From the Archives: How the Amerks Almost Ruled New York

For one season, 1925-26, the New York Americans ruled The Big Apple. They got there first, one season before the Rangers arrived. The Rangers would win three Stanley Cups, while the Amerks went for the goose egg during the 17 years of their existence.

Yet, in less than two decades, the Americans became as beloved to New York hockey fans as the Brooklyn Dodgers were to the baseball faithful. The fact that the Americans were owned by gangster Big Bill Dwyer – king of the bootleggers – added to the club's magnetism during the roarin' twenties followed by the Great Depression.

With their star-spangled uniforms and crest, they had better visual appeal than the Rangers. Stars such as captain Billy Burch became popular enough to do cigarette ads such as Lucky Strike, "It's fine tobacco."

The Amerks' leader, Hall of Fame defenseman and later coach, Red Dutton, was a colorful character, much more so than his Rangers counterpart, the occasionally dour Lester Patrick. Lester never got an award from a uniformed Greyhound Bus Driver, but Red did.

The Amerks' finest hour occurred in the 1937-38 season when Dutton's rough and tumble skaters played the more aristocratic Rangers in the best-of-three first playoff round.

"The press called us 'The Bowery Boys,' " chirped Lorne Carr of the Amerks. "They tagged us with a blue collar identity."

Among the most memorable aspects of the series was the Americans' lineup. When Patrick declared the Blueshirts defenseman Ching Johnson was washed up, Dutton signed him for the 1937-38 season, and Johnson still had the goods.

With Johnson on the blueline along with ex-Toronto blueline Hall of Famer Hap Day, Dutton had an experienced, motivated defense with former Detroit Red Wings prospect Earl Robertson solid in goal.

"We had an excellent forward line," said Dutton, "With Lorne Carr, Sweeney Schriner and Art Chapman."

The Rangers-Amerks playoff packed the 15,925-seat old Madison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue just off Times Square.

"The crowd was equally divided," noted Bruce Jacobs, editor of Sport Life magazine. "Half rooting for the Rangers and the other half for the Amerks."

Tied at one win apiece, the teams went at it for the rubber match. The Blueshirts nursed a 2-0 lead into the third period but a late Americans rally tied the match.

Remarkably, the rivals battled through four overtime periods without a goal.

Finally, at 49 seconds of the fourth OT, Lorne Carr beat Davey Kerr in the Rangers net, and the Amerks moved on to the semifinal.

Unfortunately, they were upset by the Black Hawks, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Always looking to bolster his team, Dutton found another Hall of Famer on the Used Defenseman Lot. This time, it was ex-Bruin star Eddie Shore who – helmet and all – showed up for the 1938-39 season, as seen at the top.

Alas, the Amerks never were able to match the heroics of 1938, and by 1941, Dutton needed some sort of attendance boost. His gimmick was to change the team name to Brooklyn Americans, although the club would continue to call The Garden its home.

By this time, the Second World War was in its fourth year, and a number of Dutton's players had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. With his lineup decimated, Dutton requested that his club be given a furlough for the duration of the conflict.

The league agreed, and not long after, Dutton was named NHL president upon the death of Frank Calder in 1942.

At war's end, Dutton re-applied for admission so his Amerks could resume play. He had hoped to build a rink in Downtown Brooklyn where Barclays Center now stands. But to his dismay, his bid was rejected by the league governors.

And that's how the once seven-team NHL became "The Original Six."