January 22, 2012, New York Rangers column for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Cup contenders in Manhattan? Controversy commences

Columns

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, January 21, 2012 19:47

John Tortorella may disagree with owner Jim Dolan's brashness about the Stanley Cup but the New York Rangers appear to have the talent of a contender. As the trade deadline nears, the big question is: Do they make a major move or keep the status quo in pursuit of their second championship in 72 years? The scene that emanated from the Madison Square Garden press conference room on the night of Jan. 17 was about as ill-fitting as Newt Gingrich accepting a nomination from one of his ex-wives for Husband of the Year. John Tortorella arrived at his postgame press briefing after his New York Rangers had shut out their Central Division on-ice doppelgangers, the Nashville Predators, 3-0. Tortorella was joined at the dais by one of his superiors, the President of Madison Square Garden and the Chief Executive Officer of Cablevision, James Dolan. Dolan had not met with the Rangers press corps since 2005-06; that he took two questions before giving way to his coach was newsworthy. That he expressed his belief that the team he has owned since the summer of 1994 was a Cup contender became a news story. “In 2004 we decided to re-do the strategy," Dolan said. "I gave (General Manager Glen Sather) a gift and told him he couldn’t give it back until we win the Cup. I think we’re close to getting that back." After Dolan left the room, Tortorella left no doubt that he was irritated with his owner’s brashness. “Have my owner up here talking about a Stanley Cup and that’s bulls—t,” Tortorella said. In the often homogenized world of professional sports, Tortorella is a controversial figure. Some appreciate his shoot-from-the-hip, damn-the-torpedoes approach, while others find it uncouth. Both styles were displayed after the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 as Tortorella sarcastically offered an over-the-top assessment of referees Ian Walsh and Dennis LaRue. “I'm not sure if NBC got together with the refs or what to turn this into an overtime game," Tortorella said. "It started with the non-call on (Marian Gaborik), and he gets pitch-forked in the stomach and everything starts going against us. So for two good refs, I thought the game was reffed horribly.” Tortorella was just getting warmed up. “So, I'm not sure what happened there," he continued. "Maybe they wanted to get into overtime. I'm not sure if they had meetings about that or what. But we stood in there. We stood in there. And again, I don't want to – because they are good guys. I just thought tonight, it was – in that third period, it was disgusting.” For those 111 words, Tortorella was fined $30,000 by the league on Jan. 4. Three days after being fined, it was announced that Tortorella would coach one of the two teams at the NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa. It is the in-season reward for overseeing a team that leads the Eastern Conference with 64 points (30-12-4) following Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 overtime win against the reigning champion Bruins in Boston. By any method one chooses to determine championship worthiness – numerically or the eye test – the Rangers appear to be serious Cup contenders. Despite their coach's disdain for the subject, the Rangers appear poised for their first extended playoff run since 1997. Their 96 goals allowed is the third-fewest in the NHL while their plus-33 goal differential is fourth most. They rank ninth in the league in scoring with 129 goals. Finally, they have proven they can be successful at home (14-5-2, ninth best in NHL) and away (16-7-2, second best in the league). So despite the coach’s disdain for the subject – “We take it one day at a time,” Tortorella said after dismissing Dolan – the Rangers appear poised for their first extended playoff run since Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Esa Tikkanen, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals in the spring of 1997. Unlike that era, in which the best team often won the Cup, the current climate in the league does not dictate that regular-season dominance equates to playoff success. Even though the Bruins earned 103 points in the 2010-11 regular season with a 46-25-11 record, it was only the league’s seventh-best record. The Vancouver Canucks won the President’s Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with a spectacular 54-19-9 mark. Yet it was Boston that was awarded the Cup on the night of Jun. 15 inside Rogers Arena after Tim Thomas shut out the Canucks 4-0 in Game 7. Tortorella and his charges will tell you that they are not the most skilled team in the league, that despite the presence of Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards and several others. Instead they win due to their single-minded ethos of hard work and defensive responsibility. But with 37 days until the trade deadline, the quandary facing those in positions of responsibility within the Rangers’ hockey operations department is this: Does one of the NHL’s youngest teams mortgage part of their present and future for a Cup? It has been long believed that New Jersey Devils left wing Zach Parise and Calgary Flames right wing Jarome Iginla could be available on the trade market, while Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray hinted to Southern California reporters that he would consider breaking up his top line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan if his team did not begin to play like a contender. Any of those five players would increase the Rangers’ talent level, but would a deal damage the team’s chemistry? We won't know the answer for sure until the Rangers’ season ends, Cup or no Cup. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman

Last Updated on Sunday, January 22, 2012 02:18

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