EHM The Blue Line

Politically correct disclaimer : I am not a Rangers fan IRL, and the title is just a random concoction. To any Eastern Conference fans who feel insulted by it, I'm sorry.

INTRODUCTION : WHY THE RANGERS ?

As a self-confessed computer manager addict, over the years I have developed a strange liking to one particular sort of team. Almost from the very beginning, I shunned taking over big guns and aiming for glory in my first year, save for those few times I did it to learn the ropes. Also, I'm not much of a man who relishes bottom-dwelling management - taking a Division 3 (or Division 2 as they call it nowadays) team all the way to the Premiership was never my forte. The teams I loved to take on were usually "sleeping giants" - teams with deep-rooted tradition and distant history of success, and reasonable potential to succeed in the long run. I also find star presence important, although I don't need a roster full of VIP's - usually, I will hook myself to one team which has a true star in its ranks and build around him.

The Rangers fit the picture in more way than one. They were a sportive challenge, with talent pool relatively mediocre and ripe for improvement. They were a managerial challenge, with roster riddled with inflated contracts, a throwback to the free-spending days of yore. They had perspective, with Henrik Lundqvist and Petar Prucha emerging. And they had a star - Jaromir Jagr, the free-scoring Czech international, who already saw it all while playing together with Mario Lemieux over in Pittsburgh.

I was also intrigued by the fact that I would be managing a New York team. Maybe the game engine recognizes no difference, but to me, coaching a team from a legit metropolis would always add a little bit more heat to the kitchen. In some ways, starting at Rangers could compare to managing Tottenham - big city, big tradition, a full decade removed from last substantial success. And big expectations - not to mention the 24/7 grind New York media loves to put its teams through.

My previous EHM experiences were mixed. For my very first coaching adventure, I picked the Calgary Flames, and in two seasons booked one trip to the WCF. The team then fell apart in my third year, and I lost interest. Next came an attempt to do something with the Capitals, and finally, the Thrashers. I failed both times miserably, but have learned enough to start a new, serious campaign. And let it be known that I almost chose the Isles, but turned away at the last minute.

2005/06 - THE BAPTISM OF FIRE

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. Where have you been? - Pink Floyd, "Welcome to the Machine"

1. Setting it up

First things always go first. Equipped with a wealth of experience from soccer management, long time ago I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the cult of a GM. If the team is gonna perform, it's gonna perform not because you said to that winger to shoot and not pass, it's gonna perform because another five coaches repeated that ad nauseum to him during team practices. Sure, there are tactical masterminds in any sport, but behind every succesful manager stands a strong coaching assembly - or, as I like to call it, "strategic HQ".

The Rangers weren't particularily bad in that department. After short evaluation, I opted to keep 3/5s of the holdover staff. Head Coach Tom Renney, Benoit Allaire and Perry Pearn remained at their respective posts, and the HQ was furtherly reinforced by Vladimir Tretiak and Bobby Francis. Francis was employed due to his all-round proficiency, while Tretiak, arguably one of the greatest goaltenders in history of hockey, got the nod thanks to his high GK coaching skill (go figure). I ought to mention, I really have a hard-on on giving former star players coaching posts. In my opinion, it adds credibility to the franchise. Scouts were also slightly reshuffled, but I can't be bothered to retrieve their names.

Playing staff was a whole 'nother ballgame. The team was loaded with veteran players of solid if not spectacular talent, save for Jaromir Jagr who still looked like he did when he took the league by storm in the 90s. Defense was anchored by Darius Kasparaitis and Tom Poti, with Henrik Lundqvist and Kevin Weekes vying for the no. 1 GK spot. Aside from Jagr, offensive duties were split between Czech veterans Martin Straka and Martin Rucinsky, another veteran Michael Nylander, and up-and-comer Petar Prucha. Best of the rest featured grinding wingers Colton Orr, Ville Nieminen and Jed Ortmeyer, team captain Steve Ruccin, second string winger Jason Ward, and a bunch of uninspiring defensemen lead by otherwise decent Marek Malik. My die was soon cast - Rucinsky, Straka and Jagr would star on the first line, while Ward, Nylander and Ortmeyer provided support from the second string. Third line was decidedly über-defensive, with Nieminen, Ruccin and Orr, and fourth line was thrown to the leftovers, including Prucha. Center Ryan Hollweg was called up from Hartford to provide depth in case of injury and pad the roster. He was soon joined by prospect goalie Al Montoya, as I resolved the goalkeeping controversy by dealing Weekes to the Wild for a 3rd round pick.

2. Trial by error

After a succesful preseason, I opened the regular season campaign with several wins at home, including one against the favoured Flames. My tactical choices were pretty vanilla at this point - the Jagr-line would go at 'em at full speed, second line would be more careful, third line was the "grind" line, and fourth, well, fourth line was just encouraged to not embarass themselves. My decent home form was offset by woeful performances on the road, and I finished october hovering around .500. Pretty soon I realized I was lacking firepower in other lines, so I swung a couple of deals. My very first trade was a mediocre one - I gave up a low pick for Nashville center Vernon Fiddler. Fiddler never established himself, and was gone before the next season finished. My second trade was a bit more high-profile - for 3rd rounder, 5th rounder and rights to prospect Tom Pyatt, Phoenix sent over Ladislav Nagy.

