Need Not Apply : Offensively Skilled Forwards

It's become apparent to The Mouth that if you aren't a proven big ticket free agent offensive talent Rangers coach John Tortorella is not going to play you.

The Mouth sometimes gets the feeling Tortorella would even bench Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards at times if not for fear of hearing it from Glen Sather.

In Tortorella's world every player must be a tenacious forechecker and back checker and get to the net with pucks. I guess that's a possible standard to strive during a playoff series, but to expect that over an 82 game NHL schedule is frankly hilariously insane.

Tortorella is so obsessed with being teacher and disciplinarian of what he calls Jam and Juice that he has forgotten that not every player is blessed with the cerebral mentality of a coach and that some are just gifted with an ability to hang around, score goals and make "pretty" plays. 

Not only does he discipline his players by giving them minutes they can count on one hand but he will at times publicly and on purpose ostracize them.

Recently he has insinuated that injured forward Wojtek Wolski is milking his injury status by saying " I can't even get him out of the tub."

His handling of Mats Zuccarello has been awful, Zuccarello has had tremendous success in the AHL but is never given the sufficient minutes or line mates that is needed for a true evaluation.

Ranger players that think offense first regardless of what you or The Mouth think of them are continually called out, remember when Michael Del Zotto was chewed out on the bench in front of 17,000 at Madison Square Garden ?

By the trading dealing if not sooner Wolski and Zuccarello will no longer be Rangers if Tort's has his way.

The Mouth in the following video explores this amongst other things as well as the mystery of all mystery's of why Eric Christensen an offensive type who produces no offense still remains on the big club's roster.

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" as Rangers Go with Youth

The Mouth is a real avid movie buff, besides being a insanely rabid fan of the Blueshirts.

Recently he found himself musing that the current Ranger situation is somewhat like the 1945 film  "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

A Tree grows in Brooklyn is about a idealistic young girl named Francie who has a luckless father who also is an alcoholic.

Despite all the dysfunction around her she still remains extremely optimistic and even finds comedy despite all the hardships that befall her and her family.

The worst of which is when their favorite tree is taken down located right outside their window.

Francie plants seeds in hopes of growing a new tree, and with all the odds   against another tree growing in Brooklyn, one does !

The Ranger fan has remained steadfast and loyal through a decade of Glen Sather's buffoonery and finally in 2011 it looks like the Rangers might be turning the corner to success with their massive infusion of youth.

I think "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is a perfect parable on how we Ranger fans have felt for years and finally now with the arrival of all the young players featured in the video below the seeds have been planted.

Perhaps we will get a chance to see our tree grow on 33rd street in Manhattan.

Long Island Media Has No Hockey Sense and Why Should They ?

Long Island media has no hockey sense and why should they ? There is certainly is no hockey being played professionally on Long Island.

They have a NHL franchise that takes up space at the Nassau Mausoleum, a franchise that is a John Tavares and Matt Moulson away from being basically the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. 

The New York Islanders are a shambles and what makes things worse for them and their fans is that nobody cares in their community.

Their failed Lighthouse project tried to drum up support but nobody cared, Nassau County doesn't want their tax burden and could care about Charles Wang's proposals and idle threats to move.

Finally in this embarrassing demonstration below you can see on a local broadcast how much people care about the game of NHL hockey.

I'm pretty sure local Kansas City TV anchors will verse themselves a helluva a lot more in the great sport of Hockey then these Long Island Losers.

To get some added comedy watch the video full screen

MSG Egghead Announcer John Giannone's "From The Side !" Video

I don't have anything against Ranger fill in announcer John Giannone personally , but as a collector of vintage Hockey videos and a ardent follower of the TV Hockey announcers from the 60's to present, John Giannone comes across as a monotone company guy with no real passion for the game or the team he has been affiliated with for forever.

He does have a couple advantages over regular Rangers play by play announcer Sam Rosen.

Unlike Toucan Sam, Giannone knows the names of players on the visiting teams and can keep up with the action instead of editorializing like Sam does while scoring chances are happening live on the ice.

He also isn't as follicley challenged like Sam, who for some reason won't remove that horrible rug from his dome.

But enough about Sam. John Giannone has decided that "From the side" is an actual area on NHL rinks. So a fellow Ranger fan from HF boards AOWRanger decided to make a video commemorating Johnny G's work.

The video is quote memorable and has become somewhat of a You Tube sensation.

I think you will like it and enjoy it, especially from the side !