The dust hasn’t even settled from the dismissal of Rangers president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton, but Mark Messier is essentially lobbying for a job within the organization.
In a wide-ranging interview with Michael Kay on ESPN NY radio Wednesday afternoon, the legendary Ranger was asked to weigh in on the debacle with Capitals forward Tom Wilson, why Davidson and Gorton were fired and the current state of the organization.
Though associate GM Chris Drury is assuming both managerial responsibilities for the time being, and is expected to continue in both roles, Messier addressed the idea of joining the franchise in a leadership position.
“I’ve made it very clear that I’ve been standing by ready to help out in any way for many years,” said the former Rangers captain, who led the team to its 1994 Stanley Cup win. “I don’t really know what else to say.”
Asked if he could coach without having any prior experience, “One thousand percent,” Messier said.
“Hockey is what I do, it’s what I’ve done my whole life. You either are a hockey person or you’re not. There’s no one person that’s perfect for any job, whether you’re a coach or a manager, you need people and support around you to help you in areas that you’re deficient in.”
Messier didn’t have an answer for why CEO Jim Dolan canned Davidson and Gorton, pointing out he hasn’t been in contact with anybody around the team for a few years. But he did have some strong thoughts on how the duo built the team in the last few seasons.
The main topic of conversation focused on Monday’s incident with Wilson, Washington’s notorious agitator whose latest victims were top Rangers forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin. Messier mentioned how valuable a player like Wilson is.
But the discussion prompted Messier to analyze how the Blueshirts are built, and he did not seem impressed.
“In my opinion, if you’re going to win, you got to be able to win in the street and the alley,” he said. “I particularly would not have built the team that didn’t have answers in this regard.”
Messier, 60, has been up for a job with the Rangers before. When he served from 2009-13 as special assistant to former general manager Glen Sather, now senior adviser and alternate governor, Messier told The Post that Sather had approached him about becoming head coach before Alain Vigneault was hired in 2013.
