Rangers Stun Capitals 3-2 In OT, Lead Series 3-2

I'll admit it - I was in the middle of writing a new blog post about the Rangers being down in the series 3-2 and having to face back-to-back do or die games for the second consecutive series in this year's playoffs. But with 6.6 seconds left Brad Richards made me, and I'm sure many other writers and bloggers, make good use of the backspace key and start over from scratch. Because with their backs against the wall and seemingly on the verge of losing a game in which the Rangers vastly outplayed the Washington Capitals, the Rangers reminded everybody why, to steal a phrase from the MSG Network ad campaigns, it really is different here.

Joel Ward, who was the cult hero of the Capitals for scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Quarterfinals to eliminate the Boston Bruins, took a double-minor with 22 seconds left in the game when his stick came up and caught Carl Hagelin in the face. The Rangers had a two man advantage with Henrik Lundqvist pulled, and the series completely changed after Brad Richards somehow got the puck past Braden Holtby and just inside the far post to tie the game at two during a mad scramble at the side of the net. Then, 1:35 into overtime, Marc Staal capped off an improbable comeback with a rocket from the point for another power play goal after a big faceoff win by John Mitchell that nearly tore the roof off of the newly renovated Madison Square Garden to give the Rangers a 3-2 series lead and leaves them one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tonight was another game in which the Rangers took us all on another roller coaster of emotions. There was excitement, anger, disappointment, sadness, then back to excitement, and then, finally, relief. Basically, it was just another typical New York Rangers playoff game.

Click below to read more on tonight's game, including why Chris Drury's name was being tossed around on Twitter in regards to tonight's game.

Callahan Talks About Being Named Captain, Plus Reaction From Torts and Richards

Ryan Callahan spoke to the media earlier today after officially being named the 26th captain in New York Rangers team history by coach John Tortorella. Here are some of his comments, courtesy of Andrew Gross over at Rangers Rants.

“Obviously it’s a privilege and an honor to be able to wear a C on a team but I’m going to approach the same as wearing an A, the things I do on the ice and off the ice, there’s a reason why I feel I got the A,” Callahan said. “I’ll continue on with the C. Obviously there comes a little bit more leadership role with it and some more responsibility at the same time I have to do what I do and not the letter on my sweater affect my game or how I approach the game.”

“I’m the kind of guy who tries to go about my business and not try to think about things like that or things out of my control,” Callahan said. “Through my career guys like Dru, even when I first got here, Jagr, I look up to them, watch them, see how they act on and off the ice, especially Drury, I think he’s a big part of the player I’ve become and the reason why am I leader today."

Callahan kept going back to what he’s learned from Drury.

“The way he approached the game and the way he was so professional on and off the ice, the way he carried himself, he never got too high, never got too low, he was always in the room at kind of even keel,” Callahan said. “At times if he needed to be emotional with the team he would be but he approached the game the same way every night.”

As for his leadership style, Callahan said it’s a combination of leading by example, and speaking (loudly) when needed.

“On ice I try to lead by example, I try to play the identity we created last year, have guys follow that way,” Callahan said. “But at the same time, in the room, I think if I need to be vocal I can be. The biggest thing is to continue to do what I do and hopefully guys follow.

“I don’t mind it at all,” Callahan said of being vocal. “It’s not something I’m uncomfortable with. If something needs to be said, it will be.”

Read more comments from Callahan, John Tortorella and Brad Richards below.

Chris Drury Retires From NHL

My apologies for not having this up sooner, but I had a personal matter to attend to this weekend. I'm sure you all have heard by now that Chris Drury officially retired from the NHL after a 12-year career on Friday. Drury, who was bought out of the final year of his contract with the Rangers earlier this offseason, clearly had hoped to continue his playing career elsewhere, but it seems as if it just wasn't meant to be. Drury retires with 615 points (255 goals, 360 assists) in 892 career regular season games.

Drury was limited to just 24 games this past season due to a combination of a twice-broken finger and knee surgery. The writing was clearly on the wall for the end of Drury's NHL career when John Tortorella said he had a chronic knee condition on breakup day after the Rangers' season ended in the playoffs against Washington.

It's a sad ending for a guy who never managed to live up to the expectations that were set for him when he agreed to a 5-year deal with the Rangers on July 1, 2007. Drury wanted to make it work in New York, but he just wasn't able to for various reasons. Part of it was the fact that his personality just didn't fit the prototypical New York Rangers captain persona, and of course the largest part was the fact that he just never put up the stats that the Rangers expected when they agreed to pay Chris Drury $7 million a season. Drury was mainly a second liner during his best years with the Rangers, and was relegated to the third and fourth lines the past several seasons when it was clear he just didn't have a place on the team anymore.

