I lied, Pruchas review will have to come later. Ive spent the last 16 hours working on this video in some shape or form. Lucky for me I had the day off

Easily the most hours I have spend working on a video, I hope you enjoy it.

By the way, in case you were wondering, yes, this video has been downsampled by youtube by a ridiculous amount. I have a high quality version that I will be uploading to my server which you guys can nab tomorrow. The way to get it is simple, goto the HFBoards or the ECSF boards (links on right) goto the Rangers board, find my name (not hard) and send me a PM requesting it.
-Inferno

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27 happens to be my favorite number. Always been my jersey number when I played any sports, and always been attached to my “Inferno” screen names. With that said, today I turned 27. What do I want for my birthday you ask? A job, in the AV department for any NHL, AHL, or ECHL team lol. Ive been really getting into this whole video editing thing, its sorta occupying a great deal of my thoughts even when im not working on it. How to get from one scene to another, what transition to use, what effect to use, what scene to use.

With that said I’m working on a Henrik Lundqvist 2006-2007 tribute. IMHO its my best so far, and easily will be the longest in terms of hours spent working on it (it probably already is, and isnt even 33% done yet)

Hope you guys have a great Monday. Petr Pruchas review coming tomorrow, I promise…

-Inferno

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I made this thread over on the HFBoards about the Rangers seasons awards, figured I would share my responses with you all. Check out the thread for everyone elses choices, and feel free to chime in with some choices of your own.

Rookie of the year:
Dan Girardi. This was an out of left field player for me. I never thought his style of play in the AHL would translate well to the NHL. Boy was I wrong. This kid personifies poise, its amazing he plays so composed as such a young player. Very impressed with his game.

Play of the year:
To me the play of the year is likely going to be different than most of your choices. It was when Sean Avery shoved Marty Brodeur to the ice. To me that was the moment when the Rangers stopped being a bunch of pansies and started showing some pride, some grit, some attitude. To me, thats when they became Rangers.

Game of the year:
Rangers@Stars. Henrik turns in the performance of a lifetime. The Dallas announcers said towards the end of the game that Henrik should have been arrested for larceny. They were right.

Best Defenseman:
Rozsival. My vote would have gone for Tyutin had he not been hurt and come back…rustier that i would have hoped for. But Rozsival really opened my eyes this year. While I still contend that he is a #2 or 3 defenseman in this league, he really held his own as a #1.

Best Forward:
Jaromir Jagr…like you were expecting anything else. The saying goes, as god Jaromir, so go the Rangers. Pretty much held true this year. As Jaromir started to feel healthier, the Rangers started to turn into a juggernaut.

Most Improved Player:
Rozsival. See the defenseman part above.

Most Valuable Player:
Henrik Lundqvist. Without a doubt, Henrik carried this team on his back towards the end of the year. I forget the numbers, but since christmas i believe he either led the league or was top 3 in every single major statistical category that goalies are measured in.

Most Underrated Player:
Fedor Tyutin. This kid is really starting to blossom in my opinion. Hes showing why we placed so much hope on him, and if he could ever learn to get his rocket of a shot on goal, i think he could be a #2 defenseman.

Most Overrated Player:
Jed Ortmeyer. While I absolutely love the kids (30 year old kid?) heart, and his determination, people were expecting his arrival to turn this team around single handedly. Lets face it. Jed is a decent 4th liner, but the days of showing a ton of heart being enough to secure you a place in this lineup are long gone. this team is starting to become a TEAM with a ton of heart, and skill to boot.

Worst Defenseman (minimum 40 games):
Marek Malik, with Karel Rachunek being a very very very close second. I say this not because Malik is a bad defenseman, he actually can be a very SOLID guy for periods on end, but when he makes mistakes, they are doozies. i mean, were talking plays that make you want to reach in the TV and strangle him. definitely the most baffeling guy, and though id say his defense is actually better than Rachunek, i still think hes the worst defenseman on the team due to the severity of his mistakes. (did that make any sense?)

Worst Forward (minimum 40 games):
Adam Hall. While you can make the case for Orts, or Orr, or Hollweg, you have to remember what their roles are. Those guys deliver in their roles, Hall didnt. The kid was out of place from day 1. Only good thing about bringing in Hall here was that he eventually got us Bourret.

Most Disappointing Player (minimum 20 games):
Darius Kasparaitis. Surprises never cease. I expected him to anchor this defense, instead he comes to camp a shell of his former self. It was like an overnight transformation from a solid #3, to barely a #9.

Player To Watch Next Season:
Jaromir Jagr. My gut tells me, hes going to explode. Something insane like 130 points or something. I think hes going to be back….BIG TIME.

