Team toughness

[eco's bones]

I still give Gallant the credit for galvanizing that crew. McPhee did get a little lucky that Tallon gifted him two first liners.

Gallant's a good coach. A very hard nosed player.

McPhee was a great Ranger but he pretty quickly fought himself out of a career. He was smaller--sometimes much smaller than the guys he fought and he ruined his hands. George might have been a pretty decent player--a Hobey Baker winner for Bowling Green St. U.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Gallant's a good coach. A very hard nosed player.

McPhee was a great Ranger but he pretty quickly fought himself out of a career. He was smaller--sometimes much smaller than the guys he fought and he ruined his hands. George might have been a pretty decent player--a Hobey Baker winner for Bowling Green St. U.

My dad loved watching McPhee play and has told me similar things. I still wonder how much better Florida would be if they kept Gallant and got Huberdeau and Ekblad back healthy. C'est la vie

 

[YoSoyLalo]

My dad loved watching McPhee play and has told me similar things. I still wonder how much better Florida would be if they kept Gallant and got Huberdeau and Ekblad back healthy. C'est la vie

(And didn’t trade JAM and Smith)

 

[chosen]

Rangers always can use toughness as long as the guys can play. AV really neutered this team. When McLIrath beat up Hertl a few years ago and was basically finished with the Rangers because of it. I didn't feel bad for Hertl at all.

No one did anything after Gudas took out Stalberg.

Unfortunately the rest of the league always thinks about the Dale Rolfe and Tomas Sandstrom incidents when it comes to the Rangers, so there is a need to stand up for themselves.

Any time in this team's history they get tough, they usually do pretty well.

So that's what ended McIlrath's career.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

I still give Gallant the credit for galvanizing that crew. McPhee did get a little lucky that Tallon gifted him two first liners.

Keenan, Grabbing those ice chips in tempered level headed disagreement with Hanlon

So weird that it was just accepted.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Keenan, Grabbing those ice chips in tempered level headed disagreement with Hanlon

So weird that it was just accepted.

I liked seeing Glen Hanlon. Say what you want about present day hockey, there is no denying the Rangers bench were pumped up when McPhee held his own against Rick Tochett. Tochett was a tough tough guy who went up against Beck.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

I liked seeing Glen Hanlon. Say what you want about present day hockey, there is no denying the Rangers bench were pumped up when McPhee held his own against Rick Tochett. Tochett was a tough tough guy who went up against Beck.

I meant it's odd to me that people just accepted Keenan grabbing ice chips when he was mad.

 

[eco's bones]

I liked seeing Glen Hanlon. Say what you want about present day hockey, there is no denying the Rangers bench were pumped up when McPhee held his own against Rick Tochett. Tochett was a tough tough guy who went up against Beck.

Pound for pound McPhee was extraordinarily tough. Stan Jonathan was another guy from somewhat the same era--little guy but had a head as hard as a rock. Bad news to fight with. Tie Domi later on. Rick Rypien. There have been some little guys who could really go. Jordin Tootoo wasn't bad--actually Avery didn't do bad for his size either but not in the same class.

Larry Melnyk was more averaged size but he beat Dave Brown---and there are very few that can say that. For Rangers fans that's one well worth watching.

 

[Glennsoe]

Milan Lucic: The Next Ranger Enforcer? - FOREVER BLUESHIRTS

Stay away...please....

 

[Irishguy42]

Milan Lucic: The Next Ranger Enforcer? - FOREVER BLUESHIRTS

Stay away...please....

4ever Blueshirts Breitbart

"Gorton still likes the guy, even though he drafted him 12 years ago"

G A R B A G E W R I T I N G

 

[True Blue]

Stay away...please....

Gorton is not taking a $6m hit

 

[YoSoyLalo]

If you read the article, he said Gorton should be interested in Lucic if he gets bought out.

So, much ado about nothing.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

looking at the teams playing in the playoffs our team is just way too soft, hopefully big part of that was coaching, but we got a lot of players throwing too few hits and too many soft and undersized Dmen. Hopefully Beleskey and Smith are back to playing good hockey. And hopefully we find a good coach that can make them play hard and physical.

 

[True Blue]

looking at the teams playing in the playoffs our team is just way too soft, hopefully big part of that was coaching, but we got a lot of players throwing too few hits and too many soft and undersized Dmen. Hopefully Beleskey and Smith are back to playing good hockey.

