The Mouth rejoins the You Tube Interwebs in his own indubitable fashion by taking on the NHL officals on a heinous non-call against Flyer forward Jacob Voracek. This took place in an exhibition game on October 3, 2016 which Philly won in OT on a goal by the aforementioned Voracek. Earlier in the contest after a cowardly cheap shot by Radko Gudas on Ranger Jimmy Vesey. Voracek joined Gudas in tackling Ranger behemoth Dylan Mcilrath who came to the aid of Vesey. Voracek should have been given a third man in penalty thus giving Voracek an automatic game misconduct. The Mouth feels that had the officials opened their eyes at that point of the game, Voracek would have never been on the ice to score the OT winner.
As you know The Mouth has been part of Blueshirt Underground Radio for about four years now and his legion of Ranger followers have been
gathering at packed houses all over NYC to gather for viewing parties.
These
events are filled with people that you would have most likely have seen in the old
blue seats way back in the day.
A dysfunctional family of rabid Ranger fans,
complete with it's share of crazy characters. it's everything MSG in it's
present day doesn't want to be.
On March 10th the Irish Times Pub In NYC the Underground gathered as the Rangers faced off against the Capitals.
After overcoming an early goal by Capital superstar Steven Oleksy the frenetic Underground ended up being treated to a definitive Rangers 4-1 win, in which Brian Boyle even found the back of the net.
The Mouth captured the experience through a
slick slideshow done with black and white photos shot by the fine folks at
Artisimov studios.
Throughout almost one-third of the NHL's 2012-13 season the
Rangers have struggled mightily to score goals. One of the most distressing
things about the clubs inability to put the biscuit in the basket is the squads
absolute futility to score with the man advantage.
In this Crisis Clip "The Mouth" lends his critique
on what he thinks is the abject failure of the man in charge of the power play,
assistant coach Mike Sullivan. In the almost four years that Sullivan has been there,
the Ranger power play has never risen past mediocre and predominantly could be best
described as awful.
This year with points being at a premium in a shortened
season, even an average power play could have gotten the Blueshirts an
additional half dozen points in the standings so far. The 5 on 3 advantages
have been dreadful, the 5 on 4 advantages are running at an awful 11.9 % clip
with the Rangers only scoring 8 goals in 67 attempts.
Something has to be done and "The Mouth" lays it
all on the line, breaking down the video and pointing out what he thinks is a
contributing factor to the Rangers power play impotence.
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.
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 ? 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
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 !
Usually when Ranger fans talk about Henrik and Martha it's usually in the context of Hanks utter domination of New Jersey Devils netminder Martin "Martha" Brodeur when it comes to their head to head play on the ice.
However, this time "The King" took to the kitchen to go head to head with home guru Martha Stewart.
Lundqvist appeared on the Martha Stewart program last week, showing off his cooking skills and promoting the Garden of Dreams foundation.
Henrik who in The Mouth's opinion hasn't been at the top of his game for most of his starts, joined Martha to make a Holiday dessert called Apple Crostata.
The always affable Henrik as you can witness for yourself in the 10 Minute video below gets along with Martha swimmingly.
Henrik also mentions where he is opening up his new Tribeca restaurant for all you stalkers.
Recently The Mouth has noticed that any time a Player gets hit viciously along the boards whether it be legal or illegal, the team of the victimized player takes it upon themselves to start World War III.
Last Sunday on November 14th, during a Ranger drubbing of the young upstart Oilers, Sean Avery flattened Oiler Colin Fraser with a tough legal check.
For some reason Fraser's teammate Ladislav Smid decided to drop the gloves with Sean Avery to avenge what really was just a clean hard hit.
What transpired on the ice after that everybody and their mother has an opinion on.
It also appears that even off ice opinions ran strong as Avery's fellow teammate and resident Ranger lack of confidence headcase Erik Christensen told both TV and Ranger beat reporter "Dancin" Larry Brooks that Avery sucker punched Smid.
