Latest news with #TheMaven
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Lucky Seven List Of All-Time Rangers Hustlers
If you are enjoying the Stanley Cup Final, by now it must be apparent that the Panthers and Oilers have HUSTLE written all over them. Special Kudos to aging vets Corey Perry of Edmonton and Brad Marchand of Florida. Advertisement Over the years, the Ranger roster was sprinkled with Marchand-types who never stopped skating. The Maven's All-Time Rangers hustlers appear here in Chronological time: The Best Rangers Hustlers On The Team Currently The Best Rangers Hustlers On The Team Currently Enough with the talk about the deadwood core. Here's a short list of The Maven's favorite TRY HARD GUYS. 1. PHIL WATSON: It wasn't that "Phiery Phil" set up the 1940 Stanley Cup-winning goal for New York in 1940, but that didn't hurt. Watson's big mouth churned away as fast as his skates. Phil never wore a sign that read: BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED! 2. DEAN PRENTICE: Shamefully, the Hockey Hall of Fame has ignored one of the most consistent left wingers in history. Hall Of Fame right wing Andy Bathgate would have been the first to claim that Dean's hard work led to AB's HOF nomination. Advertisement 3. ANDY HEBENTON: GM Muzz Patrick's greatest discovery, Hebby was toiling with Tacoma in the Western League when Muzz signed him as a winger for the 1955-56 season. Andy scored a huge OT goal for New York and became an NHL iron man. 4. RED SULLIVAN: Nobody in Sully's time had more go-go in his system than the center who would become captain. Red was a ferret on the spoor of a hot puck and one of his other favorite targets was the Habs goalie; whenever Jacques Plante wandered. 5. LARRY POPEIN: Before Bathgate became a superstar, Andy needed a crafty center to help launch his career. "Pope" was the perfect pivot; as well as a superior skater who "read" Bathgate's moves as well as any. 6. JOHNNY WILSON: Once the dynamo behind Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay on the Dynastic Detroit Red Wings, Wilson – yet another iron man – was a hero on the 1961-62 Ranger club that made the playoffs under player-coach Doug Harvey. 7. NICK MICKOSKI: Groomed with the Rangers Eastern Amateur Hockey League's New York Rovers, "Bashful Nick Ready Top Click" wore his number 11 proudly. The Winnipeger's hustle did not result in any All-Star nominations but the fans – Maven included – loved the guy!
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Connor McDavid And The Rangers, Plus Playoff One-Liners
1. Connor McDavid is not that far away from free agency and you know what that means to The Maven: Or do You? I'm wondering whether The Wonderman ever could become a Ranger. 2. If ex-Oilers Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe and Esa Tikkanen – just to name a few – could don a Blue Shirt, why not McDavid? 3. Let's put it this way, if McD&Company do what they always do, NOT WIN THE CUP, don't you think an aging Captain Connor will start looking around. 4. There's no law against that but a performer of his immense talent might think like The Great One did; it's time to get out of town and play in a metropolis. Could be L.A. could be New York, could even be Toronto where they never hold Stanley! 5. Looking backward, one of the Rangers' biggest mistakes was not keeping Ryan Reaves as a Blueshirt. 6. Or as Bernie Rhode likes to say, "There are no lions in the Rangers lineup." 7. When the Oilers blew their third period lead last night, Sportsnets Mark Spector called it an "immature collapse." (Does that mean that there's something like a "mature collapse" in hockey?) 8. Brendan Shanahan as Prince of the Islanders kingdom is an intriguing prospect – if it happens. I interviewed Shanny after the Devils drafted him. He had confidence written all over him and the brightest green sports jacket as well. 9. We should have a better idea about what's inside – as well as outside – the Hurricanes. (Likely a lot. Then again so do the other guys." 10. If I was a Maple Leafs fan wanted my team to win The Stanley Cup next spring, I'd hope very hard that Brad Treliving unloads John Tavares. (By the way, that's not to suggest that the Leafs ever will win the prize. And I do mean EVER!)
