Rangers Go To 6 and 1: I find a new Felafel Place!

So I've gone to a lot of Ranger games recently. Some readers have told me that they don't love reading about the Rangers: they just want to hear about the food. Tonight, I have decided to combine my two passions into one evening.

First, the hockey. The game was great! The Rangers couldn't score, but certainly tried. Their power play needs work. But Steve Valiquette, the back-up goalie made 21 saves during 65 minutes of play, including a two minute power play during overtime where he was pounded. He then made two saves during the shootout, allowing the Rangers to win that 2-1 and the game 0(1)-0. It was exciting to watch, and I am always happy when the back up players save the team.

Now for the food. After the game we had to pick up boy 1 and we ended up at 71st and Amsterdam, near Pinkberry. We saw a new store called "Maoz Vegetarian." The lovely wife asked: its been there for about one month. Maoz sells Felafel, Salad, Belgian French Fries and drinks. You pay for a pita or salad bowl, which they fill with felafel balls, lettuce, and other toppings such as hummus for an extra price. You then get to fill the Felafel with things from a toppings bar. It reminded me of the felafel stand in Beer Sheva, although a much nicer and cleaner one than the one I remember from my youth. The felafel is good, the toppings were fresh, and the fries were OK. Its worth a quick bite if you are in the area and the thought of more Gray's Papaya makes you a bit green.

Maoz Vegetarian is located at 2047 Broadway (between 70th and 71 St.) 212-362-2622

Rangers Win 2-0: Lundqvist Saving Them and Dawes says "Hello"

The excitement of Mac Leopard coming out tomorrow is almost too much for me to bear, but then I remember that I am a real man, and as such like hockey. Anyway, I should have the new OS installed in time for Saturday's game.

But I digress. Tonight was a great game. Lundqvist had a shutout, saving 22 goals. This was particularly important because the only light in the Rangers anemic (and expensive) offense is rookie Nigel Dawes, who scored both Rangers goals. And, giving hope to short hockey players everywhere, he is only 5' 8"!! But happy as I am that Lundqvist and a rookie were able to lead the team to victory, it would be nice to see all of those high priced acquisitions, particularly Drury and Gomez, perform. The Rangers are still firmly in the East basement at 3 wins/5 losses. Until some offense develops from the veterans, its going to be a real long season.

Rangers Beat Washington: All Is Not Lost

After losing twice on the road, the Rangers were finally able to score some (3 to be exact) goals in a victory over the previously undefeated Washington Capitals. The Rangers pushed their record to .500 and there was much rejoicing. Scott Gomez scored his first goal as a Ranger, and Jagr firmed up his new role as the go-to guy for setting up goals. Lundqvist was excellent as usual, with only a power play goal by wonder-kid Ovechkin getting by him.

Although it was fun to watch the Rangers score 3 goals on power plays (they had been 0 for 15 prior to this), the game sort of dragged. One thing I have noticed over the years is that the Friday night crowd of families and dates lacks some of the screaming passion that a weeknight crowd offers. Of course, it could just be the Caps, which, despite their excellent record this year are often are hard ticket to give away.

My only other comments are on MSG's new scoreboard. I have now seen it in action several times and have some criticisms. Compared to the criticism
the Garden is getting from so many other quarters, its pretty minor stuff but...

1. MSG no longer posts the penalty committed on the scoreboard, only the player's number and the time left in the penalty. Given that its difficult to hear the referee announce the penalty up in Section 314 it would be nice if this information were available
2. There is no clock anymore. Its all digital... put one back
3. The new graphics are OK, but the rapidly changing still photos of a player that appear when he scores a goal are quite a bit cloying and clearly very annoying. Just because you have the graphics doesn't mean you should use them.
4. I'm waiting to see Dancing-Granny up there soon, even though I sit sort of near Dancing Larry.
5. I miss Pink Floyd as the musical warning that the second and third periods are about to start.
   

Rangers Opening Night Victory

For those of you who don't love hockey: sorry. Its back. And its great.

Section 314 was rocking as the regulars returned for another (hopefully) glorious season of hockey. Although the first two periods were a little sketchy, the Rangers exploded for four goals in the third period, and the final score was 5-2. Chris Drury gave us a pretty strong hint that he was well worth signing, scoring a goal and gathering two assists. Jagr had four assists. Prucha scored a goal, as did Rozsival, Callahan and Straka all scored as well.

