Oh, Atlanta.

Thrashers 3, Rangers 1.
guh. Last night I sat through 2 ESPN scoreboard crawls (that thing at the bottom of the screen that goes through all of the different sports action of the day) and I swear to God they did not list a Rangers game, so I didn't even realize they had played and lost until looking at my newspaper today. It was the 2nd worst news I had all day. The worst was that, once again, my pulse rate was deemed too slow to give blood at the church blood drive. (44 bpm) So you fill out the forms, wait for your turn, and then they take your pulse and say they can't take your blood??? But my blood is so good!!! And to add insult to injury, of course, since i didn't give them any of my awesome blood, i don't get a t-shirt. *frak*
So... where was I? Oh yeah, the game. Well, they scored 3 (including an empty-netter at the end) and our boys got 1, from Jagr.
So the Blueshirts have a week off for the NHL All Star game. Rest up, eat your Wheaties, wash your filthy jocks, and Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Last week in a SMART player personnel move, the Rangers signed Martin Straka for another year, and gave him a tidy raise in pay. He's leading the Blueshirts in goals, and he also has a great 'hockey name'.

Be-Deviled.

Devils 1, Rangers 0. guh.
Oh sure, Martin Brodeur is great; the Devils play a stifling defensive game; Jay Pandolfo is gonna shadow your superstar all game long--- yada, yada, yada. I believe we've heard this song before. You're gonna lose if you do not score. Henrik Lundqvist only gave up 1 goal and offensively, the boys had some chances, but couldn't get anything past Brodeur.
2nd place, 10 points behind New Jersey. C'mon boys, bear down! Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Jed's Got Heart!

Rangers 3, Bruins 1. YAY!!!! A Win!!
Goals by Nylander and Straka gave the Blueshirts a 2-1 margin, and tight defensive play meant few shots on goal for the visiting Bruins. I'm not sure if they're conversing in Russian, Swedish, English or a mix of all 3, but check out Fedor Tyutin and Henrik Lundqvist making plans:

Jed Ortmeyer missed much of this season with a pulmonary embolism; he recently returned to the lineup, and he was one of the stars of the afternoon, scoring the Rangers 3rd goal on a penalty shot. (Different angle of the top photo, click to see a larger version.)

Here he is receiving congratulations from a couple of high scoring teammates on his rare goal. (1st of the season, and 1st career penalty shot) Way to go, Jed!!

Ok, Let's make this the start of another winning streak, and...
LET'S GO RANGERS!!

Very Impressive... (for 7 minutes)

Ottawa 6, New York 4. guh. You can't spot a talented team like the Senators a 5 goal lead and expect to win, right? Well the Rangers certainly tried, scoring 4 goals in a span of 7:10 in the 3rd period, but it wasn't enough to overcome their earlier piss-poor play. Kevin Weekes got the start in goal, made some spectacular saves, but received no defensive (or offensive) support. He was removed for Henrik Lundqvist after giving up the 4th goal. Poor Kevin, he works so hard but gets no love...
Ranger goals were scored by Prucha, Ward, Hossa and Betts. Henrik gave up 1 goal, and Ottawa added an empty netter to thwart the comeback. [During my gig last night, i spotted the 3rd period score on a tv in the corner of the room, and at the time, the Sens led 5-4. So for the next 20 minutes, when I wasn't busy singing/strumming/stomping, I was mentally pleading 'please score, please score, please score", but I didn't get any love, either. *flings guitar pick in protest*
Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Frakking Fishsticks.

Islanders 5, Rangers 3
guh. It's just not right that 1.) the visiting fishsticks break up the 4 game win streak and 2.) the fishsticks have taken all 3 games @ MSG this season. *wtf?* Not a lot to say, really, the Isles scored 2 goals in less than half a minute in the 3rd period to dash our hopes and piss me off. So, we'll get 'em next time, mmkay?
Let's Go Ranguhs!!

Too Fab For Le Habs!

Rangers 4, Canadiens 3 YAY!!!! *dances* Somebody give me a hug! *continues to dance*
This is what happens when a team that has gotten over the flu meets a team that is decimated with the bug... VICTORY for the NYR! 2 goals for Matt Cullen, 1 each from Michal Rozsival and Martin Straka. There was a bit of a downer amidst all of this Ranger joy, with Jaromir Jagr suffering what is being termed a 'slight groin strain'. Sometimes these slight strains turn into chronic conditions. *says 2 Hail Marys*
Although the boys gave up their initial 2 goal lead, they never lost focus in the defensive zone, and Henrik Lundqvist limited Les Habitants to 3 goals on just 21 shots.

