NYRangers Pound 4 Pound: Best Of 2009-10!

The New York Rangers had an up and down 2009-10 season.  It ended with a loss in a shootout during the last game of the year.  Missing the playoffs by 1 point on the last day is terrible enough, but the team they lost to actually went on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.  But that is not the point of this post and we have no idea if the Rangers would have went that far anyway.

After losing Colton Orr in free agency to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Rangers quickly went out and signed Donald Brashear to be there new "enforcer." As we all know this did not work out at all and the Rangers spent the whole season trying to find a new fighter/enforcer.

The Rangers ranked 11th in the league in fighting majors with 52 according to HockeyFights.com!  But the team leader definitely surprised me when I looked it up. Recently traded AARON VOROS lead the Rangers with 13 fights overall.  Second was EPIC fail of an enforcer Donald Brashear who had 1 assist and 9 fights in 36 games.  Sean Avery was up to his usual antics and was in 7 fights and caused trouble although it seemed like he lacked some of the spark he has had in recent seasons. After Brash was sent to the minors the Rangers went out and acquired two of the best fighters in the league, Brandon Prust and Jody Shelley. 

Prust and Shelley came in guns blazing but after they developed an offensive chemistry on a line with Artem Anisimov, Prust didn't fight again and Shelley only had 1 more fight.  Prust was involved in 7 fights in 26 games and Shelley was involved in 3 fights in 21 games.  Needless to say both Shelley and Prust filled the enforcer role much better then Brashear did.  But an aging Jody Shelley was not resigned and the Rangers opted to sign big bad Derek Boogaard for four years.  Prust was resigned during the offseason for 2 years at 800k per year.

HockeyFights.com Awards:
Best MidSeason Tough Guy Pick-Up for Jody Shelley.

Click here for a list of all the Rangers fighters last season and how many fights they were in.

The Rangers should not have the same problem looking for an enforcer next year as they now have Derek Boogaard and Brandon Prust and Up and Comers Dane Byers and Devin DiDiomete if something goes wrong.  But join me after this anyway to see my top 15 NYRangers fights and rough stuff moments from 2009-10 in no particular order....

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound Prospect Edition: Dane Byers!

Second on my look at NYRangers Pound 4 Pound Prospect Edition today is Dane Byers.  Dane has a bright future and will be given a strong chance to make the NHL roster this season.

While Dane has a bright future and a chance to make an impact at the NHL level, he is already 24 and will be turning 25 during the season.  Byers has already been called up to the NHL level twice.  Once in 2007-2008 for only 1 game and he played 5 games last season for the Rangers, scoring 1 goal.

In those 5 games Byers found himself in the middle of the Rangers-Canucks line changing brawl.  He received a one game suspension from the NHL for instigating a fight later on in that same game.  He was sent back down to Hartford 2 games later. 

Dane definitely has an edge to his game but also has some offensive ability tallying 151 points in 234 games over the last 4 seasons in the AHL.  He has been very consistent with his play in Hartford which is a good sign that the coaches will look definitely be looking at while Byers tries to make the team.

Here is Byers Talent Analysis from HockeysFuture:

"Byers is an aggressive power forward, who handles the puck extremely well and scores most of his goals from no more than 3-4 feet outside the crease. Strong on the puck, Byers has shown none of the effort issues that seemed to plague him at times in junior. Expected to only be a depth guy, Byers has surprised everyone with his offensive upside. After showing that his 2006-07 production was not a fluke, Byers continued to mature, and was one of the AHL team leaders in points last season. His skill with the puck, ability to finish, and grittiness make Byers an excellent NHL prospect for the Rangers."

Tale Of The Tape:
Height: 6'3
Weight: 200 Pounds
Age: 24
# of NHL Fights: 3 (6 Games/2 P/S Fight)
# of AHL Fights: 40 (4 Seasons)
# of WHL Fights: 42 (4 Seasons)
Total # of Fights: 85 (8 Seasons)


Join me after this for some of Byers best fights...

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound Prospect Edition: Devin DiDiomete!

Today I will be looking at 2 Rangers prospects separately in my NYRangers Pound 4 Pound series and first is fireball Devin DiDiomete.

This kid can definitely throw the punches. Devin was signed by the Rangers in 2008.  This upcoming season will be the last year of his 3 year contract.  It is not likely that this kid will play in the NHL this season and he might never but he definitely could fill the role of the enforcer that the Rangers have spent the last 2 seasons trying to find since Colton Orr signed with Toronto.

He played a combined 49 games between the ECHL and AHL last year.  In those 49 games Devin was involved in 25 fights.

Devin is not rated among the Rangers top 20 prospects by HockeysFuture but he is only 22 and has some time to grow.  In his last season in Juniors he put together 56 points in 56 games.  I could see Devin becoming the same style of player as Brandon Prust.  And Prust didn't break into the NHL until he was 23 and BP will be assuming his first full time role this season(most likely).

Here is Devin's Talent Analysis from HockeysFuture:

The left winger is gritty and tenacious, and plays with an edge to intimidate his opponents. He does have some offensive skill, and his play along the boards is excellent. Occasionally, he does take bad penalties, which will hurt his future progress. However, if he can harness his emotions and play a gritty, smart game, Didomete could be an effective two-way professional player.