Now my worries. I am still worried that the Rangers are weak defensively, but was somewhat impressed with Mark Staal, although one of my friends noted that he was a bit of a puck hog. Hopefully, he will learn.

Finally, while the new Madison Square Garden Scoreboard is clearly an improvement over its old Soviet Technology, it would be nice if they listed the penalty that the player had, and not just the time left in the power play. The sound system still stinks, and you can never hear the referee clearly in section 314.

Finally, my condolences to Yankee fans. Many of us were following the games on our cell phones. For an especially emotional and enjoyable diatribe, check out Yanksgal.

Rangers Lose Pre-Season Game Number 2: MSG Has New Scoreboard

After eating a bagel at the West Side Aunt's Break Fast. we decided to head down to the Garden to catch the Ranger's second pre-season game: this time against the hated Flyers. It was great to get back to the Garden. We met several friends at the sparsely attended game. It was also funny to see a few other people clearly coming to the game after coming from their break-fasts!

MSG has updated their scoreboards this year. They are in fully digital and in full color, and in fact seem a little too bright at times. The scoreboards on the sides of the arena are also fully digital, and for the first time at MSG I was able to see gigantic Budweiser adds from many, many angles. Having said that, its also the first time I was able to read statistics such as "shots on goal" without squinting.

The game was another matter: 5-0. As its pre-season its not worth recapping. Believe me, I don't need to name names: there was plenty of sloppy passing, lazy shooting and regrettable defense to go around. And many veterans, including Jagr, Drury and Gomez, played plenty. Hold your breath, everyone, it may be shaking out the summer, but it may be a repeat of last years miserable fall.

Rangers Have First Pre-season Game!

Not for me of course, because I was in temple. But the Rangers pre-season began tonight, with a victory over the hated NJ Devils. I just thought everyone should know. Tommorow: break fast and the second pre-season game: this time against Philadelphia. The real season begins on Thursday, October 4th. Anybody with ideas on where to eat before or after the game can leave me a comment!

Rangers Get Drury and Gomez

Although I usually take a hockey break in the Summer, I think it is important to mention that the Rangers picked up not one, but two free agents that had been torturing them on their former teams. Chris Drury, the center and former Assistant Captain of the Buffalo Sabres and Scott Gomez, the center for the New Jersey Devils. ESPN has decent coverage of the trade, as well as the thoughts of Glen Sather, the Rangers GM. Oh well, I did manage to make it through June without thinking to much about hockey. But remember, the pre-season starts in only a few months!

End Of The Rangers Season

While I'm not surprised that the New York Rangers lost their semi-final series to the NHL's number 1 team, the Buffalo Sabres, it doesn't make the loss any easier. As a season ticket holder, you are in a strange position. You like the team (I will save love for wife and children: the Rangers are part of a large corporation and a game played by sweaty young men, as you know), and make an investment in time and money to watch and follow the team. But the team goes about its own business, and the way it ultimately performs is a result of ownership, management coaches and players all executing better than 29 other teams. You are truly only a spectator, albeit one who is at an awful lot of games and does a whole lot of yelling at the ice from the third tier. So even though you know you're actual role in the team is rather small as an individual, you care. At the games, you realize you are part of a larger group of like minded individuals who collectively push for the team and in fact are responsible for its existence.

And so today, even though it makes no actual difference in my life, I was sad that the Rangers lost. And, though I'll get over it, it does make you wonder what would happen if the Rangers could have overcome the pressure, held their defense a bit better at the end of game 5 and the second period of game 6, and had better than the lousy officiating (no excuse, but it really was terrible) that they received. After all, coulda, woulda and shoulda are much better said in sports than in real life. In sports it doesn't really matter. Sort of....

Rangers Lose to Buffalo in Overtime: I am Crushed

When Chris Drury of Buffalo scored the tying goal against the Rangers with 7.7 seconds left, I knew it was over. Sure, there was going to be overtime. Sure, there was a chance. But you could see the sails going out of the Rangers. They failed to score on an overtime power play, but soon committed their own penalty. Maxim Afinogenov did not make the mistake that the Rangers did, and scored a goal through the five-hole on Lundqvist. There is much sadness, but the reality is that Buffalo deserved to win this game. I will be at game six, where hopefully the Rangers will earn a chance to get back to Buffalo and win game seven on Tuesday.

