New York Rangers Daily Dose: Leagues of Champions

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the New York Rangers Daily Dose.

Here are a few happenings in the world of the NHL today:

Former Ranger Brad Richards wins Stanley Cup– NHL.COM

The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last night, with a 2-0 shutout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was their third championship in six seasons. There were five former Rangers on both sides, three of which were snake-bitten (Brian Boyle, Anton Stralman, Ryan Callahan).

Brad Richards was among the victors, who could claim the title after having the opportunity taken away last season with the Rangers. Last night, Richards played a key role in the Blackhawks two goals, helping to take advantage of a Lightning turnover and setting up Patrick Kane for a one-timer to give the Blackhawks a two-goal lead.

During the Stanley Cup celebration, he was the third player to hoist the Cup last night. Congratulations, Richie, job well done!

AHL and ECHL crown champions– THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM

Last weekend, two leagues had their championship series settled and teams emerged.

The AHL (American Hockey League) held their annual Calder Cup championship between the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings affiliate) and Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks affiliate). The Monarchs took the series in five games. During the regular season, they had the best regular season record going 50-17-6-3. During the playoffs, they never trailed by more than two games in any series. Jordan Weal, the AHL Playoff MVS and recipient of the Jack A. Butterfield trophy had this to say:

"“It’s awesome. We’ve been working so hard all year…We have such a great group of guys. To be able to win it with a group like this, it’s so much fun. We wanted this so bad; we wanted it real bad. … We have so many competitors in our dressing room. Every practice, we’re battling against each other to make each other better, and that’s why we were the best.”"

The ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) held their annual championship for the Kelly Cup championship over the weekend. The teams battling were the Allen Americans (San Jose Sharks affiliate) and the South Carolina Stingrays (Washington Capitals affiliate). The series went the full seven games, with the Americans winning 6-1. The Americans, who hail from Allen, TX, were the favorites coming into the series after they dominated their conference with a record of 48-14-6.

The Americans captured their first Kelly Cup championship, in their inaugural season with the ECHL.

Electronic Arts upcoming NHL 16– EASPORTS.COM

Well, the offseason is officially here with the end of the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, fans have to wait till October for the sport to return. Or do they? EA (Electronic Arts) is making an attempt to fill in those offseason blues with their upcoming release of NHL 16. This edition won’t be available till September, however, the producers are betting on fans playing NHL 15 till the release. Normally, the game is released on a annual basis and provides upgrades to the previous edition.

More from Rangers News

For NHL 16, they have made improvements to various features of game play, graphics, and arena realism for each the 32 NHL teams.

However, they are missing an important aspect to the franchise, in this writer’s opinion. For a second year in a row, the GMC (General Manager Connected) mode will not be included, as of yet.

It’s the Be A GM single-player mode, but taken online where you join leagues. A player may trade, sign, and negotiate contracts for their team. However, it appears it’s not going to be part of this year’s edition again.

What a shame, it was the closest thing to pretending you were Glen Sather, even had the cigar ready.

And that’s the news for today. Catch you all next time!

Next: So Long Martin St. Louis

More from Blue Line Station

Home/Rangers News