OK, we have some time to kill before tonights game and I thought I’d help you kill it with a little story from this past weekend. Being Hockey Across America this weekend it was a no brainer to take the girls to the rink. I have only been on ice once since I left NY and the idea of playing again pops into my head until I try and walk. Injuries from my playing days mean some decent pain on any given day and nasty pain when I try and do something physical. Lacing up the old goalie skates I took to the ice and while it took a few minutes, I remembered why I used to spend so much time at the rinks. I love this game. No, I will never play again but to share a few laps around the rink with my girls was a blast for me and them. I also watched some little kids play on the second rink as well as the beginning of the first period of a game on the main rink when the public session ended. It’s great to see little kids playing this game in South Florida. FYI: The young lady in the above photo is my oldest who turns ten in a month. She was featured in this hockeybird article way back when. Enjoy tonight’s game…..yes, I did fill the fridge with beer. —-}-…

As I predicted on friday before this trade was nearly announced, the Rangers have pulled a move that will garner interest from those like me who were finding it hard to invest time into this team. It’s a pattern Slats has developed but really, the Rangers have been doing this for years. Kotalik and Higgins for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. The deal does several things for our Blueshirts. We get rid of a bad contract (Kotalik) and move Higgins who tried but couldn’t find the net. But if we don’t re-sign Olli we gain much needed cap space. We also get a little tougher. One has to speculate on how we could dump The Donald and perhaps one of the two big contracts on D. Redden and Rosy have earned a ticket out of MSG but would there be any takers? My guess is that Slats is not yet done tinkering. As long as the core of kids remain untouched, tinker away buddy. You got us into this mess…..Oops, sorry for the Messier reference. Low blow on my part. So, now we all have to stay up late tonight to see the boys in LA LA land. I needed beer any way. —-}- Bird…

Hello NY and everywhere else, from a colder Florida than usual…it’s me Bird. Like most of you I had to find a way to celebrate this game we all love and I was drawn to the rink. After the many hours, days, weeks, months and years I spent at various rinks I figured it was about time I make a return. So, jumping on a plane I flew into Colorado to get on the ice with the Rangers starting line up at the morning skate. Below is a picture taken before the coaches gave them a hard time for their less than physical play in recent games. Yes, it’s a younger team than in seasons past. Chad “Vingt-neuf” got his first NHL win and Gabby scored the Hat trick. The kids won beating an even younger team in the Avs. It was kinda fun skating for the first time in years……and the um, boys seemed to have a good time. —-}- Bird…

Need I say more? Really? There will be a shake-up of some sorts, be it a trade or some other thing to regain our interest….it happens every year. Wake me when it happens. Until then, I’m out. —-}-…

Face it, I can’t get out. There it was, a perfect opportunity to finally relieve myself of all that stress, all that angst. (Belushi font) BUT NOOOOOOOOO! (/Belushi font) They had to win. They had to kill penalties, score goals on the power play, outscore the other team…….. THOSE BASTARDS! I’m gonna be frank. Part of me was hoping that the Rangers would tank it. No, don’t be silly. I never once believed that my declaration in any way affected tonight’s game. I did hear the rumors that Slats could get the axe with a loss. I also consulted with some very inside people who suggested that the Fonz’s’ ass was on the line too. I really think that many of you have similar feelings about being a Ranger fan right now. I also think that MSG knows about our apathy. That scares the living shit out of them. It also occurred to me that a Ranger loss would have made the next podcast a must listen if there ever was one (in our case anyway). Imagine how much fun it would be to hear me wax poetic about Denis Potvin or my admiration of Billy Smith. C’mon…..you’d have listened in for that, right? So, with the Ranger win I must stay true to my challenge. I will root…with passion for the NY Rangers for the rest of this season until they are eliminated from a shot at the cup. That was the deal. Doomed I tell ya….doomed. Moose Dubinsky is a welcome addition in his return after injury. You can see he’s still hurting but his presence has had a positive effect on the team. I see we’re winning more faceoffs, that’s worth noting. Anyone else wanna guess who tonight’s first star was? Holy crap. I have seen keepers in the zone….I was there for a few seconds once myself. Henke was lights out fantastic. Henrik really is the defacto Captain of our NY Rangers only unlike Luongo, he doesn’t wear the C. I have been a bit hard on him for his positioning at times but I have rarely seen a better performance in net. He did what all keepers aspire to do, give his team a chance to win. Damn….that was awesome to watch, eh? Speaking of captains…..Drury scored tonight as well as Cally. Let’s hope this is the beginning of something for as without it, we’re all doomed. Beer me….twice, as I dodged a bullet tonight! —-}-…

