Rangers Recognize Best Season Since '04 Title
The New York Rangers' first 100-point regular season since the 1993-94 Stanley Cup championship year was packed with memorable moments, but when team members look back on 2005-06, their fondest memories aren't limited to things that took place on the ice.
On Monday, as they said goodbye to teammates at the Madison Square Garden Training Center and began their off-seasons, several players said the thing they will remember most about 2005-06 was a preseason trip to West Point. In those few days, players began forging new friendships and relationships after a year without NHL hockey.
At West Point, the Rangers participated in team-building exercises and spent time with members of the U.S. Army. For a group of players who did not know each other well, this "boot camp" set the tone for a season that exceeded all expectations.
"My favorite memory from this season has got to be going up to West Point, by far," said forward Jason Ward, who went on to post best offensive numbers in 2005-06. "Because we were all coming from different places, I think it was a great idea to go there, and it will be something I'll remember for a long time."
Ward says a day out with U.S. Army Cadets helped all of the players "get in touch with the guys we didn't know and getting that feeling of being a team early in the year."
"We were all coming from different organizations," said Ward. "Usually you have a group of guys that kind of know each other, so having that type of camaraderie at the beginning of the year was definitely important."
Rookie Ryan Hollweg agreed that the Rangers organization made all the right moves in starting this season with the West Point trip. He also considers it an experience he'll remember for many years to come.
"It was just that we went into it not really knowing a lot of the guys, but everybody was so much closer once we came out and we felt more like a team once we were done," said Hollweg.
Goaltender Kevin Weekes was another player who enthusiastically recalled West Point.
"I'm always a big believer in the military. I like the way in which they do things, and I kind of have a similar type of mindset. I just think there are a lot of parallels between what they do and what we do as professional athletes. I think there's a lot that we can and did learn from them," said Weekes. "I just think that it was the right time to have that type of an experience. It just reinforced all the right things right from the beginning -- teamwork, accountability, responsibility."
Bonds that were formed at West Point came to fruition seven months later when the Rangers clinched their first playoff berth since 1997. Several players listed the playoff clincher among their top memories of the season.
"I think we all believed in each other at the beginning of the season and we knew we could do great things," said center Dominic Moore. "Obviously, a focus on the playoffs was our primary goal, but we also focused on working hard and doing the right things each and every game. We would let the other things take care of themselves, and to arrive there was a nice feeling."
The clinching game itself ended with a thrilling overtime shootout win against Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden.
"It was a pretty amazing game," said Moore. "It had been a long time coming for these fans, and they deserved nothing less than that. It felt great for us to be able to accomplish that for them."
Defenseman Tom Poti, who had been to the playoffs earlier in his career with Edmonton, said the April 4 game against the Flyers was also his favorite memory of the season.
"That was pretty special," said Poti. "I had been trying to do it (clinch a playoff berth) for a couple years here in New York and it was pretty special when we finally clinched."
Other players surveyed at the Training Center on Monday picked individual moments from the season as the memories they will cherish longest.
"I think (Marek) Malik's goal (in a 15-round shootout) is probably something I'll always remember," said Jed Ortmeyer. "That and just being a part of the success that guys like Jags and Petr (Prucha) and (Henrik) Lundqvist had in breaking records and stuff like that."
Weekes also mentioned the experience of playing on Messier Night as one of the season's highlights, and fellow goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, a rookie who took the league by storm in 2005-06, said his best regular-season memory comes from even earlier in the year.
"I think the first two or three home games I played are what I'll remember the longest," Lundqvist said. "I got a few wins there. It was an amazing feeling to play in the Garden for the first time and to feel the excitement and the atmosphere."
And then, of course, there was the postgame on-ice salute to the fans. This gesture following home wins became a symbol of the team's success, and even for NHL veterans like Jason Strudwick, it was a thrilling ritual.
"I would say the thing I'll remember most about this year was going to center ice and raising our sticks for everybody after our wins," said Strudwick. "You got a sense that the fans were in the fight with us out there. It's a special thing. I'm sure other teams will copy it in the future and I know they do it in Europe, but I'd never seen it done in North America. It was kind of the first time a team had acknowledged the fans after every game. I think it was special."
Ironically, Strudwick wasn't sure he liked the idea of the on-ice salute when the subject arose early in the season, but a fellow defenseman helped convince him it was worth doing.
"It (the salute) was (Darius) Kasparaitis' idea. He's the one that brought it up," Strudwick recalled. "To be honest, some of the North American guys were a little bit resistant because it hasn't been done here before. But once we did it, I started to look forward to it after a win. Other teams can duplicate it, but it won't be as special as when the Rangers do it."