Future: A potential third to fourth-line player, DiDiomete has the toughness and agitating ability that could earn him a spot on the Rangers roster in two to three years.

Tale Of The Tape:
Height: 5'11
Weight: 200
Age: 22
# of AHL/ECHL Fights: 50 (2 Seasons)
# of OHL Fights: 86 (4 Seasons)
Total # of Fights: 136 (6 Seasons)

Join me after this for some of DiDiomete's best fights....

Friday News/Links All In 1 Post!! (AGAIN)

Just a bunch of News and Links surrounding the NHL and Rangers today.  Sorry for no posts today, I have been sick all day but will be back on it tomorrow.

NHL Player Agent Allan Walsh posted a picture of Tomas Kundratek from a game today.

Today is NYRangers Captain Chris Drury's birthday.  He is now 34 years old.....

The NYR Blog has an article up about Henrik Lundqvist and his knee problems and an article about and one about Stepan and MZA maybe starting in Hartford.

Check out The Rangers Tribune for a rant on why the Rangers will be better then the 13th seed this season.

Check out Puck Daddy for a post about following Adam Burish during his day with the Cup!

The NHL.com NYRangers 30 in 30 will be up tomorrow so go check it out.  It's been a pretty good look at the teams and should be know different for the Rangers!

Again sorry to my readers for no posts today but I will be back on it tomorrow for you guys!

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound: Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan!!

Today's installment of my NYRangers Pound 4 Pound Series will look at both Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky.  Both young Rangers are fan favorites and among the group of players fans want to see wearing the Blueshirt for along time.  While the debate always rages on between Rangers fans about which one is better or who holds more value, in my opinion they are both important pieces in our future.

In an optimal situation, Callahan would be a perfect 3rd line winger.  He always hits hard, forechecks and keeps the puck in the zone.  Cally is great defensively and always wears his heart on his sleeve.  While he does have a scoring touch(19 and 22 last 2 seasons respectively), he doesn't necessarily have the skill of a top line player and would fit perfect on the Rangers future 3rd line with his hard working mentality and hard and relentless hitting.  If Ryan happens to develop some more skill then maybe he could fit into a first or second line role.

Dubinsky has already seen some first line time with Jagr and then last year with Gaborik.  He has the skill and ability to be a top line player but lacks the consistency of a true All-Star caliber player.  Dubinsky had played Center for most of his career but last year saw some time at wing and played very well and Torts has said that Dubinsky will start at wing this year.

Both have shown that they will stick up for there teammates and throw down with anybody if they need to.  Dubinsky has also had a rivalry with the Captain of the Flyers Mike Richards since the day he entered the league.  Dubinsky plays with a sort of mean streak and is willing to rough it up when necessary.  Brandon has a snarl to his game and doesn't take much from anybody.  Callahan plays with heart and is always ready to run through the defense even if it's Tyler Myers or Zdeno Chara.  This is why I decided to do a Pound 4 Pound with these two combined.

Tale Of The Tape:                          Tale Of The Tape:
Brandon Dubinsky:                           Ryan Callahan:
Height: 6'1                                         Height: 5'11
Weight: 210 Pounds                         Weight: 185
Age: 24                                              Age: 25
Nickname: Dubi                                Nickname: Cally
# of NHL Fights: 17 (3 Seasons)      # of NHL Fights: 7 (4 Seasons)
# of AHL Fights:  8 (1 Season)         # of AHL Fights: 3 (2 Seasons)
# of WHL Fights: 22 (4 seasons)     # of OHL Fights: 4 (3 Seasons)
Total # of Fights:  47 (8 seasons)    Total # of Fights: 14 (9 Seasons)

Join me after this for some of there best fights/moments......

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound: Sean Avery!!

Most Rangers Fans can agree that when playing his style and while playing at the top of his game, Sean Avery can be one of the most important assets in the league.  He's the kind of guy that you love when he's on your team and you hate when he's not.  The fact that the Rangers have gone out and acquired Sean twice just shows his value.  Not one player in the game today fits the agitator role as good as Avery and on top of that, the guy actually has some skill.  The problem with Avery is that those skills only come out when he plays "his way" and Tortorella is not a fan of his style. 

Sean claimed in an interview with MSG that he would be back next year.  Tortorella also claimed in an interview with Stan Fischler that he has not slapped Avery with any restrictions: "After I benched him against the Thrashers, he played his best hockey but I don't know why it came down to that. Despite what some have said, I put no handcuffs on him. I want Sean to show his personality. Last year I gave him a lot of opportunities and now that I think about it, I may have left him in too long. The bottom line is that if he's not involved, he won't play."  We will have to wait and see how this plays out but this seems like it could be Sean's last shot.  Because after what transpired in Dallas, it seems like the only team that will take him is the Rangers.

Sean has had some great moments in the NHL such as his battles with Brodeur(videos below), jumping Fedotenko, sloppy seconds anyone? and many more.  Most of these videos will be found below.

