SPOTLIGHT: JAMES DOLAN SPEAKS
BY: Bruce Berlet New York Rangers owner James Dolan made a rare, spontaneous visit to the Madison Square Garden media room after his team’s 3-0 victory over the Nashville Panthers on Tuesday night. Dolan, the CEO of MSG, praised Rangers president and…
FANFARE: AND IN NET, MARTY BIRON
BY: Adam Gavriel Before the start of the off-season in 2010, New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella and the Blueshirts’ management were seeking answers to the questions regarding the mystery surrounding why the the team had failed to win Lord…
FAN-FARE: 82 Games – The Marathon
BY: Adam Gavriel As a fan of a hockey team playing in the NHL it is important to remember that the season is one of the longest out of all the professional sports. The 82 games span six months from October to April, and if you’re lucky your team will be…
SPOTLIGHT: THE WELLAND CONNECTION
BY: Bruce Berlet It’s almost something out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Then again, even Ripley’s might not believe this tale. Two decades ago, Dan Girardi and Andre Deveaux lived five minutes apart in Welland, Ontario, Canada, and spent many a day…
BRUCE BERLET REPORTS – MOVING FORWARD… AND DEFENSE
BY: Bruce Berlet The parent New York Rangers recalled defenseman Brendan Bell from the Connecticut Whale Sunday. Bell’s call-up came only hours after center Kris Newbury was summoned after getting a goal and two assists and being named the No. 2 star in…
BRUCE BERLET REPORTS – A BOURQUE BY ANY OTHER NAME…
BY: Bruce Berlet Connecticut Whale veteran defenseman Wade Redden offered a straight-on, right-on reason why rookie left wing Ryan Bourque appears to have a long, strong future in professional hockey. “He’s got good DNA,” Redden said. Good, indeed. How…
BRUCE BERLET – AS THE PLAYER DOOR TURNS
BY: Bruce Berlet Dale Weise’s gain was the Connecticut Whale’s loss on Tuesday. After three eventful years in the New York Rangers organization, Weise was claimed off waivers by the Stanley Cup runner-up Vancouver Canucks, minutes after skating alongside…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet While on a terrific reunion of my wife’s family in suburban Baltimore/Washington over the weekend, I got word of the retirement of one of the greatest winners in sports history. Trumbull native Chris Drury couldn’t find another job after…
CHRIS DRURY RETIRES
Chris Drury is a Connecticut guy through and through and today a long and incredibly successful career came to an end as the former New York Rangers captain called it a career and retired. From winning the Little League World Series, to Bean Pot and a…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet With a last name synonymous with hockey greatness, one would think Ryan Bourque has been a rink rat almost from the time he departed the womb. Well, think again. Unlike Hall of Fame father Ray and older brother Chris, Ryan left…