Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July weekend. Up next on the NHL calendar – the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
As I’ve been doing on this site ever since the off-season hit, let me get the “diary” portion of tonight’s manifesto out of the way first, then get into the latest news in Rangerstown, USA. After that, I’ll close with the piece on Adam Graves.
When it comes to the updates on the two books I’m working on, both projects are still in the rough draft phase, but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m pretty much on the twenty yard line and looking to push the ball across the end zone.
While my editor Diane E. works on the “One Game at a Time” (working title) book, which is a Yearbook/Compendium of the Rangers’ 2021-22 season; I’m now up to the year 2013 in my book which covers every trade that the Rangers have ever made. (Also, a thank you to everyone who emailed me in regards to the last blog posted on this site, when I shared the Matt Cullen chapter from that book.)
As I’ve probably said 76458845848 times on this site before – the writing comes easy to me. It’s everything else that’s a pain in the ass.
When it comes to this site, the editing, the webmaster responsibilities, and anything else you can imagine, is what slows me down. I probably spend more time on that than on the actual writing. (It’s also another reason why I don’t run ads on this site – it would take too long for me to figure all of that crap out)
When it comes to these two books (and my last one too), again, the writing comes natural to me – it’s everything else.
My newest problem? Apparently, Google Docs (the program I use to write these books) has a 1.02 million character limit. When writing, proof-reading, and editing, I like to refer back to what I originally wrote, just to make sure that nothing comes off as redundant – especially since this book will be the biggest and best single source for anything Rangers’ history related. (That’s how confident I am.)
Just to expand further on this, when the Rangers had their deep 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff run, I noticed an uptick in sales from my first book, sales that came from Amazon.com. I was also notified by Amazon that I had a few new reviews of the book, where across the board, the book has received nothing but five stars (out of a possible five stars) reviews – except for one four star review.
While I’m not “upset” or “bothered” (for lack of better words) about a review that’s not perfect (everyone is entitled to their own opinions), here’s Joe C.’s four star review that’s currently up on Amazon.com:
The key to this book is to read it all the way through. After the intro, the player bios are given by position and then in alphabetical order, starting with goaltender Andy Aikenhead. Your temptation will be to skip to the players you know and love, but if you skip Aikenhead, for example, you’ll miss a real interesting story about mental illness and the “yips”. Some of the most interesting stories are in the lives of the less well known players. For instance, I followed the team closely in the early 80’s, yet had forgotten all about Mike Rogers leading the team in scoring. I also didn’t know that the “original six” are not the first six teams in the league (they are the teams left standing after WW2) or that for most of the NHL’s history there was no draft and prospects were allotted based on location (Montreal got dibs on Quebec prospect, , while the lucky Rangers got the players from the south).
The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because I swear I could have cut the length by a quarter just by cleaning up redundant phases – but then I’m a technical writer. If you’re not anal retentive and don’t have OCD, feel free to add that fifth star. I did not notice any outright mistakes in the book (no dates/scores/names that were incorrect). Nicely done overall.”
Joe’s biggest gripe about my first book was that for him, it got redundant in parts. Is he right? As he says, it’s up to the reader.
For what it’s worth, I tried to treat every player featured in that book in their own vacuum and wanted to do complete profiles as best as I could. However, his commentary is something worth noting, especially when writing this Rangers’ trades book.
Anyway, this is my long version of saying that Google Docs has a 1.02 million character limit (see, I’m redundant again!), and now I have to split the book into multiple files. If anyone has ever used Google Docs before, then you’re probably aware of their slow load times. And if you know your Rangers’ history, then you’re also aware that hundreds of players have been traded to the Rangers, only to be traded later on (and vice-versa).
Knowing all of this, that’s why I would rather work on one unique file, rather than having to have a bunch of different files open when writing/editing/proof-reading.
Later on (and I’ll worry about this when I get there), I’m going to have to figure out how to put this into one file once completely edited, for when the time comes and I send the book for submission/publication. I assume I’m going to have to bite the bullet and buy a real book-writer program to do so, or hope that I can add over a million characters (with pictures included too) into a Microsoft Word document.
And if you don’t know this already, despite my proficiency in running this website – I’m not that good with all of the technology stuff. At this point, I feel like it would be easier to write this book by hand!
Long story short – if anyone reading this is well-versed with Google Docs, and knows how to get around their 1.02 million character limit – feel free to reach out!
