Sunday, January 29, 2012
Marian Gaborik Wins MVP in Team Chara's All-Star Game Victory
The rivalry between Rangers teammates Gaborik and Lundqvist had grown ever since Marian was drafted by Team Chara to confirm that he would be going up against Hank in the All-Star Game. Between the Twitter war and the in-person trash talking, it was quite an interesting situation to watch unfold from a fan's perspective.
Gabby spoke about what's gone on between him and Lundqvist following the game...
"I tried to get into his mind over the whole weekend," Gaborik told the media (myself included). "I think it was a pretty good challenge against him and it worked out better for me."
Despite Gaborik coming out the victor in the rivalry, he was quick to give Lundqvist much credit and state that the war will not continue beyond this point...
"We always have a good competition, even in practice," he said. "It's a challenge to score on him. He's one of the best."
Gaborik cannot take full credit for his performance tonight, though, as he was teamed up with some pretty talented linemates in Pavel Datsyuk and fellow Slovak Marian Hossa on Team Chara's first offensive line. Gaborik spoke about playing alongside those two following the game...
"With Marian [Hossa], we've played together at the international level," Gaborik said. "And with Pavel [Datsyuk], he's one of the best. He's got it all and is a pure talent. It was a lot of fun."
Datsyuk assisted on Gaborik's first goal of the game, which actually opened the scoring for both teams at ScotiaBank Place. The beautiful passing between the two ended with Gaborik one-timing the puck just over a sprawled Lundqvist to give Team Chara a 1-0 lead. What came after, though, was where the real prize was at.
As Lundqvist lay in his crease after allowing the goal to his teammate, Gaborik skated out to the circle, went down to one knee and replicated Artem Anisimov's 'rifle' celebration in Henrik's direction - a celebration he said he had planned, but acknowledged that he did not do as well as Anisimov did earlier in the year. When asked about that celebration afterwards, Lundqvist jokingly told us that he believes the league should take a look at it.
"I have to think about what kind of penalty that is," Lundqvist said smiling. "I think Anisimov was twenty-five hundred bucks, right?"
But just as Gaborik did he, Lundqvist gave his buddy credit for the points he put up in the contest...
"After he scored the first one I couldn't believe it. He had a good game - unbelievable player and it was fun to see him out there."
Going back to what I was saying before the game, it means a lot for the organization to be so well represented in a league-wide event like this, especially in the midst of such a successful year from several standpoints. And now to have their top offensive player take center stage and win MVP makes it that more special.
That includes head coach John Tortorella, who although was coaching the opposing team, had to be happy to see Marian be acknowledged as the game's best player. Gaborik was asked about Tortorella's thoughts on his celebration, which Torts reportedly (jokingly) told NBC he should be fined for...
"He's just mad that we won the game," said Gaborik.
* Henrik Lundqvist played the first period between the pipes for Team Alfredsson, allowing just three goals on 12 shots against. I say "just" three goals because it's not easy to keep your GAA low in an All-Star game with all of the skill out there and nonchalant defensive play. He made a few impressive pad saves as well, which had the crowd on hand standing on their feet.
* Defenseman Dan Girardi logged 15:20 of ice time on the blue-line for Team Alfredsson, which is about half of what he plays on a nightly basis for the Rangers. Dan picked up an assist when his shot from the point was deflected to the back of the net by Jason Spezza in the first period, and, by no surprise, he was credited with one blocked shot tonight. I guess he just couldn't help himself.
* All in all, it was a great showing for the New York Rangers here in Ottawa this weekend, but now it's back to the grind of the regular season. There's still plenty of work to be done and playoff games to be played. This weekend was a nice break from the intensity of the regular season, but now it's crunch time.
Come back tomorrow as I recap the weekend that was here in Ottawa, and share some pictures I took behind-the-scenes before and after today's game. I had a blast covering the event live, and I hope you enjoyed reading.
Good night from Ottawa.
Rangers Prepared to Shine in 2012 NHL All-Star Game
OTTAWA -- The New York Rangers have garnered plenty of attention this season between beginning the season in Europe, participating in the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia, and also being one of the teams featured in HBO's 24/7 series for a month. Now they enter this afternoon's 2012 NHL All-Star Game with three representatives skating on the ice, and one behind the bench as a coach in John Tortorella. Being the first place team in the Eastern Conference at the moment, the Blueshirts here in Ottawa have been hot commodities among the media, especially Henrik Lundqvist, who is the alternate captain of Team Alfredsson.
"I was really happy and honored that Alfie [Daniel Alfredsson] picked me [to be assistant captain]," Lundqvist said on Saturday. "That adds to the whole experience I think."