Alright, the winning streak is now at 4, and 2007? So far, so YAY!
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

Straka Strikes Thrice!

Rangers 3, Flyers 2 YAY!! After the winning streak of 5 followed by the losing streak of 7, I'm not going to allow myself to get overexcited about the current winning streak...
Oh, who am I kidding? Three! ¡Tres! Trois! Drei! *throws cat into the air, does a little dance*
Straka scored a goal in each period, here's #3: (click to enlarge this nice photo by Barton Silverman!)

Ranger fans then lost their heads, tossing their hats onto the ice. I always wonder if you can retrieve your thrown hat after the game, or do they just get thrown away?

Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant in net, especially the 2nd and 3rd periods, when he stopped a couple of breakaway chances to keep the Blueshirts lead intact. He did survive one momentary lapse of sanity, when he tried to score from his crease into the Flyers' empty net at the other end of the ice. His 'shot' hit Flyer Mike York in the chest, and York put the puck in past Lundqvist to bring Philly back to within 1 goal. D'oh! Oh well, a minor blemish on an otherwise lovely evening at The World's Most Famous Arena

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

Hoss Shows Devils Who's Boss

Rangers 3, Devils 2 (OT/SO)
YAY!! The visiting Rangers gave up a 1st period lead, but battled back to take 2-1 lead on goals by Nylander (Slump? What slump?!) and Petr Prucha. (Slumping? Not me!)

Petr celebrates, and notice how unhappy the Devil fan (guy in the white jacket) is in the background. *hee hee hee hee*

The Devils scored a late goal to send the game to overtime. Goalies Marty Brodeur (NJD) and Henrik Lundqvist (NYR), so solid during regulation, were perfect in the 5 minute OT, so it was on to the shootout. 8 rounds of shootout drama! After Marcel Hossa scored on his shootout attempt, it was up to Henrik to close the door on Jersey, and he did just that:

Nice way to start 2007, and after 7 losses the boys have a 2 game winning streak. YAY!!
LET'S GO RANGERS!! NYR Photos/Videos here!

UPDATED! January. Another Year, Another 218 Gigs??

Some changes, take a look. =)
Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had a pleasant holiday season, and may 2007 be a safe and prosperous year for all of us! YAY!
Thank you to everyone who came out (or even thought about coming out) to hear me play in 2006. Thank you to anyone who hired me, or recommended me to a friend for hire. Any kind of support is very much appreciated! And I want you to have some M&Ms:

So obviously I blew off my first New Year's resolution, the one where I send out my calendar and update the web site by the beginning of the month. Oh well, my resolution to exercise/make my pants fit me again is not going all that well, either.
January:
1. No gig, but January 1 was the 23rd anniversary of my 1st gig. (In Syracuse, NY, with the band Quintessence) It was fun then, and it's still fun to this day. YAY!
2 Tue. Vine Wine Room 6-8:30 (12420 Memorial Dr., just west of Gessner)
3 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30 (West Dallas, just east of Waugh)
5 Fri. Molly's Pub 9-1:30 (Corner of Wilcrest & Westheimer)
6 Sat. Wed. Grappino 6:30-11:00
9 Tue. Vine Wine Room 6-8:30
10 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30
11 Thurs. Marriot in the Woodlands 7:30-11:30
12 Fri. BlackJack's Bar & Grill, 9-1 (16103 W Little York Rd, just west of HWY 6)
13 Sat. Vine Wine Room 5-9
16 Tue. Vine Wine Room 6-8:30
17 Wed. CANCELLED DUE TO ACTUAL WINTER WEATHER (was Grappino)
18 Thurs. Special Assignment (Pine Forest Country Club)
19 Fri. Molly's Pub 9-1:30
20 Sat. Grisby Grill 6-10:00 (Grisby, just south of I-10/HWY 6)
23 Tue. CANCELLED! (was Vine)
24 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30
30 Tue. CANCELLED! (was Vine)
31 Wed. Grappino 6-9:30

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.

E_for_Effort._L_for_Loss.jpg
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.

Another_Butt-Kicking..jpg
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.

Air_Canada_Massacre.jpg
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!