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Original Post:
Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants reports that John Tortorella said it’s been discussed among the team what the proper response should be to Colby Armstrong's hit from behind on Marian Gaborik...
“We’re playing these guys two more times this month (also Oct. 30 at Toronto) and when you play that close, back-to-back, it can get heated. Sometimes they’ll be some bad blood. It should be intense. That’s what we need…We can’t focus on one thing. We’ve got to focus on winning. We’ll see how the games goes. We’ll play hard.”
...translation: in typical Ranger fashion there will be no retribution.
Henrik Lundqvist also chimed in...
“The past is the past,” Lundqvist added. “There’s no point spending your energy or time on what happened. People get hurt. We just have to make sure we stand up for each other.”
...Lundqvist further proving my translation. Man this team has no stones.
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20 comments:
Kevin - do you really want our team to just go out there like a bunch of goons and completely forget about winning the game and just go after armstrong? Yea it would be great to just send out prust or boogard to fight him, but he's never gonna drop the gloves. He fought twice last year, both coming after he hit a guy either from behind or without the puck. We had our chance to go after him right after the Gaborik hit happened and we didn't. So let's just play some Rangers hockey with intensity and not be dumb. Maybe then we'll win.
Charlie, nice oxymoron you wrote there "Rangers hockey with intensity". Love for you to tell me the last time this team played with that.
It's more than just sending a message to Armstrong it's sending a message to the league that the days of a soft Rangers team is over.
Aren't you sick of Lundqvist being run and Gaborik getting hit from behind?
Well when I said Rangers hockey, I meant the type of hockey we usually play. Then add intensity. Not the hockey we've been playing to start the season. But the way we finished off last year, and the way we usually start the season. That kind of hockey.
And I just think the game has changed so much. Sending a "message" to the league that the Rangers can play physical does not help us score goals. It does not help the fact that we have an AHL roster out there. It does not help the fact that our coach has no idea what's going on.
The fact of the matter is I'm all for standing up for your team when your star gets hit from behind or your goalie gets run. But you need to do it at that exact moment. It sets the tone for THAT game. Saying we're not gonna let that happen. If we try and do it now, we just look dumb. They already took the W from us. They did their job. We didn't.
I hear you. But I still think it needs to be addressed. To me they look even worse by not addressing it at any point.
Maybe we should wait until the game is over to judge the response. My guess is if there's a plan for retribution the person people involved in that plan wouldn't announce it to the press.
I agree with you, Joe. The team will play hard to win but somewhere along the way an oppotunity will arise and someone will take a run at Armstrong. They just aren't going to announce it to the world in advance. At least I hope that's what will happen.
What about upcoming Nov 4 vs Flyers - Carcillo did the same thing to Gab last season - need to man up eventually. Meaning at some point in the future there will be a situation which rights itself.
Maybe Drury can go on a local radio show and put a bounty on Armstrong's head. I mean, really, they didn't respond in the game, predictably, and they probably will not tomorrow either. At some point though this season, someone will put a hit on him, probably Avery or Prust. In the end, Boogaard is such a non-factor because no one will fight him. But if someone takes a major tomorrow and it costs us the game, it will not be worth it. We missed the playoffs last year by a point.
Nobody, at least not me, is saying do something stupid, but Armstrong has to realize that there are consequences for his actions and must be ready to throw down tomorrow night.
More likely to see him accept a challenge from Prust than Boogaard.
TArmstrong is a weasel-Avery went at him and he refused to drop the gloves. Avery got two minutes for his gloves being on the ice. A period later but the message was being sent. I am with Kevin on this one, if a player wants to cheap shot your star, either their star becomes the object of scorn or the player who did the foul needs to answer for his actions. I personally don't care if we run their goalie 3 times and Armstong and Kessell end up on the ice. But something needs to be done. Where is Hollweg when you need the dirty hit?
