Thrashers Officially Move to Winnipeg - What Does it Mean for Rangers?

Original Image Credit: http://www.sportressofblogitude.com

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman officially announced today that the Thrashers have been sold to True North Sports and Entertainment and that the franchise will be moving to Winnipeg. Despite the general assumption that they'll be called the Winnipeg Jets, however, no team name has been confirmed yet. So, how does this all relate to the Rangers?

Photo: Sean Avery, Brad Richards and Aaron Voros on Vacation Together

Photo Credit: Hilary Rhoda's Twitter Account (http://twitter.com/#!/hilaryhrhoda)

Sean Avery's girlfriend, model Hilary Rhoda, Tweeted a picture yesterday of Sean Avery, ex-Ranger Aaron Voros and possible future-Ranger Brad Richards hanging out poolside on vacation with each other.

Michael Del Zotto's Road Back to Broadway

Image Credit: NewYorkRangers.com

Not a lot going on with the Rangers recently, aside from a blurb from a few days ago that Ryan Callahan's agent has been talking with Glen Sather about a new contract for Cally. I figured I'd use all this downtime to talk about the forgotten Ranger: Michael Del Zotto.

ESPN: Boogaard Didn't Feel Like New York Was Home

Image Credit: Getty/Newsday.com

There was a really long and detailed article posted on ESPN.com by Elizabeth Merrill today about Derek Boogaard and some of the things he was going through leading up to his tragic death earlier this month. I highly recommend reading the entire article, but here are a few excerpts from it.

Rangers Will Need 2009-2010 Gaborik Back Next Season

Credit for image: Paul J. Bereswill

There's no doubt that Marian Gaborik's 2010-2011 season on Broadway was a giant disappointment. Gaborik was limited to 62 games due to a combination of a dislocated shoulder, a groin injury and a concussion, and recorded just 22 goals and 26 assists. For the Rangers to go deep into the playoffs, they will need Gabby to return to form next year and be the game-changing sniper that Glen Sather signed him to be.

So what exactly went wrong for Gaborik this past season? Let's take a look.

Report: Rangers, Ryan Callahan Open Contract Talks

No surprise here, but The Fourth Period is reporting that Rangers GM Glen Sather has had "preliminary discussions" with Ryan Callahan's agent, Steve Bartlett on a new contract, although no contract has been proposed thus far.

Video: 17 Years Ago Today

 Credit: YouTube user LoboFan07

Hard to believe it was 17 years ago today that Mark Messier made his infamous "We'll Win Tonight" guarantee against the Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994. Mess delivered, of course, and gave Rangers fans one of the greatest moments in franchise history. I still get goosebumps watching!

For the Rangers, it's Mission No. 91

For the New York Rangers, there's no doubt who their top target is going into this offseason.

Brad Richards' name has been connected to the Rangers over the last several years in trade rumors, but July 1st will mark the first time the Rangers will have an opportunity to acquire the elite center for nothing but the almighty dollar.

Welcome to Blueshirts Blueline!

Hey,  guys!

I'm starting this blog with the idea of talking hockey - more specifically, the New York Rangers. Ever since I was born I have been heavily influenced by the Rangers and hockey altogether. My dad grew up in New York City and was a goalie in various street and ice hockey leagues all over the place. I appreciate the game and can honestly say from experience that there is simply nothing like experiencing a hockey game at Madison Square Garden. The year 1994 will obviously live on forever in the hearts of New York Rangers fans, and the drive to get back to the Stanley Cup since then has only become stronger each year.

I myself am a Rutgers University Graduate with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies. I have a great deal of interest in writing about sports and could literally go on for hours and hours debating sports topics - which is ultimately something I would love to do for a living.

So, enough with the introduction. I'm looking forward to talking hockey and keeping everybody up to date with the latest Rangers news, starting with anything that happens this offseason. With the upcoming draft and free agency looming there are a lot of questions about what the Rangers will do and how they will fill some of the holes in this team. The core identity of this team is already established with Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and, of course, Henrik Lundqvist. The team was also surprised last season by solid play from top prospects Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Derek Stepan, and Mats Zucarrello. That being said, there is still a lot of work to be done to get this team on track to where it wants to go, and GM Glen Sather and Coach John Tortorella will have their work cutout for them this offseason.

This blog will be updated frequently and often. My goal for this blog is to have fun, and to provide everything I know that I look for when I'm browsing through several different Rangers blogs saved in my favorites to get the absolute latest news on the team.

So let's have some fun and get at it, guys!

Adam