By the time Nagy arrived, I was well off playoffs pace. Injuries to Straka and Rucinsky ravaged my roster, and Prucha and Hollweg were forced to act as patches. His playing time increased, Prucha fully responded and started being more productive, showing he could develop into something special, given time and opportunity.

3. Treading water

With my season in the tank, I could fully focus on the next year. I had to draw out a tactical plan of who would I keep, and who would I try to sign. The onus was on offensive help, but I felt I needed improved presence on right side of the blue line as well. My big reinforcement Nagy wasn't exactly producing to my liking, but I still opted to extend his contract for another year. Again, I like renewing contracts before they're up - going into the offseason with a sense of security eases my mind somewhat. Jury was still out on talented, but overpaid and aging Straka and Rucinsky, and there was no way in hell I was even planning on extending Steve Ruccin's bloated contract.

I finished the season with a 35-42-5 record, good for one-but-last spot in the east and 5th pick in the forthcoming draft. Jaromir Jagr, fans player of the year, had a marquee season with 50 goals and 41 assists - expectedly, he was accompanied by Straka and Rucinsky (46 goals), as well as Prucha, who tallied 39 points (17+22) to his resume.

The Stanley Cup was won a bit surprisingly by the Philadelphia Flyers, who upset the Penguins in the ECF. The Pens held a 3-0 lead, but Flyers somehow managed to pull four straight dubs, and then proceded to beat the Canucks 4-2 in the final.

The year concluded with the NHL draft - I spent my 1st rounder on Jonathan Toews, Canadian center playing NCAA hockey over at North Dakota. Toews was immediately signed to a contract.

2006/2007 - ONE TICKET TO THE POSTSEASON, PLEASE

1. July madness

As a soccer manager, I always loved the offseason. Ah, the weeks of meticulous planning, drawing new schemes, roster management. Easily, it was one of my favourite parts of a season - any season.

Boy, was I in for a treat here.

My earlier FA adventures with Flames and Caps were nothing compared to what I had in store here. With Flames, I had a strong all-round club and I was only a minor player in the FA market, with Caps, well, nobody ever wanted to come anyway. Right now, I was faced with an unenviable choice of drastically reinforcing the team and attempting to crack the playoffs picture, and I all had was few millions of cap space and lots of ambition. Nagy, Straka and Rucinsky all resigned well before the floodgates opened, so that gave me some maneuvring space and a clear idea who and what should I be after. The departures were mostly low-profile, save for my somewhat surprising decision to release Tom Poti, who in my opinion wasn't the calibre of a player I wanted.

My utter priorities were a right defenseman (right as in opposite of left, not right/wrong) and a top-shelf center, as I wanted to move Straka to the second line. First to sign on was Phoenix's Derek Morris, and he was soon followed by Corey Sarich and Chris McAllister, who I knew from earlier managing spells. With defense reasonably bolstered, I acquired Daniel Sedin from the Canucks, envisioning him as my top line winger who could supplant the aging Rucinsky. Last piece was the marquee center, but I struck out there - Marc Savard, a guy I know from my Flames days, chose Blackhawks over my Rangers, and Brad Richards, fresh off a 128 point season, was way out of my price range. With FA list depleted, I decided to make some phonecalls and get myself a center from elsewhere. Initially, I had everything in place to bring Doug Weight in - a deal for a 4th round pick was on the table, just waiting for my approval. Weight's hefty 5.25m salary ultimately scared me off though, so I jettisoned that trade and looked elsewhere. And after some research, I found what I was looking for in Pavol Demitra, who the Kings were ready to dispatch if the price was right. It took some haggling, but they finally relented, and Demitra soon was a Ranger, his price being a pair of midrange picks, prospect Marc Staal and rights to Karel Rachunek. Hartford's Dominic Moore and Hugh Jesseman were drafted in for utility duties, and Nylander was waived in order to balance the books.

I had the team structure I wanted, but I do realize I overpaid badly on two occasions. First, I took the wrong road with Sedin - instead of signing him to an offer sheet, I foolishly approached the Canucks to trade rights, and even accepted to give away Fedor Tyutin, Michael Roszival and a 7th round pick. While I'm not particularily sorry for that pick or Roszival, I could have used Tyutin in the long run, and that's one deal I'm sorry for pulling. As for Demitra, technically I did overpay, but the chance to acquire a legit playmaking center was just too much. As of now, in my fifth season, Rachunek is still stuck in Swedish league with no intention of crossing the Atlantic, and Marc Staal never really progressed to anyone's liking, so I guess I did the right thing after all. Still, I burned myself on the Sedin deal, and that was a lesson to learn for the forthcoming seasons.

