the 1977-78 season, Bobby rejoined the NHL with the New York Rangers for the 1979 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bobby later played with the Colorado Rockies from 1979 to 1981 and the LA Kings for the 1981-82 campaign.
Internationally, Bobby proudly represented the United States at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships.
We send our deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, friends, and former teammates during this difficult time.
— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) November 9, 2026
RIP Bobby Sheehan.
Here’s some of the post-game reaction, and wouldn’t you know it – and the cowardly Zibanejad wasn’t around for any of it – nor did one beat reporter dare to point out his low scoring totals this season either.
What a shock!
Here’s Sullivan on the atrocious power-play:
“Well, it would have been nice [had we scored a power-play goal for once]. At the end of the day, we had some looks. I thought there were moments when we were executing. I thought the biggest challenge for our power play tonight were the entries. I thought we lacked some speed. They did a pretty good job at making the stand at the line but I think we’ve got to be willing to put pucks behind them when there’s no room on the entry and we don’t have speed. We don’t score. It was one of those nights.”
Here’s Captain No Clutch doing what he always does – making excuses:
“I thought the goals that they scored were kind of fluky goals. We outplayed them today. Thought we deserved a better fate. Their goalie played outstanding. I thought we did a good job against their star players. Just wasn’t our night.”
I think I’ve heard some version of this about one-hundred times over ever since Miller’s return to the Big Apple.
Up Next For The Rangers: Wednesday night at the Saddledome and where the Blueshirts will see the first player that Chris Drury jettisoned away after the 2022 Eastern Conference Final loss – Ryan Strome.
And isn’t it crazy to think, or at least use the old expression “time flies,” that when it comes to Strome’s replacement, Vincent Trocheck, and the other player to wear #16 for the Blueshirts is also gone?
The other member of the Rangers’ alumni in Calgary these days is former first-round Blueshirts’ bust, Brennan Othmann.
It’s questionable if Othmann will play on Wednesday night, as he’s missed six straight games after getting beat up by Ty Emberson of the Oilers on 10/28.
And surprise, surprise?
Then Othmann hasn’t scored one point this season.
Enter the Rangers, who just love giving up first points – or any type of points at all for that matter – to their alumni!
You can also expect a lot of M$GN hype on Flames’ goaltender Devin Cooley (5-4, 2.71 GAA, .914 save percentage) – as he’s been a reporter’s wet dream following all of his down-to-earth and light-hearted pre- and post-game quotes.
That also means that you can expect Ms. Giggles, the airhead over at The New York Post, to do her diseased hyena laugh whenever talking about Mr. Cooley.
And if Sam Rosen was still around calling these games, then he’d also tell us, “Will Cuylle, Devin Cooley, NO RELATIONS JOE!”
See ya Wednesday night, but until then, your favorite segment and mine, you know…
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