But, by right, a team that has found the path to success and as a result climbed to the top of the league standings-wise should be well represented in a tilt that celebrates the game's top talents. And having all of this extra attention has made the weekend a tad more exciting and memorable for the New York participants.
Some downplay All-Star Weekend and the meaning behind it, but to the players, it truly is an honor to be here and regarded as one of the best performers in the league this season. Think of it from defenseman Dan Girardi's perspective, as he told me yesterday that he never thought he'd be here. Now, not only is he going to be playing in this afternoon's much-anticipated game, but he's also been able to share the experience with his fellow teammates as well as his wife and son, who joined him on the trip to Ottawa.
"It's a pretty big honor to be here with these players," Girardi told me. "It means a lot."
Girardi will be paired with Elex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks on defense for Team Alfredsson this evening. He will be going up against Rangers teammate Marian Gaborik, who will be skating on the first offensive line for Team Chara in the game.
In fact, Gaborik will be teamed up with Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and fellow Slovak Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks. That's a pretty wicked offensive trio with a tremendous skill-set, so Gaborik may be able to get the best of his rival for the weekend, Henrik Lundqvist.
Gaborik told me yesterday that he had not placed a bet on the game with Henrik, but that they were planning to work something out. Nonetheless, the trash talk between the two has been heavy, both in person and on Twitter...
The Lundqvist-Gaborik rivalry is one of the larger storylines heading into the contest today at ScotiaBank Place, and I honestly cannot wait to get both of their thoughts on the outcome after the final buzzer sounds tonight. That's going to be must-read material for sure.
"With me and Gabby, the talks have been going on for a while," Lundqvist said. "So we'll see what happens."
Either way, the Rangers will steal some of spotlight in a game that is watched league-wide, being that they have several members of the organization here participating. For the team, the organization and its fans, it's healthy to have three different types of skilled players in Lundqvist, Girardi and Gaborik here in Ottawa. If you think about it, it's the perfect representation of the blend the Rangers have put together on their roster this season.
"We have a perfect balance," Gaborik told me when I asked him about the Rangers' consistency this season.
And three of the most important members of that "balance" will be taking center stage in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game today, in addition to the head coach who's put that balance together perfectly this season.
Photo Collection: Behind-the-Scenes at the 2012 All-Star Skills Competition
OTTAWA -- Yesterday afternoon I brought you into the NHL's 2012 All-Star Weekend Fan Fair with one of these "Photo Collection" posts, showing readers the main attraction here in Ottawa aside from the actual events over at ScotiaBank Place. Today, following an eventful night at the arena on Saturday, I will bring you behind-the-scenes of the 2012 All-Star Skills Competition with round two of my photo collections here on the blog.
So right now, picture yourself walking through the doors of ScotiaBank Place, and then going down stairs into a winding tunnel that brings you to the home and away locker rooms. If you followed those directions correctly, you would see the following....
This is the locker room of the Ottawa Senators, which has also housed Team Alfredsson this weekend. Getting the chance to be in both locker rooms, the home team one is ten times nicer than the away one. Oh, and notice the Senators logo in the center of the room is covered with a mat, this way no one can 'step' on it.
The view from the home team bench at ScotiaBank Place. I'm not even sure if I was allowed on, but I followed Tod McLellan - coach of the San Jose Sharks - onto it with his two sons, so no one was stopping me.
Henrik Lundqvist's locker. Weird unknown fact about him: He sprays all of his equipment down with a spray bottle containing water before hitting the ice. I'm guessing to cool it down and loosen everything up.
Dan Girardi's locker, which happened to be next to that of the Flyers' Scott Hartnell. Those two chatted it up quite a bit, which may come as a surprise to many of you. Lundqvist and Giroux seem to have a friendly relationship as well.
For the few seconds head coach John Tortorella did show his face before the Skill Competition, I managed to snap a picture of him talking with Sheriff Brendan Shanahan. That could've been a very interesting conversation.
Carl Hagelin being interviewed by MSG Network after the Skills Competition. When I interviewed him, the kid wouldn't stop talking. Not that I'm complaining about that, but he's just a normal kid that loves to have conversation. Pretty cool.
John Tavares of the New York Islanders. Like Hagelin, he too is a very down-to-earth guy. Despite being an Islander, I like him a lot.
Big "Z" Zdeno Chara soon after blasting his 108.8 mph bomb in the hardest shot competition. I didn't even attempt to interview him because there's no chance in hell I'm reaching that high.
I plan to take more photos when I'm back in the locker rooms before and after this evening's All-Star Game, and those will most likely be posted here tomorrow. For today, though, I will have more interviews with the Rangers to share, so keep a heads up for those.
If you didn't already read my interview with Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist from last night, you can do so by clicking here.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Lundqvist Talks All-Star, Rangers as Team Alfredsson Wins Skills Competition
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist reinforced that point when talking to the media (myself included) at his locker after his Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara, 21-12, in the first half of All-Star Weekend...
