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Former Rangers' fan favorite Nick Fotiu, shown here in 2004 as an assistant coach with the Hartford Wolfpack, had plenty of problems with the Blueshirts after Friday's Game 7 loss to Tampa Bay.

(AP)

As a player, Nick Fotiu pulled no punches. He hasn't stopped as a fan.

The Staten Island native and S.I. Sports Hall of Famer, one of the most beloved players in the history of the New York Rangers, was still steaming Saturday night, less than 24 hours after the Blueshirts' uninspired performance in a 2-0 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 loss to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

"It came down to plays, and it didn't seem like the Rangers had any. No controlled breakouts, nothing off the faceoff," said Fotiu, who made his legacy as a tough guy -- leading the Rangers in penalty minutes in two seasons -- but who also had a successful resume as a head coach in the minor leagues.

"The players didn't have the same fire they had in the sixth game (a 7-3 road win). They were flat," said Fotiu, who was in attendance at Madison Square Garden on Friday. "You could see the look in their eyes. They didn't play with any urgency -- it's hard to say that for a seventh game.

"They looked like a horse that didn't want to run."

NASH, OTHERS NOT GRITTY ENOUGH

Fotiu cited the absence of players who wanted to screen Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, knowing they would have to "pay the price to score dirty goals."

"Mats Zuccarello (who missed the series with a concussion) is someone who gets in front, and he's a small guy," Fotiu said. "It's not how big you are; it's how much heart you have."

Fotiu was critical of Rick Nash, who scored 42 goals in the regular season but only five in the playoffs.

"I would hear people say, 'At least he's playing defensive hockey.' No one cares about that," said Fotiu. "Back-checking my (butt). Score some goals.

"He's a big guy, but he doesn't like to get in front. In the playoffs, usually guys are all cut up with black eyes and such; he didn't have a mark on him," said Fotiu of Nash. "And he never shows any emotion. He doesn't jump around; he doesn't get mad."

Nick Fotiu, far right behind the glass, had a bird's-eye view of Tampa Bay's second goal Friday against Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

DIDN'T THROW THE BODY

Fotiu, who just turned 63 this past week, said the Rangers weren't physical enough in the series.

"When I played, the other team had to pay the price. You have to intimidate," said Fotiu, who is still sixth on the Rangers' all-time list for penalty minutes. "You don't have to intimidate by fighting -- you can intimidate by checking hard, hitting hard, skating hard, hitting their best players.

"I don't remember seeing (top playoff scorer Tyler Johnson) hit hard once the whole series."

When it was mentioned to him that Chris Kreider could be that kind of intimidating player, Fotiu balked.

"I don't see it. If he's challenged, you don't see him again," he said of Kreider, who -- according to the former Johnstown Chiefs head coach and Hartford Wolf Pack assistant -- was supposed to take boxing lessons from Fotiu "but he never called me."

NEEDED TO SHAKE UP LINEUP

If he had been behind the bench for Game 7, Fotiu said he would've shaken up the lines -- specifically, sitting Martin St. Louis more, especially on the power play, and giving more ice time to the likes of James Sheppard.

"Who cares what (St. Louis) has done in his career? It's the seventh game, and you have to win it," Fotiu said. "It was the time to send a message to the team, and no message was sent. You have to play guys who are hot."

As for those who said that MSG was too quiet because of all the corporate fans, Fotiu has his own theory.

"The Rangers didn't do anything to get the crowd excited. You're telling me the crowd wouldn't have gone crazy if they had scored a goal? They gave them nothing," said Fotiu. "They only made some noise when Hank (goalie Henrik Lundqvist) made some big saves.

"As a player, you have to make your own noise. It's your doing. You have to start banging guys around. They don't have a guy like that."

GIVE THANKS FOR HANK

The one player Fotiu feels sorry for is Lundqvist -- who has won a Vezina Trophy, Olympic gold and silver medals and many other accolades but is still without a Stanley Cup.

"He was the only player who got mad at the end, the only player who was banging his stick," Fotiu said of the 33-year-old netminder.

"The window of opportunity to win with him is closing; maybe it's closed. Are they going to win a Stanley Cup with him? I don't know ... it doesn't seem like it. Even if he might be the best player in hockey."