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Youngblood on BB's Ranger Beat

We are pleased to re-introduce original Ranger coverage here at BB.com today. Daniel Akeson joins our writing team and will have his first article up shortly. Dan has been helping us out with the print publication for some time as our copy editor and will now begin to assume a bigger role by contributing with his journalistic skills as well. He'll fill you in on his credentials in more detail in his upcoming post. We hope you enjoy the reporting of this up and coming young journalist (who also happens to be a Ranger season ticket holder).

Our preview of tonight's game at Florida along with today's links and all reader commentary remains at Blueshirt Bulletin+ -- click here if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to see it. Monthly BB+ users click here. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works.

Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Ryan Rallies Rangers

Can we bottle some Ryan Callahan and give it to the rest of the Rangers? If the guys with all the talent in the world making the big bucks played as hard from start to finish the way Callahan plays, there would be no troubles in Rangerland. Last night, Callahan was rewarded for his diligent play, scoring one goal, setting up a second, hitting a goal post on a third chance, drawing a penalty on a shorthanded breakaway that should have been a penalty shot, and catching a huge break when his shootout attempt became the game winning goal, banking in off Jose Theodore after it caromed off the goal post into the crease. "Cally plays like that most every night," coach Tom Renney said after chuckling over the notion of bottling Callahan's energy for the rest of the team to drink. "He doesn't always get rewarded with pucks going in, but he puts in that kind of effort every night."

The rest of our report on how Callahan and others help craft last night's streak-busting shootout win over the Washington Ovechkins can be found at Blueshirt Bulletin+, replete with quotes from Callahan, Lauri Korpikoski, Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Drury, and Tom Renney. Click here if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read it and see today's links and reader comments. Monthly BB+ users click here. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Those of you who ever wanted to see a Ranger practice, which are usually closed to the public, can get a chance while contributing to a worthy cause -- for details, click here. This auction and others are for the benefit of Musicians on Call, a charitable organization that brings cheer to hospital paitents -- click here to learn more about MoC and the complete auction.

Avery to Hartford Confirmed by Rangers

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: For a preview of tonight's game and today's links at Blueshirt Bulletin+, click here (monthly BB+ users click here).

"I would like to thank Glen Sather and the Rangers organization for giving me the chance to resume my hockey career by affording me this opportunity with the Hartford Wolf Pack," Sean Avery said in a statement released by the Rangers. "I am looking forward to getting back on the ice, working my way back to the NHL and playing the game I love. While I appreciate the many interview requests, at this point in time, I would like to focus on hockey and will not be making any further statements while with the Wolf Pack."

"Sean and the Dallas Stars approached me looking for an American Hockey League team for him to resume playing, and I am happy to provide him with the opportunity to continue his career," Glen Sather said in the statement. "Sean was a good player for the Rangers during his time here and has worked extremely hard off the ice over the last two months. He remains under contract to and property of the Stars, therefore, any further comment would be inappropriate."

To read our report on last night's fifth straight loss in New Jersey, click here if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access. Drury, Gomez, Redden, and Renney talk about the Rangers' dysfunctional power play and the power of staying postiive. Today's links and reader comments can be found there too. Monthly BB+ users click here. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Don't forget tonight's appearance by Alexander "the Gr8" Ovechkin at Last Licks in Manhattan from 6:00-7:30 PM. Click here for more information on Last Licks, which is located at 245 East 93rd Street.

Drury Flying Under the Radar

With all eyes on Tom Renney and Sean Avery, Ranger captain Chris Drury has somehow stayed above the fray. You hardly see his name mentioned anywhere, including fan discussion boards where the focus in all on the coach, except after his minimal post-game quotes. Drury threw another doozie at the press after practice yesterday, telling reporters that the Rangers need a spark that Avery could very well provide, as he has in the past. At face value, that's a sensible thing to say. The Rangers do need a spark and Avery has been able to provide it at this exact moment in time in each of the past two seasons. But in context, one has to wonder why the captain himself cannot provide a spark...

Click here if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read the rest of our rant on Drury, our preview of tonight's game in New Jersey, today's links, and reader comments -- monthly BB+ users click here. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Don't forget tomorrow night's appearance by Alexander "the Gr8" Ovechkin at Last Licks in Manhattan from 6:00-7:30 PM. Click here for more information on Last Licks, which is located at 245 East 93rd Street.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

SUNDAY UPDATE: Coaching change or heart transplant (courtesy of Sean Avery) -- what do the Rangers need to right themselves? BB+ users, click here to read about it, plus today's links and reader comments (BB+ monthly users click here).

SATURDAY UPDATE: Debacle in Dallas -- BB+ users, click here to read it and weep, plus today's links and reader comments (BB+ monthly users click here).

