Game Night: Rangers vs. Ex-Rangers

Tonight our beloved Red Pants take on the Tamps Bay Lightning – who come to Madison Square with a trio of ex-Rangers from last year's roster.

Let's start with Ryan Callahan – former Ranger Capitan with (literally) the capital C. Captain Cally always brought the intangibles – but he over-priced himself in the free agent market and ended up losing his home – and his original asking price. When the Rangers thrived without him – surging to the Stanley Cup finals in his absence – it put a new negative spin on all that came before. Out When Ryan – in came Marty St. Louis – and the Rangers were for all appearances better off. That said we will always have a place in our hockey hearts for the forward who always gave 100% (because 110% is not physically possible). It should be interesting to hear how the garden faithful react to his return in a Lightning uniform.

Brian Boyle – a big physical hustling forward who – if he could accurately shoot the puck – could have been a great player – but I guess that's true of almost everyone. We always liked big Brian – and who can ever forget that it was him that put the Rangers ahead of the Kings – if briefly – in game 5. If that lead had held up – we return to MSG for game 6 and… Don't get me started. It will be interesting to see Dan Boyle checking Brian Boyle – (Boyle on Boyle action!) if that in fact ever happens.

Anton Stralman blossomed into a top 4 defenseman here and is missed – particularly with the injuries and suspensions that has the Rangers playing with not one but two Hartford call up defensemen just a week ago. Anton was a big part of our success last year – but the Salary Cap is what it is and I think Glen Sather has managed it pretty intelligently this past year.

Put that all together and you get a very interesting homecoming tonight.