Time to Send A Huge Message

It is disappointing to see so many among the media (especially those who did not attend the game live) dismiss the Rangers 8-1 win over SC Bern. So here is the million dollar question to ask: What would have been the reaction if the Rangers had lost this game to the same SC Bern?

Can anyone imagine the firestorm of a reaction that would have happened if the folks of SC Bern got to live out their version of the "Miracle On Ice"? Of course that would have been different as the Ranger world as we know it would have come to an end.

In so many ways one can not help but feel sorry for the Rangers as they actually played well against SC Bern. If one wants to realize one very important fact that has been overlooked; instead of playing down to the level of the opposition which has been the Ranger MO the last 3 years, the Rangers went for the kill and got it.

For us it was a long overdue to see the Rangers grab a lead, build upon it and then turn it into a rout. Can someone remember the last time the Rangers did that? Exactly our point so can we stop looking for reasons to dismiss what the Rangers did against SC Bern and turn towards the future?

See we are betting that when the Rangers take to the ice against the Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL for the Victoria's Cup that 29 NHL teams as well as the NHL leadership will be chanting "Let's Go Rangers" big time.

After having to put up with the upstart KHL's claims that they are going to become the equal to the NHL then nothing would make the NHL happier than to have the Rangers repeat their blowout win. Blow out Metallurg and let the hockey world see for themselves that the KHL is not a legit competition to the NHL.

Unlike so many who believe that Metallburg will give the Rangers a tougher battle that is not what we believe. Just because you have players who used to play in the NHL does not make you a quality league,

Yes Jagr is there in the KHL but who else? The closest the KHL can come to a legit NHL star is Alex Radulov who jumped his contract with the Nashville Predators and after that what?

Chris Simon? Ray Emery? John Graham? Seriously once you get past Jagr and Radulov then it is hard to consider the KHL anything more than a place for those who really had no chance in getting a roster spot in the NHL as competition.

The ones who the KHL is really hurting right now is their fellow leagues in Europe as they have been raiding them for players for the KHL. All of these claims that they "care" about European hockey may go over in Russia but not in the rest of Europe.

The KHL is going to be a major reason why salaries will rise all over the hockey world not for the star players but for the 3rd/4th/AHL players of the world. Ask any current NHL player regardless of whether or not they are from North America or Europe where they would rather play?

That answer remains the NHL, today and for a very long tomorrow. It is not going to be just about money but rather where the best players in the world will want to play. So cue the New York Rangers and how they can send a very loud message in the Victoria's Cup about how much an equal the KHL really is.

Metallburg will be bringing the 4th best record in the KHL into the contest for the Victoria's Cup against the Rangers. They have 8 regular season games as well as close to 6 weeks of practice under their belts.

The Rangers have not even played their regular season lineup once since the start of training camp. It is very doubtful that they will field a full lineup (although expect many of the Ranger regulars) but expect this much; the Ranger players do understand that they are representing more than just the Rangers but the NHL as well.

Nothing would make us happier than to show those who view the KHL as a serious threat as wrong. Nothing would make us happier than to show the folks of the KHL that they can stop with all the talk of their league as an equal to the NHL.

And we think the rest of the NHL agrees with us as well.

We think the Rangers will win and like they did against SC Bern they will win going away.

Not Covering the Rangers

Playing their first of two European exhibition games before Saturday's season opener in Prague, the Rangers scored six times in the third period to pull away from SC Bern, 8-1, in the Swiss capital Tuesday night. The Rangers struck six times on power plays and got goals from seven different players. They'll take on European championMetallburg Magnitogsk of Siberia tonight in Bern in the inaugural Victoria Cup game.

That was the entire article from the Daily News in their coverage of the Ranger.

Steve Zipay of Newsday was having a good old time in Vienna, neither Andrew Gross or Sam Weinman never left the USA and we are not sure where in the world Larry Brooks might be (although we do want to know if he still thinks Zherdev is a lazy player anymore)?

Yes we understand that these days the bean counters not the sports editors decide the level of coverage that the Rangers get and that is where we direct our anger at, it is not directed at the reporters unless they decided that they did not want to go to Europe.

Does anyone think for a second that if the Mets, Yanks, Jets, Giants or even the Knicks make the trek over to Europe that the coverage offered would be worlds different?

So who went over to Europe to cover these games? The little guy from the tiny magazine that we right for Dubi Silverstein of the Blueshirt Bulletin. Something is very wrong when the biggest corporations that own the NYC area media can not spring for close to a week in Europe.

Come the regular season we wonder who will follow the Rangers when they go out on the road other than Larry Brooks and the new guy from the Daily News. We the hockey fans are the ones who lose when we are not seeing the Rangers covered like a real sport.

And speaking of the Daily News but are we the only ones who find the way that they have handled the transition from John Dellapina to Michael Obernauer as totally classless. The folks who run the Daily News website should be ashamed of themselves for not waiting until Obernauer had his own blog entry before splashing his picture on the Ranger blog.

Sorry but there is not one good reason why John Dellapina's farewell should be treated in such a shameful manner. John Dellapina deserves better and more so Ranger readers of the Daily News deserve better