Mitch's Favorites Edition of Rangers 4 on 4

Tonight's Rangers 4 on 4 live on Blueshirt Bulletin has concluded! Mike Richter joined us for a short period of time, and has promised to come back next month for a longer session. Stan Fischler, preparing for a busy broadcast week, was also with us for part of the time. Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky and Bruce Berlet of the Hartford Courant stayed pretty much for the duration, and Hockey Rodent did the same once he checked in. Click below on Comments to read the transcript of the chat.

Comments

[Mitch Beck]

Cue Announcer:

Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman.

Please welcome Tonight’s MC, Comedian Jackie Vernon…

I’m really glad to sort of be here tonight on this most special of occasions. I was thinking about the significance of this gathering and specifically the man of the hour, Mitch Beck and I was reminded of how I met the guy.

So one day I saw this ad in the newspaper and it said, "Send me a dollar and I'll tell you how I make money." So I sent the guy a dollar. A few days later I got a postcard back from him that said, "Thanks for the dollar. This is how I make money…signed Mitch Beck"

“I don’t want to say Mitch Beck can be an abrasive guy, but if Will Rogers had met him, he’d have punched him right in the face.”

And now, here he is the man of the hour…Mitch Beck!

Thank you Jackie…and good evening everyone, I wanted to have a famous comedian start this thing off, but since none of them answered my requests I went to the next best thing, someone who’s dead.

Jackie Vernon happens to be one of my all-time favorite comedians who also was the voice of Frosty the Snowman in case you didn’t know that. I thought that might be how he would have opened this thing if he were still alive.

So, welcome to what will probably be the weirdest and possibly the best “Rangers 4 on 4” to date. Because it’s the night before my 45th birthday I am taking my normally selfless people pleasing self and of course my modesty and putting them away and taking on the persona of an incredibly self serving and out of control ego gone wild person, no not Rush Limbaugh, but close and calling tonight’s chat “Mitch’s Favorites.”

We have a great line-up of guests for you tonight besides Dubi at the controls and myself we are being joined by what may well be arguably the hottest prospect playing in Hartford right now and my personal favorite player down there, Brandon Dubinsky.

Also joining us tonight is my favorite player from the Saginaw Spirit who is bringing along a birthday surprise of his own tonight, Tommy Pyatt.

Later on we will be joined by my favorite Internet Ranger’s analyst and all around good guy, The Hockey Rodent.

Also, Tonight in my opinion the best newspaper hockey reporter of all time, my good friend from the Hartford Courant, Bruce Berlet…
Later on tonight we will be joined by my favorite studio analyst and Hockey Historian Stan Fischler

And our special guest on this night of favorites who will be dropping in for a few minutes tonight, in my opinion the greatest goaltender in NY Ranger history and my favorite player of all time, #35, Mike Richter.

So here is how this is going to go.

Send in your questions and we will get to them as quickly as we can. We should have quite the gathering tonight and I want to start the questioning with our good buddy

Brandon Dubinsky…

Dubi, I’ve got a two part question for you. #1 What did you get me for my birthday? Same thing as last year but with a bigger bow? I thought so…

Second, you’ve gotten a taste now of what it means to be a professional hockey player…how is it different than what you’ve been experiencing in your hockey career to this point?

[Peter Cohen]

For Tommy Pyatt: You have had several opportunities to face 2 of the Rangers #1 draft picks in the OHL: Marc Staal and Bobby Sanguinetti -- how would you break down their games and what surprised you the most in going up against them? Have you had a chance to play against Dalyn Flatt? If so, what is your scouting report on him?

[Mitch Beck]

I also want to welcome my good friend Bruce Berlet...

Bruce;

Obviously this is a very young hockey team, but what do you see as some of the biggest differences between this team and teams of the past?

[brandon]

well mitch its alot different because the game is much faster at this level, so you must make decisions alot quicker the you would playing junior. Also the guys are much stronger so you need to continue to work hard to get stronger so you dont get pushed around

[brandon]

well the guys are much stronger and faster at this level so you must continue to work hard on and off the ice in order to keep up and not get pushed its definatly harder but its alot of fun

[Mitch Beck]

Brandon,

You must have had a certain level of disappointment having had such a great camp with the Rangers and then going to Hartford. In retrospect do you think ultimately that it was a good idea that you get some time in at this level before making the leap to the big club?

