Frank Boucher, a legendary member of a legendary hockey family, was born on this date in Ottawa in 1901.
He played for or coached the New York Rangers when they won their first three Stanley Cup championships. He wrote about their early years in a best-selling book. He won the Lady Byng Trophy so many times, it was given to him to keep.
That’s Frank Boucher, who was born on this date in 1901 in Ottawa. A 1958 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Boucher was involved with the Rangers for the first 29 years of their existence, first as a player, then as coach, and still later as the team’s general manager. His 1973 book When The Rangers Were Young, co-written by journalist Trent Frayne, is equal parts autobiography and a chronicle of the franchise’s first three decades.
Boucher was one of four brothers to play in the NHL, and all four won at least one Stanley Cup, which no other family can claim. He joined his older brother George with the original Ottawa Senators in 1921, and coincidentally he made his NHL debut on the same night that another older brother, Billy Boucher, was making his own first appearance as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. (George won four Cups with Ottawa, while Billy and youngest brother Bobby won the Cup with Montreal in 1924.)
After a season in Ottawa, Frank spent the next four years with Vancouver in the Pacific Coast and Western leagues. After the WHL folded in 1926, Boucher’s rights were obtained by the Boston Bruins, who then traded him to the Rangers. He centred the team’s top line alongside the Cook brothers, left winger “Bun” and right winger Bill. In this capacity, Boucher finished among the league's Top 10 scorers seven times and led the league in assists three times. The Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in only their second season, and won it again in 1933.
Boucher was well regarded as a clean player. Lady Evelyn Byng, the wife of Canada’s Governor General, had donated a trophy to the NHL, to be awarded to players who best demonstrated sportsmanship. Boucher won it seven times in an eight-year span, so the trophy was given to him to keep outright. Lady Byng then donated another trophy to take its place.
After an abbreviated 1937-38 season, Boucher retired as a player and served a one-year apprenticeship coaching the Rangers’ minor league club. He took over the Rangers in 1939 and the team won its third Stanley Cup in his first season behind the bench. Later he also served as GM for a decade and remained with the organization until 1955.
Frank Boucher was 76 years old when he died in December 1977. Inexplicably, given his long relationship with and importance to the Rangers, they have not retired his No. 7 to the rafters in Madison Square Garden. The number is up there, but it was retired instead for Rod Gilbert.
Also born on this date:
1920 – Garth Boesch was born in Milestone, Sask. Noteworthy for wearing a mustache during his playing days, Boesch joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as a rookie in 1946. Although he played only four seasons in Toronto, Boesch was an important part of the team’s punishing defensive corps, usually paired with Bill Barilko. Considering himself more of a farmer than a hockey player, Boesch retired in 1950, having won three Stanley Cups during his short career. He died in May 1998, aged 77.
1938 – Gary Bergman was born in Kenora, Ont. The Detroit Red Wings drafted 26-year-old Bergman out of the Canadiens’ organization in 1964, and he stayed with the Wings until 1973 when they traded him to the Minnesota North Stars. The Wings reacquired him within a year but then shipped him out to the Kansas City Scouts. Bergman, also a member of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series, dressed for 859 regular season and playoff games in the NHL. He was 62 years old when he passed away in December 2000.
1952 – Jacques Richard was born in Quebec City. A superlative player in junior hockey – he won the QMJHL scoring championship in 1971-72 with 71 goals and 160 points in only 61 games – Richard showed only brief glimpses of his potential as a pro before his career ended in disappointment. Drafted second overall by the Atlanta Flames in 1972, he failed to catch on there or with the Buffalo Sabres. Returning home to play for the Nordiques, Richard finally broke out with 52 goals and 103 points in 1980-81, but it was his last hurrah. He later spent time in prison after being caught trying to bring six pounds of cocaine, worth about $1.5 million, back to Canada from Colombia. On Oct. 8, 2002, Richard was driving home after a party celebrating his 50th birthday when his car crashed, killing him. Compounding the tragedy, police found cocaine in the wreckage of his car.
1956 – Brian Sutter was born in Viking, Alta. The first of six brothers to make it to the NHL, Sutter spent his entire playing career with the St. Louis Blues, who chose him 20th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. A physical two-way forward, Sutter scored 30 or more goals on seven occasions – in three of those seasons he also picked up more than 200 penalty minutes – served as the Blues’ captain for nine years, and is the only member of his family to have had his number retired by an NHL team. He began coaching the Blues at the end of his playing days and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 1990-91. Sutter later also coached Boston, Calgary, and Chicago.
1983 – Scottie Upshall was born in Fort McMurray, Alta. The sixth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Upshall broke into the league with the Nashville Predators and played more than 800 games for the Preds and five other teams. His career bests were 22 goals split between Phoenix and Columbus in 2010-11, and 37 points with Florida in 2013-14.