PuckUpdate .: The Hockey Blog
No One Leaves the NHL: Considering it's the middle of July, there's a shocking amount of stuff going on around the NHL. Mark Hermann thinks Joe Queeneville should be the next coach of the Islanders. Queeneville isn't a bad idea, but given the Isles history,...... , posted on July 17, 2008 more
Free Agents: No 404 For Us: Larry Brooks points out no one wants to play in Atlanta, Edmonton, or Long Island. I get the Isle burn, because they still have that crazy management reputation, even if it's much calmer out there, but I'm not sure why...... , posted on July 07, 2008 more
Goodbye, Jags: Jaromir Jagr has left the Rangers and the NHL for Avangard Omsk. I don't know if it's the spin of Rangers' GM Glen Sather, but while the conventional wisdom held the Rangers weren't trying to get anything done with Jagr,...... , posted on July 04, 2008 more
What's So Great About North America?: I'm always behind in reading ESPN the Magazine. In fact, I usually finish one and get the new one like a day later. So this is a little late, but the magazine had a cool update on first-round bust Alexandre...... , posted on June 30, 2008 more
Theodore: "It's Not Personal. It's Just Business": Adrian Dater weighs in on goalie Jose Theodore opting to hit the open market rather than re-signing with the Avs. Dater says the Avs deserve a little bit of a hometown discount for saving Theodore's career. While I understand that,...... , posted on June 27, 2008 more
Bouwmeester: 'Can Someone Describe the Post-Season to Me?': Steve Zipay has an interesting item: "With the trade of Olli Jokinen, a person close to Jay Bouwmeester told Newsday that the defenseman wants out of Florida. Unsure whether — or when — the Rangers can get him here, but...... , posted on June 26, 2008 more
What's So Free About Free Agency?: There are some very interesting players in this year's free-agent crop. New York Ranger Sean Avery is expected to hit the open market, with Avery supposedly asking for between $3 and $4 million per year. Now I don't know what...... , posted on June 24, 2008 more
C. Everett Koop: 'Don't Split the Sedins!': I wish I could get more into the NHL draft. It all seems so speculative. You won't know which teams won the draft for years. It does seem fairly certain Evgeni Malkin isn't getting traded to the Kings for a...... , posted on June 20, 2008 more
Keep Your Wings and Fly...: Life under the salary cap puts a lot of NHL team in a similar predicament. You have a franchise player. Maybe even two or three. But who are they going to play with? Who helps them finish? In New York,...... , posted on June 09, 2008 more
Malkin Sick; Stevie Y Stays Classy: My favorite part of the end of each round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is when the losing team reveals its injuries. It's like a big mystery is solved each round. Over in Pittsburgh, the big reveal was Evgeni Malkin...... , posted on June 06, 2008 more
Detroit Obstructionists?: So Detroit is one game away from winning the Cup, it seems. Saturday's win over the Penguins was pretty convincing. Detroit was faster, smarter, calmer, and more disciplined. It's really as simple as that. I watched the game at a...... , posted on June 02, 2008 more
Through the Television Glass...: Red Wings coach Mike Babcock's big plan for game four? Just watch the minutes for the Zetterberg line. There's not much news today since the NHL limited player access yesterday, making only four players from each team available. Drew Sharp...... , posted on May 30, 2008 more
Flyers Don't Fly: OK. So I guess the Flyers were more out of gas than we thought. What can you say about a 6-0 loss? It's just a horrible way for the Flyers to end their season. Moving onto other things, Larry Brooks...... , posted on May 19, 2008 more
Roy Ready to Rumble...At the NHL Level: Larry Brooks really thinks the Rangers need to do what it takes to re-sign Sean Avery. This isn't a huge story, but I find it surprising, just because Avery's not a great player. Brooks points out the Rangers' record with...... , posted on May 12, 2008 more
A Tribute to the Beat Writers: Today is dedicated to the beat writers, the unsung heroes of the NHL. And honestly, the guys who supply most of my content. Tim Panaccio says the worst thing about covering Peter Forsberg in Philadelphia was all of the medical...... , posted on May 05, 2008 more
Wings-Avs Rivalry: 'We Can't Come to the Phone Right Now. Please Leave a Message': What can you say about last night's 8-2 Detroit round two clincher over the Avs? Obviously, Johan Franzen dominated, with a hat trick and nine goals in the series. Obviously, everyone agrees it's time for Peter Forsberg to hang up...... , posted on May 02, 2008 more
Manager: 'Puck! Where Are Those TPS Reports?': Mike Babcock was the first coach I ever heard use the term puck management. I heard it when he was coaching the Ducks. The idea behind Babcock's idea of puck management was controlling the puck. That can be puck possession,...... , posted on April 30, 2008 more
Don't Bet on Forsberg: I honestly thought the Penguins would go down in the second round very easily. I figured the cakewalk through Ottawa had set unrealistic expectations for the team and I thought the Rangers matched up better, both in terms of experience...... , posted on April 28, 2008 more
No Goalie Fights? Are You Sure?: I know we're all very busy people here, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. Chris Osgood says there's not going to be a goalie fight between the Avs and the Wings. I'm glad Mitch Albom thought to...... , posted on April 25, 2008 more
Blur (to the tune of "Song 2"): 'Round Two!': Here are some quick notes: Franchise goalie turned bench decoration Olie Kolzig is still pretty pissed at the Caps. Also, coach Bruce Boudreau signed some kind of contract extension. Kolzig would be a great coach. I don't see him joining...... , posted on April 24, 2008 more
Rangers-Devils: 'What Neutral Zone?': Did you hear the playoffs started? I watched Rangers-Devils last night and it was strange. A lot of play in both ends, but not a lot of shots. It was like both teams were trapping, but giving everyone a free...... , posted on April 10, 2008 more
Homophobia Sucks!: The Times has an interesting (and surprising) article about homophobia at Ranger games, in the form of ugly chants. I'm not a Rangers season ticket holder, but I can't recall having heard some of the homophobic chants the article cites....... , posted on March 21, 2008 more
Spin-o-rama: David Pollak has a nice history/overview of the Spin-o-rama. Relatively new San Jose Shark defenseman Brian Campbell is a big fan of the move. He's even scored with it. Pollak credits Blackhawk Denis Savard with popularizing the move, but I...... , posted on March 20, 2008 more
Longer Season, More Golf?: The NHL is crazy if it's really considering a longer schedule. Is the 82-game season somehow not grueling enough? The only way this makes sense is as a cap workaround. Like it's two more games for "retired" players to re-sign...... , posted on March 17, 2008 more
Don't Speak on Any Given Sunday: Today, we have a tribute to assistant coaches, those unheralded heroes of the bench. Over in Detroit, please meet Paul MacLean and Todd McLellan, who work for Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. Sadly, Babcock takes a lesson from NFL coaches...... , posted on March 13, 2008 more
There's Something About Avery: Sean Avery's weird deal in New York is one of the stranger things going on in the league right now. Avery is an unrestricted free agent after this season and he and the Rangers are far apart on a deal,...... , posted on March 11, 2008 more
Forsberg Actually Returns. For Real!: I can't believe Peter Forsberg really came back. And then he played. He didn't put up any points in last night's win over the Canucks, but playing on a line with Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk, it seems to just...... , posted on March 05, 2008 more
Alt Stands By Her Man: How sad is it that I read this whole Times thing on the rise of Russian professional hockey, and my big thought was, 'Wow. I can't believe Carol Alt moved to Russia with him." John Dellapina has a great story...... , posted on March 03, 2008 more
