Nick Wosika-Imagn ImagesI'll bet good dough that the day Vladislav Gavrikov signed with the Blueshirts most Rangers fans mistook him for the Borscht salesman at Zabars.
And if not Borscht, the allegedly healthier Schav.
No matter how you shake it – gently, please, Borscht is sensitive to jolts – Comrade Gavrikov can no longer be mistaken for a salmon-on-rye.
This behemoth – just a step away from the Steppes – is a Rangers star; not a stiff; nor statue for that matter.
"But it took a little longer for him to fit into the system than we had hoped," says The Old Scout.
To that The Maven fires back with a line he forgot to invent – BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
Flash back to Autumn when the then new Blueshirt was teamed with former Norris Trophy-winner Adam Fox. It was a solid-Jackson-man-alive pair conceived in hockey heaven.
But the gleam turned foggy as fall gave way to winter and, eventually, Foxy's gave way to the hospital. Minus Fox – as well as vault-keeper Iggy Shesterkin in goal – and there went the Rangers playoff chances – evaporating like evaporated milk in coach Mike Sullivan's coffee.
"Had Fox and Igor remained healthy," adds The Old Scout, "the Rangers now would be in contention as we speak."
Losing the pair at such a critical point in the season was too much "tsouris" for the club to bear and, well, you know the rest – as we enjoy The Retool Era, conceived and conducted by The Old Maestro, Chris Drury.
What matters here is that everyone and his Drury figured that the Rangers would crash-dive like U-115 in "Action In The North Atlantic.' Instead, they ducked the depth charges and resumed fire.
Visiting the Los Angeles Kings tonight – Gavvy's alma mater – the Rangers are riding a four-game winning streak, and our Comrade is scoring goals, like setting up pins at Moe and Phil's bowling alley.
"You can't help wondering 'What if Foxy and Igor didn't get hurt?'" offers The Old Scout. Never mind, the 'What Ifs?' counters The Maven.
Another W for the Beloved Blueshirts tonight would taste even better the very underrated potato knish – that looks a lot like a hockey puck – at Zabar's!