Yes, I’m venting here, but I’ve spent more time dealing with slow load times, my dinosaur computer’s freezing issues, and trying to get all of these own hiccups rectified than writing. It’s maddening!
That concludes the “diary” portion of this blog. Let’s get into the news.
On June 17th, I talked about Jessica Campbell, who the Rangers hired to help them out during training camp. (You can read that blog here: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/61722/ )
Less than three weeks later, on July 5th, we found out that Campbell wouldn’t be assisting the Rangers in the field of power-skating, following this announcement:
The Coachella Valley Firebirds have named Jessica Campbell their first assistant coach in team history.
With the @Firebirds‘ inaugural season this fall, Campbell will be breaking barriers as the first female assistant coach in the American Hockey League! pic.twitter.com/ubogUsqdF2
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) July 5, 2022
If you’re not aware, the Coachella Valley Firebirds are the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken. Obviously, this is a huge step in Campbell’s career – and a step closer to her personal goal/dream – an NHL head coaching gig.
Obviously, with this new job as an AHL assistant head coach, she won’t be joining the Rangers as originally planned.
While Campbell never officially worked with the Rangers, Mike Grier did.
When Chris Drury first assumed the dual role as the Rangers’ president and general manager, he hired his former teammate, Mike Grier, as the team’s Hockey Operations Advisor. At the time, Rangers’ legend Brian Leetch had stepped down from the role.
As part of Grier’s responsibilities with the Rangers, he mainly worked at the AHL level in Hartford, where he helped in developing players from the Wolfpack.
Grier, who not only played with Drury at the collegiate level (Boston University), but also played with him in the NHL too (Buffalo Sabres), now calls Drury his peer once again – as an NHL general manager:
There is no better source to confirm the news than himself.
Please say hello and hear from our new #SJSharks General Manager, Mike Grier. 👋 pic.twitter.com/kIrBGAU14i
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 5, 2022
On July 5th, Mike Grier also joined Campbell out west, where he’s now the general manager of the San Jose Sharks.
For Chris Drury, he now has two organizational roles to fill, should he decide to do so. More times than not, a Hockey Operations Advisor is a former player. We’ll see if Drury finds another ex-teammate to replace Grier with, or if he goes with someone else from the Rangers’ alumni.
When it comes to replacing Campbell, her position was newly created, but it’s a position that the Rangers should continue on with – whether it’s a male or female in the role.
As noted when the Rangers first hired Campbell to help players out with their skating – while there is a tight and firm salary cap on players – there is no salary cap on coaches and amenities. The more help the better.
In an interesting note, especially now, with the Boston Bruins replacing former head coach Bruce Cassidy with Jim Montgomery? The fact that Grier is good friends with former Rangers’ head coach, David Quinn.
Currently, the Sharks have a head coaching vacancy, and already, the reports out of the Bay are that Grier is considering giving DQ his second chance in the NHL.
Of course, these are just rumors and nothing is set in stone yet.
After all, DQ was once thought to be the front-runner to land the Boston job prior to the Montgomery hiring – a Montgomery who wasn’t linked to the Bruins prior to his hiring.
In any event, kudos to both Campbell and Grier and good luck to them. Now it’s up to Drury, who thought he had these areas addressed, to go back to the drawing board.
As previously discussed on this site, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, unlike drafts from previous years, won’t be that big for the New York Rangers.
Formerly a draft lottery team during recent years, today, the Rangers are in “WIN-NOW” mode. As a result, they don’t have a first-round selection. Instead, the Rangers have the following draft picks:
— Second Round, 31st pick, 63rd overall
— Fourth Round, 14th pick, 111th overall
— Fifth Round, 30th pick, 159th overall
— Sixth Round, 30th pick, 191st overall.
As you know, I’m a history guy. Predicting what teenagers will do is not my forte.
In other words, if you want a deep NHL Entry Draft preview, go somewhere else. I’m not your guy for that, especially when it comes to late round picks.
After all, I’ve never seen the players that are projected to go in the first round play in the first place!
That stated, as of this writing, the Rangers won’t have a first round pick on the first day of the draft. Instead, they have four later picks, selections that will all take place on Friday, during the second day of the draft.
While the Rangers do not have a first round pick (and I don’t envision them trading up for one either), that doesn’t mean that Drury and company will be idle in the city of poutine.
