Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Block that Shot

Lynn Zinger of the New York Times sat down with a few Ranger players to discuss the art of blocking a shot...

"...It is a statistic built on bravery and strategy, calculated risk and not a small slice of insanity. Defending players hurl themselves in front of shots large and small, anything from wrist shots to 100-mile-an-hour slap shots, protected only by a thin layer of pads and the ability to block out the potential for disaster.

'You have to break the fear,' Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival said. 'You try it once, it hits your shin pads and you say, O.K. We all played the game for so long. Nobody really thinks about it anymore. It’s like natural. I don’t think there’s any guy in the locker room who would be thinking, Oh, should I block it or not?'..."

...this is a pretty good read on the en vogue defensive strategy of getting in shooting lanes.

...anyone who criticizes Renney for sticking with a pointless Blair Betts needs to read this:

"...Last season, Rangers center Blair Betts was the top forward in the league in that category, with 98; he has 15 this season..."

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