We've officially made it through the worst August in the history of Augusts. I always go into August knowing that it will be relatively dormant as far as hockey goes but my God, you would think the league was going through a lockout with the lack of fireworks in the last few weeks. Did I really make a post entirely about Reebok's black jerseys? That's when you know there is nothing going on. At all.
I mean, the Rangers didn't even have a player holding out on them that we could discuss and speculate about everyday like we normally do in the summer. On the bright side, though, I guess that reflects the incredible job by GM Glen Sather this offseason. And I'm being completely serious, Slats was immaculate this summer. He did everything he could to give head coach John Tortorella the best pool of players possible to choose from for the finalized roster in training camp.
Speaking of training camp, it's just around the corner. The Traverse City Prospects Tournament begins on Saturday, September 10 and will run until September 14. Soon after that will mark the beginning of training camp and then preseason. This is why I consider September 1 the Hockey New Year. It's all hockey all of the time from this point forward and with the Blueshirts you can always expect a roller coaster of a year.
This will be the third full season we will be covering the team here at The Rangers Tribune. I don't count the 2009 season as a complete one since the site was only published in January of that year, but still, it feels like we've been around for quite a while now. The blog has obviously undergone some drastic changes as we've grown, and I should add that the pace in which we've grown has been absolutely astounding.
As a blogger, I've tried many different approaches as to how I deliver news and analysis to my readers over that time. You've probably noticed my changes in flow if you've been following from the early stages, but now that I guess I can be deemed a "veteran" blogger I think it is time to buckle down and really start getting this blog pumping.
If you noticed, I basically took this past summer off. Aside from the morning Ranger Reads (which Pat did a great job of helping me with) and the occasional article, after free agency was over I tried removing myself from hockey as much as I could. Last season felt very long to me, and at times it was very stressful and took over my entire life. I needed the summer to sort of get my mind back moving on the right track so it would be fresh for September when we prepare for the new season.
Don't think I entirely forgot about the blog, though. First off, I'm sure a lot of you have picked up on a lot of the behind-the-scenes plans that have now been put into action. For example, the new media bar that appears at the bottom of your screen when you visit the site is something new that I looked forward to adding. Also, I finally found the best program out there to deliver a constantly updating blogroll as well, which you can see by clicking the "Blogroll"box on the navigation bar up top. And pretty soon you will be able to purchase tickets to games from right here on the blog, but that official announcement is hopefully coming soon.
Also, I did a lot of thinking about how I deliver news and analysis to the fans. The blog has undoubtedly improved since the beginning, as has my writing, but I feel like last year I sort of got away from the passion that makes this blog so great. I was caught up in the media way of doing things, which basically consists of lifelessly reporting what happens and not really showing an opinion or bringing the fire to the table that I used to. Some of that has to do with the fact that I've gotten in trouble for some of the things I've said in the past, but that's not something we are going to get into right now.
Anyway, while thinking this summer, it struck me that I have to bring the passion and the fire back to this blog. I realized that if readers want that straightforward, lifeless reporting, there are a ton of beat writers out there to choose from. Blogs give fans the chance to read about the same topics, but from the perspective of one of their own, and that's how I plan to run this site for the upcoming season. It's taken a few years, but everything from the layout of the blog, to the following and now my writing style, it's finally perfect and the way that I have always wanted it to be.
No more boring reporting or cautious articles - that's just not me and I'm not writing to please a small group of people anymore. I know that the large majority of you want the fire and the truth because you cannot find that in the daily paper. Sometimes I may go over the line with my opinions and sometimes I'll be called anything from an idiot to a, well, any other expletive you can think of. Believe me, I've seen it all whether it has been on Twitter, email or sometimes even in the comments.
Look, I write what I think and what I believe, and if you feel the need to call me those names, then I have advice for you; take your ego and get the hell off my blog. I don't mind a good debate and quite honestly I like when people disagree with me because it allows me to see something from your perspective. But you can disagree and debate with me without the trashy name-calling.
Now that I got that out of the way, the purpose of this post was to give you guys an overview of how things will be done on the blog this year. It was sort of that first day of class kind of thing where the teacher spends the period outlining the course for the entire year.
I am looking forward to this season more than any other because I think the new atmosphere and layout here on the blog will be better for everyone and not to mention we have a pretty damn good team to talk about this year as well. I want to thank all of you who religiously read the site each and every day and always come here for your Rangers fix. It really means a lot and I hope you enjoy following and interacting with the site as much as I do running it this season.
And again, we still have a few special announcements coming before the season officially gets underway.
I also wanted to remind everyone to please use the comments section on each post if you have something to say. Please do not feel shy or embarrassed to write a comment on a post. This blog is here for fans to express their true feelings and beliefs, not to hold them back. I want the readers to be just as opinionated and open as I am, so please, if you have something to say, leave a comment. That's what it's there for.
And lastly, social media is the best way to follow us on the web. If you haven't already noticed, you can pull up both our Twitter and Facebook pages just by clicking the designated buttons on the media bar on the bottom right of your screen. All you have to do is click "follow" or "like" and you will be getting our updates everywhere and at anytime. And the best part is, with that bar, you don't even have to leave the blog to do so anymore.
Together, we can make this the best New York Rangers Hockey blog on the net, and that's what I intend to do this season. I'm extremely anxious for this season and I'm sure you are too, so let's get this party started already - Let's Go Rangers!!
