The Sopranos – A New York Rangers Production

Any of you reading this that are familiar with my work know that I usually stay in my lane, which consists of two primary topics—hockey analytics and prospect analysis. Well, seeing that I write for a blog focused on the New York Rangers, there isn’t a whole lot to write about from the analytics perspective that I would particularly enjoy right now, and I’ve fairly recently published my initial 2019 NHL draft ranks with my colleagues Shawn Taggart and George Obremski and I followed that up with a prospects mailbag, so I decided I wanted to do something fun with my next piece.

So, early in January I was sitting down channel surfing and noticed that HBO was running a marathon for my favorite show ever, The Sopranos, and at the time my wife and son both unfortunately were under the weather and sleeping, so I kicked back with a brew and watched until bedtime. While watching I found out that the reason for the marathon of The Sopranos is because apparently it is the 20^th anniversary of the show, and that’s when I realized, the perfect “fun” piece I could write would be this one, correlating New York Rangers players and front office personnel to characters in my all-time favorite show, The Sopranos.

Before I begin, because of the way the world is these days, I feel obligated to write the following disclaimer: Yes, I’m abundantly aware that I am comparing a bunch of hockey players to mostly ruthless gangsters who, many of which during the course of the show committed terrible crimes and are just down right awful human beings. Me saying Chris Kreider is Christopher Moltisanti is NOT me saying that Chris Kreider is a mostly terrible human being that is extraordinarily violent, impulsive and a drug addict. These comparisons largely are based on certain select personality traits and correlations between character story arcs and player career arcs. Also, and I can’t believe I am writing this but again, given the way some people are, I feel obligated to do so—if one of these correlations is regarding a character being killed, that is NOT me saying I want this actual human being to be killed. The comparable for a Sopranos character being killed in this piece—and therefore no longer being on the show—is a player or front office individual being traded/cut/fired etc.

With that ridiculous but unfortunately necessary disclaimer out of the way, let’s get to this piece. Please feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter if you’d like to debate some of my selections. Some of these I feel strongly about, but others are definitely far from perfect, and I’d be happy to have a friendly debate about them. Lastly, there were a few characters and Rangers players/personnel I did not include in the piece, such as Janice Soprano, Adriana La Cerva, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Strome and Gordie Clarke; if you have any ideas for correlations for these individuals, and can adequately justify it, I’ll be happy to add it to the piece and give you full credit for the write-up. With all that said, I hope you all enjoy the piece!

Tony Soprano: Henrik Lundqvist

Tony Soprano was the main character of the show, one of the best characters in the history of television if you ask me, and the de facto boss of the DiMeo crime family. Emphasis on the words de facto. Sure, Henrik Lundqvist is not technically the boss of the Rangers—the team has a president, GM and coach who all have more impactful titles, and he doesn’t have a C sewn to his sweater—however, Henrik Lundqvist is undoubtedly the leader of this team, undoubtedly the best goalie in franchise history, and among the elite goalies in the history of the NHL.

There are also a few personality characteristics the two share as well: they are both fierce competitors—Kevin Hayes himself recently said Lundqvist is perhaps the most competitive person he’s ever met in his life. Both have strong personalities with leadership qualities, although some at times question the leadership abilities of both. Lastly, both have a bit of a fiery aspect to their personalities, which endures them to some, but is criticized by other. For the record, personally I think Lundqvist is a true leader of men and I enjoy the fire he displays, and both Lundqvist and Tony Soprano are on my personal Mt. Rushmores of favorite athletes and T.V. characters.

Junior Soprano: Glen Sather

Glen Sather is still the President of the New York Rangers, and Junior was the acting boss of the DiMeo crime family for much of the show, but both at this point in their careers are much more figurehead leaders than actual leaders. Junior Soprano accomplished a lot of good, and a lot of bad, over the course of his long career with the DiMeo crime family, and much of the same can be said about Glen Sather’s tenure as GM of the New York Rangers. It’s probably a bit insulting to Glen Sather to equate him to Junior, as I think back in the day Sather was more accomplished than Junior ever really was, but there is no doubt that both Uncle Jun and Slats clutch too closely to their old school beliefs and values, that come back to bite them in the ass numerous times throughout their careers. Further, despite both more or less being relics of the past, their presences are still strongly felt throughout over the course of the show and hockey seasons.

