hockey
We talk pucks and objects of that kind. We yell, complain, and analyze in the language of hockey fandom. Gretzky can do no wrong.
Which Teams Will Reach the Postseason?
With the NHL starting to move towards its inevitable climactic end to the regular season, now seems like a good time to really dig into what teams will, and won't, make the final cut into the postseason race to the Stanley Cup.
By Alex Kemp8 years ago in Unbalanced
We Surrender
Even if John Lennon's infamous "Lost Weekend" (which lasted nearly a year and half) was as miserable for him as it was for the fans of the NY Rangers, watching this past month's back to back drubbings was a confirmation of a team without a spine, a plan or a heart. At least Lennon had some fun. He also produced some of the best solo music of his career in that period. This lost weekend for the Rangers produced none of what Lennon's lost weekend produced.
By Steve Komito8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Time Is Now for Mark Messier to Coach the NY Rangers
Anyone who has watched the fall of the NY Rangers over the past couple of seasons always come back to the same question: "Where is the heart of this club?" Watching week's 2-1 loss to Dallas, I was struck by a memory of last year in Dallas when Henrik Lundqvist was run over by a member of the same Dallas Stars, Cody Eakin. Rather than the Rangers defending their franchise, future Hall of Fame goaltender, the response was....well, it was....Well, it wasn't. There was no response.
By Steve Komito8 years ago in Unbalanced
The NY Rangers Encapsulated....
If last week's 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators doesn't tell you all you need to know about the NY Rangers organization (and today's NHL) from top to bottom, then maybe someone can educate me. Maybe, I'm missing the boat. Perhaps, I still think "old school" going back to when players defended and police'd each other on the ice and didn't wait for incompetent and ill-suited referees to do their jobs for them. Or a bloated NHL "rooms" bureaucracy or an endless line of suits who have done little but confuse everyone both on the ice and off and restrict the players from actually doing their job - part of which is to protect each other. A lot of this is a result of Gary Bettman catering to the whims and the desires of corporate America rather than respecting what the game of hockey had always been about. And sometimes aside from it being a beautifully and artistically played game, it is a violent and aggressive game. Today, it resembles more the McDonald's franchise model, where everyone plays the same, looks the same and there is barely a personality to be had. There are more rules than ever before and not surprisingly, these rules are as inconsistent in practice as they are in theory.
By Steve Komito8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Sad, Pathetic Existence of the NY Rangers and the Cause of It
In the year 2000, Glen Sather arrived from Edmonton with fanfare set aside only for such comparable events as royal weddings, the Kennedy Center Honors or a championship parade down the Canyon of Heroes in New York City. The expectation was more than just that the NY Rangers would be on top of the NHL where they belonged. Glen 'Slats' Sather, the maker of the Edmonton dynasty, was supposed to not only propel the franchise to a much higher plateau than even Charles Dolan ever thought possible, but also bring with him a master plan that would ensure a healthy farm team and NHL team for years to come. And this decree was brought to us by the king of the Garden. Yes, Charles Dolan, the hockey whiz-kid who couldn't bother interviewing anyone else for the position despite Sather's recent years of failure in Edmonton, to bring Rangers back to respectability was aglow. He had his man.
By Steve Komito8 years ago in Unbalanced
Vegas Golden Knights
The dream to build a NHL team in the desert seemed pretty far-fetched, considering the Arizona Coyote's franchise seems to always struggle. That did not stop the team's owner Bill Foley. The application and $500,000,000 price tag and new arena were no obstacle for Bill and his partners.
By Evan Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
Lace 'Em up, Seattle. Top Story - December 2017.
Exactly 100 years ago, the first ever American-based hockey team won the Stanley Cup. This was before the days of the NHL proper, when the regular season champions in both the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) and the National Hockey Association (NHA) would square off in a contest for sports' most coveted prize. That fall, the NHL would be created, and by 1924, the PCHL was dissolved. But, that year—1917—saw an American team lift Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time. That team was the Seattle Metropolitans.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
Analyzing the Henrique/Vatanen Trade
Early season trades involving big name players have that extra level of excitement attached to them. When a trade goes through at the deadline, we're sort of expecting it. We know it's coming. When a trade involving big names comes through in November, it catches us off guard, and carries with it a new wrinkle of expectation.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
First Quarter NHL Award Leaders
The first quarter of the NHL season is behind us, which means that teams and players are beginning to settle in and find their form. Players have set a tone for their play and teams have jostled into early position, hoping to set themselves up for playoff success. At the 20+ game mark, we are able to see the 2017-18 season taking shape, with a few big surprises and some questions left to be answered.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
Arizona's Silver Lining
If we are being honest, the Arizona Coyotes are one of the most confusing and enigmatic stories in the NHL. A team that was relocated out of Winnipeg in favor of the desert in 1996 has experienced first place finishes and conference finals appearances right alongside 50-loss seasons and rumors of relocation. The 'yotes moved to Phoenix (or is it Glendale?) and ripped off four straight playoff appearances. Perhaps this justified moving a relatively successful hockey team to an otherwise untested area of the United States. The story since then has not been so bright. Since 2000, the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes have made the playoffs just four times.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
