By Bruce Berlet
When forwards Ryan Callahan and Vinny Prospal return from long-term injuries in the next few weeks, New York Rangers management will have some interesting and difficult decisions to make.
And as Rangers coach John Tortorella said after a stirring 2-1 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night, much can be traced to the work of Connecticut Whale coach Ken Gernander and assistants J.J. Daignault and Pat Boller.
After the worst start in the franchise’s 14-year history, the Whale (19-13-2-5) has made an about-face with points in 16 of their last 18 games (13-2-0-3) to vault from last place to second in the Atlantic Division. And Gernander & Co. have accomplished the latter part of that feat despite losing wings Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise to call-ups to the Rangers.
But goalie Chad Johnson and forwards Evgeny Grachev, Tim Kennedy and Brodie Dupont have picked up their games, youthful defensemen such as Ryan McDonagh (now on recall in New York), Tomas Kundratek, Pavel Valentenko and Jyri Niemi have matured before everyone’s eyes, newcomers Chad Kolarik, Stu Bickel and more recently Todd White and tryout Jason Williams have helped in all areas, feisty Devin DiDiomete, Justin Soryal and Jared Nightingale have provided plenty of protection against overzealous opposition and veterans Wade Redden, Kris Newbury and Jeremy Williams have been guiding lights on and off the ice. Redden proved that again Wednesday night when despite being sidelined with an injury, he drove to Worcester to watch and then congratulate his teammates after a 2-0 victory over the Sharks.
Redden and everyone else saw an overall worthwhile minor-league debut for new defenseman Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers’ No. 1 pick in 2008 who had a shaky first 15 minutes like the rest of his new teammates, then used his speed to get involved in plays, quarterbacked the No. 1 power-play unit and set up Kennedy’s goal with 5:38 left that broke a scoreless tie and led to the Whale’s fifth victory in six starts and fourth shutout this season.
If even more injuries hit the Rangers, Grachev should get a second shot at the NHL after his more involved play since being added to the list of penalty killers that was epitomized Wednesday night by the use of his size and speed to score his first shorthanded goal and clinch the win. And Kennedy, beat out by White in training camp for the Rangers’ final roster spot, also deserves a second chance but probably won’t get it because he likely wouldn’t pass through re-entry waivers.
So for now, Gernander, Daignault and Boller have to continue to develop the increased youth in the Rangers’ system, something Tortorella commended Wednesday night after Zuccarello roofed a near impossible-angle shot for his first NHL goal 3:09 into overtime to give the Rangers their victory. The winner was set up by a brilliant rink-length rush and shot by former Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky, who has had an All-Star season and is Case I of the young Hartford graduates such as alternate captain Callahan, another All-Star candidate if not for a broken hand that will sideline him for another month, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Artem Anisimov, Dale Weise and Matt Gilroy, who benefitted from five games and 10 days on Asylum Street 13 months ago and scored the first goal Wednesday night off assists from Zuccarello and Dubinsky.
“All our young kids are maturing,” Tortorella told the media after playoff-like game Wednesday night. “I think when you bring up a young kid like Zuccarello and players like that who’ve come up here I think the American League coaches have done a pretty good job in their conditioning first of all. I think they’re in really good shape, and it’s been a seamless as it could be as far as call-ups coming in here. That American League job is an important job when you’re trying to develop a group and go with your youth, and I think they’ve done a terrific job.”
Especially with the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Zuccarello, the “Norwegian Hobbit” who took a few weeks to get acclimated to more physical play and smaller rinks in North America, getting 23 points in 21 games after having only two in first 12 games. His recent play has shown why he was the leading scorer and voted MVP by the players in the Swedish Elite League last season and led to the Rangers signing him to a bonus-laden, two-year $3.5 million contract.
“What can you say? It’s nothing other than unbelievable,” Zuccarello told the New York media after his game-winner, which ended a possible three-game losing streak and drew a triple Tiger Woods fist pump. “I actually scored a couple of those back in Norway. I try to get it high, and the goalies go down. It’s just a great feeling to watch the puck go in. I just saw the puck went in, and it’s an unbelievable rush hearing the fans cheer and seeing my teammates be happy.
