Following the amazing festivities at the Garden last night, and the Rangers’ crucial if underwhelming victory over the Thrashers, attentions shifted back to the mysterious disappearance of defenseman Marek Malik.

The team should have known that you can’t keep the New York media in the dark for long, thus this morning the story has leaked that Malik indeed is unhappy with his playing time once again, and evidently refused to shake Coach Tom Renney‘s hand following Tuesday’s win. Malik had been a healthy scratch in the team’s previous contest.

As the Journal News’ Sam Weinman points out on his blog, Renney has been one of the useless oaf’s “most stubbron backers” during Malik’s tenure here, much to the chagrin of fans who’d like to see the coach enforce accountability in the locker room. Of course that Tom Renney isn’t the type to speak ill of his players in front of cameras and tape recorders doesn’t mean he’s afraid to express himself behind closed doors. After all, the Rangers are governed by the same strict anti-media policies that have notoriously handicapped Knicks’ reporters this season. Either way, Malik may have picked the wrong person in the organization to cross. We’ll have to wait and see how long before the veteran returns to the ice, and whether it will even be in a Rangers’ sweater.