Terriers Ranked Third in USA Today Preseason Poll

Placed Behind The Clowns They Beat in the National Championship Game


Talk about a slap in the face!

Remember this, people?


Yeah, that's what I thought.  I don't care what some sportswriters over at USA Today say.  If you want to put someone else ahead of BU, fine, maybe I'll buy it.  They lost a ton of players this year, they have seven freshmen coming in, blah, blah, blah.

But Miami?  The freakin' Redhawks?  I will never again believe that those guys can win anything.  After they way they folded like an accordion to the might of the Scarlet and White, I'm surprised they even have it in them to come back and play a hockey season.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	First-Place Votes	2008-09 Record	Total Points
1	Miami (Ohio)	4	23-13-5	457
2	Denver	13	23-12-5	455
3	Boston University	12	35-6-4	438
4	Michigan		29-12-0	384
5	Notre Dame	5	31-6-3	370
6	Minnesota		17-13-7	270
7	Cornell		22-10-4	254
8	North Dakota		24-15-4	227
9	Princeton		22-12-1	223
10	UMass Lowell		20-16-2	175
11	Yale		24-8-2	149
12	Boston College		18-14-5	117
13	St. Cloud State		18-17-3	106
14	Wisconsin		20-16-4	80
15	Vermont		22-12-5	73

Source: GoTerriers

In case you were wondering, the legitimate team ranked ahead of BU is Denver.

The only other Hockey East club in the top ten is UMass Lowell, ranked at number 10.


GoTerriers -- USA Today Puts the Terriers At Third in Pre-Season Polls

Coming Up Next on Fresh Meat...

Alex Chiasson, Star Forward in the Making

The next installment of Fresh Meat will focus on Alex Chiasson, but just to whet your appetite, head on over to ESPN.com and check out a story they did focusing on Chiasson and how he is adjusting to college life as an athlete.

ESPN -- BU hockey and LSU softball freshmen learn the ropes of Division I athletics

Fresh Meat: Part 4 of 7

Sean Escobedo -- Defenseman


This is the fourth installment of a seven part series introducing you to the newest members of the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey team. Here we will be looking at the resumes of the new recruits Jack Parker and Co. have brought in to try to fill the shoes of the dearly departed group of 8 players from the 08-09 championship squad.

How do you replace a 6'1" , 200 pound monster of a defenseman from Boston who was so good he decided to leave college a year early and go play for the defending Stanley Cup Champs?

Well, you bring in a 6'0" , 190 pound monster of a defenseman from Bayside, New York to step in and knock people out on the blue line.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sean Escobedo.

Miami OH and BU Team Up

Remember the Guy Who Partially Blocked The Shot That Won The Title?

This from NHL.com

"Strange, but true -- Another chapter from the training-camp-can-make-strange-bedfellows department: Two of the first players sent down from Columbus to Syracuse were defenseman Kevin Roeder and forward Chris Higgins, both rookies. Roeder is out of Miami of Ohio, while Higgins played at Boston University.
Those two colleges played in the NCAA Division I title game last season. The Terriers pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in tournament history by rallying for two extra-man goals in the final minute, then winning the game in overtime.

But wait, there's more.

The winning goal was a blast by Colby Cohen that deflected off a Miami defenseman and past goalie Cody Reichard. The unfortunate defenseman who went down in history for all the wrong reasons? Roeder.

Higgins and Roeder got to know each other during training camp, but the title game was not on the conversation topic list.

"He's a great kid. A great hockey player as well," Roeder said of Higgins. "We both know what happened. We don't have to talk about that situation."

Added Higgins: "Me and Kevin, we hung out a lot in camp. We didn't talk about the game at all. He was over it. I've moved on. We're both in the next step in our life. I'm glad I won. But at the same time, I definitely feel for them.''

Van Der Gulik Assigned to AHL

Former BU Captain Will Start Season in Minors

Well it's not all cherries and candy canes for BU alum on the dawn of the 2009-10 NHL season.  Playmaker extraordinaire David Van Der Gulik missed the cut with the Calgary Flames, and will start this year in the AHL.

But it certainly could be worse for Van Der Gulik, who had a shot of espresso in the bigs last year with Calgary, playing in a grand total of 6 games.  The Flames AHL affiliate is in his hometown of Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Cam Tucker of The Abbotsford Mission Times put together a nice piece on the bittersweet homecoming for Van Der Guilk.

