What’s up everyone and welcome to the second Delorean blog of the Summer of 2018. I would like to thank everyone for their feedback for the 4/9/1980 Rangers vs Atlanta Flames blog. It seems like these Delorean blogs are a hit, especially with older readers.
For today’s trip down memory lane, I’m sticking with the Atlanta theme. While the Flames may have left Atlanta, this blog isn’t, as I’ll be taking a deep look at the Atlanta Thrashers in 2007. However, unlike my last blog, instead of being in 1980, we aren’t going too far back this time. In fact, you can rev up the Delorean to only 50 MPH or so, and it should take us to 2007 with no issues!
Today, I will be venturing to April 18th, 2007, where the Rangers are hosting the Atlanta Thrashers, in Game 4, of their first round best of 7 series. Going into this game, the Rangers hold a 3-0 series lead and are looking to sweep the Southeast Champions out of the playoffs. For the Thrashers, they are looking for their first playoff win in franchise history.
By now, you should know what these blogs are all about, what I’m going for and the style I’m writing in, so I’m going to skip the usual intro. However, in case you’re new here or if you forgot, check out my prior Delorean blogs for the whole spiel. You can find my 7 previous Delorean blogs here:
The Return of The Delorean Part VII & the Tavares/NHL Free Agency Double Blog. Reviewing & Reliving The Rangers vs Atlanta Thrashers Playoff Series From 4/9/1980, The Beginning of Dark Times in Rangerstown, Espo vs Gilbert, JD’s Last Legs, Beck & Gresch Own The Blue Line, Captain Maloney, Playoff Expansion, the WHA & More. Plus: Taking a Deep Look at Tavares Leaving NYI & Insane Islander Fans
The Sixth Delorean Blog: May 12th, 1995, as the Rangers take on the Quebec Nordiques in Game 4! My First Ever Playoff Game, Steve Larmer = the OT Hero, Mike Richter Adds Another Moment to His Legacy After Healy Struggles, Brian Leetch, Matteau Fights, The Lockout, Tons of Free Video, Collective Soul, The Jerky Boys & Much More From a Memorable Playoff Victory
The Fifth Delorean Trip: The New York Rangers vs The Toronto Maple Leafs from 4/15/1971 in a Playoff Series Ending Game 6! NYR History in Photos, Irving Felt Builds MSG, Captain Bob Nevin Carries the Team to Victory, The GAG Line Brings The Heat, One of Eddie Giacomin’s Best Games Ever, Senile Sather Throws Dukes, The Stemmer, Teddy Irvine, Tons of Videos, Programs & The Ads In Them, Frank Boucher Talk & Much More From 1971
Return to the Delorean IV: The NY Rangers vs The Philadelphia Flyers, in a Do-or-Die Game 5, from 4/15/86! Vezina Winner John “Beezer” Vanbiesbrouck Outduels Jennings Winner Bob Froese, Huber’s GWG, Videos, The Ron Duguay Trade, Rosen/Esposito, Keenan vs Sator, DWI Goalies, Richter, Greschner Leads, Maloney Seals It, Isles Dynasty Finally Over & Much More In This In-Depth Playoff Game Review!
Back to the Delorean Part III: The New York Rangers vs The Philadelphia Flyers From 4/10/1982! Cam Connor Wins It, Eddie Mio Saves It, Captain Barry Beck, Mike Rogers & Tom Laidlaw Come Up Big, Ron Duguay Screwed By The Refs, The Case For Greschner, The Maloney Brothers, The F’N Islanders, Ranger Fan Programs Today vs 1982, The Go-Go’s & Much More From A First Round Game 3 Match-Up
Return to the Delorean: New York Rangers vs The Broad Street Bullies aka The Philadelphia Flyers From April 25, 1974 Review. Fights Galore, The GAG Line, Parent vs Giacomin, Brad Park Dominates, The Underrated Teddy Irvine, Wayne Gretzky’s Favorite Player, Shero vs The Cat & Much More From Game 3 of the 1974 Semifinals
The DeLorean Blog: Reviewing & Recapping Game 5 of the 1979 Semifinals Between the New York Rangers & New York Islanders As If The Internet Existed In 1979. Hedberg The Hero! The Hockey Sock Rock Delivers! JD Goes Nuts! POTVIN SUCKS! Duguay Dashes, ONE MORE WIN FROM THE SCF, MSG Networks vs YES & Much More In This Comprehensive Game Review!
