Tom Renney deserved better. The New York Rangers apparently thinking they can still save the season fired coach Tom Renney today. Unfortunately, Jim Dolan fired the wrong guy. It should have been Glen Sather. Renney deserved better than he got. After all, was it Renney who brought in past their prime free agents in Markus Naslund and Wade Redden? Nope. Was it Renney who let Jagr, Shanahan and Avery walk? Nope. This team is Sather's mess to fix. Michael Obernaur of the Daily News remarked that Sather is on his fifth coach on nine years which "borders on Isiah territory."
John Tortorella, a former Rangers assistant who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa in 2004, was named as coach. Apparently "Torts" is something of a hard-ass, which is directly opposite of the laid-back Renney. Good. Maybe it'll sink in to pay attention to the little things, such as taking too many men on the ice penalties (that happened twice yesterday). Maybe it'll sink in that on the Power Play, you shouldn't give up goals while on two-man adventage.
It'll be interesting to see if the Rangers are buyers or sellers at next week's trade deadline. Although in this day and age, who's going to take on bad contracts such as Redden's. Just when you thought the NHL lockout wiped the slate clean on big contracts, the Rangers go right up to the salary cap limit.
At least the Rangers are saying the right things about Renney on the way out. Too bad their play couldn't speak loud enough while he was here. After all, he deserved better.
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