Kitchener Rangers 2018 Offseason Thread

[bobber]

I am not saying our coaches can't adjust their game if the need arises. Every OHL coach knows how to counter opposing systems. Some are more experienced and more successful at it than others. If any team in the OHL was to play the Soo this play offs they better be able to counter what the Soo throws at them or they won't be around to long.

 

[nelli27]

Does anyone know what number Dale Hunter wore in his Kitchener Rangers' days?

 

[GeoBlue]

 

[Ward Cornell]

Does anyone know what number Dale Hunter wore in his Kitchener Rangers' days?

I believe 16!
You wanna buy a Hunter Ranger jersey to to go along with your Clarkson jersey? ....just to feel the Gemütlichkeit here during Oktoberfest?

*A player on that Ranger team was Brian McDavid, Yes, Connor McDavids dad is Brian McDavid but not sure if this Brain McDavid is Connors dad though.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Kitchener draws Guelph as their first round opponent.

 

[nelli27]

I believe 16!
You wanna buy a Hunter Ranger jersey to to go along with your Clarkson jersey? ....just to feel the Gemütlichkeit here during Oktoberfest?

*A player on that Ranger team was Brian McDavid, Yes, Connor McDavids dad is Brian McDavid but not sure if this Brain McDavid is Connors dad though.

Too funny! You'll find out in a couple of weeks why I was asking!
Ward, best time for me to get a coffee would be March 28th, the 'usual spot' at around 12 noon. Bring ole Bobber! I'm buying.

 

[ScoresFromCentre]

I hope the Sting don't go into the playoffs looking past round one (again). Likewise the Rangers and Soo; there's more parity than the stats suggest IMO and some potential for any team to come out flying and upset. Looking forward to catching a lot of good games.

I was probably a bit uncharitable. Maybe it's an 80-20 split against the 6th and 7th seeds? Every once in a while one of those teams goes a round. The Soo should have no trouble, though.

Absolutely, though--these teams look past Round 1 at their peril.

 

[GeoBlue]

Now, do you think Guelph is thinking, "Hmm? Rangers were probably holding back in the last 2 games we played them", or are they thinking, "We can beat these guys!" Sometimes the intention backfires and you give the other team confidence. I would love to see the Rangers sweep just to feel better. LOL!

 

[DWI Dale]

cheap series for the teams on gas money eh?

i think kitchener puts away guelph in 5. kitcheners a big team built for a run. i think until they hit some speed the rangers are on cruise control.

 

[robertmac43]

The little amount of travel time is going to be a great way to start the playoffs. The guys can stay close to home, sleep in their beds, etc. Should help deter the wear and tear of the playoffs a bit

 

[Stormdude]

This matchup also helps the Guelph team owners because instead of drawing 3000 fans for each home game in a first round matchup with either Sarnia or the Soo, they will likely draw 4500 to 4950 fans each home game with Kitchener. Plus the atmosphere in the Sleeman Centre the last 2 games against Kitchener was electric.

Should be fun!

 

[Rangers True Blue]

If the Rangers don't come out flying right from the start this Friday, they're not serious about chasing the top spot in the OHL.

Forget the regular season......forget what was and would could have been......focus on one thing.....DOING THE JOB. Every player needs to put out 150% every shift and not take anyone lightly. It's theirs to lose now so get it in gear and play hard right to the end.

Let's see crisp passing, puck chasing, hard hitting, and yes, SHOOTING....not past the net but ON net. And please Mascherin.....SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT. Your shot is a heat seeking missile. Use it. AND let the D do their job....meaning Joey G is more valuable up front. The time to recharge is over. If this team is not charged up and ready to do this, there's a MAJOR problem. GO RANGERS!!

oh.....and please OHL......send some refs who are fair to both sides, actually know what they're doing, and let the teams win on their own.

 

[EvenSteven]

oh.....and please OHL......send some refs who are fair to both sides, actually know what they're doing, and let the teams win on their own.

Where do you suppose this league will find these refs you request??

But I hear you. The least any officiating team can do is be consistent.

 

[moose311]

Where do you suppose this league will find these refs you request??

But I hear you. The least any officiating team can do is be consistent.