“Me being able to secure a win like this for the team is just an unbelievable feeling. I haven’t been here that long (six games), so scoring a goal for me is just a great feeling. … I have been this way for 23 years. I’ve had a long time to practice being small. So I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how it is to be big, so I just have to use being small to my advantage.”
Zuccarello certainly did Wednesday night and then disappeared into a pile of teammates who poured off the bench to engulf a guy who really impressed Tortorella on one important front.
“Good for him,” Tortorella said. “And you know what I liked? I liked, and I like looking at these things on tape, it wasn’t an individual celebration. He got excited, and then he looked right to the bench. He’s a really likeable kid. I don’t know where it all settles here as we get through, but good for him. It must be exciting for him. … He’s a confident kid. He understands, he asks the right questions, he understands, minds his own business and goes about it, and is learning to be a pro in North America here. I don’t think he lacks confidence. Creative people need that. But he should feel good about it. Obviously, it’s a big two points for us, and a big goal for him.”
Zuccarello said he got lucky on the winner, but not Dubinsky.
“Zucs is the kind of guy who’s going to get dirty, get in there and find pucks,” Dubinsky said. “He gets in there, finds a puck and puts it right underneath the bar. You can’t say enough about it. That’s a heckuva shot. He’s got so much talent and ability. If he keeps his legs moving the way he has the last few game, he’s gonna be really special for us.
“The best part about him is he’s always asking questions, he just wants to learn and he’s soaking it all up, making the right plays and doing the right things out there. Nobody ever questioned his talent. That’s an NHL goal for sure, a heck of a shot there.”
Yes, the diminutive Zuccarello was plenty big on one of sports’ biggest stages, sold-out and rocking Madison Square Garden, and he has helped get the Rangers faithful a bit giddy as their favorites reached the midway point of the season 23-15-3 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That hardly would have seemed possible with long-term injuries to Callahan, Prospal, who has yet to play a game after offseason knee surgery, sniper Marian Gaborik and captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury.
But others such as rookie center Derek Stepan, Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Steve Eminger and tryout signee Ruslan Fedotenko have stepped up, and the Rangers have had to alter their style to be more of a grind-it-out bunch, which they have achieved most nights. Of course, there’s goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who can cover up a multitude of hockey sins with a flick of a pad or glove.
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, promoted from the Whale on Monday in a switch with Del Zotto to allow the Rangers brass to assess the 21-year-old rookie’s talents, might get a chance to be added to the growing list of Hartford graduates to play for the Blueshirts on Friday in Dallas or Saturday in St. Louis after Michal Rozsival pulled a muscle near his rib cage and missed the final 11:33 of regulation and overtime Wednesday night. So while his former teammates were bussing from Worcester to Norfolk, Va., McDonagh was flying west with his new team.
Meanwhile, Callahan was cleared by doctors Wednesday night to begin light skating on his own, which he will begin Sunday at the team’s practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y. The rink is being outfitted with an 85th anniversary logo, so Callahan will be the first to see it and skate on it. But the Rangers want Callahan back in the lineup ASAP because he has symbolized their new look with his hard-charging style that Hartford fans got to see and appreciate before his promotion and selection the U.S. Olympic team last year.
The Rangers again displayed their gritty ways Wednesday and got their biggest lift from their smallest piece.
“Our meetings focused on playing the right way, and when you do that the way we did, you want to be rewarded for it,” Drury said. “I think it was really important for us to come out with the win after we accomplished pretty much everything we talked about.”
The Whale could say much of the same Wednesday night and hope to continue their climb on the road for three more games.
“It was a good first road game with what’s ahead of us,” Kennedy said. “We weathered the storm early, came on hard in the second when we could have had a few (goals) and then got it done in the third. That’s how you have to win some games on the road. They all don’t have to be pretty.”
PIT STOP ON THE WAY TO NORFOLK
After beating the Sharks, the Whale set off for Norfolk, Va., with a pit stop in Voorhees, N.J., to sleep and then practice Thursday at Flyers Skate Zone where the Philadelphia Flyers work out. They reach the midpoint of their season Friday night when Kolarik, who missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury, will return after getting clearance to play.