No Avalanche of Trades Yet: Things sure are looking up for the Avalanche. Paul Stastny scored in his first game back from an appendectomy, and the team won a crazy long shootout against the Coyotes. For a struggling team like the Avs of late, this...... , posted on February 25, 2008 more
Return of the Mac: I've been heavy with Wings news this week. I'm not sure why. Actually, I think a lot of it is just being excited for Darren McCarthy's seemingly successfully mounting an NHL comeback. The guy just belongs in Detroit. It looks...... , posted on February 20, 2008 more
Campbell: 'I Love Talking About My Contract!': I don't get the whole Brian Campbell/Sabres contract thing. Now he's saying he expects to be a Sabre next season. This is after he said negotiations with the Sabres had ended. While it now seems some contract talk has been...... , posted on February 13, 2008 more
Quiet Captain: Here in New York, an interesting dynamic has developed, where it seems the fans have beef with the play of Jaromir Jagr and the beat writers are in love with him. A lot of the stories in yesterday's papers revolved...... , posted on February 06, 2008 more
Rangers Need Santana: It's hard to even think about hockey when you know the Mets have pretty much locked in pitcher Johan Santana. But still. Hockey goes on. The Rangers are trying to move defenseman Marek Malik, supposedly looking for a top four...... , posted on January 30, 2008 more
McCarty Finds Even Flow: The Detroit Free Press had a nice, long piece on Darren McCarty's NHL comeback attempt. It's pretty brutal, in terms of McCarty's gambling/money issues and a marijuana problem. Things are going better, though. It seems he's been called up to...... , posted on January 28, 2008 more
Who's the Seamstress?: Kind of a mixed bag of stuff: Jerry Sullivan had a nice column exonerating Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff for the Sabres' troubles. Sullivan points out the coach doesn't have much input in terms of a GM refusing to sign key...... , posted on January 25, 2008 more
Blues Slip On Nothing: Wow. The Blues have lost six games in a row. Obviously, they're sitting outside of the playoff zone right now. What's with the Blues? As Jeff Gordon points out, the crazy thing is, on paper they're doing OK. They're healthy....... , posted on January 24, 2008 more
Does Marleau Know the Way Out of San Jose?: San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau is supposedly on the block? He's been rumored to be out of San Jose since the Sharks got Joe Thornton. I always kind of assumed the Sharks forgot they wanted to trade him. Also, Neil...... , posted on January 23, 2008 more
Sabres: 'What? It Takes Us Like Six Years to Sign Guys. Is That Such a Big Deal?': Crazy stuff in Buffalo. Other than their inability to win. The NHL is investigating accusations Daniel Briere started negotiating with the Flyers before he was officially a free agent. So far, the NHL has nothing indicating anything below-board went down....... , posted on January 22, 2008 more
A Night at the Garden: So I was at Tuesday's Tampa-Rangers game at the Garden. It was pretty brutal, what with Rangers coach Tom Renney deciding to spotlight his fourth line all night. I'm always amazed at how dedicated Ranger fans are. I was one...... , posted on January 10, 2008 more
NHL: 'Don't Push!': Happy New Year, everyone! Almost... Larry Brooks had a long rant about the complaints against New York Ranger Colton Orr's open ice hit on Carolina's Matt Cullen last week. Brooks wants everyone to relax, saying checking is a part of...... , posted on December 31, 2007 more
Cap Decapitation: It's funny. When the NHL first started with its salary cap, it didn't seem like such a big deal, since everyone was starting from scratch. But now, a few years into it, you're starting to see the challenges and constraints...... , posted on December 17, 2007 more
Bought Something: OK. So the New York area hockey teams are turning on themselves: Aaron Asham had words with Devils coach Brent Sutter. Islander defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron got into it with assistant coach Gerard Gallant a couple of days ago. If I'm...... , posted on December 14, 2007 more
Iron Joe: Joe Sakic is crazy. Every time I look at his stats, I find something new and horribly impressive. Tonight he'll miss his third game in a row. The last time he missed more than one regular season game? 2002-03. And...... , posted on December 05, 2007 more
Fun With Owners: There's some cool NHL management stuff floating around the Internet this week. Boston magazine had an interesting piece on Charlie Jacobs, the man who runs the Boston Bruins for his father. The article doesn't say anything crazy. Basically that Jacobs...... , posted on November 30, 2007 more
Life on the Point: I've been meaning to link to this for almost a week. Newsday's Greg Logan had a great post back then detailing exactly what a point man does on the powerplay. It's great inside hockey stuff you would never see in...... , posted on November 21, 2007 more
Expanding the NHL Market: An Interview with Fred Teng: Tonight's Rangers-Islanders tilt will be a bit unusual. A New York City radio station (WZRC; 1480 AM) is actually going to broadcast the game in Chinese. I was pretty shocked when I first heard about the plan, wondering how this...... , posted on November 19, 2007 more
New York State of Chaos: Yesterday was one of those days that made me really glad I live in a city that's just complete media saturation: Stephon Marbury left the Knicks in the middle of a road trip and then came back. Alex Rodriguez wants...... , posted on November 06, 2007 more
Who Can Stop the Flyers? Seriously. Help!: So what happens first? Do the Flyers just run out of players to suit up or do they hurt everyone else in the league until there's no one left to play? While I'm reasonably sure Randy Jones didn't mean to...... , posted on October 29, 2007 more
Metro Diary: Coming home tonight, I saw a young couple. The male was wearing a Rangers' jersey and the female was wearing a Czech national team Jagr jersey. This older guy runs up to them on the train and asks if the...... , posted on October 25, 2007 more
No Jovo to Rangers: John Dellapina from the Daily News takes on the Ed Jovanovski to the Rangers rumor that's been kicking around (most recently seen here): Dellapina says there's no way it can happen for cap (and other reasons). I was pretty shocked...... , posted on October 09, 2007 more
Rangers Take a Stand: Last week, there was some weird buzz about the Rangers fighting the NHL over control of their own Web site. Yesterday, Larry Brooks got into the details, speculating the issue isn't just the Rangers' Web site. Brooks says the issue...... , posted on October 01, 2007 more
Fun at Camp: How do you not love the start of training camp? Of course, this offseason, 90% of what you read has to do with "new" uniforms, 85% of which look the same. Seriously. By the way, if you're genuinely curious about...... , posted on September 17, 2007 more
Hello Hockey Pucks!: I'm a big Don Rickles fan (and not just because of this fan site, but perhaps because we're both Queens, NY products). One of the thing about Rickles is that if he zings/berates you, it's a badge of honor. I...... , posted on August 20, 2007 more
Too Many Players: Larry Brooks is officially on my personal 'NHL is Too Big' bandwagon. The league is looking to expand into two more markets (the NHL as Starbucks approach to a league), but Brooks says the active roster should drop down to...... , posted on July 23, 2007 more
Mario Lopez: 'Shut Up, Dude!': Newsweek had a piece on how ESPN has become more about cheering athletes than dissecting sports. There's an interesting paragraph, though: And many influential sports bloggers, such as The Big Lead and Deadspin, have accused the network of ignoring sports,...... , posted on July 18, 2007 more
Free Will/Free Agency: I'm really surprised about all of the no-trades being given out. Chris Drury and Scott Gomez supposedly got one from the Rangers. And Ryan Smyth got one from the Avs. Of course, Todd Marchant had one in Columbus and that...... , posted on July 03, 2007 more
Reshuffling the Deck and Deck Chairs: Wow. Crazy night. The Rangers got both Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, somehow. Gomez is pretty interesting since his dangling style is a little bit like Michael Nylander's. Interestingly, TSN sees Drury on the top line. Obviously, a big concern...... , posted on July 01, 2007 more
