Blackburns Career OVER??
- Thread starter salty justice
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theBob said:
My god
This guy was my favorite goalie prospect I hope he can still be good with two blockers.
Beauty eh?
Not sure if serious.
Beauty said:
Well obviously. He was hurt a year and a half ago. They would have picked Al anyway if Blackie was ok. Best player available is the strategy. So Al was in their opinion.
how does the fact that he was "rushed" play into the fact that he hurt it working out in the off-season???
Beauty eh?
Not sure if serious.
NYRangers said:
After this years WJC, I wonder if they are going to re-evaluate that "strategy."
Dempsey
Mark it zero
Coffey77 said:
The thing is, if Blackburn hadn't injured that shoulder while lifting weights during the summer of '03, he'd probably be in the AHL the past few years. He would've taken the same route as DiPietro. Problem is during his rookie year he was too young to play in Hartford. It was a choice of whether to go back to juniors (which I honestly didnt think would do him any good) or make the Rangers straight out of camp. Lo and behold he played great in preseason, so I can't really blame the Rangers for rushing him.
And honestly, he looked pretty damn good for an 18 year old. When Mike Richter went down with his career-ending knee injury a 3rd of the way into the season, Blackburn stepped in and played well, on some nights even standing on his head. Montreal fans remember how great he looked when he stoned the Habs in his first game in Montreal. Problem is he had no insurance goalie, so Dan ended up starting like 20 games in a row. When Sather finally traded for Dunham, Blackburn rarely saw the ice after that. And let me remind you that until the Rangers hired Benoit Allaire this past summer, they did not have a goaltenders coach to guide him along.
So in my opinion, although the injury had little to with him being "rushed" to the NHL, the fact that he made the Rangers in his draft year didnt bother me as much as the way he was treated when he got here.
Toonces
They should have kept Shjon Podein...
Skroob said:
It doesn't.
These type of injuries don't occur because somebody is "rushed" into the NHL. Every year thousands upon thousands of people are hurt, some very seriously, lifting weights, and doing various other stregnth and conditioning exercises. If this happened while he was playing Juinors people would be critizing the Rangers for not having properly overseen their prospect.
The guy had great talent, it's sad to see his carreer end like this.
Maybe his career isn't over. Ever hear of a guy named Jim Abbot?..
Anyway, is he definatly in Charloette?
Anyway, is he definatly in Charloette?
Vlad The Impaler
Registered User
Skroob said:
It has to do that this is HF. Something stupid must be said in every thread.
As for Blackburn... I just learned and this is terrible news. He was a bright goaltending prospect. Put on a few goaltending clinics two years ago, most notably one against Montreal. I can't say I had ever seen such a performance by a goaltender this age, as his positioning was almost flawless.
Heard him interviewed once or twice, looks like a nice guy and I hope he pulls through. I do not know how incapacitated his arm is. But it sounds bad. Although I wish him well, if it's as bad as it sounds I don't think he can make the NHL again unless it heals somehow. The gizmo blocker ain't going to make up for this, I fear.
Maybe this is why the Rangers drafted Montoya, maybe not. In any event, I sure hope he can overcome this even if this looks bad.
On the practical side of thing, I don't know what happens with his contract and all but if his career is over and is contract over, he will sure be happy he played in the NHL and made pro-level money, if only one year. It will be a very good start for his life.
Best of luck to Dan!
bleedgreen
Registered User
i remember the game your talking about -theodore vs blackburn...right? it was a great game and i, like all ranger fans im sure was pumped he did so well. thats the game ill always remember him for as well. i hope something changes, he seemed like a great kid.Masao said:
yeah it blows...i think he had the highest potential of all the rangers goalies...tons of talent in the guy, could have been an amazing goalie...i think the poster who said it was less about blackburn being rushed and more about how he was treated when he played in the NHL was right. blackburn showed he could play NHL hockey, but he wasn't ready to be a starter and wasn't ready to sit on the bench for long stretches and come off of it ready to play...it would have been best to give him enough games to help him learn but not over play him or under play him.
but it sucks...one freak injury and his career is done.
but it sucks...one freak injury and his career is done.
Blackburn's situation as an 18 year old was confusing. In camp he outplayed all other candidates for the back-up job. I still think the best course of action would have been to send him back to juniors for one season and sign Skudra (I believe he was in camp and played fairly well). People said Blackburn didn't have anything left to learn in juniors, but getting a large workload that season would have been beneficial. Then during his 19 year old season I think he should have been given the back-up job and started 20-25 games to get his feet wet (also, at that point he probably would have gotten everything out of juniors that he possibly could). The AHL would have been preferable, but I believe the minimum age for juniors players is 20. Then when he was eligible for the AHL he should have started for Hartford for a couple of seasons before coming to New York to either split time or be the number one.
