Sharpshooter

If it helps his psyche and makes him better, then I'm all for it. I won't lie, though. I'll miss the hair.

Panarin looks like Lex Luthor now? Not worried. Definitely Chytil for me. He showed good progress this year, you just hope it continues to be more consistent. In the past he would have brief great stretches and then fall of a cliff for a few weeks. This past season, the hot streaks and better play lasted a bit longer and were more frequent. He really needs to continue that and get better. He has to. The same applies for Kakko and Lafreniere. They're not going to be superstars, we have a pretty good idea of that. But, if they can all continue to build on what they did last season, and then some, things are looking up. The future of the Rangers depends on it.

"He hasn't quite lived up to the billing." Understatement of the decade.

Yeah, I remember hearing about the offer sheet.

As far as pure coaching goes, I think he was perhaps better. Also, COVID fucked up that 2020 season. Prior to the shutdown, the Rangers were hot and on the precipice of making the playoffs. Panarin looked his best with him coaching and Fox was great and won the Norris. Everyone was playing great. Gallant looked like he had no clue most of the time. He had a 'do whatever' vibe, which is really not the way to go about things. Not saying everything and everyone was crap with Gallant, but he has Shesterkin having an all time great goaltender season and a Crosby injury to thank for getting to the Conference Final. He follows that up with arguably the worst postseason collapse in team history, a pathetic showing. Do I blame him entirely? No, but it was under his watch and he did not do a great job in the series, including a lot of the players. I said before I never thought Quinn was that good anyway, but I really don't think he was worse than Gallant. Also, I blame the lottery picks on these players just not being that good at the NHL level, than a failure on Quinn.

He definitely was, but it was mostly declining skills.

I'm still a hoot, just more jaded in my old(er) age.

That would be great! Christian still has time left on his AEW deal, so a reunion in WWE isn't happening. I had read about a reunion possibly happening awhile ago, and Edge going over there is the only way for it to happen. He's going in the Hall of Fame and got his huge payday in his latest contract. Do it! When Christian's AEW deal expires, they can always do something together back in WWE anyway at some point. Christian should go in the Hall of Fame at that point.

He was always one of the only things I liked about the Sabres, especially in the late 90's and early 2000's. Truly one of the best of all time.

Yeah, honestly Gallant was much worse than Quinn. Much worse. They actually wound up downgrading when they let Quinn go. It's still possible he won't be a very good NHL coach. He won't have Karlsson anymore, and San Jose is going into a rebuild of their own. So, we're still kind of in 'wait and see' with him to see how they come out of this with him at the helm.

Because he was getting old and the team in front of him was getting worse defensively.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Yeah, Triple H did say that. Good documentary otherwise, but that was cringe. I remember back when Dynamite was getting higher ratings than NXT, and he said, 'Congratulations to them. They beat our developmental." Of course, you knew it bothered him. Also can confirm JBL said that. As much as I wanted to see more Sting, he really shouldn't have gone there. Back in interviews years ago, he stated he was always wary of going to WWE because of how he'd be used and treated. He also mentioned how other WCW guys who went over there were treated. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. But I guess he really wanted that pay day and all the royalties and Hall of Fame induction. He's over in AEW still killing it at his age. Naturally his WWE run is the worst. They couldn't even give him one singles win. Of course Triple H has to go over and beat Sting at Wrestlemania. All WWE used that for was a symbolic final nail in the coffin for WCW. The big WWE legend beating the last WCW legend and DX over the NWO.

Indeed. With the Rangers getting the Stadium Series game this year, it reminded of those Yankee Stadium games. It's just nuts that those games, and that run to the Cup final will have been ten years ago this coming season. Crazy. It certainly does fly by.

Yeah they always put their spin on things, and I never take any of their WCW stuff seriously because they like to crap on them and their superstars any chance they get. At least here it's independent and everyone gets a fair shake and their stories told as they should. WWE wouldn't even touch some of this stuff anyway such as covering the Benoit tragedy and Owen Hart's death, especially since the wife wants nothing to do with them anyway.

He meant he was fine with him when he was hired five years ago.

@Phil Do you watch Dark Side of the Ring? I'm late to the party and just started watching it not too long ago. I'm already almost done with season two. I haven't been able to stop watching, it's so good. Most of the episodes are really intense and has some great insight on things I didn't even know or completely forgot about. I know season four just ended and I hope it goes on for awhile.

Say what you want about Messier and the situation in general, but him leaving for Vancouver was a huge kick in the gut. Obviously he was still beloved despite what contract disputes there were, and he was still good. I don't know how much better that Rangers team would have been because that '97-'98 squad was pretty brutal. But, it was just the fact every Rangers fans hero at the time was gone. Although, as much as I loved Messier, I was always a bigger Leetch and Richter fan.

With the previous two head coaches being absolutely terrible, basically no coaching for five years, hiring Laviolette feels like they hired Scotty Bowman. I'm not going to say everything is going to be great automatically, but it's still nice to see them finally hire someone who can coach. I thought Quinn was a decent risk at best, and it just didn't work out. I still wasn't very excited about that hire from the get-go, though.

Wow. I had no idea they traded his rights at one point.

Aren't you due to get banned again? Please?

Stanton is really the only awful contract. I think it's five more years with him, maybe four at the least. They're still a few years away from bring a true contender again. Yeah, they're totally going to waste Judge's and Cole's primes, which is sad.

Yeah, that's it. You got me. Hockey needs to start already.

In the franchise's history, period.

From a Rangers point of view, that's a steal for Sakic looking at what those players wound up amounting to. Again I say, 'damn.'