America's Long Nightmare Is Over! UPDATED!

YAY!!! After 7 losses, the Rangers took out their frustration on the Washington Capitals, giving them an end of the year beating. Seriously, this game deteriorated into the classic 'I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out' situation. Darius Kasparitis rose from the dead (figuratively) and lined up Caps star Alexander Ovechkin and flattened him in the offensive zone, leading to a turnover and the first of 2 goals by Petr Prucha. (could Petr Puck be finally emerging from his sophomore slump??) Once the Blueshirts built the lead to 3-0, Washington's notorious thug Donald Brashear decided to go after a few of the Rangers skill players, including Jaromir Jagr. Assistant captain Brendan Shanahan, known more for scoring than fighting, stuck up for his teammates and did battle with Brashear. *crowd goes wild*
So, it was a good turnaround game for the NYR. Nylander broke out of his slump with a goal, Straka had 2 helpers, Henrik stopped 22 of 23 shots. And the Statue of Liberty jerseys looked quite nice, I WANT ONE! *not kidding*
So to sum up: YAY!!
Happy New Year to Ranger fans everywhere!!

UPDATE: Brashear was suspended 1 game for his sucker punch of Adam Ward, and Ranger thug Colton Orr (err, not to be confused with Bobby Orr) was suspended for 5 games for a late game cross-check to the back of Alex Ovechkin's head. nice going, you stoooopid goons. I'm sure Orr thought he was sticking up for his teammates... (Jagr had received an unprovoked elbow to his head, courtesy of the aforementioned knuckle-dragger Brashear)
GOON
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

E for Effort. L for Loss.

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Originally uploaded by placidian.

guh.
7 losses in a row, the worst streak since 1995. The boys played very well, but an Ottowa goal in the 1st minute of the game was the difference.
frak, this losing sucks. try again tomorrow night, my beloved Blueshirts!! Let's Go Ranguhs!!

It's Official; the Rangers Ruined Christmas.

guh. A 2-0 lead over the Panthers... Rangers lose 3-2.
A 3-0 lead over the Lightning... Rangers lose 4-3.
A loss to the Islanders 2-0.
s**t. Oh well, a 5 game winning streak, a 6 game losing streak.

I need to stop following this team before I lose my mind. guh.

I go away, and the team keeps losing...

Happy Holidays!!
The good news is, that I'm on vacation in Lake Placid, and YAY-- I'm on vacation!!! The bad news is, the Rangers now have a serious losing streak. *grinds teeth* A loss on Tuesday to the Fishsticks, (aka New York Islanders) and a loss last night to the Florida Panthers. The boys are trying to ruin Christmas.
Obviously, being away from Guitarboy central (home) means that I have no shiny hockey pictures to accompany these words. If they'd win, I might make the extra effort. But anyway, nyrangers.com (or is it newyorkrangers.com?) has all the stories and photos and videos. proceed directly to there...

and have yourself a Merry little Christmas!!
-scott

Another Butt-Kicking.

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Originally uploaded by placidian.

Devils 6, Rangers 1
guh. Was it just 3 days ago we were celebratng a 5-game winning streak, and the Blueshirts were ruling the hockey universe as gods?
A couple of piss-poor performances later, and the boys are clinging to a 2 point divisional lead. The 1st period was well played until the last minute, when some Rangers decided the view would be better from the penalty box. (We've heard this song before...) Anyway, 3 power play goals later, and the rout was on.
A couple of key players (Nylander, Cullen) sat out with injuries, the goaltending has gone from stellar to cellar, and perhaps fatigue has set in. C'mon, boys, get it together!
Rangers vs. Islanders on Tuesday.
Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Air Canada Massacre.

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Originally uploaded by placidian.

Leafs 9, Rangers 2
guh. The winning streak stops at 5 after a big letdown in Toronto. Coach Renney may have anticipated it, but it was ugly. Henrik Lundqvist gave up 8 of the goals, and was mercifully removed before the 3rd period. The question is, will he be back between the pipes tonight when the Blueshirts face the Devils at MSG?
Shrug it off, boys! Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Five! ¡Cinco! 5! V! Cinq!

Rangers 5, Stars 2
Hmm... what's the word I'm searching for? I do believe it's YAY!!!!!
Despite being outshot 42-25, and taking 11 trips to the 'sin bin', the Rangers managed to come away with a big win over Dallas. The ice was tilted towards the Ranger end for the 1st period, and only Henrik Lundqvist kept the boys in the game, stopping shot after shot, including breakaways, power plays and his teammates defensive indifference. Yet after spotting the Stars to a 1-0 lead, the Rangers scored the next 3 goals and never trailed again. Karel Rachunek scored his 1st 2 goals of the season, Matt Cullen also had 2 and Fedor Tyutin added an empty netter. Ex-Ranger Sergei Zubov scored 2 against his old team. Sergei, we never should have traded you all those years ago. *curses former GM Neil Smith*
Well, well, well, a 5 game winning streak and a 4 pt divisional lead. All smiles as the boys head to Toronto for a game on Saturday. Here's some mood music to get you psyched: Hockey Night In Canada Theme
Thanks to Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters for this sweet shot of Karel's 1st goal:

LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Four! IV! 4! ¡Quatro!

Rangers 3, Flyers 1. YAY!!
It's a shame that a great sports town like Philly can't fill up the Wachovia Center (now there's a catchy name-NOT) for a game with a traditional rival; Oh well, who cares- the NYR won, extending their winning streak to 4. Goals from Matt Cullen, Jarkko Immonen, and Michael Nylander, another tight performance from Kevin Weekes in goal, and the Boys are back in sole possesion of 1st place in the Atlantic Division. *does a little dance*

Now it's on to Dallas for a game on Thursday.
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Winning Is Fun!

