Heard around: Orr's book, Vigneault, Anisimov
Alain Vigneault speaks to the media after being introduced as the Rangers head coach during a press conference at Radio City Music Hall. (June 21, 2013) Credit: Getty
- The book “Orr: My Story” is a good read. But hearing former Rangers defenseman Dave Maloney talk about his rookie encounter with the Bruins icon is a good listen. “It was my first year in Buffalo and he came down the left side and went around me so fast, he had to stop and turn around to see if anybody else was onside,” Maloney recalled. “I never saw that,” said veteran broadcaster Doc Emrick, who was also listening. “Neither did I,” Maloney said.
-With only about 11,000 people in Columbus’ Nationwide Arena Thursday, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault’s high-pitched exhortations to players on the ice could easily be heard from afar: Two of his regular orders -- “Go, go, go” and “Skate, skate, skate” -- were joined by another: “Change, change, change.” Yep, Vigneault, not one of the assistants, was calling out line changes. No wonder he’s always using throat lozenges.
-In Columbus, I asked former Rangers center Artem Anisimov, the young Russian whose turns-of-phrase still bring grins to his former team’s equipment staff, what he missed most about New York. “Broadway, the theater,” he said. When Anisimov was here and was learning English, he loved the Great White Way so much, he saw “Jersey Boys” seven times. Back then, I asked if he had heard Four Seasons records in Russia. "No," he replied. "We only have one season: Winter."