A Day Late, A Buck Short: Everyone's done a nice job of wrapping up game one. My two cents? Anaheim can't possibly win giving up that many power plays. During most of the game, all I could really think was that the NHL was trying to...... , posted on May 30, 2007 more
Leetch Retires: This probably isn't shocking to anyone, but here in New York it's kind of a big deal: Brian Leetch officially announced his retirement. He hadn't played as a Ranger in two years but Rangers beat writer John Dellapina, bless his...... , posted on May 25, 2007 more
Kick the Puck: It's interesting how many people are complaining about the officiating of Sunday's Sabres-Rangers game. Even Jim Kelley thought it was pretty bad, and he's pure Buffalonian. Well actually, not everyone disagrees with the officiating. Scott Burnside thinks the officiating was...... , posted on May 01, 2007 more
Over For Overtime?: Wow. Larry Brooks is good. His Sunday column was all about how the NHL Competition Committee is considering changing the playoff overtime format. Acknowledging playoff overtimes don't always highlight the greatest hockey, they're thinking about something like one five-on-five twenty...... , posted on April 30, 2007 more
The Hall Terminal: I know I briefly touched on playoff ratings being down, but I'm not convinced hockey is done with. I had class last night, with my phone set to get scores from the end of each period of Rangers-Thrashers (thanks 4info.net!),...... , posted on April 19, 2007 more
Blue Hairs and Low Ratings: Not to be too obsessed with Atlanta and their constant goalie-swapping, but John Dellapina had a great tidbit in his blog — one that I hadn't heard before: While Hartley's first goalie switch -- from a shaky Lehtonen to a...... , posted on April 18, 2007 more
Goalie Switch! Again.: Thrashers coach Bob Hartley has tapped game one goalie Kari Lehtonen for game three against the Rangers, which is pretty crazy. I can't even imagine what Lehtonen's confidence is like after the quick hook after his playoff debut. And I...... , posted on April 17, 2007 more
Goalie Crazy!: Goalie Rick DiPietro sure looked sharp leading the Islanders over Buffalo in game two this weekend, but Greg Logan, who covers the Isles for Newsday, noticed some small things that could indicate DiPietro isn't at 100%: Two small moments caught...... , posted on April 16, 2007 more
Fleury: 'What Stop is This?': Obviously, I'm a little late to the Pittsburgh-Ottawa party, but I wanted to point out Jim Kelley's post completely throwing the fragile Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury under the bus in the Penguins' ugly loss to Ottawa. It just seemed so...... , posted on April 13, 2007 more
Richter Revisits His Concussion: All of this concussion stuff with Islander goalie Rick DiPietro has been very interesting (he's not expected back before the playoffs). Ranger goalie Mike Richter's career was shortened by a concussion and the media never really got a chance to...... , posted on April 04, 2007 more
Thornton Trade Still Looking Awful: The most interesting part of Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau going to Calgary for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew? Stuart and Primeau were both part of what San Jose sent over for Joe Thornton, making that deal look even worse...... , posted on February 12, 2007 more
Super Cup: I'm sure I'll get to the Rangers trading for Sean Avery. But not today. I can't even begin to think about how between his dating habits and his insane rants, he'll be all over every page of the papers. Johnette...... , posted on February 06, 2007 more
Death Takes a While: You've got to love the Rangers. Goalie Gump Worsley dies Saturday. Yesterday, they finally get around to sending an email about it: I hope the Rangers weren't in charge of telling the next-of-kin. The semi-interesting thing is the Times actually...... , posted on February 02, 2007 more
Rangers Powerless Play: Here in New York, there's an interesting undercurrent to the New York Rangers. The papers are hinting at a bit of a revolt in the organization, with Brendan Shanahan expressing some displeasure at the team's lack of grit and straightforward...... , posted on January 22, 2007 more
NHL on NBC: The NHL on NBC kicked off this weekend. I checked in because, to be boorish, Hockey Day in Canada was killing me. We get it. All kinds of people play hockey. And save lives. And do both. NBC's national telecast...... , posted on January 16, 2007 more
PuckUpdateBuzz: Larry Brooks says the Rangers are going to make a go at New Jersey Devil Scott Gomez once he's a free agent next year. I've often thought about how the play-making Gomez would look on the Rangers' second line, playing...... , posted on January 04, 2007 more
New Year Baby: 'Who's Watching the NHL Store?': Happy New Year! What's in the NHL's future? Everyone's been talking about a proposed realignment to basically get Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby seen out west. The Blackhawks' Rick Dudley has the most accurate take on the situation (login info.):...... , posted on January 02, 2007 more
Isiah Thomas: 'Truthfully, I'm Not Such a Fan of the Garden': I was at the Garden Thursday night for the Rangers shootout win over the Penguins. Man, Madison Square Garden is an amazing place. The whole Garden was on its feet for the shootout, the chants alternating between support for goalie...... , posted on December 11, 2006 more
Ice (Hockey) Breaker: The Times had a pretty funny piece on the joys and difficulties of being a west coast hockey fan. I loved this line: At parties, where discussing sports is normally a reliable icebreaker, bringing up my favorite sport kept the...... , posted on December 05, 2006 more
Just Call Him J-Rod: I don't think I knew just how complex Jaromir Jagr's contract was. I knew the Caps were paying him to pay in New York, but I didn't know about all of the incentives in the contract. Now I do, thanks...... , posted on November 28, 2006 more
Moose Award: Say hello to the Mark Messier Leadership Award: Messier, with input from the league, will select a player in each month who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice. Preference will be given to captains who leave their...... , posted on November 14, 2006 more
Pock-Checked: I'm not sure how interesting this is to non-Ranger fans, but the Journal News had an interesting chat with Rangers' defenseman Thomas Pock. The Rangers blueline is a mess. The defensemen are slow, hesitant to make contact, and absurdly inefficient...... , posted on November 09, 2006 more
Ranger Gossip: The Journal News recently launched a nice Rangers blog. A day or so ago, Sam Weinman used it to report New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams had visited the Rangers' training facility. It was a nice heads-up as Adams...... , posted on October 06, 2006 more
'stache Talk: This is writing about hockey in August: Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock looks younger without a mustache (login info.). The crazy thing is, and I have no idea how this happened, but Hitchcock's mustache found its way to New York Yankee...... , posted on August 21, 2006 more
Neil Smith: 'It Ain't Easy Being Me': The New York Daily News had a very cool story looking at Neil Smith's post-Ranger career. It's interesting, because Smith speaks super candidly about his six years without a GM job. He talks about almost getting the GM gig in...... , posted on August 14, 2006 more
Long Term: Good For Life Insurance, Bad For Hockey?: Erin Nicks weighs in on the true value of long-term NHL contracts. Nicks isn't a fan, writing that it's too much of a gamble for a team to lock-up a player. Basically, you see writers writing that there are too...... , posted on July 31, 2006 more
Devils: 'Can We Borrow Against Next Year's Cap?': I have to say, I'm pretty shocked/impressed by Brendan Shanahan's rationale for leaving the Wings. He just felt the organization was shifting in a new direction and he didn't feel a part of the changes. It's very mature and self-aware....... , posted on July 11, 2006 more
Garden Party or Garden Distraction?: There are a lot of great reasons for the Rangers to sign Brendan Shanahan to a one-year deal (login info.). It's not an insane amount of time or money. Shanahan is a big forward who's not afraid to get physical....... , posted on July 10, 2006 more
