The New York Rangers acquired Blair Betts in the 2005-06 NHL Hockey season and he has been with them, centering on the defensive 4th line. He is one of the New York Rangers most consistent face-off men winning a more than losing them.
The New York Post wrote that Blair Betts and his teammate, Sjostrom, could be the best penalty kill tandem in Rangers history and they had a franchise high of 87.6 percent. He has also been declared one of the most underrated players in the league.
Having played for the Calgary Flames since 1998, before joining the New York Rangers, this Canadian born ice hockey player weighs 210 pounds at 6 feet 3 inches. His pro career started in 2001 and he has been a consistent defensive center.
The New York Rangers, however, have not done so well. They are going through their highest losing streak, so it may be hard to determine where some of the praise for Blair Betts is translating into winning games for the team.
Blair Betts has been also plagued with injuries, suffering a broken orbital bone around his left eye in May, 2008, and recovering from an upper body injury in December, 2008. Prior to that injury, he had three goals and five points in 28 games this past season. In his fourth season with the New York Rangers, he has missed time with injuries to his knee, foot and face.
Of course, ice hockey in the NHL can be a rough and tumble game and many defensive players can get injured from rough play or fights on the rink. Blair Betts, at 28 years old, has been playing professionally since 2000, when he joined the AHL, Calgary Flames.
Betts started playing hockey even before this, of course. He got his start with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars, with whom he played from 1996 until being taken by the Calgary Flames in the 1998 NHL draft. Hockey can really take its toll on an athlete, with many wondering if Betts' health is beginning to suffer as a result of his time in the sport.
In the 2005-06 NHL hockey season, he scored eight goals and two assists with the New York Rangers. Since that time, he has been used primarily on special teams and has done well in penalty killing and winning face-offs.
In his over 300 games played since the 2001-02 season, Blair Betts has scored 27 goals and 18 assists, with the majority of those being since he joined the New York Rangers. The Rangers are suffering as a team this season with their record, and his time out with injuries could be part of the reason, although it seems that the offense of the Rangers could be the primary reason, having difficulty scoring points all year.
Experts blame the Rangers last place position on a lack of confidence and a failure of the players to gel as a team. Whether Blair Betts can do much to help bring the Rangers out of the slump remains to be seen. Other players, and Rangers General Manager, Sather could shoulder much of the blame. Blair Betts has a lot of work cut out for him with this team, and could probably do better on one that would do him justice.
The New York Post wrote that Blair Betts and his teammate, Sjostrom, could be the best penalty kill tandem in Rangers history and they had a franchise high of 87.6 percent. He has also been declared one of the most underrated players in the league.
Having played for the Calgary Flames since 1998, before joining the New York Rangers, this Canadian born ice hockey player weighs 210 pounds at 6 feet 3 inches. His pro career started in 2001 and he has been a consistent defensive center.
The New York Rangers, however, have not done so well. They are going through their highest losing streak, so it may be hard to determine where some of the praise for Blair Betts is translating into winning games for the team.
Blair Betts has been also plagued with injuries, suffering a broken orbital bone around his left eye in May, 2008, and recovering from an upper body injury in December, 2008. Prior to that injury, he had three goals and five points in 28 games this past season. In his fourth season with the New York Rangers, he has missed time with injuries to his knee, foot and face.
Of course, ice hockey in the NHL can be a rough and tumble game and many defensive players can get injured from rough play or fights on the rink. Blair Betts, at 28 years old, has been playing professionally since 2000, when he joined the AHL, Calgary Flames.
Betts started playing hockey even before this, of course. He got his start with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars, with whom he played from 1996 until being taken by the Calgary Flames in the 1998 NHL draft. Hockey can really take its toll on an athlete, with many wondering if Betts' health is beginning to suffer as a result of his time in the sport.
In the 2005-06 NHL hockey season, he scored eight goals and two assists with the New York Rangers. Since that time, he has been used primarily on special teams and has done well in penalty killing and winning face-offs.
In his over 300 games played since the 2001-02 season, Blair Betts has scored 27 goals and 18 assists, with the majority of those being since he joined the New York Rangers. The Rangers are suffering as a team this season with their record, and his time out with injuries could be part of the reason, although it seems that the offense of the Rangers could be the primary reason, having difficulty scoring points all year.
Experts blame the Rangers last place position on a lack of confidence and a failure of the players to gel as a team. Whether Blair Betts can do much to help bring the Rangers out of the slump remains to be seen. Other players, and Rangers General Manager, Sather could shoulder much of the blame. Blair Betts has a lot of work cut out for him with this team, and could probably do better on one that would do him justice.
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