Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Oh Please Already

I am amazed to see the passes that Tom Renney and the Rangers keep getting this season. Even better is the nonsense that the Rangers are trying to pass off as how wonderful this first half has been thanks to this article at Rangers.com.

Trying to tell me that that this team has more wins than any team since 1996 is ever so misleading that it might be the ultimate in Ranger kool-aid. Yes the Rangers have 24 wins but can we stop for a second and make this one tiny little point because one statement just stands out too far?

In fairness to history, however, it should be noted that victories accumulated in shootouts this season would have been ties prior to 2005, and all overtime victories would have been ties prior to 1983. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and NHL record-keeping makes no adjustment or exception for the way in which a victory is attained.

Sorry but that is as lame an excuse to explain away an inflated record if there was one. You want to try to say how great this record is as compared to the 1995-96 team but you are not willing to use those standard for an honest comparison is not an honest thing to do

Let us use the standard prior to the 2005 season and let us see exactly where the Ranger record would be. Take away 10 of the wins that the Rangers "earned" via the shootout and adjust them

That if you take away the 10 shootout wins and use the standard of that 1996 season then the Ranger record is actually 14-14-13 which is good for 41 points. That drops the 2008-09 Rangers from 2nd on that list from the article to 9th.

And if you ask most Ranger fans who have watched this team "perform" during the first half of the season then most will agree that my idea of the Ranger record is a more accurate reflection on the kind of team this truly is.

Even more troublesome is to see how some of the beat reporters are grading out the Rangers. Maybe if those who played teacher with report card grades added the disclaimer "this is more to get you to read my blog and increase my hit count than it is an objective grading"

When your team gives up 12 shorthanded goals to lead the league, when your team is 26th on the power play, when you have to repeatedly wonder why your team is not giving consistent 60 minute efforts and worse when you threaten to make changes and fail to do so then only one grade is honest and real: D

Anything else is not a legit grade for Tom Renney; how many times did we see Prucha be used and then misused? How about when the Ranger defense stunk up the place did Renney fail to send someone to the press box for even one game while Potter was up?

Show me a coach who changes his lines as often as Tom Renney does? Show me a coach who after his team has stunk up the place allow them to have a day off instead of kicking their backsides in practice?

And my favorite (which I am still wondering why none of the beat reporters trashed him for) was his acknowledgment that the team did not practice the power play. Gee does anyone else wonder the Rangers are 26th in the NHL on the power play.

I know I am just as shocked as you are.

-----------------------------------------------------

Chris Doyle (2008 5th) missed his 3rd straight game for the Prince Edward Island Rocket due to his pinched nerve in his back. Without him PEI was able to hold off Montreal 5-4.

Tysen Dowzak (2008 UFA) is about to get a new teammate as the rumors of Mikael Backlund joining his Kelowna Rockets were confirmed by Calgary Flame GM Darryl Sutter. Move Kelowna up one level in terms of WHL playoff contenders.

Michael Del Zotto (2008 1st) is wondering if his Oshawa Generals are going to deal John Tavares but we are praying that Del Zotto gets traded elsewhere before the OHL trading deadline on Friday. Our prayers start and end with a move to the Brampton Battalion where we know firsthand the work that Stan Butler did with Bobby Sanguinetti last season.

Please Stan grant us this wish as you really could use Del Zotto and he really could use your teaching.



7 comments:

william Peace said...

Grade inflation has infected more than schools. This is what grades are supposed to mean:

A Superior
B Honors
C Average
D Below Average
F Failure

As a team, the Rangers at best have earned a C. Many players such as Redden and Gomez have earned a grade of D. No player aside from perhaps Betts and Orr have approached an A.

Grade like points in the NHL are earned. The Rangers report cards are as over inflated as the points earned to date.

Jess Rubenstein said...

Well said William but I wonder what you graded Drury out as. I have to place Drury with Gomez as a D

william Peace said...

Jess, You had to ask that question? I like Drury and and respect his professionalism on and off the ice. Holding Drury to the hard standard I posted before in terms of grades he has earned a D, below average. I am willing to admit I am a stern grader and will acknowledge some of my students call me "professor hard ass".

Neil Baer said...

Jess,

I think you miscounted on the Rangers shootout numbers this season. By my count, the Rangers are 8-1 in shootouts. Therefore, their record when converting all shootouts to ties would be: 16-16-9 for a total of 41 points. This would put them in 7th place in the conference, just 2 points ahead of the 8th place Penguins.

Wen C said...

Jess, Right on. This team has been below average at best.

Regarding Drury, he gets a F in my opinion.
Scored a goal 4 times in the last 20 games, points in 9 of the last 20, net of +1 (stats helped b/c of last game against pens). Over 20 minutes of ice time and

As the captain and leader of the team, you are under a greater microscope than the other players. If you can't produce, play sound positional hockey and lead by example, then you aren't a leader. Evaluate him as the captain and not just a player.

Jess Rubenstein said...

Neil

My numbers came from the Ranger schedule which has the Rangers as 10-3 in the shootouts.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/teams/schedule?team=nyr

The updated numbers would have the Rangers 14-15-3 which is 41 points but we would have to adjust everyone's record so it is hard to say exactly where the Rangers would be at this moment.

Wen

So my question to you is given a choice of Jagr as captain or Drury who do you take?

I was not a huge fan of Jagr but Jagr never pulled what Drury did

Ivan said...

Rangers are now 14-15 in regulation time, and have played 13 overtime games. Puts them right in the middle of the 30-team pack when it comes to 5 on 5 normal hockey, without any 4 on 4 or shootout gimmicks. Mediocre.