Is Sean Avery coming back to the Rangers? That's the talk of the day as reports and rumors fly back and forth through cyberspace. Click here if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read our take on Avery, our preview of tonight's game in Dallas, today's links, and reader comments -- monthly BB+ users click here.

Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

We'd like to let you know of a couple of upcoming appearances by two of the game's most exciting young players that will be of great interest not just to Ranger fans but to all fans of the game as well as collectors. Marc Staal will be at Poitin Still Irish Restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey this Sunday from 6:00-8:00 PM -- click here to find out more about Poitin Still, which is located at 774 Main Street. Mention Blueshirt Bulletin to get a free gift -- an 8x10 autographed photo of a Ranger past or present.

Same deal at Last Licks on Tuesday when Alexander "the Gr8" Ovechkin comes to Last Licks right in the heart of Manhattan from 6:00-7:30 PM, as you can see in accompanying image. The refreshingly anti-Crosby NHL MVP will be in New York to play the Rangers the following night. Click here for more information on Last Licks, which is located at 245 East 93rd Street.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works.

Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Lack of Effort Mars Graves's Big Night

THURSDAY UPDATE: Should the Rangers shoot more? Or should they shoot better? Click here for our suggestion at Blueshirt Bulletin+ along with today's links (BB+ monthly users click here).

Adam Graves saw his number 9 go up into the rafters alongside his talented teammates Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, and Mark Messier. And he reiterated his belief that he reached the point of this special honor thanks to "that special trio and their unique abilities [who] simplified the game to the point where I only had to work hard." Ranger fans who value his kind of effort as much and maybe even more than pure talent have no trouble understanding how truly Graves earned his spot up there among the others. What they don't understand is how a group of eighteen skaters could come out against one of the worst teams in the league and not do the one thing that was necessary to cruise to victory, the one thing that Graves is willing to give himself credit for -- hard work....

Click here if you already subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read our recap of the Rangers' lack of effort on Adam Graves Night, with quotes from Markus Naslund, Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Drury, Paul Mara, and Tom Renney -- monthly BB+ users click here. You will also find Artem Anisimov talking about his NHL debut at BB+ along with Mara commenting on Erik Reitz's Ranger debut, today's extensive links, and reader discussion. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Graves Earns His Spot in the Spotlight

There are more than a few things that make ice hockey the greatest sport around, no matter what the yahoos who prefer auto racing, professional wrestling, or hold'em tournaments think. And so many of those things are embodied in Adam Graves, who will watch his number 9 raised to the Garden rafters Tuesday evening for all posterity. Not least among those qualities is his total commitment to the team sport that hockey is, even if individual players like those already up in the rafters can exert so much of an influence over the game. And perhaps chief among them are the way Graves took everything he got from becoming a popular Ranger and channeled it right back into the community...

Click here if you already subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read Adam Graves talk about his big night, the people who helped make him who he is, and how he played the game and lived his life -- monthly BB+ users click here. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.

Blanked in Beantown

MONDAY UPDATE: The Rangers have recalled Artem Anisimov from Hartford -- click here for more at Blueshirt Bulletin+, along with today's links (BB+ monthly users click here).

Tom Renney was never under illusions about his team's ability to score. Their best work since October was earlier this month during a 6-2-1 run when he finally got them to realize that they have to win games 2-1 instead of 5-1. But there's a flip side to winning a game 2-1, and that's losing 1-0 when you can't even get a single goal. But no matter what you say about yourself, it's gotta sting when the other guy not only says it, but says it in your face. When Bruin coach Claude Julien started a 21-year-old making his first start of the season and fifth NHL appearance in place of his All-Star goalie, he told Tom Renney, "I don't think you guys can score against us, so I'm gonna rest Thomas and start a complete nobody."

Click here if you already subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for Blueshirt Bulletin+ access to read the game story as well as today's links and reader comments. Subscribers who need instructions on how to access BB+ should write to us at [email protected]. E-mail us or click here to learn how to subscribe to the magazine and get quick access to BB+ -- you can be up and running in the time it takes to write an E-mail message if you subscribe via PayPal or credit card.

Blueshirt Bulletin is also available in digital format via Zinio. You can read a single issue or take out an online subscription. You can read it within your browser, or you can download it and read it offline. Click here to subscribe (there is a link on that page for single copies). Click here to read a sampling of the print edition (our monthly Ranger News & Notes section) and to see how the browser version works. Blueshirt Bulletin+ access comes with all Zinio purchases -- single issue buyers will get access through the end of February, full year subscribers will get access for the duration of your subscription term. While Zinio handles all the logistics for taking out a subscription and delivering each copy, you must contact us directly about accessing BB+ -- E-mail your Zinio receipt to [email protected] to get access instructions.