Rozsival being the second or third best defenseman. He is okay during his yearly 'streak of competence'. When he is not in that groove he can be pretty awful. Like lately. Bobbling, fumbling, tentative. If you are okay with sometimes good,and not sure when that might occur, then yes, Rozsival is very good.
The first real season I watched was 1989-90 the year they won the Patrick Division and were one Brian Leetch injury and one hot John Druce away from going to the Conference Finals. Those pre-94 Neil Smith teams were very good and always had a chance and it felt like the Rangers would get to the 2nd round nearly every year. My friends and I nicknamed them "2nd Round Rangers." It was different back in those days too, I grew up a hardcore Rangers fan on LI and it just seemed that everyone was into hockey and there was a hatred and rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders.
Rangers are always as good as whoever their management is. Craig Patrick always had a good cheap team and got them to the Conference Finals twice and was an Islanders Dynasty away from at least one Cup (1981), and we all know about Esposito(bad)/Smith(the best 89-94/bad after)/Sather(mediocre)/etc.
The Rangers haven't been THAT bad in all our lifetimes. I always remind people in my 29 years they've won one Championship, Two President's Trophies, Three Division Titles, and have been to the Conference Finals four times (1981, 1986, 1994 of course, 1997) and won a playoff round at least 12-15 times.
Some teams in the NHL like the Blues, Jets/Coyotes, Sabres, and even original six teams like the Bruins and Maple Leafs haven't even had that kind of success in the last 40 years so it does put things in perspective.
It's an awesome feeling when you actually expect your team to win each night. I wish I felt that more often. Feeling it with the Jets right now, at least.
I feel like the Norstrom trade was almost as bad as the Zubov one. Those two guys could've combined with Leetch to let us contend at least into the early 2000s if we'd only gotten reasonably competent management.
I feel like the Norstrom trade was almost as bad as the Zubov one. Those two guys could've combined with Leetch to let us contend at least into the early 2000s if we'd only gotten reasonably competent management.
A top 6 that shoulda been but never was in the late 90s/early 2000s:
I thought it was kinda ironic a few years ago when Dallas got Norstrom for a playoff run; they had our two guys who should've been our veteran #1 pair and wore letters
The Zubov trade puzzled me when it happened, with zero hindsight involved. Once hindsight kicked in a year or two, or three, or four, or five, or six, ... later, I just thought WTF were they thinking.
The Zubov trade puzzled me when it happened, with zero hindsight involved. Once hindsight kicked in a year or two, or three, or four, or five, or six, ... later, I just thought WTF were they thinking.
Sam and JD in the early 2000s along with Rick Carpinello this past summer talked about this trade several times. The facts that went into it:
1. The clutching and grabbing was taking over the league and Smith and Rangers brass thought Zubov couldn't adapt to the "new rules"
2. Zubov had a rough playoff series in round 2 vs. the Penguins in 95 from what I remember often turning the puck over after pressure was applied to him
3. Neil Smith was fully intent to sign Bruce Driver who he thought would be an adequate power play replacement for Zubov and then deal Zubov in a trade that was going to be Zubov for Selanne straight up but there were reports that summer that Selanne got hurt in a car accident in Finland (pre internet days of course) and the deal went dead, instead they got a mean stay at home DMan in Samuelson who would help against the bigger teams in addition to a "sure-thing" 30 goal scorer in Robitaille
4. Colin Campbell was bitter at Zubov and Kovalev when both didn't take the 92-93 Binghampton Rangers playoff run seriously thinking they were both NHL ready, and he never got over that in addition to his xenophobia of Russians in the first place.
Sam and JD in the early 2000s along with Rick Carpinello this past summer talked about this trade several times. The facts that went into it:
1. The clutching and grabbing was taking over the league and Smith and Rangers brass thought Zubov couldn't adapt to the "new rules"
2. Zubov had a rough playoff series in round 2 vs. the Penguins in 95 from what I remember often turning the puck over after pressure was applied to him
3. Neil Smith was fully intent to sign Bruce Driver who he thought would be an adequate power play replacement for Zubov and then deal Zubov in a trade that was going to be Zubov for Selanne straight up but there were reports that summer that Selanne got hurt in a car accident in Finland (pre internet days of course) and the deal went dead, instead they got a mean stay at home DMan in Samuelson who would help against the bigger teams in addition to a "sure-thing" 30 goal scorer in Robitaille
4. Colin Campbell was bitter at Zubov and Kovalev when both didn't take the 92-93 Binghampton Rangers playoff run seriously thinking they were both NHL ready, and he never got over that in addition to his xenophobia of Russians in the first place.
That tick turd chased Nemchinov out too. one of the best checking centers we ever had, who could pot a few goals to boot.
