Well, this came pretty much out of nowhere.
For Alain Vigneault, when asked about attaining consistency and on-ice adjustments the Rangers might adopt this year after defensive-zone chaos rained on any hope they would participate in a 2016 Canyon of Heroes parade, responded not with technical talk but for the need of an attitude readjustment from this year’s remodeled squad.
It was strong stuff coming from a coach who seldom has used his press-conference podium as a bully pulpit.
“Consistency is all about being a professional,” Vigneault said following Tuesday’s system-oriented practice, during which the coach was loud and emphatic in delivering instructions. “The coaches and management, since the beginning of camp, have gone out of our way to let players know what’s expected of them as far as their on-ice performance, off-ice demands, the way they’re supposed to conduct themselves in different situations.
“Once you know that, and know that’s being a professional, then you know that it’s up to you to go out and do it. We’ve asked our leadership group to make sure that when we’re not around that the players are conducting themselves the way they’re supposed to and that they’ve got their priorities in order. That’s what we expect from this group.”
Uh, woah.
Vigneault, who always has delegated authority to his core players throughout his 15-year NHL coaching career, said he didn’t necessarily believe the Rangers had allowed their priorities to slip last year or had danced too many nights away at Avenue, but it is clear he believes the club’s dedication to hockey detail needs to improve every bit as much as, say, its coverage in front of the net.
“Everybody would have their theories about last season, whether it be priorities; whether the demands of playing so many playoff games over the years finally caught up to the team; or whether they were a little mentally or physically fatigued,” said the coach, whose team stumbled through the final three-quarters of the year winning fewer than half its games (30-24-7).
“But whatever theory you subscribe to, I would say right now I feel the energy from this group. There seems to be a heightened awareness on everything that we’re trying to do.”
Vigneault spoke after the players had left the locker room. But Marc Staal indirectly had alluded to the issue of preparation in an earlier conversation with The Post about the different atmosphere this time around.
“The last couple of years we were talking about what we were going to do in the playoffs for the entire six months of the season and I think last year we lost focus on what we needed to do on that specific day and in that specific game,” Staal said. “It was too much big picture.
“This year, there is much more of a small-picture focus where we’re putting in the work each day and are excited to see where that takes us. We’re optimistic and we believe that we’re going to be a good team but we’re not looking past anything.
“There’s pressure on us to make the playoffs, and that’s a good thing. We all want to see what we can be.”
Thus, the priority is to take it one day at a time, to focus on each game’s 60 or 65 minutes rather than on making amends for falling just and/or excruciatingly short the previous spring or two.
“We’ve turned the page on last year,” said Vigneault, who is intent on ensuring that book stays closed.