2. Up...

The season started great. Rejuvenated by Demitra's presence, Jagr responded by tearing the league to pieces, scoring at will during the first few months. The rest of the team also gelled admirably, and it looked like I would contend for the postseason spots come april.

3. ...and down.

And then it went haywire. Within one week, both Demitra and Straka got injured, and I had to patch the lineup with Toews, Moore and Jarkko Immonen, another player from Hartford. As if that wasn't enough, both Sedin and Nagy were misfiring badly - Nagy just couldn't settle if he was a left wing or a center, and Sedin couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a 750mm cannon from close range, let alone score goals against NHL goaltending. Luckily, Prucha emerged, and along with Jagr, carried the team during this lean spell. Facing the possibility of second straight season without playoffs, I hastily rushed Demitra and Straka into the lineup the moment they were day-to-day - the risk paid off, and I had the final, 8th spot sealed two games before the end of regular season.

One player who wouldn't be there to experience postseason glory was Nagy, who I dispatched back to Phoenix for a 3rd and 5th rounder.

4. Postseason quickie

By entering the playoffs, my season goal was achieved - I escaped mediocrity and got on the NHL map, if only for one postseason round. The scheduled opposition was coming from Ottawa, and their pucks and sticks had my name on it. Against the odds, we split the away trip 1-1, but then lost both home games - and infinitely more damaging, Jaromir Jagr, who tore his ACL. Surprisingly, I won the next game, but the Sens were just too strong - my fate was sealed in game 6, which we lost 4-3.

I wasn't disappointed. We did our best, and without Jagr, that was only so much. There was plenty of positives to be seen - Jagr finished the season with staggering 66 goals, showing everyone he's far from being washed out, but the real eye-opener was Prucha, who lit the red bulb no less than 50 times that season. Demitra contributed with 70 points (25+45), and Rucinsky and Straka combined for about 100 from the second line.

Offseason plans were similar to last season, with one little kink - refresh the 2nd line with new talent. Straka and Rucinsky would be let go, while Sedin would get banished to 3rd line. The draft was rather bland - none of my picks caught up, and my first rounder from that year, center/right winger Colton Scevior, wound up with the Penguins where he's busy with benchwarming now.

Yikes! What a writeup! Awesome job.

One thing I would like to add is that even though you already mentioned it, you wayyyyyyyyy overpaid for Demitra. I wouldn't have even traded Marc Staal for Demitra alone, the fact you packaged him with picks and another prospect..

E5150_ca wrote:One thing I would like to add is that even though you already mentioned it, you wayyyyyyyyy overpaid for Demitra. I wouldn't have even traded Marc Staal for Demitra alone, the fact you packaged him with picks and another prospect..

Hey, it's a New Yoik thing. All NY clubs overpay.

On a more serious note, I got enough and then some from Demitra not to complain about this deal. I'm still smarting about Sedin though.

2007/2008 - MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

1. Tinker, tailor, 2nd line

My team sports philosophy is that everything, always, comes from your defending. Be it a dominant rebounder in basketball, good pitching in baseball, rearguard in hockey or soccer, secondary in football, it's always appreciated if you have a head start in that category. Last year, arrivals of Derek Morris, Corey Sarich and Chris McAllister added some extra punch to my defensive corps, but there was still place for improvement. Maxim Kondratiev and resident enforcer Dale Purinton (good for about 200 PIM p/y and scarcely anything else) were let go, along with Vernon Fiddler and 4th string center Blair Betts. It was also the right time to bid farewell to "the two Martins", Straka and Rucinsky. That was easier said than done though, as both still had a year left on their respective contracts, which were a legit blood clot in my capspace. After much grief, I managed to con Blues into giving me a midrange pick for Straka's services. The parting with Rucinsky was less amiable - after clearing waivers, there was no takers and he refused to negotiate a contract buyout, so I just settled the matters "old school" style and handed him his C4. I'd like to point out how lucky NHL managers are to be able to do such a thing and take no cap hit whatsoever - if you do this in the NBA, you are still saddled with that player's contract until someone else relieves you of your misery. Sure, it costed me a few million, but sometimes you gotta call that shot in order to improve.

Looking for a polyvalent defender with some pop in his stick, I stumbled across Roman Hamrlik, guy I knew well from the Flames. Hamrlik opted to return to his old club though, so I was left with sloppy seconds. In this particular case, the seconds weren't that sloppy - I wound up courting Islanders' Brad Lukowich, guy who already has a ring from his Tampa days. With no competition for his services, Lukowich was quickly recruited, and was soon joined by Tomas Kloucek, another guy with championship experience. In my very first year I attempted to acquire him from the Thrashers, but Flyers got in it and he wound up there, winning the Stanley Cup in his first season. With Kloucek and Lukowich under contract, my rearguard was rock-solid ; Lundqvist between the pipes, Kasparaitis and Morris providing the backbone for first line, and Sarich, Lukowich, Kloucek and McAllister splitting the 2nd/3rd line duties. Marek Malik was also still there as the fill-in.