Tale Of The Tape:
Height: 5'10
Weight: 195 Pounds
Age: 30
Position: C/LW
# of NHL Fights: 67 (8 Seasons)
# of AHL Fights: 2 (1 Season)
# of OHL Fights: 35 (3 seasons)
Total # of Fights: 104 (12 seasons)

So join me after this to see not only some of Sean's best fights but some of his greatest moments.....

NHL Twitter Update!!

I will run an NHL Twitter Update about twice a month for now on.  Once at the beginning of the month and once sometime in the middle.  I recommend you join Twitter if you haven't already as it is a great source for information and news and a place to talk to some of your favorite NHL players.  You do not have to Tweet yourself if you do not want to but follow others for news and information. I will give you a list of all the new NHL players (only ones that have been confirmed/verified and no fakes) who have joined Twitter and some of what they have to offer.  Also I will give some of the best Tweets from Players/Writers/Reporters from the past half month during each write-up.  Since August 4th we have had 8 NHL players/prospects join Twitter.

Bobby Ryan(Anaheim Ducks) (U.S Olympian) twitter.com/b_ryan9

You know it's jersey when a door opens and a wave of humidity almost knocks you over.less than a minute ago via EchofonBobby Ryan
b_ryan9

Join me after this for rest of the NHL Players/Prospects who have joined twitter...

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound: Brandon Prust!

In the second installment of my NYRangers Pound 4 Pound series, I will be looking at Brandon Prust.  Prust was acquired from the Flames right before the Olympic break last year along with Olli Jokinen for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik.  Needless to say most Rangers fans were glad to get rid of Higgins and Kotalik but to get a young energetic player in Prust who can also fight pretty well was definitely a bonus.

Prust was an RFA this summer and resigned with the Rangers for two years at 800k per.  Prust is still young at 26 and late in the season when paired with Anisimov and Shelley he put together some good offensive games.  He tallied 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 games with this line.  2 of those goals were game winners.  He was not involved in any fights over this 9 game stretch. 

Prust becomes a fan favorite where ever he plays because of his willingness to fight anyone of any size even though he is only 5'11.  He showed this in only his 3rd game with the Rangers when he took on New Jersey Devils 6'4 240 pound monster Andrew Peters not once but twice in the same game.  There  is no doubt in Rangers fans minds that Prust will come out the same way this season playing with his heart on his sleeve and leaving it all on the ice.

Tale Of The Tape:
Age: 26
Height: 5'11
Weight: 195 Pounds
Position: LW/RW
# of NHL Fights: 50 (3 seasons)
# of AHL Fights: 74 (3 seasons)
# of OHL Fights: 73 (3 seasons)
Total # of Fights: 197 (9 Seasons)

HockeyFights.com Awards: (5 Nominations, 0 Wins)

Click here for the 1st installment with Derek Boogaard!!

Join me after this for some of my favorite Brandon Prust fights....

Blog Update: My NYRangers P4P Schedule!

Since a lot of people commented, emailed and @ me on Twitter about my Derek Boogaard piece the other day, I have decided to do some more.  A lot of people asked for Brandon Prust and Sean Avery among other suggestions.  If you have any suggestions of your favorite players past or present but only Rangers email me or leave a comment or find a way to let me know.  I didn't really go to deep into the first one and will definitely do a little more research and build a deeper piece about each one since people seemed to like it a lot. 

Here is the Schedule I built for this week:

Tuesday: Brandon Prust
Wednesday: Sean Avery
Thursday: Callahan and Dubinsky
Saturday: Prospect Devin Didiomete
Saturday: Prospect Dane Byers
Sunday: NYR Best of 2009-2010
Sunday: Matthew Barnaby

So this Schedule is the plan for this week. I will do some more next week so send in your suggestions and on Sunday I will build a Schedule for next week!

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound: Derek Boogaard!

I went through the hockeyfights.com archives and found some of Derek Boogaard's best fights.  Since it seems that is all the 6'8 monster can do anyway.  With him scoring no goals the last four seasons.  But I guess that's why he only received a 4 year deal worth over $1.6M a season.  He is only 28 so maybe he will learn how to skate while with the Rangers but that discussion is for another time.  As long as he fights like he does in some of the videos I will post then I think most Rangers fans won't be thinking about his contract...

Tale Of The Tape:
Age: 28
Height: 6'8
Weight: 257 pounds
Position: LW
Nickname: The Boogey Man!
# of NHL Fights: 59 (5 seasons)
# of AHL fights: 48 (2 seasons)
# of WHL Fights: 66 (3 seasons)
Total # of Fights: 173 (10 seasons)

Hockeyfights.com Awards: (21 nominations, 8 wins)
2006-07 Fight Of The Year
2005-06 KO Of The Year (KO of Gillies)
2006-07 Fighter Of The Year
2006-07 People's Choice Award
2006-07 Kimble Award-Most Exciting Fighter
2005-06 and 2006-07 Best Punching Power/Most Destructive Fighter
2006-07 Best Player Feud

Join me after this for my favorite Boogey Man throw downs...