If you’re frustrated with the Rangers don’t blame Dan Girardi. The last time he was blamed like this was when he didn’t come to Marian Gaborik’s aid in 2010 when then Flyers enforcer, Dan Carcillo targeted the Rangers best player. Post game Girardi said he didn’t want to take a penalty but should have jumped in. I saw him immediately following that game before he spoke and I tried to tell fans via Twitter he was sad. He had remorse on his face, he knew it was a mistake. But they pummeled him for a good long time. I remember seeing a "Candy Ass" jersey with the number "5" on it after that.
This year he hasn’t looked great, but the Rangers defense is a patchwork version compared to last year’s team. With all that said, Girardi who in his career has averaged 22:51 of ice time has now been averaging 26:11. He’s had three games over 30 minutes in the last 5. That’s too much for anybody to handle. He’ll never complain.
Don’t look for offense out of Girardi. That’s not his game. He’s a stay-at-home who can move the puck. That’s what you want out of that position in today’s game. I think fans are panicking over the team. It’s a bit early for that but it’s fair to say they don’t look like a Stanley Cup team too.
Gretzky To Toronto. This could have been a headline back in 1996 right here. Eklund could have reported it. There were talks. They got far. There were numbers. There was a deal. Hear that Mike Augello? But the deal wasn’t consummated but why?
The “Great One… confirmed this two night’s ago at the Hockey Hall of Fame. I was there. I heard it. While celebrating Upper Deck’s 25th anniversary for making hockey cards Gretzky dropped this bombshell in a Q and A.
Leafs ownership told him that they were putting most of their resources into getting a new arena to replace Maple Leaf Gardens, which is now a supermarket.
Leafs fans do you feel cheated? Ranger fans are you mad that you weren’t the first choice? Wayne also talked about how he loved being back in Toronto on “Hockey Night in Canada… where he appeared first, and saying the city was buzzing before the Rangers and Leafs were to take the ice (we know what happened). He said it made him feel like he was a kid again.
That’s what we love about hockey. That’s it.
Check out my new Ranger book here.