The 2006-2007 season was a crossroads in my life, personally. I was 24 years old, out of college & wasn’t sure what I was going to do for a career. It was at this time that I was also running/writing/booking professional wrestling shows. For anyone who knows anything about the independent pro wrestling business, it’s a full-time job. Not only was I putting the shows together, booking talent, promoting the shows, editing film, selling DVD’s/Advertising, but I also had to be away from home Friday-Sunday, for the shows themselves. In other words, while I was paying attention to the Rangers, I wasn’t as invested as I am now.
Don’t get the last sentence twisted. I was and have always been a Rangers fan, just like I was and have always been a fan of the New York Football Giants and New York Yankees. However, just before this 2006-2007 season, I felt betrayed by the Rangers and the sport itself.
To put this into perspective, I was born in 1982. Like everyone else in 1994, the New York Rangers winning the Cup was the best thing to ever happen. Again, in 1994, I’m 12 years old, (The Rangers actually won the Cup a day after my 12th birthday) and before the Cup win, was already invested in guys like Messier, Leetch, Graves, Richter and Beukeboom. I always throw in Beukeboom in with the big four, just because he was one of my favorites.
Quick aside – on Twitter, I polled Ranger fans on who are some of their favorite under the radar Rangers. This blog tends to skew to older readers, so I got a great batch of responses, with names like Darren Turcotte, Tie Domi, Teddy Irvine, Nick Fotiu, Kelly Kisio, Barry Beck, Tomas Sandstrom, Big Walt, Eddie Mio, the Maloney Brothers, Eddie Johnstone, Gilles Villamure, Mike Gartner and plenty of others getting major chatter. The purpose of that poll was to find out what players you want to read about, not only for the Delorean blog, but for a new feature on this site. More on that to come at a later date.
As middle school turned into high school, and I’ve talked about this before on these blogs, I was a big autograph collector. My friends and I would meet the Rangers before and after games outside of M$G. We would seek autographs from road teams at the Nassau Coliseum. The Rangers, after 1994, also started bringing in some name brand talent, in their quest to bring a 5th Cup to NY. Of course, the biggest name of the whole lot was the biggest name in all of hockey, in “The Great One” himself, Wayne Gretzky.
In that 1996-1997 season, the Rangers would make it all the way to the Conference Finals, before getting bounced out by the Legion of Doom Philadelphia Flyers. It would be the last playoff hockey ever played for both Messier and Gretzky. Who knew?
As the Rangers kept bringing in big name after big name, whether it be Theo Fleury (Who I was a huge fan of), Eric Lindros (Yuck) or Bobby Holik, (Disgusting) the Rangers just couldn’t figure it out. That stated, that didn’t decrease my fandom, it just made me more incensed.
During this time of Ranger futility, another Core 4, (& Bernie) which was a true Core 4 (& Bernie) were winning the World Series, year-after-year. And to be clear, I say a true Core 4 (& Bernie) because Jeter/Posada/Mariano/Pettitte were all drafted and grew up together through the Yankees farm system. I also mention Bernie Williams, because while the Core 4 is what sells, without Bernie Williams, I don’t think those Yankee teams win.
Yes, as usual, I’m getting off track here. At least my tracks are better than the Rangers neighbor, the LIRR!
To me, when Don Mattingly retired, that was one of the saddest days of my 13 year old life. Shit, I didn’t even want to give Tino Martinez a chance. When it came to the Rangers, the guys I grew up with were still all there. As middle school turned to high school and high school turned into college & working, everyone was still there. Yes, Messier had that falling out, but he eventually came back. The Messier stuff is a story for another time, as I’m already in tangent mode.
Senile Sather, in my opinion, is one of the biggest cancers in the history of the New York Rangers franchise. In case you need a refreshing:
BCBS 6/26: Fully Examining The Era/Error of “Senile” Glen Sather at the Draft Year-by-Year, Taking a Look at Every Player Drafted & Ignored by Sather, The Greatest & Worst Picks in Sather’s NYR Tenure, Sather’s Terrible Trades, Why There’s Extreme Cause For Concern For Ranger Fans, Sather’s Highs & Many Lows, Looking At People Who Chart/Grade Drafts & More NYR/NHL News, Notes & Opinions
Furthermore, I will venture to say that Sather’s current spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame should be taken away from him, as the negativity surrounding his Rangers tenure outweighs having Wayne Gretzky falling into his lap.
You may know me as the guy who is not a fan of Henrik Lundqvist or his contract now. That’s fair. However, I understand why the young fans on twitter go insane if you point out the truth about Lundqvist. They don’t want to admit he’s aged out. To those younger fans, he’s their Messier. He’s their Leetch. He’s their Richter. That said, unlike those three, he’s not a Cup champion and his contract sucks. The team should move on.