Rangers fans will likely be upset with Chris Drury for not just retiring before the Rangers bought him out. If he did that, he would've left $7 million on the table in the final year of his contract and the Rangers would've been off the hook for having to count any of his salary against the cap the way they are now. Let's be honest, though - as prideful and respected a player as Chris Drury is, very few people in the world would turn down $7 million. Drury knew this was his last big payday and he wanted to cash in. Does it hurt his image as a team-first guy? I'd say so, but I never really believed he would turn down guaranteed money just to financially help out a team that no longer wanted him. More than that, I truly believe that Drury wanted to continue his playing career and try to latch on with a team somewhere, and I guess he found out that there wasn't any real interest in him from other teams in the league.

Drury's Rangers career didn't have many (if any) bright spots that will be remembered years from now, but I still respect the guy for trying. He wanted to make it work in New York, but it wasn't meant to be. Drury will ultimately go down as another one of Glen Sather's free agency blunders despite what was overall a solid NHL career.

You can read more about my thoughts on Drury's Rangers career in a column I did back in June on NYRNation.net here.

Report: No Press Conference To Welcome Brad Richards To Rangers

Just got some minor news from Jim Cerny on Twitter, who runs NewYorkRangers.com. He told me on Twitter that the Rangers don't have any plans for a press conference to officially welcome Brad Richards to the team, but that he expects to talk to Richards personally sometime tomorrow when he arrives in town.

It's somewhat disappointing news to me that there won't be a press conference considering how big the signing is for the team. Then again, the last big press conference the Rangers had was for Chris Drury and Scott Gomez and we all know how that turned out...

John Tortorella Comments On Drury, Free Agency

Rangers head coach John Tortorella broke his silence today when he spoke to the media for the first time since the Rangers Prospect Developmental Camp opened on Monday. Tortorella discussed subjects ranging from Chris Drury's buyout and the process of naming a new captain all the way to his thoughts on free agency opening tomorrow and how active he expects the Rangers to be.

Rangers Buy Out Chris Drury; Other News From Around The NHL

As reported earlier today by Larry Brooks in the New York Post, the New York Rangers officially announced that they have bought out the remaining year on Chris Drury's contract. Drury and the team each issued separate statements on the buyout.

Rangers Draft Recap, Quotes From Glen Sather, Developmental Camp Opens Today

Original Photo Credit: AP

The Rangers had a busy weekend at the 2011 NHL Entry Level Draft this past weekend, as they added six new players and traded away LW Evgeny Grachev to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third round draft pick. The Rangers started off the draft by selecting 18-year-old, US-born forward J.T. Miller with the 15th overall pick in the draft.

Drury Not Placed On Waivers Yet, Must Be By Tomorrow To Be Bought Out

According to Steve Zipay on Twitter, the Rangers have not placed Chris Drury on waivers yet, which they must do before buying him out.  Zipay said that tomorrow is the last day the Rangers have to place Drury on waivers, otherwise he won't be able to be bought out.

Report: Jaromir Jagr to Sign with NHL Team "In the Next Week or So"

 It's sounding more and more like Jaromir Jagr's return to the NHL is going to happen this offseason. Jagr's agent, Petr Svoboda, told the AP today that he has been talking with both the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins about signing Jagr and that he believes Jagr could sign a one-year deal "in the next week or so."

Report: Rangers Can't Buy Out Chris Drury

Original Image Credit: NHLSnipers.com

A bit late on this one, but Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported yesterday morning that the Rangers will not be able to buy out the final year of captain Chris Drury's contract because of of a possible career-threatening knee injury that Drury currently has. But ironically enough, it sounds like this could actually help in the Rangers' pursuit of Brad Richards this offseason.

Rangers Expected to Buy Out Drury; Keep Avery and Wolski

Original Image Credit: NYDailyNews.com

Late night update, but Larry Brooks reported in the New York Post earlier today that the Rangers will in fact be buying out the final year of Chris Drury's contract, and are also expected to bring back Wojtek Wolski and Sean Avery next season.

Dallas Stars Won't Offer Brad Richards New Contract

Original Image Credit: NHLSnipers.com

It's been widely assumed for a while now that Brad Richards would be hitting the free agency market, but a story posted by TSN confirmed it today. The Dallas Stars won't be offering their No. 1 center a new contract before July 1st, meaning his time in Dallas is likely over.