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New York Rangers Daily Dose: Coach’s Challenge, Stepan, NHL Bromances

By Jessica Joy Curtin

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It’s Friday! Here’s a few other things you might want to know today, New York Rangers fans:

Do NHL Coaches Actually Like the New Coach’s Challenge? – Yahoo Sports

Despite what it sounds like, a Coach’s Challenge will not involve Vigneault and another coach in a shootout (unfortunately). Rather, a Coach’s Challenge is a simple request for the referees to review a questionable goal / no-goal.

This can only happen if a coach calls timeout immediately and if they have one of the following three complaints:

  • Off-sides should’ve been called just before the goal
  • Interference on the goaltender should’ve been called
  • Interference on the goaltender should NOT have been called

A majority of the coaches featured in the article seem to like this idea. Paul Maurice, head coach for the Winnipeg Jets, summed it up nicely saying: “…I like the idea that they fixed the clearly mistaken calls. Those are the ones that haunt you for months.”

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

Vigneault’s opinion was not given, but I’m sure he’d be supportive of it as well; The New York Rangers aren’t exactly strangers to questionable goals.

It’ll definitely help keep the game fair and square, but that’s up for decision at the end of the year, as the rule is only in effect through the 2015-16 season.

Elite Centers: NHL’s Most Precious Commodity – More Yahoo Sports

While we wait for Toronto to decide what Derek Stepan‘s paycheck will look like, here’s a little something on why elite centers deserve big bucks.

In order to be a great center, you have to live up to more responsibility. You touch the puck more often, you need to know how to control the pace of the game and you have to be an omnipresent force on the ice among other things. Calgary Flames‘ Bob Hartley points out, “As much as we want our defensemen to jump into the play, we want our centermen to be the first forward back. There’s a big deal of conditioning that goes into that position.”

I’m not going to go into depth on what I think Stepan is worth, but the fact that he is a center – and an important top-six center at that – is reason enough to keep him in New York with a big paycheck.

Stepan has been fantastic at his job, showing that he is almost indispensable to the Rangers down the middle. And Toronto could use that as the driving point behind making New York spend a little more on Stepan than what they originally had in mind.

NHL Bromances Never Die – NHL.com

One of the strongest bromances in the entire NHL has to be between Eddie Lack and Roberto Luongo. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, or Sidney and Pierre.

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Both goalies were on the Vancouver Canucks until Luongo was traded to the Panthers a couple years ago. And just recently, Lack went to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Lack hasn’t forgotten about his best buddy in the slightest, showing off a new mask with a caricature of Luongo’s face on it. Click here to check it out.

You know who this bromance reminds me of, New York Rangers fans? None other than Cam Talbot and Chris Kreider. Those Kiss Cam moments were golden. Talbot should definitely follow suit and get Kreider on his mask. May I suggest one of the infamous “Kreider pics” for inspiration?

That’s all for your daily dose today, catch you next time.

Next: Why the Rangers Should Consider Signing Jarret Stoll

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