Oilers: 'Wait. The Ducks are in Our Conference? Are You Sure?': Wow. Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, and a first-round pick for Chris Pronger? Wasn't Edmonton asking for Jay Bouwmeester, Nate Horton, and a first round pick like a week or so ago? I wasn't even that shocked by that part of...... , posted on July 04, 2006 more
The Olympics Are Never Over; Hockey Guys Are Nice: Yesterday's Times had an interesting take on the Rangers' implosion, blaming the Olympics. So here's my updated Olympics vs. Playoffs chart: The chart still says that the Olympics didn't negatively impact all teams. Colorado did just fine with their 10...... , posted on May 03, 2006 more
Head in Glove: Having just watched the Rangers go down two games to none to the Devils, I'm out of words, so I'll hand things over to Mrs. PuckUpdate: Why do you need [Jaromir] Jagr to score on a five-on-three? I could score...... , posted on April 25, 2006 more
Who's on Third?: Do you still think we're going to hear Ranger coach Tom Renney's name mentioned for the Jack Adams trophy? On the one hand, he did get the team into the playoffs for the first time in something like 100 years...... , posted on April 17, 2006 more
Davidson Feeling Blues?: Oh man! Ranger/OLN announcer John Davidson might take over the St. Louis Blues? What's up with that? Is there a better color guy in hockey? Is it fair to do this to Ranger fans? Or hockey fans? I think the...... , posted on April 11, 2006 more
Trade Is Over: Geez. I find the trade deadline so draining. The big shocks: Florida hanging on to Olli Jokinen and Chris Gratton, while not dealing goalie Roberto Luongo. So apparently they really want to keep together this core that has produced 24...... , posted on March 10, 2006 more
The Baby Food That Got Away: Wow. Early yesterday, Damien Cox posted something on his blog about the Leafs not making a play for goalie Martin Gerber when they had the chance two years ago. The post is about how the Leafs make poor trade choices....... , posted on March 07, 2006 more
Make Trade Fair: Tim Panaccio's solution to this whole 'What should the NHL do about the Olympics' debate? It's pretty smart, actually. He says to move hockey to the summer Olympics (login info.). Just like basketball. I don't know how the whole ice...... , posted on March 06, 2006 more
Olympics Finally End: Larry Brooks just nominated Chris Chelios to run USA Hockey (login info.). Run it? He might still be playing for them in the next Olympics. I really didn't think he looked especially slow in Turin. At least no slower than...... , posted on February 27, 2006 more
Adios Numero Cuatro: You had to love the Scott Stevens number retirement ceremony last week. Where the retirement of Mark Messier's number 11 was more about bombast and how he was perceived by the New York media, Stevens' retirement was really about hockey...... , posted on February 06, 2006 more
Rangers West: Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe and coach Craig MacTavish were both Rangers in 1994 when New York won the Cup. So of course, they were both at Mark Messier's number-retirement. Because of that, and because the Rangers were playing Edmonton that...... , posted on January 16, 2006 more
No Cup for You!: So I guess you might have heard the Rangers retired Mark Messier's number 11. Contrary to what the newspapers seem to think, not everyone in New York is a breathless Messier fan (Exhibit A and Exhibit B). I mean, the...... , posted on January 13, 2006 more
Bad News Rangers: It's entirely possible that this is my New York-centric Ranger bias, but in this ESPN.com Q&A with Jeremy Roenick, Roenick says the title of "greatest American-born NHL player ever" goes to either himself or Mike Modano. How is Brian Leetch...... , posted on January 12, 2006 more
Sykora a Ranger: Yawn. The Rangers traded for Mighty Duck Petr Sykora, giving up only the underperforming defenseman Maxim Kondratiev. This is the trade everyone has known about since like December. I mean, I didn't know the Rangers would give up Kondratiev, who's...... , posted on January 09, 2006 more
How I Spent My Winter Vacation: I was down in South Carolina for the holidays, where I actually got to take in some live hockey, checking out the Pee Dee Cyclones, who play in the Southern Professional Hockey League, a step (or two) below the ECHL....... , posted on January 02, 2006 more
New Year, New News, Good Times: There are a lot of great hockey tidbits floating around out there, this weekend. Larry Brooks reports that the CBA has a provision that allows incentives to come off of the cap, once they can no longer be met (login...... , posted on January 02, 2006 more
Buffalo Saves Goalies: Up in Buffalo, Bucky Gleason says the Sabres should trade goalie Martin Biron while he's still red-hot, the theory being that injured Ryan Miller is the Sabres long-term goalie, so Biron is just a kick-ass fill-in. GM Darcy Regier says...... , posted on December 19, 2005 more
Trades and Tuxedos: I haven't watched the Leafs in a few weeks, but apparently they can't score. I'm guessing it's a speed issue. The Leafs are tough and goalie Ed Belfour has looked shockingly sharp for a guy who came into the league...... , posted on December 12, 2005 more
Rangers Finally Succeed: Mike Lupica checks in on Ranger coach Tom Renney. It might not seem like a big deal, but columnists don't usually talk hockey here. How about those Rangers, though? They've been a real joy to watch. On paper, the team...... , posted on November 14, 2005 more
More Anecdotes: This isn't scientific, but I'm definitely noticing a rise in hockey's popularity. Especially when compared to the 2003-04 season. Like Thursday night, I walked past two bars playing the Rangers-Islanders game. Granted, I think that was the only sporting event...... , posted on October 24, 2005 more
NHL Working on a Sibling Cap: Hockeybird has some interesting non-rumors about some recent Ranger signings, namely the brothers of Sergei Fedorov and Marian Hossa. Hockeybird wonders, like a lot of people are, if the Rangers signed Fedor and Marcel in some kind of attempt to...... , posted on October 12, 2005 more
An Obstruction for Obstruction?: I watched Rangers-Devils Saturday and I saw an awful lot of hooking and impeding. It could have been the team of officials working that game. It could have been my imagination. Or maybe there's just so much hooking, you can't...... , posted on October 10, 2005 more
The Return of the NHL: Day One: Oh man. If it wasn't for the Jewish New Year, I'd swear it was Christmas. So much hockey. * * * New York is truly the greatest city in the world. I say this because I'm able to flip through...... , posted on October 06, 2005 more
Cablevision Blacks Out Again: Here in New York City, OLN is making the October 5 NHL opener, featuring Flyers-Rangers, available to any cable system that wants it. How come? Great question. Cablevision, which owns the Rangers, doesn't think OLN has an exclusive right to...... , posted on September 28, 2005 more
Who Misses Mess?: Are you ready to hear the dirty little secret about Mark Messier? You're going to be shocked. Seriously. If you're pregnant or nursing, I'm going to have to ask you to stop reading. Also, if you're under 5'2", my lawyers...... , posted on September 13, 2005 more
SI Back to TV?: Friday's Post had an interesting article suggesting Sports Illustrated is looking to return to TV via OLN (login info.). I point this out only because as OLN currently has a pretty limited inventory of sports properties right now, an SI/OLN...... , posted on August 28, 2005 more
Lindros a Leaf: So Eric Lindros is finally a Leaf. Big shock there. Damien Cox has an interesting column on how the Leafs are building themselves on moderate-risk, low-cost talent. Cox actually calls Lindros (and Jason Allison and Jeff O'Neill) low-risk, but I...... , posted on August 12, 2005 more
Role of Roles: You have to love the return of hockey season if for no other reason than it means the return of hockey rumors. Larry Brooks has a couple of good ones (login info.). Like the Red Wings are very interested in...... , posted on August 01, 2005 more
Graves Back on Broadway: The Rangers are getting serious about winning back fans. You might remember their ending hockey on a bit of a sour note, trading away everyone, including the legendary defenseman Brian Leetch, for a stunning array of second-round draft picks. But...... , posted on July 20, 2005 more
