Rangerade - Where's Gene Leone When You Need Him?

The New York Rangers need to win 2 consecutive games against the Washington Capitals if they hope to advance to the 2nd round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Perhaps they need some Rangerade.

You probably have heard the Gatorade story. The popular worldwide sports drink started out as a student experiment at the University of Florida in 1965 to give the school's athletes - The Gators - optimum performance through hydration and electrolyte replacement. Now Pepsi owns it and it is popular amongst athletes and non-athletes alike right around the globe.

Well in 1951 a New York Rangers fan tried to make up his own concoction to help out his hockey team. Gene Leone, owner of Mama Leone in Manhattan at the time, created a "magic elixir" that would, he promised, would turn his slumping Rangers into winners. Players were said to take just a sip out of a large black bottle before each game.

And it worked! Well, it worked briefly. The Rangers went on a 11 game streak where they only lost 2 contests. The mysterious mix was the talk of the hockey world. The Toronto Maple Leafs are said to have even tried to have the bottle seized when the Rangers crossed the border!

The magic of the elixir was short lived. Soon enough the Rangers returned to the bottom of the standings.

The Rangers also hired a hypnotist by the name of Dr. David Tracy to instil positive images and confidence in the players before they played a game against Boston. The Bruins won that game, and that was the end of that experiment.

Rangers Let Gordie Howe Get Away

The Detroit Red Wings meet the New York Rangers tonight. It is the only time this season the two Original Six teams will compete, unless of course they meet in the Stanley Cup finals.

Did you know that it was the New York Rangers who actually discovered Gordie Howe? A scout by the name of Fred McCorry saw the 15 year old Howe dominating games in Saskatoon and convinced the Rangers to offer him a try-out at training camp.

Remember, Gordie was just 15 years old at the time. Going alone from Saskatoon to Manhattan is scary enough for any teenager, but Howe was a particularly shy and introverted kid. He did not enjoy his taste of the Big Apple at all.

Gordie did not even know how to put on the equipment. He arrived with his own skates, but his family was too poor to be able to buy all the required equipment. The Rangers provided him with all the padding necessary for the training camp, but Howe had to watch other players to learn how to put it all on.

Needless to say, the Rangers veterans were quite shocked by this, and teased Howe about it relentlessly. The bashful Howe just took it, but things got worse. An unnamed vet was said to have taken Gordie's food plates on a regular basis until Alf Pike found out and stepped up for the kid. Howe was losing weight and going hungry.

Needless to say the intimidated youngster Howe was incredibly homesick and desperate to get back home to Saskatchewan. He fled, probably never having any intention of playing big league hockey ever again.

That changed later that winter. Fred Pinckney, a scout for the Detroit Red Wings, befriended Howe and his family, gaining their trust. Before the next season he convinced Howe to come to Windsor, Ontario, a town similar in size to Saskatoon, where the Red Wings were holding training camp. Red Wings boss Jack Adams was enamored with Howe right from first sight, and signed him to a contract.

The Rangers did end up with Victor, though. Not victory, but Victor - Gordie Howe's brother Vic Howe. Yes, Mr. Hockey had a brother who also played professional hockey in the 1950s. He played in a total of 34 NHL games, all with the Rangers.

New York Rangers' 85th Anniversary

While the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres are celebrating their 40th anniversary in the National Hockey League, the New York Rangers have them both beat. The Rangers are celebrating their 85th anniversary this season.

The Rangers won their very first game by a score of 1-0 over the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Maroons way back on November 16th, 1926. Bill Cook (pictured below), on a pass from brother Bun Cook, scored the only goal of the game, with less than 2 minutes left in the 2nd period. Hal Winkler got the shutout, with Clint Benedict at the other end of the ice.

There is no footage available on YouTube, but the Montreal Gazette does have an article, courtesy of Google News Archives.

The game was described as "rather rough and loosely played." Rather rough? 18 penalties were assessed, most notably featuring a stick fight between Montreal's Bat Phillips and NYR's Frank Boucher, who was bloodied in the melee. Both were immediately assessed 5 minute majors and $15 fines! Of all the players in the game, these two may have been the most unlikely combatants, especially Boucher who would go on to win the Lady Byng trophy for gentlemanly play 7 times in 8 years from 1928 through 1935.

A reported 13,000 people entered Madison Square Gardens (the old Gardens had a capacity of 15,000 for hockey) for the inaugural Rangers game. The New York elite were out in full force, as the game played in aid of the Grosvenor Neighborhood House.

