Rangers’ next challenge comes on Saturday as they head to Hampden where Aberdeen await in the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup and McInnes is hoping to get the better of his old club.
But he admits, despite Aberdeen’s recent poor form and the fact Rangers are firm favourites to win through, his side will have to “deliver it on the pitch”.
“People might view us as favourites for it and I understand that but we’ve’ still got a game to win and Aberdeen are capable of a big performance,” said McInnes.
“I’m just concentrating on us, if we get to our levels then hopefully it’s going to be enough to win the game but a strong 90-minute performance is going to be required, I feel.
“To get the first trophy would be so important, reinforcing confidence, reinforcing belief. Traditionally, semi-finals can be fraught with a lot of nerves and tension and sometimes they’re not the best games, because of what’s at stake.
“A semi-final is a stand alone game, sometimes form goes out the window. They’ve got a good, experienced manager in Robbo (Stephen Robinson) and they’ve got some good players, experienced players in Aberdeen and they’ll be relishing the opportunity as well.”
“I totally understand it, though. I loved my time at Hearts, I need to say that. It was only a short time, but I thought my Hearts team were a breath of fresh air for Scottish football last season.
“I really enjoyed what we managed to achieve. It shows what can be done despite not having the huge financial muscle of Rangers and Celtic to compete with, and I was proud of what we did there.
“I think taking a team who finished in the bottom six and getting to 80 points, I just felt a real injustice at the end of it all. So I think I understand it’s not going to be great for me [on Wednesday], but I get it.”
Hearts led the Scottish Premiership for most of the season, only to lose 3-1 at Celtic Park as the reigning champions retained the title in the most dramatic fashion.
“At the time, at Hearts, we were hurting last season,” McInnes said. “It was almost as if we were in mourning. That seems a bit exaggerated, but that’s how it felt.
“We were all kind of clinging to each other in the first part of the close season. It’s a time when we felt we should all be sticking together. So I kind of feel the guilt that I had a decision to make, whether I stayed or whether I left.”
McInnes realises how Hearts fans felt about his exit, given he himself had a similar reaction to captain and leading scorer Lawrence Shankland having already announced he was moving to Ibrox.
“I remember how I felt then, how I felt a bit let down, a bit flat with the whole thing. For me to make a similar move a couple of weeks later, I understood that,” McInnes added.
“The treatment I get is what it is, and you could say I deserve it, but nothing will change how I felt about my time at Hearts.
“I think there was a real injustice. We felt that grievance towards the end of the season that we should have won a title.
“I wanted to be a manager that won a title outwith the Old Firm. But for a few contentious decisions going against us, I think we would have won it.”
Ron Duguay, a longtime New York Rangers star who finished his NHL career with the Kings, has died of cancer. He was 69.
The Rangers announced the loss of “one of the most popular players in franchise history” on Thursday morning after being informed by Duguay’s family.
“Ron’s signature skating style — with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice — captivated The Garden Faithful, and his skill, tenacity, and charisma earned him the admiration of all New Yorkers,” the team said in a statement. “We join the hockey community in sending our condolences to Ron’s friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who dated Duguay over the last several years, posted on social media that the one-time NHL All-Star “passed away peacefully” Thursday “after a hard-fought battle with cancer.”
“It’s with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now,” Palin wrote. “He fought so hard. Love never ends.”
On Sunday, Palin posted photos that appeared to show her holding Duguay’s hand while he was in a hospital bed. “Prayers for Ron Duguay are felt & appreciated,” she wrote.
Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Duguay was selected by the Rangers at No. 13 overall in the 1977 draft. Known for his long, curly hair and flashy lifestyle — “why, he even danced with Cher at one of Manhattan’s best-known discos,” the New York Times wrote in 1983 — Duguay became a star during the six seasons of his initial stint in New York. He helped the Rangers make the 1979 Stanley Cup Final and earned his only All-Star nod in 1982.
Ron Duguay, front left, blocks out New York Rangers’ Carey Wilson as Kings teammate Marty McSorley winds up to shoot Feb. 27, 1989, at Madison Square Garden.
(Ron Frehm / Associated Press)
Duguay was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 1983 and had the two best seasons of his career, including career highs of 89 points on 38 goals and 51 assists during the 1984-1985 season. He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a second time for the Rangers before wrapping up his career with the Kings from 1988 to 1989.
Overall, Duguay had 673 points (305 goals, 368 assists) in the NHL regular season and playoffs. He went on to play in the minor leagues, including two seasons with the IHL’s San Diego Gulls, and spent 12 years calling Rangers games as an MSG Network analyst.
“Ron greeted each day with the biggest smile, an incredible zest for life, and a positive outlook that shone through everything he saw, everything he did, and every life he touched,” the NHL Alumni Assn. wrote on X. “He will be remembered not only for the player he was, but for the extraordinary person he was. His warmth, his laughter, his kindness, and his beautiful spirit will forever remain in the hearts of his family, friends, teammates, and the entire NHL Alumni community.”