Something to PuckUpdate About: Wow. I go on vacation for a week and the whole lockout gets solved. I should have done that months ago. I was really happy to see the NHL didn't get any smarter while I was basking in the beauty...... , posted on July 18, 2005 more
Great Players: Whenever the NHL resumes play (and it's supposed to be very soon now), the league is going to have a different look. Tim Panaccio says the league will look younger (login info.): High-salaried veterans age 31 or older are either...... , posted on July 05, 2005 more
Golf Shark: I think the lockout agrees with some people. Like San Jose Shark coach Ron Wilson. He's playing a lot of golf in his downtime. How much golf? He almost qualified for the US Open. He didn't, but he almost did....... , posted on June 17, 2005 more
In the Air Tonight: Hockey is definitely in the air. The NBA is heading toward a lockout (maybe), which is so crazy when you consider how the NHL has done an amazing job of illustrating just why a sport needs to be played to...... , posted on June 14, 2005 more
The Return of Crazy Hockey Rumors: I'm seriously thinking the lockout might be about to end. Larry Brooks is starting with the crazy trade/signing rumors (login info.). His first one in ages? The Devils are going to make a run at Toronto defenseman Brian Leetch if...... , posted on June 06, 2005 more
Just Asking...: So Rudy Giuliani is interested in starting a rival hockey league? I think it's cool. I love rival sports leagues. But I just want to point something out. Here in New York, the mayor is trying to get a stadium...... , posted on June 02, 2005 more
NHL: 'We Have Steroids, Too! Congress! We're Over Here! Call Us': Am I the only one who thinks all of this hockey steroid and stimulant talk is the league's sad attempt to get people thinking about hockey as a sport as big and as bad as baseball? It just seems so...... , posted on March 23, 2005 more
Replacement Players Not Really Viable: This is really interesting. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, replacement NHL players might have trouble getting visas (login info.). It seems the only solution would be to have a group of Americans playing in America and a group of Canadians...... , posted on February 25, 2005 more
Early Hockey Licks: So is it me, or could the league and union have come to the same kind of resolution they seem to be moving toward, like a few months ago? Seriously. They couldn't work out a $42.5-million cap in September? I...... , posted on February 16, 2005 more
Paris Hilton Goalie Masks: OK. So if the NHL settles the lockout in the next month, they can still play a one game season and a two game playoffs. Who's in? Seriously. Wednesday night, Mark Messier was at the Knick game, chatting up Paris...... , posted on February 11, 2005 more
Rangers Test Site; NPR Discovers Hockey: So apparently the Rangers are using this lull in the season to work on their Web site. Check out this survey. At least the usability and marketing people aren't dying of boredom, over at the Garden. Plus, one of my...... , posted on January 12, 2005 more
Can a Stadium Bring Hockey Back?: This is actually really interesting. Here in New York City, the city is trying to get a stadium built in Manhattan for the Jets and for the Olympics. Cablevision, who owns Madison Square Garden, is all freaked out about this....... , posted on November 11, 2004 more
USA: 'What Lockout? What's Hockey?': Matt Law reports that Yahoo! has its own lockout log. There's big money in lockout logs. I'm thinking of making this a log instead of a blog. I'm not sure what that would entail, though. The Rangers are freaking crazy....... , posted on October 21, 2004 more
Beer and Fake Names: Miss hockey? Then check out BeerLeagueHockey.com. It's not about the NHL so much as it is about hockey and the people who actually play it. It's pretty cool. Oh. And this is a little weird. You might have heard that...... , posted on October 15, 2004 more
Rangers Finally Tipping a Hand: The Rangers, who have been very, very quiet this summer, made some interesting signings yesterday. They gave Michael Nylander a three-year deal for a tad under $9 million. The signing of Nylander gives Ranger-watchers some clues about the future of...... , posted on August 11, 2004 more
Roenick Misses Phoenix; Nashville Loves Sullivan: Wow. The Arizona Republic reports that Jeremy Roenick told a radio host he wants to return to the Coyotes. The Republic points out it's not very likely given Roenick's contract and salary, but can you imagine Roenick and Brett Hull,...... , posted on August 04, 2004 more
Rangers Sign Defenseman They Don't Like: Every day, I understand the Rangers less and less. Of all the defenseman they could sign, they decided to re-sign Dale Purinton. The same Purinton who played just four games in the Rangers' first 40. And when he did play,...... , posted on July 28, 2004 more
Puck Six: How about some hockey gossip? While flipping through Star magazine (relax — I didn't buy it. I was waiting on a checkout line) I learned model Rachel Hunter is dating the pesky Sean Avery from the LA Kings. It's true....... , posted on July 06, 2004 more
Toronto: 'Is Syl Apps Still Alive?': Toronto seems to be continuing on their mission to reinvent themselves as a senior beer league team. Larry Brooks at the Post says Chris Chelios, 42, could be joining the Leafs. The Leafs are making the Rangers look like a...... , posted on July 02, 2004 more
Brooks: 'Bribe Coaches for Offense': Larry Brooks has a throw-away suggestion that's really kind of interesting. In Sunday's NHL column, he suggested the NHL create an award for the team with the most goals in a season. He recommends a huge bonus for the coach...... , posted on June 14, 2004 more
Edmonton Oilers: 'Forget the Playoffs. Let's Crunch Numbers': You know, I'm not naive to the realities of sports. I realize it's a business and that when all is said and done, at the end of the day, there's a bottom line that needs to be met. And I...... , posted on April 08, 2004 more
Rangers Not Rotten to Core: So the Rangers haven't won in like two or three years. Maybe not that long, but it's been a while. Some say that the Rangers don't have a horrible foundation, though, and that all might not be lost for the...... , posted on April 02, 2004 more
Quick Takes: Just some quick stuff today: * This is a cheat sheet for all the Ranger fans who don't pay attention to the other local teams. For everyone else, it's a refresher. * Ken Dryden continues to complain about hokey violence...... , posted on March 26, 2004 more
Don't Buy in Advance: Filip Bondy goes after Madison Square Garden for forcing Ranger fans to watch a horrible product. It's about the Rangers, but it could really be about any horrible team. Bondy takes the Garden for task for not letting fans return...... , posted on March 24, 2004 more
Technical Difficulties: Sorry posting has been light. Or invisible, really. I've been having major computer problems. I won't bore you with the details. Unless you really want to know. Then I can e-mail you the details. Anyway, two quick links: * The...... , posted on March 12, 2004 more
Rangers Torture Fans: Another Rangers-Islanders match-up, another Rangers blowout. Sure, it doesn't make sense. The Rangers can't beat anyone but the Islanders. But at least the Rangers have some team's number. The real victim of the Ranger's awful season, though? The fans: You...... , posted on February 27, 2004 more
Sather Steps Down: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Glen Sather stepped down as coach of the Rangers. Not to blow my own horn, but here's what I said about that last week: There's only one fix now. Sather must go. Ideally, James Dolan,...... , posted on February 26, 2004 more
Rangers Win; People Gasp: So last night I saw something pretty rare — A Ranger win. The Rangers beat the Islanders 6-2 in a game that almost had a goalie fight. But the Rangers are still a struggling team that probably won't make the...... , posted on February 20, 2004 more
Irbe Back in the NHL: Wow. The Hurricanes are recalling goalie Arturs Irbe from the ECHL. Irbe was making millions to play against kids and old timers. Now, for some reason, the Hurricanes want another look at him. According to the News & Observer some...... , posted on February 19, 2004 more
