Blue Notes

As in the skate this morning, Martin Straka will return to the Jagr-Gomez duo; Sean Avery slides back with Dubinsky and Shanahan, Chris Drury is between Prucha and Dawes.
The HBO line is intact.

Straka is back on the No. 1 line, Renney said a few minutes ago, because that trio seemed to play more "by instinct". He acknowledged that it was "taking a little bit of sizzle (Avery) off the line" but that it would be useful elsewhere.

Marcel Hossa's MRI revealed a slightly herniated disc that will require rest. Renney said it was unclear how or when the injury occured. Counting tonight, Hossa will have missed seven straight games, although he was a healthy scratch for the first few.

The Rangers have not won a road game in 2008 (0-4-2); the Flyers are 5-1-1 in the last seven here.

More from Wachovia Center later...

Some of what you missed earlier....

"I think New Jersey tomorrow night and in Montreal on Sunday lends itself to Henrik, and Steve has played well in here (38 saves in his Rangers debut, a 3-1 win on March 27, 2004), the one time he was here with us anyway," said Tom Renney. "He's looked good when he's played, so there's zero concerns about that. He's big guy and he takes up a lot of the net, and Philadelphia's a physical team."

"Yeah, I played here in the season before the lockout, different team now," Valiquette said while taping his sticks.

****
The line combinations "are something to look at; whether we go with that, we'll wait and see. It is like coming home to a certain degree...... One thing you're looking for too is consistency and familiarity, but our players know what is required, regardless of the competition." Personally, I think Straka with Jags, not Avery, makes sense.

****
Asked about the Flyers' Dan Briere and Chris Drury, former Sabres who are trying to adjust, Renney said:

"I don't think that's unusual, Finding their way in any new system outside of where they've been for a good number of years is difficult for anybody. The one thing that I like and it's probably the same with Danny, is that Chris has been consistent with his approach to the game day in and day out, very professional, completely committed to how we want to play and
what we try to do. So because of that and because of his history, it's only a matter of time. Obviously, time is of the essence for us. But in a quiet sort of way, as he's trying to get his footing, he's still having a good year. The points may not indicate as such, but he's played pretty well for us."

****
When I asked if he was comfortable carrying just 12 healthy forwards, Renney's response was: "Yeah, we'll see what happens beyond tonight. Struds could swing back up front." IMO, seems like something has to give.

****
As for what might be lacking in Mara's play, Renney said: "Just general firmness. As a group I find that our defensemen right now are not getting the separation when they go to get
pucks and retrievals. You've got to be on your toes and gotta be taking inventories as you do that. Paul's a big strong guy who can get to places well, so just a reminder to him that's what we need, not only from him, but our group in general. And we've got to get Harry in. "

From this point of view, and probably the team's, if Malik is to be moved, he needs to play. Strudwick over Mara tonight may be a concession that the game will be rough.

The internet outage in Asia and the Mideast must have contributed to me losing my entry here in Philly.

So this will be a quick replay with more to come:

As mentioned as a strong possiblity here yesterday, Steve Valiquette is giving Henrik a breather. He last played Jan. 3 and faced the Flyers in the 5-3 loss at MSG last Feb. 17 when both Shanahan (concussion) and Lundqvist (shoulder) left the game.

One surprise is that D Paul Mara is sitting, Marek Malik and Jason Strudwick are dressing. Marc Staal will play, still a little flu-ish.

No callups. I'm mystified. Just 12 healthy forwards.

Some line tinkering: Straka back with Gomez, Jagr. Avery back with Dubinsky, Shanny. Might happen, but Renney said not to read too much into it.

More on the way...

Backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette could very well start against the Flyers tomorrow night in the first game of the back-to-back road series. Henrik Lundqvist would then play Friday against New Jersey in Newark and in Montreal on Sunday afternoon. Lundqvist has allowed just three goals in four defeats of the Devils this season and four goals in two wins against the Canadiens.

After practice today at the Spectrum, coach Tom Renney said he was "contemplating" using Valiquette (2-3-1, with a 2.73 GAA) rather than play Lundqvist two consecutive nights.

