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Larry Brooks: Rangers season at crossroads--already

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nyranger61494

nyranger61494

YNWA
Aug 2, 2005
3,896
0
New York, NY
Three games. A minute sample size. A counter-productive training camp schedule. An unorthodox schedule to open the season. A pair of key players not yet in game shape.
We get it.
And yet, the 9-2 humiliation in San Jose on Wednesday that represented one of the worst beatdowns in recent franchise history means the clock is ticking on this team and this season.
Already.
The Rangers waved the white flag before the second period was 10 minutes old. They were spectators to their own grisly demise, passengers on a sinking ship and surely a disgrace to the sweater.
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Again, we know. It was one game. But no Rangers team has been so casual, so careless, so utterly miserable, since that 10-2 loss in Dallas on Jan. 6, 2009 that was the beginning of the end for Tom Renney, fired 17 days later.
“The closest thing to this that I’ve been a part of was Dallas, and I think this was much worse,†Marc Staal said following Tuesday’s debacle. “We were so far behind all night long, it wasn’t even close.â€
Would-be defenders were gliding all over the ice. The Rangers picked and chose their battles, and almost always opted not to engage.
You know what it was like? It was like the 9-1 loss in Ottawa on Feb. 24, 2004 — that’s right, 2004 — in Jaromir Jagr’s first game as a Ranger, after which Bobby Holik said, “I think, fundamentally, we are the worst team in the National Hockey League.â€
That’s what it was like.

The elephant in the room, of course, is actually in Vancouver. The Rangers fired John Tortorella because the players and organization believed his style on the ice had become too restrictive and his style off the ice too domineering.
Well, after a lousy training camp, a lousy opening game in Phoenix and this monstrosity in San Jose, the burden of proof is on the Rangers to prove they can respond to Vigneault’s alternate approach.
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http://nypost.com/2013/10/09/rangers-season-at-crossroads-already/

Personally, think it's a little too quick from Larry but I don't disagree with the underlying premise and alot of the points he makes. He takes a bunch of players to task. Takes the front office to task for not getting Lundqvist deal done.

Mods, feel free to merge this with another thread but thought would be interesting to discuss the merits of Brooks' argument.
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We looked like absolute **** to start the 2011-12 season, with an even worse schedule to start the season (European trip), and we ended up winning the East; we didn't even hit our stride until Halloween (against the Sharks)...calm down, Larry...
 
Brooks is overreacting as usual, Game 3 of the season is not a turning point of the season.

However, I do agree with him that there is no excuse for lack of work ethic. And the onus is the on the players to prove that they can play in this system (not necessarily in Game 3, but hopefully sometime by November-December).
 
The Rangers schedule has looked brutal so far going back to preseason. I don't get why the Rangers have stayed out west since the end of september. Weird schedule is weird.
 
nuxhead said:
The Rangers schedule has looked brutal so far going back to preseason. I don't get why the Rangers have stayed out west since the end of september. Weird schedule is weird.
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Hopefully all the knee hockey in the hotel hallways brings them close together.
 
OverTheCap said:
Brooks is overreacting as usual, Game 3 of the season is not a turning point of the season.

However, I do agree with him that there is no excuse for lack of work ethic. And the onus is the on the players to prove that they can play in this system (not necessarily in Game 3, but hopefully sometime by November-December).
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This is pretty much my feeling.

GordonGecko said:
Dude is obsessed with the Lunqvist contract, he can't get past it it's keeping him up at night

Take a vallium, it's gonna be OK
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Without all of those Stepan offer sheets to dream about, he needs something to occupy his time haha.
 
It's a bit sensationalist but it's not ENTIRELY off the mark.

If I didn't find San Jose's game entertaining, it would have been unbearable. I've probably never seen a professional team put forth so little effort, and that's much more concerning than the scoreboard or the record.
 
Uncle Larry takes his role as part of the "withering spotlight" of the New York sports press way too seriously. As if he were covering the Yankees or the Giants. :shakehead

As always, read him for the scoops - ignore his commentary.
 
For the time being at least I think we're in a lot of ****. Losing Nash sucks. Losing your main scoring threat on your first line and meanwhile Brassard and his line are not really accomplishing all that much. No goals so far out of any of them. That's your 2nd line. That's your offense.

Without Nash Rangers come out of this 9 game road trip with 6 points they'll be lucky.

And Brooks is at least right in this--about the time the 4th San Jose goal went in--the team as a whole mailed it in the rest of the game. No credible response. The defense looked like the walking dead. All of them. That's your defense.

Once the game is pretty much out of reach there should be something more than what we saw. Start fights-something. If they turn them down start running the goalie--start running their best players. After the Rangers fell behind there was no spirit left. No pride. ****ing Tomas Hertl--a 19 year old rookie scores 4 goals!--is allowed to score 4 goals. I don't get it.

If this keeps up Sather will be on the phone. He won't replace Nash but some guys are going to be going somewhere else.
 
eco's bones said:
For the time being at least I think we're in a lot of ****. Losing Nash sucks. Losing your main scoring threat on your first line and meanwhile Brassard and his line are not really accomplishing all that much. No goals so far out of any of them. That's your 2nd line. That's your offense.

Without Nash Rangers come out of this 9 game road trip with 6 points they'll be lucky.

And Brooks is at least right in this--about the time the 4th San Jose goal went in--the team as a whole mailed it in the rest of the game. No credible response. The defense looked like the walking dead. All of them. That's your defense.

Once the game is pretty much out of reach there should be something more than what we saw. Start fights-something. If they turn them down start running the goalie--start running their best players. After the Rangers fell behind there was no spirit left. No pride. ****ing Tomas Hertl--a 19 year old rookie scores 4 goals!--is allowed to score 4 goals. I don't get it.

If this keeps up Sather will be on the phone. He won't replace Nash but some guys are going to be going somewhere else.
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my feelings exactly.

crooked score aside, the lack of effort is and was disgusting.
 
Larry Brooks is like 90% of the people that post on this board, only he can't blame his youth and inexperience for his overreactions. I'd be a lot more worried if the team didn't look so good in L.A. just one night before, but "worry" is still probably the wrong word for it. We all knew this team would be up against it early on - too many things working against them. I'll hold off on my evaluation and worrying until Thanksgiving at the earliest.

That said,

AV sucks
Henrik sucks with small pads
Nash' career is over but he was lazy anyway
Stepan isn't a dynamic offensive player
McDonagh peaked in '11-'12
yada yada yada
 
We started 1-3 in 2013-2014
We started 1-3 in xxxx-2013
We started 1-3 in 2011-2012
We started 1-3 in 2010-2011
 
Jesus Christ it's 3 games into the season. :laugh:

I remember reading this board during the beginning of '11-12. Good stuff.
 
Yes its early in the season, and its easy to make excuses, but to be blown out like that three games into the season is really bad. Thats a big question on leadership and a big question of character.

The team looked like it had no heart. Its not like they were battling and the sharks got lucky. The team STOPPED PLAYING!!

this isn't pee wee. These are professional hockey players,

Your star player was run in the very beginning of the game and no one responds.

Your then being blown out the building and no one does anything to show life any way possible

You dont have to be for stages fights in the NHL etc... but someone should have gotten off that bench and showed something.

Im not saying this team is now going to go 1-81. Obviously they are gonna win more games in this season. But this type of play is alarming and we aren't going any where if nights like this can happen
 
It'd rather them get shellacked now than March. If Nash is going to miss a lot of time, then I might start with the sacrifice rituals.
 
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