Just get the pair that did the Sault game on Mar. 9. I thought that one was well-officiated. (Though perhaps that might be on the Greyhounds - they don't strike me as being interested in after-whistle nonsense - they're just there to outscore you. Makes it easier to officiate.)

 

[EvenSteven]

As far as the series goes, I'm with LoneRanger over on the Rangersrush board. This should be a yawn fest. Smith playing his old team will mean he won't be playing with the same hate had we been playing anyone else.

As far as the rivalry goes, there hasn't been any reason for there to be any hate between the two teams in years. You'd have to go back to the early 2000's and guys like Amodeo, Keefe, Clarkson, Dallman, Thompson, and Thompson.......and Thompson! Lol.

The new rules really don't allow for any real serious rivalry anyway. Today's face wash is yesterday's fight.

But look for the media to sell it as if there was a lot of dislike between the two teams. One face wash and they'll be saying that "tempers have flared".

At the end of the day, Guelph may win one game but I don't expect it. Rangers have been on cruise the last two or three weeks outside of the Sarnia / Soo games. Those last two Guelph wins vs the Rangers were the result of that.

Rangers in 4.

 

[jmkrangers]

It's always bothered me that so many people in Canada care about the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament but the average person seems to know a lot less about the (far superior) CHL Playoffs and Memorial Cup (obviously this is because of the dramatic single-elimination bracket format of March Madness and all the media attention it gets). I've always thought it would be fun though to fill out some sort of CHL playoff bracket but since I've never really found a good way to do it online, I decided to try creating my own for this year. Although it's a bit complicated and not the most user-friendly, there's step-by-step instructions on the website that should help. So if want to give it a try go to: memorialcupbracket.weebly.com . I tried to be as unbiased as I could filling out mine but there's nothing that can convince me that Kitchener won't go all the way

GO RANGERS!

 

[BogeyJ]

Put me in the im glad to see it' Guelph after all group. I personally think the travel will be beneficial but not as much as we would have or could have enjoyed and I say this only because it appears all teams in the western conference basically got ideal traveling partners as well.. SSM SAG, SAR WSR, LDN OS. So technically I don't consider that much of an advantage for the Rangers should they get past Guelph. But I like the matchup because it will be a test for us having lost the last couple games vs them even if we didn't play our regulars as much, hopefully we use those last couple of games as motivation to go out and really prove how we can play and hopefully that provides much needed momentum going into what will hopefully be round two vs. Sarnia. And why not throw out a prediction as well... Kitchener in 5, Guelph wins game 4. Looking forward to meaningful hockey again!

 

[Coaches Coroner]

As far as the series goes, I'm with LoneRanger over on the Rangersrush board. This should be a yawn fest. Smith playing his old team will mean he won't be playing with the same hate had we been playing anyone else.

As far as the rivalry goes, there hasn't been any reason for there to be any hate between the two teams in years. You'd have to go back to the early 2000's and guys like Amodeo, Keefe, Clarkson, Dallman, Thompson, and Thompson.......and Thompson! Lol.

Yet the games between the two are usually more spirited than the majority of other teams they face in my experience. I honestly don't see the trouble with the media playing up that aspect if they do so, I wouldn't expect anything different (it's standard fair to play up rivalry's in all sports). A playoff series is a good way to renew the hostilities of the rivalry. I know the tendency here and on RR can be toward the glass-half-empty take, and to reminisce about the old days but count me as one excited for this series. First time we've had really meaningful playoff hockey in a while, hoping it's enjoyable.
I say Rangers in 5, but won't be shocked if it goes to 6.

 

[EvenSteven]

Torgo, if games this year vs Guelph have been more spirited affairs, then I haven't noticed it enough for it to matter. And now since the Smith deal, his friendly interaction with his ex teammates has been a bit of a distraction to me. But I suppose it's tough to fault Smith seeing as how it's pretty much family for him over on the other side.

I'm not a fan of the bland, colourless type of hockey that comes from playing what should amount to a short and rivalryless (is that a word? Lol) series. But on the positive side, perhaps this is the best matchup. Maybe less hate and intensity equals less chance for injury and suspension.

In my opinion though, intense rivalry or hum drum uneventful series, it should be short and hopefully our guys get through it unscathed.


I just took a few minutes to go back over our season series versus Guelph. A pretty tame eight games if you ask me. The teams averaged 18 pims per game total.