"Over the long haul, you're playing four in six and back-to-back and three in four," said Renney. "I think Henrik's looking much more in control of his game, so there's really no reluctance to do that other than how much we're going to have to ride his back beyond this weekend. He's going to be absolutely essential to our run and I don't want to burn him out. I want him to be in a position to play as much of those as he possibly can. We're going to have to play Steve. There's no question about that. (Henrik) was good against Montreal and New Jersey and I like the day off in between."

****
President and GM Glen Sather sat in the fifth row behind the bench, watching the skate, paging through stats and taking phone calls. Sather, who also was in Carolina, and I briefly exchanged greetings, but according to a team spokesman, Sather would not be available to discuss the state of the ninth-place team. "When there's news, he'll talk," he said. "Nothing's imminent."

****
The players dressed at Wachovia Center and wore sandals or sneakers, bussed over and laced up their skates at the Spectrum...Renney used some colorful language during attack drills. "Everybody understand the ------ concept? Drive the net. You want to win hockey games? ------ wake up!"....At one point, Shanahan took linemates Brandon Dubinsky and Nigel Dawes to the dry-erase board attached up on the glass to discuss positioning...Near the end of practice, bare-headed Jagr fired puck after puck off the old sideboards from about seven or eight feet away. At one point, a puck whizzed back high at him, forcing him to rapidly duck. He stopped and skated away. When I asked him in the ancient locker room, with a row of clothes hooks and wooden benches, what he was doing and if he could teach me that shot, he said with a grin: "I was trying to get injured." Then he took a cell phone call from pal Petr Nedved and the two chatted in Czech.

****

Marc Staal (flu) and Marcel Hossa (back spasms) were absent. Renney said he anticipated that Staal, who has a slight cut under his left eye from an errant puck, would play tomorrow. Hossa, on the other hand, cannot skate and could be placed on injured reserve, Renney said. Asked about a possible callup of Ryan Callahan or another player from the Wolf Pack, he said. "We're thinking about it. We have a spot (even without IR for Hossa). We're not sure yet about today." But the same line combinations that were created three games ago were used and Renney said he'd like to " give them every opportunity to develop a level of success with some consistency."

****
Former Ranger defenseman Dave Maloney sat on the bench and reminisced about the building, now the home of the AHL Phantoms, which he first visited as a rookie playing for coach John Ferguson. "Hasn't changed one bit. The crowd was right on top of you....It was intimidating coming down that ramp (from the parking lot) past security, dark, barbed wire...In 1977, one of our guys got belted in the corner over there and Fergy went down the bench, poking five guys to go out there (for revenge). I remember seeing him come over and jab me...there I was, 19....I remember a two-game series here in January '79 where JD (John Davidson) must have faced 100 shots. He was black and blue all over...Some games here, they'd (the Flyers) spend 10 minutes chasing Doogie (Ron Duguay) around, take a couple penalties, we'd score a couple power play goals and that was it."

...where in a couple hours the Rangers are scheduled to practice at the old Spectrum, a joint haunted by the ghosts of former Flyers and the scene of many bloody battles.

Tomorrow, these Rangers will try to exorcise their own demons across the street against this year's model of the Broad Street Bullies.

That will be the 53rd game of the season, a season in which the Rangers are still groping like a blindfolded man in a messy apartment, trying not to whack his head on a closet door or trip over the coffee table.

Last year, the Rangers lost their 52nd and 53rd games before the spirited Sean Avery arrived with a flashlight to help lead them out of the darkness. Don't see any Avery-style savior on the immediate horizon, unless there's a deal of which I'm unaware.

Given that, I'll have a queston for the coach this afternoon: Where's Ryan Callahan?
The Rangers have a space on the 23-man roster and even if they didn't, Marcel Hossa, who has missed six games---the last few with back spasms, could be shipped out for conditioning.

Nobody on this team is hot. Shanahan broke the longest dry spell of his career, but he clearly has slowed. Avery and Prucha had no shots on goal last night. Ryan Hollweg has been awful. Girardi and Strudwick got toasted. And when even Trevor Letowski easily beats the King, well, things have gone awry.

Clutch goals? Haven't seen one from Drury in ages.

Game-turning saves? Not from Henrik.

Sure, they stuck up for each other and were burned by the refs.

