As a first year beat writer for the New York Rangers at The Journal News, Sam Weinman has done a tremendous job in bringing New York Ranger fans the most up-to-date information surrounding the organization.
Fans can find this information by not only reading the print version of The Journal News, but they can also read his "Rangers Report" blog, which can be found by visiting http://rangers.lohudblogs.com/, where Sam uses his hockey/Rangers wit to bring fans the information that they crave day in and day out.
Recently, Mr. Weinman was kind enough to take some time and answer a few questions regarding how he got his start in hockey, how he likes being new to the Rangers beat and the current state of the Rangers.
PH: How did you get hooked on hockey and the New York Rangers?
SW: I got hooked on hockey mostly from playing. My dad was a huge fan and he coached my older brother's team when he played, so itwas just natural that I'd follow.
We actually had this swampy area in our backyard that flooded and froze over in the wrinter, and that's where I learned to skate. There were still some trees there but that's why I'm a better stick-handler than a shooter. Or at least that's what I'm putting on the back of my hockey card.
PH: Who was your favorite player growing up?
SW: My favorite player growing up, not surprisingly, was Wayne Gretzky. I was a bit undersized when I was a kid so I always thought it was cool that a guy could be that dominant while still being pretty small. I at least got the small part down. I'm still waiting to be dominant.
PH: How did you get your start as a hockey journalist? Did you think it would lead you to where you are now (Rangers beat writer for The Journal News)?
SW: I always wanted to be a writer. I just didn't know in what capacity. I worked very briefly for a magazine out of college, but then landed at The Journal News, which was my hometown paper growing up.
I actually found my niche covering high school hockey because no one really did it, and it's what I loved (and since I had played in the same high school league, I had a pretty good foundation to build on). I went from there and was eventually promoted to covering pro golf, which I also love.
We had two very good beat writers before me covering the Ranger -- Rick Carpiniello and then Andrew Gross -- so I never gave much thought to covering hockey other than filling in. But those guys moved on to other beats so the opportunity arose."
PH: How does it feel to be the new guy on the Rangers beat?
SW: Just to be around hockey every day is such a treat since I love it so much and still play often. But it's definitely a case where I still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of the NHL.
Outside of the game itself, which is something I'm fairly comfortable with, much of this is new to territory to me, so I find myself asking a lot of questions. And what you learn there is a lot more to covering a professional hockey team than writing about who scored the goals.
I guess the good part is this season has a little bit of everything, so I've been able to grow as I have gone.
PH: In one word, describe this year's Rangers team?
SW: Inconsistent.
PH: Why the parity between this season and last season?
SW: I think expectation would be the biggest difference. Last year's team really embraced the notion that they had to overachieve to win, so they relished outworking teams. Plus you had a froward (Jaromir Jagr) and a goaltender (Henrik Lundqvist) who were brilliant all season. Both, for different reasons, have been less than that this time around.
PH: When do you think management will really give Hartford Wolf Pack players a chance to play in New York?
SW: It's a good questions these days. I think there's the chance that someone could be called up soon, especially if the Rangers can't lock down a center from elsewhere to play with Brendan Shanahan.
But this team has been syaing for a while now that the guys in Hartford aren't really ready to make the jump, especially if their ice time is going to be limited in New York. But right now, the options are pretty limited at center, so it may be a gamble the team has to take.
PH: There has been a lot of talk about who the Rangers captain should be or shouldn't be. Do you think that Jaromir Jagr was the right man for this job? Do you think that the captaincy has caused Jagr to put more pressure on himself to be the hero night in and night out?
SW: You're right, there has been a lot of talk about this. I don't think anyone would doubt that Shanahan would be an excellent captain, and given that he's a little more comfortable with speaking up than Jagr, he probably fits the mold better.
But I think based on what he did last year, based on who he is, and based on the obvious strong European makeup of the team, the captain still has to be no. 68. Obviously it's been an up-and-down season for the Rangers as a whole and Jagr specifically. But I don't think the problem has been the pressure of being captain.
I think it's been a bunch of things -- his shoulder, other teams keying on him more, the higher expectations all the Rangers face -- that have all worked against him.
PH: How can the Rangers defense improve?
SW: You mean other than getting better defensemen? I think there's something to the fact that the team's defense as a whole has been lackluster, so without the forwards coming back, the defense and Lundqvist have been exposed more often. But like I said, I still don't think there's a Norris Trophy winner in that group.
PH: What do you expect out of the Rangers for the rest of the season?
SW: I think given how well they've played against some good teams -- San Jose, Anaheim, Atlanta, Carolina, New Jersey -- it's fair to say the Rangers have the potential to be a lot better than they've been.
So I expect them to play better hockey. How much better is the question, and I guess some of that may depend on how much the personnel is altered. Either way, it should be interesting.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail me at
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