Nine years later -- Rangers finally get their man

You've got to hand it to the New York Rangers' General Manager, Glen Sather. He's like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, always getting their man.

It took nine years, but the Rangers finally acquired Eric Lindros, and the Lindros family from the Philadelphia Flyers.

In case you didn't know, nine years ago, the Rangers thought they had acquired Eric from the Quebec Nordiques, who Eric refused to play for. (Does this scenario sound familiar? Talk about bad timing. The Quebec Nordiques are now a team known as the Colorado Avalanche and we all know what they've been up to.)

What the Rangers didn't know was that the Nordiques G.M was strapped for cash and had made a deal with Philadelphia earlier. The big question was -- just which team was Eric on -- the New York Rangers or the Philadelphia Flyers?

The arbitrator ruled in favor of the Flyers, and, well, you know the result of that story -- Eric and his family hate the Flyers and the Flyers hate the Lindros' just as much, maybe even more.

After sitting out the 2000-2001 hockey season, Eric L has finally found somewhere to hang up his hockey gear.

Will the player they call "The Next One" make a difference to the "Broadway Blueshirts?"

Given the Rangers current history of buying players just for the sake of buying players, probably not. But you can't say the Rangers aren't trying. After all, it took them nine years to finally get their man.