Much of that is due to the type of players that AV wanted and the type of style he wanted them to play. I fully expect Belesky & Smith to get a shot at the starting lineup under a new coach. But the tone for the type of play will be set by whatever mindset the new coach will instill.

 

[haveandare]

looking at the teams playing in the playoffs our team is just way too soft, hopefully big part of that was coaching, but we got a lot of players throwing too few hits and too many soft and undersized Dmen. Hopefully Beleskey and Smith are back to playing good hockey. And hopefully we find a good coach that can make them play hard and physical.

Those teams aren't full of bruisers either though, they just play tough team games, which is the opposite of what AV was forcing

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

In this day in age, being tough starts with a team mindset. One of the many problems as the Rangers decayed within the last few years was their play away from the puck. It was indifferent on so many levels.

One way or another, we are getting a coach whose mandate will be to get back to basics. One of those things will involve being more tenacious and finishing checks when the puck isn't on your stick. If some accountability can be brought back in that area, the team will automatically appear "tougher" - and, best of all, it'd be without having to important a weathered retread like Lucic.

 

[Nopuckluck]

TEAM TOUGHNESS.
-A bunch of young, hungry, aggressive kids who will hit anything and everything HARD
-Guys who initiate physicality but will respond IMMEDIATELY to a Ranger getting hit hard or dirty
- Players who will occasionally cross the line

Skill is very important to make the playoffs, but without the above elements you won’t be healthy enough to win

 

[Thirty One]

TEAM TOUGHNESS.
-A bunch of young, hungry, aggressive kids who will hit anything and everything HARD
-Guys who initiate physicality but will respond IMMEDIATELY to a Ranger getting hit hard or dirty
- Players who will occasionally cross the line

Skill is very important to make the playoffs, but without the above elements you won’t be healthy enough to win

Explains the lack of recent success of Pittburgh.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Explains the lack of recent success of Pittburgh.

didn't shitsburgh give up a 1st rounder for Reaves? clearly they wanted toffnuzz

 

[AIexisLafreniereNYR]

When I think of toughness in modern era I think of the Kings teams that won 2 cups. Those teams were big, scary, fast, and skilled. That's a team I would love here.

Watching a skilled team is fun and all, but also watching a team grind out wins, sticking up for one another, hitting, fighting is just amazing to watch. It's like watching a bunch of warriors going to war every night for eeach other, and I miss that action.

 

[Nopuckluck]

When I think of toughness in modern era I think of the Kings teams that won 2 cups. Those teams were big, scary, fast, and skilled. That's a team I would love here.

Watching a skilled team is fun and all, but also watching a team grind out wins, sticking up for one another, hitting, fighting is just amazing to watch. It's like watching a bunch of warriors going to war every night for eeach other, and I miss that action.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Irishguy42]

Having toughness and grit is fine, but I'd rather the player be more skilled than "tough."

Not the other way around.

I don't think anyone on this board is advocating for the complete absence of toughness.

 

[Thirty One]

didn't ****sburgh give up a 1st rounder for Reaves? clearly they wanted toffnuzz

Yeah, after winning back to back Cups they decided they didn't want anyone touching their stars anymore. After a couple months of Reaves they realized it doesn't really work like that.

 

[NYR Viper]

Yeah, after winning back to back Cups they decided they didn't want anyone touching their stars anymore. After a couple months of Reaves they realized it doesn't really work like that.

To be fair, they are dressing Oleksiak who is also a tough SOB

 

[eco's bones]

First off---toughness and skill don't have to be exclusive of each other. They can be combined in a single player and keep in mind that not every player on any given team is top 6 forward or top 4 defenseman worthy. Some teams do a very good job at finding players who can take a regular shift as a 2nd/3rd liner and protect their players and some teams (not all that many though) seem incapable of finding those players and so they end up taking the easy way out either finding a non-skilled player like Tanner Glass or going without and going without might be okay most of the time but there are occasions when it isn't.

What we need are guys who can play--but can also get under skins or even fight if necessary. Our team did a piss poor job of defending themselves last year and it factored into the crap season we had. Jeff Gorton has remarked that that area needs to improve and hopefully it will.