John Tortorella’s notoriously famous testing will begin with tomorrow’s first day of training camp for the Rangers, but the fact of the matter is that both the head coach and his team will be tested throughout a preseason loaded with travel across two continents.
There will be exhibition games in five countries and a regular season featuring the opening two games in Stockholm, an early, lengthy trip across western Canada, an unusually late start at the Garden and HBO’s 24/7 cameras that will be omnipresent come December.
In other words, the Rangers will have plenty of excuses available if and when they run into trouble. In Tortorella’s words, there will be no excuses allowed.
“It is imperative that we handle everything properly, including the travel, the schedule, HBO and anything else that comes our way,” the coach said. “We cannot complain about anything . . . and I’m including myself in that, as much as anybody, and maybe more so.
“With all the stuff that’s going to be swirling around us, our mental approach and ability to keep our focus on the right things is going to a huge, huge part of our season; even more than systems and the X’s and O’s.
“There’s no doubt that excuses will be out there for anybody who wants to lean on them,” Tortorella said. “But there will be no excuses with our team.”
The Rangers will spend the first 11 days of camp in North America, where they will play exhibition games in Albany and Newark against the Devils, and in Philadelphia against the Flyers, the last match on Sept. 26, after which they will fly to the Czech Republic.
There will be a game in Prague on Sept. 29; a game in Gothenberg, Henrik Lundqvist’s Swedish hometown, the following night; a match in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Oct. 2; and then one in Zug, Switzerland, the next night to conclude the preseason.
The Rangers then return to Sweden and hunker down in Stockholm to prepare for the Oct. 7 opener against the Kings that will be followed one night later by a match against the Ducks. Then the trip back to North America, a game on Long Island on Oct. 14 followed by a trip to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg before the Oct. 27 Garden opener against the Maple Leafs.
It’s only unfortunate for the players that the club doesn’t award frequent-flyer miles for travel on the charter.
“It’s obviously going to be a lot different than any of us have ever experienced, but I know that it’s going to be preached by Torts at the opening meeting and by us within the locker room that we can’t use any of it as a crutch or excuse,” Brad Richards said yesterday after the club’s final pre-camp, informal workout.
“There are 100 different things that might come up, but it’s up to us to approach this in a positive frame of mind and to use this as an opportunity, because if we keep our focus and come together through this first month, it’s going to be a great building block for the season.”
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Michael Sauer has a right knee issue that is believed minor but may keep him off the ice at least tomorrow . . . If, as expected, the NBA preseason is canceled, the Rangers will be able to get into the Garden for practice on Oct. 26, the day before the home opener. The Knicks are scheduled to play an exhibition game that night.
HBO had its crew at the practice rink yesterday to tape promos for the “24/7” series that will lead into and go through the Jan. 2 Winter Classic in Philadelphia.