Steve Zipay Tweets That MZA Is Struggling!!

Steve Zipay is with the Rangers at training camp reporting live and has stated that Zuccarello struggled through the first drill.  Now we all know that Torts runs a tough camp but this is definitely not what most Rangers fans wanted to hear.  A lot of us were hoping MZA would impress and have a great camp and maybe secure a spot on the team.  But it is still early so I guess we shouldn't jump the gun to quick.

"Zuccarello among players struggling in first drills"

The NYRangers also tweeted through there official Twitter account that Matt Gilroy was one of the most impressive early on.  Great news as he has obviously come into camp ready to make a splash and make an impact on this team.

"Group One finishes session of 3 sprint laps 6 times; Matt Gilroy was flying through all six, impressive"

NYRangers Invite Some Veterans To Camp!!

The New York Rangers have decided to invite some veterans and familiar faces to Training Camp on a tryout basis.  Some of these choices were surprising and others seemed useless.

First news broke that the Rangers invited 2-time Stanley Cup winner Ruslan Fedotenko to camp.  I saw no problem with this at all and in my opinion the more players at camp the better.  But it seems as though a lot of Rangers fans disagree with this move.  Most consider him just another 40 point guy who fits the 3rd-4th line role.  While I am somewhat agree, he can also be much more.  He was a major part of two Cup winning teams and came through in the clutch for Tampa in the 2004 Cup Finals scoring both goals for the Lightning in game 7.  If they had signed him I would be a little upset by the move but it's only a tryout and they can always catch lightning in a bottle.

Join me after this for more....

Which Maple Leafs Hockey Inception Video Do You Like Better??

I pose this question as some crazy Toronto Maple Leafs fan has decided to challenge the first creator of the Maple Leafs Inception Highlight Video.  I happen to love these videos and think there a great way to get pumped for the new hockey season.  The soundtrack is perfect in my opinion and its just a great way to showcase your team.  So we have a new Toronto Maple Leafs video and I would like to know which one you like better!!

The Original:


The New One:


So which one is better???

Blog Update: I'm Back!!!

I have been spending this weekend(Friday-Sunday) up in Boston with four of my closest friends.  We are having a great time but sadly have to leave today. 

But not before we go to the Bengals-Patriots game which I'm excited to see.  I love going to new stadiums and meeting new fans(even if they're from Boston) and just enjoying the experience and the game.  Hopefully it's a good one as both teams made the playoffs last year but feel like they have something to prove after getting ousted in the first round.

I usually do not get great seats when I go to a football game but my friends got some great seats on the 40-yard line very close to the field.  I will definitely be sporting my OchoCinco jersey and waiting for Chad and T.O to blow up in each others face.

So I just thought I'd let you know what was going on but I will 100% be returning to the blog tomorrow with daily updates and my own write-ups of daily NHL and NYRangers news.  Technically I am returning today since I wrote up this blog and have 2-3 more that I am finishing up but we will just say I am returning tomorrow.  I feel like I got off to a great start with this blog but have had a lot on my plate of late and haven't had as much time to dedicate to it.  But since school is starting up and the summer is over and I have fully moved, I will have a lot more time to dedicate to my site.  So I hope all of my followers and obviously some new ones join me along for the ride of another crazy up and down NHL season.

Reminder: NHL 11 In Stores Today!!

I am not a huge fan of video games but when I do sit down and play, the only game I play is the EA Sports NHL Series.  The game gets better and better every year and is so life like and authentic to hockey.

The newest version of the annual series hit stores today and is available for $59.99 USD.  The game is available for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  A new game titled NHL Slapshot will be released by EA Sports for the Wii. 

I played some of the demo and I definitely recommend this to all Hockey and NHL fans.  Of course that is if you have a video game system around to play the game on.  Whenever I want to sit back and relax this game is always there and presents a real life like hockey feel.  Not only that but there are tons of game modes to play for whatever mood your in.  They have also yet again made over 200+ in game enhancements.  The online game play is great and also has multiple game modes to chose from such as EASHL, EAUHL, Shootout Mode, Online Versus and many more. 

Here is a preview of the game:

An Apology To My Readers!!!

I would just like to do a quick post apologizing to my readers.  I know over the first month or so here I have developed a small following of readers.  I really didn't expect to get this many people reading what I have to say this early on but I am thankful that you guys even care.

So I just wanted to apologize for my lack of updates to the blog lately but I have been really busy the last two weeks moving and helping others move and countless other business that I had to attend to.

