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BLITZ 07 TEAM REVIEW - NEW YORK - A LEAGUE


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NEW YORK RANGERS - BLITZ 07 A LEAGUE

COACH: BOKNOWSNHL94

TEAM LINK: http://www.blitz94.com/draftab/rosterinfo.asp?team=NYR

TEAM OVERVIEW

Last season the Rangers finished in 8th place in the A league with a big, physical team before being dumped out in 5 against Zalex's Chicago. They've scaled down on size for Blitz 07, but added undoubted quality, including the man himself, #66 to give an exciting look to the New York roster.

Add to that elite D, elite goal tending and awesome strength in depth and Maddison Square Garden looks the place to watch your hockey this season.

Look out for a breakout season for Bo as he takes a team that can live with anyone, and has Mario's magic, up against the best in the A league. With this roster there has to be no doubt that New York expects a big improvement on Blitz 06!

TEAM MAKE-UP

After a great Blitz 06 Eric Lindros & his 100 points have moved on, as has big Stephane Richer, who helped Lindros bully opposition teams last season, but the Rangers have got quality in abundance in their place. Mario Lemieux and his 99 rating was drafted in the 1st round and is going to lead this team. With 5/4 skating, 6 Off aware, a 4/6 shot, 6 Stick handling and 6 passing he's a phenomenal talent, and his 10 weight just makes him the total package. At times impossible to knock down he can do it all - run it, set up team mates, and get in position to finish off the plays with his devastating one-timer, which many claim to be the best in the game due to the 4 power & the awesome 6 accuracy. Indeed at times it can seem that the puck is searching for a way into the net after Mario has hit it, and he'll score a bunch even when you thought you'd done everything possible to stop the shot. He's guaranteed goals & points with over 100 points every season in his Blitz career he sits 4th in all time point scoring with over 2.8 per game. New York have one of the best this season.

So who's backing up Lemieux's all round brilliance on offence? Shayne Corson & Gary Leeman stay on the roster from Blitz 06, Alexander Semak & Dimitri Kvartalnov are added, but possibly the most interesting addition is that of Benoit Hogue. With his 4/5 speedy skating, 3/5 shot & 4 passing he looks like an awesome player to have on the roster, but his career stats scream of inconsistency. His career best is a solid 86 point season in Blitz 01 and since then he seems to have had 1 good season, 1 bad season, and he's coming off his 2nd worst season with Detroit in the Blitz 06 B league when they struggled to get much productivity out of him on the right wing. If the Rangers can get him playing to his potential, perhaps as park of a counter-attacking game, feeding off Lemieux's passes he could be in for a great season. With that speed & finishing ability he could compliment Lemieux beautifully.

Corson made up part of New York's huge 06 offensive line, and he's back for more this season. His 4/4 skating and 3 passing, combined with his 9 weight & big checking make him an enforcer with ability to play a bit too. Unfortunately his 3/2 shot really lets him down, but with Lemieux & Hogue alongside him there are already goals in this team. Corson's job will be to keep the opposition pinned in their defensive zone with a big check, before dishing it off to one of the guys that can put it in the net. With his strong passing & speed he's all the ability to play a competant playmaker role, whilst also helping out on D.

Alexander Semak looks the other candidate for a starting place in this team. His 3/4 shot & 4 passing makes him a better offensive threat than Corson & with his 6 weight his 4/3 skating is comparable too........but you lose the defensive play that Corson gives you. With Lemieux in the side there's still a big checking forward, so maybe Bo can afford to go with Semak starting? It certainly gives him the option of a more offensive look for home games, and maybe a defensive line up away.

Kvartalnov is a very similar player to Semak, except left handed, so will probably cover for Hogue. 4/4 skating, 3/3 shot & 4 passing make him a solidly skilled player, so it's surprising he hasn't figured too heavily with any team in his Blitz career. A great backup player though for sure. Gary Leeman returns for his 2nd season with New York, and only his 4th season in Blitz. Like Semak & Kvartalnov he's another fast lightweight. His 4/4 skating is backed up by a solid 3/3 shot & 3 passing. Hard to see him getting many opportunities with the 5 players ahead of him, but still another nice backup.