[Alex Roberts]

Brandon,

Is there a feeling in the Pack dressing room that some guys aren't getting a fair enough look from the big club? Certainly, guys like dawes, immonen, even yourself could challange for roster spots with the rangers 3rd and 4th liners. And certainly Thomas Pock could be no worse than some of the Rangers defense. Some of you performed fantastically in training camp only to get sent right back to the pack, or at best get a few minutes in a bunch of games on the 4th line. Colby Genoway left, it's rumored, because of what he thought was a lack of fluidity and mobility in the rangers organization. Do you echo this opinion, even the slightest?

Thanks,

Alex Roberts

[brandon]

well i can only speak for myself when i answer this. as much as i would like to be up there i think that the rangers are doing a good job now in getting there prospects ready to play in the nhl. playing junior is very different then playing pro and i think that they want there top prospects to come in the nhl and be a top player with confidence rather then a guy who is having trouble because they are a step behind in making the jump. i think that some time in the ahl will only make me better and give me a chance to play alot and get used to the professional lifestyle. i respect the organizations decisions and know that they make them for the right reasons with a goal behind them

[Bob Merchant]

Brandon, the hardcore fans were disappointed to say the least about Kaspar not returning to the big club. The fans have really become attached to him. We miss him and hope to see him back soon. How is he taking the entire episode? When you see him, tell him are pulling for him.

[Mitch Beck]

I think it's important to note that at this point we have Bruce Berlet and Brandon Dubinsky with us. We'll be joined by Stan Fischler and Mike Richter around 8:30 or so. So Hold onto your questions for those guys until then. Right now it's good to be able to talk Wolf Pack hockey and we should be joined by Tommy Pyatt shortly...

[Chris MacDonald]

Bruce

Just wanted to ask your opinion of Dan Girardi? He seems often over looked but his play has been steady since he arrived in Hartford. What kind of future do you see him having? .

Thanks

Chris MacDonald

[Bruce Berlet]

Well, this is my first shot at this "chatting" so I hope this reaches "chatland." Appreciate the kind words from Mitch about being the world's best hockey writer, but I'm afraid some guys have forgotten more than I know. That aside, I did cover the Whalers for years while they were in Hartford, and this is my eighth season doing the Wolf Pack. It's a much different team this season with so many young guys rather than the Armstrongs, Smyths, Daweses (Jason, that is) and Virtues, but one problem seems to remain: the kids are being used properly in some instances. Dawes (Nigel, that is) sat for several weeks in New York and is still trying to regain his legs. Pock has played once in a more than a month, and that was at forward, which is a total waste. I hear he refused a conditioning assignment, and that's wrong on both sides --- the Rangers shouldn't have waited so long and Pock should have come to Hartford for a few weeks. Let's hope that's straightened out. At least Callahan got sent back instead of doing more vegetating in New York.

[jane]

Brandon, if I read correctly, the Pack had a somewhat rocky start... how did you guys keep your play up, and pull out of the slump... I know that, playing lacrosse and field hockey, getting into a slump in hard to mentally get out of... were you guys very frustrated, or did you just take everything day-by-day?

thanks, Jane

[brandon]

well kaspar is a professional and he is taking it well i know he wants to be a big part of the rangers and he was great when he was with us. He is the type of guy that wants team success before personal. i know him pretty well and he is a guy that is going to continue to work hard to contribute to the new york rangers. I will tell him and i know that it will mean alot to him he love new york and the fans. He was also the one who implicated the salute that we now do to the wolf pack fans, and that goes to show his charactor and love for the ranger fans

[Bruce Berlet]

Girardi has been quite successful because he keeps it simple. He did a nice job after coming up from Charlotte last season and was named to the all-rookie team. He and Bryce Lampman are the team's No. 1 tandem and man the point on the No. 1 power play. If the Rangers have any injuries on the blueline (some would say they already do, and they're not physical), Danny or Baranka would be the first callup. Ivan has looked pretty good in his first three games back after missing 11 with a broken pinkie.

[brandon]

jane i think that we knew all along that we had a good team and i thnk that it just took a while to get used to each other especially because we had so many new guys. i think that our coach did a good job in keeping us on the right track and showing that he believed in us and the guys have responded well and now things are going well.

[Peter Cohen]

Brandon: What has been the biggest challenge for you in making the jump from juniors to the AHL? Is there anything you wish you had worked on more in the offseason? Also, based on your first training camp experience, what do you think you need to do to take the next step up to the NHL?

[Mitch Beck]

See that folks. You learn something new at all fo these things.

1st, we've learned there is a hockey writer that doesn't think he knows everything there is to know and we've learned that Brandon is exceptionally honest and that Kasper brought the fan salute to Hartford.

