Pointing out that the Rangers’ underwhelming effort Tuesday night against the Islanders gives the Flyers a legit shot at the Atlantic Division crown (and to a lesser extent, opens the door open just a crack for the resurgent Devils), Hockeybird is particularly aflutter over MSG’s decision to commemorate Jaromir Jagr’s amazing season.

I am not usually the superstitious type, but certain things I stay away from. For instance, you never say the words “no hitter” while a pitcher is throwing one. Unless you have won it, you never lift the Stanley Cup over your head (like Mark Messier did on his number retirement). And until the season is done, you never hand out awards and honors to players. Those things should be saved for AFTER the season. I know it’s stupid and irrational on my part, but whatever.


RW Greg Moore (above), most recently of the University Of Maine, has signed a two-year deal with the Rangers and will report to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack for the final 3 games of their regular season.

Calgary’s Darren McCarty (shown above, right, flexing his vocal chops with future Mercury Prize winners Grinder) has declared bankruptcy. Among the highlights of the documents submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit, as supplied by the Detroit Free Press’ Bill McGraw and Jim Schaeffer :

McCarty, who has talked publicly about his love for poker, lists debts of $100,000 to the Bellagio casino and $60,000 to the Palms casino, both in Las Vegas. He owes $25,000 to the MotorCity Casino in Detroit, court papers say.

Without providing details, the court papers also said a 2004 Cadillac Escalade owned by McCarty “sunk in a body of water” in January 2004.