As we’ve seen many times before, there are usually a ton of trades made right before and during the NHL Entry Draft – trades involving both picks and players.
The two likeliest suspects to be traded sometime by this weekend are Alexandar Georgiev and the recently re-signed Julien Gauthier, two players who have expressed their interest in playing elsewhere next season.
While everyone already knows all about Georgiev; for Gauthier, who just recently signed a one-year deal worth $800,000, now that Gauthier has an NHL contract, it makes him easier to trade – should that be Drury’s desire.
So while Ranger fans most likely will not see their favorite team draft a player during the first-round, at the same time – come Thursday -don’t expect a slow news day either.
Adam Graves time!
Over the weekend, I was talking with Stan Fischler. The man who should be in the Hall of Fame in Toronto, “The Maven” himself, asked me if I could write a few words about Adam Graves for his upcoming NHL.com article.
I told Stan that I’ve written many words about Graves on both this site and in my upcoming book. Stan asked me to present him an article focusing on Graves’ trades, both when the Rangers traded for him and when the Rangers traded him away.
And that’s what I did. Once Stan read it over, he told me he loved it, which is why I’m including it here.
As of now, the article isn’t up on NHL.com just yet, so I don’t know what Stan will edit/chop for his piece. He just told me that my name will appear on the site, and that’s good enough for me! And once it’s posted, I’ll link it on this site.
Lastly, before sharing the article, there are two other things I want to say.
One, the first half of the article, which talks about Graves’ entry to New York is timely – especially if you’re of the belief that Kaapo Kakko may be offer-sheeted this summer.
Two, this is also somewhat a sample chapter of my trades book, but not the complete chapter. What you’ll read below will be included in the book (and rewritten in some parts), but there will be much more about Graves in the book itself. Just like the Cullen trade from last blog, this just gives you an idea of what to expect, as I continue to hard-sell a book that I don’t even have up for presale yet!
I think I’ve rambled on long enough, here’s the article/book preview below!
If I had it my way, Adam Graves, where I also believe the word “Saint” belongs in front of his name – the left winger (who I would also advocate for a Hall of Fame induction) would have a statue in his likeliness at the main entrance way of Madison Square Garden.
Not only did Adam Graves soon become one of the best Rangers of all-time, he was even better off of the ice – where to this day, no one has done more for both the community of New York City, and the Garden of Dreams charity too, than #9 himself.
Adam Scott Graves, born in the NHL Original Six city of Toronto, Ontario, home of the Maple Leafs; birthed his NHL career with another Original Six franchise instead – the much storied Detroit Red Wings.
However, it was in New York, another Original Six city in itself, where Graves etched his legacy that is unmatched by none.
Graves’ entry to the Rangers was unique – just like the man himself.
The NHL first introduced the concept of offer sheets in 1986, where over time, the rules have changed (and have also become complicated too) – but the high excitement level has not – especially for fans.
Since the inception of offer sheets, the Rangers have made four offer sheets on NHL restricted free agents during the past thirty-six years.
Three of these offers were soon matched – Geoff Courtnall (in August of 1988, then matched by the Oilers), Stu Grimson (in August of 1995, then matched by the Red Wings), and Joe Sakic (in July of 1997, then matched by the Avalanche).
The fourth offer sheet? Adam Graves, who the Rangers were successfully able to pry away from the Oilers – following an offer of a five-year contract that paid him $2,440,000 overall – a deal that Graves then signed on the Rangers’ bottom line.
To this day, this is the only successful offer sheet in all of Rangers’ history.
While this offer, which was made on September 3rd, 1991, may be well-known by Ranger fans; at the time, it was put on the back-burner by the NHL media.
On this date, when then Rangers’ general manager “Big Deal” Neil Smith was orchestrating his coup of Graves; elsewhere, the Rangers’ Hudson River rivals, the New Jersey Devils, were pulling off a major move of their own – in their acquisition of the eventual Class of 2007 Hall of Fame defenseman, now soon-to-be formerly of the St. Louis Blues, Scott Stevens.
Ironically, the Blues were able to nab Stevens from the Capitals just a year prior, also via an offer-sheet, with their four-year offer/deal worth $5,145,000 overall.
With the league and their pundits all focusing on Stevens at this moment in time, and with all of the ramifications from this deal with the Devil(s) along with it; Smith’s nabbing of Graves from Glen Sather (where the word “ironically” must be used again, as Sather would eventually become Smith’s successor in New York in 2000), somewhat went undetected.
