LOS ANGELES — The universal outrage over the Rangers’ lax effort in last Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to the Flames at the Garden was compounded the following day when head coach Peter Laviolette called for an optional practice.
This was interpreted far and wide as a look into the team’s and coaching staff’s souls, and evidence that Laviolette had gone soft on a team that had become soft.
Once upon a time, the Rangers would have been bag-skated, maybe going through 45 minutes of punishment without a puck on the ice. Back in the day, they would have done “Herbies,” sprints from goal line to the blue line and back, from the goal line to center line and back, from the goal line to the far blue line and back, named after Herb Brooks.
They’d have done them again.
