No Call ref? Let me take you back to Friday morning. I hit the snooze bar and then hit it again. This forced me to rush my pre-work preparations and just before leaving the house I remembered to set the DVR. I was in a hurry and decided not to add an extra half hour of recording time. As regulation time ends (I’m watching in delay) the DVR recording ends. No score at home against Toronto and I can’t see what happened? You have got to be kidding me. I got the final on the web, sure. But I didn’t get to live the OT or shoot out. I was impressed with the shut out by Valli. An NHL shut out is nothing to sneeze at no matter who it comes against. And of course Moose and his line were pretty good again. Going 0 for 8 on the power play was a major issue and I do expect Renny to tinker a bit to try and get some better results. We have already seen some tinkering haven’t we. Naslund was moved off line one replaced by Calli. That indicates to me that Renny is willing to look at results and react. He’ll need to make a few more decisions like the one placing Voros on the second line. That’s looking A OK so far as Moose and his herd are the top points getter for the Blueshirts. As to last night in Detroit, I was relieved to get one point. I had expected the Wings who were well rested to drop a tired Ranger squad once they had a third period lead. Aaron (dog pee)* Voros and his buddies tied it and took the lead at 4-3. The Wings then poured it on. However, if not for a questionable too many men call the boys almost held on. They didn’t. The pumped up Cup champs carried over the big Mo from their power play game tyeing goal and took advantage of an opening in quick fashion. So the Rangers get three out of a possible four available points this weekend. I see some fans are in mid season form, ranting away about this player or that. I’m not saying some of the points are not valid, I am suggesting that the glass is not half empty by any means. We saw a hell of a game Saturday night by two excellent teams. As the Rodent and I agreed at the end of regulation, no matter the outcome that was great hockey. Next up is Dallas and Sean Avery skating on MSG ice as the enemy,…….. again. That seems about right to me. * Brian Leeds will drink dog pee if Voros scores ten goals this season. You can look it up over at Rangerland. —-}- Bird…

Hello New York and everywhere else, I’m Bird and you’re in the Birdcage at Hockeybird.com. You know from time to time I use this space to talk about things that have little to do with the New York Rangers. This will be one of those times. About four months ago I took up the game of golf. I had resisted the temptation to play for years. My dad had played in his day and was pretty good. Based on my baseball swing and the hockey background I figured I’d be OK too. I also knew that my personality lent itself to the addiction that is the sport of golf. Many had told me this enough times to bolster my own thoughts on the topic. But it seemed inevitable. You see, when I moved to So. Florida I found a place that’s located ON a golf course. It was really just a matter of time before I picked up a club……and four months ago, it happened. I fell in love immediately. The challenge of the game is very different than the other sports I was used to. My physical limitations due to years of hockey are not such that I can’t do this. It’s true, I really have no chance of playing ice hockey again…….this golf thing is something I can do. Down here, all the courses provide carts so I’m not walking great distances on my broken down knees and ankles. Sure, I’m sore afterwords but it’s not like the last two years of my playing days where I couldn’t walk the day after a game. I admit that I’m addicted. From the moment of my first tee off I knew it. Something felt right about it. Don’t get me wrong, I was horrible the first few rounds as can be seen over at Leaderboard.com. The Hockeyrodent got me and my buddies an account there and every round is recorded for all to see. I managed to get in a ton of rounds when I was unemployed for a little bit. As I learned more I improved a bit. Again, Tiger Woods has no worries about me moving in on his turf….I still suck. But I have improved enough to pop two birdies and lower my scores to a less embarrassing handicap. The first Bird was a par three. I had played that hole several times before and never really had a decent drive. This time I landed on the green within twelve feet of the flag. Unlike other attempts which either ended up way short or way long this one went where I was aiming. Imagine that. I had been working on my putting so while it was a long one for me….it was possible. You should have seen my face when the ball found the bottom of the cup. Damn that felt good. This past Saturday I grabbed a buddy and off we went to hit balls. I hadn’t played in three weeks due to the recent moving of my family and the start of my new job. Terry hadn’t been out in a while either. But it was a beautiful morning and it was time. We were paired up with a deuce of older guys who had just finished the back nine and were playing the front to complete their round. Nice guys who had obviously been playing for years. My tee shot for the first hole looked to indicate a really long day. It flat out sucked. But being out playing was better than staying home (’nuff said) and I was determined to enjoy myself. I hit a few decent shots before we came to the first par five. What I needed to do was to string together few few good shots. I hit the driver pretty well, a little to the right but it did line me up for a good look at a second shot. The second shot went where I wanted it to. Trust me, I was as surprised as anyone else. However, at sixty yards out and me not having any real command of a short game you can imagine my surprise when I landed three feet from the flag and it stayed. I’ve missed my fair share of short puts in my short golf career……but I wasn’t going to miss this one. I took my time and then dropped it. I’m still a bit giddy about it. My oldest is getting sick of my song (I made a birdie) that I seem to break out into at all hours of the day. It’s true, my back nine was a horror show but I’m still so tickled about the bird. The sports of hockey and golf have always been sort of connected in my mind. Whether it was the jokes about playoff losses or the fact that many NHLers have become scratch players…..there’s a connection. I can’t wait to play again. I know I’ll never face another shot from an NHL player……but maybe, just maybe I’ll get good enough at this wacky sport of golf and get to play a former NHLer. There are always a lot of retired NHLers down here playing the links. You never know….. It’s possible that I’ll never get any better than I am now….which isn’t very good. But I can’t tell you how happy I am to have found something I can do that gives me some of the same feelings I got while being between the pipes. I even watch it on TV now, something I’d never done before. Oh….and did I mention? I Made A Birdie! —-}- Bird…

