Anthony Mazzola’s 30 years of dedication to growing interest in hockey among the youngsters of Middletown, N.J., were recognized Tuesday night, as Mazzola received the Rangers’ annual Emile Francis Award in a between-periods ceremony.

John Tortorella has had nothing but praise for the way Sean Avery has played and conducted himself since rejoining the Rangers, always adding that Avery’s daily affirmation must be that he cannot “cross that line.”

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Corey Potter has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) and defenseman Mike Sauer has been assigned to Hartford.

…

The Rangers practiced today on their home ice after losing a tough one in Pittsburgh. The two-game road trip yielded just one point, but captain Chris Drury said he thinks the Rangers can still make the playoffs despite the two losses and tough schedul…

John Tortorella promised a new defenseman would be brought in, and that defenseman turns out to be Corey Potter, who was recalled from Hartford today while 21-year-old Michael Sauer was sent back down. Sauer, filling in for the injured Michal Rozsival, played only four first-period shifts, good for 1:59, yesterday in Pittsburgh.

Potter and Sauer have identical amounts of NHL experience: three games. But Potter has more pro experience and is four years older (25 to 21), for what that’s worth.

Here’s what Tortorella said on the subject after yesterday’s game: “When kids get brought up you get that juice of adrenaline, and sooner or later you settle down into what you’re going to be at this particular time. And you’ll mature. He’s in the middle of a playoff race, getting called up and asked to put some minutes on against a pretty good forwards. We’re on the road, we can’t get to match all the time, so it was a lot for him. These are the types of situations when you have a young defenseman, he comes up, he takes a look at what it’s all about, he may have some good time, but then they settle. That’s why he has to go back down and play, hopefully work at his game, and then you give him another crack, and maybe he stays a little bit longer. It’s a tough position to step into as a young kid, especially in a situation like right now where there’s so few games left and we’re in a playoff race.”

We know Sauer will be back, that he’s so young and has great upside and plenty of time. But speaking of how young he is: he was born on the same day as Sidney Crosby. I know it’s a little different for defense and forwards, but that has to make you appreciate how good Crosby is at his age. (Even if you don’t want to appreciate it.)

They’re on the ice in Greenburgh now, Potter et al. Better skate over to the next room.

Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember this song by Leslie Gore. I even wore my hair in a flip back in the day, just like Leslie.
For the last month I have been loathe to criticize John Tortorella in any way lest I be accused of sour grapes because I was and am a Renney supporter. But [...]

After a poor performance yesterday in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh (-2 in 1:59), Michael Sauer was sent back to Hartford and Corey Potter has been brought up to replace defenseman Michal Rozival, out for another week or so with a “lower body” i…

PITTSBURGH — The Rangers’ 4-3 defeat to the Penguins here yesterday afternoon was painful, but the unequal treatment under the law that Sean Avery received from the refereeing tandem of Dave Jackson and Steve Kozari raises questions far more…