The National Hockey League’s postseason is extra special in these parts this spring thanks to the two locals still playing.
The Heckler scored a pair in section 335 through a Craigslist ad for game two of the Eastern Conference finals at the Garden. We paid through the nose but it was as good a view as I’ll ever get at a big hockey game. We sat on the aisle behind the Rangers bench about 25 rows up.
Marty made a couple acrobatic saves in the first stanza and Kovie’s power play rip set up lots of early momentum for the Devils. The game turned back the Rangers way when bumpy ice, a questionable couple of interference penalties and odd puck bounces helped the Blueshirts gain a one goal advantage.
Clarkson’s game winner in the third was nearly negated but his raised stick caught the puck at a level deemed legal and so the series is even. It’s best of five now with the next two in Jersey.
The Rangers are the better team. They have a better goalie and tougher defensemen who seem to thrive on long shifts. The only question now is whether the cumulative effect of playing two seven-game sets to get here weakens their resolve. That’s not to diminish the Devils. They’re also a great team. But you can inscribe the ’11-’12 NY Rangers on this Cup, I believe.
Those who watch the Rangers during the regular season know that the team’s head coach John Tortorella is a cranky, volatile figure prone to abrupt in-game decisions. For this contest, Torts benched his most potent scorer Marian Gaborik for most of the third period. Afterwards, he refused to discuss his thinking and rolled out his typical post-loss act of intimidation with a larger-than-usual group of assembled media. Logical questions about the game came from Stan Fischler and Larry Brooks. Both were shot down with one word answers and demented glares from Torts. This is what the guy has been doing since he replaced Tom Renney three years ago. It’s only now with so many casual sports fans paying attention that the rest of the world is getting to know what a jerk Torts can be.
That’s not to say Torts doesn’t deserve massive credit for shaping a team with so many talented parts into a group that routinely outworks and outhits its opponents. It didn’t happen Wednesday night but the head coach of the Rangers has been able to gain great intensity from his entire roster when this tournament’s critical moments call for it. He has a captain in Ryan Callahan who truly leads by example. The post-game public Torts is nasty but I sense he believes his professional responsibilities are hindered by interaction with anybody but the guys in the Rangers sweater.
About two minutes after shooting down Brooks and Fischler, Torts walked out of a silent room. But not before he had somehow created a vibe in which the media was afraid to ask questions.
Much has been made about all the shots the Rangers block. Brooks has suggested the Rangers block so many shots that the League might consider outlawing it. I don’t buy it. Hockey teams have been blocking shots for as long as I’ve been watching the game. The Rangers routinely block twenty-plus shots a game. But they do it knowing there’s great personal risk. The frozen puck hurts a lot when it hits you at high velocity. Sliding to the ice can also take a defender out of the play momentarily. Kovie’s goal came after failed shot block attempts and nifty puck movement by the Devils. There’s a natural deterrent to the blocked shot attempt and I wouldn’t change the rules one bit in this regard.
The Rangers need to improve just one part of their game and they’ll be fine. They need to do a better job of reducing traffic in front of Hank. The Senators were especially effective planting a man in front of the Ranger goalie and the Devils seem to be trying to create the same distraction.
There were very few Devils fans in the Garden last night. Those who wore outward displays of their fandom were badgered. It’s unfortunate, but there’s a segment of the Ranger crowd that takes delight from making it uncomfortable for the visiting fan.
In the hallway between periods, I heard this exchange:
Rangers fan to a Devils fan: “You’re on the wrong side of the river, pal!”
Devils fan: “I’m from Connecticut.” (laughs)
Rangers fan: (pauses) “You’re really fucked up, then.”
John Amarante (pictured above waving a towel) sang the national anthem as he has at all postseason Rangers games. His rendition is stirring. Not since Wayne Messmer’s run as the singer at Blackhawks games have I heard a guy belt it with the unique intensity of Amarante.
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