Q & A With "100 Rangers Greats" Co-Author Russ Cohen

For this latest interview, I had the chance to sit down with Russ Cohen, the creator of Sportsology and one of the three co-authors of the ultimate book for the Blue Shirt Faithful, "100 Ranger Greats". I had the chance to do a pre-publication review on, back in August, and you can read my thoughts on it here. Russ also had a chance to attend the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, and go behind the scenes. I asked him about that and much more in our conversation below:

GC: You got to go behind the scenes at this year's Winter Classic. Can you describe for us your experiences there? What did you think about the actual game? And who do you think should participate in next season's Classic?

RC: It was so much fun because it’s an event. The BIG SHOW rolls into town and the interest in the game instantly goes up, which personally warms my heart, and then you run into fans from all over during your travels and I love that. The NHL, Flyers, Bruins and Red Sox really rolled out the red carpet for everybody and it was something I will always remember. I love the passion of the Boston fans and I think Fenway is the best ballpark in the world. I had a chance to take part in the media skate which was my personal highlight. The game was very exciting and I thought this was the best one yet! I think next year’s Winter Classic should be Rangers-Islanders.

GC: What is your opinion of the NHL halting play for almost a month to send players to the Olympics? Did you like it better when amateurs were used?

RC: It’s fun to watch but it does hurt some team’s playoff chances when their players come back fatigued. I think it should and will go back to amateurs.

GC: As co-author of "100 Ranger Greats", can you tell us what it was like assembling a list and then researching the hundred best players to ever wear blue?

RC: Adam Raider, John Halligan and I put a lot of time into that list and we had around 125 names. Adam created a mathematical formula to help rank many of the players at first but then we had to take into account the different eras, team awards, and a few other things you can’t factor into an equation. We then had a series of heated conference calls to hash it out. Since we are all from different eras ourselves we feel like it’s a very comprehensive list. It was very agonizing and we have since had conversations with a lot of former players about that same topic!

GC: Now to the current Rangers, why do you think they are struggling to score goals as much as they are? And where do you see the team finishing in the standings?

RC: I think the biggest problem is they have yet to assemble consistent second, third and fourth line combinations. Their secondary scoring has been paltry and their defense is very young, for the most part, so they have taken some lumps there as well. I think they need to resolve the backup goaltending spot very soon or Henrik Lundqvist could get burned out. He needs an occasional day off especially with the Olympics looming. I picked them to finish somewhere between the 8th and 12th spot in the conference before the season began and I’m sticking with that.

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