Rangers: The Habs CAN Be Had!
Ready, willing and Avery
Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 2:12 PMAl Cohn, the immortal jazz saxophone stylist, once was asked to introduce the tune "I'm A Dreamer, Aren't We All."
But given to whimsy – he had just eaten some horseradish, I believe – the sax man grabbed the microphone and declared, "And for our next tune, it will be, 'I'm A Dreamer, Montreal"
And if you're wondering about the relevance of that anecdote and the Rangers game Tuesday night against the Canadiens, look at it this way: The Blueshirts can dream about winning in Montreal because that vision is right next door to reality.
All you had to do is watch the Canadiens on Saturday night, losing 3-1 to the Devils to understand why the Blueshirts have a legit chance to make it two in a row.
The Habs forwards appeared to be allergic to shooting and the defense had more giveaways than The Ford Foundation. G.M./coach Bob Gainey's embattled Czech goalie, Jaroslav Halak, appeared ready to jump on the next jet to Bratislava; except Gainey wouldn't pay for the ticket.
Not that John Tortorella's troops have two points in the bag already. (As a matter of fact, they don't even have the bag. But that's a Satchel for another Paige!)
Hey, we're talking about a Canadiens club that's right up there, standings-wise, with New York and the Guy Carbonneau-less Habs have shown in the past that they occasionally have had the Rangers number.
However, the Blueshirts' numerology has dramatically changed since the teams last met.
By that I mean that the Seventh Avenue skaters now boast numero 16, otherwise known in the trade as Sean Avery; as in having singlehandedly intimidated the Flyers on Sunday afternoon at The Garden.
The Habs are having enough trouble of their own to even think about figuring out The Avery Effect. But whether the Canadiens like it or not, Sean will test their patience and try it on for size somewhere between the opening face-off and the first time that Gabbo sees the whites of Halak's bloodshot eyes.
Easily the most astonishing aspect of Avery's latest ascent to marquee status is his amazing aplomb. While just about everybody – with the possible exception of Sigmund Freud – is going some kind of nuts over his comeback, The Great Gabbo is making cucumbers look hot by comparison.
Exhibit A happens to be the Flyers sophomoric reaction to him on Sunday.
It wasn't as if the Phiery Philly skaters didn't do their due diligence about Avery. It's not that their coach, John Stevens, who sometimes appears to be auditioning for the lead role in "The Mad Scientist," didn't have a game plan on which its first page had big letters: IGNORE AVERY.
But the deal is this: YOU CAN'T IGNORE HIM because he has magical powers that simply will not allow the enemy to pretend he's in outer space and not staring right into their face.
The best interpretation that Stevens could put on Avery goes like this: "He drew our physical attention and allowed the Rangers skill people to play. And then we played the whole game shorthanded."
Ah, but Dr. Stevens misses the (Avery) point.
Sean IS one of the Rangers "skill people." If The Maven said it once, I've said it a thousand times; and, yes, I did tell this to Avery's face. Every day in every way, he reminds me of Hall of Famer left wing Ted (Ole Scarface) Lindsay. And I mean that in style, smile and substance.
Gabbo's skill is the least appreciated aspect of his persona – except among his teammates.
Scott Gomez puts it perfectly: "The energy Sean brings when he's playing his style of just going up and down is something. There's no one in the league faster just going straight up the ice."
Needless to say Tortorella's challenge is keeping this precious asset on the straight and narrow. Right now, I can tell you that it should be a heckuva lot easier than it was for Tom Renney. And the reason is quite simple; AVERY GETS IT!
After what he's been through, he's wise enough to realize that he's rather fortunate to get a second chance in his favorite adopted city among fans who have re-embraced him like a long, lost son in this most frantic of homestretch drives.
No, in Rangerville on St. Patrick's Day, you don't have to be Irish to love Sean Avery. Likewise, in Montreal, you don't have to be a French-Canadian to loathe him. You just have to be a Canadiens fan desperate to see his or her team make the playoffs in this the Habs Centennial year.
Nevertheless, going into Tuesday night's game in Montreal, the music is more resonant for the Rangers. Or, as my musicologist buddy, Ira Gitler, once said when we were heading out for some shinny on a frozen pond, "We're the New York Arrangers!"
So, let's see if they can arrange another win for Torts & Co.
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