Sam and JD in the early 2000s along with Rick Carpinello this past summer talked about this trade several times. The facts that went into it:
1. The clutching and grabbing was taking over the league and Smith and Rangers brass thought Zubov couldn't adapt to the "new rules"
2. Zubov had a rough playoff series in round 2 vs. the Penguins in 95 from what I remember often turning the puck over after pressure was applied to him
3. Neil Smith was fully intent to sign Bruce Driver who he thought would be an adequate power play replacement for Zubov and then deal Zubov in a trade that was going to be Zubov for Selanne straight up but there were reports that summer that Selanne got hurt in a car accident in Finland (pre internet days of course) and the deal went dead, instead they got a mean stay at home DMan in Samuelson who would help against the bigger teams in addition to a "sure-thing" 30 goal scorer in Robitaille
4. Colin Campbell was bitter at Zubov and Kovalev when both didn't take the 92-93 Binghampton Rangers playoff run seriously thinking they were both NHL ready, and he never got over that in addition to his xenophobia of Russians in the first place.
1. 'The clutching and grabbing was taking over the league and Smith and Rangers brass thought Zubov couldn't adapt to the "new rules"'
If that isn't a case of the cure (very much premature and preventive, no less) being worse than the illness, then I will never see one.
2. 'Zubov had a rough playoff series in round 2 vs. the Penguins in 95 from what I remember often turning the puck over after pressure was applied to him'
If there were not so much politics and confusion, the overriding talent of Zubov would have won out and kept him right where he was.
3. Bruce Driver - it sounded good at the time, but not for much longer. I remember how disappointed I was with Driver. Wow, what you wrote sure does dredge (I mean 'bring',yuk-yuk) up memories. Selanne and all that. I forgot all about all that stuff LOL.
4. Colin Campbell - I stopped thinking about him at all a long time ago.
Sometimes I want to curse the day when I was 6 years old and decided to fall in love with the New York Rangers. This team is so frustrating to watch. No identity whatsoever. They cannot play a full 60 minutes if their lives depended on it. It has to stem from management and coaching because this has been going on for years and we have had so much roster turnover.
This franchise is cursed, and frankly, I am tired of wasting money going to the Garden and watching flat, uninspired hockey. I wouldn't mind missing the playoffs because of having a less talented roster than most of the conference. What I do mind is getting outplayed on a nightly basis and needing to waste a timeout 7 minutes into the game because we cant come out of the gate energized.
Give it two weeks for people to pick up on how bad Eminger really is and he'll start to get boo'ed as well. Gilroy, I really have no explanation for. I guess the fans like him since he's from New York
Then I should love him considering he went to my high school? Seriously, self interests and all bias aside; what is best for this team is not icing both Eminger and Gilroy.
Sometimes I want to curse the day when I was 6 years old and decided to fall in love with the New York Rangers. This team is so frustrating to watch. No identity whatsoever. They cannot play a full 60 minutes if their lives depended on it. It has to stem from management and coaching because this has been going on for years and we have had so much roster turnover.
This franchise is cursed, and frankly, I am tired of wasting money going to the Garden and watching flat, uninspired hockey. I wouldn't mind missing the playoffs because of having a less talented roster than most of the conference. What I do mind is getting outplayed on a nightly basis and needing to waste a timeout 7 minutes into the game because we cant come out of the gate energized.
Leafs fan here, I know how it feels. I think the Rangers main issue is not lack of talent, but a lack of culture, and that starts with ownership and management. Though not the exact same situation as us, I think management rewarding large contracts to under deserving players is probably the biggest issue. I can only imagine it must create a pretty bad culture in the locker room. You guys do have some really good prospects coming through and it looks like Sather has taken the first step in demoting Redden. I'm still pissed I have to watch Kessel instead of Seguin, but at least players are being held accountable. I think the Rangers have a case of the Blue and White(and red) disease and there's only so much a coach can do about that.
The Rangers have been a funny franchise; they've had decades like the 1950s and 1980s where they were cheap and can't bring in top flight talent, and then the Dolan Era notable 98-04 when they tried to just bring in names and spent millions and millions.
Culture is a problem; the Rangers should represent the blue collar fanbase of New York; a bunch of no-nonsense hard workers who will brawl and beat the ever living you know what out of you and stick up for each other plus outwork anybody. That's how the team was run through most of Neil Smith's run, and also at various points when Patrick was GM in between the Smurfs years.
The Rangers have been a funny franchise; they've had decades like the 1950s and 1980s where they were cheap and can't bring in top flight talent, and then the Dolan Era notable 98-04 when they tried to just bring in names and spent millions and millions.
Culture is a problem; the Rangers should represent the blue collar fanbase of New York; a bunch of no-nonsense hard workers who will brawl and beat the ever living you know what out of you and stick up for each other plus outwork anybody. That's how the team was run through most of Neil Smith's run, and also at various points when Patrick was GM in between the Smurfs years.
Excellent post. Agree 100%. It's run like a Luxury team & mostly b/c of it's geographic location. I always said our team is a victim of its location; Manhattan.
