January 30, 2012
Man of the moment
Previously frustrated Rupp stands tall as Rangers rally for spirited win on the NHL's outdoor big stage
by Elliot Olshansky/Correspondent
Mike Rupp (photo: Getty)
PHILADELPHIA -- The first time Michael Rupp got his name on a Winter Classic score sheet -- as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins last year at Heinz Field -- it was for a fight with the Capitals' John Erskine in which the then-Penguin staggered his foe and brought him down to one knee, but couldn't quite finish him off.
Earlier this month, playing his second Winter Classic in as many seasons, the Rangers' winger made his shots count.
With just over five minutes to play in the second period, and with the Flyers leading 2-0 on a pair of goals scored less than two minutes apart, the Rangers turned to Rupp, Brandon Prust and John Mitchell, sending them out for the next shift in an effort to change the momentum of the game.
"The crowd's going, it's 2-0 and you get that next shift," Rupp said. "There's times when you're looking to try to pick a fight, try to get a big hit. You try to play in their zone, just to change the tide a little bit."
That mission was accomplished -- and then some -- when the 12th-year pro took a feed from Prust and snapped it past Philadelphia's Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Rangers their first goal of the game. Rupp's decision to punctuate his score with a salute to the Flyers' bench may not have sat well in some quarters -- particularly with former Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr, who celebrates his goals in similar fashion -- but under the circumstances, it's hard to blame the man for being exuberant. After all, it was Rupp's first goal since Oct. 18 and, after missing 22 games in November and December with a knee injury, seeing the red light go on brought him a very understandable feeling of relief.
"It was big," said Rupp. "I'm good to play, obviously ó I've been playing ó but I haven't felt like I've really been able to contribute. I've been trying to play physical and at least provide that, but it feels good to get off the schneid with being able to get a goal and get things going."
In the larger context of the Winter Classic game itself, and a crucial battle with the Flyers for prime position atop the Eastern Conference standings, a big moment for Rupp was an even bigger one for the Rangers.
"It was a key moment in the game," said Rangers coach John Tortorella. "They had all the momentum on their side. The game is a series of momentums, how quick you get it back your way versus losing it. We go down 3-0, that's tough sledding as far as trying to come back. We end up scoring the next goal and it puts you right back in."
As it turned out, Rupp did more than start the Rangers comeback. The 6-foot-5 Cleveland native's second shot of the day squeezed past Bobrovsky on the short side to tie the game 2:41 into the third period, setting up the Rangers' eventual 3-2 victory and earning first-star honors for the first-year team member, not to mention the "Broadway Hat" presented to a member of the team after each victory.
"He brings so much to the table for us," said Rangers captain Ryan Callahan (Rochester, N.Y.), "the way he fights, throws the body around and his defensive play, and those are two big goals."
And, while it's doubtful that anyone in the Rangers locker room was as happy about Rupp's performance as the man himself, Tortorella could give Rupp a run for his money, especially with Prust picking up assists on both scores.
"I couldn't be happier for him and Pruster," Tortorella said. "It's two guys I'm trying to find ice for. We've had some guys playing pretty well, and (Prust and Rupp have) been four- or five-minute guys, plus they do the heavy lifting when it comes to that (rough) stuff. I just don't want them to think that that's their only role, because they can play.
"That's a big reason why we signed Rupper. We feel he can play. They ignite us a little bit. They're glue guys. They're very important to the team in the room, and I think everybody pulls for those type of players."
It also didn't hurt that Rupp brought Winter Classic experience with him to the Rangers when he signed a three-year contract on the first day of free agency this summer. With rookie Carl Hagelin, and second-year standouts Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh bringing outdoor experience of their own from their college years, the Rangers had a strong base of knowledge to draw on when it came to preparing for the elements.
"They talked to us a little bit," Callahan said. "I think we were bugging ëHags' more than anyone because he's a rookie and he had more experience than anyone in one of these games, but they helped out, just to tell us about the elements and the wind and things like that. It's good to have those guys around going into a game where you really don't know what to expect."
Of course, Rupp's value in the experience department extends far beyond knowing what to expect in a Winter Classic, particularly on a team whose nucleus -- built around players like Callahan, Stepan, McDonagh and Brandon Dubinsky ó is relatively young.
As a well-traveled pro whose rÈsumÈ includes a game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup for New Jersey in 2003, Rupp's presence in the locker room is as important as that of the team's other major offseason acquisition, Brad Richards (who, coincidentally, scored the third and deciding goal for the Rangers, less than three minutes after Rupp tied the game).
"I couldn't be happier for him," Tortorella reiterated. "It's been very frustrating for him, because really, from the get-go, he was banged up, but I'll tell you what he brings before he even steps on the ice: There is a respect that he brings in that room. He's a great pro. He brings an intangible and Brad does the same thing. He brings an intangible to the room that, with a really young core, is needed. He has stepped up there. He's such a great teammate. The boys rally around him. They're happy for him."
As excited as they are, the Rangers are being careful not to make the Winter Classic out to be bigger than it was, even after a dramatic finish that saw goalie Henrik Lundqvist deny the Flyers' Danny Briere on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left. While it's true that four of the five Winter Classic games have produced a Stanley Cup finalist, the Blueshirts know that there's a long way to go before they can even think about the playoffs.
"It's a big game," Richards said, "and we're happy with it, but we were two points out of fourth place going into the game, so we're not going to talk about ourselves too much. It's been a great year, I'm really happy and it's amazing how we've handled everything, but we're not even quite halfway through."
Still, when the story of this Rangers season is written, the experience of playing in front of 46,967 fans at Citizens Bank Park will undoubtedly go down as a highlight. And, on that day, Rupp did exactly what you'd expect from a man of his stature ó he stood tall.
"He was the veteran giving us the speech before the game," Richards said, "and he was the one that stepped up and kept us in it, and got us back in it."
Still, Rupp is keeping that perspective that makes him so valuable in the Blueshirts' locker room. Asked how he feels about being referred to as "Mr. Winter Classic," Rupp declined the moniker, and when asked if the Winter Classic marked the most media attention he'd ever received, he laughed before giving a seven-word reply that truly said it all.
"The Game 7 was pretty good, too," he said.
Elliot Olshansky can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
RANGERS NOTES:
The Rangers' ailing defensive corps got a big boost when Marc Staal returned to play his first game of the season at the Winter Classic. Staal had been out since the end of last season with concussion symptoms, but made a surprise return before the game and finished plus-1 after 12:41 of ice time. "The game was pretty quick for him, and he admitted it early on in those first few shifts, and there were some mistakes here and there, but it's big to have him in the lineup," said Rangers coach John Tortorella. "We're going to slowly get him about. There's some work to do. He's going to be a very important guy as we go along." ... The road team has now won in four of five Winter Classic games, with only the Boston Bruins finding success at home in the 2010 game against the Flyers. Still, Tortorella expressed no reservations about hosting the game in some future season, saying, "It's been a great experience. The people doing it certainly understand how they need to handle themselves. The players loved it and it's such a great experience. I look at some of the family things that these players are going to be able to have on film with their families, and it's great stuff." ... With the returns of Staal, Rupp, and Wojtek Wolski from injured reserve, the Rangers placed forward Sean Avery on waivers on Dec. 30. The outspoken winger cleared waivers and was assigned to Connecticut of the AHL....J.T. Miller, the Rangers' first-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, scored two goals and registered two assists for Team USA in the World Junior Championship, as a disappointing American squad went 2-3 and narrowly avoided relegation. Defenseman Peter Ceresnak, the Rangers' sixth-round pick this past June, went scoreless in five games for Slovakia.
ELLIOT OLSHANSKY