Losing Around the League: One thing about sports: some teams win, but the rest lose. I don't make the rules. I just write about the games. Here's what's going on with some struggling teams: * Over in Atlanta, they haven't won in ten games....... , posted on February 13, 2004 more
Southern Fried Hockey: Meet Kevin Mitchell. He's your run-of-the-mill New Yorker: a Yankee fan, a Roger Clemens hater, and an AHL player. That's right. Mitchell is a New Yorker playing in the AHL. You don't see too many Bronx-born defenseman at any level...... , posted on February 06, 2004 more
Rangers Continue Slide: The Rangers sure are struggling. They looked horrible in their loss to the Flyers last night. One possible way to stop the slide? Think like a small market team and load up one line with all of the Rangers talent....... , posted on January 23, 2004 more
Rangers Still Trying to Find Themselves: The Rangers are just over the mid-season mark and their play still doesn't have any kind of personality or definition. Eric Lindros has been their best player for a few weeks, but even he might not be enough to rescue...... , posted on January 16, 2004 more
Messier4Life: Ranger-watchers have probably noticed something for a while: coach/GM Glen Sather loves him some Mark Messier. Whereas most teams would be a bit reluctant to lean on a 43-year-old man, Sather seems quite content to place him high on the...... , posted on January 09, 2004 more
Sather Getting Ready for Some Heat: Things are getting a little weird in New York sports. Back in December, Cablevision, the company that owns Madison Square Garden, the Knicks, and the Rangers, fired Scott Layden, GM for the Knicks. While you can never say exactly why...... , posted on January 04, 2004 more
Rangers Still Not Ready for the Grind: Ahhh. That delightful time of the season when teams are just sick and tired of hockey. For some teams, it's the time to shine. For others, it's the time to implode. For the Rangers, it's the time to sit there...... , posted on December 19, 2003 more
Rivalries Unrivaled...For Fun!: Like many hockey fans, I'm a little tired of people talking about how boring the game is. I'm also tired of those crazy suggestions to make the game more entertaining. You know. Like every two minutes a penalty shot is...... , posted on December 12, 2003 more
Vile Isles: Just two seasons ago the Islanders looked a year away from a serious, serious run at the Stanley Cup. Now the team is a mess. The fans are blaming GM Mike Milbury. For once, they're right. You can trace the...... , posted on December 05, 2003 more
Rangers Are No Longer Oilers: Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a quick one. Then I have to go eat some turkey. The MegaStars game was great, right? Sure. Should Ranger Mark Messier and Ranger coach/GM Glen Sather have been there? Nope. They have jobs. With the Rangers....... , posted on November 27, 2003 more
Flames Look Outside: So is it any surprise that other NHL teams are looking into outdoor games? Edmonton drew a crowd of over 56,000. It's like almost four games in one day. The outdoor games, while pure torture for the players, I'm sure,...... , posted on November 24, 2003 more
Rangers Still Struggle: As I type this, the Rangers are down 2-0 to Colorado in the first (later on they go down 4-3). It's an old story for the Rangers. They just can't seem to finish anyone off. The reason? Maybe the insane...... , posted on November 21, 2003 more
Sather: 'Nuts! I Have to Coach All Season?': Sure the Rangers beat the Penguins Wednesday night. But the whole week before was pretty ugly. One nasty loss after another. One theory for the collapse? Rangers coach/GM Glen Sather stopped coaching the team, letting them backslide. So does beating...... , posted on November 14, 2003 more
Sather Helps Rangers Turn Corner: The Rangers are so freaking hot lately. Their buzz hasn't caught on around the NHL, but if they keep playing like they have been, teams are going to dread playing them. The main reason? Coach/GM Glen Sather. He's been coaching...... , posted on November 07, 2003 more
Rangers Improve. Seriously.: The Rangers are actually improving. Shocking, but true. They're finally starting to look like a professional hockey team. The big debate here in New York is whether Eric Lindros plays a lot of games in a non-physical manner, or a...... , posted on October 31, 2003 more
Rangers Defense: 'Stop What Puck?': Sorry! I forgot to plug my latest New York Sports Express column last week. This one is about the Rangers' slight improvement last week. While the forwards looked a lot better, their defense is still suspect, though. Behold: It all...... , posted on October 27, 2003 more
Rangers Implode Early: Is there anything more painful than watching the Rangers? Probably. But it's still pretty brutal. Maybe it's time to admit the Rangers just aren't as good as everyone seems to think they can be. From this week's New York Sports...... , posted on October 17, 2003 more
Puck Predictions: Do you happen to be wondering how the New York Rangers (or the Isles or the Devils) will play this year? Don't. I take care of it, in my latest New York Sports Express article. It's definitely worth checking out...... , posted on October 10, 2003 more
Jesus Saves; Espo Writes: So nobody told me that Blackhawks/Bruin/Ranger great Phil Esposito wrote an autobiography. He's plugging it right now. Probably as you read this. The book is called THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: A NO B.S. HOCKEY MEMOIR. There might be some good anecdotes...... , posted on October 08, 2003 more
And Starring Anson Carter as Ron Duguay: All you old school Ranger fans are going to want to check this out. It's my latest New York Sports Express column. It looks at Ranger Anson Carter as the latest incarnation of 70s Ranger heartthrob Ron Duguay. Carter is...... , posted on September 26, 2003 more
D-Vo Whips It: The Edmonton Sun is looking in on Radek Dvorak, pointing out how he really needs to step up to the plate, er, net, this season. Of course, every October starts with someone wondering if Dvorak will finally have a strong...... , posted on September 25, 2003 more
A Freudian Slap(shot): So last week New York Ranger Brian Leetch was injured by teammate Bobby Holik. It wasn't on purpose. Or was it? Check out my psychoanalytic take on the whole thing here at New York Sports Express. And for my fellow...... , posted on September 19, 2003 more
Richter's Still Gone; Messier Still Isn't: Check out my open letter to recently-retired Ranger goalie Mike Richter. I ask him to get Mark Messier to retire. We'll see what happens. Check it out, though....... , posted on September 12, 2003 more
Left with the Rangers: Here's this week's New York Sports Express column. It's about the Rangers finally beefing up their left side. Check it out. I think you'll enjoy it. Speaking of the Rangers, goalie Mike Richter announced his retirement Thursday. The Rangers said...... , posted on September 05, 2003 more
Goalie Day: OK. Today is a theme post. Go in the crease with PuckUpdate as today we look at goalies. (Pause for applause) First, the weird. And the late. The Sun-Times had an interesting piece on goalie Jocelyn Thibault last week. Apparently,...... , posted on September 04, 2003 more
NHL Previews: Sports Illustrated gave their site a nice little facelift. They're also running some NHL preview packages. There are some interesting choices so far, too. Like for the Islanders. SI calls Alexei Yashin the team's "go-to guy." Go to him for...... , posted on August 29, 2003 more
Toronto Close to Choosing a GM: I guess I should mention the Toronto Sun is saying Toronto might have a GM by the end of next week. According to Terry Koshan, it's down to three men: Ex-Ranger mastermind Neil Smith, St. Louis Blues director of hockey...... , posted on August 19, 2003 more
Chris Simon and the Funky Bunch: How is new New York Ranger Chris Simon like Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg? You can read the answer in this week's New York Sports Express NHL report. You New York City people can also pick it up on the street....... , posted on August 08, 2003 more
Wanted: Chris Simon Photos: Hey! Capitals fans! Does anyone have a relatively recent picture of Chris Simon? Like from the playoffs? How long is his hair now? I know it's been short for a while — I'm just trying to make sure it's still...... , posted on July 31, 2003 more