Over the course of the entire eight games there was one fight (McHugh / Schnurr) and that was in the blowout game where the Rangers put up a 10 spot.

In a different game there was one double minor for spearing assessed to Cam Hillis and there was the phantom checking to the head call against Yantsis in another game. Neither of those calls resulted in any kind of push back or escalation - at least nothing that made it to the game sheet.

There was a grand total of four roughing penalties total between the two teams over the course of the eight games. Only one time did two guys go off for coincidental roughing minors. Certainly not what you'd expect from a couple teams that don't like each other.

There will be more of a rivalry / sideshow created between the referees and Ryan Merkley's whining and complaining all night.

I can't wait for the second round.

 

[MediaCritic]

I think playoff series’ in general have a way of bringing out a little dislike. You don’t play someone four times in six days and not develop a little animosity. Not sure how much of that still plays into the “Highway 7” thing as far as Guelph and Kitchener are concerned but I expect a fair bit of intensity. I think the Rangers will win in 5 but if the Storm get that one game early in the series, I’d expect some intensity.

 

[ScoresFromCentre]

All I want from this series is for someone to ask Mascherin his thoughts about progress on construction of the new Highway 7 in a post-game interview.

 

[OhSheila]

Ha ha ha...That would be a great post game question!

 

[Rangers True Blue]

As far as the series goes, I'm with LoneRanger over on the Rangersrush board. This should be a yawn fest. Smith playing his old team will mean he won't be playing with the same hate had we been playing anyone else.

As far as the rivalry goes, there hasn't been any reason for there to be any hate between the two teams in years. You'd have to go back to the early 2000's and guys like Amodeo, Keefe, Clarkson, Dallman, Thompson, and Thompson.......and Thompson! Lol.

The new rules really don't allow for any real serious rivalry anyway. Today's face wash is yesterday's fight.

But look for the media to sell it as if there was a lot of dislike between the two teams. One face wash and they'll be saying that "tempers have flared".

At the end of the day, Guelph may win one game but I don't expect it. Rangers have been on cruise the last two or three weeks outside of the Sarnia / Soo games. Those last two Guelph wins vs the Rangers were the result of that.

Rangers in 4.

The media is already selling it with "lost the last three games". Seriously? Agreed that in the ending weeks, it was "don't get hurt" and "rest up for the playoffs". In this series, pour on the speed, make the opposing net a shooting gallery, and don't take any crap but ignore any goading. Get this done.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Torgo, if games this year vs Guelph have been more spirited affairs, then I haven't noticed it enough for it to matter. And now since the Smith deal, his friendly interaction with his ex teammates has been a bit of a distraction to me. But I suppose it's tough to fault Smith seeing as how it's pretty much family for him over on the other side.

I'm not a fan of the bland, colourless type of hockey that comes from playing what should amount to a short and rivalryless (is that a word? Lol) series. But on the positive side, perhaps this is the best matchup. Maybe less hate and intensity equals less chance for injury and suspension.

In my opinion though, intense rivalry or hum drum uneventful series, it should be short and hopefully our guys get through it unscathed.


I just took a few minutes to go back over our season series versus Guelph. A pretty tame eight games if you ask me. The teams averaged 18 pims per game total.

Over the course of the entire eight games there was one fight (McHugh / Schnurr) and that was in the blowout game where the Rangers put up a 10 spot.

In a different game there was one double minor for spearing assessed to Cam Hillis and there was the phantom checking to the head call against Yantsis in another game. Neither of those calls resulted in any kind of push back or escalation - at least nothing that made it to the game sheet.

There was a grand total of four roughing penalties total between the two teams over the course of the eight games. Only one time did two guys go off for coincidental roughing minors. Certainly not what you'd expect from a couple teams that don't like each other.

There will be more of a rivalry / sideshow created between the referees and Ryan Merkley's whining and complaining all night.

I can't wait for the second round.

Could always ask for Birchall as the head ref. He would make it interesting. Or bring back Seth Ferguson. He added a sideshow to every game.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

All I want from this series is for someone to ask Mascherin his thoughts about progress on construction of the new Highway 7 in a post-game interview.

And if Masch thought it had any effect on his shot......
Pope will ask it.