Brandon Dubinsky has wowed the fans with his energy and smart play. If you recall, he showed excellent promise last season. He even began to drop the gloves when needed. Unfortunately, he lost all his fights. In fact, it was tough to watch as the kid would get a pounding. I seem to recall a fight he had with the Flyers, Richards where he gutted out a beating. Flash forward to last night. Dubi dropped the gloves and squared off with the Philly captain. He then removed his own helmet as the two prepared for the fight. He then proceeded to at least tie if not outright win the fight. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Ranger who wears # 17. And it was done. Only those both blind and deaf can deny this kid his due. Brandon is very quickly becoming a fan fave and it’s not just because of his boyish good looks. The kid is earning it both on and off the ice. I’ve referred to him as a future NHL captain and I stick by those words. He’s the real deal. Brandon is in fact something that can only be described as…..a hockey player. Yes, he reminds me of a young Moose. I’m not claiming he’s the second coming of Mark Messier…….but he sure looks to be heading in the right direction. As to the game I think it’s fair to say that the Rangers were the better team overall. That they held on for the win is something to be noted. The well rested Flyers poured it on and yet couldn’t tie it up. My only comment on the refs is that I wasn’t pleased with several calls and it’s nights like this that feed those who claim the refs are biased against the NY club. Folks, the Rangers are FOUR AND 0. Undefeated. I know…..it’s a long season. There will be a time to rant about poor plays and give a ways. We’ll all have a chance to second guess Renny. But for now, it’s all smiles here at Hockeybird. Discuss Dubinsky and other subjects on the boards. Don’t forget to drop by Rangerland for killer content and of course, the Hockeyrodent has been and continues to be a must read. A four game winning streak BEER ME to all! —-}- Bird…

Worth the read. The above link is required reading. There WILL be a test. So. Have you seen the spots for the new Bud Ale on TV? I did. I love ales and stouts. The timing of this new brew is interesting to me. Frankly, when I heard that the company was no longer owned by an American interest I was done with them. I’m not really a fan of their products. I found a six of the new suds at a local market. Damn. I never thought I’d say this about a Bud product…..but I have no choice. Try it, it’s excellent. Also, Versus will be broadcasting in HD Tomorrow. Find a way to tune in. —-}- Bird…