David has spent almost 3 full seasons in the AHL, and appears to be on the brink of breaking through more regularly.  In his time in the minors he has compiled an impressive stat line, scoring 52 goals and assisting on 69 more in 233 games.



Abbotsford Mission Times -- Local Heat Player Hopes to Move to Calgary Flames

Gilroy Makes the Final Cut

Bobby Sanguinetti Sent to Hartford

Sanguinetti's bad day is Matt Gilroy's good day.

The Rangers have reduced their roster to the NHL maximum number of 23 players, and Matt Gilroy is one of seven defensemen on the short list.  Michael Del Zotto and Alexi Semenov are the other two defenders who made it along with the four blue-line "sure things."

You can take a look at the entire Rangers training camp roster here.

So congratulations to Matt Gilroy for surviving four rounds of roster cuts and earning his blueshirt.  Terrier Nation looks forward to watching him throw his weight around with the big boys.

Matt Gilroy is King of the World

Or At Least King of Rangers' Rookies

Matty Ice just can't stop getting it done. 

The Rangers announced today that Gilroy is this year's winner of the Sjoberg Award as the best rookie in training camp.  This from the Rangers' Official Website.

"The award is named in tribute to Lars-Erik Sjoberg, one of the first European players to compete professionally in North America and captain of the Winnipeg Jets for six seasons. He later became a European scout for eight years with the Rangers. Sjoberg played a key role in the Rangers drafting of Swedish stars Tomas Sandstrom, Ulf Dahlen, Kjell Samuelsson, and Jan Erixon. He passed away in 1987 and the award was created to honor his memory."

Isn't it just Gilroy's destiny to hoist The Cup sometime very, very soon?


Rangers.com -- Gilroy Wins Sjoberg Award

Sean Sullivan Misses Cut in Phoenix

Former Terriers' Captain Will Start Season in AHL

Sean Sullivan has played the majority of the past two years in San Antonio, and that's exactly where he will be when this NHL season starts.

Sully had a solid year last year for the SA Rampage, scoring 9 goals and assisting on 23 more.

Jets Defense Comes Through

All of New England Cries, Searches For Proof That Belichick is Still Genius


Yes, it's only Week Two of the NFL season.

Yes, the Patriots were not at full strength.

And yes, Tom Brady is still rusty.

But all of those things don't really matter right now, because yesterday at the Meadowlands, the Jets stepped up and backed up their trash talk and out-played the Patriots.  They were prepared and fired up, and they brought the fight to Brady and the Pats.

New York Times Image, Game Story

Pats-Jets Predictions

After a long, long week, Sunday is finally here, and we can stop listening to the chatter and finally let the players decide the results on the field instead of in front of a microphone.

The stage is set for the Pats and Jets to face off in an early season divisional match-up, and all six division games are important, no matter how early in the season they go off.  This is not lost on the Jets, who simply cannot stop talking about this game.

But what does all the chatter mean about how they will actually play this game?

NFL Week Two

Ground Zero for Pats and Jets

We all love talking college hockey, but it's physically impossible to avoid talking about the big game this week.

Can you imagine a more over-hyped week two game than Patriots Jets?  The AFC East rivals will finally stop talking and start playing tomorrow afternoon in the swamps of New Jersey.

So before the game tomorrow, let's get you up to date on what the big name personalities are saying about the game.

Boomer Ewing, Pete MacArthur Can't Break Through to NHL

Former Terriers sent to Blackhawks' Affiliate

Bryan Ewing and Peter MacArthur were cut from the Blackhawks NHL club, being assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Petey Mac spent 64 games in Rockford last season, posting 14 goals and 11 assists for the IceHogs.

Boomer placed third in the ECHL in goals last season, lighting the lamp 43 times for the Wheeling Nailers.  He was second in the league with 91 points overall.

Fresh Meat: Part 3 of 7

Ryan Santana -- Forward

This is the third installment of a seven part series introducing you to the newest members of the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey team. Here we will be looking at the resumes of the new recruits Jack Parker and Co. have brought in to try to fill the shoes of the dearly departed group of 8 players from the 08-09 championship squad.

Before John McCarthy's senior season at BU, his offensive numbers were underwhelming.  In three years, he had tallied just 16 points in 109 games.  To the casual fan, this lack of scoring indicated a lack of importance to the team.