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What The Rangers Management And Fans Can Learn From The Panthers-Maple Leafs Series
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images No question, the Panthers-Maple Leafs series was hockey melodrama at its best. And for those who REALLY care – especially the Blueshirts brass and the good citizens of Rangerville – there's a lot to learn from that tourney. Here are The Maven's 15 thoughts: Advertisement 1. First and foremost DON'T SIGN JOHN TAVARES. (I put that in capital letters because I REALLY MEAN IT.) A Special Playoff Tonic For Rangers Fans A Special Playoff Tonic For Rangers Fans The Maven knows how tough it is in Rangerville. 2. Tavares – the guy who skipped town leaving the Islanders high and dry – will become a free agent and some GM will be duped into signing him. 3. Warning to Chris Drury: DON'T! The Leafs threw the bank at Tavares and foolishly made him the captain. They figured that he was the missing piece who would bring Toronto its first Cup since 1967. 4. As I learned first hand on Long Island, Tavares is as much a leader as Mortimore Snerd and the only cup he'll bring to The Garden has something written on its side: DUNKIN' DONUTS! Advertisement 5. Leafs' boss Brendan Shanahan – also to become a free agent – constructed a "sure thing" core. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Tavares. They were supposed to guarantee a championship for Toronto. 6. Chris Drury also built a core; a Big Apple core led by Breadman Panarin and Mika Zibanajad. Another Toronto-New York similarity. 7. The Leafs overpaid Chump Quartet annually delivered a CHAMPIONSHIP while chirping "All Or Nothing At All." 8. Last year Florida got the ALL – and could do it again – and the Leafs got nothing at all. The non-playoff Rangers were even worse. Advertisement 9. Toronto has the richest team of the 32 NHL squads; the Rangers are the second richest. Seems like there's a failure Syndrome there folks, doesn't it. 10. Drury is eyeing soon-to-be-free agent Marner who'd love to cut his Maple Leaf chains and emigrate to Seventh Avenue between West 33th and West 31st Streets. But Double M will want more simoleans than Igor Shesterkin is making. Should Drury pay huge for Marner? 11. The answer is YES if you don't care whether the Rangers make the playoffs or not. The answer is NO if you want something better than the Blueshirts' Fat Cats gave you this year. 12. Florida knocked off Toronto because Cats GM Bill Zito strengthened his roster with the likes of Brad Marchand up front and Seth Jones on D. Advertisement 13. When a playoff berth was still possible, Chris Drury strengthened the Rangers with what? What, I ask you – WHAT? 14. Shanahan fired coach Sheldon Keefe last summer and imported Craig Berube who couldn't even awaken his team for last night's biggest game of Toronto's season. 15. Drury fired retread coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with retread coach Mike Shanahan. Lavvy and Shanny have one thing in common, they are not Paul Maurice who happens to be coach of the still-champion Florida Panthers.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What The Rangers Management And Fans Can Learn From The Panthers-Maple Leafs Series
No question, the Panthers-Maple Leafs series was hockey melodrama at its best. And for those who REALLY care – especially the Blueshirts brass and the good citizens of Rangerville – there's a lot to learn from that tourney. Here are The Maven's 15 thoughts: 1. First and foremost DON'T SIGN JOHN TAVARES. (I put that in capital letters because I REALLY MEAN IT.) A Special Playoff Tonic For Rangers Fans The Maven knows how tough it is in Rangerville. 2. Tavares – the guy who skipped town leaving the Islanders high and dry – will become a free agent and some GM will be duped into signing him. 3. Warning to Chris Drury: DON'T! The Leafs threw the bank at Tavares and foolishly made him the captain. They figured that he was the missing piece who would bring Toronto its first Cup since 1967. 4. As I learned first hand on Long Island, Tavares is as much a leader as Mortimore Snerd and the only cup he'll bring to The Garden has something written on its side: DUNKIN' DONUTS! 5. Leafs' boss Brendan Shanahan – also to become a free agent – constructed a "sure thing" core. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Tavares. They were supposed to guarantee a championship for Toronto. 