NHL: New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes - Source: Imagn — NHL insider shared his opinion on Larry Brooks' opinion on Peter Laviolette and NY Rangers (Source: Imagn)

"Historic collapse": Elliotte Friedman drops truth bomb on Larry Brooks' 'Rangers have quit on Peter Laviolette' comment

Modified Dec 30, 2024 16:54 GMT

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed Larry Brooks’ recent column on Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers. Brooks, writing for the New York Post, claimed the Rangers have quit on coach Laviolette.

The Rangers’ season has taken a sharp downturn. After a 12-4-1 start, they have gone 4-14-0 in their last 18 games. This collapse has left them in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

In his discussion with cohost Kyle Bukauskas about the Rangers on Monday, Dec 30's edition of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Friedman mentioned that the Rangers witnessed a historic collapse.

"That is a historic collapse. Historic collapse" Friedman said,"... I don't know what happened here, but I don't think a very successful year should be blown up by just this one situation where you folded like the Soviet Union against Canada in 1972." [39:26]

"When you read that column that was in the Larry Brooks, that was Larry bro, that was in the New York Post on Sunday from Larry Brooks, where he talks about, they're going to have to fire Peter Laviolette."

Friedman pointed out that Brooks’ sources within the organization make his comments about Peter Laviolette notable:

"You know Larry Brooks? There's nobody that has better sources in the Rangers than he does, nobody, and when he's writing that, and it's not because it's necessarily his opinion, but you have to look at that, and you see that that is the he is getting that directly from someone who matters..."

"I think we all understand that he is getting that from somebody whose opinion carries weight. And like that was a harsh, harsh call. Like he really hammered the players there."

Roster changes, including trading Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko, have not improved the team’s performance. Scratching Chris Kreider and scoring just 1.44 goals per game in their last nine matches have added to their struggles.

NHL insider Larry Brooks' statement on Peter Laviolette

On Sunday, in his column for the New York Post, Larry Brooks wrote:

"The Rangers have quit on their coach, they have quit on the organization, they have quit on themselves, they have quit on each other, they have quit on the fans who pay top dollar to fill the Garden and they have quit on New York."

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General manager Chris Drury may consider further roster changes to address the team’s poor form. Saturday’s 6–2 loss to Tampa Bay has increased pressure for action.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with 3 years of experience as a travel writer. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, while John Tortorella is his favorite coach of all time due to his outspoken personality.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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