(For younger readers, keep in mind – there was no social media and/or 24/7 news cycle in 1991.)
At the time of this offer sheet/free agency steal, Graves, who idolized Mark Messier (and a #11 who would soon be traded to the Rangers himself just a month later, in what would soon become the greatest trade in all of franchise history), was already a Stanley Cup champion.
Graves had his name etched on the holy grail of hockey when he won the Stanley Cup in 1990 – in Edmonton – and with his role model, Mark Messier, leading the way as team captain – following Wayne Gretzky’s departure to Los Angeles.
Of all the players that the Rangers could offer sheet in 1991, why did the then head-honcho of the Blueshirts, Neil Smith, decide to make this bold decision with Adam Graves as his sole target?
Simply put – Smith was the one who forged Graves’ path to the NHL.
Prior to Smith’s July 17th, 1989 general manager hiring with the Rangers, when he replaced former Rangers’ general manager, “Trader” Phil Esposito; Smith had cut his teeth in Detroit, where he served the Red Wings under then general manager, Jim Devellano.
Previously, the Devellano & Smith duo worked together with the Islanders during the early 1980s, but when Devellano headed to Motown in 1982 – so did Smith, now as Devellano’s assistant general manager.
As part of his duties under Devellano, Smith was the general manager of Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Red Wings (where he then built two Calder Cup champions). The relatively young Smith, who was born on January 9th, 1954, also pitched in during NHL Entry Drafts as the club’s director of scouting.
In turn, it was Smith’s voice who made Graves the 22nd overall selection of the 1986 NHL Draft.
(Fun fact: the Rangers selected Graves’ future Hall of Fame teammate, and someone who he shares a banner in the rafters of Madison Square Garden with, Brian Leetch, with their ninth overall pick of this 1986 draft.)
During a January 27th, 2009 interview with the official website of the New York Rangers, Smith recounted drafting the then eighteen year old Graves in 1986:
“I can hardly think straight. We had two first-rounders. It made my whole draft. If they threw us out of the Forum after two rounds, we would go home smiling. Without a shadow of a doubt, we’ve been able to get two NHL players. To think we could get Graves would have been as ridiculous as saying we thought we should get Jimmy Carson or Shawn Anderson in the second round.”
When Graves first signed this offer sheet afforded to him by Smith, Glen Sather, then in Edmonton, immediately became irate.
The then Oilers’ general manager wanted both Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk as compensation in return for Graves. Instead, an NHL arbitrator sided with Smith and then awarded Sather with Rangers’ left winger, Troy Mallette.
The New York hockey media of 1991 soon mocked Smith for giving up Mallette for Graves.
Following Graves’ arrival and Mallette’s departure, and with the now newest Oiler previously a favorite of both the media and the Rangers’ fan base at the time; the New York Times ran a story that stated, “Rangers give up Mallette for a seven-goal scorer.”
Needless to say, Graves would go on to play in 772 regular season games for the Rangers, where he scored 280 goals in total.
Graves, who assumed the number nine from former Rangers’ legend Andy Bathgate, also added 28 goals during his 68 Stanley Cup Playoff games played as a Ranger – which also included a Stanley Cup victory in 1994. (You may have heard about this!)
And oh yeah – Graves would also score 52 goals during that magical 1993-94 season, which at the time, was a franchise record, as he surpassed “Goal A Game” line member, Vic Hadfield, and his total of fifty goals scored during the Rangers’ 1971-72 season.
(Jaromir Jagr, 54 goals scored during the 2005-06 campaign, would eventually eclipse Graves’ 52 goals. Chris Kreider, during the 2021-22 season, would then match Graves’ 52 goals scored during a Rangers’ regular season.)
Not too shabby for “a seven-goal scorer!”
When Smith won his arbitration case (and the irony that both DeBrusk and Rice would soon go to Edmonton, along with Bernie Nicholls, in the October 4th, 1991 trade that brought Messier to New York), the Rangers’ general manager said:
“I don’t look at it as beating Glen Sather. I just calculated, and I calculated better.”
Smith, on his negotiations with Sather, added:
“I don’t think I want to go through this again. My phone bill is going to say ‘403’ all the way down. If we hadn’t finished the way that we did last year, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. But we were committed to change.”
And yep, the area code in Edmonton were those familiar numbers (at least for Smith) of “403.”