And yes, I had to walk away from the computer here for a second, as I didn’t want to tire you with another redundant rant on Lundswiss!
The Rangers didn’t want to pay Mark Messier in 1997. To this day, I don’t understand that. It’s just another reason to slap Dolan in the mouth. Messier would come back in 2000, at 40 years old, and after wasting three years of his life in Vancouver, he obviously wasn’t the same player. Again, this topic is for another blog.
After Sather’s first year as GM, which was the 2000-2001 season, he made me say “What the fuck Sather?” for the first time. It’s an expression I’ve repeated countless and endless times since. The reason? This:
In the off-season, Sather traded one of my favorite Rangers ever (Yes I have a lot of favorite Rangers, so what, sue me) when he traded Adam Graves to the Sharks for a fucking rookie Swede, in Mikael Samuelsson. Of note, Samuelsson didn’t produce the way Graves would produce for the Sharks. Furthermore, Senile Sather traded Samuelsson mid-way through Samuelsson’s second season here. In other words, the trade, like Sather’s entire tenure with the Rangers, was a FAILURE.
While Jeff Beukeboom’s retirement, two seasons prior to the Graves trade was understandable (concussions), losing Graves at that time was a killer because the trade made no sense at all. Again, I don’t want to do the whole spiel on Messier, but that was a money issue. The Graves trade was a hockey trade that FAILED.
So now, as a college student, Graves was gone. A part of my youth was gone. Again, as you get older, you really understand it’s about the front of the jersey, not the back, but even so, the Graves trade made no sense and it didn’t work. Plus, Graves was a winner.
However, that Senile man wasn’t done yet. It was just the beginning of my pure hatred for all things Glen Sather.
In the middle of the 2003-2004 season, this BeneDICK Arnold of a General Manager made this happen:
With less than 20 games remaining in the 2003-2004 season and with a lockout imminent, Senile Sather traded Brian Leetch to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In return, the Rangers got the following:
- Maxim Kondratiev – who didn’t even last half a season in the NHL.
- Jarkko Immonen – who became a stellar NHL veteran of 20 games himself.
- A first round pick which Senile Sather traded away. That player wound up being Kris Chucko, a savvy NHL veteran of two fucking games.
- A second round pick which became Michael Sauer, a player whose career was ruined because of injuries. Yes, Sauer’s injury was an accident and not Sather’s fault, but still, facts are facts and Sauer, through no fault of his own, was a bust.
Trust me, I know the younger fans who read this will say, “You’re the guy who wants Lundqvist traded.” That’s damn right. Again, I’m not going to rehash my Lundqvist stuff here, as you can read that in about 100+ different blogs I’ve done, but if you can trade Brian Leetch, you can trade anyone, especially in the salary cap era.
While I consider Frank Boucher to be the greatest Ranger ever, because of his later work with the team as a Coach and General Manager, plus being a huge & integral part in 75% of the Ranger’s Stanley Cup Final wins, I can’t argue that Brian Leetch is the greatest Ranger of the modern generation. Plus, he’s American!
So while the Rangers were missing the playoffs year after year, (oh and did I mention that Mike Richter retired the year before the Leetch trade?) they were building a new team around the mind of Senile Sather. Trading Graves & Leetch made him an enemy to me for life. And while I’m exaggerating a bit for comedic effect (It’s not like I would ever wish physical harm on Sather, I just want him fired) make no bones about it – Sather has been AIDS. He just sapped this team slowly and over a long period of time.
For fuck’s sake, these blogs are supposed to be fun. I usually love doing these blogs!
Oh and quick shot on Bettman – if he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, 50-75 years from now, long after he, and possibly me, are dead, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Putting him in now, while he’s active, is in poor judgement. I don’t want to do a long tangent on Buttman, so I’ll let this topic lie to rest here.
And yes, I’m getting to 2006-2007, I promise!
The point of all this backstory? I was furious with management for stupidly trading Graves and Leetch. Worth mentioning, neither wanted to be traded. The Leetch trade is the worst of the whole lot, because the lockout was coming and if there was ever anyone who should’ve got the Rod Gilbert life-long treatment, it was Brian Leetch.
When the 2003-2004 season ended, the Rangers, in the last official NHL sanctioned event of 2004, drafted big bad Lauri Korpikoski in the first round of the NHL draft. Another wasted first round pick for Senile Sather.