Next, I needed to get a top winger who could play first or second line. My initial target was Paul Karya, however, when his agent sent me the numbers (double digits for three years), I began looking elsewhere. One name immediately caught my attention - Aleksander Semin, Russian left winger playing for the Capitals. With his ridiculously high shooting skills, Semin would prove a perfect foil for Jagr's & Demitra's playmaking ability, a designated sniper, so to speak. Semin was a RFA, and having learned the hard way about those with Sedin, I took the other route - offer sheet. The offer sheet approach provided better security in terms of financial management, but on the other side it takes a whole week for the rights owner to exercise his first refusal right, and during that week many FA's you had targeted can vanish off the market. Nevertheless, it worked out good - Capitals refused to match my rather humble offer of $1.5m per year, so Semin joined my ranks. Along with Prucha, who I signed on to an extension last year (4 years, approx $1.2m per year - a bargain if there ever was one), I was set for the years to come as far as left wing is concerned.

As we were approaching the training camp, I started second guessing my plan to go into the season with only Demitra as an established center, Toews, Moore, Hollweg and Immonen competing for the other spots. As luck might have it, Montreal's Mike Ribeiro was still unsigned in late august, and having some money to burn, I went for it. Ribeiro signed a 2-year, $2.8m p/y deal, and my team was set.

With Ribeiro and Semin both on board, and Hugh Jesseman progressing better than I expected, I was suddenly surrounded by an embarassment of riches. Realizing that a second line containing Prucha/Semin, Ribeiro and Jesseman is probably as good as someone's first line, I decided to play to my strengths and adapt the tactic. Now both lines would play attacking hockey with high forecheck, both employing the skating philosophy with positional offense. 3rd and 4th line were also tinkered with - gone was the "defensive" mentality of 4th line, now both played "normal", 3rd with passive forecheck, and 4th using left wing lock, as I still had my main man Nieminen breaking other folks' jaws.

2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I knew it I was getting somewhere when the preseason poll had me at flattering 10th place overall. As I was coming from 17th and 14th ranking, respectively, it was a big deal for me to crack the top 10. Regular season started ominously - I split a three-game road trip 1-1-1. Then, the system kicked in, and I reeled off 10 straight and never looked back. This time, there wasn't any playoffs insecurity - my ticket was booked well beforehand, and if there was any suspense come april, it was the ongoing battle between me and the Flyers for that first round home ice advantage. I failed to mention this in my last post, but the Penguins steamrolled through the NHL last year, winning the Stanley Cup in style by mauling the San Jose Sharks, and nothing was stopping them this year either. Pens had the lock on that Atlantic crown eversince the training camp, and all Flyers and me had to do was try and follow in their trail. In the end, I lost out and fell to respectable fifth place, my record standing at 49-25-8 - a marked 9 win improvement over last year, and 14 win improvement against my first year. It was Flyers in the first round, but I was already looking past that - I had no doubts I would beat the Flyers. It was those Penguins which bothered me.

Jagr again finished expectedly awesome, scoring "only" 47 goals, but he had legit help from Semin (34), Prucha (46), Demitra (31) and Jesseman (21). Ribeiro's 80ish points from the second line didn't exactly harm, either. During the season, I traded away some prospects - most notably Al Montoya, who wasn't extending his contract and got shipped to Red Wings for picks. The only reinforcement was the one coming in the coaching department, and it was a rather peculiar one. After getting sacked from Coyotes and then Maple Leafs in quick succesion, Wayne Gretzky was available, and wasn't getting any offers. Being sentimentally connected to "the Great One", who was one reason I started following hockey in the first place, I axed Perry Pearn and offered Wayne an assistant's job. He jumped to it, and was soon assigned to offensive coaching duties.

3. Flyin' high, high...

As expected, the Flyers were no match for my high-octane offense. The difference with this Ranger team was that, unlike the previous two, this unit was rock solid on the road. With good road record, I had no fears to begin the playoffs campaign away from home. After splitting the loot in Philly, I took both games from my 2-game homestand, and was looking to close it out. It wasn't to be in Wachovia in game 5, where I got shut out 3-0, but in the heated atmosphere of MSG in game 6 Flyers' tank was runnin' on empty - Jagr's hattrick and a brace from Prucha, along with one goal added by Demitra, had me in driver's seat by the third quarter, and only thing Flyers managed was damage control. I was through to the ECSF, where, oh the joy, the Penguins awaited.