I promise that once Training Camp and the Season starts that I will be updating like I was in the beginning and I will be 100% dedicated to this site.  This blog is important to me as I someday hope to be a sports writer and this is a good starting block.

NYRangers National TV Schedule!!

Today the NHL announced its National TV schedule.  Versus will carry 78 games which is 13 more then last season.  While NBC will continue its flex scheduling option so most dates do not have a specific game chosen yet.  Here are the 11 games the Rangers will play on Versus and 5 "options" for NBC:

Versus:
Monday October 18th vs. Colorado
Tuesday November 9th vs. Washington
Wednesday November 17th vs. Boston
Wednesday December 15th at Pittsburgh
Monday January 24th at Washington
Tuesday February 1st vs. Pittsburgh
Monday February 7th at Detroit
Tuesday March 1st vs. Buffalo
Wednesday March 30th at Buffalo
Monday April 4th vs. Boston
Thursday April 7th vs. Atlanta

NBC:(All games on Sunday)(Flex Schedule)
February 13th vs. Pittsburgh
February 20th vs. Philadelphia
March 6th vs. Philadelphia
March 20th at Pittsburgh
April 3rd at Philadelphia

Michael Del Zotto Photo Shoot With Coke Zero!! (UPDATED)

The New York Rangers posted a couple of photos on there official Twitter account of Michael Del Zotto doing a Coke Zero Photo Shoot.  This is good to as the Rangers and NHL are marketing there young stars well and the second picture looks amazing.  I am actually really glad to see them doing something like this.

Here are the links to the pics: Pic 1 and Pic 2! I will update if they post anymore. UPDATE: Pic 3!!

Monday News All In 1 Post!! (UPDATED Already)

I have had a very busy Monday but have found some time to update the blog.  So here is all of today's "news" in 1 post.  If anything else breaks on the Rangers front or any NHL news happens then I will most likely just update this post.  Unless of course it is really big news then I will find some time to create a new post for you guys.

Steve Zipay confirmed through Twitter earlier today that the Rangers will be unveiling there third jerseys in November.  Hopefully they put some time into these as it is obviously just a grab at more money but if they look good then I won't really care.  But if they look like shit then there is no point in putting them out as no fans will buy them.

Over at Beyond The Blueshirts Laurie Carr translated an Alex Frolov interview in Russian.  Check it out as Frolov discusses KHL vs. NHL and much more.  Definitely a good read for Rangers fans.

Head over to the The NYR Blog for all the latest news on the Rangers.  Some small news broke today and you can read it all over there.  Stall negotiations are going no where and some other news.

Check out a video Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding doing some charity work and helping to build houses.

Here is a picture of UFC Star Kenny Florian in the Bruins locker room with Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton.

Yesterday a bunch of us Rangers/Prucha fans were able to get #Prucha to the #9 trending topic in NYC.  For people who use twitter, they know this was not an easy task.  Especially since he plays in Phoenix now and it is in the middle of the offseason.  But here is the proof!

The Hartford Wolf Pack have just announced that they have resigned defensemen Jared Nightingale.  He is veteran and could provide some leadership with the team.

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....

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......

MZA Does A Cameo In A Swedish Commercial!

New Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello Aasen did a cameo in a Swedish commercial for his favorite restaurant.  He is not the only NHL star in the video as Naslund, Forsberg and the Sedin Twins are also in the video.  I am sure that MZA is the player at the end doing dishes so check it out:

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.....

Hockey Becoming More Popular Among Younger Stars!!

Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato at a Kings Game!!

Listen we all know that guys like Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Mike Meyers, Kevin Smith and Snoop Dogg are Hockey fans and supporters of NHL teams but to be honest, those guys are old and some aren't that famous anymore. 

But now a new crop of young stars in Hollywood have become Hockey fans. This allows for there younger fans to be come interested in Hockey when the are young.  This gives them the opportunity to play the sport and become die hard Hockey fans(which most hokey fans are) and grow the support of the league.  At times the league is looked down upon or as the 4th best sport so younger people decided not to pat attention because its not "cool".  But with there favorite star or idol being a hockey fan then maybe that will change there mind.

A Tweet by the NHL which showed a comment by Taylor Swift in People Magazine got me thinking so I did some research on it. The Tweet read "I love The Nashville Predators & I love going to hockey games. But I get stressed out when they start fighting...." Now of course I hope the NHL doesn't take her advice but I doubt they will.  So I looked up some other young stars who are Hockey fans and the group definitely surprised me, especially since some of todays biggest stars are in fact Hockey fans/supporters.