The Whale will face another hot goalie in rookie Cedrick Desjardins, who made 34 saves in leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Rangers on Sunday in his second consecutive NHL start. He had a shutout until Gaborik scored a sixth-attacker goal with 45.6 seconds left in regulation, then former Providence Bruins center Nate Thompson ended it just 19 seconds into overtime.
But Desjardins, recalled from Norfolk on Dec. 20, was sent back to the Admirals after the game, when it was announced the Lightning had acquired 41-year-old veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Desjardins returned to the AHL after allowing only two goals in his first two NHL games, having made 27 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30.
The Admirals won the teams’ first meeting 5-1 on Oct. 20, tying the Whale’s worst loss of the season at home. The Admirals are 0-3-1-1 in their last five games but still nine games above .500 (18-9-6-2) and third in the East Division, one point behind Charlotte but only one ahead of Hershey.
Center Marc-Antoine Pouliot, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2003 and a veteran of 179 NHL games, leads the Admirals’ balanced attack with nine goals and 19 assists in 26 games. He’s followed closely by centers James Wright (10, 16) and Paul Szczechura (9, 17), left wing Johan Harju (14, 11), center Blair Jones (9, 16) and wings Matt Fornataro (10, 14), Chris Durno (10, 13) and Mike Angelidis (11, 10). Desjardins is 12-5-1 with a 2.63 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout.
The Whale was 1-0-1-0 in two visits to Norfolk last season. The Admirals have won only five of the 13 home games this season but have at least a point in 11 of them (5-2-4-2).
The Whale won’t debut their new blue road jerseys until the end of their four-game road trip Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica).
The Whale returns to the XL Center on Jan. 15 to face Providence, the start of a three-game homestand that will include former Boston Bruins standouts Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin signing autographs in the atrium from 6-7 p.m. and then dropping the ceremonial first puck. Middleton, who played 12 seasons with the Bruins after two with the Rangers, and Lemelin will also be playing with the Bruins legends team that will face the Hartford Whalers legends Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. before the Whale plays the P-Bruins as part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23. Early commitments for the Whalers team include Jordy Douglas, Ray Neufeld and Gordie Roberts. Tickets ($20 to $85) for the Legends Game and Whale-Bruins game can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Bushnell box office in Hartford on Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366. They also can be purchased online and printed immediately at Ticketmaster.com.
The homestand also will include visits from league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 16) and Hamilton (Jan. 21), which is a special Family Value Night at which New Britain Rock Cats mascot Rocky will be on hand. There will be a giveaway, a table setup and autograph session, and the New Britain High School marching band will perform the national anthem and during the first intermission. Tickets in the lower level are $16 and include a soda and pizza slice or hot dog. Visit www.ctwhale.com.
DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS
Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.
… Whale mascots Pucky and Sonar will appear at the University of Hartford women’s basketball game against Albany on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford. It’s Father/Daughter Day as daughters get a free ticket when dad buys a $15 ticket in the lower level. Pucky and Sonar will have a dance-off at halftime with Howie the Hawk, the Hartford mascot. So come on out and root on coach Jennifer Rizzotti’s team and enjoy some time with Pucky and Sonar. Such appearances are an important part of the Whale being active in local communities through numerous fundraising projects and events. The Whale is happy to assist fundraising efforts by donating tickets or autographed items to qualified non-profit organizations. Visit the “Donation Requests” page under the community section for more information and to download a donation application form. Pucky, Sonar, players, coaches and front office staff are available upon request for community events and speaking engagements. Check out the “Community Events” and “Speakers Bureau” sections for more information. To learn more about the Whale’s community initiatives and how your organization can become involved, contact the Connecticut Whale Community Relations Department at 860-728-3366.
… WS&E chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23 and other economic development opportunities.
“I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.” … Howard Baldwin Jr., the new president and COO of WS&E, has a new Twitter account accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr.
… Former Wolf Pack defenseman Terry Virtue and Hartford Whalers wing Scott Young will be among the first six inductees into the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s “Salute to the IceCats” Night, the former name of the Worcester Sharks, and other inductees will be Kelly O’Leary, Eddie Bates, Larz Anderson and Marvin Degon Sr., father of former Wolf Pack defenseman Martin Degon.