But as Jagr said last night in the locker room after I asked him to explain the turnaround in the game: "Just say we ----"

They have another chance to prove the Captain---and plenty of observers---wrong tomorrow against the Flyers.

Please swing by here later for a report from practice....

Nigel Dawes, with five points in the last seven games, will be on the power play with Gomez and Drury.

He has one power-play goal, against New Jersey on Oct. 25.

But Dawes has a quick release, a heavy shot and certainly can pass. This is his first career game against the Hurricanes.

Walked past Dan Girardi on the bike after I mentioned to someone that it appeared the Mets had landed Johan Santana, and he perked right up. "The Mets got Santana?"...Girardi has eight points in the last 15 games. He has a goal and assist against Carolina this season...

More from the press box later...

OK, more from Raleigh, the first day---and gut check---of the rest of the season....

The two 21-year-old Rangers who played and excelled in the Young Stars game in Atlanta came away with slightly different feelings. For Marc Staal, the trip turned into a family affair; for Brandon Dubinsky, it was a thrill---and a break from the grind of the NHL schedule.

Staal, who had a goal and assist on Saturday, said the experience of playing and then watching his brother Eric, a center for the Canes, score twice and be named that game's MVP, was "awesome" and would give him some extra juice for the rest of the schedule. "Just being there was an honor in itself, growing up I always watched those games and to be a part of it was very cool."

Staal had dinner last night at Eric's house about 10 minutes away from the RBC Center; he had also been there at Christmas. "He (Eric) played a good game... a couple tap-in goals, but you've gotta finish. He told us whoever was nicest to him in the next few weeks would get it (the vehicle awarded to the MVP), but I don't know if I can do that for a minivan...He has kids, he could use it."

Dubinsky, who was awaiting delivery of his MVP trophy for his three-point effort, said the four days away from New York were fun---and worthwhile. Last night, he said, when he checked into the team hotel here, "I rode the bike a little while and just relaxed, ordered room service and a movie...I used it more as a break, even though I was playing hockey, I just relaxed and re-energized my body to get ready for the last 30 games of the season. I feel good here, ready to go for sure. That was the main thing, it's behind us now."

Dubinsky, who has three goals and three assists in the last seven games, said "you improve playing with these guys at this level; but I'm not doing anything diftferent or approaching it any different now, just taking it every day and trying to help this team win."

****
The Rangers' power play (1-21) versus Carolina's penalty kill (10-for-10) could be the difference tonight. What does Rangers coach Tom Renney want to see? "Hunting down loose pucks, continuing to get pucks to the net in traffic and then looking for the second chance off that," he said. "We do put a lot of shots on goal in general, but the function is making sure to get to the rebounds. Beyond that it's quick puck movement; we need to bring a little more vigor to that part of our game."

Asked about the need to be physical against the speedy, skilled Hurricanes, Renney said, "From my point of view, for the next 31 games, we're going to have to see an element of that no matter who we play. We have to make sure we're engaged physically, that we're engaged emotionally, that we understand within the structure of how we want to play that you need to tap in to that part of yourself."

****

Former Rangers center Matt Cullen makes his first appearance against the team since Dec. 26, when his jarring, helmet-to-helmet, blue line collision with Colton Orr in the second period left him with the first concussion of his career and a broken nose.

"It hasn't been a fun stretch," said Cullen, who has no lasting effects from the hit in that 4-2 loss, during which Sean Avery broke a bone in Andrew Ladd's face. The Canes were 5-9-1 aftet that game, and Ladd is wearing a full cage/visor.

Cullen, on pace for a career year in points, was 1-1-2 in the last four games before the break after missing nine of ten. "I think it's the same story as two years ago, we're a skating and skill team and we, as a group, need to match that physicality."

****
The lines:
Avery-Gomez-Jagr
Dawes-Dubinsky-Shanahan
Straka-Drury-Prucha
Hollweg-Betts-Orr

Avery by the way, was giving Scott Gomez some grief in the post-skate dressing room because on a conference call before the All-Star Game, Gomez mentioned that Avery's taste in music included "every new crappy album" and that he critiqued everyone's wardrobe. And yes, Jagr was kidding about Belichick's ancestry ; he follows the NHL, and he knows Belichick isn't Czech... Rangers fly direct to Philly, (so do I in the a.m.) and will practice at the old Spectrum at noon tomorrow.