Rangers Even The Series 2-2 Against Buffalo in Semis

After getting screwed by the refs again and again throughout the game, it appears the Rangers got a break at the end of their 2-1 victory against the Sabres tonight. But more on that later. For now, I will savor this victory, the joy of the crowd at The Garden, and even how both Dancing Larry and Dancing Granny were called upon to get the crowd going tonight. Not that they neede much help.

In many ways the game tonight reminded me of a World Cup Soccer Match. There was very little scoring, but plenty of action. And you could almost feel the momentum going the Rangers way in the way they were dominating on offense. Ryan Miller, the Sabres goalie, as always, remained a stubborn obstacle. I am extremely impressed with his goaltending. Lundqvist was also acting as he were puck repellent. Shot after shot was either deflected or caught. The goaltending was so good that it was almost as if the game depended less on the players and more on which goalie would eventually play slightly less than perfectly.

In fact this is what happened. Miller gave up two power play goals, to Jagr and Shanahan. Other than this, he was a terrifying wall against which pucks just harmlessly dropped. This was in spite of an aggressive, puck pounding Ranger performance. Lundqvist performed beautifully. His only miss was against Ales Kotalik, 33 seconds after Shanahan scored the second goal for the Rangers.

I note that Lundqvist often seems to give up goals right when the announcers loudly proclaim the Ranger who scored the last goal. I always hope that the announcement occurs when the Rangers are on offense and cringe when the puck is in the Rangers zone. I do not know if there is anyway to statistically analyze this data, but I will look into it.

The big end to the game occured when Lundqvist stepped out of net with about 14 seconds left. This was a mistake, and he scrambled back as quickly as he could. At 13.4 seconds, Daniel Briere let off a shot. Lundqvist fell on it. The play was called a no goal initially and again on review by the officials in Toronto. However, it was the opinion of Boy #1 at home, and also of everyone contacted by cellphone by other people sitting in Section 314 that the thing looked like a goal. I haven't seen the highlight yet: I'm sure ESPN will play it ad nauseum but I don't care. The Rangers won, and I await game 5 on Friday in Buffalo and game six Sunday at the Garden.

Despite Evil Refs and Double Overtime The Rangers are Back!

Tomorrow there will be more on my trip to Toronto. Today there will be celebration, as the Rangers overcame exhaustion, referees who clearly favor cities closer to Canada, and the excellent goaltending of Ryan Miller to vanquish the Sabres 2-1 and bring the series to 2 games to 1. The Rangers are alive and well and living on Broadway (well, 7th Avenue, but its close down there).

If there is no winner after three periods in a playoff hockey game, the rules are much different than during the regular season. In the regular season, there is a one minute break, then a five minute, four on four, sudden death overtime, and finally a shootout. After about 25 minutes at the most, you are usually out of there. Playoff hockey is more like baseball. It may never end.

There is a 15 minute intermission between the third and fourth periods, and a full 20 minute period is scheduled. There are the usual 5 men plus a goalie for each team on the ice. The only difference is sudden death: the first team to score wins. If no one scores, the process is repeated until someone does. The longest game ever played had six overtime periods and had 176 1/2 minutes of game play. To put that in perspective, with only two overtime periods, we were all mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the game.


After a scoreless first period, the Rangers managed to score on an ugly goal by Jagr. They looked like they scored a second goal as well, but it was overruled by the television referees in Toronto. The Sabres tied it up in the third with a goal by Daniel Briere on one of Buffalo's nine power plays. Although the Rangers were clearly fouling, it is my opinion that the referees clearly deserved the shouts of "A&^H&#e" that they routinely were getting from the stands. By the second overtime period, all of the players looked exhausted. You got the feeling that someone would make a mistake: it was just a matter of time. The mistake was made by Miller and his defense: they allowed a 53 foot slapshot from Rozsival to get through, ending the game. Kudos must also go out to Lundqvist, the number one star of the game, for saving 38 of 39 shots on goal.

We await Tuesday!!!!
PS: I saw some guys who had "Section 314" t-shirts made. I am jealous!

There is Still Hope

Behold, the 1994 New York Rangers on the Stanley Cup! Just a pick-me-up photo from Toronto this weekend. We are heading off to the game soon!