Personally, I love the salute to the fans. I think it's sensational and really is bonding between the fans and teh players. Bravo...

Bruce could you tell us a little about what the difference is for you as a writer to cover the The Wolf Pack as opposed to covering the Whalers...

Brandon, I greatly appreciate your honesty and of course your time here tonight. When you look at a game liek the Manchester Game and shutting out ex-Pack goalie Jason LaBarbera and with Sather, Maloney and Pearn in the stands what did you take out of that game and has Schoney discussed it with the team in any way?

[brandon]

mitch i was a little disappointed beacuse i felt so close to making the rangers, but at the same time i have a lot of developing to do to be a good nhler so i am happy where i am and i am just going to continue to work hard and get better so i can eventually make the jump to the nhl

[Bruce Berlet]

Jane: The coaches and players should both be commended for holding it together in a brutal start. When you score 11 goals while losing six of your first seven games, things can collapse quickly (see New York Giants). But Schoenfeld, Gernander and Daignault remained patient; the team stuck to a strong defensive posture (Rangers could watch some Pack film); and the power play picked up thanks largely to Callahan, whose nine power-play goals are tied for second in the league. Now if they can just get that Dubinsky guy going ... :):):):)

[brandon]

peter i think the biggest thing is taking care of yourself on and off the ice without someone telling you to or doing it for you. i think that i worked pretty hard in the summer if anything i just want to continue to work on my shot because the goalies are alot bigger and quicker to make the saves. i think with a better shot i could have more goals so that is somethjing i am currently working on. as for making the jump to the nhl i am just working hard to get stronger and faster also make plays quicker.

[jane]

Bruce and Brandon, thank you for your answers... it must have been tough, and speaking of the Giants, did you see Strahan's ridic interview calling that ESPN reporter out? It you guys haven't seen it, it's deffff worth it hahha (sorry to get off topic, but this interview shows how careful one must be when speaking out about teammates..)
-Jane

[Bob Merchant]

Whoever wants to field the question. Is there a general consensus that Staal will be with the big club next season? I don't know much about his progress. It has to be tough to see both younger and older brothers playing at the NHL level. By the way Brandon, the fans will be surprised if you're not at MSG next season.

[brandon]

mitch i dont think he said to much about the manchester game except that he was happy with the guys' effort. many guys dont know when those guys are in the stands and if they did i dont think that the would think about it much because guys just want to play there best and work their hardest no matter whos watching

[Bruce Berlet]

Besides the players obviously being more skilled and consistent in the NHL (though I covered one Whalers teams that was 19-54-7; will never forget those hideous numbers), the travel is so much easier with the Wolf Pack. I'd often go on 10-12-14-day trips through three time zones and quickly understand why teams had bad games on the road. Brandon and the other WHL guys must love being in Hartford. I think I counted 16 overnights ALL SEASON, and 90 percent of the games are at home or within a 3-hour drive. Sure can help in the dog days of March and heading into the playoffs.

[Peter Cohen]

Brandon & Bruce, what has it been like under Coach Schoenfeld? How do you seem him balancing the need to teach with the need to win?

[brandon]

bob i know marc well and i dont think that he is expecting anything i know that he is just doing his best to continue to get better and stronger. He is a competitor who will make it there and as for seeing his brothers there i know for a fact that its isnt hard for him to see them there. he is happy as any brother would be. ps thanks and i will do my best to be there as well

[Stella]

Brandon, I read in Blueshirt Bulletin that you're good friends with Hugh Jessiman. How's he doing this season so far?

[john]

can someone on the panel please explain what is going on in Rangerland?
it's not just the mistakes which are leading to goals against
but it's the pre-2005 attitude of allowing those who mess up to NOT be held accountable.
it makes VERY LITTLE sense that Kaspar and/or Pock aren't replacing other Dmen in the line up.
it's pre-2005 thinking that only Kaspar/Pock and Dawes would be scratched.
it's pre-2005 thinking that Hossa was not only resigned but shows a blip of potential, and it's mainly as a defensive forward.
btw
as far as Malik's concerned, root canal problems can really mess up a person. it would be much better for him if the problem teeth are taken out. (i speak about this based on friends who suffered physical problems, such as flu-like symptoms and much worse, after root canal work.)