However, McCarthy's value went far beyond the scoresheet.  He spent most of his first three years pushing the forecheck and playing fast, clean hockey on the blue collar line.  That's where he earned the respect of Coach Parker, who named him a co-captain before the 2008-09 season.  While that decision surprised some at the time, the move turned out to be genius.  McCarthy's lead by example attitude helped push an entire team toward a national championship.

BU fans hope that Ryan Santana may eventually be that type of player.

Vernon Vipers

Santana weighs in at 6'1" 190, and comes to us from Yorba Linda, California.  He will be of drinking age as of November, so there should not be any concerns about him being too young to handle the pressure of NCAA hockey, even as a freshman.

He has bounced all over North America.  From his hometown in California to the Green Bay Gamlers, to the Des Moines Buccanneers, to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs all the way to the Vernon Vipers.

Santana has bounced around the juniors in both the US and Canada, not always posting the biggest numbers, but still pulling the eyes of Terriers' scouts his way. 

Jack Parker told the folks over at GoTerriers.com that he is a “clever and quick right-shot forward. He’s going to be a guy that could step in and play on any line because he has a lot of tools to fill in with good players but also to be a tempo type of player as well.”

The Terriers are very smart to go after a player like Santana.  The kid has four years of experience in the Junior ranks, playing in the USHL the NAHL and the BCHL.  If he truly is as versatile as they hope he is, he could make a huge impact for the Terriers.

These are the type of players that always seem to end up being the glue that holds a team together.  Gritting out a long penalty kill, skating to the corners with a one-goal lead or out-hustling a guy to a loose puck.

He does seem to have some potential for offensive output, having put up 25 points in 56 games for the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL this past season.  But as we've already discussed, that most likely won't be the main thing to look for with Santana.  He is a classic grinder.

An article from the Vipers' website had exactly this type of praise for Santana.

"One of Ryan’s best attributes is his puck control.... Originally touted as a potential high scorer, his dogged determination and checking skills started to come to the fore. As the year progressed, his value became more and more apparent as his line brought energy and stretches of offensive-zone dominance. Even when the line didn’t score, Ryan and his wingers often changed the momentum in a game."

This is one of the most exciting things a Terriers' fan can read.  Santana brings experience at a high level, he brings speed, he brings grit, he brings offensive potential.  It certainly sounds like the Terriers are looking in the right places to replace John McCarthy. 

And wouldn't you know it?  He's going to wear number 15.

 Articles about Ryan Santana:

Vernon Vipers -- A Hockey Nomad Found a Home

TSN -- VERNON VIPERS TAKE HOME FOUR AWARDS AT THE RBC CUP BANQUET

 Yorba Linda's Santana commits to Boston University

Banner Raising Ceremony Changed

Will Now Be Held Before Meaningless Game

The Boston University Terriers have decided to move their 2009 NCAA Championship banner raising ceremony to before the October 10th exhibiton against the US U-18 Team.


Coach Parker told GoTerriers.com:

"There are several reasons why we will now have the ceremony on Oct. 10.  Our team and coaching staff want to raise the banner before we start our regular season, which begins at UMass on Oct. 16. It's something we want to be able to take our time with and enjoy, and an exhibition contest allows us to do that. Plus, a Saturday game will allow fans to be in their seats before faceoff more easily than a Tuesday game."

He makes good points, and in reality this will probably allow more people to get to the game, as opposed to a Tuesday Night.  It just seemed like it would have been a really good way to pump up a young team before a tough game against Notre Dame.

Either way, for better or worse, the banner will be raised on the 10th, so get there early.

GoTerriers -- Banner Raising Moved to October 10

New Section: Chasing Freddy Meyer

The Gryba Watch is On

We all love milestones, and as you know, Eric Gryba is incredibly close to etching his name in the Terriers' record books for all eternity. 

As of the start of the 09-10 season, Gryba sits just 52 penalty minutes shy of Freddy Meyer's team record of 288 career penalty minutes at BU. 

The mighty Gryba has averaged 85 penalty minutes per year in his first three seasons, putting him on a comfortable pace to surpass Meyer easily.

Throughout the season, we will be carefully monitoring Gryba's pursuit of history, and we will be happy to keep you in the loop.  So after each game this year, we will update our newest section, "Chasing Freddy Meyer."