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Yeppers, the Rodent and I discuss the weekend in the Czech Republic where the Rangers beat the Bolts both nights by the score of 2-1. On the recording itself, I have both good and bad news. The Bad: We had an audio issue with the Rodents mic which I didn’t have the time to correct in total during post production. This is a known issue and should be corrected for the next show. The Good: Since the Rodent moved to the East Coast we have a better connection and the recordings in their basic form are of higher quality. I heard few if any digital anomalies. This means our future shows will be of much better sound quality. The Ugly: You’ll now hear our stuff more clearly. For those who use I-tunes use this link: Subcribe to the show. To download in mp3 format use this link. Have some comments on the show? Post ‘em here. —-}- Bird…

Your New York Rangers’ dominated at times over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. Your final was 2-1. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek )…

Not a very exciting period for sure. Voros and Malone dropped the gloves but it wasn’t much of a fight. The Rangers are out shooting and out skating the Bolts so far. Henke let one squeeze thru…..that’s a shame. 1-0 Bolts. The Rangers look to be the better team yet trail……with two periods to go, I’m not yet panicked. But the boys will need to keep the pressure on Ollie. I wonder why Smith is sitting. Was it the dinger he took in yesterdays game? Is it Melrose trying to spark his guys? I don’t know. —-}- Bird…

Still a bit foggy from last night? Yeah, me to. We just moved into a new place and I’m trying to get it all set up. For instance, I still need to hook up the second monitor to this box and so far, no luck. So I’ll try and post during the game…..but we’ll see if I can get it in. Are ya ready? Did you read the game preview at Rangerland? Did you read the Rodent? C’mon, I know it’s Sunday….but get it in gear! Jim and I are counting on you. —-}- Bird…

Players of New York Ranger’s celebrate the winning goal during the opening match of the National Hockey League’s 2008-09 season against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague. The New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 after a slow start in the National Hockey League season opener here on Saturday. (AFP/Joe Klamar) When Brandon was hit with a stick to the face he was clearly pissed. His revenge? A Power play goal……now that’s how it’s done. I have mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating. Dubi is a future NHL captain in my opinion. Your final was 2-1 for the good guys. A few thoughts. In our podcasts, the Rodent has mentioned more than once that expectations should not be too high for this Ranger squad during the first third (my time table) of this season. His reason is simple. This team will need time to gel. I concur after watching some pre-season and todays first regular season tilt. The guys didn’t seem to click correctly more often than not. It wasn’t an effort or talent thing….it was a timing thing. Look, the Rodent opened my eyes to this, I’m just agreeing. With that in mind let me suggest a different way to watch the first few games. Don’t get so hung up on results overall. Look for the glimpses of of what the future might bring. For instance, I expect that this power play will be successful this year. I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to see NY Ranger players in front of the net. I was giddy that there was movement of players with and without the puck. And, there were shots from the point. These things will click as the guys play deeper into the season…..and I expect it to improve a lot. There are also some give-a-way issues that I’d like to see reduced. You can’t expect Henke to save our asses every single night. Oh….he sure as hell saved our asses today. His efforts were nothing short of top notch. That’s very encouraging for sure. Yet I’m a little concerned about turnovers. Check out the Rodent and the dudes and dudettes over at Rangerland for more stuff. Down here in South Florida, the sky has ripped open and the rain is pouring through a gaping wound, pelting the women and children…….pelting the women and children. And we run…..into the arms…… of a celebrating Ranger fan. It’ll be tough to knock the smile off my face tonight. An opening night BEER ME to all! —-}- Bird…

Hello Ranger fans……it’s me Bird. I’ll try and post during the game. DROP THE PUCK ! **** FIRST PERIOD Henke has already stopped three, count ‘em…three one on 0s. Much better than I’ve seen him play in the pre-season. One has to ask….why are we letting the Bolts in like that? I know it’s early…..but what the hell. BEER ME ! —-}- Bird…