Dr. Jennifer Melfi: Jeff Gorton

Admittedly I don’t think there is any perfect character correlation for Gorton; you could argue that as GM he should be Tony or Junior Soprano, or you I guess could make the case for one of the bosses of the Lupertazzi family. However, for Gorton I’m going more with character personality traits and role instead of plot arc, and this lands me at a bit of an admittedly contrarian pick, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Because of her role as Tony’s psychiatrist, and the impact she has on Tony numerous times throughout, she’s actually one of the most powerful characters in the show.

She is one of the few characters on the show that does not rush to judgment, and her primary role is to attempt to fix and heal Tony, often against the will and judgment of others throughout the show. This is similarly to how I view Jeff Gorton, for better or worse, as his role is to try to fix the Rangers and guide them to success. He is not reactionary and does not rush to judgment, similar to Dr. Melfi, and despite his approach being questioned by many—also similar to the Doc—he sticks to his guns and does his best to accomplish his goals. Both individuals have made some serious mistakes along the way, but both overall I believe have the right mentality and direction, despite the not always ideal execution.

Christopher Moltisanti: Chris Kreider

This is one that I feel very strongly about, but some quick crowdsourcing on Twitter a couple weeks back seems to indicate a lot will disagree. Here is my case, and it extends much further than they are both named Chris. Christopher Moltisanti, for all of his faults, was comfortably one of the best characters in the show, same as how Chris Kreider is comfortably one of the best players on the Rangers. Both individuals throw absolute fire when they are on top of their game, and have an energy and ferociousness that is second to none. However, both also let their temper get the best of them at times (well, for Christopher this is probably an understatement) and while both can be dominant forces when they are on their A game, for very different reasons neither is consistently on their A game as much as fans would like. Further, for me at least, even though we’ve spent a lot of time with both individuals, I still struggle to view either as veterans, despite the fact that both eventually take on leadership roles.

A.J. Soprano: Tony DeAngelo

This comparison was an absolute no-brainer for me. To be clear, as a character I like A.J. Soprano, similar to how I like Tony DeAngelo’s game and skillset. However, both are more or less spoiled brats that cause issues for themselves and others across multiple phases of their lives/careers. Both individuals are in positions to be wildly successful if they execute well—DeAngelo because of his very high level of natural ability and A.J. because of his family situation—however, because of the way both have chosen to act and handle their situations, both eventually find themselves in rather tenuous positions eventually, seemingly on their last chance (or close to their last chance). Despite their numerous personality faults, many fans still find themselves rooting for each individual—largely due to the association with their team/family—and both still control their own fates if they can stay focused and work hard.

Carmela Soprano: David Quinn

Carmela is a loving mother and a supportive wife, despite the fact that her efforts often go unappreciated and that her husband is constantly cheating on her. While she has numerous responsibilities, her primary focus undoubtedly is to develop her children into successful adults. She is certainly not without fault, and while overall her heart is in the right place, it is fair to question some of her tactics along the way. Similarly, David Quinn was hired by the Rangers in large part to help develop the team’s younger players and prospects into effective NHL players, and to this point, while I personally feel he has done a better job at this than many give him credit for, he certainly has taken an approach that at times deserves to at least be questioned. Further, they both have excellent heads of hair.

Richie Aprile: Lindy Ruff

Richie Aprile was an old school, ruthless, impulsive and narcissistic prick that in his brief tenure on the show invoked as much hatred as perhaps any character with the exception of Phil Leotardo. As I said in my disclaimer at the top, I’m not saying Lindy Ruff is the personality equivalent of Richie Aprile—because if that were the case him being the defensive coach would be the least of our worries—but I think he’s the clear choice for Lindy Ruff. Ruff also brings a more old school mentality to the team, and despite his relative position of power I don’t think any of us is convinced he quite knows what he’s doing. More importantly, he has been persona non-grata for most fans since the second he arrived on the team, and many will be happy to see him go if the team were to relieve him of his coaching duties in the offseason.

