Lisin Happy to be a Ranger

There aren't many Russians who have enjoyed an extended residency at the World's Most Famous arena, but if 23-year old Enver Lisin has his way, he'll get to become one of them.  At the New York Rangers season subscriber forum on Tuesday night the happy-go-lucky forward's joy at being a part of the Rangers organization was obvious.  The former Phoenix Coyote, who rarely stopped laughing or smiling, admitted that he had never been on a team that was as close as the current Rangers squad, telling fans "I realize day after day how lucky I was to be traded."

A little over two weeks ago, as he prepared to face his old team for the first time, Lisin spoke to Sovietsky Sport reporter Gennady Boguslavsky about his time with the Coyotes, his thoughts on his new team, and a variety of topics ranging from head coach John Tortorella to his chances of playing for Team Russia in the Olympics.  Here's a taste:

- Doesn’t it scare you that it’s difficult for Russians to grow roots with the Rangers?  It didn’t work out in the careers of Kovalev, Zherdev…

- If you’re scared of such a thing, you should quit playing hockey.  Each player has his own history.  I hope everything works out for me in New York.

- Talk about coach John Tortorella.

- He’s demanding, strict.  But if he gets mad, its for a reason.  It’s good that Tortorella is unbiased.

- Who are you friends with on the Rangers?

- We’ve formed a good team, there’s a lot of youth.  Nobody is broken up into cliques.  We all hang out, we go out together for dinner. But of course, I’m better friends with Artem Anisimov.  We rent a house and live together on road trips.

- You weren’t invited to the Olympic camp at Khodinka [Arena in Moscow].  But do you think that you have a chance to go to Vancouver?

- Every player has a chance.  Even if it’s small… The coach will decide who to take to the Olympics.  My job is to score a lot of points and play excellent hockey so that they pay attention to me.

For more from the interview see Beyond the Blueshirts here.  For a recap of the season subscriber event, check here.