Petr Pruchas review coming in a day or so. Been fairly busy here, so it may be a few days…

-Inferno

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Karel Rachunek	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-
Regular Season	66	6	20	26	-9
Playoffs	6	0	4	4	-1

Karel Rachunek is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. When we brought him here I was really excited. Here was a guy I thought had legitimate 1st pairing upside. A guy who should have been our version of Mathieu Schneider (not the version we had 7 years ago, but his alter ego we now see in Detroit). Someone who should be netting 15 goals a year and popping in 35 assists with regularity, and still playing a decent defensive game. The powerplay quaterback of the future, the guy who would initiate the rush with perfect tape to tape first passes.

What we really got was a slightly lower version of Thomas Pock for the bulk of the season. In 66 games he put up 26 points, not exactly terrible, but not the kind of production I want with a guy getting his kind of minutes. More alarming was his lack of judgment from time to time. He would commit some of the most outrageous gaffes after playing smart hockey for long stretches. Equally annoying is that several times he would show some real good strength along the boards as you would expect of a guy who is 6′2, 212lbs, then suddenly turn as soft as pudding letting guys push him around to get space in the quality traffic zones.

Without bludgeoning this dead horse even more, I’ll just say this. Rachunek has no place on this team even if Marc Staal wasn’t on his way. His salary can go towards upgrading our center position, and his roster spot can go to a younger Thomas Pock who I feel can provide just as much offense, with a slightly smarter decision making skillset.

You are the weakest link, GOODBYE.

By the way, I have put up a new page, full of my videos, and I will be putting a link to it over on the right side in a few. Here it is.

Also, on a more Off Topic subject, those of you who know me, know im a big time Yankee fan, and a very large supporter of A-Rod. With that said, I found this to be hilarious. The New York Post will be giving us these headlines over the next few days…

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Thomas Pock	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-
Regular Season	44	4	4	8	-4
Playoffs	4	0	3	3	0

So here we have Thomas Pock. I’ll tell you what folks, I’ve been surprised many times as a fan of the New York Rangers, but what Thomas Pock did this year really did shock the hell out of me. So what exactly did he do?????

He signed a contract extension.

I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes saying, big freaking deal, a depth player signed a contract extension, whoop-dee-freaking-doo. Well this is actually a pretty big thing to me, and actually may be a sign of continued loyalty the Devils were once (and still are) notorious for instilling in their players.

Thomas Pock, had every single reason in the world to sign with another team. He could have got a job with a dozen teams and get regular minutes, and yet elected to sign an extension when he probably will be our 7th defenseman. Why did he do this? The honest to god answer here is…I don’t know. It could be loyalty, that we took a risk on him, and hes prospered in our system, it could be that Tom Renney has told him he has a legitimate future with this team, or it could be he feels he would have more to offer having learned to play here. Regardless he is back.

So, why did Mr. Pock have my blessing in leaving? Oh, believe me, it is not because I don’t feel he is an NHL defenseman, the reason is because I feel he has been GROSSLY mismanaged by Tom Renney and company.

It all started with the training camp. Not only did Pock impress the HECK outta me, but he made the club out the gate over veteran Darius Kasparaitis who clearly was a shell of his former self, and veteran Sandis Ozolinsch who was, apparently, suffering from an injury. Now here is where things get really bizarre. To start the year(5 games), it is my personal opinion that Pock was the best defenseman on the ice, except for his last game in Buffalo where he was a -3. In the previous 4 games Thomas had a goal and an assist and was a +1, and registered a hefty 5 shots on goal (7 through 5 games). Those are very impressive numbers for a (then) 24 year old. He showed poise with the puck, and a good recognition of when to jump in the play, and when to hold back. The he had that bad game against the Sabres where nobody looked good, and we lost 7-4. After that Pock was a healthy scratch for 24 of the next 25 games. What that does to a kids psyche is hard to imagine. How he stayed with it, after playing so well in the bulk of the games, is beyond me. Following that stretch Pock played the bulk of the rest of the year, with another 10 scratches mixed in. The vast majority of that playing time was thanks to key injuries to Fedor Tyutin and Karel Rachunek. Had these 2 not been hurt, it is highly doubtful Pock would have even played 1/2 as many games during that span. He played in every game during the first round of the playoffs and though he started off shaky, he clearly was playing better by the end of the series.

So all in all Pock actually had a fairly good year, particularly when you consider that he had to deal with some stuff that a more mentally tough player may not have been able to recover from.

Now the big question is placed before us. What happens next year? We can safely assume that, barring a trade, Girardi, Tyutin, Malik, Rozsival, and Mara will all be back. Rachunek is doubtful at best. So there definitely is a spot for grabs for Pock. With that said I find it nearly impossible to believe that Pock will get that spot over a far superior player in Marc Staal. Really all Staal has to do is show up and play a conservative game, and hes got the spot. Is Pock content with being a 7th defenseman? I find it very hard to believe. Will he become a problem in the clubhouse if he doesn’t get the playing time he expects? I doubt that as well, considering how professional he acted this year.

It will be an interesting year for sure, and if I had it my way, Malik would be gone, and Pock would have a roster spot waiting for him next year.

-Inferno

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