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by Toby Ivey
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2003-04 Ex-Ranger All-Stars
July 18, 2004
For the fourth consecutive year, Outside The
Garden has searched around the league for the best and fairest of former Ranger
players and properties. This year things were a little more exciting with
the addition of several high profile players to the "Ex-Ranger" ranks
when GM Glen Sather purged the roster of a number of well known names.
Many of these players, along with several regulars from the previous four years
make their appearance for the 2004 OTG Ex-Ranger All-Star team.
First Line
Martin Rucinsky
Vancouver Canucks
1-2-3 in 13 games
1st Appearance |
Doug Weight
St Louis Blues
14-51-65 in 75 games
4th Appearance |
Tony Amonte
Philadelphia Flyers
20-33-54 in 80 games
4th Appearance |
The
selection of Rucinsky to the 2004 All-Star team is more a result of
his play with the Rangers prior to the trade deadline than what he
did with Vancouver in the final month of the season.
Signed as a free agent, Rucinsky was one of the few bright spots for
a woeful Blueshirt line-up and ended up being one of the several
veteran players purged at the March 9th deadline.
Rucinsky is a free agent this summer, so there's a good chance we'll
see him again in the All-star ranks in the near future.. |
Every season
that Outside The Garden has held the voting for the Ex-Ranger
All-stars, there are a couple of names that continue to feature
prominently. The first is almost always Doug Weight who
received more votes as a forward than any other player except for
his line-mate Tony Amonte.
Weight continues to be a premier pivot for the St Louis Blues and
managed to remain a little healthier this year over the past couple
of seasos. Weight will once again return with St Louis next
season and figures once again to be in the All-Star mix. |
Despite
playing for the hated Flyers, Amonte continues to retain the respect
and admiration of Ranger fans. Despite another year where he
perhaps did not live up to his expectations, Amonte remains a useful
winger who can still put in 20 goals a season.
Amonte remains under contract with the Flyers for next season, but
like Weight has been subject of trade rumors as a result of his
team's high salary and the pending CBA discussions. |
Second Line
Nils Ekman
San Jose Sharks
22-33-55 in 82 games
1st Appearance |
Mike York
Edmonton Oilers
16-26-42 in 61 games
3rd Appearance |
Matthew Barnaby
Colorado Avalanche
4-5-9 in 13 games
1st Appearance |
After
a lengthy absence from the NHL, Ekman finally made his return in
grand style. Unable to break through on the veteran laden
Rangers, Ekman was traded last summer to the San Jose Sharks for
prospect Chad Wiseman.
The AHL star soon solidified a roster spot during the Sharks camp
and played in all 82 games for San Jose and a further 16 in the post
season.
His 22 goals was tied with Luc Robitaille for the most by a former
Ranger this past season, while his 55 points was second only to Doug
Weight's 65. |
Another fan
favorite, York makes it 3 for 3 in All-star appearances since the
trade that sent him to Edmonton for defenseman Tom Poti.
While Mike struggled through injuries that cost him 21 games on the
season, he continues to perform well at both ends of the ice.
The energetic centerman did however finish with his lowest goal
scoring and points totals since the 2000-01 season and will be
looking for a healthier season next year |
When
Barnaby came to the Rangers it appeared his career in the NHL might
not be a certain thing. Scoreless for almost half a season
with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Barnaby appeared to have lost his
spark.
In one of the few success stories for the Rangers, Barnaby not only
regained his spark, but also became a useful offensive contributor
in his time on Broadway and once again became a sought after
commodity at the deadline.
A stirring run with the Colorado Avalanche after the trade has
earned the fireplug winger a useful contract in Chicago where he'll
play next season. |
Third Line
Chris Simon
Calgary Flames
3-2-5 in 13 games
1st Appearance |
Marc Savard
Atlanta Thrashers
19-33-52 in 45 games
4th Appearance |
Radek Dvorak
Edmonton Oilers
15-35-50 in 78 games
2nd Appearance |
Another
of the veterans who were dispatched at the March 9th trade deadline,
Simon also earned his spot as a result of his performances with the
Rangers.
The surprising left winger totaled 17 goals with the Rangers and
Calgary, the second best performance of his career and the best
since the 1999-00 season. When you consider that he played
much of his time in New York on the fourth line, the number becomes
that more impressive.
Chipping in five goals in the Flames run to the Stanley Cup finals
only helped his cause and earned him another contract with Calgary. |
If it weren't
for injuries, Savard could well be amongst the league's scoring
elite. The smallish pivot put up 52 points in just 45 games on
what was a dynamic offensive team in Atlanta.