Also, Blackburn's injury can't be attributed to his being rushed into the NHL as an 18 year old. An offseason injury while conditioning is a fluke occurance (especially such a serious and debilitating one).
As far as Montoya, his play can't be glossed over. Very rarely did he play up to his potential in the WJC. But, people who damn him for one stretch of games are being rash. It's possible that if he recovers from the adversity he experiences, this will turn into a positive step in his development. If his performance is indicative of how his play will be thereafter, then he can be dubbed a bust (still, that won't be known for quite some time yet).
The Rangers have never had a true franchise goaltender in recent memory. Richter played very well for some stretches, but never with the consistency that would have given people the grounds to call him a franchise goaltender. From listening to Renney and Maloney, their blueprint seems to begin with acquiring and developing a true franchise goaltender. If you look at their system, there is an abundance of defensive defensemen and defensive/character forwards. They're obviously trying to head in that direction, though I wish they'd add more skill players.
Since this thread has pretty much turned into a discussion of all goalies in the Rangers' system, I wanted to say something on Lundqvist. He went from being overlooked by most people to being hyped quite a bit, and then subsequently ignored by some who felt he was getting too much attention. His accomplishments internationally and in the SEL shouldn't be discounted, but until he comes over it should be acknowledged that, in regards to the North American game, he is unproven. I like him quite a bit (more than Montoya, though not based on his WJC performance) and think he'll turn out fine. That being said, he still has questions to answer.
Also, Blackburn's injury can't be attributed to his being rushed into the NHL as an 18 year old. An offseason injury while conditioning is a fluke occurance (especially such a serious and debilitating one).
As far as Montoya, his play can't be glossed over. Very rarely did he play up to his potential in the WJC. But, people who damn him for one stretch of games are being rash. It's possible that if he recovers from the adversity he experiences, this will turn into a positive step in his development. If his performance is indicative of how his play will be thereafter, then he can be dubbed a bust (still, that won't be known for quite some time yet).
The Rangers have never had a true franchise goaltender in recent memory. Richter played very well for some stretches, but never with the consistency that would have given people the grounds to call him a franchise goaltender. From listening to Renney and Maloney, their blueprint seems to begin with acquiring and developing a true franchise goaltender. If you look at their system, there is an abundance of defensive defensemen and defensive/character forwards. They're obviously trying to head in that direction, though I wish they'd add more skill players.
Since this thread has pretty much turned into a discussion of all goalies in the Rangers' system, I wanted to say something on Lundqvist. He went from being overlooked by most people to being hyped quite a bit, and then subsequently ignored by some who felt he was getting too much attention. His accomplishments internationally and in the SEL shouldn't be discounted, but until he comes over it should be acknowledged that, in regards to the North American game, he is unproven. I like him quite a bit (more than Montoya, though not based on his WJC performance) and think he'll turn out fine. That being said, he still has questions to answer.
Onion Boy
Registered User
People say he was rushed, but remember he was given the back-up job to Richter. Nobody expected Richter to get injured repeatedly and Blackburn having to, at times, play 20 games straight.
SingnBluesOnBroadway
Retired
RangerFan13 said:
Not sure I'm getting your point here. Richter is the definition of a franchise goalie. He was a horse for the Rangers. Worked hard, won games by himself and is the franchise leader in wins. How is this not a franchise goalie?
If Montoya becomes half the goalie Richter was, he will be a great success.
Beauty eh?
Not sure if serious.
Leaf Army
Registered User
Go Flames Go said:
They've actually designed a special glove for him. Sounds weird, but one side is a blocker and the other side is a catching glove.
When in his natural postion, the blocker will be facing the shooter. But on longer shots, he'll be able to turn the glove over and catch the puck.
It's basically worn like regular goalie's glove but it's got a blocker on the back. But no I don't know how this is supposed help him lift his arm.
So if Blackburn is done, will he get any $$$ from the NYR or NHL (insurrance) or anything? I'm not familiar with what happends to players who have career ending injuries. He was still under contract w/ NYR right?
i dont' think it's that blackburn can't lift his arm or something, i think he just doesn't have the quickness and control he had before the injury
Does it hurt him to throw his arm up quick or is he just physically unable to throw it up that quick anymore? This is a pretty ****** deal for him, if he wasnt taken eh would of been a Calgary Flame that would of been better then that peice of crap Brent Krahn.
i really don't know for sure, there isn't a ton of real info about his limitations...i assume it's not that it hurts, it just the nerve isn't firing which hinders his ability to effeciently use the arm. kinda "dead" or something
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