Ok, the game got over at what…1:00? Something like that? So anyway, after the game, I am so furious that I make a quick post, pick up my stuff, and go out. I come back 10 minutes ago (2:30 am), and guess what? I am still freaking furious. I have been unhappy in a great number of games this year, but I have never been as pissed off as I am right now. Watching this Rangers team beg, plead, and bribe their way to a loss was just disheartening.
First, with the game tied at 1 with something like 6 and a half minutes to go, Ryan Hollweg takes a disturbing, and disgusting penalty, rightfully called a major with a game misconduct. I know quite a few of my Rangers brethren were upset at this call, but I for one was not. Frankly, I feel Ryan should be given a 2 or 3 game suspension for that hit. The other player (whose name escapes me right now) had his back turned, in a prone position 2 feet from the boards for a good 5-10 seconds before Hollweg hit him. It wasn’t like he turned at the last minute. Hollweg had every single opportunity to not hit him face first into the boards. He could have come at him from one side or the other. He could have stuck his stick between the players legs to jab the puck away from him. He could have simply backed away and taken another man. But instead he flagrantly cross checks the player head first into the boards. Now sure, he didn’t do it as hard as he could have, but is that any excuse? I’m sorry officer, I was just going 20 over the speed limit, but you know, I had a straightaway there for a good 10 miles, I could easily have been going 50 over the speed limit, but decided to hold back a bit. Thats ok right?
I’m sorry guys and gals, but that is unacceptable. If that were Petr Prucha on the receiving end of that hit, we would all be rallying together for a permanent ban from the league for Hollweg who is a repeat offender when it comes to dirty hits like that.
So Hollweg inexcusably does everything in his power to give this game away to the Oilers, but no, that isn’t enough for our boys. No, we need to take another inexcusable penalty already down a man on a major penalty. What the hell was Straka thinking. That was a penalty, clear as day, I saw it on TV and right away I knew that was going to be called. Down a man, crucial penalty kill, you can not do that. I love Straka as much as the next guy, and if his injury is serious then we are in deep trouble, but that was just a poor decision on his part.
Of course the Oilers score on the 2 minute 5 on 3, but the Rangers do a good job of killing off the rest of the penalty. Ok, so with about 4 minutes to go we are down by 1, but at even strength, what happens a few seconds later? Jaromir Jagr takes a ridiculous penalty. This one was a bit on the soft side, but per the letter of the law it is in fact a penalty. Again, the Rangers try like hell to give this game away.
Then, the refs decide to make their presence known by actually helping the Rangers and incorrectly calling Pitkanen for roughing. That was a bogus call, if anything it should have been matching minors with Avery. I was cracking up when I saw that one and could not believe how lucky we got there. Of course captain clutch comes through with 7.7…..err…under 7 seconds to go with a nice goal off of a Jagr pass. Bam, we get a point we simply do not deserve.
Then what happens? We head to overtime and Blair Betts takes a penalty. You have got to be kidding me?!?!?! Blair Betts steamrolled the goalie there. He should have stopped, he should have swerved to his left, he should have done something not to obliterate Garon there….but he didn’t. Great, Overtime, Straka and Shanahan already out of the game with injuries, and our best penalty killer in the box. Somehow the Rangers manage to force the shootout. Of course Renney sees his club try and try and try to lose the game so he decides he should get in on the action too, inexcusably putting Scotty Gomez and Sean Avery out there for the shootout.
Avery, with his 7.56% career shooting percentage, and Gomez with his 8.26% career shooting percentage over Hossa and Prucha (both proven goal scorers in the shootout, and both with higher career shooting percentages than either player) not to mention Drury.
Unsurprisingly the Rangers do not score in the shootout, and finally get the result they sooooo tried to make happen.
Congratulations to the New York Rangers, who proved that if you really want something bad enough (to lose a game) you can make it happen with a concerted effort.
Now if you’ll excuse me, there is a Remington shotgun begging to blow my brains out that is calling me.