Savard's offensive prowess since his trade to Calgary back in the
summer of 1999 has earned him four consecutive selections to the OTG
Ex-Ranger all-star team and he will be hoping it also earns him a
pay increase with the Thrashers next season. |
The
knee injury that pretty much spelled the end of Dvorak's time on
Broadway is now ancient history. The speedy right winger
appears to have returned to the type of form that he displayed as
part of the Czech Mates line at the turn of the decade.
Although he did not approach his career high of 31 goals, Dvorak did
manage to put up the second highest point total of his career and
was just one short of his career high of 36 assists set back in the
2000-01 season.
Dvorak will once again ply his wares in Edmonton and may be joined
once again by Petr Nedved. |
Fourth Line
Luc Robitaille
Los Angeles Kings
22-29-51 in 80 games
3rd Appearance |
Petr Nedved
Edmonton Oilers
5-10-16 in 15 games
1st Appearance |
Mike Knuble
Boston Bruins
21-25-46 in 82 games
2nd Appearance |
One
thing is for certain, Luc Robitaille loves to play in Los
Angeles. After finally winning a cup with the Detroit Red
Wings in 2002-03, Robitaille followed up his 50 point season with
the worst season of his career.
Returning to Los Angeles for the third time last summer, Robitaille
bounced back with a 51 point season and earned himself another
contract while almost helping the severally undermanned Los Angeles
Kings to an improbable playoff spot.
Luc's time in the NHL appears to be nearing an end, but his 3rd
selection in 4 years was well justified. |
Freed from
the constraints of New York at the March trade deadline, Petr Nedved
almost immediately began to regain his scoring touch. With
just 31 points in 65 games as a Ranger, Nedved upped the tempo to
over a point a game with the well-coached Oilers.
With his contract now up, it appears likely that Nedved will have to
accept a pay cut to return to the Oilers, though there have been
rumors that a handful of other teams may be interested in the newly
married Czech centerman. |
Last
year Mike Knuble burst onto the scene with what can only be
described as a career year. He was certainly helped by his
transition to left wing where he saw plenty of time with the likes
of Joe Thornton and Glen Murray.
A year later and the versatile winger saw his ice time split between
different lines and both wings. As a right winger he appears
to have begun silencing his doubters with another 20 goal season and
a new contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. |
First Defensive Pair
Brian Leetch
Toronto Maple Leafs
2-13-15 in 15 games
1st Appearance |
Kim Johnsson
Philadelphia Flyers
10-29-39 in 81 games
3rd Appearance |
It
was sad day March 3rd, 2004 when lifelong Ranger defenseman Brian
Leetch was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a handful of
prospects and draft picks. It sparked the beginning of the end
for the Rangers roster and sparked numerous debates over the health
of the organization and mismanagement from the front office.
But most of all it sparked cries of despair from the Rangers
faithful, who saw in the departure of Brian Leetch, the last tie to
the glory days of the early 90s and the loss of one of the game's
best defenseman.
Leetch though handled it as a professional and immediately made a
mark on the power play where he put up many of his assists.
With another year remaining on his contract, Leetch will remain in
Toronto for the coming year before free agency once again beckons. |
With the
departure this summer of Eric Lindros, Kim Johnsson earns the
distinction of being the only player involved in the deal to remain
part of his team. The young Swede has also proven to be a
success on Broad Street where the Flyers have begun purging their
veteran defenseman in an attempt to shed payroll and get younger.
Johnsson was also one of the few, or perhaps only blueliner that
remained healthy for the Flyers in a year that took on epic
proportions as one defenseman after another fell to injury.
His 42 points this season marked the highest of Kim's career and his
goal total of 13 was two better than his previous best.
Johnsson will return once again next year to Philadelphia for his
4th season there. |
Second Defensive Pair
Sergei Zubov
Dallas Stars
7-35-42 in 77 games
4th Appearance |
Mathieu Schneider
Detroit Red Wings
14-32-46 in 78 games
4th Appearance |
It
wasn't a particularly memorable year for Sergei Zubov who managed
just seven goals, his worst total since coming to the NHL back in
1992-93 with the Rangers. With the loss of Derian Hatcher, the
entire Dallas team appeared to be worse off and Zubov was no
exception.
The veteran blueliner's performance and salary sparked rumors that
his time in Dallas may be coming to an end, but after some initial
uncertainty it now appears that he will once again return for Dallas
in 2004-05 |
Mathieu
Schneider continues to be one of the more underrated offensive
defenseman in the league, though it's fair to say that he is well
appreciated in Detroit. As part of a veteran blueline corps
that features the likes of Chris Chelios, Jason Woolley, Niklas
Lidstrom, Derian Hatcher and Jamie Rivers, Schneider has managed to
stand out and become a reliable blueline threat.