As you all know by now, the entire 2004-2005 season never happened, all because of greed and Bettman’s failure to mediate a resolution.
With the way the Rangers handled Graves and Leetch, coupled in with this lock out, I was done. I was working several jobs at the time, plus doing the wrestling stuff, and these guys are fighting over millions of dollars to play a kids game? Fuck those guys. Of course, as time went on, I would understand the lockout better, but even so, I was turned off about the entire ordeal.
When the Rangers and the NHL finally returned for the 2005-2006 season, I wasn’t chomping at the bit. I still had that “these guys are a bunch of millionaires fighting with billionaires” mentality. Plus, I had other stuff going on in life. While I watched the team on TV, I would miss games here and there & I just wasn’t as into it as I once was. I know I’m not the only one, and to this day, I have friends, who used to be diehard hockey fans, who just said “fuck it” after the lockout & haven’t given the league a dime of their money since.
As I’ve admitted in prior blogs, while I always watched the team, a part of my fandom took a beating from the lockout. If it wasn’t for Jaromir Jagr returning, I think I would’ve put myself on an NHL ban, similar to how fans are banning & not watching the NFL today.
Like all wounds, time would heal everything and I’d be back into it 100% again, with an assist from my buddy Joe, of the Car JoeMez podcast, which you can listen to here: https://carjoemez.com . So in a way, you can blame him for these blogs!
As the 2005-2006 season led to the first playoff experience in years, the Rangers, a bunch of young faces & Jagr, were on the uptick. For me, I was still working, traveling with the wrestling and come the year 2007, I went to school for the current profession I’m in today. Between work and school, my time was limited. I didn’t catch every game of the 2006-2007 season, which is why I wanted to venture back to this point in time.
Truth be told, it wasn’t until I hit 30 years old that I had a firm grasp on my career, free time, and real disposable income to spend to go to games on the regular again. (Tickets were much cheaper when I used to go all the time in the 90’s.) Plus, after watching all these 70’s and 80’s games, it was going to be nice to watch a broadcast with a running clock/scoreboard again!
So after that 3000+ word intro about getting to this point in time, let’s talk about this 2006-2007 first round playoff series, before getting to the game itself. And yes, these intros and blogs are like nothing else you’ll find on the other hockey/NYR blogs!
With the Atlanta Flames long gone, and in Calgary after the 1979-1980 season (And again, check out my Rangers/Flames blog linked at the top of this blog) professional major league hockey would remain dormant in Atlanta until 1999. Under the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) banner, the Thrashers would join the league for the 1999-2000 season. However, the league didn’t make things easy for the Thrashers, as the league later did with the Vegas Golden Knights. It would take the Thrashers seven full seasons to reach the playoffs for the first time.
The Thrashers built their 2006-2007 playoff team over the course of their formative years, especially when they drafted Ilya Kovalchuk as the first overall pick of the 2001 draft. The Thrashers would then add veteran presence to the team, with guys like Bobby Holik and Marian Hossa. Despite losing Marc Savard, the Thrashers were thought to have enough pieces to contend and contend they did, as the Thrashers would win the Southeast Division by April 1st.
The 2006-2007 Thrashers also saw Kari Lehtonen come into his own and earn the starting goaltending job. Leading the team was long-time NHL veteran, of 21 years, Scott Mellanby, who was named captain after Shawn McEachern was traded. Of note, this would be Mellanby’s last NHL season.
The Thrashers, obviously elated about finally making the playoffs, weren’t exactly a dominating force in the league. In fact, out of all 6 division winners, the Thrashers finished with the least amount of points (97) and were the only division leader to not crack 100 points. In other words, the Thrashers conquered the worst division in hockey.
To put this into perspective, the 2007 NHL playoffs were contested between two brackets of 8 teams, under the modern Eastern & Western Conference brackets. The seeding was not the traditional 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5 tournament style. Instead, the three division winners got the first three spots, with the other five teams filling out the rest.
The Thrashers, a division winner, got the third seed, despite their 97 points. The Senators (105 points) and the Penguins (105 points) got the fourth and fifth spots. The Rangers, who only finished with three points less than the Thrashers (94 points) got the sixth seed.
While the Thrashers felt on top of the world with their division crown, the Rangers were also happy to be back in the playoffs. After being swept by the dreaded Devils the year before, the Rangers had some playoff experience under their belt and was looking to pay it forward by sweeping the Thrashers themselves.