[brandon]

schoney is a great coach who has been patient with us as young players and he has done a great job teaching us to be good pros. we all know the importance of winning at this level and he has taken a great approach with us and it seems to be working well as we are winning now

[brandon]

stella hugh is doing good. he is probably my best friend here in hartford and i know that he wants to do well and make the ranger fans proud. he is working very hard to be a consistant contributor for us here. he is a guy who doesnt give up and i know that you all will be excited about him as a player and he will be a good new york ranger

[Bruce Berlet]

I would guess Staal would have a good chance to make the Rangers next season, but, again, it should only be if he plays regularly. Not more of this "let's see what Pock can do every five weeks." ... Brandon's right about guys just wanting to play their own game, regardless who is around, but it seemed pretty strange/ironic that the Pack played their best all-around game of the season --- without Callahan --- with Sather, Maloney and Pearn in the stands. ... Schoney, Gernander and Daignault have had to do more teaching this season than any coaches in Pack history. In fact, Schoney said a few weeks ago that he was still in "Hockey 101" in some cases. But the young guys seem to be quite receptive, as shown by the current four-game winning streak. Now if they and the Rangers can stay healthy, the kids can work together for a while and form even better chemistry. Even that's coming, too, though, as demonstrated Saturday when the new line of Byers-Helminen-Weller was the best of the night offensively and defensively. Having lots of interchangable parts is always a bonus.

[Dubi (the editor, not the player)]

John, I don't have an adequate explanation for you, but it seems to me that the renewed pressure of having to win now has put the coaching staff and management back into a pre-lockout position of being afraid of rookie mistakes and afraid to take veterans out of the line-up despite their mistakes for fear of ruining their confidence or potential. It was a bad policy in those days, and I think it might be a bad policy these days too -- at least rookies can learn from their mistakes. I guess we'll have to see wher it leads us. The one thing we can look to is that, despite appearances to date, Tom Renney really is a very intelligent coach, and he will ultimately make the right decisions.

[Bob Merchant]

There had been a big hub-bub a few weeks back thinking that the Pack would be moved to Brooklyn. Was that just a rumor from outer space? It seemed to have no basis.

[Mitch Beck]

John:

If you were to ask me...and you kind of did...I think the team is caught in a flux between the concept of rebuilding and the promise that the team showed last year that in my opinion was overachieving.

There was no pressure whatsoever on the team to do any winning at all. This year that isn't the case. Larry Brooks picked them to win the Cup and some other writer, I think his name was Mitch Beck, wrote in Blueshirt Bulletin the Magazine in his column that the Rangers were destined for Stanley Pie. I know the team discounts everything Larry says but when a highly respected writer like Mitch Beck writes something the team reads that and it can affect their psyche.

I think this Ranger team is a .500 club at best the way they are playing right now. I have been saying it all along and taken a fair share of flack for it, but I think Immonen, Dubi, Dawes, Callahan, Pock and Baranka should be in the NHL and let them develop. Okay, they'd lose a lot but the team would develop into a winner and then the words of Sather and others of being patient and devlping a home gorwn core of players would happen...

But what do I know...I thought Pam and Kid Rock were goign to last forever...

[alex roberts]

Bruce, I guess you'd be best suited to answer this.

What was Immonen's deal starting off the season? He had a fantastic camp, and snuck in a whole bunch of games at the end of last year with Rucchin's injury. He played well, if not fabulous, and all signs after camp were pointing to him centering the 2nd or 3rd line to open up the season. The Rangers are using an unatural center on their 4th line which I'm sure they didn't plan on at the beginning of the season.

My point is, even though everything pointed to immonen starting the year off with the rangers, he didn't. And then he played quite poorly on the pack, going a -17 and not scoring a goal through his first 13-14 games (can't remember the exact numbers). Granted, he's come on very strong recently, and I hope that it leads to a call up, but what happened? Was he psychologically hurt? Set back? How much blame to place on management versus his work ethic, commitment, and motivation?

[Dubi (the editor, not the player)]

Bob, that rumor was a misunderstanding on the part of someone at ESPN who misread a press release about MSG being in partnership with a new sports complex that recently opened in Brooklyn.

[jane]

Bruce, you know what I think is the worst about the Pock situation? That he not only ONLY plays every, well once every blue moon really, but when he does play, he does really well, and then we don't see him again for like another 12 games or something crazy
--jane

[Bruce Berlet]

John: I kind of answering your question(s) earlier about the Rangers being notorious for misusing young players (see Malhotra, Lundmark, etc.) Hopefully they haven't messed up Nigel this year and that Pock isn't ruined forever. His case seems a repeat of Dale Purinton a few years ago when he refused to come down for a conditioning assignment and got punished. As I said earlier, the Rangers waited too long on Pock, but for his benefit, he should come down and play a few games to get into game shape, even at the AHL level. And maybe being out of the New York environment and being constantly scratched and having to answer the same question all the time would help mentally.