With his contract status up in the year, it remains to be seen
whether he will return to Motown, though initial reports seem to
suggest that that is where he'd like to continue his career. |
Third Defensive Pair
Marek Zidlicky
Nashville Predators
14-39-53 in 82 games
1st Appearance |
Mattias Norstrom
Los Angeles Kings
1-13-14 in 74 games
4th Appearance |
To
say that Marek Zidlicky's rookie season in the NHL was a success
would be an understatement. The smallish Czech defenseman was
part of a surprising Predators team that made their first playoff
appearance since joining the league.
Included as part of the trade that brought Mike Dunham to New York,
Zidlicky's unwillingness to sign a two-way contract was not a
problem for Nashville who quickly took advantage of his prowess on
the powerplay.
While Zidlicky remains relatively weak on the defensive side of the
puck, it's fair to say that most observers are more than willing to
overlook that in light of his offensive output. |
The lone
defensive presence on this year's All-star team, Norstrom along with
Zubov and Schneider, continues to be a consistent feature on the
Ex-Ranges blueline.
The Kings captain once again demonstrated why he is so well
respected around the league as he and former Ranger Luc Robitaille
guided an ailing Kings franchise towards the playoffs, faltering
only at the last moment when the injuries finally overwhelmed the
team.
Norstrom will once again be in Los Angeles next season and will be
looking to lead a healthier team back to the post-season.. |
Goaltending
Dan Cloutier
Vancouver Canucks
33-21-6 in 60 games 2.27 GAA .914 S%
4th Appearance |
Jussi Markkanen
Edmonton Oilers
2-2-2 in 7 games 1.83 GAA .934 S%
1st Appearance |
Once
again Dan Cloutier hit the 30 win mark with the Canucks, the third
straight year in which the young netminder has reached the
milestone. He also put up the best goals against average of
his career and equaled his best save percentage of .914 which he set
back in his days with New York.
Despite continuing questions about his post-season play, Cloutier
easily remains the most promising former Ranger goaltender in the
league. |
Markkanen
came over to New York last summer and was a solid performer for the
Blueshirts as a back-up to Mike Dunham. Included as part of
the trade that sent Petr Nedved to Edmonton, Markkanen continued his
strong season backing up Ty Conklin and setting some impressive
marks in GAA and Save % with his old team.
Markkanen will return again in 2004-05 to back up Conklin, and will
be ready to step in should the starter fail. |
Reserves
Andreas Johansson
Nashville Predators
15-14-29 in 79 games
2nd Appearance |
Alexei Kovalev
Montreal Canadiens
12-21-33 in 54 games
1st Appearance |
Greg de Vries
Ottawa Senators
2-3-5 in 11 games
1st Appearance |
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| January 14th, 2021 |
| MADISON SQUARE GARDEN |
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7:00pm -
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| ► NEXT GAMES
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Tuesday Jan 19th
7:00pm - Home
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Friday Jan 22nd
7:00pm - Road
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Sunday Jan 24th
7:00pm - Road
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Tuesday Jan 26th
7:00pm - Road
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Thursday Jan 28th
7:00pm - Road
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Saturday Jan 30th
7:00pm - Home
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Monday Feb 1st
7:00pm - Home
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Thursday Feb 4th
7:00pm - Home
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Complete Schedule
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September 29th, 2017
How many rostered players were on the ice for opening night 2016-17
Answer...
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| ► STANDINGS
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Team |
GP |
W |
L |
OT |
Pts |
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Penguins |
69 |
40 |
23 |
6 |
86 |
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Blue Jackets |
70 |
33 |
22 |
15 |
81 |
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Rangers |
70 |
37 |
28 |
5 |
79 |
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Panthers |
69 |
35 |
26 |
8 |
78 |
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Sabres |
69 |
30 |
31 |
8 |
68 |
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Flyers |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
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Red Wings |
71 |
17 |
49 |
5 |
39 |
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Lightning |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
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Capitals |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
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Senators |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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Islanders |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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Bruins |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
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Hurricanes |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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Maple Leafs |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
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Canadiens |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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Devils |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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| FULL STANDINGS |
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| ► RANDOM RANGER |
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ART COULTER
(1935-1942)
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Born: |
May 13 - 1908 |
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Pos: |
Defense |
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GP: |
288 |
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G: |
18 |
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A: |
68 |
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Pts: |
86 |
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PIMs: |
342 |
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