NYR 'pretty close' to winning Cup?

New York coach John Tortorella was not impressed by the Rangers' owner's bold comments.

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As anyone who caught an episode of HBO’s 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic knows, it’s not unusual for New York Rangers coach John Tortorella to be unamused. But following Tuesday night’s postgame press conference, Tortorella was irked not by one of his players’ lack of hustle but by his owner’s bold remarks.

Following New York’s 3-0 shutout of the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, microphone-shy Rangers owner James Dolan addressed hockey writers for the first time since 2005-06.

This year’s Rangers lead the entire league with 62 points and look destined for the playoffs. According to Dolan, they’re even “pretty close” to winning the Stanley Cup.

“I’m very proud of the organization. I’m particularly proud of Mr. Sather,” Dolan said of the Rangers general manager during his spontaneous appearance. “Because all the way back to 2004 when things weren’t going so well and we had a lot of free agents in here and we made the decision to basically redo the strategy, Glen and I actually had a pact. I actually gave him something that I won’t reveal what it is.

“I said, ‘You can’t give it back to me until we win the Stanley Cup.’ And I think I’m getting pretty close to getting that thing back.”

Listening to the audio of the brief media address, one can hear Tortorella say, “Easy,” when Dolan mentions the Cup.

“Of course, great coaching, but to me it’s all about the farm system, the scouting system, the development and going with the kids and sticking with that philosophy even when, at times, it didn’t look so good,” continued Dolan, who opened his wallet to sign free-agent forwards Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards.

Dolan surrendered the floor to Tortorella after answering only two questions and left the room.

“We just have to go about our business. I had my owner up here talking about a Stanley Cup, and that's a bunch of bull----," Tortorella said afterward. The media laughed. "We've got to take it one game at a time."

This isn’t the first time Dolan has made a bold statement before the hockey media.

At the end of the Rangers’ 2002-03 season, Dolan promised to slash ticket prices by 10 percent if the team failed to make the playoffs the following year. When the sub-par club did just that, Dolan made good on his word.