You're right. They don't boo either of them. However, Rozsival; who is arguably our 2nd-3rd best d-men gets boo'd on a constant basis. It's a shame and makes you wonder if there is some european bias.
he's our de facto number 2 or 3 defenseman. otherwise he's *****. hence being booed. and even though girardi, staal, or MDZ will brainfart occasionally it's usually not because they let someone walk in/didn't man up and take the body. rozi's a big p*****.
possiblyrangers - this is an excellent thread. I love nostalgic talk of the late 80s / early 90s Rangers. When I was younger I used to tape all the games and then on a second VCR, tape the fights. I remember the Chris Nilan, Kris King, Mark Janssens, Joe Kocur, Troy Mallette, Tie Domi Rangers. (**I actually have footage of Adam Graves wearing #11 in the game against Boston). Back then, I always knew the Rangers would make the playoffs (16 out of 20 teams before San Jose?) Even the Bernie Nichols, Mike Gartner Rangers had me confident. Then when I learned the Messier trade was official, I immediately said we are now a cup contender. Mark was the best player at the time, I felt. Scoring and toughness. I said, we will now go beyond the 3rd round. 91-92 was magic. (The strike and the Penguins series, followed by 92-93 debacle).
Then in 94 it clicked. I always felt Game 5 of the finals epitomized a Ranger fan experience. The one we lost 6-3..because that WAS the night, we get a goal taken away, go down 3-0, tie it up on 3 shots, only to be deflated. Thankfully, game7 erased that.
Rangers got taken to a game 7 OT against a rookie goalie and won on a fluke goal.
It was never easy to watch. You never had confidence. We only knew they were good once the clock hit 0:00 on that one June night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riche16
This sums it up nicely.
1992-94 took years off my life. Don't get me wrong... I measure everything in my memory by "Pre-Rangers-Cup-in-1994 or post"
Being terrible sux but being good enough to win and feeling like it'll never happen (like in game 5 against the Devils in 1994... thinking "I can't watch them do this again... I can't watch them lose in the play-offs with such a good team") is torture.
I wouldn't trade it for the world but there were moments that to this day make me nervous. Watch the puck hit MacTavishes skate on the rebound in the 3rd with a one goal lead in game 7 of the finals... I almost puked... it was giong right to a Canuck and he had a wide open net. The puck hits MacTavishes skate and goes towards the corner. Sickening.
Sam was right tho... it will last a lifetime... I'll never forget it. Not ever.
^ what a load of horse **** this is!
The 91-92', and 93-94' NYR teams were GREAT teams winning the President's trophy BOTH those years. This was as close to a "dominating" team you'll find in recent years.
The 93-94 team steamrolled over the competition in the first 2 rds of the playoffs! They ran into Brodeur and the NJD at the beginning of their reign and won a classic matchup!
The NYR were struggling as the playoffs went on that year for reasons due to Mike Keenen's antics more than anything else.
That Vancouver team was playing out of their minds.
Sorry this wasn't the "total domination" team that you envision your NYR should be.
It's an awesome feeling when you actually expect your team to win each night. I wish I felt that more often. Feeling it with the Jets right now, at least.
At least the Jets are doing great so far this year. Granted the last game was nerve racking........
The 91-92', and 93-94' NYR teams were GREAT teams winning the President's trophy BOTH those years. This was as close to a "dominating" team you'll find in recent years.
The 93-94 team steamrolled over the competition in the first 2 rds of the playoffs! They ran into Brodeur and the NJD at the beginning of their reign and won a classic matchup!
The NYR were struggling as the playoffs went on that year for reasons due to Mike Keenen's antics more than anything else.
That Vancouver team was playing out of their minds.
Sorry this wasn't the "total domination" team that you envision your NYR should be.
Really?! Horse ****?!!
You were so confident huh? Yeah they steamrolled the Isles and then Washington... then they were down 3-2 to the Devs and blew a 3-1 series lead to the Canucks. TOTALLY DOMINATING? Please. It was as close as we would come to dominating but it was far from it.
That Matteau goal was all that prevented us from being forced out of the play-offs for the second time in 3 years with the best team.
I guess I'll owe you an appology if you say that in game 6 against the Devs when we went down 1-0 you weren't besides yourself with anxiety and grief.
I don't demand my team win the President's trophy each year, although that would be nice. I just demand that we come to the rink and play a full game and outwork and out-hustle the opposition. There is a reason we get beat by the Islanders on a consistent basis, and frankly, the only reason we ever beat them is because we have a more talented team. They are never an easy opponent, despite looking at their weak, almost AHL-like roster. Hell, when we last played them, they were missing their 3 top players: John Tavares, Mark Streit, and Kyle Okposo, and they still outworked us. Just pathetic if you ask me. This team has zero identity and consistency, and its a crapshoot wondering which team is gonna show up come gametime.
'96 was the last fun year for me, fantastic and exciting playoff run. But even that year, they were battling so hard for the 4th/5th spot. Nothing was ever a guarantee. But that's even more exciting, when you aren't expecting much.