Leetch Still a Ranger: Shockingly, the Rangers finally signed Brian Leetch. Rumor is he got a two-year deal for $6.5 million/year, plus incentives. Rangers coach/GM Glen Sather is so full of crap, though: "We are extremely excited to have him remain in a Rangers...... , posted on July 31, 2003 more
A Real Pot Oiler: Geez. Everyone is really into this whole Mark Messier back to Edmonton thing. First the New York Post was talking about it (see below). Now the Edmonton Sun has caught on. Oilers GM Kevin Lowe and coach Craig MacTavish said...... , posted on July 30, 2003 more
Messier Go Home: Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday. I was off from work, and in my world, that means I'm off from Puck, too. Weird, right? I need to get that looked at. So what did we miss? Not much. The...... , posted on July 29, 2003 more
Leetch Rumors: Is Ranger defenseman Brian Leetch going to Philadelphia? According to the New York Post, he might be. The Flyers are supposed to be trying to clear salary room for him. The Post reports that Ranger coach/GM is basically waiting for...... , posted on July 14, 2003 more
Lyashenko Suicide: Geez. What can yo usay about Ranger Roman Lyashenko's suicide? It's just so freaking sad. Newsday has a weird detail about the death: Lyashenko's death is considered suspicious because Alexei Traseukh, who coached Lyashenko for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in Russia, was...... , posted on July 11, 2003 more
Everyone Loves Toronto: I love reading the Toronto Sun. Every column is about how many players want to come and play for the Leafs. Maybe not every column. But definitely this one. Who's on today's list? Glen Wesley, Dmitry Yushkevich and Joe Nieuwendyk....... , posted on July 02, 2003 more
Rangers and Caps: No Trade!; Forsberg Staying?: It's oppressively hot here at PuckUpdate Central. Let's get to it then. Wednesday afternoon, FoxSports.com reported the Rangers were about to trade Petr Nedved, Jamie Lundmark and Matthew Barnaby for Jaromir Jagr (and didn't FoxSports.com layoff all their writers, including...... , posted on June 26, 2003 more
CoachUpdate: Shockingly, ESPN's Barry Melrose says Mike Sullivan is a good hire for the Bruins. Does this mean Melrose has finally realized he'll never be hired as an NHL head coach? Does this mean he'll stop lobbying for coaching jobs both...... , posted on June 25, 2003 more
Ranger Jagr?: So the Rangers might be taking Jaromir Jagr off Washington's hands. Eric Lindros and/or Pavel Bure are also supposed to be a part of any happenings. Is it me or isn't Bure's knee pretty messed up? Would anyone want him?...... , posted on June 23, 2003 more
Handsome Carter: So it seems like Anson Carter is adjusting to life in New York. He was highlighted in Saturday's "Page Six," the New York Post's famous gossip column. Interestingly, Carter tooks some test shots for Elite Models. I'm sure that won't...... , posted on June 23, 2003 more
Lindros Stays: Eric Lindros is staying a Ranger. He excercised his option for next year. Rumors said the Rangers might buy him out of his contract, making him a free agent. But he's all New York's. And I seriously doubt any other...... , posted on June 12, 2003 more
Lindros for Jagr?: The New York Daily News reports that the Capitals are willing to trade Jaromir Jagr for Eric Lindros straight up. It's kind of like trading invisible pictures. Neither team is going to see much of a difference after the trade....... , posted on June 09, 2003 more
Job Security: Want a safe job? Pillow inspector is probably pretty good. Professional napper probably is, too. And any job where you work in the fetal position will probably keep you pretty safe. But what's the safest of all? Running the Rangers...... , posted on June 06, 2003 more
The World: 'Dude. Mario Is Not Going Anywhere': The Mario Lemieux-leaving-Pittsburgh denials were in full force Monday. From the Penguins own site: "In response to recent media speculation about his future as a player, Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux issued the following statement today: 'I am not considering...... , posted on June 03, 2003 more
Lemieux on the Move?: Is this even for real? New York Post-ie Larry Brooks says Mario Lemieux is ready to dump his interest in the Penguins, become a free agent and possibly join the New York Rangers. He's looking for $10-12 million per year,...... , posted on June 02, 2003 more
Fan of the Year: OK. So this US Army chopper pilot was named NHL fan of the year and got to be commissioner for a day. I'm with you. It's pretty dumb stuff. But how cool is Very Temporary Commissioner Richard Farina? Very cool:...... , posted on May 29, 2003 more
Are Contracts Legal Anymore?: So the Rangers want to restructure Eric Lindros' contract so it's more about performance and less about showing up for work. Where's the outcry? Fans and owners freak out when players try to get their contracts restructured — just ask...... , posted on May 19, 2003 more
Lindros Leaving?: So now the New York Post is reporting that Eric Lindros is on the trade block. Oh wait. I guess I should mention that this post isn't really about the playoffs. OK. Game on! So apparently the Rangers want to...... , posted on April 25, 2003 more
Everyone Hates (the) Rangers: Geez. This is a bad sign for the New York Rangers. The New York Time tore the team a new one. While all around North America, newspapers criticize the Rangers, here in New York, no one really goes after them....... , posted on April 08, 2003 more
Snapshot: The NHL as a microcosm, while I try to finish some schoolwork: * Dallas' Marty Turco finishes the season with the lowest GAA of the modern era. Dallas also got to finish the season on top of the West. Look...... , posted on April 07, 2003 more
Islanders: 'Please Don't Make Us Go To The Playoffs!': The Islanders didn't clinch. Again. They only have two games left. If they can tie in both, they'll clinch. But it's not looking good. Neither the Islanders nor the Rangers deserve that eighth playoff spot. Let's make an executive decision...... , posted on April 04, 2003 more
Rangers Kiss Their Grandmas: How perfect that the Islanders refuse to clinch and the Rangers refuse to push into that last playoff spot in the East. Instead the two teams settle for a tie. I don't even care who takes that last playoff spot....... , posted on April 02, 2003 more
Which Rangers?: I love the Rangers. Their inconsistency makes them like three or four different teams in one. They have so many personalities, they're almost a league unto themselves. Saturday, against Boston, the hard-working, grinding Rangers showed up and they beat Boston...... , posted on March 31, 2003 more
Family Off to War: And now, for your reading displeasure, the absolutely saddest, saddest, saddest installment of PuckUpdate. Ever. EVER. Robert Esche, the Flyers goalie, has a lot on his mind. His team is about to enter the playoffs. He spent some time in...... , posted on March 28, 2003 more
Rangers Curl Up and Die: Oh the irony of it. The Rangers have stood up to some of the league's toughest team. Ottawa. Philadelphia. the Islanders. It's the weak teams the Rangers have problems with. The Atlantas. The Buffalos. The Pittsburghs. Yeah. That's right. The...... , posted on March 27, 2003 more
Lemieux Leaving Pittsburgh?: Wow. This is the craziest thing I've read in a while. Larry Brooks over at the New York Post is floating the rumor that Mario Lemieux is going to sell the Penguins and get himself traded to another team. Apparently...... , posted on March 24, 2003 more
Good News-Bad News: Good News: Marty Turco is ready to go back in goal for Dallas. He could be back as soon as Tuesday. Nothing helps a Stanley Cup run more than a genuine starting goalie. Bad News: The streaky Islanders have found...... , posted on March 21, 2003 more
Tibbetts Fired: Rapist Billy Tibbetts is out of hockey. Again. The Hartford Wolfpack let him go after he got into a shouting match with his coach during a game. Tibbetts spent over three years in a Massachusetts prison on charges that included...... , posted on March 20, 2003 more
Keep Iginla: Calgary shouldn't trade Jarome Iginla. Sure he's expensive, but it's because he's worth it. He's one of the NHL's current greats. Just because it looks like last season's 52 goals were a fluke, doesn't mean he's a bad player. There's...... , posted on March 07, 2003 more