"We're just trying to have fun and enjoy ourselves," Lundqvist said. "Guys are more relaxed and we're just trying to make sure the fans have a good time."
The fans on hand as well as those watching on television surely had a good time, seeing a 108.8 mph slap shot from Zdeno Chara, or Pavel Datsyuk weaving his way through cones in a silky-smooth manner, or even the more kid-like stunts pulled by Corey Perry and his mini-stick and Patrick Kane and his superman cape. As I said in a previous article this weekend, All-Star Weekend is about the fans and their enjoyment of the game, and the players most definitely entertained them by putting on a show this evening.
Fans of the Rangers were pleased early as rookie forward Carl Hagelin defeated hometown player Colin Greening to win the Fastest Skater Competition. Hagelin's best time around the cones and up center ice came during his 12.993 second lap, which he followed up with a 13.218 second lap in the finals to grab the title.
His goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, was asked to share thoughts on Carl's speed afterwards...
"He was just Carl," said Lundqvist. "He was just flying out there. It was great. His strength makes his first couple strides so much faster than most other guys."
I then sort of took control of the media bunch around Lundqvist, and asked him a few questions of my own since he was unavailable before the Skills Competition earlier this afternoon. My first was about Marian Gaborik, who I pointed out repeatedly kept skating over to Hank on the opposing bench to exchange some trash talk...
"Yeah, we had some talks going on the last few days," Lundqvist said laughingly. "Nothing happened today, but I'll probably face him tomorrow."
I tried to egg Henrik on a bit from there, stating that Gabby did not even make it past the first round of the elimination shootout to face his goaltender. But Henrik kept his focused persona and continued to talk about tomorrow's showdown...
"No, but I look forward to facing him tomorrow. Going against the best players in the world, it's a great challenge. We'll see what happens tomorrow."
I then shifted the focus to the Rangers, because let's face it, I think Henrik much rather talk about them and we much rather hear about them as opposed to the All-Star hoopla. I asked Lundqvist if the weekend was any more special to him being that he was representing the first place club in the Eastern Conference...
"You don't really think about where you are in the standings being here," he said. "You're just proud and happy being here. Wherever you are in the standings, you're here to represent the club and to do the best you can to promote the sport."
From there I went with my go-to question of what's made the Rangers such a consistent team this season - something I asked both Dan Girardi and Marian Gaborik earlier in the day...
"We work really hard," said Lundqvist. "Our consistency has been really good and I think that's the way you stay at the top part of the standings. It's not being better than the rest of the teams, it's being consistent and playing the same game every night three or four times a week. That's the toughest part, but if you do it most of the nights you are going to have a better chance to get wins."
And lastly, I dropped the bomb you've all been asking me to. I asked Lundqvist if the general consensus in the Rangers locker room is that they can go all the way and win a Stanley Cup this season...
"It's early. I can only say that I'm excited where we are right now and what we have as a team. It's probably the best team I've played on since I got to New York," he went on to say. "The attitude is good, but there's so many good teams out there that I think it's pretty open. But it's been an exciting year."
That'll do it for me tonight in Ottawa, but I'll be right back at it tomorrow before and after the All-Star game with more quotes from the locker rooms. I hope you are enjoying my behind-the-scenes coverage so far, and if you haven't already, read my interviews with Dan Girardi, Carl Hagelin and Marian Gaborik from earlier by clicking here.
Rangers Tribune Chats with Dan Girardi, Marian Gaborik and Carl Hagelin at All-Star Weekend
The first player I was able to speak with was Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, who had just finished showing Flyers forward Scott Hartnell the extra padding the Blueshirts put in their gloves in order to prevent hand injuries when blocking shots. Yes, a Ranger and a Flyer were actually conversing in the locker room.
I first asked Girardi what has made the Rangers such a consistent hockey team this season, which I asked all of the Rangers I had the chance to chat with.
"Everyone kind of buying into our system," Girardi said. "Torts [John Tortorella] puts together a gameplan for us, and when we do it right and play good defensively, we're gonna get the wins and that's obviously why we're at the top right now in the East. We have a defense-first mentality and let the offense take care of itself later."
I then asked Girardi to talk about what it means to be here with the league's best in the midst of a career year, and also to be able to bring his family along with him...
"It means a lot obviously," he said. "It means a lot for the Rangers and my family - they'll be here tonight and tomorrow. It's a great honor to be here with all of these great players because I never thought I'd be here. I'm gonna enjoy every moment of it."
The last topic I had Girardi comment on was the play of his partner in New York, Ryan McDonagh, and how Ryan's play makes his job a tad easier...