Yes, it’s true. The Hockeyrodent - Hockeybird radio show continues on. Get it here before all the other kids on the block get it. We even talk Rangers hockey for a minute or two. Beer me…..and thank you to all you veterans. You know who you are. —-}-…

…..don’t tell anybody. It’s just us, OK? Hello NY and everywhere else, it’s me Bird. I know. This place has been closed since last February. Hell, we didn’t have real content since well before that. But there was a time where this site was THE place on the web for the NHL and NY Rangers. The writers and readers have all gone on to other sites like Rangerland or the Hockeyrodent. All good things must come to an end, eh? So now it’s just me and you….just like it was in the begining. Don’t tell anyone, OK? I liked what I saw tonight. Sure, a loss to the Ice Chickens always sucks….but Gaborik looked good as did Henke. Despite the mistakes, I enjoyed the kids on the blueline. It was a good game all around. The Cup champs won as they should have. But I still liked what I saw. I’ll pop in from time to time this year as I can and I hope the few of you here will enjoy the season. Drop me a line at bird@hockeybird.com if ya want. You knew I couldn’t resist at least posting a little this year. BTW: I read that Dubi from Blueshirt Bulletin has decided to retire, so to speak. We go way back to his days at RFC and I have to say he’s not just a good guy but also a hell of a writer as well as a hockey fan and player. Good luck to you Dude! Opening night beer me’s anyway. —-}-…

I’m sorry to inform you of this but as of now, Hockeybird is closed. We may return for the playoffs but due to personal issues, there will be no further posting for a while. We had a great 11 plus years and I wish to thank all of you who came here to read what we had to say about the Rangers and other issues. Goodluck to all. —-}-…

Hello New York and everywhere else, I’m Bird and you’re here at Hockeybird.com. I know, it’s been a while, let me explain. I admit to being a little stressed out about work. Times are tough all around and my wife had lost her gig…..I took a job at $15,000 per less than I was used to. The Rangers were not my priority. Add to that my general dis-interest in the team and that explains a bit the lack of posts. But wait….it gets better. The main box here used at the Hockeybird casa went dark. It wouldn’t boot at all. I had little time to deal with it so it sat, not working. After the “all-star” game I decided that I had to fix the computer (OK, my wife demanded it) and I called the Rodent for another voice on the issue. As usual he took great joy in pointing out that I knew the fix all along but was too stupid to remember. I, with great shame performed the task the Rodent so gleefully reminded me of…. and all is now well. For the box at least. Can someone explain to me why I payed so little attention to the Canes game? Explain why I shut off the game at 1-3 last night? As Henke yet again went down and got beat upstairs by Letang I no longer wanted to watch. Instead I played Tiger Woods ‘09 on the Wii. Me in Jacksonville FL, at the gravesite of Ronnie Van Zant (and Steve Gaines) on the anniversary of the ‘77 plane crash I’m not really in a great mood. Billy Powell, the keyboard player for Lynyrd Skynyrd passed away on Wednesday. Tragedy Strikes the band once again. I can still remember hearing about the plane crash in ‘77. I was on the air at WLIR when I heard about Allen passing. Leon died just a few years ago….and now Billy. Hell, Huey from the Outlaws who was playing in Skynyrd for ten years or so passed last year after reforming the Outlaws and recording an album. As a fan for so many years…..it’s a tough thing to have happen. I will always think of Mr. Powell as a nice guy who played his ass off every night. “…..Billy Powell on piano…..” You’ll be missed……Mr. Breeze. —-}- Bird…

All-Star keeper Henrik Lundqvist stopped every shot against for his second shut out of the season….his second in his last three games. His play was only part of tonights story. His teammates played a hell of a game in front of him. Kudos to Moose for scoring his first in twenty games…..Petr made that play for the first tally of the night. More kudos to Korpi who netted his first in about twenty one games. Nice when the kids come through eh? Rosy and Staal get credit for solid D and the penalty kill was a perfect three for three. All around with the exception of a period of time in the second…..the boys battled hard and won pucks with effort. granted, the Sens are not what they once were….at least not so far this season. They got good goaltending which has been their downfall this year, however the Blueshirts prevailed with another “solid road game”. Check for the Rodent’s recap Beers for everyone! I’m going to a birthday party. —-}- Bird…