James Dolan is standing by Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury despite the team’s struggles and inability to score this season.
The Rangers owner was asked in a WFAN interview Monday if he still believed in Drury. Dolan didn’t hesitate: “Yes, absolutely. He and Mike Sullivan are installing a new culture into that club and that does not happen overnight. I’m being patient.”
He’s been especially patient with Drury, who got a multiyear extension in April.
On Monday, Dolan made it clear his opinion of the executive hadn’t changed.
“Chris Drury is a winner and a competitor,” Dolan said. “He won himself. He can’t stand to lose. He’s probably not happy right now. I know he’s not happy right now. Neither is Mike.’’
That’s as the Rangers sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, tied for 13th in the Eastern Conference and with one of the worst home records in the NHL.
“We’re not out of it by any means,’’ Dolan said. “We’re very much in it. Culture doesn’t turn around overnight.”
And Dolan reiterated that a change was necessary after Sullivan replaced Peter Laviolette as head coach.
“The team has to gel together,’’ Dolan said. “They have to see they can win. They have to believe in themselves. I think the team last year didn’t believe in themselves. That made it hard.”
And that led to Sullivan coming in to replace Laviolette.
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“We thought they needed a change in the coach,” Dolan said. “This coach is a culture coach, a collaborator and a builder of teams. I think that’s gonna take a little while for Mike to get in there.”
So far, the results have been mixed.
Entering Monday’s game at MSG against Utah, only St. Louis had scored fewer goals per game than the Rangers and only Vancouver had fewer home wins.
“That’s another culture thing,’’ Dolan said of the inability to win at the Garden. “Also, the shots on goal are low. They play pretty well and then they have moments when things don’t go well and they find it hard to pull themselves up. They have to learn to do it. As an owner, you have to be patient.”
