The Rangers’ veteran blockade has run its course
NY Post
There’s been a kind of a blockade at the top of the Rangers’ lineup, which is an interesting state of affairs for a team that finished 18th overall and could not make it to the playoffs last season, and sits 17th overall, on the outside looking in at the tournament this season.
Because you’ve got the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich trio forming one of the 1A units and then there is the inviolate Artemi Panarin-Ryan Strome combination on the other. Under this formation, there is room for one more and only one more. That is one of the challenges David Quinn confronts when the coach looks for ways to increase the ice time and responsibility for his young guns. It’s a squeeze at even strength and it’s a squeeze on the power play.
The Rangers hit the mark with their on-ice ceremony honoring Mika Zibanejad ahead of his 1,000th NHL game Monday night.
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Next comes the harder part. Mostly because it can’t get any easier.
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
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Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
Don’t close the curtain on “Mean” Joe Greene.