4. Heart of the champion

Defeating Pens would be an uphill battle. They were loaded - both on O and D, and have lost only 10 games during the regular season (excluding OT losses, there was maybe 3-4 of those). A pair of youngsters, Sidney Crosby and Evgenij Malkin ran the show - their supporting cast included seasoned veteran Ziggy Palffy, who acted like a playmaker from the wing, Sergei Gonchar, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, right winger Brenden Morrow, and of course the indestructible Mario Lemieux. Lemieux's physique was flagging, but he still had 20's and 19's in the right spots, and it would be a cardinal mistake to overlook his input, which was easy to do if you consider Crosby and Malkin were on the same roster. Lest I forget, their third line was anchored by a certain Sergei Fedorov, riding the Crosby gravy train to another ring. The season series wasn't even close - I was zamboni'd with 6-0-0.

I had no expectations, but I was ready to give 'em hell and at least make a battle out of it. In game one in Pittsburgh, Penguins quickly got the taste of what was coming to them - my Rangers only succumbed after 80 minutes of hockey, Malkin delivering the dagger deep into overtime. There was less suspense in game two, as Jagr, Prucha, Demitra and Immonen all saw red and contributed to a 4-2 victory.

Back in New York, Ribeiro and Jagr helped themselves to a pair in game 3 4-2 win, but game 4 was lost with 5-2. Against all odds, in an unenviable situation, we went to Pittsburgh - and won, again with 4-2, with this time Semin scoring a brace and Jagr delivering the final verdict in the final third. The aftermath of this game was however less than pleasant - Derek Morris, the man who held my blueline together during the regular season, got injured. Despite the 3-2 lead and a chance to deliver the finishing blow on home ice, without Morris it would be mission impossible.

Pens smelled blood, and took the next game 5-4, thus securing a game 7 in Pittsburgh. There I held my own until the 3rd period, but when Palffy scored to hand his team a 3-2 lead, my boys couldn't find their way past Fleury and my season was over. It was frustrating in many ways - I came this close to besting the best team in the league, and failed at the last hurdle. Still, there's always next year, and by God, I knew it I would be back. The Pens, who went to hell and back against my Rangers, could not be stopped from their second Stanley Cup victory - Lightning was swept in the ECF, and then Flames were dispatched after a tense seven game series. Not Malkin, not Crosby, but Palffy won the Conn Smythe - his passing from the wing proving crucial to their championship form.

With the 21st pick, I selected a certain Czech right winger Josef Stejskal, who stat-wise has a big slapper and nothing much else. I was heading into a serene offseason it seemed, as most of my team was locked up for at least another year - only Sedin and Kasparaitis would not get re-signed, which gave me enough cap flexibility to load the roster with depth to my liking. Jagr's contract was up after this year, and I gave that some thought - I figured, maybe I should let him go and then throw all that cash at Hossa, who was getting out of Atlanta. But then...his skills haven't declined a single bit, and he was still as potent as ever at the tender age of 36. The result was, Jaromir was rewarded with a 2-year extension to his current deal, at $4.2m p/y - a bargain for his qualities, if you ask me. Demitra also got a contract extension for another year, as I was happy with his services.

The offseason mission originally was to supply some extra talent and pad all my lines, so I could teach those Pens a lesson next time they come around. But, to go all the way and win four tough, best of 7 playoffs series, I just might need something special, something a little bit extra to add to the mix. With Kasparaitis and Sedin leaving, I had enough cash in the purse to gorge at someone, and the market was overflowing with young talent this year - players such as Malkin, Crosby, Ovechkin were getting out of their rookie contracts, and proven aces such as Thornton, Richards etc. were going to test the FA waters as well. There was excitement in the air.

It's funny, I have had Morris on a few different teams and he always, always gets injured in the playoffs. Without fail.

Nice story though. Unlike you, I actually did choose the Islanders, with a view towards bringing back the glory days of the early 80s, easier said than done though.

2008/2009 - KING OF NEW YORK

If you're first, you're first. If you're second, you're nothing. -- Bill Shankly, legendary Liverpool manager.
Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser. -- "Cactus" Jack Morris, ex-Tigers, Twins, Blue Jays

1. New York City Sid

Internally, the summer of 2008. was one of few changes. Daniel Sedin's contract was thankfully up, and he was gone. In his footsteps followed Kasparaitis, who I really liked, but with all the other defensemen around, he and his $3+m contract were expendable. The money gained by their departure would open up the space needed to tow in another star, someone who would give me a legit shot at the title, without me wetting my pants next time Pittsburgh comes to town.

Initially, my targets were Brad Richards (again) and Joe Thornton. Both asked something in $5m price range, but for the time being, I held off. Ovechkin was quick to re-sign with the Capitals, and Malkin, another RFA, penned a long-term contract with the Pens. Oddly enough, Sidney Crosby was still around, after rejecting the qualifying offer. As it so often happens with the championship teams, his Pens were engaging into a mini-fire sale. Conn Smythe winner Palffy signed for Avalanche, Fedorov left back for mother Russia, Fleury was still undecided where to continue (he wound up re-signing).

After a few minutes of head-scratching, I have called my shot - it was gonna be Crosby or bust. This was a very, very risky move - if this backfires, I'm likely left with nothing as both Richards and Thornton will be gone by the time Pens answer the offer sheet. Just for fun, I approached the Pens first a trade rights offer - I tabled three first round picks. They answered - they wanted that, AND Jagr and Demitra. Up yours, Mario.

