Since I was there for the entire 1994 tournament, I have to start this historic look with a glance at the preceding series in which the New Jersey Devils led the New York Rangers, three games to two. Game 6 was a media circus. With his club on the verge of elimination, Captain Mark Messier captured […]
Imagine a team having to play all seven Stanley Cup Final games on the road and none at home. Imagine goalie Chuck (Bonnie Prince Charlie) Rayner winning the Hart Trophy with a goals against average of 2.62 against such competitors as Hall of Famers Harry Lumley (2.35), Turk Broda (2.48), and Bill Durnan (2.20). Imagine […]
Following the end of World War II, an ex-Navy man, Stan Saplin, became press agent for the Rangers (nowadays they’re known as public relations people). One of his first challenges was putting together the first National Hockey League team guide which he titled, “INSIDE THE BLUE SHIRT.” To do so, he headed to the New York […]
In all of the Rangers 90-year history, there has never been a more bizarre saga involving Blueshirts icon Lester (The Silver Fox) Patrick and his older son Lynn, than the manner in which the young one upstaged his father — big-time — and saved his playing career. To better understand their up and down relationship, one […]
At least three hockey critics have called it “One of the most famous playoff wins in Rangers history.” The critics include Me — I was there to see it — as well as John Kreiser and Lou Friedman. That latter pair knew what they were talking about having written a fine book called “New York […]
Many in the sporting world seem unaware that the current Madison Square Garden actually is — not the first, second or third — but actually the fourth edition of The World’s Most Famous Arena. The first was a converted railroad station at the corner of East 26th Street and Madison Avenue. It opened on May […]
If you think the current Rangers-Canadiens series has been hard-hitting, you should have been around for the original Habs-Blueshirts mother of all brawls. It happened on March 16, 1947, and 70 years later, it’s still hard to believe. This was THE greatest fight in Rangers‘ history; no questions asked. There were many ways to gauge the endless bouts […]
He Shoots! He scores!! Exciting? YES. Those six little words sum up the exhilarating feelings shared by Rangers fans over nine decades of postseason thrills. Pairing the best playoff moments to a mere nine is like pushing back the Atlantic with a box of Kleenex. But a challenge is a challenge so here goes — […]
During the Spring of 1950, the Rangers scored a pair of colossal upsets. Finishing three wins under the .500 mark, the Blueshirts began winning in the post-season. First, they upset the favored Montreal Canadiens in five games and then extended the even-more-favored Detroit Red Wings to seven games before losing in double-overtime. That success bred […]
In hockey, the “characters” come in special, and very different packages. Some are just plain whacky such as forward Jean Pusie who, in the middle of a penalty shot — instead of shooting — got on his knees and bowed before the enemy goalie. Others — especially goalie Gump Worsley — did and said unusual […]