Silvio “Sil” Dante: Marc Staal

For both my Sil and Paulie comparisons, I think you could argue a few different options—and multiple people have on Twitter (quick thank you to everyone who has engaged me about this piece)—but I’m sticking with my gut and sticking with Marc Staal as Sil and Mats Zuccarello as Paulie. Ashley Reid made a very good case for Staal as Paulie which legitimately almost led to me changing my mind here—she said, “Paulie plateaus career wise, doubts his loyalties, and is generally always struggling”—and she is right that in terms of career arcs, Staal is perhaps a better fit for Paulie. However, here is my case, and there reason why I’m sticking to my gut here.

Sil was a childhood friend of Tony’s, he’s been around since they were kids, and he’s viewed as a trusted and steadying force for the DiMeo crime family. Nobody on the Rangers matches that description like Marc Staal. Obviously he’s not a childhood friend of Lundqvist (Tony), but he is the longest tenured Ranger skater, and therefor has likely known Hank the longest of anyone on the team. Staal also was recently referred to as a “calming influence” by Rangers head coach David Quinn. Most of all, Staal is looked upon as a leader in the locker room and an example the younger players can follow in terms of the way he handles himself and works, all of which are roles that Sil occupies throughout the tenure of the show.

Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri: Mats Zuccarello

Paulie was a fan favorite character, a captain and eventually Underboss of the DiMeo crime family, and is perhaps most known for his eccentric and fiery personality and his very superstitious nature. Despite his very serious demeanor at times, Paulie is also perhaps the biggest jokester of the crew, and has many of the best one-liners in the show. I completely agree with Ashley Reid that Staal is certainly a better fit for Paulie in terms of career arcs, but I think Zuccarello is the best fit in terms of personality comparisons. Zuccarello is also a leader in the Rangers room, but from an outsider’s perspective not quite to the same level as Staal, and he is also a fiery competitor who constantly displays his passion both on the ice and in the locker room.

Further, Zuccarello is also a bit of a goofball in his own right, and is largely regarded as one of the funniest players on the team. In fact, during a recent appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Kevin Hayes referred to Zuccarello as one of the funniest players he’s ever played with, and shares a few anecdotes that show how much of a different character Zucc is compared to a typical NHL player, most notably how Zucc constantly is switching up the type of stick he uses, and went as far to say that, “he uses a different stick every practice.” Lastly, Mats Zuccarello reportedly is also a fairly superstitious person—as are many athletes if we are being fair. In a Q&A piece with Zuccarello that I found, when asked about his superstitions he answered, “ I have to walk the same route that I walk to the game if we win that game. Wear the same suit, wear the same shirt, wear the same tie, everything.”

Bobby Baccalieri: Kevin Hayes

Bobby Baccalieri and Kevin Hayes share multiple similarities in terms of career arcs and personality traits. While Bobby was respected by Junior early on in the show, he largely was the butt of many jokes to Tony’s crew early on, particularly about his weight. Sound familiar? If I had to hear one more time an announcer or Pierre McGuire attributing Hayes’ bounce back year in his third season to the 20 pounds he lost in the off-season, I was going to absolutely lose it. Further, Hayes is also definitely a bit of a goofball and not particularly known for his wits, which can also be said of Bobby.

To further the career arc comparisons, Hayes, similar to Bobby, was respected by some earlier in his career, but also was the target of a lot of fan ire, and unfairly was given the moniker “lazy” Kevin Hayes. However, both Bobby and Kevin Hayes would go on to become among the most respected individuals in their organizations, as Bobby rose to the rank of Underboss in the DiMeo family and Hayes is currently playing the best hockey of his career and currently regarded as one of the premier trade chips that may be available this year. Unfortunately, thanks to a hit put out by Phil Leotardo, our time with Bobby was cut short, as he was gunned down in a hobby shop while he was shopping for model trains, a hobby of his. Will our time as Ranger fans with Kevin Hayes be similarly cut short at this year’s trade deadline?

Patsy Parisi: Jesper Fast

This is perhaps the best correlation I came up with in this entire piece. Jesper Fast is Patsy Parisi, and there’s no other legit option. Patsy is a jack of all trades, master of none type of character. His formal job function is that of the accountant for Tony’s crew, but at various points in the show he also serves the roles of enforcer and fashion consultant—well, this last one is a bit of a stretch, but he does obtain suits for the crew. He doesn’t have many lines with the exception of a handful of episodes, but he’s among the leaders in actual screen time on the show, as he’s often seen in the background, particularly in scenes taking place at Bada-Bing.