The Rangers, now gone from the legends of the 90’s, had ushered in a bunch of new European faces. However, at the helm was future HHOFer, Jaromir Jagr. (I’ve done a huge Jagr blogs before, with this January 2015 blog being one of them: http://doinow.com/the-nhl-all-star-fiasco-looking-at-the-one-of-the-greatest-players-of-all-time-jaromir-jagr/)
Jagr, wearing the “C” on his chest, saw fellow future HHOFer, Brendan Shanahan, join him in NY. Here’s what I don’t get. Yes, Leetch was retired by this point, but Sather gives Shanahan big money to come to the Rangers, and he’s only a year younger than Leetch. Yes, they play different positions, but Sather was talking about a youth movement at this time, and here he is, signing one of the oldest players in the league.
An under the radar signing for the Rangers, for the 2006-2007 season, was Matt Cullen. When you look back at it, and hindsight being 20/20, Matt Cullen has sure put together a nice little career for himself.
Perhaps the biggest news from this period of time, or at least a piece of news that holds up in retrospect, was the Rangers trading for Sean Avery mid-season, previously a teammate of Brendan Shanahan. Speaking of Sean Avery, I reviewed his autobiography that came out last year and you can read that review here: http://doinow.com/avery/
I had to research this stat and found this on Wikipedia: “The Rangers were 17-6-6 after the acquisition of Sean Avery.” Not too shabby.
The Rangers, who started the season slow, saw Henrik Lundqvist finish the stretch with monstrous performance after monstrous performance. Not bad for a cheap goalie! Of note, especially when I’m throwing Lundqvist and Avery’s names here, is that Marty Brodeur won the Vezina during this season. That uncle daddy always rears his ugly head!
The Rangers, coached by Tom Renney (I really liked his signing at the time and thought he was a good coach) saw Petr Prucha put up respectable numbers. Helping Prucha’s cause was Jaromir Jagr taking him under his wing. Prucha was a helping hand in the Rangers drive to the playoffs.
However, we wouldn’t know it then, but one rookie on this team was planting his flag. Of course, this rookie is another one of my favorite players (I must have 100 of them) and his name is CAPTAIN CALLY:
I can’t lie. I enjoy a few beverages while doing these blogs. After all, I like to have fun while doing them! That’s why they all come off like manifestos, because half the time I’m just rambling and reminiscing, like an old man talking about his high school football days. (Hello Al Bundy.)
Looking at that picture of Callahan and Girardi brings back memories for me. I feel like Ric Flair:
Man, I’m really milking this intro.
Anyway, with Lundqvist playing out of his fucking mind (did you ever think you’d hear me say that on this blog?) the Rangers were able to grasp a playoff spot. Senile Sather, chomping on his shitty cigar, was extremely proud of young team, sprinkled in with key veterans. For Ranger fans, a full season removed from the lockout, life was back at M$G and hard feelings were starting to thaw out. It was the beginning of a new era, and it was an era Ranger fans were willing to embrace.
And as usual, before getting into the game review itself, let me put you into that 2007 state of mind.
The following information comes from ThePeopleHistory.com
Cost of Living 2007
How Much things cost in 2007 Average Cost of new house $313,600.00
Average Income per year $50,823.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas $3.38
Price Of Gold Per Ounce $630.00
Obviously, since this is the most recent Delorean blog I’ve ever done, there isn’t much drastic change from 2007 to today.
1. “Give It To Me” by Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake. This was when music first started turning to singles to make money, rather than albums or touring.
2. “Don’t Matter” by Akon. I don’t know it.
3. “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani featuring Akon. This is when you first saw artists holding several spots on the Top 10. I think at one point, Rick Ross had six number 1 singles. Again, albums have died.
4. “Glamorous” by Fergie featuring Ludicrous. No one could release a damn song by themselves.
5. “This is Why I’m Hot” by Mims. This is a song I actually have heard of. It sucks.
6. “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne. At least she released this trash by herself.
7. “What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park. I respected these guys before the lead singer offed himself, leaving little kids to fend for themselves, fatherless.
8. “Cupids Chokehold/Breakfast in America” by Gym Class Heroes featuring Patrick Stump. I have no clue what this shit is.
9. “Beautiful Liar” by Beyonce and Shakira. It would be a lie if I told you I knew that the fuck this was.
10. “Buy You a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” by T-Pain featuring Yung Joc. If you think I know this song, you’re on the pot.
In the movie world, “Disturbia” was the number 1 movie in America. Of note, “Vacancy”, one of my under the radar gems, was in third place. Of note, the Will Ferrell “Blades of Glory” finished in fourth.