… The Whale’s eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Lenihart at 860-728-3366.
DESHARNAIS, JONES & LACK NAMED AHL’S BEST IN DECEMBER
Hamilton Bulldogs center David Desharnis, Manchester Monarchs goalie Martin Jones and Manitoba Moose goalie Eddie Lack were named Reebok/AHL Player, Rookie and Goaltender of the Month for December.
Desharnis had three goals and 17 assists in 14 games in leading the Bulldogs into the North Division lead. He got at least a point in 12 of 14 games to take over the AHL scoring lead (10 assists, 35 assists in 35 games) before being recalled by the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 31.
The Whale nominated Newbury, who had three goals and 13 assists in 12 games, going without a point in only two games. Other nominees included Bridgeport Sound Tigers center Jeremy Colliton, former Rangers and Wolf Pack wing Petr Prucha (San Antonio), former Wolf Pack forwards Corey Locke (Binghamton), Patrick Rissmiller (Lake Erie) and Jeff Taffe (Rockford) and former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).
Jones was 7-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in nine appearances to help the Monarchs maintain first place in the Atlantic Division. Jones, who turns 21 on Friday, started 2011 with two wins, including a 39-save performance in a 3-0 victory over the Whale on Sunday. He is 13-2-0 and second in the AHL in GAA (1.60) and save percentage (.948).
The Whale nominated Zuccarello, who had four goals and five assists in nine games before being called up for the first time. Other nominees included Sound Tigers right wing Rhett Rakhshani.
Lack was 7-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .935 save percentage in leading the Moose from fifth place to second in the North Division. He finished the month with six consecutive victories, stopping 170 of 178 shots over the second half of the month and made 20 saves in his first career AHL shutout against Houston. In his first season in North America, Lack is 13-7-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .930 save percentage in 22 games. Lack, who turns 23 on Wednesday, is a native of Norrtalje, Sweden, played last season for Brynas IF in the Swedish Elite League and signed as a free agent with Vancouver on April 6.
The Whale nominated Johnson, who was 6-1-0-1 in eight games. Other nominees included Jones and the Sound Tigers’ Kevin Poulin.
ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS SUNDAY
On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Hershey Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes has earned a spot as one of the co-coaches of the Western Conference All-Star team. He officially clinched the honor Saturday night when the Penguins locked up the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference as of the pre-determined deadline of this Sunday. Wilkes-Barre is 27-8-0-0 (.771) and No. 1 in the AHL. Hynes is in his first season as Penguins coach after spending one year as the assistant to Todd Reirden. The coach whose team has the best points percentage in the Western Conference on Sunday will join Hynes. That race is led by Peoria’s Jared Bednar (.681), followed by Texas’ Glen Gulutzen (.639) and San Antonio’s Ray Edwards (.635). By virtue of Hershey winning the 2010 Calder Cup championship, Bears coach Mark French and assistant Troy Mann will guide the Eastern Conference All-Stars. … Former Whalers wing Alexandre Giroux (129 points), Keith Aucoin (122), Desharnais (119), Jerome Samson (95) and Andrew Gordon (90) were the AHL’s top five scorers in the regular season and playoffs during calendar year 2010. … Greenville Road Warriors coach Dean Stork was named coach of the ECHL team that will play the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 26 in Bakersfield, Calif. Stork was chosen because Greenville had the ECHL’s best winning percentage as of Jan. 1 (.750, 23-7-2). Stork will coach the All-Stars with Las Vegas Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel in his first appearance as a player or coach. The Road Warriors are affiliated with the Rangers and Flyers. … Greenville’s Dov Grumet-Morris was named ECHL Goalie of the Month for December, when he was 9-2-1 with a 1.56 GAA, .942 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games, leading the Road Warriors to the best record in the league (23-7-2). Grumet-Morris, who played two games with the Whale earlier in the season, allowed two or fewer goals in 10 games and now leads the ECHL in wins (15) and GAA (1.93) and is second in save percentage (.933).
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