The Good, the Bad, and the Crosby

UPDATE: Petr Prucha will make his first playoff appearance today in place of Colton Orr in the only line-up change for the Rangers. Thanks for the reports from morning skate from Blueshirts Blog, Rangers Report, and Blue Notes.

The good news for the Rangers today as they head into Game 2 of their second round series in Pittsburgh is that they have always done well this season rebounding from bad losses, at least since just before the All-Star break when they finally got their game together during Brian Leetch week. While fans were slitting their wrists after the Rangers blew that 5-0 lead to Montreal, the team said it was just one game, it was behind them, and they went about their business as if nothing extraordinary had happened. One can expect to see them approach today's game the same way -- the only question is whether their defense can hold up against the Pens' potent attack.

The bad news, though, is that today's game is a matinee, for the benefit of NBC. Hockey players are creatures of habit, and the early starts can really throw them off their game. In four NBC matinees this season, the Rangers are just 2-2, including a 3-1 loss to the Pens on March 30th. But wait -- upon further review, the Rangers were 7-3-4 overall in early starts this season, so perhaps the start time is not such bad news after all, just the media outlet. But regardless of the time and network, the real question is whether their defense can hold up against the Pens' potent attack.

So why do we keep harping on Sidney Crosby's high diving act? Because we're whiners, right? Wrong -- it's because we're trying to influence the way the game is perceived. As Larry Brooks so aptly sums it up in today's Post, "The national spotlight now will be on the diving issue and the NHL's perceived bias toward its headline act. Everyone now will be under scrutiny, including Crosby, the referees calling the game, and the announcers working it. If this series truly is going to be the Rangers against the world, it will be plainly and painfully obvious by dinner."

And as for the notion that only Ranger fans seem to see Crosby's act, Brooks also reports that an NHL official spoke to him about it last year -- that's the same NHL where friends of ours who work there say that Crosby is informally known as "Bettman's Pet". As the always irreverent Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports says, "If Peter Forsberg thinks you're a diver then, son, you're a diver." Wyshynski's article is wonderfully illustrated by a photo a flightless bird of the Antarctic that is famous for the entertaining way it -- dives! And as one of our readers pointed out, "Rodney Dangerfield had a hilarious comedy in 1986 called Back To School which culminated when he made the high dive of all ages. Is that when they named the Pittsburgh arena after his character Thornton Melon, in honor of the Penguin tradition?"

While the Penguins remained focused on the diving issue, the Rangers have moved on, more concerned with tightening up their defense -- see reports today in the Daily News, Newsday, Times, Star-Ledger, and NHL.com. Other New York area game previews from NYR.com, AP, and Rangerland. For more on the Therrien rant and Crosby's triple-lindies, see the Daily News, Journal News, Star-Ledger, Record, Slap Shot, Prospect Park, NHL.com, ESPN, Toronto Sun, CP, Post-Gazette, Tribune-Review here and here, and Beaver County Times. Even after a quiet night, they can't leave Sean Avery alone -- nevertheless, this article that looks back at his past is excellent, and this one suggests the Leafs, his nemesis, should sign him. The bad ice in Pittsburgh was a lightly touched issue -- see the Globe & Mail and Beaver County Times. Jaromir Jagr is the subject here. Other notes -- Post, Yahoo! Sports, and the Pittsburgh press here, here, and here. If you want to read what they're saying on the Pens' side, see reports here, here, here, here, and here.

Comments

[Dubi]

We got a bit of a chuckle this morning when we saw one of the guys from Pittsburgh crowing that he snuck a comment through our insult-filter. I guess he wasn't astute enough to notice our repeated invitations for Pens fans to comment on the issues, which he did, and not just be insulting and abusive.

But those that are insulting and abusive will not see the light of day, not here. And if you were abusive or insulting yesterday, you're already on the block list, so any attempts to be reasonable today -- well, too late. Vice versa too -- if you post something reasonable and then follow it up with abuse, your entire existence here will be deleted as well as all future comments.

There is no feud here, there is no war here. There are just a bunch of mindless idiots who will not get a platform of any kind here.

[Jed Orts]

i really don't understand why therrien brought up avery's stick to crosby's face as an example when sometimes things don't get called. i don't see a penalty there, crosby was laying on the ice. it's not a high stick and i really don't think avery did it maliciously, as crazy as he is. i think he has a little more respect than that, i could be wrong though
therrien is gettin all riled up and it's going to seep through to his bench. that's what happened with the devils. you had sutter gettin all crazy, flipping out and then madden makes a mockery of the officials on the ice.
will that same thing happen today?

[onetimer]

Dubi, nice article on Avery in the Sun. Thanks for the link. It's funny he started out as a goalie! (or maybe that actually explains a lot).