The Mouth breaks the whole altercation down in usual skewed fashion and even includes the hard to find footage of Christensen speaking to Rogers Sports Net about the Avery decking of Ladislav Smid.
On Friday November 26th, Blueshirt Banter Internet Radio, the one true voice of the Ranger fan, is hosting its very own game viewing party as the Rangers take on the Florida Panthers at the Bank Atlantic Center.
The viewing party will take place at Poitin Still Irish Restaurant and Pub in Hackensack, NJ, and will start at 5:00 PM.
Admission is free and the event is open to all ages.
Poitin Still features about 30 television sets, as well as a big screen, to ensure everyone gets a good view of all the action.
Because of the huge success of the show with the fans, the fellas have booked some of the most popular Blueshirts of all time to make it a can’t miss event.
On hand will be special guests, former Rangers alumni, Ron Greschner, Nick Fotiu and Chris “Kotsy” Kotsopoulos.
The guys will be there and signing autographs for fans for a really phenomenal price.
For 35 bucks you get all three players autographs which also includes Three awesome individual photos for them to sign it on !
The event will also feature a question and answer session with the guys between periods where you, the fan, can ask any questions you would like.
The viewing party will also include a live pre-game broadcast on site of the Blueshirt Banter Radio show by hosts Jim Schmiedeberg and Eddie “The Mouth” Gieck.
If you are planning to get there early and have dinner, we advise you to make reservations as tables are filling up fast. The number to call for reservations or directions or any other questions is (201) 487-0660.
What a glorious time of year, the crisp fall weather can be felt in New York City as the smell of soggy pretzels permeate the air, it can only mean one thing..
Rangers hockey has returned to Madison Square Garden.
Although the Mouth will not be in attendance. most of the crazy people you see above will be.
Ranger fans after ONLY two games are once again questioning the sanity of their coach, targeting their new whipping boy on defense and ready to give rookie Derek Stepan the loudest welcome he has ever received in his hockey life.
For The Big Man all is right in the world.
To celebrate his good mood and to commemorate the seasons first home game, The Mouth presents his take on the home opener along with this fine 2010-2011 season preview video done by the great Ranger video editor LoFFen.
Two games into the season and the Mouth is already professing his prognostications for the Rangers season as well as his affections for err.. umm.. Derek Stepan's Mom !
It seems The Big Man is a smitten kitten with both Derek's play and his Mom's million dollar smile.
We think you will find The Mouth's forecast for the 2010-2011 season is somewhat on the cautious side this time around, compared to last years ambitious Kool-Aid gulping crystal gazing.
On the serious side of things, which is also covered in the clip below, The Big Man addresses the Sean Avery bias that every Ranger gets to see almost nightly at the hands of NHL officials.
The Mouth certainly knows that Sean is no angel and is an awful trash talker and most times when he is asked to drop gloves and throw the dukes more often than not skates the other way as fast as he can.
Sean Avery is not a dirty player. He doesn't stick swing, doesn't slew foot and doesn't deliver head shots.
Avery is merely a player who yaps unsportsmanlike things to the opposition whose main modus operandi is to goad opposing players into bad penalties while he skates away scott free.
Is it honorable ? Probably not, but is gamesmanship? Hell yes.
NHL referees for the most part have decided to have developed a different rule book where Avery is concerned.
The on ice officiating in Sean's case considers themselves a extension of the player rather than impartial judges, which is what they are paid to do.
They hear what Avery is saying during play and for the most part they think it's cheap and vulgar and his actions not honorable.
So they have taken it upon themselves to let opposing players take liberties with him to both Sean and the Rangers detriment.
A perfect example of this happened on October 13th at the Mausoleum when Islander assistant captain and blueline chucklehead James Wisniewski made an obscene gesture at Avery, right in front of referee Gord Dwyer's face.
The NHL did the right thing a day later and suspended the dopey Wisniewski for two games.
But at the time of the classless incident nothing was called not even a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty even though referee Gord Dwyer obviously saw it.