Offer sheet we go thus. At the negotiations, Crosby asked for $5.75m p/y over three years and a hefty sign-on bonus. All I could offer was $5.25m p/y at same length, sans the bonus. Haggling wasn't neccessary, he accepted, and now it was up to the reigning champs to react. Rather surprisingly, they decided they didn't need him after all - Sidney Crosby, officially, was now a New York Ranger. The price ? Four (f-o-u-r) first round picks. A bit steep by any standard, but Lindros it - if you have the chance to bring in a guy who you know is gonna light it up for the next 20 years or so, you just gotta do it. The sacrifice would be vindicated if we won the cup with him. Not to mention that "the next one" would be coached by "the great one", currently a member of my strategic HQ. Crosby's wage pretty much filled up my cap, so that was the one and only reinforcement during the offseason. But hey, if I can have only one, it might as well be the next one.

2. Tactical Magic

Crosby's arrival opened up some tactical possibilities. Demitra was demoted to the second line, as Crosby took up first line duties along with Jagr and Semin. In the second line, Ribeiro's presence relieved Demitra of his playmaking duties, so he was moved to right wing where he could do the things he was, skills-wise, better at - sniping. With Kasparaitis gone, my first line looked like this - Kloucek, Morris ; Semin, Crosby, Jagr. And with an abundance of talent, everybody was set to "shoot" - even the defensemen. I was determined to take the game to them, not sit and wait.

The offensive system of the first line was also altered from "skating" to "passing", and "spread out" substituted "positional". I was basically trying to translate the Princeton offense to hockey. The Princeton offense is a basketball concept whose main tenets are channeling your offense through your center, and with Sidney hogging the puck, it could not go wrong - Semin and Jagr were just waiting for the right dish, which were to be plentiful. Kloucek and Morris would get their shots as well. I used this only on my first line, the rest stayed unaltered.

With such a loaded roster, I opted to, for the first time, try line-matching. My reasoning was, I had the strongest two lines in hockey, and my third and fourth weren't too bad either. I simply believed that, line per line, I had the best squad in the league, and that my line could beat anyone's line of same rank. Therefore, I employed the 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 system. If I'm gonna get beat, I want to get beat by their A guys shoving it to my A guys, not their big guns tearing into my 4th line. No shame in that.

3. Gone till April

As expected, regular season went great. For the first time in four years, Atlantic crown was property of someone else rather than Penguins - namely, me. Crosby's arrival only furtherly enhanced Jagr's game, and Semin profited from that too. Second line also played like they were on fire, Demitra and Prucha both passing the 40-goal mark. Crosby's presence also finally lifted my otherwise dull power play - it sprang from 19.xx to 25.xx. I had slight injury issues midway - Sarich and Lukowich were forced to miss two months each, so I recruited FA Scott Lachance and Hartford's Kyle Quincey to fill the gaps. The salary relief via IR also allowed me to sign a proven veteran I thought could add to my cup push - Pierre Turgeon. Pierre, however, failed to bring in veteran leadership expected from him, and after 10 games in which he compiled a 5.xx rating and zero points from the third line, he was waived and then sent down to Hartford, where he played out the season.

The rest of the east didn't exactly sit down with their hands crossed while I was courting Crosby however. Tampa Bay, with their murderous pairing of Martin St. Louis (who just can't stop scoring in the game) and Vinny Lecavalier was another strong candidate. Carolina, with Joe Thornton pulling the strings, was close second. No. 1 seed were the Ottawa Senators, lead by Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Alex Tanguay. As for my beloved Penguins, they initially struggled without Crosby, but picked up in the end and wrapped the no. 8 seed.

I finished the season with a 51-26-5 record, a two-win improvement. That was good for the third seed, immediately behind Tampa Bay and Senators. I didn't like my first round opposition however - it was the Devils, owners of the best defense in the league, and during the regular season I was a regular student at their school of hard knocks. It wasn't going to be easy. Oh no.

As far as the individual records go, Jagr again led the way - 71 goals and 74 assists, his goals total being his career best. Semin (47+52), Crosby (38+86), Prucha (42+36), Demitra (45+39), Ribeiro (21+46) followed, as well as team captain and blueline leader Derek Morris, who posted career-best 13 goals and 58 assists.

4. Hell freezes over

The '08/'09 Devils were a glorified team of nobodies, backboned by the ever-present Martin Brodeur and tough blueliner Brendan Witt. The only real offensive threats were Brian Gionta and team captain John Madden, who came back to Jersey after short stints with the Sharks and Canucks. Still, their collective strength was admirable. Both sides were fully fit, as Lukowich and Sarich recovered in time for the playoffs.