NY would be foolish not to resign him. It's precisely players with an edge and attitude like Avery's that Ranger teams of the past always had lacked. I think the change in Avery that the article mentions is due sure to maturity, but also I think Renney's role, and probably Shanny's influence as well.

[Still a Rangers fan]

I think that inserting Prucha into today's lineup by coach Renny is a great move because Prucha like some of the Penguins can't stay on his skates. I mean he falls down a lot. It should at least get the referees thinking. I wonder who will draw the penalties in this case?
Let's go Rangers!

[Kristen]

Most of the Penguins fans I've seen mouthing off have absolutely no idea what they're talking about in the first place. They seem to think that the Rangers are only focused on the bad officiating and not paying attention to the fact that they blew a three-goal lead. That's the farthest from the truth. The only one who brought any attention to the officiating and the whole Crosby issue was Therrien himself. Renney didn't want to comment and the players who were asked about it seemed to want to evade the issue, with the exception of Shanahan. So how are they the whiney ones? They know the loss was their fault. They're not the ones harping on it.

[Sam]

Prucha in for Orr per Rangers Report and Blue Notes and the Rangers now has 4 offensive lines. Hope Pruuu will pay dividends in today's game.

[joeymole]

today the rangers will show the nation how hockey is played: tough, smart and with a lot of heart! expecting a huge rebound win for rangers today, nothing less. a big key for them is, and i'm certain they saw this, don't let pens set up offense behind hank!! mucho importante! and of course, clog up the dang neutral zone.

looking for strong game from hank, shanny, and gomez!!

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!

[traviesso]

still a rangers fan, really good point about prucha, he must draw the most penalties per amount of time on the ice, is there a stat for that somewhere? i really like the decision to bring prucha in, he's a really hard worker and should be used on the power play, he has so much to prove today, despite the rust i think he will step it up.

[The T.R.]

How do you have graph after graph complaining about diving, and then say that the Rangers have moved on?

Fact is, Sidney didn't give up the goals that made it 3-0, and he isn't responsible for the Rangers' swiss cheese defense.

Rangers need to take care of their business and not focus so much on Crosby. In a way, this issue is a lot like the Sean Avery business from last series. How ironic.

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Kristen,

There's a reason for that ... one of the many PIT area newspapers posted a story that said that the Rangers team(including coach), NY Media and all NY Rangers fans are whiners and complainers ...that the team is so preoccupied with Sidney Crosby that they can't acknowledge the fact that they were responsible for the loss and not the questionable call at the end ... They keep saying that Renney implied about diving being an issue and then hilariously enough the writer goes on to note "Who else could he be referring to if not Sidney?"

LMAO! Seriously, so as soon as anyone says "Dive" or "embellishing" when it comes to the Pens they are talking about Sidney? Gee, why is that? But he continued since he didn't have any actual quotes from Renney calling out Sidney that the team implied this and that ...

So their fans are all up in arms without worrying to read any of the actual comments that were made by Renney himself which are easily accessible via video on Rangers OnDemand ... unfiltered before they got to print form .. but they won't do that, it takes the steam out of their arguments

[Dubi]

TR -- The Rangers have moved on, but we haven't, and that's because we're covering the most recent story on the topic, which was the Pens getting in the last word (Therrien's rant). Let's see if Brooks is right about the spotlight being on Crosby and the refs today -- that would be a breath of fresh air, but I won't believe it till I see it.

[pghas]

Us, poking fun at Sidney? NEVER.

Sung to the tune of "Mustang Sally"

Diving Sidney

Diving Sidney
I think you better slow your diving down
I said Diving Sidney
I think you better slow your diving down
One of these early evenings,
You're gonna be
Picking your teeth off the ground

Now Gretzky had the spin-o-rama
The forearm shiver did Messier fine
Gordie Howe had his hat-trick,
Mario his wrister,
But you, you're perfecting the ice swan dive

Diving Sidney
I think you better slow your diving down
I said Diving Sidney
I think you better slow your diving down
One of these early evenings,
You're gonna be
Picking your teeth off the ground

(Now everyone)

All you wanna do is flop around Sidney
Whine, Sidney, whine
All you wanna do is flop around Sidney
Whine, Sidney, whine
All you wanna do is flop around Sidney
Dive, Sidney,dive
All you wanna do is flop around Sidney
Dive, Sidney,dive
One of these early evenings,
You're gonna be
Wiping your weeping eyes

[Dubi]

I'd like to once again extend my thanks to the good people who follow the Penguins for helping increase the number of hits at this site -- my advertisers are happy, and so is my bottom line!

I wish there could be more hits, but either the majority of Pens fans are wisely staying away from a rival site, or else there just aren't all that many Pens fans to begin with.

