Last season, the Madison Square Garden played host to three fresh new faces on the New York Rangers. Those faces were Michael Del Zotto, Artem Anisimov, and Matt Gilroy. Each of these players had quality seasons for the Rangers, as rookies, and will hopefully only get better as they mature.
Last season they were known as rookies (or freshmen); now they are sophomores. The phrase “Sophomore Slump” is not a phrase I trust or believe in. Anything a player encounters in their second season, they would’ve already encountered during their first.
To start, Michael Del Zotto didn’t breeze through the whole 82-game season. Sure he started off extremely well, winning Rookie of the Month early on. But after the first few months his heroics passed by, as the Rangers started crumbling mid-season.
I can remember at least three times Del Zotto went back to the bench hunched over with Coach John Tortorella babbling in his ear; after that he would sit out for a period. He wasn’t perfect year round, and really, no one was. Gaborik struggled in January; Hank struggled a bit mid-way through the season. It happens.
It won&rs ...
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Article written by nick p
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