This could have been the greatest trade in Rangers history – and came close – but in the end, it never happened. Still, it's a terrific story, finally told here 66 years later.
Here goes: After the Rangers infamous 1958-59 choke – losing a seven-point lead to Toronto with two weeks to go and missing the 1959 playoffs – something had to be done.
The man to do it was general manager Muzz Patrick whose best friend – mercurial Phil Watson – was coach. By this time, Watson was hated by half his team.
Once the Blueshirts flopped starting the 1959-60 season, Patriick fired Watson and imported ex-Ranger Alf Pike as coach, but the changes didn't do much to help the team still sprinkled with future Hall of Famers such as right wing Andy Bathgate, defenseman Bill Gadsby and goalie Gump Worsley.
Muzz knew he had to make another move to turn his club into a playoff team once more and swung into action, prepared to deal his best players. According to a source close to the team, The Maven was told that Patrick offered both Bathgate and Gadsby to Chicago Blackhawks GM Tommy Ivan.
In return, Muzz asked for Bobby (The Golden Jet) Hull and another solid forward, Ed Litzenberger. It was an intriguing offer since Bathgate and Gadsby were in their playing primes while Hull was an ascending star and Litzenberger a high quality second-liner.
As it happened, in retrospect, Ivan wisely rejected Patrick's offer. Hull was too young, too talented and too appealing to lose. Sure enough, with Hull and Litz in his lineup, Ivan's Hawks won The Stanley Cup in 1961.
Muzz did well in another deal in which he obtained Doug Harvey and Al Langlois from Montreal in 1961. As player-coach, Harvey led the Blueshirts to a playoff berth in the spring of 1962 and also won the Norris Trophy.
Bathgate later was traded to Toronto and was part of the Leafs 1964 Stanley Cup-winners. Gadsby was dealt to Detroit. Despite a superior 20-year NHL career, Gads never played for a championship team.