Greetings From Toronto: Gretzky's Restaurant Pre-Baseball is Fine

Ah, the exciting world of medicine. Today I am writing to you from Toronto, the home of the 2007 Society of General Internal Medicine Meeting. I know, you can't wait to hit that link and see all of the exciting poster presentations this year.

For those of you less interested in Academic Medicine, there is plenty to do here in Toronto. Last night we went to the Blue Jays game, which is a way more pleasant experience than either the Mets or the Yankees (sorry, fellow New Yorkers, but our stadiums are disgusting pits: hopefully their new versions will be better). Both the Rogers Center and the Air Canada Centre are downtown, and there are plenty of place to eat before or after the game. We chose to eat at Gretzky's, which, while not perfect, is an excellent pre-game place to eat.

For those of you who don't know Wayne Gretzky: shame on you. The great one, number 99, led the Oilers to many a Stanley Cup, played for the Rangers as he aged and finished off his career in Los Angeles. He holds too many hockey records to count, and married Janet Jones! OK, that last point may not be so important. In any case, he has a restaurant, on 99 Blue Jay Way in Toronto. The place is large, airy, and pleasant. We were seated quickly, served quickly, and everyone was rather nice. I noticed that the staff was friendly to every one around us, as well. There is an impressive selection of beer. For those people who care about hockey (and how could you not???), there is a nice collection of Gretzky memorabilia, including a mini-museum near the bathrooms.

The food itself is perfectly edible: maybe a bit better than the Blarney Stone near Madison Square Garden. The boys had Gretzky burgers, with number 99 branded on the bun. The lovely wife and I each had salads, which were quite edible (chicken Cesar and "California" salad). The greens and tomatoes were all fresh. Surprisingly good was Cheesy Garlic Bread. Portions are quite large: just take a look at the "10" layer cake below. Prices are reasonable, and we easily made it to the Blue Jays game after we were done. After writing this, I am thinking that perhaps I should try to start a blog linking to all the places to eat near sporting events.

Rangers Lose Game 1 to Buffalo in Semifinals

Depressing games are less depressing on TV. When you team starts to look like its getting creamed, there is always the allure of the fridge, the warm fuzzy glow of the monitor, and, if you are boys 1 and 2, the other TV and Simpsons on the DVR. There's plenty of space, and its easy to get up and take a breath. Having said that, this game was depressing. After a scoreless first period, the Rangers collapsed in the second. Beset by penalties the whole game, Thomas Vanek of Buffalo managed to score first on yet another Buffalo Power Play. He would score two goals during the period. Other goals would be scored by Kotalik, Pominville and Stafford (empty net). Meanwhile, the Rangers only managed to score twice, by Hossa and Shanahan. Both goals were quite pretty, but the real issue was the seeming unstop ability of Ryan Miller, the Sabre's excellent goalie.

My fervent hope is that the Rangers had a rough two periods against an excellent team after their cakewalk against Atlanta, and that their improving performance in the final period bodes well for the team on Friday.

Rangers Beat Thrashers 4-0 in Quarter Finals: Advance to Second Round

I really don't have much to say about this. Except YAAAAAY!! Because of my medical informatics course, I have been in San Diego, staying at the quite lovely W Hotel. Although I tried to watch the game yesterday, I discovered that, despite the prowess of the Ducks, Southern California is not a hotbed of ice hockey action. Even the sports bar near the W, with a satellite set up that looked like NASA, couldn't get it. The place, the Yardhouse, turns out to be yet another West Coast Chain. I know you are all shocked by this fact. However, I was able to catch part of yesterday's game on internet radio (with a slight delay) from the Rangers Web Site. Tonight, I followed the game on my Treo on ESPN's mobile site. The lovely wife, boy 1 and boy 2, and the world's most sports minded babysitter (a medical student, too!) did go. I am happy to have learned about medical informatics, but am really looking forward to the second round. GO RANGERS!

Rangers Leading Thrashers 2-0 in Round One of Playoffs

Just a quick note to those of you more concerned with cooking than hockey: the Rangers are ahead to the Thrashers 2-0 in their best of seven series. This is the first of four rounds (the lovely wife always rolls her eyes at this time) of playoff hockey goodness. For the record, these games represent the Rangers first playoff victories since 1997! They return to New York on Tuesday, but I will be stuck in California finishing on course on medical informatics. Hopefully, they will have it on TV.