Leetch Stays; Rangers Smile: I've got to admit it. I'm a little surprised the Rangers are going to hold on to defenseman Brian Leetch (just back from missing 31 games with a freak ankle injury). I thought for sure, he would be heading to...... , posted on March 05, 2003 more
Lonely Richter: This was pretty sad. Ranger goalie Mike Richter, out the rest of this season (and maybe longer), with a concussion, swung by an optional workout to touch base with his teammates. Unfortunately, everyone left early. Very shockingly, the New York...... , posted on March 03, 2003 more
Iginla Rumors Still Floating: I have no idea how serious either side is, but people keep writing about Jarome Iginla to the Rangers. Bob Francis from the Calgary Sun is the latest to weigh in. He doesn't really have anything new. Calgary would be...... , posted on February 20, 2003 more
Holik Coaches Isles: New York Ranger Bobby Holik had a lot to say after the Senators beat the Rangers. A lot: Once again, we think we are better than we are...The first period we had success playing the hard way. Then the second...... , posted on February 19, 2003 more
Bure Returns: I'm making a real effort not to focus on the Rangers, but it's so hard. They're such a train wreck. So much drama! First, coach/GM Glen Sather goes after Eric Lindros after the Rangers lose to Buffalo. Then, Pavel Bure...... , posted on February 18, 2003 more
Who's Next? Gordie Howe?: Can this even be true? The New York Times is reporting that the Rangers are now gunning for Calgary's Jarome Iginla. The Rangers would probably put up Jamie Lundmark or Radek Dvorak. Lundmark is a great young player the Rangers...... , posted on February 14, 2003 more
"I Need a Price Check on Kovalev": Of course, everyone is still talking about Alexei Kovalev getting traded to the Rangers. The big issue? How the NHL could let the Rangers buy the Penguin forward. Especially when the league has struck down similar cash-for-player deals in the...... , posted on February 12, 2003 more
Kovalev Returns to New York: Just last week Sports Illustrated quoted no less than Wayne Gretzky on his former coach/GM and the Rangers' current GM/coach, Glen Sather: "Deep down I think [Sather's] disillusioned at what he's spent," the Great One told SI, referring to the...... , posted on February 11, 2003 more
Morganti Math: 'NHL=Rangers': You know, people talk about how obsessed the league is with the Rangers. I usually just think they're over-reacting. But now I'm starting to think there is a pre-occupation with the Rangers. ESPN's Al Morganti lists the 10 stories to...... , posted on February 05, 2003 more
Sather: 'Pick Me!': Shocking! Glen Sather picked himself as the new coach of the Rangers. Can he even do that? It's like electing yourself president or something. But he had to pick himself. Assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld was offered the job, but turned...... , posted on January 31, 2003 more
Trottier Fired: Amazing. Bryan Trottier is out as the coach of the New York Rangers. I don't get it. Trottier was a horrible coach, but that shouldn't be a surprise. He had no head coaching experience in the NHL. He didn't lie...... , posted on January 30, 2003 more
Rocket Crash?: More bad news for the Rangers. Pavel Bure might be out for the rest of the season. Oddly enough, the knee that's giving him problems isn't the one he injured December 6 — it's the one he injured during the...... , posted on January 28, 2003 more
Long Island Hangover: You can still hear the echoes of Tuesday's Islander-Ranger game. Each team was fined $25,000 for a pregame fight. Islander Eric Cairns, who was hurt in the game's final minutes, will be out up to six weeks with a dislocated...... , posted on January 23, 2003 more
Philadelphia Comes to New York: It's never been official, but it's always seemed like New York Ranger teams had to be flashy, goal-scoring, highlight machines. It never really seemed like coaches were given the option of playing a more conservative game. Or maybe the coaches...... , posted on January 22, 2003 more
Skating Wounded Speak: Say what you will about the Rangers, they sure are injured. 2002 All-Star selection Brian Leetch says it's funny he was chosen: "The top guys like [Nick] Lidstrom, [Chris] Chelios, [Rob] Blake and [Chris] Pronger are all in the West...and...... , posted on January 14, 2003 more
Hudson Hustle: The New York Post has great dish on how Boris "More Ice Time or No Ice Time" Mironov came to the Rangers. Apparently the Rangers aced out the neighboring Devils for the defenseman's services. If the underscoring Devils had landed...... , posted on January 10, 2003 more
Broadway Boris: I don't know about this new pipeline between New York and Chicago. The Rangers send them their crap, and Chicago turns it to gold (the surging Theo Fleury). And Chicago sends New York their crap and the Rangers are stuck...... , posted on January 09, 2003 more
Turmoil on 34th Street. Again. Still...: OK. The Rangers are about a week from imploding: Exhibit A: Coach Bryan Trottier turned on Radek Dvorak in a very public way. "[Dvorak is] scared to death. He has to play like he's not scared. If I played against...... , posted on December 23, 2002 more
Rangers or Strangers?: Wow. Busy day for the Rangers. First, they bring up journeyman Billy Tibbetts, and Gordie Dwyer and Richard Lintner in an attempt to breathe life into a dying team (don't even get me started about how the Rangers can use...... , posted on December 17, 2002 more
Dunham Joins the Rangers: The Rangers picked up goalie Mike Dunham from Nashville. They gave up winger Rem Murray, defensemen Tomas Kloucek and the rights to Marek Zidlicky. In a second deal, they traded a future draft pick for Oiler winger Josh Green. The...... , posted on December 13, 2002 more
Rangers Looking Sharp. Finally: You know I try hard not to focus on the Rangers, even though I'm in New York City. But really. I have to talk about them. They looked fantastic in their victory over Tampa. I can't remember the last time...... , posted on December 02, 2002 more
The Invisible Coach: A couple of interesting things about the Rangers win over Anaheim. * The Rangers won all three of the games Bryan Trottier hasn't coached (he was out with back pain last night) * Pavel Bure and Eric Lindros finally scored....... , posted on November 20, 2002 more
A Case of the Trots: I can't be the only person who thinks the Rangers are getting a good deal by not having Bryan Trottier coach for two games (he was suspended for starting a brawl over the weekend). He's just not ready to be...... , posted on November 12, 2002 more
Lindrosgate: I think one of the few good things about living in New York City are the newspapers. Eric Lindos' benching and penalty troubles have been fodder for the papers. The Times has been kind of subdued (as one might expect),...... , posted on November 05, 2002 more
Holik Injured: I don't really understand why this isn't a bigger story. Bobby Holik is injured. It's from a hip flexor injury he got during the Rangers unnecessarily grueling preseason. Holik is now listed as day-to-day. This is bad news for the...... , posted on October 31, 2002 more
More Black Magic: The PuckUpdate jinx theory is a little less theoretical. I write about Radek Dvorak on Friday morning and he sprains his knee that night. I'm considering a tip jar to not write about beloved players....... , posted on October 28, 2002 more
This Post is Brought To You By Heinz Baked Beans: This is new. I subscribe to the Rangers official e-mail list. It has pre-game and post-game news, and trades, and stuff like that. It seems like since the season started, or maybe even earlier, the e-mails have been sponsored. The...... , posted on October 16, 2002 more
Rangers Looking Good: The Rangers spent the whole preseason talking about how they're no longer about Mark Messier and about how he's going to have to adjust to a new role on the third or fourth line. Messier carried and dragged the team...... , posted on October 10, 2002 more
How Does $200 a Goal Sound?: You've got to love the structure of Mark Messier's contract with the Rangers. According to the New York Post, he gets a $1 million base salary and a $3 million signing bonus ($1 million of that is deferred until 2004)....... , posted on October 07, 2002 more
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