Rangers Daily: Saluting Blueshirt favorites; Devils coach on hot seat
With so many heart-and-soul former Blueshirts players in attendance Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, it seemed fitting that the New York Rangers appeared on their way to a rousing third-period comeback against the Buffalo Sabres.
But Nick Fotiu, Brandon Prust, Sean Avery and the rest of the “Rangers Favorites” saluted in a pregame on-ice ceremony departed MSG just as disappointed as the 18,000 or so other regulars. The current Rangers found another way to come up short in this frustrating season, somehow surrendering a short-handed goal after they were handed a four-minute power play down a goal and with all the momentum on their side.
There’s a reason (actually many reasons) why the Rangers have the fewest home wins in the Eastern Conference this season, winning just five of 20 games so far at the Garden (5-11-4). And those awesome Centennial jerseys aren’t exactly proving to be good luck, no matter how good-looking they are.
But that’s all covered in other articles here at Forever Blueshirts. The Rangers Daily today is an appreciation for the 16 former Blueshirts recognized at MSG on Thursday, most of whom I know personally.
That group included Don Maloney, my favorite Rangers player as a kid (sorry Dave), whom I had the pleasure of working with at the Islanders, when I was the radio broadcaster and he, briefly, was general manager.
I laughed out loud when Jan Erixon — whom I covered at the start of my reporting career — explained to Michelle Gingras on MSG Network that he became one of the top shutdown forwards in the NHL because “I couldn’t score goals.”
Pierre LaRouche sure as heck could score goals. It was awesome to see him on hand, too. And Tony Granato. Wasn’t it yesterday that he was a high-flying rookie and I was just cutting my teeth as an NHL reporter?
The biggest ovation, as expected, was for Henrik Lundqvist. I was so fortunate to have had a front row seat to his Hall-of-Fame career, when I worked for the Rangers and covered them for other outlets afterward.
Speaking of being fortunate, seeing Adam Graves and Jeff Beukeboom in this ceremony was another reminder of how lucky I was to cover that 1993-94 championship season, the only Stanley Cup win in 85 years — and counting — for the Rangers.
Earlier I mentioned the “heart-and-soul” players. Darren Langdon, Colton Orr, Ryan Callahan, Tie Domi, George McPhee, and Chris Nilan were on hand to represent different generations of heart-and-soul for the Blueshirts.
And the in-game capper to a special night saluting a special group of Rangers took place when several former winners of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award presented his widow Patti Ann McDonald with a Centennial jersey. Because really these theme night celebrating Rangers history and Rangers greats, are really mostly about family. And the McDonalds are most definitely part of the Rangers family.
It was nice touch. Well done.
New York Rangers news and analysis
The Rangers found another way to lose a game on home ice Thursday. That and much more in our recap and takeaways from the 5-2 loss to the Sabres.
Though there’s a report stating that Chris Drury “won’t wait much longer” before making a trade, we break down why doing so isn’t going to be so easy for the Rangers GM.
Speaking of trades, our John Kreiser presents each case of whether the Rangers should be buyers or sellers ahead of the March 6 NHL deadline.
Alan Selavka checks in with his weekly Rangers NCAA prospects report, including a three-point game for Michigan forward Malcolm Spence.
ICYMI: here’s our breakdown of what’s next for the Rangers following the latest injuries to Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox.
NHL news and rumors
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols explains why coach Sheldon Keefe should not be fired nor be the scapegoat for the Devils stunning freefall, which extended with a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: On the flip side, the Penguins won their sixth straight game, and Dan Kingerski breaks down their latest victory, including the return of Evgeni Malkin after a month-long injury absence.
TSN: Nazem Kadri is open to a possible trade from the struggling Calgary Flames, though the veteran center seems more than happy to remain with them, as well.
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are open to trading center Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
ESPN: As we get closer to the start of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, Emily Kaplan reports on how the hockey rink construction is going, and where the NHL and its players stand on participation if, you know, playing conditions don’t appear to be safe.
Detroit Hockey Now: Former Rangers legend Patrick Kane — OK, he’s a legend, maybe not with the Rangers though — became the 50th player in NHL history, and second born in the United States, to score 500 goals.
TSN: Carter Hart sustained a lower-body injury and left the Vegas Golden KNights’ 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The goalie will be further evaluated Friday.
San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks acquired veteran Laurent Brossoit from the Chicago Blackhawks to improve their goalie depth.