So enjoy the insanity, and pray for some ten minute majors. 

We believe in you, Eric!

Breaking News: Colin Wilson is Really, Really Good

Yes, Even in the Pros

Nashville fans (if there are fans of the Preds, that is) got a look at Colin Wilson tonight, and my god did they like what they saw.

Wilson didn't miss a beat going from college to the pros, as he lit it up in a pre-season contest against Atlanta. 

The rookie tallied a goal and two assists for Nashville as the Predators won 5-0.



First Gilroy, now Wilson.  The kids from BU will not be denied.  As great as all this is, it should remind the Terrier faithful that there is going to be a whole lot missing when the puck drops at Aggannis this October.  These kids, who were suiting up for BU just a few months ago, were essentially men among boys.  And you better believe that their absent production will not go unnoticed.

USA Today -- Wilson gets 3 points and Predators win

Matt Gilroy Postgame Audio (vs. NJD)

Matty Ice Getting it Done on Broadway

Matt Gilroy has gone a long way toward making the Rangers' NHL roster.

Gilroy scored a goal that earned a standing ovation from his mates on the bench, and also kept his team in the game with a goal in the shootout in last night's game against New Jersey.

The night before was a home game against the Bruins, an event that Gilroy said gave him chills.

Coach Tortorella has given Gilroy a ton of ice in these first two preseason games, indicating that one of the two open spots on defense could be Gilroy's to lose.

 And if that's the case, he seems to be on his way to holding on to it.

Gilroy Stars in Rangers Shootout Loss to NJD (9-16-09)




Gilroy Makes Impressive Garden Debut (9-15-09)

Colin Wilson Featured in Sports Illustrated

Former Terrier Has Hit the Big Time

Darren Eliot of Sports Illustrated has a story about the youth at the Predator's camp, saying that "he looked to be the most NHL-ready player on the ice."


Read the rest of Eliot's story here.

This is just more great news for what is shaping up to be an epic outgoing class of 2009.  Wilson, Matt Gilroy, Brian Strait and the rest of the departed Terriers are about to make a tremendous mark on the pro ranks, just more outstanding press for the defending national champs. 

It's also a great sign for NCAA hockey in general, showing kids weighing their options between college, juniors and the pros that going to school for a few more years won't necessarily kill their chances of making it big in the pros.


Darren Eliot of SI on Colin Wilson

Matt Gilroy on the NHL Camp Experience

Matt Gilroy Speaks



From Rangers.com

Rex Ryan Is A Crazy, Awesome, Voicemail Leaving Lunatic

His Cell Phone Bill Is Going to Go Through the Roof

We give you the disclaimer that this is primarily a hockey blog blah blah blah....

Jets rookie Head Coach Rex Ryan left a voicemail for all Jets season ticket holders urging them to come out and make it loud and hostile on Sunday afternoon when the Patriots come into the Meadowlands.





Oh Sexy Rexy, you certainly are making this interesting for all of us.  If Brady picks apart Ryan's prized defense, he's going to have some serious 'splainin' to do.

Brian Strait Realizes He's A Professional Athlete

There was a funny article about Brian Strait today in a Pennsylvania newspaper about how surprised he was to see fans show up to watch the Penguins practice.

“I’ve never practiced in front of 3,500 fans in my life,” said last year’s captain of the Boston University Terriers. “It’s pretty interesting going out there and hearing them start roaring when (Marc-Andre) Fleury came on the ice.”

Remember what it felt like to play in front of 18,000 fans at the Frozen Four?  Well get used to it.  You now play sold-out shows for a living.

Read the rest of Tom Venesky's Article in the Times Leader.

Fresh Meat: Part 2 of 7

Ben Rosen -- Defenseman

This is the second installment of a seven part series introducing you to the newest members of the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey team. Here we will be looking at the resumes of the new recruits Jack Parker and Co. have brought in to try to fill the shoes of the dearly departed group of 8 players from the 08-09 championship squad.


Juniors are responsible for churning out quality hockey products year after year.  They are a valuable stepping stone to help transition players from the lower levels of hockey into either college or pro games.

One such league is the Eastern Junior Hockey League, which has provided a multitude of prospects.  The EJHL also happens to be the place where Matt Gilroy tuned up before he made a name for himself at BU.