During a February 7th, 2019 interview with the Rangers’ official website, an interview conducted in honor of the Rangers’ 25th anniversary of their last Stanley Cup victory, Smith talked about Graves once more:
“My favorite deal. I’m very, very proud of Adam Graves. I drafted him for Detroit, I knew him and his dad, I believed in him. When I traded for him that year he was a heavy-duty minus on Edmonton in the ’91 season, because he’d been played against all the top guys on the other teams. And he came in and became Messier’s bodyguard, and scored those 52 goals. To me, that’s such a great story. I go all the way back with him to the ’86 Draft, and there we are on the ice with the Stanley Cup together. To me, it’s a wonderful, wonderful story.”
Smith continued:
“When I got Graves for Mallette, I was talking to another GM, and I swear to you he said, ‘Do you really think that Adam Graves is better than Troy Mallette?’ I said, ‘I know his character, and I know his dad, I drafted him for Detroit; Yes, I’m pretty confident in that.'”
On an aside, and in personal story – I’d now like to talk about my own interactions with Graves.
As a teenager, I was an autograph seeker. It’s just a shame that I can’t find my old disposable camera photos from that era, as I had a ton of great pictures from the mid-to-late 1990s!
During this period of time, my buddies from high school and I would look to attain autographs, which we did, both before and after games. This was when the Rangers were really good, and had a “who’s who” of names, including the “Core 4 of ’94,” Wayne Gretzky, and others.
Of all the big Ranger names from that era (and I certainly appreciate this more now than I did at the time), Adam Graves, no matter if the Rangers had won by five goals or lost by five goals – would SIGN for everyone. After all, stuff like this is what made him one of the biggest Ranger fan-favorites of all-time.
Graves even signed everything for all of the fifty year old creeps – shady adults who were obviously profiting off of his signature, with all of their 78067867896789 different items and requests. He just didn’t say the word “no” to anyone.
Not only did Adam Graves sign for everyone, he let you into his world.
The Toronto native made small talk with you. There was never a case of “let me grab a sharpie and get rid of you” – instead, he tried to learn about the people he was signing for during these days – days which were the peak of his career – and days that I’ll never forget.
While sometimes, players like Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky and Brian Leetch, would all try to avoid the throng of adoring fans – Graves was always there.
It’s something that’s forever tattooed on both my brain and memory.
I know this sentiment is also echoed throughout the streets of Rangerstown, USA to this very day.
As of this 2022 writing, in all of franchise history, Graves is third all-time in goals scored for the Rangers, with 280 goals, tenth all-time in points with 507 points, fourth all-time in power-play goals with 100 PPG’s, and first all-time in power-play playoff goals, with 13 tallies.
And while all of these stats are nice – being first all-time in playoff PPG’s speaks volumes.
It’s also one of the reasons why the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994.
In addition, it speaks to how big Graves was during clutch games.
Adam Graves, one of the most lovable Rangers of all-time, was eventually traded by Glen Sather (of all people), to the San Jose Sharks on June 24th, 2001.
At the time of this trade, Graves was experiencing personal tragedy that anyone could relate to, following the January 14th, 2000 passing of his infant son, soon to be followed by the death of his father Henry, which sadly occurred in June of 2000, following Graves’ father, a local Canadian policeman, short bout with cancer.
Graves wasn’t the same player, both during and following these events – and I don’t think I have to explain why.
In September of 2000, Graves opened up a bit about these tragic losses, during an interview with CBC Sports:
“It’s hard to talk about it, that’s why I don’t say much, but life is full of twists and turns. You never know what’s coming. You just try and stay positive. My dad always said the most important thing, ‘when all is said and done, it’s all about your family and your friends.’
“We were fortunate to get the support that we did. The Rangers were tremendous. Teammates depend upon each other throughout the year when you’re playing, but also emotionally. And I heard from so many people on other teams.
“I’d be the first to tell you, I really struggled last year. I’m not looking for any excuses, but yeah, I struggled.
“My dad always told me you don’t judge a man on his highs, but how he reacts when he’s struggling. I have to get back to the grindstone. I have to have emotion in my game.”
At the time of this trade, the 2000-01 season was the worst of Graves’ career.
His ten goals and twenty-six points were career-lows during a complete 82-game NHL season. (His nine goals and eighteen points in his final season, the 2002-03 season in San Jose, wound up being worse. Of course, things were different back then.)