If this description doesn’t scream Jesper Fast to you, than I’m not sure what Rangers team you have been watching these past few years. Jesper Fast is a player that both Alain Vignealut and now David Quinn trust to perform in a variety of roles, ranging from top line winger to bottom line grinder. When you are watching the team, he rarely jumps off the screen in the way players like Lundqvist, Kreider or Zibanejad do, but he almost always can be seen in the background working and doing the work that enable his linemates to succeed. Jesper Fast is undoubtedly the Patsy Parisi of the New York Rangers.

Furio Giunta: Mika Zibanejad

Admittedly, I struggled at first trying to come up with a good correlation for Mika Zibanejad, so I turned to Twitter, and I got the same response from nearly every person that replied: Mika Zibanejad is Furio. At the time I had yet to assign a player for Furio, so I did some research and came to the conclusion that the people are right, Mika indeed is Furio, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it immediately. They both have some similar appearance traits—particularly the hair and fashion sense, which stand out as different for both the show and the hockey team—and they both have this very deep stare into the camera in nearly every still shot of them when you Google image them. Most of all, both individuals are on the quieter side—relative to their peers at least—but both are absolute assassins at performing their jobs, Furio quite literally.

Italo and Salvatore (The Italian Assassins): Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shestyorkin

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. When Tony Soprano needed a particularly difficult hit taken out that he couldn’t risk being linked to—i.e., Rusty Millio and Phil Leotardo—he turned to Italo and Salvatore—the Italian assassins—to carry it out. Similarly, Ranger fans are hoping that two Russian prospects—Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shestyorkin—can come overseas to the U.S. and help the Rangers achieve the difficult task of successfully completing the rebuild of the team. Hopefully for all our sakes, they do a better job than Italo and Salvatore did with the Phil Leotardo hit. For the record, I have all the confidence in the world that they will do a much better job.

Carmine Lupertazzi Jr.: James Dolan

Carmine Lupertazzi Jr., aka Little Carmine, is an entitled and unqualified Capo of the Lupertazzi family—one of New York’s Five Families in the show—who really only has any power because of who is father is. Both Tony and Johnny Sack refer to Little Carmine multiple times as an “idiot” or “brainless,” and Johnny once joked about how Little Carmine occupies his time with trivial things like fixing wet t-shirt contests. Enter the comparison to James Dolan, the owner of the Rangers and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, who is far from a self-made man, being handed most of what he has today by his father, Charles Dolan, the founder of Cablevision. While James certainly has his own successes in business, he’s largely seen as a bit of a goofball whose over-management has largely contributed to the atrocious play of the Knicks for most of the past 17 years. To add to it, he spends a lot of time promoting and playing with his blues rock band JD & The Straight Shot, and he is infamous for his kazoo work.

Johnny Boy Soprano: Benoit Allaire

Johnny Boy Soprano is the deceased father of Tony and brother of Junior. Johnny Boy was a well-respected captain in the DiMeo crime family before his death, and he had taken Tony under his wing and helped groomed him into the man, and mobster, that we know in the show. Since Johnny Boy passed away before the show’s timeline, he is only referenced in stories and seen in flashbacks, but his presence is felt throughout every season of the show. This is how I envision Benoit Allaire and his relationship with the New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist—who I’ve dubbed Tony Soprano in this piece.

Benoit Allaire is widely regarded as one of the very best goalie coaches in the NHL, and is credited with helping to groom the 205^th overall pick in the 2000 NHL draft into one of the best goalies in the history of the NHL. Further, he is rarely seen on camera or conducting interviews with the press, but he has had one of the largest impacts on the Rangers organization of any coach or front office member in the past 20 years.