6. Chris Drury also built a core; a Big Apple core led by Breadman Panarin and Mika Zibanajad. Another Toronto-New York similarity. 7. The Leafs overpaid Chump Quartet annually delivered a CHAMPIONSHIP while chirping "All Or Nothing At All." 8. Last year Florida got the ALL – and could do it again – and the Leafs got nothing at all. The non-playoff Rangers were even worse. 9. Toronto has the richest team of the 32 NHL squads; the Rangers are the second richest. Seems like there's a failure Syndrome there folks, doesn't it. 10. Drury is eyeing soon-to-be-free agent Marner who'd love to cut his Maple Leaf chains and emigrate to Seventh Avenue between West 33th and West 31st Streets. But Double M will want more simoleans than Igor Shesterkin is making. Should Drury pay huge for Marner? 11. The answer is YES if you don't care whether the Rangers make the playoffs or not. The answer is NO if you want something better than the Blueshirts' Fat Cats gave you this year. 12. Florida knocked off Toronto because Cats GM Bill Zito strengthened his roster with the likes of Brad Marchand up front and Seth Jones on D. 13. When a playoff berth was still possible, Chris Drury strengthened the Rangers with what? What, I ask you – WHAT? 14. Shanahan fired coach Sheldon Keefe last summer and imported Craig Berube who couldn't even awaken his team for last night's biggest game of Toronto's season. 15. Drury fired retread coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with retread coach Mike Shanahan. Lavvy and Shanny have one thing in common, they are not Paul Maurice who happens to be coach of the still-champion Florida Panthers.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Race For A Rangers Captain Continues
Is Adam Fox too soft, too taciturn, too indecisive to become the Rangers next captain? If the answer is "not at all," then why hasn't the defenseman who comes close to being Mister Blueshirt not gotten the big C? Former player and longer-than-longtime coach Harvey (Hutch) Cohen must be wondering the same thing from his New Jersey hacienda. "Fox should be the new captain," says Cohen, a distinguished member of The Maven's Roundtable And Inner Circle. "Being captain would give Adam the incentive to concentrate on his defensive play and power play quarterbacking." Picking A New Captain Is No Easy Task For the Rangers It's not going to be easy for Mike Sullivan and his boss Chris Drury. Picking a new captain for their Blueshirts, that is. Then, a pause and more hear-this from Hutch: "I call it a sort of 'Do As-I-Do' set up. And, by the way, my picks for the Alternate Captain roles are Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle. "Trocheck has served as the 'de facto' captain all along and Cuylle plays the game the right way. Granted, this may cause a problem with J.T. Miller but he's just arrived. In Miller's case the C's and A's should be earned, not given." While he's at it, Cohen offered his two-cents worth about the Blueshirts' worthless power play which opponents have figured out and what hurt the New Yorkers as much as anything this past season. Cohen: "The power play did not adjust to attack what the opposition was giving. Furthermore, the D-zone was man-to-man and the Rangers were not able to adjust to the legal pick plays and thus there were open men. "Sometimes Rangers players bumped into each other. They didn't show the ability to cohesively switch men when a legal pick was set." Maven Round Table member George Grimm disagrees with Hutch. "I've never considered Adam Fox to be a leader," Grimm asserts. "He's like Brian Leetch was as a captain. I believe that Fox would feel uncomfortable wearing the C. "I'd go with Trocheck. Of all the 'Fat Cats,' Vinnie was the most productive during the season. (That's not counting Panarin who's not a captain candidate.) Vinnie has been here long enough to earn the respect of his teammates. "He's the least likely of the veterans who Drury would like to dump. Plus, Trocheck would also have support of his buddy, 'Sergeant At Arms' J.T. Miller who hasn't been here enough. Cuylle is the "Captain IN Waiting'" Speaking of "waiting," what the heck are they waiting for – the cows to come home. Or, do we have to wait until October before the grand, captain-knighting takes place. (P.S. The Maven just checked; Mark Messier is not available.)