Silent movie star Lois Moran took part in the pre-game ceremonies, while the West Point Band entertained the crowd during intermissions.

Of course, the National Hockey League was not exactly new to New York. The New York Americans began playing in the NHL the season prior.

The Greatest New York Ranger?

Who is the greatest player in New York Rangers history? That is the subject of the new book 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. The book is written by three New York Rangers experts in Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider, and is published by Wiley.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

The unmistakable iconic image of Rangers greatness has to be Mark Messier lifting the Stanley Cup over his head in 1994. That may have been the greatest moment in Rangers' hockey history, and it may have been the moment Messier became the "Messiah," but does it make him the greatest player in Rangers history?

No, not according to this book. In fact, he's only #4!

Which is good, because I always thought the title should be reserved for Rod Gilbert, the previous iconic Ranger who still leads the franchise in goals and points.

But he's not number 1 either!

I'll let you find out who is #1 on your own. Right now I just want to rave about this book. Check out the full review at HockeyBookReviews.com.

Remembering 1994 - The Canucks Magic Stanley Cup Run

I remember it all too well.

The 1994 Stanley Cup finals. Kirk McLean's unbeatable play in game one. Greg Adams' shocking overtime goal. Ex-Canuck Doug Lidster's game winner in game two. Pavel Bure's high stick in game three. Brian Leetch's amazing play. Mike Richter's acrobatics. Trevor Linden's heart and desire. Geoff Courtnall's big goal in game six. Nathan Lafeyette's goal post in game 7, followed painfully by Mark Messier's hoisting of the Stanley Cup.

But more than anything I remember the penalty shot.

Game four. With goals by Linden and Cliff Ronning, the Canucks are up 2-1 in the second period, badly needing this win to knot the series at 2 games a piece.

Under immense pressure from the attacking Rangers, Vancouver desperately seeks a third goal to cushion their lead. Pavel Bure has a breakaway from his own blue line, except he his hauled down by Brian Leetch. At 6:31 of the second period the whistle blows, and referee Terry Gregson immediately points to center ice, signalling a penalty shot!

Does it get any better than that? Arguably the most exciting Stanley Cup final ever now provides hockey's most dramatic moment. The most electrifying goal scorer of his generation one-on-one with the hottest goalie of the time, Mike Richter.

The Pacific Coliseum crowd absolutely roared as Bure readied for the penalty shot. They knew what was at stake. If Bure could score here, that would take the wind out of the Rangers' sails, greatly increasing the Canucks chances of victory both in game four and in the series. Everyone stood on their feet, ready to celebrate a sure goal. The Russian Rocket always scores on breakaways.

But on this night Mike Richter was his match. Richter charge out to meet the rushin' Russian before retreating back into his net. Richter almost knew Bure was going to use his patented move, cradling the puck far to the left hoping to slide the puck under his right pad. Memorably Bure used the same memorable move against Calgary earlier in the playoffs. Unlike Mike Vernon, Richter would not be taken by surprise, and took away all of the shooter's room.

Richter's gamble worked, and arguably was the defining moment of his career. In my mind, it was the defining moment of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals.

Energized by the dramatic moment of theatre, the Rangers came back and took game 4 and take a stranglehold on the series. Brian Leetch scored one goal and assisted on goals by Steve Larmer, Sergei Zubov and Alexei Kovalev. The Rangers are now up 3 games to 1 on the dejected Canucks. Broadway prematurely plans it's first Stanley Cup party since 1940.

The Canucks would temporarily spoil the party, staving off elimination in games 5 and 6, before narrowly bowing in game 7.

Like many Canucks fans, I will always wonder what would have happened if Bure scored on that penalty shot.

It is a little bit hard to believe that it has already been 14 years since that great series. Time sure has flown by, because the series is still fresh in my usually poor memory. It is especially in my thoughts today, as the Canucks return to Madison Square Gardens and take on the Rangers tonight.

Here's the Bure penalty shot courtesy of YouTube:

Brad Park Hated The Bruins, Then He Became One

The New York Rangers play host to the Boston Bruins tonight at Madison Square Gardens.

The Bruins have had a definite advantage over the Rangers over the many years. The Bruins post a winning record of 277-235-97-3. The Rangers are stronger at MSG though, posting a 136-117-55 record at home.

The Bruins and Rangers have had a lot of interesting clashes over the years, as you might expect in any rivalry involving Boston and New York City.