Join me after this to see some off today's young stars who are hockey fans....

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!

Reminder: NHL 11 Demo Available Tomorrow!!

The NHL 11 Demo will be available tomorrow Tuesday August 17th in North America for both PS3 and Xbox360.  The team at EA Sports has yet again made vast improvements to the game like the new physics engine and a new game mode called Hockey Ultimate Team.  But unlike in Madden and Fifa, the game mode will come free with the game. 

The demo will feature short demo version of Ultimate Team that if you happen to complete, you will receive a bonus Starter Pack for the game mode when the full version hits stores.  You will also get to play the final 5 minutes of the 3rd period of a Battle For The Cup Mode Game 7 between the Flyers and Blakchawks.  The demo is free so go ahead and download it to get a taste of the game.  The full version of the game comes out on September 7th for $59.99.

Here is a preview of Hockey Ultimate Team:

Video Of The Day: Inception Inspired Hockey Videos!!! (UPDATED)

A couple of Hockey Fans who are good with computers and such have made some Inception inspired videos with clips and highlights mainly from last season.  This could end up becoming a new trend just like the fan made History Will Be Made Videos and I would love to see a Rangers video and since I am not particularly good with that kind of stuff, I would like to challenge Rangers fans who are good at video making to create one.  Now you have to put your heart into it to show fans of other teams that we are the best.  I will embed the videos into the post to check them out and you can see what your competition is!  I have seen a Canucks and Bruins video and one group of different teams/highlights but if there are more out there then let me know and I will post them also....

UPDATE 8/11/10: @AGallantcapsfan on Twitter created an Ovechkin Inception video.. I posted it to go with the other 3.. Now a total of 4 so far and all 4 are great!!

UPDATE 8/13/10: New Montreal Canadiens Video from Youtube.. added it 2 the group after jump...

Join me after this to see all 5 Inception videos so far....

Newyorkrangers.com Interview With Ryan Callahan!!

Another post about Ryan Callahan today. Dan David had an article on newyorkrangers.com where he had an interview with Callahan.  Callahan is one of the Rangers key young core players and could play a huge role on this team when we become contenders, hopefully in the next few years with all the young talent we have coming up.  Callahan will be an RFA after this season and look for the Rangers to lock him up as he will be a very useful player in the future.  He has shown a scoring touch with 22 goals and 19 goals the last two season respectively.  Here is some of what Callahan had to say:

“I'm gearing up for a hard training camp,” said Callahan, who has spent the off-season in his native Rochester, N.Y. “But from previous summers, not too much has changed for me workout-wise or in terms of conditioning. I think in previous summers I pushed myself hard and got myself ready for camp. It's just status quo with the way I lift and the conditioning that I do."

"I think one of the biggest things about last year is that even though we didn't make the playoffs, we have all of these core guys coming back and we'll use that as motivation," said Callahan. "Everybody knows what we went through last year and what a disappointment it was at the end of the year. So it's pretty important that we're all still together and we all can look back on previous years and what we've been through together. I think we're all definitely a lot more hungry. It was tough and I know, personally, it has been a long summer. I think the biggest thing is coming back and not looking at not making the playoffs as a negative, but to turn it around and take it as a positive and as a learning experience."

It seems like everyone is behind the fact that the Rangers are going to be bringing back a core group of players which they have not done in recent season.

"I think a big part of why we started off the year so well last year was that everybody came in early and was prepared and ready to go right from day one of camp," said Callahan. "Hopefully, we'll have the same result going into this year."

 For the full article you can click here!!

Rangers Make Signing With New ECHL Team Official!!

 According to The NYR Blog the New York Rangers and Greenville Road Warriors have made it official and joined together.  They will most likely host between 7-10 players as the Rangers ECHL affiliate.  I did a post earlier about this possibility if you would like to check it out.  Here is some of what they had to say:

"We are pleased and excited to begin this affiliation with an organization as dedicated to winning and developing young talent as the Greenville Road Warriors," said Jim Schoenfeld, Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel, Assistant Coach, New York Rangers and General Manager Hartford Wolf Pack. "Having this relationship with the Road Warriors will enable the Rangers to have our prospects play in an environment that will allow them to develop and progress as professionals within an experienced and dedicated organization."

The full press release can be found here!