AND THEY'RE OFF
Energized Rangers arrive in Toronto bubble
Finally.
After months of speculation, weeks of planning and days of preparation, the Rangers made their way to Toronto. Sunday afternoon, following their final practice at their Westchester training facility, off they went into the wild blue yonder, off they went into the bubble.
“Now that today is here, I think everyone is pretty excited, the energy around the room was kind of giddy,” Marc Staal before the organization’s 52-person traveling party boarded their charter to the Unprecedented. “The last week or so we’ve been just waiting to go.
“I think everyone is itching to play competitive hockey again. We’re excited to go and excited for the challenge ahead.”
There will be two days of practice prior to Wednesday’s exhibition tilt against the Islanders that should not be imbued with significance beyond any exhibition match. There will then be an off day and another day of practice before the competitive hockey begins on Saturday at high noon in Game 1 of the best-of-five qualifying round against the Hurricanes.
“Our guys are excited to get going. They’re excited to get to Toronto and feel the bubble environment,” David Quinn said. “We’re one day closer to playing a playoff game and that’s kind of where we’re at.
“We’re excited to get up there and continue what we’ve been doing here, build it brick by brick and day by day and take another step forward.”
Sunday’s practice was the most up-tempo yet of these pre-tournament workouts and it also featured the most urgent on-ice messaging from the coach, whose intermittent, loud, raspy observations/ commands such as, “Skate and go to the net … a lot of cheating here!” and “No gliding!” carried through the glass.
“One of things we talked about as a group was, ‘If you’re not going to do it on Aug. 1, don’t do it today,’ ” Quinn said. “That’s the [mentality] we’re trying to create over the next four or five days, and that way there won’t be this big shock value when the games start on the first.
Nothing will surprise us.”
The coach said he thought the bubble environment would be similar to an NCAA basketball or hockey tournament in which games are going around the clock. It would also seem tantamount to a youth hockey tournament, where players do nothing but go play at the rink and then return to their respective motels for frivolity.
“It is going to be unique, but I think our guys have done a good job keeping it as normal as possible under these circumstances,” he said. “You’re going to be in a hotel, you’re going to have some meals and watch hockey, which is really what they do on the road, anyway.”
The Rangers are among the East’s seven qualifying teams (all but the Penguins) that will be bivouacked downtown at the Royal York Hotel. It is a short walk to the arena, where three games are on the schedule for each of the first nine days, other than Aug. 2, when there will be two matches. That is if all of the qualifying rounds go the full five games. Three games are scheduled for each day through the qualifiers in Edmonton, which is the hub bubble for the West and will be host to both conference finals and the Stanley Cup final.
“Once we get to Toronto and get kind of situated in the hotel and find out what our day-to-day life is going to be like, all you can do is embrace it,” Staal said. “There’s no point in looking at it negatively. We’re going in with a positive attitude and going to have fun with it as much as possible.
“I know it’s hard for guys who are going to miss their family and friends, but it is what it is and we’ve just got to go in and try and enjoy it. I think that will translate to more positive attitude and better energy on the ice.”
The Rangers entire operation has been diligent in maintaining protocols established by the league throughout the Phase 2 informal workouts and Phase 3 training camp. The players have been respectful of the moment. The same responsibility applies away from home.
“It’s certainly an opportunity to show your selflessness,” Quinn said. “There are going to be circumstances we’re not used to and everybody knows the consequences if they veer off the protocol. Our guys have done a great job here in New York and I’m fully confident that will continue and they’ll do what they are supposed to do.
“This is all about winning hockey games. There’s plenty of time after this season ends to take a vacation and do whatever you want to do but now isn’t the time. Selflessness is a big piece of this moving forward as it is in any playoff situation and we have a lot of guys who are selfless and committed to the cause.”
Alexandar Georgiev skated with the extras prior to the varsity practice that had Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin at either end of the ice. “I wanted two goalies in the nets,” Quinn said. “I wanted to give everybody shots.”
Carolina first-pair defenseman Dougie Hamilton is reported to be in danger of missing at least the first three games of the series after suffering an unspecified injury last week.