Deepest sympathy to Jose and his wife Stephanie who lost their two month old baby boy. 
Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Nothing says that the season is getting closer than previews, and today NHL.com does its thing with the Rangers. The league’s site has been doing 30 team previews in 30 days, and today’s team is the Rangers. So there is a preview story, and…

You all probably saw yesterday that Detroit signed Todd Bertuzzi for one year. I know some of you guys wanted the Rangers to sign him, others wanted no part of him. He’ll probably do great in Detroit with all that talent around him. Don’t …

The Captain disputes the part of the New York Post report that said he interviewed for the Edmonton Oilers’ coaching position with his good buddy and Oilers boss Kevin Lowe.

Here’s the link to the story on Faceoff.com.

Meanwhile, do you…

So is Vinny Prospal excited to have landed a contract with the Rangers?

“Of course I’m excited,” Prospal said by phone today from his home in the Czech Republic. “Two weeks ago I was without a job. I’m fortunate to have a place to play.

“This is a huge opportunity to prove people wrong.”

At one year and $1.1 million, this isn’t going to turn into, say, Bobby Holik, or Pavel Bure, or Theoren Fleury, or Eric Lindros, or Stephane Quintal, or Wade Redden, or Michal Rozsival, or Scott Gomez, or … good grief that list is long, and recent. In fact, Prospal’s deal is peanuts compared to the four years and $14 million the Lightning shelled out for him just last summer, only to buy out the final three years in July. But ah, the veteran hockey player happy to have found the soft landing of a contract with the Rangers. A rite of summer that can only mean hockey season is right around the corner.

This time, at least, the price is right for a mid-level scorer who has the added bonus of being very streaky. Prospal, as Glen Sather said in the team’s statement announcing the deal today, has “the ability to play the wing or at the center position. We think he will give us added flexibility and brings a veteran presence to our lineup.”

He also brings a history with John Tortorella, having played three stints in Tampa Bay, two under Torts. The two weren’t always best pals, but as Prospal said about Tortorella’s Tampa teams, “We always played with fire.”

“Well, he’s a different kind of coach,” said the veteran of 12 NHL seasons, with 198 goals in 874 NHL games. “He’s very demanding, very emotional. So in a lot of ways he’s just like me.”

That is clear from one tremendous postgame interview alone (Puck Daddy was first on the scene with this one):

By the way, on the subject of Redden, his teammate for parts of four seasons in Ottawa, Prospal called him “a very well-liked and respected guy in the locker room.” More on Prospal in tomorrow’s paper.

The Rangers Monday announced that they have signed Tampa Bay castoff Vinny Propsal to a deal that will pay him $1.1 million for the 2009-10 season and will reunite him with his fiery former bench boss John Tortorella.

The U.S. Under-20 team completed its four-game series against the Russians with a 6-0 win to clinch the series 3-1. Few players meant more to the team’s success than Rangers prospect Derek Stepan, who finished with eight points in four games.

Here’s the announcement:
RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FREE AGENT FORWARD VINNY PROSPAL

            New York, August 17, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agree…

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Video Highlights: Watch Prospal in Action
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New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather annou…