When The Captain returns to the ship, he deserves a 21-gun salute.
When Jake (The Rake) Trouba returned to the New York Rangers lineup after his two-game suspension, you could have heard an overpriced hockey stick drop.
The NHL's best open-ice hitter is back doing what he does best -- bamming body checks -- and this was evident last night at The Garden.
Perhaps because he didn't like the way this particular foe spelled his name, Jake dropped Calgary's Jakob Pelletier in the first period, jolting not only Jakob but also the crowd and his Rangers teammates.
As so often is the case, The Captain changed the complexion of the game, not to mention its intensity level. It was reminiscent of a Trouba thumping of Killer Kadri last season at MSG.
Granted, this latest one wasn't a TKO hit, but who says that every single one of the Captain's blasts has to have the effect of a human torpedo?
Certainly not The Maven!