Livia Soprano: Henrik Lundqvist haters

Livia Soprano is the abusive mother of Tony who went as far as to manipulate Junior into putting a hit out on her own son, and this is only one of multiple serious offenses she committed against Tony. Livia Soprano was clearly unfit to be a mother, as she was abusive to all three of her children throughout their lives and refers to them as if they were nothing more than burdens. There is only one possible correlation for Livia Soprano: Rangers “fans” that somehow hate Henrik Lundqvist—the primary reason this team has had any real modicum of success over the last 15 years and an individual who has been nothing but a class act in all walks of life.

I’m not going to name any specific jackasses that fall into this category by name—that gives them the attention they so clearly are desperate for—but most of you reading know who I’m referring to. If you somehow hate Henrik Lundqvist, the unquestioned best goalie in the over 90 years of this team’s existence who also by all accounts is a fantastic human being, then you are the sports equivalent of an abusive mother who tries to have her son murdered. Sorry, but I’m not sorry.

Meadow Soprano: Lias Andersson

Meadow is a character who, given her pedigree and abilities, has a ton of potential, but for one reason or another—some of which are outside of her control—it takes her longer than many would have liked to reach this potential. If the doesn’t describe Lias Andersson, for better or worse, than I don’t know what does. Lias was the 7^th overall pick in the 2017 draft, taken ahead of a few prominent names, and a misinformed rumor—and yes I can confirm this was a misinformed rumor—became prevalent that the reason he was taken was because he was viewed as more NHL ready than some of the prospect the team passed on. All of this led to an even higher level of expectation to be placed on his earlier performance than the already high expectations that come with being the 7^th overall pick.

For one reason or another, Lias has not yet met these lofty expectations placed on him by many, but similar to Meadow, some of the reasons are in his control, and some are outside of his control. However, despite some of the bumps in the road Lias and Meadow have experienced early on in their career/plot arc, they are both individuals that many find themselves rooting for. Further, by the end of the show, Meadow seems to have figured it all out, as she became engaged to Patrick Parisi and had plans to join Patrick’s law firm, which could have significant benefits to Tony and the family. Similarly, I think Lias will absolutely figure it all out at the NHL, and become a significant contributor to the Rangers for years to come.

Tony Blundetto: Brendan Smith

Typically referred to as Tony B, Tony Soprano’s cousin was a fantastic character on the show, but only appeared for one season. Tony B joined the show early on in season 5 when the “class of 04” was released from prison—which included Tony B, Angelo Garepe and Phil Leotardo—and was killed by Tony Soprano at the end of the season. After being frustrated that he isn’t moving up in his cousin’s rank quickly enough, Tony B accepts a contract from his old prison buddy Angelo Garepe, who is part of Little Carmine’s crew during the Lupertazzi family power struggle, and murders Joey Peeps, who is a trusted member of Phil Leotardo’s crew. This sets forth a chain of events that leads to Tony B’s downfall—Phil and his brother Billy murder Angelo, which drives Tony B into a blind rage that leads to him tacking down and injuring Phil and murdering Billy. After much pressure from Phil and deliberation, Tony Soprano ends up making the difficult decision to kill Tony B himself, to save his own crew from retaliation from Phil and to save his cousin from being tortured by Phil.

Enter the Brendan Smith comparison, who sports a similar slicked back hairstyle to Tony B, entered the Rangers organization mid-season during the 2016-2017 season, and largely due to excellent performance in the playoffs for the Rangers that year, gained much fanfare. Similar to Tony B, Smith’s early success would be short-lived, largely due to his own doing. Despite signing a lucrative new contract in the offseason, Smith entered the 2017-2018 season completely out of shape and had such a miserable season that he earned a demotion to Hartford. To this point, despite a good game here or there, Smith hasn’t remotely returned to the form that Rangers fans enjoyed during the 2017 playoffs, which has many fans clamoring for an early departure for Smith. Will Jeff Gorton play the role of Tony Soprano and do away with Smith well before his contract expires with a trade—which is unlikely due to his contract—or an off-season buyout?

