The Hockey News: Adam Proteau's Blog: THN.com Playoff Blog: Coaching error costs Rangers Game 3

THN.com Playoff Blog: Coaching error costs Rangers Game 3

Tom Renney's insertion of Ryan Hollweg into the lineup came back to haunt him. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Adam Proteau
2008-04-29 22:15:30

I like Tom Renney. A lot. Good guy, savvy coach, hockey lifer.

With that out of the way, I feel fully within my rights as an honest observer to observe that the Rangers coach’s decision to insert Ryan Hollweg into New York’s lineup for Tuesday’s tilt against Pittsburgh may wind up costing his team their second round playoff series – and himself his job.

After dropping two straight games to open up the Eastern Conference semifinal, Renney’s Rangers were on the verge of making a remarkable comeback on home ice in Game 3, only to be done in by a downright dopey penalty from Hollweg late in the second period that led to the game-winning goal from Evgeni Malkin and an eventual 5-3 Penguins victory.

Prior to that point, the Blueshirts were providing the Pens with their first real dose of distress in this post-season when they rebounded from a 3-1 Pittsburgh lead to tie things up at three on a beautiful goal by Jaromir Jagr at the 13:11 mark of the second.

Things got so shaky for Pittsburgh, coach Michel Therrien had to call a timeout after Jagr’s seeing-eye marker. But then Renney let Hollweg – never to be confused as a candidate for a Hart or Lady Byng Trophy – back onto the ice, and the goon (whose moustache makes him look like one of Al Swearengen’s toadies from Deadwood) promptly did what he and his ilk are predisposed to do: take dumb penalties at the worst of times.

In this case, it was a brutal check from behind on an inconsequential play that landed Hollweg, who hadn’t played in Game 1 or 2 of the series, in the penalty box. And the moment the minor was called, you could practically hear the feeble farting sound that always emanates from an emptying balloon.

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Without a doubt, Hollweg deserves all the raspberries and rotting fruits that will be lobbed his way for the mental error. However, the majority of the blame ought to go to Renney for letting an on-edge player near the edge in the first place.

There are two cardinal rules of the NHL’s post-season. They are:

Number One: The first rule of Post-Season Injury Club is we do not talk about Post-Season Injury Club.

And Number Two: In the playoffs, the fighters sit with the writers.

Tom Renney forgot about Rule Number Two. And because of his error in judgment, he and his team are deep in No. 2, with just a single loss separating them from another squandered season.

THN.com's Playoff Blogs, featuring analysis and opinion on the action from the night before, with insight on what happened and what it all means going forward, will appear daily throughout the NHL playoffs. Read more entries HERE.

Adam Proteau is The Hockey News' online columnist and a regular contributor to THN.com. His blog appears Mondays and Wednesdays, his Ask Adam feature appears Tuesdays and Fridays, and his column, Screen Shots, appears Thursdays.

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COMMENTS (40)

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Mike Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:24)

Let's be honest here with a little luck the worst this series would be is 2-1 Pens or possibly 2-1 Rangers. Unfortunately the Rangers have not gotten any breaks. The series is not over yet but I think the Rangers will win game 4 and then who knows about game 5. Before Holwegs bad penalty( he has made an art form out of the borderline hit from behind) the Rangers were all over the Pens. I know I am an optimist but I don't think the Rangers will quit. The Pens won three straight why not the Rangers?

GR Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:23)

I would agree with a previous comment. Jagr is one of the most intense players on the Rangers and one of the best in the series. However the Pens' are younger, faster, more sophisticated, and starting to peak as a hockey superpower. The Rangers clearly can't skate or out-skill them. They never should have signed Gomez and Drury together. Neither are a good fit for the Rangers in the East where many of the teams are a getting younger.

NYRfan Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:20)

I don't think the Rangers poor performance in this series has anything to do with Renny's decision to play Hollweg, their young forwards being "small", "lightweights" or any of that. They have basically played on the same level as the Pens and for some long stretches of the series have even outplayed them. As I see it, the issue is that the Rangers play great team defense but their individual defensemen aren't that good. Once the Pens get a chance to setup in the offensive zone, and you get more one-on-one matchups then their forwards pick our individual D apart. We don't really have a shutdown defenseman. Staal is going to be a great player but he isn't there yet.

Maxim Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:20)

I'm not a rangers fan or a pens fan, but I've watched the series and Jagr has been the best player in the series.

jimmy Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:19)

Adam, I am thinking that maybe your just upset because Hollweg wasnt up in the press box for you to chat with. There is a reason you are not in the hockey business, stick to the "pen and paper" business.

jan Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:19)

The Pens have been the better team so far this series. Hockey is a team game -- the Pittsburgh team is playing well, the Rangers aren't. Pointing the finger at one Ranger player isn't the problem.

Fred Bartsch Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:18)

As a 50 year + Hockey/Rangers fan, I have to say that (in my opinion) the Rangers are NO closer to winning a Stanley cup than they were 10 years ago. Their forwards are either old, Jagr/Straka/Shanahan or Younger (small-Light-weights) Dawes/Drury/Gomez/Callahan/Prucha, with the exception of Dubinsky. They don't on a consistent basis finish their checks, they don't aggressively forcheck to any degeree and they don't pressure the opposition puck carriers. In my opinion either the Rangers have the wrong types of players, or they are playing the wrong system for the type of players they have. And oh yes, lets NOT even talk about the power play. Lundqvist is a GREAT goaltender, but I think he was played to much, with NO rest. Yes you want your team to win games, but if your goaltender gets burned out during regular season, you WILL be eliminated in the playoffs if you make it at all. It will be many years before we on Broadway will see another Stanley cup. Disappointed in NYC, not really just plain facts.

David Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:16)

Name: Adam Proteau, Occupation: Picker of Nits Seriously, you think the best of seven series was lost because of one specific penalty? How about the fact that through three games each member of the Rangers' defense corps has played like they're my maternal grandmother (who's been dead for three years)? So far in the series the NYR blueliners have accumulated zero goals, six assists, and a collective -5 in three games. The Penguins' defense corps has accumulated a collective +5. Also, where has Chris Drury been during this series?

Craig Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:16)

the Rangers aren't going to lose this series because Renny played that idiot Holloweg, they are going to lose because Pittsburgh is a better team. Playing Holloweg kind of made sense, the first two games had been a disaster and the twenty million dollar duo of Drury and Gomez (the supposed best one - two punch since Lemieux and Francis) had been completed embarassed by the actual dyanmic duo Crosby and Malkin. Both of whom had been able to roam free because Goerge Laraque had been able to bite his tongue and just do his job (which is to mitigate Sean "Stick Boy" Avery and give his superstar tandem the room to run roughshod over the Rangers). By inserting Holloweg, I believe Renny had been hoping to draw Laraque into a conflict and distract him from his duties, giving Avery latitude to ply his trade (immitating a Manitoba Black Fly) while Holloweg and Laraque enjoyed a cozy seat in the penalty box. Clearly it failed, but to say that a coach who forgets that "fighters sit with writers" is overlooking the contribution of established pugalist Laraque. Or for that matter, that Fedoruk out scored Gaborik in Minnesota, you might hate it Mr. Proteau, but sometimes the goons make an important contribution; Holloweg just made his for the wrong team.

maxime Posted
(2009-04-30 06:15:16)

I nominate Craig for a job at THN...so far, his comments are by far more on the point than those of many writers here. Keep up posting Craig, for they are often more interesting then the article itself. P.S. I know this website is a sarcasm diamond mine, but this is totally serious. I really enjoy reading your posts. :)

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