RENNEY, PEARN OUT... TORTORELLA IN?

After last nights OT loss to Toronto the axe has finally come down on Rangers head coach Tom Renney and assistant coach Perry Pearn. No surprise here. Fact of the matter is I've been calling for Pearn's head for quite some time and he absolutely had to go. The architect of the league's 29th best powerplay was really beginning to become a sickening site to look at. Part of me feels for Tom Renney who did a good job in his five years as head coach. You can't blame him for the assanine signings made by Cigar Afficifianado Man of the Year, Glen Sather. In the end though, Renney had to go. He reached that point of no return and his sourpuss and emotionless, blank stare on the bench had to be replaced with someone who exuthes confidence.


Enter the Billy Martin of the hockey world, John Tortorella. Pierre McGuire of NBC Sports was a guest on WFAN's Mike Francesa earlier today and said that he was pretty much sure that Torts was the man tabbed for the job. Tortorella served as the Rangers assistant coach during the 1999-2000 season, before taking over as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightening. In 2004 he won the Stanley Cup with the Lightening before being fired in June of 2008 after missing the playoffs with a 31-42-0-9 record. Tortorella should be a breath of fresh air and has the potential to be a star personality with the New York media. Lets hope that he could light a fire under the flat Rangers and possibly salvage the season.

More to come soon...

The Rangers, The NHL and the Media in 2009

Hello everyone,

About a year ago I started this blog in an attempt to provide original and perhaps new commentary and information on beloved New York Rangers. As a fan of the team, I often found myself going to independent websites and blogs for information regarding the team, and not the official Rangers website. The "blogosphere" was new, and provided a greater range of opinions and information that was not common in the more mainstream websites like ESPN.com, NHL.com or even NewYorkRangers.com. After becoming an avid contributor to other blog sites, and commenting often, I decided to start my own blog with the hope of providing yet another view for Rangers' fans. However, the rigors of a hectic school and work schedule prevented me from really getting the ball rolling and I eventually shelved the project to be resumed at a later date.

Fortunatley for me, and maybe you, that later date is now. Professor Pavlik's assignment to create a blog for the Exploring New Media class has given me an oppurtunity to again explore blogging. The scope and information provided by this blog will change however, as I will not only be talking solely about the New York Rangers, but I will discuss the Rangers, the NHL and the more broader themes surrounding the way in which both are covered by media outlets in the age of digital media. My ability to comment and publish personal thoughts, pictures and video is just further testament to the ways in which digital media has transformed the way in which people get their information. Bloggers also have the unique ability of being able to voice the opinions of the everday fan, and in great numbers can create groundswells which sway support for players, coaches and general managers in the NHL and all sports. Often the mainstream media picks up on the pulse of bloggers, and in a way, bloggers provide an alternative to mainstream media, a supplement to mainsteam media and can even influence the mainstream media.

With that said, I hope you all come to enjoy both my commentary on the way in which the evolution of digital media has impacted the game, and also enjoy my commentary on the Rangers. If by chance someone from Exploring New Media who is a Ranger fan comes across the blog, please feel free to comment and give me your opinion on any and all topics related to this site and the class.

Thank you,
Gino DeCaro

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As far as the Rangers go, as I write this, the score has gone final in Buffalo. The Rangers have lost 4-2 to a surging Buffalo Sabres team, and have now dropped to the 8th and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. I would have to say that Tom Renney's departure appears to be imminent.

While this in no way qualifies as an expert opinion or interview, I could not help but laugh and share it with you. As I was writing this post, I received a text message from both a Buffalo Sabres fan, and a member of the class, Jason Ochs. His text, verbatim: "yea man ur def right rangers wont make the playoffs." Yet another example of the fast paced, rapid spreading of information we encounter everyday. Now if only Jay Ochs was an actual correspondent with relevent information to share with me...

Good night all...