Mark Messier believes ‘spirit was missing’ for Rangers during this miserable season
Mark Messier is not only a studio analyst for ESPN and ABC coverage of the NHL these days, the Hockey Hall of Famer is a New York Rangers fan. And, like you, he’s got ideas on what needs to be fixed for the Rangers to avoid another massively disappointing showing next season.
The Rangers were officially eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining on their schedule, when they lost 7-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.
That game was broadcast on ABC; and between periods, Messier discussed why the Rangers collapsed this season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy a year ago and what needs to change this offseason.
“When everyone’s talking about tearing this up here, they just did that. They’re not that far off,” Messier explained. “But they have some things to fix internally to get that spirit that was so prevalent in the team last year. The spirit was missing this year for whatever reason.”
Leah Hextall’s ice-side reporting during the game Saturday backed up Messier’s assertion about lack of spirit in the Rangers.
“It’s very quiet down here on the Rangers bench, almost church-like — Peter Laviolette, I haven’t seen him say more than, probably, two words,” she reported.
Considering their playoff hopes were hanging by the thinnest of threads, that’s disconcerting information. But not shocking. There’s been no evident joy with the Rangers most of the season. And it’s carried over into a slew of non-competitive performances and absolute no-shows, costing them valuable points in the standings.
Is that because of how general manager Chris Drury handled personnel decisions with popular teammates and respected veterans Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba? Or his infamous note to the other 31 GMs in November that the Rangers were open for business, and singled out Trouba and Chris Kreider by name? Or is there something even bigger amiss in the Rangers locker room?
The legendary former Rangers captain admits he’s not 100 percent sure what the reason is for what he sees from afar because “I’m not inside the locker room.” But his take on lack of spirit is spot-on.
Messier’s co-analyst on the broadcast, former NHL defenseman PK Subban, took a deeper dive into that specific issue with the Rangers.
“On the energy, the attitude, the culture piece, that’s all got to get figured out. Some of it is on management and the organization. Some of it’s got to be on the locker room with some of the in that room, some of them have been there a long time,” Subban explained.
“Like, I’m watching this game [today], your season’s on the line. Where’s the energy? I want to see someone run somebody through the glass. It’s not about stats and numbers for me. It’s about, to a man, why are you there? What are you playing for? You’re playing for the New York Rangers, Original 6 franchise. It’s got to show in the energy. The coach and GM cannot go out there and do it for you. You’ve got to go and do it.”
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways after playoff hopes finally buried under avalanche of mistakes in 7-3 loss
Mark Messier’s No. 1 question for Rangers: ‘Who’s your leader?‘
Perhaps this shouldn’t be a big surprise, but Messier believes the No. 1 fix for the Rangers this offseason is to identify their next captain and leader of the team. Messier is renowned for being among the greatest leaders in professional sports history, often referred to simply as “The Captain.”
In fact, so revered as captain was Messier during his playing days that the NHL created the Mark Messier Leadership Award which is presented annually “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”
Last year’s winner of the award? Trouba. He’s yet to be replaced as Rangers captain since being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December. More importantly, there’s been a leadership void on the team all season, and no one has stepped in to adequately fill it.
“The No. 1 thing they need to think about is identifying a captain and a leader,” Messier stated. “It’s been 1971 since Johnny Bucyk raised the Stanley Cup for the Boston Bruins, and that’s the last time a team won the Stanley Cup without a captain.
“So, identifying a captain and a leader is a must.”
Even before personnel changes, and/or replacing coach Peter Laviolette or general manager Chris Drury?
“I don’t care about the personnel right now, I don’t want to talk about the personnel because until [the leader] is in place, no matter who’s in the lineup, that’s got to be fixed first. … Get this first and then all of the other stuff will fall into place.
“Who’s your leader? That’s all we’ve got to think about.”
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