Following the Rangers clinching the Presidents’ Trophy on Monday night at M$G, thus securing home ice for the four hopeful rounds that they will play during the next six-weeks; a day later, Tuesday night, the fates of four other franchises were finally determined too. When the dust settled and when the smoke was all cleared, it were the Washington Capitals who prevailed – which as a result – meant that the golfing season had come early for the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. In turn, the BEST IN THE WORLD BLUESHIRTS, who finished the 2023-24 season with ..read more

On Monday night at M$G, the Rangers closed the regular season in the most epic way imaginable (or at least for this site and its readership) – by shutting out the Senators by a final score of 4-0! And no – and sadly – I didn’t place a pregame wager on such a result – but who cares about potential earnings lost – all that matters is the win – and the fact that following such a victory – the Rangers officially stamped their status as “BEST IN THE WORLD” and are now the reigning-and-defending Presidents’ Trophy champions! (Holy Dashes and Morse Code Batman!) But of course, “Lavy’s Lot” aren’t con ..read more

Surprise, surprise! On Saturday afternoon at M$G (4/13), it was once again Artemi Panarin, this year’s 2024 Frank Boucher Trophy winner (and soon to be officially named as the team’s MVP too), that led the way in the Rangers’ 3-2 shootout win over the greasy Islanders. Behind his late equalizer in the third period, his 48th goal of the season (118th point too), “The Breadman” opened up extra innings with another shootout goal. As a result of the pivotal victory, two more franchise-best records were set – the team’s 28th comeback victory of the season and the team’s 54th win too. With one more ..read more

In a complete landslide, and with 84.3% of the vote, Artemi Panarin, who previously won the prestigious and esteemed Frank Boucher Trophy in 2020 – won the trophy again in 2024 – and as voted by you guys and gals, the readers of this site. Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Congratulations to Artemi Panarin, your 2024 Frank Boucher Trophy winner! But as spoiled earlier this week on this site – “The Breadman” had baked this trophy long ago. Put it this way, and as you’ll soon see below, Panarin dominated the voting with 84.3% of all ..read more

Alex Shibicky, the left-winger of “The Bread Line 2.0,” helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1940. Photo Credit: NHL Archives Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Something different tonight – and heck – what you’re about to read next wasn’t even authored by yours truly either! As everyone and their mother knows by now, I have a deep respect, admiration and pride in Rangers’ history, which in turn, led me to writing my first book in 2021, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden.” Since I alway ..read more

On Thursday, April 11th, the day when it was announced that O.J. Simpson had succumbed to cancer – the Rangers looked like they were stabbed to death too. For a team that’s hit many highs this season, franchise-highs at that – when they hit low – then they hit a whole new rock-bottom of low. Despite hosting the reeling and imploding Philadelphia Flyers, a Torts’ team that entered this match at M$G on an eight-game losing streak – the Blueshirts made these 2024 orange-and-black look like the Broad Street Bullies from the mid-1970s. In what was embarrassing, disappointing and outright unacceptab ..read more

On Tuesday night, and in reasons unbeknownst to everyone besides the Blueshirts’ bench boss – Matt Rempe did not dress during the Rangers’ empty-net abetted 4-2 loss at the IBS Arena at Belmont. By the time that the head coach, Peter Laviolette, conducted his extremely brief post-game edition of “LAVY’S LOUNGE” – Pissed-Off Pete sounded like he had both remorse and regret in both his words and in his tone of voice. Even so, Rempe or no Rempe, the Blueshirts had one of their worst periods of the season during the first twenty-minutes. Down 3-0 when entering the second stanza, the Blueshirts mad ..read more

On Sunday night at M$G, the “Find-A-Way” Rangers did it again. In what felt like some Habitant “Deja Vu,” the Canadiens, behind backstop Cayden Primeau, were “goalie-ing” the Blueshirts again – and as they previously did back in January. Following 25 or so saves made by the Montrealer, come the 32:31 mark of the match, there was Mika Zibanejad, of all people, breaking up Primeau’s no-no – and via a fluky, yet they all count, goal. Tied at 1-1 following Zibanejad’s power-play “strike,” Mika’s best friend forever, Chris Kreider, scored a power-play goal himself. The Rangers, behind a four-point ..read more

As mentioned a lot during the past two weeks on this site – while I dare not criticize the decision making of Blueshirts’ bench boss Peter Laviolette – I do have some questions for him – and questions that the ignorant and scared beat reporters refuse to ask following the team’s latest triumph. A question that I would have like to seen asked of the head coach following the Rangers’ 4-3 win in Motown? This one: “Do you think that Rempe’s presence has motivated the other players competing for a spot in your line-up come the playoffs?” After all, how else can you explain what “THE GAG LINE 4.0 ..read more

While not mathematically a “Tale of Two Halves;” what the entire league saw on prime-time national television on Wednesday night was a tale of two tilts – or to be specific – I should say viewers witnessed a hockey game – and six tilts in total! The Rangers, who honored hockey tradition, while also embracing the unwritten code for this match with the playoff-dead Devils – dressed Matt Rempe – and then had his line start the game – and with the full knowledge that their Battle of the Hudson rival would respond by not only inserting NHL goon Kurtis MacDermid into their line-up – but that his glo ..read more