Avery To Zherdev: The New Rangers, A To Z

The New York Rangers have turned into a Cinderella team and that means many more hockey fans will be following them as they finish the regular season and head for the playoffs. So, for new fans and old, here's an ABC of the new Rangers, telling their story from A to Z.

A is for Avery, Aves, The Animal, the King of Agitators, and The Avery Rule. Sean Avery was a spark plug for the Rangers when he arrived from the L.A. Kings, where he led the league in penalties for two years. He's changed, again, but the Rangers hope the Superpest will keep things stirred up, bring a lot o energy and inspire the Rangers again.

And that's just what he has done. He plays left wing on the Rangers third line.

A is also for Antropov. Big Nik, 6'6", is now the Rangers leading scorer, as he had 21 with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Rangers at the NHL Trade Deadline. Antropov recorded his first goal in a Ranger uniform, and added an assist, in the Rangers' 4-3 win over Boston.

B is for Blair Betts, who is s currently centering the 4th line with Colton Orr and Fredrik Sjostrom. TSN analyst Pierre McGuire called Blair Betts the most underrated player in the league. Larry Brooks of The New York Post says Betts and Sjostrom are the best penalty killing pair in Rangers history, with a franchise high of 87.6 percent.

C is for Callahan. Ryan Callahan, born in Rochester, New York, scored the game winning goal with 20 seconds remaining to help clinch the Victoria Cup for the Rangers during an exhibition game in Switzerland.

C should also be for Alexei Cherepanov, R.I.P., a 19-year-old Russian hockey player from Avangard Omsk in the KHL, who lost his consciousness in the middle of a game in the Moscow region amd subsequently died in the intensive care unit of the local hospital. Jaromir Jagr, his teammate and mentor, went with him into the dressing room area and they revived him for some time but he didn't make it. The Rangers drafted Cherepanov with their first selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers are seeking a compensatory selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft for the loss of Alexei Cherepanov.

D is for Drury. Chris Drury, the Rangers captain, was born in Trumbull, Connecticut. Drury is only the second American-born captain in team history. He also captained the Buffalo Sabres. Drury was the1998-99 Rookie of the Year.

He won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, a silver medal for the USA at the 2002 Olympics, and was named the Best Defensive Forward (Hockey East 25th Anniversary Celebration) this year.

D is also for Dubinsky. Brandon Dubinsky was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Dubinsky centered the Rangers' first offensive line with Jaromir Jagr and Sean Avery, last year. Dubinsky was voted "Rookie of the year" by his teammates for the 2007-2008 New York Rangers. On May 12, 2008, Dubinsky scored a hat trick in his first World Championships, playing for Team USA.

E is for energy. The Rangers didn't have much in the middle of the season but they got a few jolts around the time of the NHL Trade Deadline, at the start of March.

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