My fears materialized in game 1, which I lost 4-3. Game two went into overtime after Devils clawed back from 0-3 deficit in the third, and was poised to last a lifetime until Crosby resolved a sticky situation by netting the winner in the 81st minute. Across the Brooklyn Bridge, I took the lead in game 3 after a routine 4-1 win, but it was honours even before return to Madison as Jersey's finest beat me 3-2 after overtime - Madden's winner coming after no less than 90 minutes of hockey.

Tiring as it might have been, there was no way in hell I was going to let this one go. We overcame a 3-1 2nd period deficit to win game 5 with 5-3, and then it was all left for Jagr in game 6, who bedeviled the Devils with two late 3rd period goals which sealed the 4-3 win, and punched my ticket to the eastern semis. Next stop - Tampa Bay.

5. Bottled Lightning

Tampa was another team who had reasonable success against me in the regular season, dominating the regular season series with a 4-1-1 record. Aside from aforementioned St. Louis and Lecavalier, Vaclav Prospal and Dan Boyle were still there, with Evgeni Nabokov and Janne Niinimaa providing further cover. St. Louis's goal totals over the past four years read like a lexicon of sexual positions - 71, 69, 69, 76. Yikes. For some reasons unknown, I was awarded home ice advantage over them, even though I was certain I had less points and was lower seeded. In essence, this wasn't really much of an advantage - in this crazy world of postseason hockey, everybody could beat everybody everywhere.

Again, I lost game 1 at home, but quickly rebounded by winning the next one in 6-4. Down in Florida, game 3 went to the hosts, courtesy of a game-winner scored by Bobby Bolt. I have to go off-topic here, but isn't it phenomenal that there is a guy named "Bolt" playing for "Lightning" ? Can you imagine how many opportunities does that combination create ? Bolt wasn't at hand for the next game, which I won 3-1. And again, we had a 3-game series on our hands, with me holding the home ice advantage.

It was supposed to be a thriller, but Lightning fizzled. First, they ran into an inspired Hendrik Lundqvist in game 5, who stopped 48 shots en route to a 3-0 shutout. This demoralizing defeat clearly knocked the wind out of their sails, and they lost game 6 3-2, Crosby scoring the winner as early as 50 seconds into second period. Another step towards the highest honour was scaled, and the Rangers were soon to compete for the Eastern crown against the...

6. Stoned and dethroned

...THE MOTHER***KING PENGUINS ?!?!?!?!

Seriously, I was so preoccupied with my own problems that I failed to observe how Pens got to the ECF. I thought this was some sort of a cruel joke, but it was happening for real - the 8th seeded Penguins first swept the 1st seeded Senators, then went all the way to the seventh game versus the heavily favoured Panthers, and won in game 7 on their ice 4-3. Those Pens weren't exactly the same team which gang-raped the league for two years running - obviously, Crosby was gone, and so were mercurial winger Palffy and Fedorov. Lemieux, Mark Recchi, Morrow, Fleury, Malkin and Gonchar were all still there however, as well as former Predators ace Scott Walker, and with two rings already on their fingers, they weren't gonna bend over and wait for me to plow 'em. I had plenty of reasons to be happy to play my archnemesis - after three years of misery I owned them in regular season (5-0-1), and I was so pumped with my own squad I couldn't care less who is in the way. Still, what I had here was the defending two-time champion who was going through a cinderella season. One thing was certain - this was going to be a fight until the last drop of blood. And, all things said, after the disappointment of last season, I wouldn't have it any other way. If this happened in real life, could you possibly imagine what sort of a hell on earth would Pittsburgh turn into with Crosby trotting into the arena with Ranger colours on ?

And again I lost game 1, but so far that was par for the course. As the script intended, I recovered in game 2, but games 3 and 4 were a disaster. Game 3 was fought goal for goal until Carcillo won it for the Pens, and game 4 went deep into overtime and had a sad ending - somewhere in 85th minute, Malkin took one pass from Walker, deked Lundqvist into the concession stand and backhanded the winner. 3-1 down against the defending champions, I was staring straight into the proverbial abyss, and on the verge of booking premature holiday tickets.

But Lindros me sideways if I was just gonna sit pretty while the steel town boys made history over my back. 3-0 down (Malkin hattrick) in game 5, my boys dug from a deeeeeep hole to win the game 4-3 - Crosby memorably scoring a winner while shorthanded. The momentum was swinging, and this time, it was US who smelled blood - game 6 also belonged to the men in blue, with two goals coming from Jarkko Immonen, of all people. The decider at Madison was one for the ages - Gonchar grabbed the lead for the visitors, but Semin scored twice to turn the tide. Defenseman Chris Campoli converted a Mark Recchi pass into the equalizer midway through the 2nd, and a tense standoff ensued, with Pens holding the upper hand.

The decision would fall in 55th minute. Corey Sarich chased down a loose puck, then launched a pass for Demitra on the right wing. Demitra avoided Drew Fata, held up the play until the offense got in position, and promptly fed Mike Ribeiro, who got the puck behind Fleury with a low angle wristshot. Lundqvist and my D held firm, and for the first time after '94., Rangers were in the Stanley Cup finals.