After all this bullshit, are you ready for some hockey? It’s time to take my 2018 36 year old self to April 18th, 2007!
NOTE: AS ALWAYS DURING THESE “DELOREAN” (FLASHBACK GAME REVIEW) BLOGS, I AM PRETENDING THAT I AM 36 YEARS OLD HERE ON 4/18/2007 AND WRITING THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME ENDED. IN REALITY, I WAS A 24 YEAR OLD SNOT NOSED PUNK, STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. ALSO WORTH MENTIONING, UNLIKE PREVIOUS DELOREAN BLOGS, I DON’T HAVE TO PRETEND THAT THE INTERNET DOESN’T EXIST!
What’s up everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com, your number one source for Ranger blogs on the MySpace.
Tonight, the Rangers downed the Thrashers, 4-2, to SWEEP the series. As a result, the Rangers await the winner of the Sabres/Islanders series, with the Sabres holding a 3-1 series lead. As much as I hate rooting for the Islanders, it’s in the best interest of Ranger fans, if the Islanders can knock off the Presidents’ Trophy winners. I just feel that the Rangers match up better with the Islanders and it would be a complete series of home game environments for our beloved Blueshirts.
I thought going into this series, despite the Thrashers winning the regular season series, by a tally of 3-1, or to be point-correct, 1-1-2 (Two Thrasher OT wins) I thought the Rangers had a chance to knock off the Southeast Division Champs. However, I didn’t predict a sweep.
The Rangers, who won the first two games on the road, by a goal a piece, absolutely demoralized and took the Thrasher’s dignity away in Game 3, when they put the Thrashers over their knee and spanked them 7-0. The last time the Rangers played a team from Atlanta, they sent them packing to a different country. After tonight’s 4-2 loss, for the 4-0 sweep, the Thrashers may want to explore going to Canada again. I heard Winnipeg is wonderful this time of year.
What impressed me about this win, for a team that’s relatively young, the Rangers didn’t give the Thrashers an opening or any hope in this game. The Rangers meticulously picked apart the Thrashers. There would be no Game 5. Instead of wasting time with a Game 5, the Rangers now have a mini-break, before getting ready for round 2. For a team that was swept last year, the Rangers flipped the pain onto the Thrashers, who were ultimately thrashed this whole series. It didn’t matter who the Thrashers put in net, as the Rangers picked apart both Lehtonen and Hedberg.
Before getting into the game itself, let me get you the box score from the new Hockey-Reference.com website:
| 06:38 | ATL | Keith Tkachuk (1) Ilya Kovalchuk and Niclas Havelid |
| 07:57 | NYR | PP — Michal Rozsival (2) Martin Straka and Michael Nylander |
| 2nd Period | ||
|---|---|---|
| 12:26 | ATL | Greg de Vries (1) Pascal Dupuis and Marian Hossa |
| 18:18 | NYR | Brendan Shanahan (3) Sean Avery |
| 3rd Period | ||
| 02:06 | NYR | Matt Cullen (1) Thomas Pock and Ryan Callahan |
| 18:27 | NYR | EN — Jaromir Jagr (2) |
| Goalie Stats | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | DEC | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SO | PIM | TOI |
| 1 | Johan Hedberg | L | 3 | 30 | 27 | .900 | 0 | 0 | 58:31 |
| Goalie Stats | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | DEC | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SO | PIM | TOI |
| 1 | Henrik Lundqvist | W | 2 | 26 | 24 | .923 | 0 | 0 | 60:00 |
After the Rangers game 3 shellacking of the Thrashers, where Michael Nylander got a hat trick, rookie Ryan Callahan picked up two goals and Henrik Lundqvist recorded his first ever shutout, this Game 4 was a little tougher. In fact, the Rangers had to erase two separate one goal deficits in this game, before Matt Cullen put the Rangers ahead, early into the third period. The Thrashers would do their best to tie it, but it was Captain Double J potting the empty net goal, to give the Rangers the secure 4-2 lead and the eventual win.
For the first time in 10 years, the Rangers are playing hockey during the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Are we in a new era? Only time will tell.
Obviously, no one is celebrating the Cup during the third week of April. However, as Ranger fans, we should all enjoy this win. So go ahead, feel free to boast your chest out around the various message boards on the internet. That said, let’s not lose sight of the goal. Can this Rangers team take out Buffalo? With the way the Rangers looked in this series, anything is possible.
Let’s boogie.
The M$G Networks had this game, which made this game more enjoyable than being on network TV.
