1) In a move that many Ranger fans we have talked to wanted to take place months ago head coach Tom Renney was fired today in what at this point looks like a desperate attempt to save their freefalling season. No replacement has been named, but the Rangers have a conference call planned for later Monday. As we speculated only a week ago when Therrian was let go, we feel the elevation of Jim Schoefeld is the logical choice.2) Renney was 164-121-42 in parts of five seasons behind the Ranger bench, but that record was 2-7-3 in his last 11 games, including a 3-2 overtime loss to lowly Toronto at the Garden on Sunday night. And with the team unable to top two goals in all 10 of those losses, and with the frustration mounting in the room, team president/GM Glen Sather decided to pull the plug Monday.
3) As for a successor along with Schoenfeld the other option is former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella who once was an asst coach in NY so he is familiar with the organization and the NY media. However, Tortorella is still under contract to the Lightning, so the Rangers would have to ask permission to speak to him. The Stanley Cup-winning coach had a short stint behind the Rangers bench in the 1999-2000 season, when he spent four games as head coach after working the rest of the year as an assistant. He went 0-3-1 to close out the season. He briefly assumed the head coaching role after John Muckler was fired. Tortorella left for Tampa the next season when Neil Smith was fired as general manager in New York and Glen Sather was brought in to replace him.
4) One knock on our favourite, Jim Schoenfeld is that the current asst GM of the Rangers and GM of the Ranger's AHL affiliate Wolfpack hasn't coached in the NHL recently. He has extensive head coaching experience, but hasn't in the NHL since 1999 when he guided the Phoenix Coyotes
As an NHL head coach, Schoenfeld has compiled a record of 256-246-78 (.509) We should know who Glen Sather(who's job should also hang in the balance) picks later this afternoon. Meanwhile folks around hockey are praying Tortorella is hired and Sean Avery is transferred to the Rangers. Talk about pouring gasoline over a smoldering fire!
6 comments:
Renney is a good coach, although he lost this group somewhere along the way... But objectively, does anyone actually think this is an elite or even decent team right now? Without Henrik, this is a 10 or 11 seed...
Gomez has been a total bust - 12 goals! The guy is so ineffective on a nightly basis its laughable, with his toe loops and axels... Redden's skills have diminished to a point where he isn't a top 6 d-man on a good team... Naslund is a shell of his prior self, as is Drury, who has NEVER been a front line forward... Dubinsky has been ravaged by the soph jinx and Staal is looking every bit his 20 years lately... Its obvious that Renney is the victim of these circumstances... He will get another NHL job, as he knows the game quite well...
Hey Faux, ya think Mark "the original MESSIAH" Messier is next?
1) Messier isn't touching this team with a 10 foot pole. Once Sather is dismissed perhaps you might see the Moose brought back.
2) Of course judging from past moves by MSG with the inept Knick's GM Isaiah Thomas, that might be a decade more!
3) We agree that Sather deserves MUCH more of the blame here. Not sure why he's getting a pass. What have the Rangers won since he got there? Those contracts you alluded to are/will continue to be anchors around the necks of this team for some time to come regardless who is behind the bench!
The question regarding the Messiah was a joke, Faux... Number 1, I just wanted to type MESSIAH and Number 2, I thought I could goad you into making a FEDORA comment... Apparently, I was not successful...
FEDORA!!!!! HAPPY NOW ANTZ? lol
Ha ha!
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