[Ric Erdheim]

Bruce:

You mentioned Girardi and Lampman being on the top power play. Lampman is one of the older players. He's had two call ups and played respectably. Do you think he has a future in the NHL?

[jane]

Mitch, you just said you think we will be a .500 team-- so no chance of the playoffs this year? I think that they need to push as hard as they can from this point on, but I am not yet counting them out... any other opinions?!

[Dubi (the editor, not the player)]

Bruce, the word I got from the reporter doing a story on this Pock issue is that Renney gave him a legitimate choice between a conditioning assignment and remaining to practice with the NHLers and respected Pokey's choice to stay in the NHL. I've also gotten word today that Pokey is now rethinking his choice and may choose a conditioning assignment after all.

[Bruce Berlet]

One last thing about Pock: he's on a two-way deal, so he'd earn much least in the AHL. Meanwhile, Martin Richter has a one-way deal and is getting NHL money in Hartford. Bad move, but that's probably the reason Richter agreed to come back to North America. ... Speaking of foreign imports, I think Immonen had a hangover from not making the Rangers. He said that wasn't the case (though I'm not real fluent in Finnish), but he was a shadow of himself for more than a month --- no goals and a league-worst -15 in his first 13 games. But he was playing with rookies Lauri Korpikoski and Greg Moore after being between veterans Alexandre Giroux and Brad Smyth last season. Nothing against Lauri and Greg who have some NHL potential, but Giroux and Smyth scored about 60 goals and had loads of experience. But Immonen scored on a road trip to Texas that I wasn't on and then continued when the team returned home. Jarkko seems more of a playmaker than Cullen, though his speed is a bit suspect. But he's a smart player who needs the right guys on his flanks.

[Dubi]

Brandon, now that you've been on the east coast for a while, how does it compare to Anchorage? Or are you too focused on playing to really tell?

[Mitch Beck]

Jane:

Look at the way the team is playing through the first quarter of the season. it's win a couple, lose a couple, play great, play awful. What does that spell? .500! I am not one to count losses as anything other than losses. I see the others as losses you got a point for being in but it's still a loss and that makes the Rangers right now 13-14 which is nothing to brag about and if they continue at this rate, then no, they won't make the play-offs. Hopefully the team will make some moves to clear some players that aren't holding up their weight and improve. Nobody wants them to succeed more than I do but it's going to take soemthing other than some of the statements that Sam Weinman quoted Renney as making as having "faith in his team." Faith alone is not going to make a difference.

My feeling...the answer to righting the Rangers ship is our guest tonight...Bruce Berlet...put him in charge and the Cup is ours :)

[laurie]

Brandon,

How closely do you and the guys in Hartford follow what goes on with the Rangers? Do you find time to watch games or follow in the papers or online, or do you find that you're too too busy concentrating on what's going on with your current team and your own play?

Cheers,
-laurie

[Bob Merchant]

Jane, I think the senior guys like Shanny, JJ, Straka and Nylander are leading this club. Some of the young guys as well as a few of the vets plus the entire blue line need to turn up their game as high as the above mentioned players. Those 4 guys make up less than 1/4 of this team and they need more from the rest to get over .500.

[brandon]

well they are two completely different places. Anchorage is a small town with no high rise buildings and as you know thats not the case over here. I also think that the culture is different over here and people approach you differently here. they are both great places and i am adjusting well especially because i hope to spend many years in new york. The weather is different as well but i like it here alot.

[Mitch Beck]

Bob;

Thanks for posting an intelligent answer to a question I had a better wise-ass answer to than a reality based response...

[Bruce Berlet]

Lampman is one of those marginal guys who is a solid AHL guy but doesn't have an overwhelming trait at the NHL level --- fantastic skater or big shot or physical presence. But he, Girardi, Baranka couldn't do much worse than some of the Ozolinsh-Rachunek antics I've seen on TV. They remind of some of the brutal Whalers defensemen I used to watch --- Fred "The Pylon" Arthur, a first-round pick who quit to become a doctor after about three seasons (see, the Rangers aren't the only ones to make brutal mistakes, though the Whalers are hardly a role model to follow). ... As for Pock, yes, I also heard he was given a choice, but I don't know how long ago that was. If it was last week, that was too late. If it was earlier, then Thomas was in the wrong, though remember he's on a two-day deal. Can't imagine he thought he'd sit out this much with some of the others playing so poorly.