HARTFORD, February 26, 2011:  New York Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather announced today that the Rangers have returned defenseman Michael Del Zotto to the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.

In 47 games with the Rangers this season, Del Zotto has scored two goals and added nine assists for 11 points, while serving 20 minutes in penalties.  In ten AHL games earlier in the year with the Whale, the second-year pro chipped in seven assists, and was Even with eight penalty minutes.

The Whale’s next action is this Wednesday, March 2, as they return to the XL Center to host the Springfield Falcons in a 7:00 PM game.  There will be a “Whale Bowl Appreciation Night” promotion for that game, as Whale Bowl ticket purchasers who present their Whale Bowl ticket stub at the XL Center ticket office can purchase one $19 or $12 ticket for the March 2 game, and receive a second of equal or lesser value free.  On top of that, the Whale will add a coupon for 15% off all Whale Bowl merchandise.  The coupon is redeemable at the Whale Pro Shop, which is located in the Hartford Store at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM.  The coupon is good only for Whale Bowl merchandise.

Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

For information on Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366.

Charlotte, NC, February 26, 2011 – Mike Murphy made 28 saves, and Matthew Pistilli’s second-period power-play goal was the only score of the game, as the Charlotte Checkers eked out a 1-0 win over the Connecticut Whale Saturday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

The result gave the Checkers a sweep of a pair of home games against the Whale, whom Charlotte had pounded by a 5-1 score on Thursday night.  With the loss, the Whale (28-24-2-6, 64 pts.) dropped into a third-place tie in the Atlantic Division with Springfield, which defeated Portland at home by a score of 4-1.  It was the Whale’s sixth shutout loss in sixty games on the season and their second 1-0 loss.

The Whale were without Head Coach Ken Gernander for a second straight game.  Gernander remained in a Charlotte hospital as a precautionary measure, after experiencing pain and swelling in his lower extremities the morning of the Whale’s Thursday loss.  Connecticut also lost Tim Kennedy, who was tied for second on the team in points (12-30-42 in 53 games), before the game, as he was traded by the parent New York Rangers earlier in the day to the Florida Panthers, along with a third-round draft pick, in exchange for veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe.

Kennedy’s absence forced the Whale to play with only seventeen skaters, one fewer than the normal roster limit of 18, but Connecticut dominated much of the first period, outshooting Charlotte 14-2.

The Whale got a bad break, though, with only 23 seconds left in the first, when referee Jeff Smith called Devin DiDiomete for a major penalty for checking to the head, after a hit by DiDiomete on Checker defenseman Zack FitzGerald.  The head-hit infraction also carried with it a game misconduct, so the Whale not only had to kill a major power play, but also lost DiDiomete for the game, reducing their lineup to 16 skaters.

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The Whale came close to killing the penalty, but with 27 seconds still left in it, Pistilli cashed in a second rebound to put Charlotte on top.  Whale goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (21 saves) stopped Zac Dalpe’s one-timer from the center point, and former Wolf Pack defenseman Ethan Graham’s rebound try went off the post to Grumet-Morris’ right, but Pistilli, at the left side of the goalmouth, was perfectly positioned to bury the third try with Grumet-Morris down.

That was all the offense Murphy needed, as he improved his season record to 19-9-3 and his record in his last nine decisions to 8-0-1.

The Checkers are in their first year as an AHL franchise, after 17 seasons of play in Charlotte as an ECHL team.  For 16 of those years, the Checkers were the Rangers’ ECHL affiliate, developing players for the then-Hartford Wolf Pack and before that the Binghamton Rangers.

The Whale return to action this Wednesday, March 2 in their first XL Center home game in three-and-a-half weeks, hosting the Springfield Falcons in a 7:00 PM game.  There will be a “Whale Bowl Appreciation Night” promotion for that game, as Whale Bowl ticket purchasers who present their Whale Bowl ticket stub at the XL Center ticket office can purchase one $19 or $12 ticket for the March 2 game, and receive a second of equal or lesser value free.  On top of that, the Whale will add a coupon for 15% off all Whale Bowl merchandise.  The coupon is redeemable at the Whale Pro Shop, which is located in the Hartford Store at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM.  The coupon is good only for Whale Bowl merchandise.

Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

Connecticut Whale 0 at Charlotte Checkers 1
Saturday, February 26, 2011 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0
Charlotte 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-DiDiomete Ct (fighting), 1:00; Blanchard Cha (fighting), 1:00; Bickel Ct (roughing, fighting), 5:11; FitzGerald Cha (fighting), 5:11; DiDiomete Ct (fighting, major – checking to the head, game misconduct – checking to the head, game misconduct – third major), 19:37; Bellemore Cha (roughing, fighting), 19:37.

2nd Period-1, Charlotte, Pistilli 5 (Graham, Dalpe), 4:10 (PP). Penalties-Dupont Ct (fighting), 7:29; Herauf Cha (fighting), 7:29; Redden Ct (hooking), 8:01; Boychuk Cha (interference), 8:35; Boychuk Cha (slashing), 15:10; Weise Ct (roughing), 16:04; Dalpe Cha (roughing), 16:04.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Redden Ct (high-sticking), 7:54.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 14-8-6-28. Charlotte 2-16-4-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 2; Charlotte 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 4-3-1 (22 shots-21 saves). Charlotte, Murphy 19-9-3 (28 shots-28 saves).
A-12,933
Referees-Jeff Smith (49).
Linesmen-Mike Sheehan (90), Alex Stagnone (7).

New York, February 26, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Tim Kennedy and a third round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

“Bryan McCabe adds an established veteran presence to our young defensive corps,” stated Sather.  “He can help provide offense with his strong shot on the power play, and his versatility allows him to play either the left or right side effectively.  Bryan also brings outstanding leadership qualities, having served as team captain for Florida for the past two seasons.”

McCabe, 35, has eclipsed the 40-point plateau five times, including three seasons of 50 or more points, and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2004.  The 15-year NHL veteran skated in his 1,000th career game on November 6, 2009 vs. Washington, and was named Florida’s captain on September 23, 2009.

McCabe has registered five goals and 17 assists for 22 points, along with 28 penalty minutes in 48 games with Florida this season.  He ranked third on the Panthers in assists, and ranked second among all Florida defensemen in points and tied for second in goals.  He was also tied for third on the team with five power play assists, and fourth with seven power play points and a plus-three rating.  McCabe tied a career-high and established a Panthers’ franchise record for defensemen with four assists on October 16 vs. Tampa Bay.  He also posted a season-high, five-game scoring streak from December 15 vs. Carolina to December 23 at Buffalo, registering six points (three goals, three assists) over the span.

The 6-2, 223-pounder enjoyed his most productive season in 2005-06 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, establishing career-highs with 19 goals, 49 assists and 68 points in 73 games.  He also set career marks with 13 power play goals, 32 power play assists, 45 power play points, and six game-winning goals.  McCabe ranked third among NHL defensemen in points and goals, and sixth in assists.  He was named the NHL’s Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending November 19, 2005, registering seven points (three goals, four assists) in three games.

The St. Catharines, Ontario native has skated in 1,116 career regular season games with the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers, registering 143 goals and 379 assists for 522 points, along with 1,726 penalty minutes and a plus-35 rating.  As a rookie with the Islanders in 1995-96, McCabe registered seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points, along with 156 penalty minutes in 82 games.  He made his NHL debut on October 7, 1995 at Boston, and recorded his first NHL point with a goal on October 31, 1995 at Florida.  McCabe has also skated in 51 career playoff contests with Toronto, registering 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points, along with 70 penalty minutes and a plus-six rating.

Internationally, McCabe has won four gold medals as a member of Team Canada, including the 1997 World Championship in Finland.  McCabe was also selected to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, registering 18 penalty minutes in six tournament contests.

McCabe was originally selected as the New York Islanders’ second round choice, 40th overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Kennedy, 24, has registered 12 goals and 30 assists for 42 points, along with 44 penalty minutes in 53 games with the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season.  He signed with the Rangers as a free agent on August 30, 2010