My guess is that 99% of Pens fans are smart enough to stick to their own sites and not help out a rival. The other 1% just can't seem to help themselves from coming back to see what we have to say, trying again and again to post comments that will never see the light of day as long as they are insulting or abusive, and helping increase our ad revenue.

So a tip of the hat to the smart ones, and once again, thanks to the idiots for the ad revenue -- keep patting yourselves on the back for how clever you are in "infiltrating" this site while our cash register goes "ka-ching!"

[Mr. Plank]

I agree with T.R. on this one (How do you have graph after graph complaining about diving, and then say that the Rangers have moved on?). The fact that you have included the Rodney Dangerfield movie on the same post where you state that Rangers fans have moved on seems slightly hypocritical to me.

Should be a good game today, both teams are well matched. As good as Fluery has been, King Henrik seems to have more consistency in him. In order for the Rangers to win this series he has to be golden, which isn't too much to ask at all.

[Kristen]

Dubi, exactly, the Rangers have moved on. But I'm certainly not gonna take too kindly to Tom Renney being publicly bashed by Therrien when Renney did nothing wrong. It's just out of hand.

And Matty, I've really been finding it hilarious that everyone is taking Renney's implications and running with them. Seriously, the "Who else could he be talking about?" comments are gold. They know what Crosby did. But isn't it entirely possible that when Renney was asked what he thought about the call (NOT if he thought Crosby was diving, mind you) and he had no comment about it that he was just insinuating that he disagreed with it? It could A) mean that he didn't think it was a penalty, B) mean that he thought it was just horrible officiating so late in the game, C) mean he thought it was a penalty and disappointed it was taken, or D) mean that Crosby was diving. But of course, through the eyes of the Penguins, who (for some reason) are playing the victim card, it's only choice D. I mean, really, pick a fight with Shanahan if you desperately want to, but stay away from Renney who's been more than respectful on this matter.

Still, the bottom line is: The Rangers knew that THEY were responsible for the loss in the game, not the officials! I'm gonna reiterate -- they're not the ones harping on the officiating issue. It's only the Penguins who are bringing it up.

[Dubi]

Mr. Plank -- We didn't say Ranger fans have moved, we said the Rangers themselves have moved on. And don't even take that to universally include all Ranger fans -- as many of the comments here show, many Ranger fans have moved on as well, and some weren't even there in the first place.

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Exactly Kristen,

That's why is so funny to me ... a couple of girls who are Penguins fans were all like "Well he didn't have to say Sidney's name, we know he meant him" and I just burst out laughing because I was like "shouldn't that tell YOU something?" I mean seriously.

Larry Brooks made laugh today when in his article he said that NBC stood for Nothing But Crosby network lol

18 minutes until game time ...

[Dubi]

OK, folks -- Here's the game plan for today. Comments are still being held for approval. I will check in during commercial breaks and between periods and during any other long stoppages in play to approve comments.

We won't have the usual spontaneity of commenting immediately to whatever happens, good or bad, so perhaps we can concentrate more on periodic summations of what is transpiring.

If things go the Pens' way -- they are, after all, a pretty darn good team, even if a small portion of their fans are jerks -- please just keep it clean. Deletion of comments, as you all know by now, is not based on which team you support or who you are, it is based solely on abuse, profanity, and disrespect.

On the other hand, if the Rangers do well, we can expect the idiots to take a short break. Let's not stoop to their level and invade their site. Let's just be happy about it and forget that they even exist (which they themselves will do to themselves once their team is eliminated).

[kogan]

My crystal ball is telling me that the first 5-6 minute will be crucial for Rangers.
If the Tuxedo birds will not score, Rangers will win easily.

[i]

let's see the refs give Prucha the same calls they give to cindy.

[Paul R _ _ _ _ _ D]

the only reason why Prucja doesn't stay on his skates cause he is hit often and hard and he is not as big as Jagr

[oleosmirf]

i'm not very confident today but in reality what i think makes no difference. LETS GO RANGERS...

[Jess]

And Folks please remember when judging "dives", the highest and lowest scores do not count and the remaining 3 are averaged out with a degree of difficulty assigned to it.

We will have the 7 meter platform dive in the first period, then the springboard events during the second period and will wrap it up with the team event in the 3rd.

As per the request of those folks from the Bankruptcy Arena, there will be no more talk about ice hockey here.

How about those Pirates, those Steelers ?

[oleosmirf]

and please let's keep the complaining about Mike Millbury to a minimum.

[Dubi]

My heart just stopped when Pierre McGuire said, "Mike Milbury, you're coach of the Rangers now." But he was just speaking rhetorically, thank god.

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

ok ... telecast starts ...

