As the Rangers have marched through the regular season, coach John Tortorella and his players have preached the need for everyone to buy into the team’s philosophy of total commitment at both ends of the ice.
The formula clearly has worked, as the Black-and-Blueshirts clinched home-ice advantage in the first round yesterday, and could wrap up the top spot in the Eastern Conference as soon as tonight, when they take on the Bruins at Madison Square Garden.
But for anyone searching for proof this mindset has permeated the entire roster, look no further than the Rangers’ leading scorer, Marian Gaborik. Not only is Gaborik third in the NHL with 39 goals this season, but he has willingly thrown himself into the Rangers’ do-whatever-it-takes mentality.
“It kind of came to my game [this season],” he said after yesterday’s practice. “It’s more subconscious…. I don’t think about it as much, but at times you have to focus on defense first and offense after that. When we’re in our zone, I have to make sure I’m in the right position, and taking care of the slot and stuff like that. It’s all about the system, and everybody buying into it.”
After Gaborik’s sensational debut on Broadway in the 2009-10 season, when he scored 42 goals in 76 games, he suffered through an injury-plagued season a year ago. But after slumping to 22 goals in 62 games, Tortorella could see the seeds of Gaborik’s revival this year being planted during the team’s exit interviews at the end of last season.
“He wasn’t happy with his year,” Tortorella said. “He was not happy people were questioning him. Just knowing the type of person he is … he was going to be ready to play. And from day one of camp, right on through, he’s been there.
“He’s a pro. He is a guy that’s been in the league, has been a high-quality player in this league, and sometimes they tend to be a bit high-maintenance. He’s not high-maintenance. It’s been positive with him, I’ve kicked him along the way, he understands why and he continues to try and improve as a player.”
One of the biggest things that has led to Gaborik’s success this season is simply being able to stay on the ice, something he has struggled with throughout his career. But he has played in all 78 games this season, putting himself on the verge of the third 40-goal season of his career.
“It feels good to be able to stay on the ice and play this amount of games,” he said. “I’ve said it many times, we have a very balanced team. Everything’s spread out through the whole team.”
Just because Gaborik has bought in at both ends doesn’t mean he has lost his love for scoring goals, however. Asked if he gets the same enjoyment from making a quality defensive play as putting the puck past the goalie, Gaborik couldn’t help but flash a smile, followed quickly by a short response: “Next question.”
But Tortorella freely admitted having a player of Gaborik’s stature and talent buy in to the team’s philosophy made it that much easier for the rest of the team to fall in line.
“When your top-end players, your offensive people, buy into the other part of the game — playing away from the puck, defending, stopping in our end zone, blocking shots, he’s blocked shots this year — when other players see that, it forces the team to do it,” Tortorella said.