Sorry for not posting that much this week, but since the Rangers were on the road and I was not, anything I write would be second-hand.

I also had a 300+ page report to go over.

Anyway, we will have more this week, I promise beginning with today’s game at the Garden and Tuesday against the Pens.

So tune in and comment.

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The Rangers are going to have an overflow at the WaMu Theatre that night. Fans will be able to watch it on the big screen, while the celebration is going on upstairs.

Sure it’s not perfect, but there will be Ranger celebrities and guests there are well. Also, there will be prizes and givaways and Hockey Night in New York will be broadcast from there.

Tickets go on-sale Tuesday, December 11 at 10 a.m. for this exclusive event. Fans who do not have tickets to the game in the arena will have a special opportunity to join the celebration as Brian Leetch’s No. 2 jersey is raised to The Garden rafters.

Tickets will be available at The Garden Box Office, newyorkrangers.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 212-307-7171 with all tickets priced at $29.50.

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The NHL has put their video on YouTube, in case you didn’t know. Here’s the highlights of last night’s game. It’s the Devils’ broadcast but you can ignore that.

[youtube uxT28x51EZE]

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After yesterday’s game, the Rangers visit Washington on Wednesday and the are off until the weekend with Phoenix on Sunday.

It seems to me, now is time to rest up a little to get busy the final week of the year and there’s a Nothwest trip early next month.

After last week’s bump, it’s time for them to get back to business.

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After the first half of the first period of the game, the Rangers took charge and dominated the play and outshot the Leafs 12-4 for the period.

The duo of Drury and Gomez is playmaking as the Rangers scored two power play goals.

With that momentum, the Blueshirts need to stick it to the Leafs this period.

On a side note, Howard Berger is here and credentialed, so now that’s two things he’s incorrect on. Is he ready for strike three?

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From Greenburgh, the Rangers has a light practice with everyone particpating except Sean Avery and Paul Mara, who sprained his shoulder in yesterday’s game.

Towards the end of practice, some of the Rangers were hitting pucks off a piece of wood in front of the net to practice rebounds, which is something Chris Drury brought from Buffalo as part of his routine.

Tom Renney put Marek Malik back on the top pairing with Michal Rozsival, while Marc Staal skated with Jason Strudwick.

I asked the coach if these next two games, against division leaders Ottawa and Carolina, were a test and he said that they were and if they can compete with these teams, we may have better insight on how good the team is.

 

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The Rangers announced Sean Avery will have arthroscpic surgery on his left wrist tomorrow, before the Islander game, so he will be out for the near future.

Avery said to me after the last Islander game at the Garden, he hurt the wrist in the “Tucker Fight” as he was leaving. HE then had a puck hit it in Tampa.

After having a Cat Scan, it was determined that surgery was necessary to clean it out. So expect Ryan Callahan to slot right into the lineup as a replacement.

The Rangers will miss Avery though. They were 17-6-6 with him last season and 9-4-1 this year. Without the forward, the Rangers stuggled to a 4-5-1.

Now there’s no telling until after the surgery how long he will be out. He said to reporters in Greenburgh today a “week or two,” but he said that to me a week after his shoulder was seperated and he was out a month.

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If you go to www.newyorkrangers.com right now you would see that it now part of the NHL network. As you may know, the Rangers were fighting the league over the control of the site and last month lost their case.  

John Dellapina reported last week the Blueshirts signed an agreement with the NHL to turn it over by the 26th, even though their injunction is in appeal.

To me, it’s pretty much the same site with all the same bells and whistles.

Also, if you now look at the game stories, they are written by Jim Cerny, who is a former New York Times scribe and former radio voice of the Islanders. His summer job is spent as the assistant general manager of the Newark Bears and if you follow the Atlantic League, you know the Bears won the championship last season.

Cerny is one of the good guys in the business and helped me get my start back in 1994 by credentialing me for Bears games and letting me interview the players, including Rickey Henderson who was playing for Newark that season.  

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No word yet on the status of Jarormir Jagr, but he did participate in the pre-game skate. Greg Moore is also out there as well.

But the smart money says he will give it a chance and play. Just a gut feeling.

Flyers in town with the 8-4 record [4-4 on the road]. The Rangers will look to jump on Marty Biron. Ben Eager out of the game as a healthy scratch and Darian Hatcher with a knee injury and there’s a bunch of suspensions. It may be a watered down version of the Broad Street Bullies tonight.

More Later…    

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Even though Sean Avery wants to play tonight, coach Tom Renney will have nothing of it.

After going through contact during the moring skate today, Renney will hold him out against Washington and then consider using him on Saturday against the Devils.

“He want through it this morning and we will see about it tomorrow,” Renney said. ”He will have more contact and put him into situations and draw some conclusions. And we will listen to him to.”

Avery’s style will test the shoulder and even though the Rangers need him right now, Renney and his staff will not bring him back early. Yesterday, Avery expressed discomfort after practice, which may be an indication that the shoulder may not be healed.

“The problem is there is some discomfort there,” Renney said. ”We have to see if they injury on the joint has any damage and that’s where the medical people step in and help us. We all know how Sean likes to play and how he has to play to help us. That may be the ultimate test.”

And when that test happens is all up to the coach. If it’s not Saturday, then Monday or Tuesday against the Flyers and Islanders, respectively.

***

Jaromir Jagr was chatting with the press, while adjusting his sticks for the game. He was stunned to hear about the Martina Hingis situation, who was dating a friend of his during Wimbledon when her positive test for cocaine took place [they now broke up]. After heaing the situation he said Hingis played well afterwards and loudly denied any knowledge of her improprieties.

 

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