Gilroy played for the South Shore Kings, a distinction New Terrier Ben Rosen should be happy to share.

In recent years the Kings have provided Hockey East with some of its biggest names.  Besides Gilroy, Ryan Whitney (BU) and Brian Boyle (BC) suited it up for the Kings.

Rosen will hope to live up to the legacy set forth by some of these players as he tries to work his way onto the Terriers' squad in 2009-10. 

If Rosen wants to make a name for himself at BU, he will most likely have to demonstrate a Gilroy-esque determination.  He is one of three freshmen defenders joining the Ice Dogs, adding to an already deep defensive crew.  The Terriers list eight blue-liners on their roster.  Four of the six spots are locked up by the likes of Kevin Shattenkirk, Eric Gryba, David Warsofsky and Colby Cohen. 

That leaves two spots for the incoming class and returning sophomore Ryan Ruikka to battle for.

Rosen will try to get noticed as a jack-of-all-trades defenseman, using his offense as a weapon to make him indispensible.  He led all EJHL defensemen last season with 52 points, including 42 assists, in just 45 games.

As Coach Jack Parker told GoTerriers.com,  Rosen is a “right-shot defenseman, good skater, strong guy. He’ll really give us a lot of depth on defense and could break into the lineup and be a force right off the bat.”

You really never can have enough depth at defense, so even if Rosen can't break through immediately to make the squad, it is almost a certainty that Parker will have to dip into his practice squad at some point this season.

Beyond that, Terriers' fans will be playing the wait and see game with Rosen. 

But if we have learned anything from the likes of Gilroy, it is that you cant sleep on any prospect that this coaching staff is confident enough to hand a jersey to.

New Poll

Vote On Which Terrier Will Play in the NHL First

Here is your chance to voice your opinion.  Which 08-09 Terrier will catch his big break first?  Here are the options....

Matt Gilroy -- New York Rangers
Colin Wilson -- Nashville Predators
Brian Strait -- Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Yip -- Colorado Avalanche
Jason Lawrence -- Boston Bruins
John McCarthy -- San Jose Sharks
Chris Higgins
Steve Smolinsky

Personally, my money is on Matty Ice.  While I think Wilson may be the most talented overall of the group, I also think Nashville will be cautious with him and move him along a bit more slowly.  He only played two years in college, so they will probably start him in the AHL.

Gilroy, on the other hand, is on the high end of 25 years old, and finished four full years at BU.  I think it's very possible that he will be lacing them up on opening night for the Broadway Blues.

Vote in the poll on the left hand side of the page.

Brian Strait Drops the Gloves

Former Terrier Brian Strait seems to be following Colin Wilson's lead by using physical play to try to make his new team.

According to nesn.com Brian Strait fought Bruins prospect Scott Feltcher in the final game of a rookie tournament in Ontario.

Strait's Penguins walked away the winners, beating Jason Lawrence's rookie Bruins squad, 3-2.

It's good to see that teams all over the NHL are learning that the Terriers aren't all just fancy puck handling and goal scoring. Jack Parker taught these boys how to play some serious blue-collar hockey.

Wilson Knocking People Out in Nashville

Colin Wilson really, really wants to play in the NHL this season.

John Glennon of The Tennessean learned that when he checked out Preds rookie camp.

Glennon tells us how Colin Wilson surprised him with his physical play at camp.

It's great to see Wilson getting positive press already, not that there's really any doubt that he will be an impact player in the NHL sooner or later. But this is very fast for him to be getting noticed.

Terriers fans know Wilson knows how to throw his weight around. It's an attribute that is going to help his chances of getting to the top level of Pro Hockey quicker than some other players of comprable skill level. He was one of the most talented puck-handlers in all of Division I, but in the NHL he is just another kid trying to break in.

Showing the coaches that he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty is going to be a vital way for The Golden Boy to make the big boy team for opening night.

Check back soon for the TMA poll asking you whether you think Colin will be the first 2008-09 Terrier to break into the NHL.

The Madden Curse Strikes Again!

Larry Fitzgerald Should Run and Hide

While this is primarily a Boston Terriers' blog, we do not live in a vaccuum here at TMA, and there is something worth pointing out from tonight's NFL regular season opener in Pittsburgh.

Although the Steelers proved that they are poised to make a run to repeat as champs, they lost the key to their defensive unit, Troy Polamalu. The man with the hair walked off the field during the first half of Thursday night's victory over the Titans.

