Well, there's a lot to catch up on here, isn't there?
The biggest development of the preseason outside of the usual "The Sky Is Falling" routine--seen here and here--from certain Rangers beat writers would of course have to be the naming of Chris Drury as the 25th captain in team history.
Tom Renney announced the decision at a team dinner in Prague Friday night and I couldn't think of a better man for the job. The guy does all the little things right, he plays a skilled game, is an emotionally-engaged leader, is clutch out of his mind, blocks shots, saves babies from burning buildings and, uhh, you get the idea. Now that I think about it, he isn't all too bad at taking care of the big things either. [I watch that video way too much. I must be some kind of masochist.]
Lastly, it's not as though Chris has got to go at it alone. Markus Naslund, the Canucks captain since 2000, and Scotty Gomez will also be there to provide solid leadership.
No word yet on how close Colton Orr was to getting a C or an A stitched onto his number 28 sweater, but one would have to guess it was a tough call for Tom Renney.
Colton Orr doesn't know what the frick I'm talking about either. Look at him all puzzled.
BERN, BABY, BERN:
[Nabbed via sports.webshots.com]
Something else I missed in my lazy, postless..ness was the Rangers pair of exhibitions against SC Bern and Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the inaugural Victoria Cup.
I found myself--just as I had been for the Winter Classic last year--absolutely glued to my television, awed by these intriguing sights and sounds I hadn't experienced before. Drums were pounding, fans singing and chanting--why no cursing, booing the home team or telling a Hall-of-Famer who retired 20 years ago that he sucks?. It was pretty entertaining stuff. I almost forgot that I'd have to watch the Blueshirts play six mind-numbingly awful games against the trap-happy, craptastic Devils. Woo!
One thing these games showcased is the passion the European fan has for the NHL. I do like the idea of NHL teams across the pond, but I have to wonder if these people--used to paying $10 a seat for their season ticket at the PostFinance Arena in Bern--would be quite so enthused shelling out wads of cash to see the NHL on a regular basis.
In any case, though the competition might not have been up-to-snuff--moreso in the case of SC Bern--there's something to be said for the confidence that winning can pump into a team. It's certainly hard to doubt the little seeds of chemistry being sewn between some of our top-six forwards.
I haven't posted in a while. The rust is there for sure. But Rome wasn't built in a day, I'll be back with thoughts on the NHL Premier from Prague. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the games in Switzerland--the second a shot of your new Captain, doing what he does best. Enjoy:
[Via MSNBC.com]
[Via Slapshot Blog at NYTimes.com]
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