However, can Joe Micheletti’s love affair with Henrik Lundqvist get any deeper? I hope we’re not subjected to this for years on end:
I can’t stop laughing at Micheletti tickling Hank’s balls in 2007 @Fixxser pic.twitter.com/1Sgh5QqHlz
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
Note to Micheletti: I know you come from the Islanders broadcasting team and you want to keep your job with the big boys, but come up for air in-between fellating players. I know it’s gotta be tough taking this spot after JD moved on, but you don’t have to swallow everything.
And this goes without saying – every time I see Micheleti, I just miss JD that much more.
While an institution like JD was replaced, at least we still have John Amirante. May he live forever:
RIP AMIRANTE pic.twitter.com/9ulGALhYKw
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
Before puck drop, Sam Rosen informed us that the Rangers haven’t trailed in this series for nearly 150 minutes.
I gotta say, watching this game on a HD flat screen is light years better than the way I used to watch hockey on TV.
As usual, in this post lockout era of hockey, this game immediately started off with an icing.
Rosen and Micheletti put over how great the Jagr/Hossa/Nylander line has been. Freaking Jagr had 4 assists in Game 3!
Rangers applied the early pressure, but Hedbeg, starting in place of Lehtonen, was able to sustain. The Thrashers looked flummoxed, as they iced the puck three times in 2:30.
Even with some of the talent on Atlanta, it was evident early, that Jagr was heads and shoulders better than everyone else on the ice. Jagr is just a walking scoring opportunity machine. The Rangers, whenever Jagr was on the ice, really had the Thrashers sharting. Micheletti astutely noticed it.
Kovalchuk, for as good as he is, was a turnover machine early. His Harlem Globetrotter passes were easily intercepted.
At the 6:38 mark of the first period, Keith Tkachuk, no relation to Big Walt, for those who may ask, beat sophomore goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, right through the five hole. Let’s hope that’s not a weak point in games to come for Henrik. Here’s the goal:
The king thru the fivehole #NYR pic.twitter.com/gAVYDcfcoe
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
1-0, bad guys.
However, less than 90 seconds later, after Prucha drew a hooking penalty, on the ensuing PP, Michal Rozsival tied the game up:
Rozsival PPG #nyr Lets not forget – deflections and screens! pic.twitter.com/LdA7XiqAAD
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
1-1 game.
Immediately after, Lundqvist made a routine save, which Micheletti acted like it was a Game 7 overtime save.
The Thrashers would go on the PP after the Rangers goal, but couldn’t capitalize.
The Rangers would go back on the attack, but Garnet Exelby made back-to-back blocks.
Both goalies would make a few more saves, but at the end of 20, it remained 1-1.
Worth mentioning, in this first period, Steven McDonald, an NYPD hero, was interviewed:
Man this game is sad #nyr pic.twitter.com/kgLeJFJTLE
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
The second period was more or less the same as the first period. Sean Avery, who opened the game, opened this second period with a faceoff win. From there, Hossa made two quick turnovers, resulting with Andy Sutton missing wide.
As the game continued, Micheletti professed his undying love for Swedish players:
Micheletti is obsessed with Swedes in 2007 #nyr pic.twitter.com/QLCRvcMoZt
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
Of note, don’t you love when Sam Rosen points out that the crowd is chanting “Let’s Go Rangers!”
At the halfway mark of the game, Petr Prucha got caught holding Pascal Dupuis. The Rangers would kill the penalty.
However, immediately afterwards the kill, Greg de Vries gave the Atlanta another one goal lead:
Greg de Vries crowns the King #nyr pic.twitter.com/zw1yPVTPA2
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
NOTE: INTERJECTION FROM 2018. JOE MICHELETTI IS UNBEARABLE. I WOULD RATHER WATCH A SATHER & DOLAN PORNO THAN LISTEN TO JOE EVER AGAIN. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THE SACRIFICE I MAKE FOR YOU READERS!
With the Thrashers taking a 2-1 lead, the Rangers tried to tie it up, but credit to Hedberg, he was able to stop the Rangers on a PP, which was created after Sutton tripped Prucha.
With the period coming to a close, the Rangers were able to tie the game at the 18:18 mark, as former Redwings, Brendan Shanahan and Sean Avery, hooked up for the tying 2-2 goal:
Shanahan assisted by @imseanavery ties the game #NYR pic.twitter.com/m8cAxrcV4d
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
With under a minute to go, Slava Kozlov tripped Jagr to put the Rangers on the PP again. The Rangers wouldn’t score, but would open the third with the man advantage.