Troy suffered an MCL sprain on NFL opening night. The experts are saying he will most likely miss somewhere between 3-6 weeks.

The Steelers will probably survive a few weeks without Polamalu, but the implications of this are huge!

This means one of two things for Troy's Madden co-cover boy Larry Fitzgerald; either the Madden Curse has struck and run its course, or the gods of Madden are very, very angry that two men are on the cover and plan to take them both out in week one.

Arizona hosts San Fransisco in the 4:15 slot on Sunday afternoon.

Fantasy owners beware.....

Fresh Meat: Part 1 of 7

Wade Megan -- Forward

This is the first installment of a seven part series introducing you to the newest members of the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey team. Here we will be looking at the resumes of the new recruits Jack Parker and Co. have brought in to try to fill the shoes of the dearly departed group of 8 players from the 08-09 championship squad.

The Terriers bid a fond farewell to a wide range of players last season, including a whopping six forwards. That means the Ice Dogs are saying goodbye to a grand total of 88 goals and 132 assists from their forward, totalling 214 points. Add in the 44 points from Matt Gilroy and Brian Strait, and all of a sudden the Terriers are shy an incredible 258 points from last season.

But not to fret, Terrier Nation. The past couple of seasons have shown us that freshmen front-liners can play tremndous roles in huge games (Think Chris Higgins and Brandon Yip in the winter of 06, or Chris Connolley in the National Title Game in April). Four of the seven new recruits are forwards, and they all come highly recommended.

Wade Megan is one of these forwards, described by Jack Parker as one of the two incoming freshmen most likely to make an immediate impact offensively.



The Terriers have bestowed an important jersey number to Megan. Worn in the 90's by Chris Drury, and donned most recently by Brandon Yip, Megan has been handed the torch of the scarlet "18". If he can generate a fraction of the excitement that those who wore the number before him did, he will become a fan favorite in no time.

Hailing originally from Canton, NY, Megan, the Florida Panthers' fifth round draft pick in 2009, weighs in at 6'1" and 185 pounds. His last stop was at South Kent School in Connecticut, where he led all New England Prep players in scoring with 63 points last season.

He also played for the Neponset Valley River Rats of the Massachusetts Tier 1 Select League.

Traditionally playing as a center, Megan fills an important role as a left handed shot and could immediately slide onto the third line.

As Coach Parker told goterriers.com, Megan is a “very clever left-shot forward, can handle the puck and score goals. Will probably be one of the two, along with Chiasson, freshman forwards whom we expect to make the biggest impact. He is Nick Bonino-ish in his ability to move around people and control pucks.”

It almost sounds as if Megan was brought in with the express goal of attemping to find a way to re-capture some of the magic of Colin Wilson. Although Wilson focused a great deal of his talent on playmaking as opposed to goal scoring, he certainly had the talent and ability to turn on the nifty moves and plow his way to the net for a goal.

As a goal scorer, Megan could also make an immediate splash on special teams. Jason Lawrence created a spark with 14 PPGs for BU last season. Terriers fans should look to Megan to make up some of that gap on the man advantage.

The Terriers need their freshmen to score goals. Plain and simple. Wade Megan is one of the players that will need to step up for the Terriers to be successful offensively this year.

Message to John Tortorella: Matt Gilroy WILL Make Your Team

Didn't Matt Gilroy's college career teach anybody anything?

The guy is a worker, he will claw and fight to the finish, and he absolutely will not take no for an answer.

Yet the New York Rangers have not officially named Matty Ice to their NHL roster yet. NHL.com has a story about Gilroy fighting through camp to try to make the pro club as a rookie.

By now we all now everything Gilroy went through to get where he is, so I won't go into detail about that again. But the fact of the matter is that Gilroy will be up in New York this season, and he will most likely be up sooner rather than later. If anybody thinks otherwise, I'd like to here one good reason why they think this conquest will be any different from anything Gilroy has ever done before.

The four givens on D for the Rangers are Wade Redden, Michael Rosival, Marc Staal and Daniel Girardi. Barring an injury, those four will be on the team. Some of the guys Gilroy will be battling for a spot with include Corey Potter, Bobby Sanguinetti, Mike Sauer, Michael Del Zotto and Thomas Kundratek.