Twenty Years

Twenty years sounds like a long time ago.....Yet it went by in a flash...Twenty years ago Forrest Gump came out...Along with Ace Ventura, Reality Bites, Dumb & Dumber, Pulp Fiction, and The Santa Clause...

Portishead's album Dummy came out 20 years ago...So did Weezer, by Weezer, Dookie by Green Day, Under the Table and Dreaming by DMB, Pearl Jam's Vitalogy, and Jeff Buckley's Grace...

Twenty years ago O.J. Simpson was arrested for double murder...

Twenty years ago, Major League Baseball had a lockout/strike that killed any chance of an amazing Cleveland Indians versus Montreal Expos World Series...

Twenty years ago, I graduated from high school...

And the highlight of 1994...The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup!

After suffering my first 18 years of life as a Rangers fan, I saw a winner...And lets be honest, I was seeing any winning growing up in Cleveland for a long time...It had been 54 years since the Rangers had won the Cup, so as for being a long suffering Rangers fan...I had some catching up to do...But since 1994, the Rangers haven't been back to the Stanley Cup Finals...Hell, they've barely even sniffed the Finals since then...But here we are, twenty years later, and the Rangers are going back to the Stanley Cup Finals...

The Rangers will face the LA Kings...The LA Kings and the NY Rangers...The Marketing department's dicks are so hard right now...The Kings are good...Their Goalie, Jonathan Quick can go toe-toe with Lundqvist...They skate well...They're fast...Plenty of talent all over the ice...I'll be honest...I'm nervous...I have doubts...But that's nothing new....

 I didn't have a lot of faith in this team for much of the season...Early on, they seemed to struggle with adjusting to a new coaching staff, and system...They didn't seem as tough, physically, even though it was mostly the same team as the year before...But Henrik Lundqvist can always carry the team through a rough patch...Oh, wait...The he started out slow...His game even seemed off...But it came around...Slowly other pieces came around...But the offense was often lacking...

At the trade deadline, the Rangers traded their captain, Ryan Callahan to Tampa Bay for their Captain, Martin St. Louis...I hated this trade...St. Louis was 8 years older...Not a physical presence...And seemed like a bitch demanding trade after not getting selected by his GM to be on Team Canada's Olympic hockey team...And demanding to only go to the Rangers...Yet, the Rangers overpaid, giving up a 1st and 2nd rounder, plus Callahan...

Then St. Louis went 11 games without scoring a goal...While Callahan continued to play his steady, two-way game in Tampa Bay...I HATED this trade...Then came the playoffs...St. Louis' mother suddenly passes away...He seems to be playing on another level...Multiple, huge Game changing/winning goals...The rest of the team is feeding off of it...Now we sit here, heading into the finals...Looks like a good trade now...

I still HATE it!

Yes, I'm thrilled the Rangers are playing for the Stanley Cup...But there is a part of me that feels like it's screwed up that Callahan isn't there...Along with Lundqvist, he was the face of the Rangers...He was home grown...He played Ranger hockey, the way it's suppose to be played...But sports is a business right...Yes, yes it is...And the Rangers decided to make a move for business now, and risk some of the future...2 high draft picks and the captain, for an aging scorer who has one last push left in him...

Big picture, I still think its a bad trade...

But do I really want to wait another year or twenty?

The Beeze.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Yesterday, the New York Rangers, traded their captain, Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Martin St. Louis...

The last Rangers captain to be traded was Mark Messier (the rights for) in 2003 to the San Jose Sharks for a 4th Rd pick...That pick became...Ryan Callahan...Just an interesting fact for ya...

So, from what I've seen from most Rangers fans on twitter, and blogs, and what I've heard on NHL radio, they are happy about this trade...Yes, Martin St. Louis at 38 years old, still scores...He's always been a talented offensive player...Everyone keeps comparing their offensive numbers...

Well why is a little guy like ST. Louis able to keep scoring? Well, he plays little defense, while Callahan is a defensive thorn in people's sides...Callahan, checks...Finishes every check...Drives star players crazy, by running them into the boards...Callahan blocks shots...He blocks them with precision...Like it's a fucking art form...And if he has to, he'll drop the gloves...

St. Louis has always shied away from these parts of the game...But the constant talk is about scoring...Well people, there is a lot more to Hockey then just scoring...

But for me it's not just about the difference between the two players...Lets look at the trade...

St. Louis wanted out of Tampa Bay because his feelings were hurt, because Lightning GM Steve Yzerman who was the GM for team Canada, didn't pick St. Louis for the Olympic team...(St. Louis did go, as he took injured teammate, Steven Stamkos' spot) Then St. Louis said the only team he wanted to go to was the Rangers...Wanting to reunite with old teammate, and fellow old man, Brad Richards...

So why the hell did Rangers (overrated) GM Glen Sather give up so much for a 38 year old guy with another year on his contract? So much you ask? Besides Callahan, who is ten years younger, Sather gave up a 1st round and a 2nd round draft pick...If Callahan resigns with Tampa Bay, that 2nd round pick becomes a first...

What the fuck!?! St. Louis is a 38 year old with hurt feeling only willing to go to your team...Why give up the two high picks along with your Captain? Yzerman doesn't like, tell him to go screw...San Jose was interested in Callahan...Talk to them...Tell Yzerman San Jose is giving more, or asking for less, or both...These GM's always say it's a business...Well treat that way...Too bad is Yzerman is stuck with a 38 year old who is sad, and only plays one part of the game...Not your problem!

And why were the Rangers shopping Callahan? They couldn't reach a contract extension with him and his agent...Everyone says he was asking for too much...Why were they saying this? Because all they look at is scoring...Not the everything else that is just as important...And maybe it was bit high...In the end, the talk was 6 years, near $6 million a year...But the thing that killed the deal for Sather was Callahan wanting a no trade clause...Really? The captain of your team wants to finish his career with you and that's no good...People say players should give the team a "hometown discount," that they should show that loyalty...Why the fuck shouldn't the team show it as well!?!

As a lifelong Rangers fan, I hate this trade...As a Callahan fan, I hate this trade...As some one who tries to use common sense, I think Sather should be fired for getting raped by Yzerman, who St. Louis painted in a corner...

Long term, the Rangers lose big time...Short term, the Rangers lose...St. Louis may add offense, but makes them softer, and takes a away a key defensive asset...And in the Spring, he turns 39 when the Rangers will be trying to make huge playoff run...I recall Brad Richards (33) looking old and out of gas last year in the playoffs...So out of gas, he was scratched for the last 3 games...

Martin St. Louis is not the missing link who will save the Rangers and take them to a Cup...But those high draft picks could have been, skating beside Callahan...

You won't see that 38 year old doing all of this...





Best of luck Captain Cally...Tampa Bay is going to love you!

The Beeze