Darcy Hordichuk, shelly...?

I think rangers need some "tough guys" on the fourth line, maybe even third.
How about Darcy Hordichuk, Jody Shelly, Peter Worrell, Donald Brashier, Steve Webb, Laraque, Barret Jackman...etc.?
Sandy McCarthy ( as much as i like him) isn't enough

What do you guys think?

barrett jackman? you realize he's like one of the best young defensemen in the NHL right? not a 4th line tough guy?

brashear, laraque, and worrell are all under contract too...dunno about shelly or hordichuk, but honestly i dont' see a need at all for goons that bring nothing to the table

i don't even think mccarthy is on the roster right now...dunno, i'm not of the opinion that you need to stack your team with goons to protect players...just don't think it really works that way. rangers also still have purinton and signed strudwick as well

I think rangers need some "tough guys" on the fourth line, maybe even third.
How about Darcy Hordichuk, Jody Shelly, Peter Worrell, Donald Brashier, Steve Webb, Laraque, Barret Jackman...etc.?
Sandy McCarthy ( as much as i like him) isn't enough

What do you guys think?

McCarthy a tough guy, since when??? :dunno: Id rather resign LaCouture than have McCarthy.

The only guy on that list (excluding Jackman for obvious reasons) I like is Hordichuk, but he, like everyone else, is under contract and probably will be for a very long time because he is a Keenan player if ever there was one and any team would kill to have a guy like him who works hard every shift, hits like a mack-truck, and can hold his own easily when he drops the gloves.

No worries though, the Rangers have a bunch of these guys coming up through the system. It starts with Garth Murray who should be in the lineup next year. Next you have guys like Grenier and Gillies who may never settle into an NHL-role, but can still be called up for the NYI games. Personally, I really hope they sign Robin Big Snake to join the Pack. Intriguing name aside, this guy sounds like a Darcy Hordichuk clone to me. He may be a little bit of a hothead, but a couple years with professional coaches might cool him down a little.

If you're worried about next year's team, that's one department Sather seems to be taking care of. Garth Murray fills the energy grinder/middleweight role while Strudwick serves as the vet enforcer and Purinton can suit up as the heavyweight (hopefully they'll try again to convert him to the wing). Any more goons and we start to take away spots from the kids.

Panthers have Grant McNeill in their system and he won't be needed since weve got Hordichuk & now Cairns.

He's pretty tough and I think the Panthers would give him up for cheap, maybe a 4th round pick or somethin.

Panthers have Grant McNeill in their system and he won't be needed since weve got Hordichuk & now Cairns.

He's pretty tough and I think the Panthers would give him up for cheap, maybe a 4th round pick or somethin.

I like McNeill. I remember him in that fight with Chris Simon. He is a future tough guy. Their are also guys with some skill like Jason Wiemer. If we cant sign Wiemer than id like Kip Brennan or Lessard from Thrashers.

Under no circumstances should we put a worthless goon on our team who can't play. We hardly have the talent to do that and it would hardly benefit any of our younger players having to play with a worthless goon.

Purinton should never see another minute of NHL ice time. He is horrible.

Under no circumstances should we put a worthless goon on our team who can't play. We hardly have the talent to do that and it would hardly benefit any of our younger players having to play with a worthless goon.

Purinton should never see another minute of NHL ice time. He is horrible.

There is no team in pro hockey that can be successful without an enforcer type or two on any team, goon or not. You can't win without that element on your team and as long as they can keep up with the play, those guys are a must.

Under no circumstances should we put a worthless goon on our team who can't play. We hardly have the talent to do that and it would hardly benefit any of our younger players having to play with a worthless goon.

Purinton should never see another minute of NHL ice time. He is horrible.

So you're content to let opposing teams take runs at our young players. Thanks for that.

Under no circumstances should we put a worthless goon on our team who can't play. We hardly have the talent to do that and it would hardly benefit any of our younger players having to play with a worthless goon.

Purinton should never see another minute of NHL ice time. He is horrible.
Unfortunately, like it or not, you cannot play in the NHL without a protector or 2. Ask the 'Sens how they learned that lesson the hard way. Or just remember TGO's final year on the Rangers.

Murray serves as the agitator/middle-weight, then you got Strudwick and Purinton, with Grenier as a possible call-up. What are you guys worried about?

Murray serves as the agitator/middle-weight, then you got Strudwick and Purinton,
I highly doubt that all 3 will be in the lineup at the same time. And 3 of Tyutin, Pock, Kondratiev, & Lampman make the team, it will be hard to ever have Strudwick and Purinton on the ice at the same time.

Murray serves as the agitator/middle-weight, then you got Strudwick and Purinton, with Grenier as a possible call-up. What are you guys worried about?

Strudwick has never been accused of being a heavyweight. Not even close. Purinton doesn't fill the role. Grenier is an AHL player.Added to that, you can't have a defenseman as your enforcer for the simple reason you can't have that guy getting tossed. You don't mind a forward getting a game but it's tougher when you get down to five d, especially when it happens early in a game.

By the way, anyone else notice how much muscle has been added to teams in the east so far this summer?

