• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14006689.htm
Rangers drub Flyers, widen division lead

BY JOHN DELLAPINA

New York Daily News

<!-- begin body-content --> PHILADELPHIA - Somewhere, Herb Brooks was smiling. And nodding knowingly.
On a night of utter torture for Philadelphia fans that had to bring back 20-year-old memories of Brooks' Smurfs confounding the lumbering lot from Philly, the Rangers absorbed some physical punishment but administered a scoreboard beating in a 6-1 thrashing of the Flyers at the Wachovia Center.
Picking up right where they left off before their 18-day Olympic break, the Rangers won for the 11th time in 13 games (11-1-1) and pushed their Atlantic Division lead over the second-place Flyers back to four points.
The only negative on this otherwise satisfying night for the Rangers? After scoring two goals and setting up a third, Jaromir Jagr left the game early in the third period after aggravating the hip injury he suffered in the Olympic bronze medal game from a Darius Kasparaitis hit.
Jagr said afterward that he believed he left the game before doing any serious damage. The same could not be said for Flyers enforcer Donald Brashear, who spent the entire evening attempting to avenge another Kasparaitis Olympic hit - the hip check that knocked Flyers/Canada winger Simon Gagne out with a groin injury.
With 1:53 left and the Rangers leading 5-1, Brashear hunted down Kasparaitis and punched him to the ice. Brashear was given 29 minutes in penalties - including the instigator penalty and game misconduct that will draw an automatic one-game suspension. Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock also will receive a $10,000 fine.
"He told me I wasn't going to finish the game," the fearless Kasparaitis said of Brashear. "I finished the game but he didn't - he got thrown out."
Brashear wasn't particularly politic afterward.
"This game is gay now," he observed. "You can't even do anything anymore. ... They changed the game to favor the superstars. You can't do anything anymore to set some respect out there."
Rangers coach Tom Renney believes his team earned some respect by standing up to the Flyers' aggression and then punishing it severely with a 4-for-6 night on the power play.
"It's huge," said Renney, who thought long and hard before choosing savvy and skill for his lineup over trying to counter Philly's physicality. "Every time you play, you sign your work at the end of the night. Not just with the results, which is ultimately pretty important, but with how you play and how you deal with different situations.
"I thought tonight we signed our work in a unique manner in a positive way that maybe we would be somewhat underestimated for being able to do."
After Kevin Weekes' goaltending and some damage-minimizing team defense weathered the predictable initial Philly storm, the Rangers began striking with lethal precision. All the more infuriating for the hosts, the Rangers did their most devastating damage on power plays that resulted from out-of-control Flyer aggression.
Jagr - who else? - delivered the critical scoring blows for the Rangers. Jagr set up the Michael Nylander goal that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at the end of a first period in which they were outshot 15-5. Then Jagr cashed in on both ends of a five-on-three power play to break it open at the outset of the second period - his league-leading 41st and 42nd goals of the season 1:31 apart made it 3-0 and gave him 1,400 career points.
When Blair Betts - back after missing seven weeks with a knee sprain - and Jason Ward took advantage of Flyers defensive-zone gaffes to score unassisted goals, it was 5-1 by the end of the second.
 
Brashear hunted down Kasparaitis and punched him to the ice.

I would hope that this would earn some punishment.

Brashear was given 29 minutes in penalties - including the instigator penalty and game misconduct that will draw an automatic one-game suspension.

Ok, it did. Good.

"This game is gay now," he observed. "You can't even do anything anymore. ... They changed the game to favor the superstars. You can't do anything anymore to set some respect out there."

And somehow, the punishment was "gay." :slappy: I completely missed the logical connection. Thanks Donnie for enlightening me.
 
Upvote 0
the punishment wasnt gay. the way the game has become more finesse is gay. hockey is different from any other sport, an unwritten code eixists. break the code face the consequences, usually to a bigger guy. fail to man up and take the punishment, or have someone step up for you and worse will ensue. the wording is interesting... it was no bert act. but how often do you see shelley "hunt down" a guy. kasparaitis refused to drop the mitts, and he took a helluva whallup. right or wrong thats the way the games played.
 
Upvote 0
Haha, JO, why did you post that in this thread? :tongue2:

Bad news though. Hopefully he recovers fully and hasn't missed a step when he comes back. One of my best friends is a big Blues fan, I'm sure he's not happy.
 
Upvote 0
Canucks name goaltender Luongo as team captain

cancucks name their goaltender captain fyi he cant wear the "C"
By league rule, the Canucks goaltender cannot wear the 'C', but he can be named captain. Mitchell will be designated as the person who will deal with officials on a nightly basis.
As the longest serving Canuck, Mattias Ohlund will deal with any ceremonial aspects of the position such as faceoffs.

....

Only six goaltenders have served as team captains in NHL history. The Montreal Canadiens' Bill Durnan was the last goaltender to serve as captain in the 1947-'48 season.
Prior to 1948-'49, the NHL passed a rule prohibiting goalies to act as captain or assistants in what could be called the 'Durnan Rule.'
The Canadiens keeper left his crease so much to argue calls that opponents protested saying that Durnan's actions gave the Canadiens unscheduled timeouts during strategic points in games.

:shake:
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top