I'm gonna tell you straight up, I won many things in CM/FM - many times against the odds. But nothing - and I mean, NOTHING - compared to the drama which this series generated. Definitely the most intense virtual managing experience of my life so far.

As happy as I was, there was one final hurdle before I could uncork the bottles - the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, best team in the west.

7. Duck Soup

Compared to the eastern behemoths of this era, the Ducks were a decidedly un-flashy bunch. 02/03 cup run hero Jean-Sebastian Giguere was still between the pipes, with Rob Niedermayer patrolling the defense. Offensive spark was provided by youngster Bobby Ryan, aided by veterans Petr Sykora and Bobby Marchant. Further defensive cover was provided by the legendary grind liner Kris Draper, and the "other" Niedermayer, Scott. En route to the finals, Ducks vanquished the 5th seeded Oilers (4-2), 1st seeded Flames (4-2), and 2nd seed Kings (4-1).

Carried by the momentum from my ECF heroics, I started off in style. For the first time in this year's playoffs I actually took full benefit of my home ice, winning the first two games, second one after overtime. Game 3 at Arrowhead was one-sided traffic - Lundqvist stopped 29 shots and laid down the groundwork for his second postseason shutout, which was materialized thanks to a hat-trick by Prucha and a goal apiece from Jagr and Demitra. The ducks were ripe for pluckin'.

But I guess I just can't win a postseason series without some drama. Game 4 expectedly went Anaheim's way, and so did game 5 - in which I led 3-1, only to be foiled by three quick goals inside the last 10 minutes. After that game 3 shutout, the cup was so close I could have smelled it - now, I'd have to regroup my troops and give them enough energy and motivation for that one last go.

In front of sellout crowd over at Arrowhead Pond, home team took the quick lead through winger Corey Perry, and prolonged it minutes later after Sykora one-timed a pass from Ryan into the net. I could almost feel the atmosphere here from my seat - at the same time, I knew it I didn't want a game 7. No way this goes game 7. This was also not the time for tactical tinkering and panicky moves. This same squad ravaged the mighty Penguins after being 3-1 down - things will come back into its place.

And did they ever. Midway through the 2nd period, Ville Nieminen, my designated left wing thug, cut the Ducks lead to half after a breakaway (he was last seen scoring on a breakaway probably 20 years ago in Finland's equivalent of the little leagues). But that was not the strangest thing which happened that night. In 53rd minute, with my third line fighting theirs for every square inch of the ice, Hugh Jesseman supplied a quality pass for Ryan Hollweg, who then promptly got hacked down while storming down the ice. The refs called it a penalty shot, which Hollweg - with all nine goals attached to his career statsheet - duly converted for the equalizer. Three minutes later, Corey Sarich cleared out yet another ruckus in front of my net and torpedoed the pass 60ft down the ice for Semin. Semin immediately forwarded it to Jagr, who easily went past Steve McCarthy and put the biscuit past David Aebischer, filling in for yanked Giguere. Realizing it's now or never, the Ducks threw caution to the wind and went forward all guns blazing, but a Rob Niedermayer penalty with 2:01 remaining put paid to their hopes. The cup was going to New York !



Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the 2009. Stanley cup winners - the New York Rangers.



The euphoria didn't last long - I had to work fast to keep my squad intact. Lukowich and Sarich were locked up to new contract, and Demitra got his one-year extension prior to the playoffs already. Sadly, Mike Ribeiro couldn't be convinced to prolong his contract and would inevitably leave in the next offseason. The rest would be discussed later.

I honestly don't remember who did I pick in that year's draft. I didn't have a 1st rounder (hope the Pens enjoyed their 31st pick though ), and was pretty much hung over from championship glory. In other words, I sleepwalked through this draft, picking random guys with likable names.

This time, my boys weren't forgotten when the awards were dished out - Jagr won the Conn Smythe trophy, and Tom Renney brought Jack Adams home.

Mairosu wrote:Just for fun, I approached the Pens first a trade rights offer - I tabled three first round picks. They answered - they wanted that, AND Jagr and Demitra. Up yours, Mario.

Congrats on winning the cup, I imagine you get alot more satisfaction winning the cup with a team like the Rangers then with a team that starts off in better shape.

Three seasons after my cup win passed...in the first after, I win the prez trophy and go out to devils. Next season, I wind up 7th, upset the Pens in the first round and go out in 7 against eventual champs Panthers.

Now, this season, I finish 6th after terrific injury luck. I set myself up a great matchup with the Lightning. It's 2-2, Jagr broke Gretzky's goal record and is the sole leader in the career goals category...I go for the save just in case something goes wrong.

And it goes wrong. EHM dies on me while attempting to save the game, and my whole season goes down the drain. Including a prospective cup run. And Jagr's record.

I'm certain I won't be playing EHM for the next week or so. I have to recover from this.