Goal Line Report
My Oh My How Things Changed on Broadway
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/15/11 at 06:37 PM ET
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Before the NHL Lockout during 2004-05, the New York rangers were all about having veterans and experience on the roster, even if it came at the expense of a younger player or prospect.
Fast forward about seven years later and the Blueshirts have completely changed their philosophy. A lot of this, believe it or not, is due to general manager Glen Sather along with former head coach Tom Renney and new head coach John Tortorella.
Today, the latter was raving about another Rangers’ prospect who he thinks should have already turned pro in Chris Kredier, MVP of the 2011 Beanpot Tournament:
“I wish he’d turn pro last year,” Tortorella said. “I hope he turns pro next year. I hope he’s with us. He’s a sophomore now and we’re anxious to get him involved in pro hockey. We think he’s got some good stuff to offer and we want to get him tracked up here with us as soon as possible.”
Tortorella also told team beat writer Andrew Gross the following regarding Kreider:
“I’m not sure if it’s the NHL, or even next year I’m not sure it’s the NHL if he does turn pro,” Tortorella said. “But I think the sooner you get into that grind of the American League, if that’s where you start, the better because that’s where you learn how to play the game. It’s a different game than college hockey. I don’t get into the personal matters as far as education, I think education is important. I think this is a family decision. But as a coach, we want to sink our teeth into him as quickly as possible to get him into a situation where he becomes a Ranger as quickly as possible.
Click here to read more about what Tortorella has to say about Kreider and a few of the team’s youngsters.
It is great to hear that the team really believes in its youngsters and is counting on them to lead the organization into the future. Just look at the team’s youth now in Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Del Zotto, and Artem Anisimov. Most of these players have played significant roles this season for the Blueshirts.
Let’s hope that this attitude remains on Broadway for years to come as the organization continues to bring respectability back to the Garden and its fans.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: artem+anisimov,
brandon+dubinsky,
chris+kreider,
derek+stepan,
john+tortorella,
mats+zuccarello,
michael+del+zotto,
michael+sauer,
new+york+rangers,
ryan+callahan,
ryan+mcdonagh
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About Goal Line Report
Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla's Korner, you can also find Patrick's work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire's Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick's musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector's Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail Patrick at patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com.