The Re-Tort of the Unforgettable Fire

The way everyone watching the New York (St)Rangers over the last few weeks was figuring it, something had to give. So, Glen Sather got his broom and swept away the laid-back, player-friendly Tom Renney and his constituents from the ire of the Garden faithful.

However, in many circles, it is thought that Sather himself needs to go.  

Anyone who has read my babblings of late knows that I share this opinion. Alas, that change may be inevitable, but it will have to wait until the offseason.

Right now, there is a more important matter at hand.

Sather, in an effort to light a fire under his cap-tight team, hired John Tortorella to replace the oft-maligned Tom Renney. In the first three games in his return as Garden bench boss, he has a record of 1-1-1.

Not bad, considering that record came during a stint of three-in-four that the NHL schedule makers love to give the Rangers every year.

A couple of things to note.

- The Rangers, under Torts, outshot their opponents 103-70, and went 2-for-10 on the power play. Prior to that, they had only three power play goals in 37 chances, and in 10 games they only managed to outshoot their opponents five times.

- If you've been watching the Rangers play, you may have noticed that their play has greatly improved. They pressure the puck more. They use their speed. Their defense actually looks as if they want to keep their jobs off of the waiver wire.

- On the downside, Brandon Dubinsky, although he is playing with a fire close to his behind, still has not solved his goal scoring deep freeze. Even during the Colorado romp on Saturday, he couldn't get over that hump. Torts is sure that his play will merit a coming out party.

But how long will is patience last? You've got to figure that the new Rangers coach, who is not known for his diplomacy, will stop waiting and promote Dubes to the president of the healthy scratch committee.

One other concern is Lundquist. This writer, for one, is seriously loyal to King Henrik, but one cannot overlook that with a more uptempo style, and a defense that can sometimes be as porous as an open door, can provide a goaltender with a great deal of sleepless nights and nightmares filled with blaring horns and red sirens.

Lundquist is amidst a subpar season. Is this the shape and size of things to come, or just an aberration due to sloppy play in front of him? At this point, one can only surmise.

Now, to the most immediate issue at hand. So, the Dallas Stars organization were expected to put Sean "Sloppy Seconds" Avery on re-entry waivers about an hour ago.

This paves the way for two of the strongest personalities in professional sports to try and find a way to coexist. If the potential for a Tortorella-Avery union has the potential for anything, it will give me something to write about. Hopefully...early...and often.

Of course, there is the idea that all that Torts-style accountability will provide Avery with the shelter he needs to drive this team to greatness. Or it will backfire and the two will exchange mailbombs, or fisticuffs in the Rangers practice facility.

All joking aside, the Rangers have been better with Avery than without over the last couple of years. I'd spout the record, but these numbers have been thrown at us ad nauseum. 

In the past, Avery has lit a fire in the Rangers and added a edginess to the entire squad just by tying his skates on and stepping to the ice. Hopefully, this brand of sloppy seconds is the one that provides a long-term, happy marriage.

Sather may have saved his job in the short term, but how long will it be before Garden checkbook Jim Dolan figures out that his books have not been balanced?

Regardless of whether the Rangers make the playoffs, and even if they somehow manage to win the Stanley Cup (HA!), I believe that Sather must either find a new job or retire. Either way, the lack of foresight that has created this brand of salary cap disaster cannot go overlooked, ignored, or unpunished.

If the Garden faithful are right about anything, it is that. So, boys, let the ire ring out loud and true from those teal-colored blue-seats. Make sure it's loud enough for Dolan to hear you, because, Dolan must be high to have let this whole thing go on as long as it has.