Rangers 2, Panthers 1. YAY!!
The winning streak is now 3! *grins like an idiot* Backup netminder Kevin Weekes got the start in place of Henrik Lundqvist, who'd worked so hard last night in Ottawa. Weekes was brilliant, stopping 34 shots and was able to enjoy hearing the home crowd chanting HIS name for a change. *Weeeeeekes!*
The Blueshirts got scoring production from d. Michal Roszival & c. Michael Nylander; Martin Straka assisted on both goals.
The Rangers moved back into a 1st place tie with the NJ Devils. They'll face that evil squad at MSG next Sunday, but between now and then, a 3 game road trip...
Although Shanny didn't score on this rush, the next best thing to scoring is spraying ice chips into the face of the opposing goalie:

hee hee! (click on the pic to enlarge)
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Ottawa Is Ours!

Rangers 3, Senators 1. YAY!!
The boys built a 2-0 lead on goals by Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr, and they held off the powerful Senators the rest of the way to win in Ottawa for the 1st time since 2002. Their modest 2 game winning streak will be on the line on Sunday, when the Florida Panthers pay a visit to MSG. Let's make it 3 in a row, Blueshirts! Brendan (Shanahan added an empty-netter to seal the deal in the final minute.)
Henrik Lundqvist was once again stellar, stopping 34 shots, including this one off his head. *doink*

First place! Shanahan: NHL goals leader! Jagr: NHL assists leader!
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Fruits of their Labor.

Rangers 3, Penguins 2 (OT/SO 1-0)
YAY! After spotting Pittspuke to a 2 goal lead (the 1st on a penalty shot awarded to Nils Eckman, and the other when Sid Crosby skated through the entire Ranger team like they were too sleepy to care) the boys refamiliarized themselves with defensive concepts, and goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed nothing past him the rest of the way, including overtime and the shootout. *Henrik! Henrik!* Henrik is 4-0 in shootouts this season, allowing zero (nada, zilch, 0) goals on 22 shots. Holy Moly, What A Goalie!

The boys started their comeback in the 3rd period, with a shorthanded goal by Blair Betts and a power play blast by Brendan Shanahan. Jaromir Jagr's assist on the PP goal gives him an NHL leading 28, and that's a lot of helpers.
Shootout: Shanny scored the only goal with a wrister to the top shelf. (Lot of hockey terminlogy in the ol' blog today)
Standings: Back into a tie for 1st place in the Atlantic Div. =)
Procreation: Michael Nylander departed early from the game to be with his wife who had gone into labor. (Congratulations, Michael & Camilla!)
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Hat Trick's not enough.

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Originally uploaded by placidian.

guh.
After allowing 4 goals on 8 (!!) shots in the 1st period, Henrik Lundqvist told coach Renney, 'holy moly, I'm a sucky goalie, you better put in Kevin Weekes.' (I'm paraphrasing, y'all) Down 4-0, the Blueshirts outscored the Fishsticks 4-3 the next 2 periods, getting a hat trick from former Red Wing Brendan Shanahan in the process. However, Viktor Kozlov (another former Red Wing) scored 4 for the bad guys, which is why the NYR are looking up in the standings at the NYI. *bows head in shame* Let's Go Ranguhs!!

We Get The Point. Again.

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Originally uploaded by placidian.

guh.
Sabres 4, Rangers 3. *sigh* Another point for escaping regulation time with a tie, but another loss for the boys, this time in the Shootout.
Buffalo changed their jerseys this season, which is usually a desperation move for money reasons, but whatever the reason, the move has paid off. They are in command of the Eastern Conference (20-3-2) and part of getting there is the sweep of their 4 games with the Blueshirts. Details? Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller stopped 36 shots, Daniel Briere scored the only goal of the shootout. The Rangers came back from a 2-0 deficit, and doubled up the Sabres on shots on goal. And they have nicer jerseys. Let's Go Ranguhs!!

December Gigs. Updated! Again! (& Again!)

Hi,
I can't believe how cold it has been this week. My apartment mgr. actually sent out notices for what to do if the pipes freeze/burst. (You poke a hole in the drywall, and catch the water in a bucket. Awesome!)

Anyway, stay warm & keep cool. *huh?*
By the way, this calender is as carved in dust as any other– the Dec. 7 Marriot gig may be scrapped because I subbed for another musician there this past Thursday; he might get my scheduled gig to make up for his lost one. So...
p.s. Nothing for Dec. 31?! I haven't had a New Years Eve off in decades, but as of now, only nibbles. I may be staying home and eating worms that night...
December:
1 Fri. Special Assignment
2 Sat. Grisby Grill 6-10:00 (Grisby, just south of I-10/HWY 6)
4 Mon. Happy Birthday, Ben!!
5 Tue. Vine Wine Room 6-8:30 (12420 Memorial Dr., just west of Gessner)
6 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30 (West Dallas, just east of Waugh)
7 Thur. CANCELLED!! Was: Marriot
8 Fri. Special Assignment
9 Sat. Frank-n-Steins HWY 6 near Bissonett 9:30-1:30
12 Tue. Vine Wine Room 6-8:30
13 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30
14 Thurs. Grappino 6-9:30
15 Fri. Kilburn's Tavern and Grill 9-1 (11808 Barker Cypress, just south of 290)
16 Sat. Special Assignment
23 Sat. ZigZags (w/The Three Wise Men) 9:30-1:30 Main St. Lake Placid, NY
25 Merry Christmas! I uploaded a lovely Christmas tune by a trio of Swedish girls called Ephemera; if you'd like to hear it, click here:

Ephemera-Gift

30 Sat. Grappino 6-10
31 Sun. Marriot in The Woodlands 9-1 (Happy Birthday, Tracy!!)