No sleep till Broadway as Clowe debuts for Rangers

Ryane Clowe will need a good pregame nap, but he should be ready Wednesday night to make his debut for the New York Rangers.

After saying some emotional goodbyes Tuesday, Clowe took the red-eye from San Jose to New York. Though bleary-eyed, he arrived Wednesday in time to take part in the Rangers' optional morning skate at the team's training facility in Greenburgh, N.Y.

Clowe, who was acquired Tuesday for three draft picks, expects to be on the ice at Madison Square Garden when the Rangers face the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

Ironically, the Penguins now employ Clowe's former San Jose Sharks teammate, Douglas Murray.

"Yeah, right back against Dougie Murray, a good buddy of mine who just got traded as well, that'll be interesting," Clowe told reporters in Greenburg after the morning skate. "To come in and play Pittsburgh, a top team in the League, it'll be a great test to test myself and I'm sure it'll be a great test for the team."

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Clowe's right about the second part, even though there's a good chance he's not aware the Rangers have lost seven straight to the Penguins, including all three games this season by a combined 12-3 score.

That's not Clowe's concern now. He just wants to get used to his new team and surroundings.

Clowe was drafted by the Sharks in 2001 and has played all of his 423 NHL games for them. He waived his no-trade clause to come to New York.

"I thought it would be a real good fit here," Clowe said. "I've been watching their games the last couple of weeks. I've always liked how New York plays and the style they play. I think they have a lot of real good players, a good core. I think I'll fit in real well. Obviously, coming down to the deadline, there's some options where I was going to go, but I think New York was my first choice."

He's hoping it's not a short stay in the Big Apple.

Clowe's contract expires at the end of this season, but he said Wednesday morning he would like to re-sign with the Rangers.

"I'd love to be here and be part of this and be here a while," Clowe said. "Now, what happens, I'm not sure. The next month is going to be a sprint to the finish here, so I've got to make sure my game is where it needs to be, and I think if I'm playing at the top of my game I'll help this team and we'll go from there."

Clowe said he hopes to play his normal hard, physical game that in the past led to offense. This season it hasn't, but the Rangers need Clowe, who had no goals and 11 assists in 28 games, to get going as soon as possible.

The Rangers are last in the NHL in goals with 82, six fewer than Clowe's former team.

"I don't think I was playing a real good game out of the start after the lockout. As a bigger guy, it took me a while to get going," Clowe said. "I got frustrated, I wasn't scoring, it kind of built up, but I felt like I put that behind me and started playing my game the last 10 games or so. I'm moving my feet, that's a big part of my game. I know the goals will come."

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