Sather presumably signed boogaard for this purpose and this purpose only, now who knows maybe sather saw a 40 goal guy, but I'm pretty sure he is there to beat guys face's in and not much else. just put him out there with armstrong and let boogaard use him as a punching bag regardless if he wants to drop the gloves or not, hell send the boogey man go out there without a stick its not helping him out there any way. MDZ's jump on that hit the other night was the first time in a long time I've seen someone really back a teammate. There needs to be a message sent to all the other teams in the division and in the league that you can't rough up our start players or our goalie without consequences. you would think torts would be first guy to order a hit on these guys, i think this team just gets a little softer everyday
first off watch the reply...Gilroy did try to stick up for Gabby but armstrong wasn't having it (could he of done more OF COURSE). Avery tried to go after him the next period and same thing so the retaliation was there.
Boogard is the bigges waste of a roster spot, no one will ever fight him (especially Armpuss%). having boogard fight does not send a message so drop it already. the league doesn't give a sh*t about the rangers trying to send a message, they are to busy with thier own teams.
Rangers want to make a statement then they need every line to play balls to the wall tomorrow night. Forechecking there ass's off and hiting everything in site (cleanly) to cause turn overs and creat chances and WIN. the only message the rest of the league will respect is if the Rangers start earning 2 points a game.
If Boogard doesn't drop the gloves tomorrow then I'm ready to call him a bust. I've been one of the few people on the blog who have stood up for the signing, pointing out that overpaying by 600k/year or so is not so bad given some of our previous contractual issues. But if he doesn't do his job tomorrow then he is officially a waste of space. I want to be able to hear a pin drop on the ice as he skates to the box.
the refs need to let boogard fight. they wouldnt even let him fight orr last game, it was broken up in seconds, before the gloves even dropped. I dont like him much either, but not because he hasent fought through the refs. as a side note, why are the refs so abysmal so far? they are even worse than ast year, and probaby lost the rangers the previous toronto game. what a b.s call on staal.
orr had his head rocked a couple of days before they played us so there was no way he could or would fight boogaard last time. very possible they'll go this game - well toronto has last line change so we'll see.
and re armstrong maybe its better to hit kessel and other stars hard and often.
Pete8... couldn't agree with you more. They need show some heart and everything will fall into place.
sfalcon... if you think the staal hit wasn't a penalty you obviously know nothing about hockey. He completely took him OUT OF THE PLAY (Interference) by hip-checking him when he was nowhere near the puck. You just can't do that. Way too blatantly obvious for the refs to make a call. Regardless of OT or not. If he just shoulders him and slows him down a little, it never gets called. It just won't. But Staal did way too much there and cost his team the game because of a dumb play.
Sometimes you need to be willing to lose a game in order to set up future wins. This is one of them. The Leafs are going to be in the playoffs, barring a major collapse. The Rangers are questionable. They need to step on the ice in Toronto ready to make some heads roll. Nobody will fight Boogard? Okay, put him out there against Kessel and let him take a boarding penalty. Stick him out there with Avery and let the Leafs try pushing him around when he's mouthing off in the crease. Anybody going anywhere near Avery for the rest of the season will be looking over their shoulder, waiting for a sledgehammer to the face from Boogard. You don't have to drop the gloves and duke it out in prime time to earn your money. The Rangers, and Boogard, need to make people scared. They can't do that with Boogard riding the bench.
yup. i agree with li joe. hit kessel hard. and maybe too high. a message has to be sent.
fight fire with fire.
getting pushed around and having your star player get knocked out, WITHOUT retaliating, is the ultimate sign to the league that we can be bowled over.
if a message isnt sent during the next game the rangers are further solidifying their reputation as not sticking up for eachother. the players shouldnt wait for the coach to send them on an errand. hit someone too high. throw an elbow. take one for the team as your salary is lowered for missing games being suspended. send a message.
To make matters worse, they allowed this treatment at home. Have to protect your best players...have to. All this talk about playing better at home and getting more W's. Something's gotta change. However, it's early yet so there's time to build that chemistry.
Agree-a message needs to be sent. Torts needs to pull Boogy aside and just tell him I don't care about fights, all I want is for you to hit players and hit them hard without being dumb about it. Hit Kessel, hit MacArthur, hit Phaneuf, Grabovski, Kabs and anyone else that moves.It is obvious that Armstrong is a player who is afraid to stand up for his actions.
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