Well you have heard all the predictions from the so called "experts" online and in the papers, as well as all the vanilla talking baldies on MSG towing the corporate line predicting that all three teams the MSG network features will be making the playoffs.
They even scared Butch Goring so much that he had to stick to his prediction of the Islanders making the playoffs.
The reason I bring all this MSG tomfoolery up, is that most of you know there is a healthy and honest media alternative called Blueshirt Banter Radio available to you, the diehard Ranger fan.
Our show is the perfect antidote to successfully counter the happy shiny people prattle that MSG programming barrages us with at every turn.
Blueshirt Banter Radio is the one true voice of the New York Ranger fan, a place where you can talk plainly, uncensored and frankly as long as you want and most importantly have fun.
Tonight we celebrate the eve of the Rangers first regular season game by devoting a whole two hour internet program to Ranger team and player predictions by the most important and informed peeps in all sports: The New York Ranger Fan.
Hosted by myself and Jim Schmiedeberg begin_of_the_skype_highlighting "Rangers Rockin Eve 2010" begins at 8 PM EST.
We even have a live interactive Blueshirt Banter Chatroom that runs while the show streams live, where you can commiserate and talk Ranger puck with your fellow fans.
To listen to the show live or on podcast click below :
What a show it was as The Mouth and his partner Jim talked with other SB Nation blogger's about their feelings on their respective teams in the Atlantic Division.
The four guest that joined the guys live on air included representatives from the Penguins, Islanders, Devils. Flyers.
Things started off pretty amicable but The Mouth unable to contain himself prodded the guests into answering some questions that got the esteemed guests ire up.
The 2010-2011 Regular season is almost upon us, and it is in these times that The Mouth gets nostalgic about how many seasons he has actually followed this more than often than not heartbreaking hockey club.
The following clips hold a special meaning to The Big Man because it remind him of the day when the men were men and the women didn't mind being called broads.
These two Ranger tussles took place before The Mouth began following the Rangers which he started in 1975, so the footage is a great document of some of the tough guys the Rangers had before Nick Fotiu arrived on the scene in 1976.
The first fight features Rangers tough guy Teddy Irvine who took care of the nasty business for six years as a Blueshirt. You can be sure that while Ted Irivine patrolled the ice nobody was taking liberties with his teamates.
Ted Irivine by the way is the father of professional wrestler Chris Jericho.
The second fight features Steve "Sarge" Vickers in a game that took place during the 1972-73 season.
A season which Steve scored 30 goals as a rookie and netted him the Calder trophy.
Sometimes when I watch hockey nowadays, I know why the over forty crowd for the most part feels so disenfranchised with current day NHL hockey.
The game has now become a shell of it's former self as far as the physicality and intimidation part of the game goes. Most of the time the game is downright unrecognizable to what I and the over forty fans grew up with and embraced.
Gary Bettman has directed his insane clown posse of referees to basically neuter the NHL player from engaging in the rough and tumble gamesmanship that has made this sport incredibly fun to watch.
It particularly he has put the testicular clamp on the NHL player himself who wants to stand up for his teammates when he feels his fellow player is in trouble on the ice, the third man in penalty levy's heavy fines and missed games for all players that dare to come to a teamates aid when things get heated.
Now that the Mouth himself has finished his own editorial, lets get down to the incident in question that got his ire up yet again on this subject.
Last week, during a game between the Rangers and the Devils that took place at Madison Square Garden, Derek Boogard was given a misconduct on what amounted to a bump on Pierre LaBlonde before a face-off just outside the Devils Zone.
It was a silly penalty called by a silly referee named Chris Rooney. The video evidence of the horrific call below still has the Big Mans head shaking.
Ultimately and inadvertently as the video shows. Chris Rooney's buffoon call could have ended Mats Zucarello's NHL career when Pierre LaBlonde blatantly went for a knee on knee hit on the diminutive Norweigan forward.
