When he was acquired, Rick Nash said that from talking with Vinny Prospal, his teammate in Columbus, he learned that John Tortorella is a very demanding coach who preaches hard work.
Nash added that when it comes to a coach, “that’s what you want.”
Recently, Nash told NHL.com, that both Tortorella and Hitchcock are “really intense” and honest. He added that he really likes playing for Tortorella and thinks that “the way he understands the game and how he plays his players, it’s really top notch.”
In the last four games, Rick Nash has three goals and two assists.
Nash has 15 goals on the season, five of which have broken a tie and given the Rangers the lead.
Derek Stepan said a few weeks ago that “Rick is going to score a lot of goals and be on the score sheet a lot of games. Even when he isn’t he is creating space and wearing down defensemen. He continues to be the guy that everyone talked about at the beginning with how explosive he is and how great of a player.”
Stepan said after the Rangers win over the Jets, “Rick is a special player.”
John Tortorella said, “I just think he is in a part of his career where I think he is going to get better and, certainly no disrespect to Columbus, but a change of scenery into a city like this…..with with where this team is trying to go, I think it all works together”
9:09PM: On HNIC, Glenn Healy said of the Nash hit “with all the debate about the hit, here is the thing I am looking for: the principal point of contact is clearly his back, not his head. Does he leave his feet and launch himself to make this hit…no… his feet are on the ice. It is not a suspension.”
Elliotte Friedman said that no matter the result, that is the kind of play that can’t be in hockey anymore.
The video, which was not narrated by Brendan Shanahan, stated:
Although we do not believe this was a legal hit, we believe that it doesn’t rise to the level of supplemental discipline. As the video shows, Kopecky turns right before Nash makes contact which contributes to the impact of the hit. Furthermore, Nash does not target Kopecky’s head nor is it the principal point of contact.
Instead, Nash makes initial contact with Kopecky’s shoulder and nameplate and as a result, his arm rises up Kopecky’s back causing him to lose his helmet and fall forward.
In summary:
Kopecky turns right before contact
Kopecky’s head is not targeted nor is it the principal point of contact
Combining these factors, we believe that Rick Nash’s hit on Tomas Kopecky does not rise to the level of supplemental discipline.
THIS SECTION is all about the Nash non-suspension.
Bob McKenzie tweeted that if the decision was up to him, Nash would have been suspended for a game or two.
At Puck Daddy, they report that Brendan Shanahan called Rick Nash on Thursday night and told him that the play he put on Tomas Kopecky was a “rotten hit” and probably should have been called a major penalty.
Shanahan told Puck Daddy that the reason Nash wasn’t suspended was because it was an “awkward, spinning collision between two players” where the majority of the contact was made when Nash landed on the back of Kopecky’s shoulders.
Shanahan said that there wasn’t much head contact at all and that when watching the feed that the Panthers provided, he could see that the principal point of contact is the back right shoulder and nameplate.
Katie Strang notes that the likely reason for no hearing was that the “principal point of contact” was not the head and that is the main reason why he avoided and supplemental discipline.
Scott Burnside tweets “Failure to suspend R. Nash in spite of overwhelming evidence it is warranted strikes at heart of competitive balance.”
Larry Brooks tweeted that it “boggles the mind” how the NHL goes about dealing with player safety and said that it is “simple a matter of incoherent standards.”
Damien Cox tweeted “If Lupul got two and Nash doesn’t even get a hearing the Leafs should and must file a letter of protest with NHL. This cannot be true.”
If someone can explain the decisions on what warrants a suspension and what doesn't, please let me and the rest of guys know..— Joffrey Lupul (@JLupul) March 22, 2013
Allan Muir of SI writes that “it’s hard to believe that anyone watching in real time or on tape wouldn’t recognize it as an egregious foul.” He adds “The replay didn’t show it, but Nash probably took Kopecky’s wallet and stole his identity as well. It was that bad.”
35% of people who voted in a Sportsnet poll said that the reason Nash wasn’t suspended was because the “NHL struggles to discipline with consistency.”
3:17PM: Bob McKenzie notes that the NHL has told the Rangers and Panthers that Rick Nash will not have a hearing for the hit he put on Tomas Kopecky last night.
1:11PM Larry Brooks tweets that it appears there will be no hearing for Nash.
9:50AMBob McKenzie tweets that the Rangers have not yet heard from the NHL about the hit that Rick Nash put on Tomas Kopecky last night.
He adds that since the Rangers don’t play until Sunday, the league may be taking their time in reviewing it.
Dave Maloney said that he hopes it is just a fine.
He added, “this one is going to be tough to see there being no repercussions.”
Today at practice, Rick Nash skated with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik and it looks like the trio will be together consistently for the first time since early February.
Nash told the Daily News that he feels the three of them started to have some success when they were together early in the season, but the key for that line is to be responsible defensively.
Adam Rotter:This is a move that makes sense to not only try and get the Rangers out of their scoring funk, but also to bring all three players, especially Gaborik and Richards, out of their individual funks. Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan have been the Rangers best two forwards lately and with Carl Hagelin can provide a good second line. The Rangers are at a place where they kind of need to go “all-in” and putting Nash, Gaborik and Richards together is an “all-in” move.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rick Nash is in the middle of a career high ten game point scoring streak. Throughout his time with Columbus, Nash had points in nine straight games on three different occasions.
Nash has seven goals and nine assists in the ten game streak and, in the six games since he returned from injury, has six goals and five assists.
Watch all of Nash’s points during the streak, below:
Heading into today’s against against the Capitals, Rick Nash enters the game on a five-game goal streak and a nine-game point streak.
Nash has seven goals and seven assists during the nine game streak.
Derek Stepan said after the game against the Islanders, “he is a prime time player. He adds so much to this team. He is dynamic and scoring big goals at big times.”
When talking about how he plays on a line with Nash,
Ron Duguay spoke glowingly about Nash on the post game show, saying “The team becomes a better team. Nash makes everyone around him a threat. There is a confidence and you see a Rick Nash on your side, it helps the team to play with a little oopmh. He creates a fun atmosphere where you feel you can win every night when you got a back breaking kind of guy, this guy is a horse and he is carrying two guys to the net and he goes hard to the net, he wants to score, he wants the puck, he wants to make the plays, he just wants to do everything. You can see he is a happy camper right now
Henrik Lundqvist kept his thoughts on Nash simple, “Nasher was Nasher.”
John Tortorella spoke about how Nash has been at his best in the third periods and how that is a good sign for his level of conditioning. When asked why the third period is Nash’s best, Tortorella credited a “mindset” of accepting the responsibility of his role on the team.
Tortorella added, “He doesn’t speak, he just goes out and plays. As advertised, he has been a game breaker for us.
Katie Baker of Grantland spoke to Rick Nash and Nash told here that he looks at his numbers and understands where he thinks he should be, where he has been in the past and where he wants to get to.
When he was acquired, Rick Nash said that from talking with Vinny Prospal, his teammate in Columbus, he learned that John Tortorella is a very demanding coach who preaches hard work.