****
One travel sidebar. Not only is gasoline $2.97 in the area, there were some quality listens on XM in the rental Hyundai while driving around last night and today: Willy Porter's "Rita", the Dead's "Tennessee Jed'', Ryan Adams' "Carolina Rain", a cut from Dan Wilson's (formerly of Semisonic) latest, "Free Life", the Band's "Across the Great Divide", and "She Heightened Everything", with its Byrds-like guitars, from the underrated Pernice Brothers.

Definitely swing by later for more pre-game and in-game thoughts...

No. 8 practiced, but is scratched tonight.

"Just hasn't been on the ice enough," said coach Tom Renney.

That makes five scratches in nine games.

Didn't see the defenseman in the locker room; spoke with Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal---who had dinner at brother Eric's house last night---("Hope he didn't poison me," he joked) and some others. We'll get to that in few minutes.

Marcel Hossa (back spasms) didn't skate. Petr Prucha took a shot off the right knee and his left shoulder was wrapped in the locker room. Drury was felled by a shot as well, but kept practicing; he was getting treatment.

Funny exchange with Jaromir Jagr, waist and below wrapped in a towel.

"Look at me and see what I did over the break," he said, flexing his upper body for the assembled media.

"What, practice holding your stomach in?" someone said.

"Bill Belichick called me," said Jagr. "They need someone strong to cover Plaxico".
Belichick "is half-Czech (chick)," Jagr said, "that's why he's so smart."

Coming back with more in a bit...

....where there's no sign of Scott Gomez, Brandon Dubinsky or Marc Staal, who were headed here straight from Atlanta's All-Star festivities.

Hmm. So I will take it upon myself to track them down tonght at Red, Hot & Blue and every other barbecue joint between here and Cary....Pass the Alka-Seltzer.

Big news from the Left Coast. Teemu Selanne back with the Ducks.
Not bad for the $600,000 or whatever they're paying him for 30-plus regular-season games
and the playoffs, where the Ducks will certainly be.

The Rangers ain't there yet, and this four-game trip is imposing. Carolina wasn't playing well before the break, the Rangers won two, but there's no mo(mentum) and the sharper team tomorrow should come away with a win.

Thanks to Newsdays' Anthony Rieber for posting the Malik Memo from the practice in Westchester. Presume I'll see the big d-man at the skate in the morning down the road here at the rink. But you have to figure that trade is in the cards at some point in the next four weeks...

But first things first, couple ribs, some chiIi, asking barkeeps and waitresses (who will probably be watching colege hoops) if they've seen three hockey players

And then tomorrow, before the skate, the hotel gym to work off those fixins'

The Rangers just started a 4 p.m. skate in Greenburgh and former un-person Marek Malik is on the ice. What does it mean? Will he play tomorrow? Has he skaken Tom Renney's hand today? It'll be about an hour or so before we can talk to Malik and the coach to find out the latest, so why don't you use that time to speculate and tell us what you would like to see happen? We'll be back later with the answers.
UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.:
Renney said, "Back in the fold. Away we go."
Would Malik play tomorrow? "Chance of that. We'll see."
Malik said he had a "really good talk" with Renney and with his teammates. He seemed most upset the issue of his not shaking Renney's hand had leaked out of the locker room. He said, "Obviously, I'm not happy I'm going in and out of the lineup." He said he did not ask Renney for a trade.
So there you go.

....with two goals in the 3-on-3 showcase yesterday in Atlanta.

Has to be a thrill for the kid, who will be a Ranger for a long time, as long as he stays healthy

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed today that the Rangers will open next season with two games against the Lightning in Prague's Saska Arena.

For the first time in NHL history, on Saturday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 5, two NHL games will be played in Europe on the same day.

The Penguins and Senators will play home-and-home games in Stockholm at the Globe Arena. The league also said that the Rangers would face European club champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia) in the first-ever Victoria Cup in Bern, Switzerland on Oct. 1 and SC Bern on Sept. 30

Danny: Honestly never saw our Mr. Brooks recent suggestion on a Rangers' Hall of Fame, but to be fair, the concept was openly discussed back when No. 11 was retired as well.