They've lost the big hitting of Lindros and Richer, but this forward line looks more skilled, with more variety & Bo will be hoping, more goals. Less of a physical threat, but still with the players to dish out some hits. It's a forward line that has to be considered up there with the best in A for sure.

So, on to D. With the power on offence you might think the quality of D could be affected? Not a chance. The elite theme continues with James Patrick and Richard Shmelik starting, and Kerry Huffman & Daryl Sydor backing them up. With his 9 weight & 4 checking Patrick has a big physical presence, but with 4/4 skating, 4 passing and a 4/1 shot he also has the skills to help the offence, and is a regular assister every season. He's going to be a big player for the Rangers this season, bringing the puck out of defence & feeding Lemieux & Hogue for some devastating counter-attacks.

10 weight Shmelik is an even bigger hitter than Patrick, and looks just the right guy to stay at home when Patrick goes off to support the offence. With 3/3 skating he's no slouch and his 3 passing is competant. A great option to keep the door shut while the flair players are off doing their thing. Huffman is another big guy at 9 weight, but doesn't hit as hard as he might, although it's still acceptable. His 3/3 skating is also solid, but his 2 passing leaves a little to be desired. Sydor is virtually the same player, but his 3 passing beats Huffman, which probably makes him the first choice backup. 2 solid Dmen to come in on PKs and injuries without question.

So, we've got elite offence, elite defence. How do we finish this off? Touch of Grant Fuhr in goal anyone? OK then. Job done. The awesomeness continues as the game's #3 goalie joins the ranks for his 2nd season with New York. His career save % is over .700............need I say more? Even Jim Waite on backup is an acceptible option off the bench too.

This squad has it all. No doubt about it. Watch out for the Rangers this season!

STARS

Take your pick. Lemieux's genius and 2-way play on offence, Patrick's big hitting and offensive skills on D, and Grant Fuhr's imposing presence in the net...........COME AT ME BRO!

WEAKNESSES

OK, i'm struggling here! The only thing I can point to here is the history of Lemieux's support. Hogue averages 1.4 points a game in his career, Semak 1.100 and Corson has averaged 1.200 in his last 3 seasons with New York. Solid players, but can they give #66 the support he needs? History tells us that for a high finish you need a couple of 90-100+ scorers in your team, plus a 70ish scorer to back them up. Do New York have that here? If Hogue can fulfill his potential this season, and Semak & Corson can equal their career bests we're getting there, but it's certainly not a guarantee.........................That's it, that's all I got! :blink:

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION - HIGH PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION

This team really does have it all. Playmaking, skating, shooting, speed, defence, goal tending. There's not one area of the game that doesn't look covered on this roster. They can play tight D and hit you on the counter, they can look for Lemieux's one-timer off the wings, they can keep you pinned in your own offencsive zone. There doesn't really look an obvious way to play them.

The only thing that isn't certain is who is going to step up & provide adequate support for Lemieux on offence, and that could be the difference between a championship challenge or being an also-ran. Someone needs to find an 80-100 point season from the supporting cast. Hogue looks like he could do it, but he's an uncertainty. Time will tell.

Whatever, no one is going to take the Rangers lightly this season, that's for sure.

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Nice write up. It's also worth mentioning that this NYR team was rated the highest overall by the default rankings. Yeah, this team has no glaring weaknesses. Oh wait, I'm coaching, nevermind I'll find a way to blow it don't worry :P

Edited by Bo Knows NHL94
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Nice write up. It's also worth mentioning that this NYR team was rated the highest overall by the default rankings. Yeah, this team has no glaring weaknesses. Oh wait, I'm coaching, nevermind I'll find a way to blow it don't worry :P

That's why I like doing these reviews. It's highest in the default rankings, but Mario's 99 and Fuhr's 84 or whatever have a big influence on that. Looking in detail like this shows better what the teams strengths & possibly faults are going to be.

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bo will win but not as much as he does in SNES. even though he's got the highest rated tm he's got deal with alot of competiton including his bro, SOHOMO, habs, asstorm, Zalex, and even kingraph will push him (maybe)

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