"He's stepped in with Staalsy [Marc Staal] being out and he's done a good job for us. He has a lot of skill and has stepped up his game for us for sure."
I then moved down the row of lockers where Rangers rookie Carl Hagelin was sitting and just admiring the atmosphere in the Senators' home locker room. My first question to him was, going into the season, if he ever had envisioned himself having as big of an impact in New York as he has, or even being a part of All-Star Weekend for that matter...
"No, no," he said laughingly. "This season I was prepared to play in the A [AHL] to start out, and hopefully get a couple games in the NHL. I didn't expect to play this many games and especially not to be here. It's pretty incredible."
He then spoke about what's made him so successful at the NHL level this season, and the key to his game...
"I just try to use my speed," Hagelin said. "I've been fortunate to play with good guys and we keep winning - I think that's key. When I came up we went on a winning streak and the coach normally doesn't want to change a winning team, so that's key."
Finally, out of personal curiosity, I had to ask him how it was playing in the Winter Classic as a rookie for the Rangers...
"It was incredible. Being around the cameras there for a month and then playing outdoors and getting a win being down 2-0, it was pretty amazing. You kinda miss having HBO around."
Also, I was the first to tell Hagelin of all the great comments head coach John Tortorella has made about him in the media. He said he doesn't really read articles online, so this was the first time he was hearing of them. As I said them, Carl's smile grew into a huge grin. Pretty cool stuff.
And last but not least, I headed over to the locker room of Team Chara, where Rangers forward Marian Gaborik sat preparing his equipment. I spoke with Gabby about his lackluster season with the Rangers last year, and asked what's changed in his game this year that has brought him success...
"This year I feel pretty good physically," Gabby said. "We have a very strong team and a very balanced team, so hopefully we can keep it up."
Which then led me to my next question about what's made the club so consistent this season...
"Everything. Great goaltending, all four lines are contributing so there's perfect balance on our team."
From there I asked Gabby about his linemate Derek Stepan, and the chemistry those two have developed...
"He's matured as a hockey player," said Marian. "He's young and he keeps improving, so it's been fun."
Before leaving, I asked if he and Hank had a bet going for this weekend yet...
"Not yet, but we have to work something out."
Check back after tonight's Skills Competition for more quotes from the locker rooms. Hopefully I get comments from Henrik Lundqvist and John Tortorella, who were unavailable beforehand.
Photo Collection: NHL Fan Fair at All-Star Weekend '12
OTTAWA -- This is the fourth straight All-Star Weekend I've attended in my day, and I've come to find that the NHL always does a great job of finding a way to bring all of the fans together in one place to celebrate the game outside of the actual Skills Competition and All-Star Game. For the third straight year, they held the "NHL Fan Fair", this time bringing it into the city of Ottawa. It's always a big hit among the fans of the host city as well as those who made the trip from elsewhere (as could be seen by the lines just to get in). Thankfully my media pass overrode the rules in that situation.
The biggest attraction, of course, was the player autograph station. While I was there, Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames was sitting down with fans, but I did notice that Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi was scheduled to sign later this afternoon.
Aside from the autographs, you could also take pictures with the various trophies that are awarded each year in the NHL, including the Stanley Cup. I stood there and watched fans with the Cup for about ten seconds, and pretty much every one of them touched it. Either they're ignorant or just don't care about the curse. I should note that none of those people were Ranger fans - we're smarter than that.
Anyway, I managed to snap some pictures while walking around. Enjoy....
This was right outside the convention center where the Fan Fair was taking place. Each team had their jersey frozen over in ice, which is something like they did in Montreal three years ago. Unfortunately Raleigh, North Carolina didn't exactly have the climate conditions to pull off such a stunt last year.
This young lad aspires to be the next King of the Crease. Funny that he smiled and held the jersey up while I took the picture - I didn't even ask him to.
The target shooting booth was also a big hit. Clearly they didn't feel the need to challenge participants with Brodeur in net, though.
How could you have an NHL Fan Fair without an NHL 12 tournament? Too bad I didn't have more time, because I probably would've wiped up if I played.
With the Fan Fair now out of the way, it's almost time for me to head over to ScotiaBank Place with my press credentials for some pre-Skills Competition interviews. The arena doors open for the media at 3:30 p.m., and as of right now I'm not too sure whether or not the players will be there at that time as well. Whenever they do arrive, I'll be sure to hit up the Rangers' lockers, as well as head coach John Tortorella, for some blog-worthy content.
Any interviews I do get during that time will be posted here some time before the Skills Competition begins. I would say at least one to two hours before, so keep checking back on the blog and my Twitter (@NickMonteRT) for those.
I hope you guys are enjoying my live coverage from Ottawa so far, because it only gets better from here!
