The sentiment of the protesters on Wall Street must have been flowing through the air of New York City these past few days, as the Garden Faithful were also in desperate need of a bailout.
The only difference? #OccupyMSG accomplished its mission within four days.
The New York Rangers have officially placed Sean Avery on re-entry waivers.
Midway through the third period of the Rangers’ disastrous home opener against Toronto, Rangers fans let everyone in Madison Square Garden know exactly what they wanted.
Avery, who was placed on waivers as one of the final cuts prior to the Rangers solidifying their roster at the beginning of the season, will undoubtedly bring a spark to an otherwise stale Rangers’ lineup.
After beginning the season playing seven games on the road, the Rangers have heavily disappointed their fans at home through the two contests they’ve played at Madison Square Garden.
This past Thursday, after a highly-anticipated home opener for the Blueshirts, the Rangers gave one their worst performances in recent memory, falling 4-2 to the Maple Leafs.
After a very promising first period, in which the Rangers out-shot the Maple Leafs 16-10 and went into the first intermission with a one-goal lead, the Rangers proceeded to completely take the wind out of the crowd by only mustering up 14 shots the remainder of the game.
It wasn’t until Clarke MacArthur gave the Leafs a 3-1 lead, when the crowd began the rally for Avery.
Thursday’s loss was nothing in comparison to what took place just two days later on Garden ice, however.
After scoring four unanswered goals, giving themselves a 4-1 lead over the Senators, the Rangers once again found a way to infuriate their fans. With just over 10 minutes remaining to play, and a stranglehold on the flow of the game, the Rangers, in a grueling six-minute span, extinguished the lead and eventually lost, 5-4, in a shootout.
The cry for Avery rained down from the Garden Faithful once again.
This time, however, was after Erik Christensen (who defeated Avery for the final spot on the roster) was turned away on his shootout attempt–the one asset that he apparently brings to the table.
When head coach John Tortorella initially cut Avery during the pre-season, it was because he felt “there were better players than him,” on the Rangers.
Clearly, that is no longer the case.
Avery, who only dressed for two games while playing with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL due to a shoulder injury, scored an empty-net goal during his season debut, and recorded the game-winning goal during a shootout on Saturday. Oh, he also recorded his first scrap of the season
Although he wont dazzle you with offensive production, Avery, unlike no other, brings a certain energy to the ice the moment he steps on it.
For a team that looks anything but energized, that zap in the shorties might be exactly what it needs.
Should he clear re-entry waivers by tomorrow at noon, Avery would be eligible to return to the Rangers’ lineup for Thursday’s matchup against Anaheim.