To Larry and his fans (which I'm one, we schmooze at practice and on the road all the time), if you're offended this time, mea culpa.

Greg and others who emailed, thanks all for your comments on the Leetch night live blog, and yeah, I saw the "Bryan" sign. To take in everything and convey the atmosphere quickly was tricky, but yeah, I couldn't include everything. Thought all the newspapers/online coverage of the event and the game was quite good.

Laurie: I'm not sold on these Montoya rumors either, but at some point, with Lundqvist in the fold long-term, do you re-sign Al, an RFA, for big money as a backup?

Gotta run. Putting together my weekly NHL Insider for Sunday and something on Scott Gomez, the Rangers lone All-Star rep.

See ya tomorrah...

Monday ain't a fun day
Tuesday's a blue day
Wednesday's a frenzy
Thursday's the worst day
Friday is great
'Cause I can hardly wait
Until the weekend

Dave Edmunds/Nick Lowe

Actually, Thursday was a great day---at Madison Square Garden at least, maybe not for Marek Malik, but the weekend's here, with all the Rangers except Scott Gomez off.

We'll be monitoring the situation with Malik, who angered players as well as Tom Renney when he refused to shake the coach's hand after Tuesday's win---as well as catching the Brad Mehldau Trio at the venerable Village Vanguard tonight.

But two thoughts:

Wish the Rangers would have jointly retired No. 9 in the name of Adam Graves/Andy Bathgate. Graves surely wouldn't have minded.

Jean Ratelle, Harry Howell and Vic Hadfield also deserve some recognition, if not a banner, then some plaques in a Rangers Hall of Fame area at the Garden---which, by the way, should be free to enter. It's heritage. Not bankable.

Your thoughts?

There's a school of thought/rumors out there that goaltender Al Montoya will be packaged with the unhappy Malik---who may have played his last game as a Ranger. Certainly Montoya is a trading chip, and Malik alone may not be worth more than a fourth-rounder, according to some people familiar with the team's thinking.

More later....

With family gathered around him, Leetch, holding son Sean, is watching the banner being hoisted, stopping halfway, then continuing, as flashbulbs pop...

Sam Rosen summed it up: "You will live in our hearts and Madison Square Garden forever," then echoing his call of the Cup clincher..."this one will last a lifetime."

Leetch just made the announcement that Adam Graves, who played with the Rangers for 10 years, will be the sixth player honored with a retired jersey....Graves looked stunned and hugged Leetch...

Expect the ceremony to be next year sometime...details to follow

Wearing his 1994 Stanley Cup ring, Leetch thanked his parents, his wife, and then tapped his heart. "I've always been privileged to play for the Rangers," and said he appreciated the trainers, doctors and former GM Neil Smith, who was in the stands.

"We'll always share that championship banner that hangs from the rafters," he said, acknowledging Beukeboom, "who always played his best in big games" and others.

At 6:55, the Rangers filed onto the bench, wearing commemorative jerseys with a "2" patch on the shoulder, and Messier began his speech...

"There it is," someone from the crowd yelled, as Messier began to tear up...

"Brian is forever going to be the benchmark of what it's like to be a Ranger.." Mess said, and called Leetch, "the greatest Ranger ever..."

"It's great to be back in the Garden...You never know when you're gonna hear those cheers again when you retire," he began.

"I'd like to start by thanking Jim Dolan...(to a tremendous bust of boos). I'd like to thank the Thrashers and Rangers players for putting up with this..."

At 7:05, Leetch thanked Craig Patrick for drafting "a skinny kid" in 1986 and read a passage from his essay in the program...

More soon...

With the sold out crowd on their feet, two more terrific defensemen joined the circle of honor at mid-ice....the players whose numbers are reired came next, wearing blue jerseys, "ed-die' chants began before Giacomin hit the carpet...Richter, then Messier followed, with the noise building...

Leetch's parents, borther, sister, wife and three children entered from center ice. The kids had No. 2 jerseys with their first names stitched on...

The first gift was a Harley, driven by Darren Langdon and Tie Domi...

More soon..

...started with Smashing Pumpkins, a Leetch favorite, great opener.

then Leetch in dark suit, walked into the dresing room to a standing ovation from the players, his jersey hanging in a stall between Shanahan and Avery, then a final walk from the locker room on the red carpet to center ice at 6:40 p.m. as he applauded the fans at center ice..