2-2, after two, with twenty minutes remaining.
The Rangers, who didn’t score on the wrap around powerplay, got the lead two minutes into the third period, courtesy of Matt Cullen. Initially, the play wasn’t ruled a goal, but after review, it was clear as day that Cullen scored. After this goal, the Rangers never looked back:
Cullen scores, referees review #NYR pic.twitter.com/YQjsZ8OQj7
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
3-2, good guys. For the Thrashers, they would never score again in this series.
After the review, Kovalchuk tested Lundqvist twice, but was denied on both occasions.
Ryan Callahan, the young rookie, showed signs of maturity and knowing his position, as he halted the Atlanta attack on several attempts.
Atlanta, feeling the pressure, became their own worst enemy. Prucha drew another penalty, this time when Eric Belanger slashed him. A minute later, Garnet Exelby got banged for roughing Brendan Shanahan, giving the Rangers a 5 vs 3.
While on the PP, Shanahan had a few attempts of getting the insurance goal, but Hedberg denied all comers.
The Rangers couldn’t score on the PP, and to make matters worse, Fedor Tyutin got called for interference.
As the game approached the 50 minute mark, Sean Avery won another faceoff. He had a great game from the dot.
The Rangers would get yet another PP, this time when Dupuis interfered with Nylander. The Rangers still couldn’t put the game away. Worth noting, Avery, who had a great game as previously mentioned, rang one off the crossbar.
As the game hit the “FOXWOODS FINAL FIVE”, Sutton found iron.
Then, the Garden breathed a collective sigh of relief, as with Hedberg pulled, Jagr found the empty net, with 77 seconds remaining:
Captain @68Jagr adds the insurance goal! pic.twitter.com/v7XKrJHTnr
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
4-2 good guys.
Immediately after, Marek Malik got caught for holding Scott Mellanby. This gave the Thrashers a PP to close the game, and with the goalie pulled, it was a 6 vs 4 man advantage. However, with the Rangers up 4-2, and under a minute to go, this game was finito.
Here is the closing minute of the game:
#NYR sweeps the Thrashers pic.twitter.com/njcibSuArt
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) July 1, 2018
4-2, your final from the Garden, as the Rangers made quick work of the Southeast Champs! Bring on Buffalo! Bring on the Islanders! Bring on everyone! No one is stopping these new Rangers!
I’ll be back after Game 1 between the Rangers and whatever loser NY team draws them. LET’S GO RANGERS!
And we’re back from 2007 and here in 2018!
As you may know, after the Rangers sweep of the Thrashers, the Rangers would go down in 6 games to the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Buffalo Sabres. For whatever reason, Buffalo always plays the Rangers tough in the playoffs. Then again, the last time these two teams met was in 1978. Funny enough, I have DVD’s from that series, but refuse to review them. After all, I get enough of the Rangers losing in the present day.
The Rangers would lose three different games by one goal in this series with Buffalo. So for as much as they were a team full of new faces, they were in nearly every game (Game 1 being the exception) of this series.
Chris Drury, who I never liked, even during his crappy Rangers tenure, had a great series for the Sabres. Ironically, he would be a Ranger the next season, where he joined another Rangers failure, in Scott Gomez. The greatest thing Scott Gomez ever did for the Rangers was when he went to Montreal for Ryan McDonagh.
That 2007-2008 season is a season I remember vividly. These two monster free agents, in Drury and Gomez, were supposed to lead the Rangers to the Cup, but these two fucks needed a step-stool to reach a urinal. To this day, I don’t know what the Rangers obsession is with Chris Drury or why he has a job with the club. Blame Senile Sather.
For those who don’t know, the Sabres would lose to Ottawa in the ECF, and in one of the worst SCF of all time, between two markets no one gave a fuck about, the Ducks beat the Senators, 4-1, to win the Cup. I remember watching that SCF live, but if something else was on, like a Yankees game, I flipped to that instead. That series was that bad. It was the complete opposite of the exciting 4-1 Capitals win over the VGK, during the 2018 SCF.
That does it for tonight’s trip down memory lane. Keep it here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com all summer, as I will continue to check out games from Rangers lure. As mentioned at the top of this blog, I”m thinking of debuting a new feature – “Historic Trades in NYR History.” If you have any interest in that concept, feel free to let me know.
As far as the next Delorean blog, we will be traveling to 1996, for Game 3 of the World Cup of Hockey and explore the Richter vs Lundqvist debate.
Until next time, thanks for reading, and as always…
“LET’S GO RANGERS!”
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the tweet tweet
