In an attempt not to be too greedy, the New York Rangers have narrowed down their wish list for Santa. After taking a look at what has transpired most recently, the Blueshirts are asking old St. Nick for the officials to be a little more fair with their calls and to obtain a sniper mentality on the power play. These do not seem too out of reach for a team that has mostly stayed off the naughty list this season.
“Our players need to be treated equally.”
The New York Rangers need to be treated with honesty and respect:
It is one thing for the twitter universe and even some in the media to complain about the calls. But when you have the head coach commenting on it, especially after a win, one needs to take notice. In his post-game comments after Sunday’s win against the Ducks, Head Coach David Quinn wished that referees would be fair with his players, especially Brandon Lemieux.
“I just wish he’d get treated a little bit differently than he (Lemieux) has lately. I just want all of our players to be treated equal. Sometimes it doesn’t seem that way with him.â€
Quinn could have been referring to a questionable call at the end of the second period of the Anaheim game when Lemieux got a 10-minute misconduct for a little nudge and a shin tap to the Ducks’ Carter Rowney. This followed a December 17th game in Nashville when Quinn got a mid-game apology from referees Frederick L’Ecuyer and Jean Hebert for their poor performance.
“Shoot the Puck!”
It is a common phrase that players hear, but in the case of the New York Rangers, this appears to be a solid recommendation for the Blueshirts power-play units. After Monday’s loss to the Flyers, the power-play unit is now 0-for-18 over its last five games. At times the power play more resembles the Harlem Globetrotters, as the puck gets passed around quite a bit before a shot is even attempted. Quinn pointed this out recently when he stated that:
“We get it, we hold it, we stick-handle it, we look for a pretty pass instead of just moving it around and playing hockey within a power play.”
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo has stated that even his parents have told him and his teammates to shoot more. Quinn has stated that he will use the three days off to make some changes in an attempt to make the power play more efficient.