So it's official. As I'm sure many of you have now heard John Tortorella has been hired to succeed Tom Renney as the Rangers new head coach.For the story and some video footage from ESPN, go here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3928145
With Tortorella comes a fiery presence to a slumping Rangers squad that needs a good kick in the rear end. The kind of intensity he brings to the bench and demands of his players, might be just what the doctor ordered. Another bonus is that the new boss is no stranger to New York City. As a Rangers fan you have to hope he can succeed where Renney failed this year - getting more production from the Blueshirt's "star" players such as Naslund, Gomez, Drury, etc.
Hopefully this move will prove to be beneficial for the Rangers playoff hopes. This is a team that, at one point, was first place in the division, yet has lost 10 of their last 12 games and is barely holding on to the final playoff spot. Considering the extreme lack of production from the Rangers big-names, and the horrid slump they are currently experiencing, I suppose its promising that they're still afloat in the Eastern Conference post-season picture at all.
While I do feel like Renney got a raw deal here to some degree, something had to be done. Honestly the Rangers simply don't have an elite roster like some other teams out there, but they're much better then the way they're currently playing. We can't forget that this is a business; and although Renney had posted fantastic numbers the last couple of years, we all know that New York is a "what have you done for me lately" kind of town.
Overall I'm cautiously optimistic about the move. Things can't get much worse on Broadway right now, and hiring a guy like John Tortorella seems like a step in the right direction. Best of luck to the coach in his new role.
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