Glen Sather, now general manger of the Rangers, knew this was going to be a tough trade to announce – especially since he had a prior relationship with Graves, was aware of the bond that #9 had with Ranger fans, and with everything that his player had been through.
During his press conference with the media, Sather said the following about the now ex-Ranger:
“He was going through a pretty tragic period in his life. Both he and the Rangers need a change. And I say that knowing it will be a long time before anyone will give back what he did. He is a unique guy.”
The general manager added:
“We had some choices and we chose the best one for both Adam and us. We have to make some changes and sometimes you have to make some painful decisions.
“It will probably help Adam extend his career, give him a fresh start. We have to start over. We’ve got to get quicker and get younger.
“I wanted to give Adam an opportunity to play on a good team. He’s a veteran, he’s a gentleman, he’s a terrific guy – he meant an awful lot to the Ranger franchise. There isn’t anybody finer in the game.”
Immediately following the trade, Graves spoke to the media too:
“A lot of different things are going through my mind. One is that I’m happy to go to an organization for which as a competitor I have a lot of respect. Another is how grateful I am for ten great years in New York and for the opportunity to be a Ranger.
“My best memory was standing on the bench with 1.8 seconds and one face-off to go in 1994, touching hands with my teammates. But the really great thing about it, was that it was only the best of about a hundred great memories that I have.
“I am the first to admit that last year I didn’t play to expectations, mine or anybody else’s. I wasn’t myself either mentally or physically.
“I know the organization is moving in a different direction. I’m very fortunate.”
As part of the trade, the Rangers then assumed $3,300,000 of Graves’ salary.
This was notable, because at the time, rather than trading Graves – Sather could’ve bought him out of the contract at a lesser cost (66.7%) instead. However, due to the class act that Graves was – Sather gave his former player his full salary (and real money earned) when making this deal.
This trade really marked the end of an era, especially since Graves was the first former Oiler to join the Rangers.
While Messier was now back, he also had his three year sabbatical in Vancouver.
If you include Messier’s 1997 departure, Graves was the final ex-Oiler of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion Rangers to move on – names which include Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Mike Hudson, Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish and Esa Tikkanen.
During Graves’ ten years of service with the Rangers, he won five Steven McDonald Extra Effort Awards, four “Players’ Player” awards, two Ranger MVP awards, seven Ceil Saidel Memorial awards, and one Frank Boucher Trophy to boot.
In addition to these team-specific honors, Graves also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy during the 1993-94 Rangers’ Stanley Cup championship season, and then won the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2001.
Following his 2003 retirement, Graves returned to New York, where he currently serves as the Rangers’ team ambassador – where for nearly the past twenty years, he’s achieved his goal of enriching the lives of many children.
Graves, born in Toronto, and having played in Detroit, Edmonton and San Jose, will always be a New Yorker. In addition, he’s arguably the best free agent signing (via an offer sheet) in all of franchise history.
Thank you “Saint” Adam!
PLUGS TIME.
On Tuesday night, “The Blueshirt Underground Show” returned with a new episode. You can listen to it here:
In addition, I believe our pals at “2 Guys, 1 Cup” will have a new episode of their podcast up late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning. When they post the episode, you will be able to find it here: https://linktr.ee/2G1CRangers
My first 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
Here are my last few blogs, in case you missed them:
New York Rangers’ Clickbait & Rumor Mill Fully Motoring; Nazem Kadri vs Ryan Strome & Andrew Copp, Sample Chapter of Upcoming NYR Trades Book; Fifteen Year Anniversary of the Scott Gomez & Chris Drury Signings, 2007-08 Salary Cap Reminiscent of 2022-23 & More
Busy “Summer of Drury” Ahead; Key Dates, Henrik Lundqvist Gets Good News; Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Announced (And The Beefs Attached), Rangers’ Preseason Schedule, NYR Clickbait Season, Panarin Nonsense; Jack Johnson/Av’s Cup Win, NHL HC’s & More
CZAR IGOR “VEZ-YORKIN” Officially Named 2022 Vezina Winner; Canadian Bias Wins Hart Trophy, Adam Fox & Chris Drury Get Respect Too, A Season to Remember for #31, Rangers’ History, Book Updates & More
If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:
As will be the case during this off-season, I’ll return once something big breaks.
Until then, I’m doing my Rangers’ Hunter S. Thompson act!
LET’S GO RANGERS!
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on Tweeter