Lablonde knew full well that Boogaard was still serving his ridiculous ten minute misconduct penalty, so decide to take liberties knowing their would be know repercussions.
The Mouth shares his passionate take on the play in the video below :
On Saturday we did a live remote front of the Prudential Center and gave away a bunch of fantastic prizes to Ranger fans in attendance including this Marc Staal jersey to Kristen, a rabid listener of the show as well as autographed pucks and other Ranger swag to other diehard fans of the show.
We did this all in celebration of the Wade Redden banishment to the AHL and also to show our appreciation to the loyal listeners of Blueshirt Banter Radio who simply put, have made the show the Internet Radio juggernaut that it is today.
Tonight we will be airing a special Tuesday edition of the show because of tomorrows Rangers game against the Red Wings at the Garden.
Tonight's show starts at 8 PM
Jim and myself and more importantly you fans will be talking about the recent cuts of Mats Zuccarello and Evgeny Grachev and using our crystal balls to project who will be cut from the club after Wednesday's game.
We would love to hear from you on who you think will be cut or sent down to Hartford, so join the show which airs live over the Internet at 8 PM tonight.
The Phone Number to call in is (646) 478-4692
We also have the Blueshirt Banter Chat Room, a forum which is chock full of Ranger fanatics that really adds more punch to a broadcast that is already a bit "punchy."
The Chat Room is the perfect forum to follow along with our two hour broadcast that streams live, commercial free, and uncensored.
Blueshirt Banter Radio is the true voice of the New York Ranger fan so make sure you're there !
To Listen to the show live or podcast just click below :
The Mouth had a chance to visit The Prudential Center or as "The Pebble" as he likes to call it for a preseason game between his beloved Blueshirts and the New Jersey Devil Dogs.
Now The Big man isn't so hot on preseason Hockey but The Mouth wanted to be there for the first game in several years that Wade Redden wasn't on the clubs National Hockey League roster.
This is certainly was a cause to celebrate with other Ranger com padres, so if the Rangers arent playing at MSG, the best way to immediately commiserate with other Ranger fanatics is go to a Devils Home game when the are playing The Rangers !
It also served as The Mouth's first chance to get a look at the Devils at their semi- new building in Newark.
Once he arrived the chaos ensued, and it was all captured by The Big Man's unsteady camera work.
Ranger Crisis is a video blog hosted by The Mouth. Established in February 2009 Ranger Crisis was created to discuss New York Ranger Hockey from the fans point view as well as explore the lighter side of being a Ranger fan through a satirical lens. However, in this case the lens is being wielded by a 48 yr old boccalone who has been following the Rangers since he was 10 like it was a religion.
The Mouth also has more Complete Ranger games and Ranger archival footage 1952-1985 than any other person on the planet. The big guy from time to time will crank up the time machine and share these video gems with his fellow Ranger fans with the intent to hearken them back to the simpler days before salary cap and Gary Bettman.
So sit back and enjoy Blue Shirt fans as it's all beamed right onto your computer desk for your enjoyment. We wholeheartedly thank you for stopping by and most importantly as always say...
[image: Alexis Lafreniere is one of the most important Rangers who needs a
career year in 2026-2207]The New York Rangers boast a different lineup
heading i...
Here are today’s news and links: Rangers News: Highlights: NYR 4, OTT 0
(4:58 video via NHL.com) Game Recap: With any and all regular season glory
that can...
Will Cuylle (OHL Images)Friday night was more than just the New York
Rangers game two win as the last two Rangers prospects got their league
finals under...
So far this month the Rangers have gone 3-4. Since November 27th the
Rangers have gone 5-5. Their last ten games have been a perfect .500 dance
of win one,...
Click here to read my story on last night’s game, from lohud.com. Thoughts:
1) I didn’t see an eight-game winning streak coming. I really didn’t.
Actuall...
The second season begins Wednesday and Thursday for the NHL. The teams that
made into the top 8 in their respective conferences will do battle for the
righ...