Panthers have Grant McNeill in their system and he won't be needed since weve got Hordichuk & now Cairns.

He's pretty tough and I think the Panthers would give him up for cheap, maybe a 4th round pick or somethin.

i doubt the rangers will be looking for a dman to fill that enforcer role because they could just use purinton. they should be looking for a 4th line winger, so unless mcneill can shift to wing, he doesn't fit

Or just remember TGO's final year on the Rangers.

yeah, that was HORRIBLE... Gretzky got run every night and no one stood up for him. :shakehead it was embarrassing and, IMO, had to be one of the main reasons TGO decided it was time to retire...

you DEFINITELY need a goon or two to protect these kids (and even Jagr)... Holik won't be protecting anyone but himself.

Strudwick is not a heavyweight, but it has always struck me that the "heavys" (read: Brashear, Worrell, Purinton) are really in it to defend their titles by fighting one another. Same goes for guys like Grenier. Guys like Strudwick, Murray, Barnaby, and even Simon to some extent fight to stand up for their teammates instead doing it selfishly to rehash old rivalries.

BTW, to those who a worried about having enforcers on D, remember that Strudwick spent most of last year dressed as an LW. I have a feeling that Purinton will do the same or else he just won't play.

you bring up a good point in mentioning TGO's last season. It was disgusting what was able to go on with the Rangers' players. But what's real interesting is the Rangers did have Langdon, a guy who would fight anyone (and Campbell didn't play him much, but 5 minutes of ice time is not uncommon for many enforcers), and this still happened. Sometimes I question the effectiveness of an enforcer. I'd rather have a lineup made of players who don't need to be watched as much, which is what the Rangers had the last few seasons. Guys who can take a hit and initiate a hit. Heck, even with Simon, Barnaby and Purinton last season, Dunham was ran what seemed to be once or twice a game without retribution.

Point is, Darcy Tucker will go around agitating no matter what. No matter who the enforcer is on the other side. No matter who's on his side. Same for Nash. Same went for Ulfie and Kaspar and many others. That's the game. It's rough out there.

Strudwick is not a heavyweight, but it has always struck me that the "heavys" (read: Brashear, Worrell, Purinton) are really in it to defend their titles by fighting one another. Same goes for guys like Grenier. Guys like Strudwick, Murray, Barnaby, and even Simon to some extent fight to stand up for their teammates instead doing it selfishly to rehash old rivalries.

BTW, to those who a worried about having enforcers on D, remember that Strudwick spent most of last year dressed as an LW. I have a feeling that Purinton will do the same or else he just won't play.


I say bring back LW Gordie Dwyer. When he played for us, he made alot of hard hits that were clean. :yo: And he is natural LW and young.

Heck, even with Simon, Barnaby and Purinton last season, Dunham was ran what seemed to be once or twice a game without retribution.

I think that Dunny getting run w/o retribution was more of a factor of the defense not doing a thing. It seems that on other teams, the defense is the thing that comes to the goalie's aid most of the time. With players like Poti content to watch players half his size whack at loose pucks, is it a wonder that Dunham was run at all?
As point of parlimentary procedure (anyone know what movie that line comes from?), whenever Purinton was on the ice, at least he DID whack at people that were trying to get at Dunham. But when Sather decided to stop playing him, that was the last bastion of defense. Defense has to protect their goalies. Too bad that players like Poti, Bobo, & Krispy Kreme were more content to watch their attempted passes.

I say bring back LW Gordie Dwyer. When he played for us, he made alot of hard hits that were clean. :yo: And he is natural LW and young.
Ok. These postings of making efforts to get every single waiver pick is getting out of hand. Let's think about this. Where are ANY of these players you advocate going to play? For sake of argument, let's say that Holik will be properly used as a 3rd line center. The other 5 bottom 2 line players will consist of at least Ortmeyer & Murray. That leaves 3 players. If you want to see someone like Blair Betts and Dom Moore play, that leaves 1 spot. Chances are that Purinton, McCallister, Grenier, or Strudwick are going to have a chance at becoming a 4th line wing/7th defenseman type of tweener.
Where are any of these waiver picks that you advocate picking up on a daily basis going to play?

Strudwick can be considered a heavyweight. He certainly isn't considered a top heavyweight, but he is willing and able. I wouldn't want him as my number one guy however.

And he has played forward before. So if the Rangers really want, they could put him on the wing and keep someone like Purinton back on defense.

I'm not saying this is the best solution or possibility, just mentioning it as an option.

Ok. These postings of making efforts to get every single waiver pick is getting out of hand. Let's think about this. Where are ANY of these players you advocate going to play? For sake of argument, let's say that Holik will be properly used as a 3rd line center. The other 5 bottom 2 line players will consist of at least Ortmeyer & Murray. That leaves 3 players. If you want to see someone like Blair Betts and Dom Moore play, that leaves 1 spot. Chances are that Purinton, McCallister, Grenier, or Strudwick are going to have a chance at becoming a 4th line wing/7th defenseman type of tweener.
Where are any of these waiver picks that you advocate picking up on a daily basis going to play?