. The chant of Brian Leetch started, as Leetch stood with his hands behind his back, listening to Sam Rosen....

The intros: His first roomie, Brian Mullen, wearing a white jersey with no. 19, then Ron Greschner and No. 4, coming through the zamboni entrance, then Jan Erixon, who flew in from Sweden, then the cheers of "Boook" for d-partner Jeff Beukeboom

More coming...

Defenseman Marek Malik met with Tom Renney this morning in Westchester, but has not been traded, according to Renney, who spoke to the media a few moments ago. He said he didn't anticipate Malik being at tonight's game, and declined to answer other questions.

So the possibilities are that Malik has been suspended, or he'll be traded soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow. Again, his equipment was gone from his locker this morning.

Paul Mara will pair with Jason Strudwick....

The buzz here is all about Brian Leetch---they are rehearsing introductions now---but there is still no word of the status of a current defenseman, Marek Malik, who was not at the skate this morning and the Rangers termed it an "internal matter.'' No one, at this point, has been called up from Hartford. My guess: Malik, who has three assists in 26 games and is a plus-1, will be traded tomorrow.

***
Chris Drury, raised in Connecticut like Brian Leetch, said the ceremony would be
"a thrill for me to watch."
Drury and Leetch never crossed paths in Connecticut ---''he's way older than me," Drury said with a laugh---"but just growing up and watching him in college and the Olympics, was amazing....we played together in Salt Lake City at the 2002 Olympics." The delayed start wouldn't affect him, he said. 'For a legend, it's well worth the wait...guys like this have laid the groundwork for the rest of us."

***
Sam Rosen will be the emcee, and there is one guest speaker: Mark Messier....
There are three red carpets, leading to a circular carpet at center ice. The No. 2 banner will be placed between No. 11 and 35....About 400 press credentials were issued, about four times the normal number...

***
Renney said he thought the one-game suspension for Kovalchuk's hit was fair. "I thought myself that he left his feet."...Renney said he believed the Thrashers would come out "twice as hard as Tuesday...we have to make sure we live up to our part of the bargain."
Scouts from Columbus and Nashville are here...Referee Chris Rooney is ill and Brian Pochmara is replacing him.

****
Some info from broadcaster (and ace researcher) Kenny Albert: Jaromir Jagr and Fedor Tyutin (nine games) are the only current Rangers to play with Leetch. Jagr is the only one to play on all three recent jersey retirement nights: for Mike Richter, Messier and tonight. Jagr also played in Wayne Gretzky's last game...

***
And a E-2 on my part: The St. Louis Blues player who fought Chris Nilan at the beginning of Brian Leetch's first game at the Garden in 1988 was Tony McKegney, not Walt McKechnie, as I wrote yesterday.

Defenseman Marek Malik's equipment was not in his practice locker and could be on the move.

"Right now it's just an internal matter," said Tom Renney. Asked if Malik would be at tonight's game, Renney responded:."That's to be determined." Asked if he was suspended, Renney declined to answer. Asked if he was still on the team, the answer was: "He's a Ranger,"
.
For how long, who knows?

Renney wouldn't confirm that the 6-foot-6 Malik, 32, an unrestricted free agent who has played just and the target of Garden boo-birds all season, was being traded. Malik, earning $2.5 million this season, was scratched for four of the last nine games.

Marcel Hossa, troubled by back spasms for a few days, didn't skate eithe, although he was riding a bike in the training room, Renney said he would use to All-Star break to rest.
So Paul Mara will return to the lineup after Tuesday's scratch.

As reported here and elsewhere, plans for the Rangers and Tampa to open the 2008-09 NHL regular season in Prague have been finalized, a source said today, and the deal will be announced this weekend in Atlanta.

The two games would be played on the weekend before the mid-week start of the regular season, and the Rangers would go to Bern, Switzerland to participate against club teams before that.

Marek Malik and Marcel Hossa aren't in the morning skate, we'll find out what's up soon....

Don't worry, not tonight, overnight tomorrow.

For maintenance purposes, all of our blogs will be out of service from midnight to 6 a.m. Eastern Time this Saturday morning...consider it a brief All-Star break.