One of the most interesting had to have been the big Phil Esposito trade for Jean Ratelle and Brad Park in 1975.

Espo was getting on in age but he still believed he was the scoring superstar of the early 1970s. He would not relinquish his playing minutes, so the Bruins traded him while his value was high.

High indeed. Not only did they get the smooth Ratelle in return, but the also landed Park. (Joe Zanussi also went to Boston, and Carol Vadnais to the Rangers). Back in these days of the Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins, Brad Park was arguably the second best defenseman in the league.

Like Park to Orr, his New York Rangers were always second fiddle to the Bruins. There was certainly a bitter rivalry, and no shortage of animosity.

Park in particular was quick to speak out in the media. He called the Bruins, "blood thirsty animals" who "have turned present-day hockey into a brutal sport."

He was quick to single out certain Bruins' players, too.

Players like Derek Sanderson.

"I got to my hotel room and turned on the television and there was Derek Sanderson, Mr. Wise Guy of the Bruins. As usual his comments made me sick. He opens his mouth when he shouldn't. Like a small boat in distress he ought to shape up.

He was not complimentary of Sanderson's play on the ice either.

"What bothers me most about Sanderson is his flakiness. At any given time he doesn't know what he's going to do and he has no concept of hockey ethics."

He had no respect for Ted Green, even though Green had suffered a serious skull fracture in the infamous 1969 stick fight with Wayne Maki. When Green returned to the ice. Park didn't care, saying "Many people believe Green got exactly what he deserved, because he was nothing more than a hatchet man. After he recovered and returned to the NHL, I thought he might have learned something from the experience. But he hasn't. He's still carrying his stick high and doing the same dumb things he did before he got hurt.

Later he added "It's people like Green who give hockey a bad name. He can't be trusted. He swings at players with his stick, and his stick is always up."

Even Bobby Orr was targeted by Park, although that made him look like a jealous poor sport.

"One of the myths about hockey is that Bobby Orr is unstoppable. Another myth about Orr is that he's a gentlemanly and clean player. Actually, Orr can be a hatchet man just like some of his Boston teammates.

Park also sniped at Phil Esposito, the Bruins' fan favorite. "He's an extraordinary stickhandler and a superb shooter, but he doesn't have any guts. He's carried by the animals on the Boston team.

As you can see, the Boston-New York hockey rivalry was especially heated in the 1970s, with Brad Park eager to unleash a verbal salvo. The Bruins fans were ready to fight back, armed with boos and colorful language every time he came to town.

You can also imagine how interesting things got after November 7th, 1975 when Park was traded to the Boston Bruins with Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.

The trade was uncomfortable for Park, who openly cried and considered not reporting. The only thing that could have been worse is if the Red Sox traded for a Yankee's starting pitcher.

But Park's cerebral play would quickly win over the fans. His new teammates surprisingly welcomed him with open arms. Park told the Hockey Hall of Fame website "Johnny Bucyk, in particular, was very helpful. Bobby Orr was just super, as a person as well as a player. "

Also See:
Espo Learned To Love Big Apple . . . Eventually - NHL.com
Park, Espo Still Feel Impact Of Blockbuster Trade - NHL.com

1994: NY Rangers End 54 Year Cup Drought

The year is 1994. In one of the most thrilling Stanley Cup finals ever, the New York Rangers narrowly edge out the Vancouver Canucks for the championship title. It is the first Stanley Cup championship for Manhattan in 54 years.

The last time the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup, there was no such thing as television. But by 1994 everyone was watching to see if the Rangers could end more than 5 decades of futility. Despite victory plans following game 4 of the finals, the Rangers would have to wait until game 7 to see if they could pull it off.

They did, but it certainly was not easy. The Vancouver Canucks, led by Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure and the spectacular goaltending of Kirk McLean, offered dramatic and stressful competition. If it was not for a Nathan Lafayette goal post, perhaps the Ranger fans would still be waiting for a Cup championship.

The Rangers were of course led by Mark Messier and a cast of ex-Edmonton Oilers - Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, Esa Tikkanen, Adam Graves, Jeff Beukeboom and Craig MacTavish. Every bit as important was defensemen Sergei Zubov and Brian Leetch (who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP) and sensational goaltender Mike Richter.

The famous "1940!" chants by New York Islanders fans finally came to an end.

With the championship - and with the famous guaranteed victory against the Devils in round 3 - Mark Messier became "The Messiah" in Manhattan. He remains as one of the most important sporting figures in New York City's grand history.