Rangers' All-Time Top Season Scorer Under Knife
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that right wing Jaromir Jagr will undergo surgery on Monday, May 8 to repair a dislocation of his left shoulder. The surgery will be performed by team physicians Dr. Andrew Feldman and Dr. Tony Maddalo at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Jagr is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of training camp in September.
Jagr, 34, skated in 82 games this season, registering 54 goals and 69 assists for 123 points. He ranked second in the NHL in goals (54) and points (123), and tied for second in power play goals (24) and power play points (52). He also tied for third in assists (69), plus/minus (+34) and game-winning goals (nine). Jagr posted 37 multiple-point games and recorded at least one point in 64 of the 82 games en route to shattering seven franchise scoring records during the regular season, including the Rangers’ single season marks for goals (54), points (123) and power play goals (24).
Jagr'ss 54 goals eclipsed Adam Graves’ club record of 52 goals set in 1993-94, his 123 points surpassed Jean Ratelle’s 34-year-old franchise mark of 109 points and his 24 power play goals surpassed Vic Hadfield’s 23, established in 1971-72. Jagr also now holds the club record for most shots on goal (368) in a season, along with the most goals, assists and points by a right wing in a season.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder was named the NHL’s player of the month for December and March, and on January 24 vs. Buffalo became just the second player in NHL history to record 30 goals in 14 consecutive seasons. In addition, the Kladno, Czech Republic native helped his country capture a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Games, registering two goals and five assists in eight games.
Rangers' Top Scorer, Goalie & Coach NHL's Best?
Three members of the 2005-06 Rangers team were honored by the NHL on Thursday as finalists for major postseason awards.
Right wing Jaromir Jagr, who set team single-season records for goals (54) and points (123), is among three finalists for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP. Voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, the award goes to "the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team. Jagr is one of three finalists for the Hart, along with San Jose's Joe Thornton and Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff
The prestigious Hart nomination is the sixth in Jagr's 15-year career. He won the award in 1998-99 and was runner-up to Chris Pronger in 2000, Dominik Hasek in 1998 and Eric Lindros in 1995. Jagr is also a finalist for this year's Lester B. Pearson Award, which goes to the outstanding NHL player as chosen by his peers.
Rangers rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's season was also recognized on Thursday with a nomination for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the "goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position." The Vezina is voted on by the 30 NHL general managers. Lundqvist was nominated along with fellow finalists Kiprusoff and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.
Lundqvist set the Rangers rookie record of 30 victories in 2005-06, breaking a mark first established by "Sugar" Jim Henry in 1941-42 and later tied by Hall of Famer Johnny Bower. Lundqvist was also among the league leaders in goals-against average, finishing fifth at 2.24, and save percentage, finishing fourth at .922.
Head coach Tom Renney is the third Rangers finalist for an award, as he is one of three coaches in the running for the Jack Adams Award. Voted on by the NHL Broadcaster' Association, the Adams goes to the "NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."
In his first full season as the Rangers' head coach, Renney led the Blueshirts to their best finish since the 1993-94 Stanley Cup championship season. The team's 44 wins and 100 points were the sixth-best showing in franchise history.
Should Renney outpoll co-finalists Peter Laviolette of Carolina and Lindy Ruff of Buffalo, he would become the first Rangers coach to win the Adams Award since it was first presented in 1974. Two previous Rangers coaches, Fred Shero in 1978-79 and Roger Neilson in 1991-92, were runners-up in the Adams voting.
Jagr, meanwhile, has a chance to become the fifth Rangers' Hart Trophy winner and the first since Mark Messier in 1991-92. The other Rangers who have won the Hart are Andy Bathgate in 1958-59, Chuck Rayner in 1949-50 and Buddy O'Connor in 1947-48
Lundqvist's candidacy for the Vezina could make him the first Rangers winner of that award since John Vanbiesbrouck's remarkable 1985-86 season brought him the honor. Prior to the 1981-82 season, the Vezina was given to goaltenders on the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. Under that format, the only Rangers to win the award were Ed Giacomin and Gilles Villemure in 1970-71 and Dave Kerr in 1939-40.
Winners will be announced on June 22 during the 2006 NHL Awards Television Special in Vancouver. All awards are based on regular-season performance only.
Following are the finalists for each trophy, in alphabetical order:
CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.
FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators; Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars.
HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.
ACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Peter Laviolette, Carolina Hurricanes; Tom Renney, New York Rangers; Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres.
JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Mighty Ducks; Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars.
LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks; Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning.
LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA): Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.
VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers.