Crosby mention #1 .... Check
Focus on Penguins before the game ... Check
Focus on Penguins beating Henrik, multiple times and no shots of Rangers beating Fleury ... Check Check
Talk about Pens fans undying support for their team ... Check Check Check
Make sure you interview a Ranger to make it seem balanced ... Check
Talk about Crosby's dive penalty in game 1 at the end of the game ... check check with a cherry on top and make sure their color man says in a strong LOUD voice "SIDNEY IS NOT A DIVER, but he might embellish a bit, ALL PLAYERS DO!"

Alrighty ... we are set to go *Let's Go Rangers*

[Ted]

another commercial break? can we start this game already? what happened to the 2:07-2:08 start times?

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

can we start this game already? what happened to the 2:07-2:08 start times?

But didn't you see? They had to get one more interview with Crosby, even though he was asked the exact same thing Ryan Malone was asked ...

[oleosmirf]

unnecessary penalty scotty. we dont get many PPs so we cant cut them short...unless we score of course...

[Dubi]

Where was the "intent to interfere" on Orpik on that penalty call on Gomez? :)

[pj]

as I watch the start of the 2nd game and look at the Pens on the PP, I must admit that I like many here did not really appreciate the skill level on this team. Crosby, Malkin, hossa, Sykora, Staal et al. If the Rangers win this series ..... we will have to EARN IT BIG TIME!

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Henrik is looking very good so far ... but then again nothing has deflected in off one of his players ... that's when the ish usually hits the fan

[Marc H.]

Nice setup by Callahan to Drury. We need Callahan to start playing with the spunk he showed against the Devils. I also would not mind seeing Avery make his presence felt (positively, of course).

[BlueClue]

Penguins ice the puck after a long shift and then they got a 4 minute TV time-out to rest up.

Just ridiculous. They can ice the puck with impunity....

[oleosmirf]

pj

the penguins are very very talented and they will make the Rangers scramble. That is why we need to control the puck and keep possesion cause the Penguins will draw penalities (deserved and/or embellished) and they will score almost every time when given the oppurtunity...

[Phill]

Crosby call #3

[NCSteve]

Anyone know an internet site where I can listen to the game. These announcers are driving me nuts! Crosby penalty! Renney's laughing. Same Cindy crap.

[john]

Low center of gravity! i think not!

[ntb]

Ha, Drury tries his best Crosby imitation, but nothing called.

[john]

hay a call for us

[NCSteve]

Now even their goon RotoRutuu is diving! Jeez, if they give Gomez a penalty . . .

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Dude even Jagr yelled at Sidney on that one ... the way the fans reacted ... as much as they defend him, they know what's up ... legitimate or not ... people keep talking about his STRENGTH and yet he falls more easily to the ice than anyone I've ever seen .. for someone SO strong that is

[Dubi]

Hold? Yes. Dive? Hell, yes -- did you see those legs shoot out? Way to go, Jags, telling the jerk to stay on his feet.

[Jed Orts]

i love how it's 5 minutes later and the announcers are still on the crosby penalty call, my god... it's over, stop talking about it and announce the game

[And This One Will Last A Lifetime]

Diving and embellishing which are against the rules is gamesmanship? But Avery doing something that wasn't against the rules (at the time) is classless?

Eddie O, why are so bitter toward the Rangers, it was the Pens that canned your sorry rear-end as a coach not us.

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Why is NBC analysts so intent on talking about whether Sidney dove or not? They doth protest too much imo ... just let it go already but no they continue to try and "Look that is not a dive, he is NOT a diver!" and keep replaying the penalty ... yeah, it only makes the people who believe he's a diver and who hate him just hate him more ...

I certainly do

[Matty "If life gives you lemons, squirt juice in your enemy's eye"]

Pierre is such a hypocrite now ... Therrien has EVERY right to be upset that Shanny is in the crease but the Rangers don't have the "right" to be upset with the Penguins embellishing antics? GMAFB!

[Marc H.]

I cannot wait for the crown reaction at MSG regarding Crosby. It will make the Penguin fans look like they are cheering Jagr. Hopefully we go back home 1-1, but either way, we certainly can win this series.

[Dubi]

Tyuts held him, but he barely pushed at all. Tyuts is strong? I thought Crosby was a strong skater.

You know what, though -- that was definitely a hold, and it was such a good dive by Crosby that one can understand why everyone would buy it.

But the scrutiny is there -- and that's important. When he really does blatantly dive -- and you know he will -- all these guys who are defending him now will be all over him. That will be the payoff.

[ntb]

Of course they make a point to reshow the Avery slash on Crosby. Meanwhile, Sykora all but breaks his stick as Dubinsky enters the zone, but no need to reshow that one. The sheer amount of time that NBC spends defending Crosby is just silly.

As for the first period, GREAT period for Lundqvist. Rangers have to feel good about not being behind. Staying out of the box will be key this game (easier said than done). Penguins will score on the PP if the Rangers give them enough chances.