I'm thinking that JOrt is half the time firing out these posts tongue-in-cheek.

I'm thinking that JOrt is half the time firing out these posts tongue-in-cheek.
I actually think that he is serious.

I actually think that he is serious.


Well devils got Oliwa and Langdon, lets say both are protected at waiver draft, and lets say when we play the Devils, devils and rangers have a fight, who would u want to get the penalty, Dwyer or Purinton. Id rather have 6 dman than 5 for part of the game and u never know, since its Purinton and since its the Rangers and how the refs always make bad calls against us, the Rangers would likely have 5 dman for the rest of the game. If i had to choose a forward or dman to fight, id rather have the forward. The only natural forward that fights is Murray. Strudwick is for depth. If he 90% of the games, I'll be shocked.

you bring up a good point in mentioning TGO's last season. It was disgusting what was able to go on with the Rangers' players. But what's real interesting is the Rangers did have Langdon, a guy who would fight anyone (and Campbell didn't play him much, but 5 minutes of ice time is not uncommon for many enforcers), and this still happened. Sometimes I question the effectiveness of an enforcer. I'd rather have a lineup made of players who don't need to be watched as much, which is what the Rangers had the last few seasons. Guys who can take a hit and initiate a hit. Heck, even with Simon, Barnaby and Purinton last season, Dunham was ran what seemed to be once or twice a game without retribution.

Point is, Darcy Tucker will go around agitating no matter what. No matter who the enforcer is on the other side. No matter who's on his side. Same for Nash. Same went for Ulfie and Kaspar and many others. That's the game. It's rough out there.

Wasn't the end of Gretz' career during Muckler's tenure? Langdon rarely played and he was the only player who could keep the other team honest. Muckler frowned on players who fought. I remember one game that that year against Philly when Stock was all over Lindros that night and he was first or second star that night. Next game he got in a fight on his first shift, never saw the ice again and was in Hartford the next day.

Anyway, Fletch, I still believe you need a couple of heavyweights who won't embarrass themselves on the ice. You can't pound away at Brashear and Fedorak and expect Garth Murray to hold the fort. I'm sure Sather will address that issue before any of us see ice again.

I'm just so used to blaming so much on Campbell.

I do hear what you're saying, but the best enforcer isn't going to stop Tucker, Nash and the like from running the 'stars', as it wouldn't stop Holik. It's good to watch the fight, but it's not always the deterrent we make it out to be.

The last nail in Dwyer's coffin as when he missed an entire shift because he was staring at the ceiling. The Rangers were shorthanded for about 40 seconds.

Well devils got Oliwa and Langdon, lets say both are protected at waiver draft, and lets say when we play the Devils, devils and rangers have a fight, who would u want to get the penalty, Dwyer or Purinton. Id rather have 6 dman than 5 for part of the game and u never know, since its Purinton and since its the Rangers and how the refs always make bad calls against us, the Rangers would likely have 5 dman for the rest of the game. If i had to choose a forward or dman to fight, id rather have the forward. The only natural forward that fights is Murray. Strudwick is for depth. If he 90% of the games, I'll be shocked.

Actually, I mentioned the fact earlier in a post that you can't have a d-man as an enforcer. If your guy gets tossed, especially early in the game, you're down to 5 on defense. You can have a guy who is tough and can fight but he can't be getting thrown out on a regular basis.

But you're right about how teams in this division seem to be acquiring bigger and tougher players. I'm sure a lot of that will sort itself out by the time hockey is played again.

I'm just so used to blaming so much on Campbell.

I do hear what you're saying, but the best enforcer isn't going to stop Tucker, Nash and the like from running the 'stars', as it wouldn't stop Holik. It's good to watch the fight, but it's not always the deterrent we make it out to be.

That's why, ultimately and idealy, what you want is that element of team toughness that you want throughout your lineup. That's the kind of team the Leafs have and that's the kind of team i'd like to see here.

That's why, ultimately and idealy, what you want is that element of team toughness that you want throughout your lineup. That's the kind of team the Leafs have and that's the kind of team i'd like to see here.
That's fine. However, then you (not you Kazo per se) cannot be screaming about the "stupid" penalties. Not obstruction, but the inevitable various roughing and cross-checking minors which are bound to come up.

whenever Purinton was on the ice, at least he DID whack at people that were trying to get at Dunham.
i concur. (at last we agree on something about Dale ;) )

and of course the other side is what TB says. Unfortunately those tough guys often get whistled (at times unfairly compared to a Sakic or Leetch), and that's been the Rangers' bane. Tough to find a tough guy who plays it smart. You do need to maintain a balance.

TB - Dale did whack people. Unfortunately he was whacking them because he let them crash Dunham in the first place. Dale's skating prevents him, I believe, from being a physical defenseman, which I don't think he really is. He will give a shove or crosscheck after the play, but he very rarely takes a guy out along the boards, and likely never in the open ice.

There is still the possibility that the Rangers will re sign McCallester. He can play forward, and he is a legitimate heavyweight, although he doesn't run around looking for problems like alot of the players mentioned. His toughness is unquestioned. In fact Simon said he was the toughest fight he ever had!