We here at The Sports Section have been worried about the Rangers lately. We’ve bemoaned their bad offensive habits, which have led to a slumping power play and general lack of scoring. And just yesterday we wondered what exactly was going on with Sean Avery. So last night was a welcome sight: seven straight goals in a 7–4 win over Columbus — a wild game that saw ten goals scored in the first two periods. It was the first time in four games that anyone besides Marian Gaborik or Vinny Prospal scored, and Avery himself netted two of those goals, his first since scoring two in his second game of the season on October 12.
Both of the Rangers rookie defensemen — Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy — added goals, with Hall-of-Famer Brian Leetch looking on from the stands. And Leetch’s presence at the game led to perhaps the most depressing thing we’ve read all week. Del Zotto said that he’d never met Leetch, but that he’s always wanted to, recalling how amazing it was when he was a kid to watch Leetch — when Leetch was with Toronto. See, Del Zotto was just 13 when Glen Sather traded the legendary defenseman away from that dreadful Rangers team, to the delight, apparently, of Ontario’s youth. Feel old? Because you should.