Benny Fazio: Filip Chytil

Benny Fazio is one of the younger members and a rising star in the DiMeo crime family. His tenure on the show begins with him being a solider and a friend of Christopher’s while working for his crew after Christopher became a made man, and by the end of the show he himself is a made man and one of the most trusted members of Tony’s crew. Filip Chytil was arguably the Rangers best prospect entering this season, and his play this year has largely lived up to the hype for most—well, the hype of the realistic fans that is. Chytil is undoubtedly one of the most valuable pieces to the Rangers rebuild, and the hope of every Ranger fan is that his career arc will take a similar one to Benny Fazio on the Sopranos, and in a few years he’ll be one of the most critical established players on the team. Benny and Chytil also both have baby faces which help deepen this correlation, and both have a large cunning element to them that is on display throughout.

Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero: Adam McQuaid

Both Adam McQuaid and Sal Bonpensiero, who Tony Soprano often refers to as “Puss,” are respected, veteran presences with long track record. Both individuals are seen as intimidators and enforcers throughout their tenures, which are major contributing factors to each individual’s success. However, much of the success of each individual came prior to our time with them. Puss primarily rose to prominence due to his backing of Johnny Boy Soprano and helping establish Tony as a capo after Johnny’s death, all of which occurred before the show plot line begins, and McQuaid’s prime was spent with the Boston Bruins.

By the time the show plot line start and McQuaid joins the Rangers, both are still well respected individuals, but their prime is clearly behind them. Sal met a relatively quick end, as he was killed by Tony, Paulie and Sil for being an FBI informant at the end of season 2. As I write this, McQuaid is still a member of the Rangers, but there is a lot of speculation that he could be dealt by the team at the trade deadline.

Dante Greco: Cody McLeod

Dante does not have a large role in the show, and is first seen in season 5. Despite not having a lot of screen time, he does have a fairly important responsibility, as he is the driver and bodyguard for Tony during the final season. Similarly, Cody McLeod joined the Rangers relatively late compared to many other members of the team, and does not have a prominent role on the Rangers—although his current role is larger than many would like. Further, like Dante, McLeod’s primary role is to be a quasi-bodyguard for the team on the ice, serving as the team’s enforcer.

Johnny “Sack” Sacramoni: Chris Drury

Johnny Sack is one of the characters I struggled with the most in this piece, as I had a few different options I felt I could make a case for. At the end, the choice came down to Kevin Shattenkirk against Chris Drury, but inevitably Chris Drury was deemed the better fit. Johnny Sack was the underboss for the Lupertazzi crime family for much of the show, and eventually emerged as the boss after a power struggle following Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.’s death. Until the power struggle, Johnny was viewed as one of the more pragmatic characters, who often was the voice of reason and served as a moderator in larger disputes. He also was an individual that was nearly universally respected for most of the show. Chris Drury could be viewed as the underboss of the Rangers, and similar to Johnny, Drury is well-respected for his prior accomplishments and is someone being groomed to one day be the boss. However, similar to Johnny, Drury also has a bit of a ruthless side to him—particularly back in his playing days—and perhaps we may see that side of him again once he is a GM and making the final decisions on team maneuvers.

Phil Leotardo: Pavel Buchnevich

Phil Leotardo was released from prison at the beginning of season 5, along with Tony B Angelo Garepe, and this event serves as the igniter for the plot of the remainder of the show. He is the source of a ton of conflict, is as ruthless as they come, and was a polarizing figure among fans—some absolutely loved the character and enjoyed having such a powerful antagonist to root against, and others just straight up hated him.

For better or worse, similar to Phil, Pavel Buchnevich is also a very polarizing figure among Ranger fans these day, with a large group of the fan base appreciative of his talents and potential, while other feel he is soft, whiny and will never be more than a passenger on his lines. Also similar to Phil, Buchnevich is the central source for a lot of strife among the fanbase—and potentially the organization as well—as both the previous and current Rangers coaches seemingly have taken issue with Buchnevich’s game at times—as evidenced by often playing him down in the lineup—which has led to endless argument among fans about whether this deployment is deserved or not. Last but not least—and the primary reason for this comparison—have you ever seen Phil or Buchnevich smile!? I’m obviously being slightly hyperbolic here, but seriously, would it kill Phil or Buch to act like they are happy at least once in a while?

Vito Spatafore: Neal Pionk

Vito was introduced to the show in season 2 as a member of Richie Aprile’s crew after Richie’s release from prison, and he quickly rose up the ranks to the level of capo after the deaths of Richie, Ralph and Gigi. However, after it is reveled he is a homosexual, he had to flee for his life, as this lifestyle is deemed unacceptable to the crime family, and his wife’s brother, Phil Leotardo, is determined to get retribution for the perceived slight to his sister.

