Neil Smith sighting

Former New York (Rangers savior and Isles joke) GM has been laying low since his throw down with Charles Wang. I was surprised to see him pop up doing color for the ECHL All-Star game.

After Brian Burke's turn with TSN, maybe he figures a TV anaylst gig is the best path back to an NHL front office.

And what's with the goofy grin?

Miss the clutch and grab?

As a diehard Rangers fan (call me a masochist), I cling to the hope that it will take slightly less than 54 years for Blueshirts to drink again from the Cup. To bide the time, I recently purchased the 1994 Stanley Cup box set. It was pricey, but you get the complete 7-game Eastern and Cup finals, as well as the Stanley Cup highlight film. It's a worthwhile investment for any Ranger fan.

With all due respect to Joe Micheletti, it was nice to hear JD's voice again, if even in the past. But that was to be expected.

What really surprised me was the clutch and grab. You think the Devils are boring now, imagine when they were allowed to yank you down by your sweater five strides after you dumped the puck. I actually found it frustrating to watch NJ and Vancouver bog down the high flying good guys.

I never thought I'd say this but: Goodbye old time hockey. Sometimes it takes a visit to the past to appreciate the present.