Rangers Clinch Playoff Spot

I admit it. I didn't think the Rangers were going to get in the playoffs. When my order for playoff tickets came in I only half heartedly returned it and all the money the tickets were going to cost me. I even decided to save the $25 shipping that the Cablevision people stick you for, figuring why should I give them that interest money over the next six months until I could use it as credit for my 2008 tickets. I am here tonight to report that happily, I was wrong, and the Rangers are again in the playoffs. Since the trade deadline, they have been the hottest team in the NHL. I admit that I am not sad that I will have to trudge to the Garden to pick up my tickets. Because tonight the Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1, guaranteeing them a spot in the post season.

The game tonight had a bit of a playoff atmosphere. Many regulars were away because of the school holiday, but the crowd was clearly large and pumped. When Prucha scored the Rangers first goal less than 3 minutes into the game, the crowd became boisterous and almost giddy. This atmosphere was helped by the fact that a large block of tickets in the 400's were taken by rabid Montreal fans. Their cheers (I think they may have actually been in French), were answered with loud Rangers cheers, which certainally had a Saxon bent! Two other goals, by Jagr and Malik, sealed the scoring deal. Lundqvist, selected tonight as season MVP of the team, held up his end by allowing only one goal, on a 5-3 power play.

Dancing Larry was back tonight. Even though many people were screaming their homophobic Larry chants, they all seemed genuinely happy that Larry was back to do his dance, and exhort the faithful to cheer for the Rangers. I'm sorry, but he does a much better job than Dancing Granny, who I'm sure is nice and all, but really doesn't make the blood boil. If the Rangers win their final game this week, and Tampa Bay loses one of the two it has left, then the Rangers will finish in sixth place, allowing them to face a beatable Atlanta Team.

Rangers Beat Maple Leafs: Crushing Victory Adds to My Joy

Just a quick post to note the Rangers excellent 7-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game, while not in doubt after the second period, was exciting, and the crowds above the purple seats were in playoff form. Sean Avery scored two goals, and the Rangers are still in 6th place with three games left. One more victory and a playoff spot is assured! Neither Granny or Larry danced in the third period, however. This marks a long absence for Larry. Even our friends in the four hundreds who normally shout "(unprintable) LARRY!!" at the top of their lungs have been screaming "WE WANT LARRY!!" for the past few home games. I have no idea whats going on, but the Garden is a better place when the Rangers are winning and Larry does his little dance in the third period. Granny is fine, but I have to admit a preference for Larry spanning the years.

Rangers Kick Flyer Butt: All is Well in the World

Sometimes, its not worth spending too much time thinking about what happened in the game. The game needs to be enjoyed as it happens, and remembered with a fuzzy warm glow. Tonights game was one of those experiences. Although the Flyers are in dead last this year, somehow they managed to beat the Rangers every time I saw them play at the Garden. Not tonight. Tonight the Rangers beat the Flyers 5-0, with Lundqvist earning his fifth shutout of the year. In addition, Shanahan returned to the lineup, making two assists. Avery scored two goals, and Prucha, Jagr and Ortmeyer each scored one. And although I am not one to encourage fights, the fact that Carleton Orr knocked Todd Fedoruk cold was both scary and a bit of quid pro quo to an over aggressive Flyer's Team.

Rangers Beat Penguins: I Need CPR

This one one of the most exciting hockey games I have ever gone to, and, to be honest, I couldn't really see the winning goal. Because of this mystery goal the Rangers are now in seventh place, could pick up sixth place if they beat the hated (and lowly) Flyers Wednesday and appear to be getting hot at just the right time of year. Last year, the team began to fall apart at this time, signaling their hasty exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Devils.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Tonights game started out as a scoreless, penalty free first period. After perhaps the least wait ever for french fries and a chicken sandwich from Ranch #1 (still the best food at the Garden, which isn't saying much), the second period started out with a bang, in the form of penalties on the Penguins. Many of them, in fact. However, as is typical with the Rangers, the multitude of 5 on 4's led to no actual goals.

Blair Betts scored the first goal at the beginning of the third period, with an assist from Dan Girardi. With less than 6 minutes in the game, Penguins center Michel Ouellet managed to get one past Lundqvist. However, in a bizzare twist, a centering pass by Jagr with 36 seconds left was deflected in by Rob Scuderi, the Pittsburgh defender, and knocked into the goal. After a review of the play, the goal stood, and the Rangers went on to win 2-1.

And there was much rejoicing.