The comparison between Neal Pionk and Vito Spatafore lies strictly in the similar career arcs. Similar to Vito, Neal Pionk quickly rose to prominence among many Rangers fans, as he was putting up point production for a rookie defenseman that hadn’t been seen by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch. However, just as quickly as his rise was his fall in the hearts of many fans, as once the points dried up, many fans began to realize how flawed Pionk’s overall game is, and while he still has his defenders and there is still ample room for further development, many now view Pionk as a talented but deeply flawed player.

Ralph Cifaretto: Brady Skjei

Similar to Phil, Ralph was a very polarizing character among fans of the show. In my opinion, he was an excellent character—note that I said character and not person—and his plot line included some of my favorite episodes of the show. Ralph is an intelligent character who is easily among the best producers in the Dimeo crime family—a fact he points out often—but he is also perhaps the most volatile character in the whole show. Similarly, I think Skjei is a very gifted defenseman for the Rangers, who can use his combination of skating, intelligence and puck skills to look like a top-line defenseman when he is on his A game. However, he is also a rather volatile player, who can have massive swings in his game from one week to the next. At their best, Skjei and Cifaretto can both be top producers and leaders of their respective organizations; however, at their worst they can not only be bad, but detrimental. Hopefully for us Rangers fans, Skjei can overcome his deficiencies and become a more consistently great player, or else Henrik Lundqvist might embody his Tony Soprano comparison and Skjei will meet a similar ending to Ralph.

Hesh Rabkin: Kevin Shattenkirk

Hesh is an older advisor and friend to Tony Soprano, who also served in a similar role to his father Johnny Boy. For the majority of the show, Hesh is among the most respected characters in the show, as evidenced by the fact that Tony turned to Hesh when he separated from his therapy temporarily. He is well-educated, productive and even-keeled, and had a long track record of success that long pre-dates his tenure with the Sopranos.

Similarly, Kevin Shattenkirk largely established his resume of success prior to joining the Rangers, largely during his time with the St. Louis Blue organization. Shattenkirk is also cool-headed and, relative to much of the youthful team now, among the elder statesman and more well-respected voices in the room. Similar to Hesh, some that were originally in his corner have turned against him of late—as Hesh got into a late series spat with Tony over money he loaned Tony, and Shattenkirk’s injuries and not quite up to expectations play has led to some fans to sour on him. Most of all, Hesh and Shattenkirk both have perhaps the worst in their respective organizations.

Little Paulie Germani: Brett Howden

Little Paulie is the cousin of Paulie Walnuts, and joins the show as a soldier for Tony’s crew in season 4. He often accompanies Christopher as extra muscle on debt collections, and while he takes a few serious knocks throughout his tenure on the show, he undoubtedly shows potential and is viewed as someone that can eventually become a valued member of the crime family. Similarly, Brett Howden is a rookie on the Rangers that certainly is far from a perfect player, but also shows promise. He started the season hot, and was loosely in the Calder conversation for some, but has played poorly of late and could warrant a demotion to the AHL if it continues for much longer. However, despite the bumps in the road, Howden’s overall skillest and hockey IQ should lend themselves to helping him become a valuable contributing member to the Rangers organization for years to come.

Artie Bucco: Jimmy Vesey

I will be completely honest here, I had no idea who to compare Jimmy Vesey to, and when I took to Twitter and inquired about Vesey, the most common response I got was Artie Bucco. Artie is the owner of the restaurant Tony and his crew frequent, but is largely depicted as an insecure idiot who lacks self-awareness and the ability to learn from his mistakes. Personally, this correlation is probably an insult to Vesey, as I feel much of the ire Vesey can draw from fans is largely due to the hype around him coming out of college and the largely favorable deployment he receives from his coaches. None of these are Vesey’s fault, while Artie’s major issues are almost entirely his fault. However, I’m giving the people what they want with this one, so Jimmy Vesey is Artie Bucco. To everyone’s credit, both characters are a bit goofy-looking, and both have significant highs and lows throughout their tenures.