PUTTIN’ ON THE FOIL
Firings, fights rule on crazy day & night at Garden
Before hell broke loose on the Garden ice Wednesday night, it broke loose in the Ranger front office, when the team abruptly fired president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton with three games left in the season, a shocking move in the aftermath of the latest controversy for the Blueshirts.
Chris Drury was named president and GM. He previously served as associate GM under Davidson and Gorton.
The stunning news came less than 24 hours after the Rangers ripped the league for fining but not suspending Washington’s Tom Wilson for his role in a scrum Monday night that injured star Artemi Panarin. Wilson first drove Pavel Buchnevich’s face to the ice
and punched him before grabbing Panarin by the hair and throwing him to the ice.
A team statement called the decision to not suspend Wilson a dereliction of duty and said NHL senior vice president of player safety George Parros was “unfit” to remain in his job.
When the teams met Wednesday night, three fights immediately broke out when the puck was dropped to start the game. Then, as soon as Wilson took the ice for his first shift, Brendan Smith went after him, and the action continued that way, with six fights breaking out in the first five minutes.
The teams totaled 100 penalty minutes in the first period.
Wilson left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only two minutes and 36 seconds, and the Capitals went on to a 4-2 victory.
The teams totaled 141 penalty minutes for the game. At one point, six Capitals were crowded into the penalty box.
The fights were expected but the firings were not. Since Gorton became GM in 2015 and Davidson joined the organization in spring 2019, the Rangers have built one of the most impressive collections of young talent in hockey.
The Rangers qualified for the NHL’s expanded, 24-team playoffs in 2020, won the draft lottery and the opportunity to select Alexis Lafreniere with the top pick. They are
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expected to finish fifth in the eightteam East Division this season.
In addition to Lafreniere, the Rangers picked forward Kaapo Kakko second overall in the 2019 draft, found their goaltender of the future in Igor Shesterkin and acquired an elite No. 1 defenseman in Adam Fox.
Those players, along with Panarin and center Mika Zibanejad, are expected to make up a core that contends for the postseason for years to come. Gorton and Davidson are responsible for bringing in all those players.
The path forward will now be charted by Drury, a rising star in management who finished his playing career as captain of the Rangers from 2008-11. He was recently named USA Hockey’s GM for the upcoming world championships and earned a promotion
from assistant GM of the Rangers in February.
“Chris is a very sought-after executive and a strong leader, who has proven himself to be one of the top young minds in hockey,” team owner James Dolan said. “We are confident he will effectively guide the team to ensure the long-term success we promised Rangers fans.”
Former Rangers GM Glen Sather, now a senior adviser, will work with Drury in his transition and continue in his consulting role.
“We want to thank JD and Jeff for their contributions to the organization,” Dolan said in a statement. “They are both great hockey professionals who worked hard for the Rangers. However, in order for the team to succeed in the manner our fans deserve, there needs to be a change in leadership.”