The Kings reposted the alumni association’s statement and added: “Our hearts are with Ron’s family & loved ones and we join them in mourning his passing.”
In 2024, Duguay was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, which had started in his colon before spreading to his liver and other parts of his body, according to a post on the GoFundMe page set up by his three adult children to help pay for his medical and travel costs. He lived in Florida but had to make regular trips to Orange County for treatment.
“Early this morning, our beloved father took his final breath after fighting a long and courageous battle. He fought with everything he had, right until the very end,” daughter Shay Thomas wrote on Thursday in a separate GoFundMe post. “Our hearts are shattered, and the world feels a little less bright without him in it. He will be missed by so many, but we find peace in knowing that he is finally free from pain and suffering.
“He fought the good fight until his very last breath, and today, Heaven gained a truly special angel.”
NEW YORK — Sean Durzi scored 78 seconds in, Dylan Garand made 29 saves and the New York Rangers defeated the travel-weary Ducks 5-2 on Monday night to improve to 6-0-0 at home this fall.
The Rangers (7-3-1) did not pick up their sixth victory at Madison Square Garden last season until Jan. 26, their 23rd game there. They lost 27 of 41 at home on the way to missing the playoffs and finishing last in the Eastern Conference.
There is hope of a turnaround given this start, even missing franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season. Garand was making a fifth consecutive start since Shesterkin went down, and he has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 10 NHL appearances dating to his debut last spring.
He got support early and often, with Durzi’s goal making it three home games in a row where the Rangers have scored in the first two minutes. That has only happened once before for New York, in March 1989.
The Ducks scored twice in the final 69 seconds, on goals by Nick Jensen and A.J. Greer, their first goals with Anaheim, to ruin the shutout bid.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, captain J.T. Miller and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and Alexis Lafreniere recorded two assists. Pavel Dorofeyev, the team’s most notable trade acquisition over the summer, came close on several occasions but remained stuck on two goals for the season.
Putting goalie Ville Husso in a tough spot with sloppy play, the Ducks (4-4-0) looked every bit like a group that endured a 15-hour, delay-filled travel ordeal to the East Coast from Southern California. They did not arrive at their hotel until 2:30 a.m., were on the ice for their morning skate less than nine hours later and were getting shut out until scoring twice in the final 70 seconds.
As far as optimism goes, Rangers were blown full of positive energy as they made the Saturday-night trip to Dundee on the back of seven straight wins.
However, a Dan Neil error felt “like a balloon popping”, said manager Derek McInnes, resulting in the Ibrox side fluffing their chance to move back to the Scottish Premiership summit after a gripping 2-2 draw at Dens Park.
McInnes’ men were punished for a disjointed first half when the impressive hosts went ahead through Bradley Fink, but Badredine Bouanani fired in a leveller just before the break.
Rangers lifted their intensity and level of dominance after the interval and were heading for an eighth consecutive victory when Nicolas Raskin slammed in a long-range stunner.
But a mishit Neil backpass to goalkeeper Ivor Pandur was pounced on by Callum Jones to earn Dundee a deserved point, opening the door for Celtic to extend their lead at the top to four points when they welcome Hearts on Sunday (15:00 BST).
“We’ve made a mistake for Dundee’s equaliser and it was like a balloon popping,” McInnes told BBC Scotland. “We then had to dig deep and go again, and we never quite managed to get to the same levels.
“It does feel like a missed opportunity, but in fairness to Dundee they were good value in the first half – it shows you why they are where they are in the league.
“But we can’t come away from home and have to score three goals to win a game.”
Naderi now has three goals in his past two league games, having scored the winner in Rangers’ 1-0 league win away to Celtic before the break.
That alone elevated his status among an initially sceptical support who had watched the 23-year-old struggle to make an impact after singing from German third-tier side Hansa Rostock in February.
Just one league goal – and two in a League Cup trouncing of Queen’s Park – followed last season, with observers unconvinced he had the attributes to be a starting striker at the club.
Such assessments seem to have dissipated as he has surged to the fore in the absence of injured team-mates Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti.
Six goals and three assists, often key interventions, have elevated his status as he adds end product to his physical prowess.
A crucial assist in the late win over St Mirren when Bojan Miovski scored a vital winner was notable.
Naderi has netted winners against Motherwell and Celtic and his two goals against Kilmarnock proved decisive.
His manager agrees Naderi, who made his Czech Republic debut last week, has stepped up to the plate for Rangers at a good time.
“Yes, and fair play to him,” McInnes said. “He’s always such an honest boy, he’s willing to put defenders under pressure.
“I’ve always felt as a striker that if the ball goes in the box, he’ll score his goals. He’s not the type of striker that creates a lot for himself, so he needs that service.
“If we put the ball in the box, as we did in the first half, then he looks a threat.
“He’s had such a good few weeks. Everybody’s so pleased for him. We need someone who would regularly be the goalscorer here at the club.”