OK, next, some coffee, breakfast and off to the skate soon. First, a quiz:

What number did Brian Leetch wear at Boston College?

Wasn't 2....

Brian Leetch is ready for the ceremony.

He met with the media yesterday at 30 Rock and was relaxed, told stories, recalled his first game at MSG, etc. Graves had some terrific stories as well. A few are in my piece today in Newsday and on newsday.com.

But there's not enough space or time for them all. I'll throw a few up here later though...

His agent, Jay Grossman, said that Brian has been much more mellow since his retirement because he put so much pressure on himself to excel every night during his career.

As for the game, well, Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk is suspended for tonight, according to the league for the boarding/game misconduct on Michal Rozsival Tuesday.

Swing by later for notes from the morning skate and the Garden, where festivities start at 6:30, warmups at 7:30 and the puck drops 8:08...

Perhaps.

But we've all seen flashes of this before. Sustaining the determination in all three zones, for 60 minutes, hasn't happened for more than a few games in a row.

The Rangers---and the crowd---should be fired up after the banner-raising Tuesday, and another win would, as Tom Renney said, allow the team to "go into a four-day layoff and think about good things. We haven't been able to do that recently..."

****
.
Henrik Lundqvist said after the game that he would not visit his father, who is recovering from brain surgery, in Sweden during the All-Star break. "I thought about it, talked to my mom, it's a very short time. Tom said he would give me an extra day. But I talk to my dad every second day and I'm confident he's feeling better."

So instead, he and friends will head to Vermont. "It's better to relax," he said," and you don't know how you will react to see your dad in the shape like that. I've got a good feeling inside of me about that and I want to keep it that way. I'll take the break to really recover because it's going to be a really important time for us after that."

****

Assorted quotes:

BRANDON DUBINSKY: "We had a good day (Monday) and came back together as a team. I would love to leave here jumping for joy, but we have to bear down and play like this every single night for the next 32 games....we obviously have to play desperate. We have a lot of ground to make up.We have to start winning no matter what it takes."

FEDOR TYUTIN: "This will help us as a team going forward. It's a good game to build on."

STATS: Jagr has 19 points in the last 14 games....Drury won 11 of 18 faceoffs and just missed scoring twice...Gomez has 11 multipoint games...Avery has two goasl int he last three games

More tomorrow...

...

As a friend just emailed, there is a team more comatose than the Rangers.

Without Kovalchuk, there's not much else. The Rangers are hitting Marian Hossa and keeping him ineffective. And Slava Kozlov's bonehead move along the boards, skating off on the power play, allowed Straka to bust in for the shortie.

This could be a lot more lopsided if the Rangers had any type of power play. A dreadful 0-12 coming in, 0-for-3 so far...

Brandon Dubinsky playing very well, as he has in the past two weeks; Tyutin and Jagr have two assists each...

More later, but if the current scores hold up around the league, the Rangers would be a point out of eighth (Boston) and two out of seventh (Isles).

Henrik Lundqvist has been snubbed again as a All-Star rep. Boston's Tim Thomas has been named to replace Martin Brodeur, who has some family issues.

Listen, we all know that Henrik has not been great in the last month or so.

But how about the first eight weeks?

Sid the Kid's high ankle sprain was checked out and that's the diagnosis from the Pens' docs...

The bad news for Rangers fans: He'll presumably be back for the final three games against the Blueshirts on March 18, 30 and 31. Isles face Pens twice next month.

And the Leafs front-office shakeup has come down: GM John Ferguson Jr. is out

In order to create more energy, accoridng to the coach, Avery moves up to play left wing with Gomez and Jagr; Dubinsky will center Dawes and Shanahan, and Drury will center Straka and Prucha. The fourth line remains the same; Marcel Hossa is scratched again.

Marek Malik is back in, playng with Michal Rozsival. Strudwick with Marc Staal, Fedor Tyutin with Dan Girardi. Paul Mara, whose shot on the power play may be missed, is not being punished, said Renney, for his play. "It's to get Harry (Malik) in," he said.

If you're a skeptic, you may wonder whether a deal involving Mara or Malik, both unrestricted free agents, is in the works. I'll make some inquiries...

Henrik Lundqvist is in the net again....