1. No surprise; rank and file fans are unhappy that someone upstairs at MSG decided that Ed Giacomin should be remembered with a #1 helmet sticker.
2. Objections to the helmet sticker are increasing when everyone who knows hockey wants the #1 on Blueshirts sweaters – also known as "jerseys' – where it rightfully belongs.
3. Clearly the marketing brass – or whoever is the Commodore in Charge of Remembrance – underestimated the de luxe love still delivered by fans to Ed-diel.
4. Ranger Fan From Birth, Jess Rubenstein calls Giacomin "My first hero and why I fell in love with hockey. I was blue and brokenhearted when the team put him on waivers and, boy, did I boo the Rangers when Eddie came back as a Red Wing."
5. Another E.G. goodie from Jess; "Years later, when I started writing about hockey, I got to meet Eddie again, so I asked him why he was so friendly with everyone. He gave me a simple answer: 'Because I was blessed to get to play hockey, thanks to them."
6. As a kid, Rubenstein had a Giacomin poster in his room, depicting Eddie making a save on Phil Esposito. "He wasn't wearing a mask," says Jess, "and I could still hear Marv Albert going: 'KICK SAVE AND A BEAUTY!'"
7. The Maven had a wonderful time on the new hockey podcast "Bottle Rocket With Alena Sycheva." Author-goaltender Jerry Hack faced off with me on a couple of subjects while hostess Alena officiated and added some keen insights of her own. You can find "Bottle Rocket With Alena" (BRWA) on Spotify, Apple and Youtube.
Blueshirts Will Honor Ed Giacomin & Other Suggested Honors
The Blueshirts win this week's Maven's "Nice Gesture Award" for deciding to have every Rangers game sweater adorned with Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin's #1.
8. We ran out of time on BRWA before I got around to pointing out that when Mike Sulliivan looks down the Rangers bench for help and will see neither Sidney Crosby nor Geno Malkin, he might want to weep. (I'll be back with Alena and Jerry – alias "Teabag" – again pretty soon.
9. The Rangers first Centennial Season Theme Night will be on October 20 (vs. Minnesota). There will be eight more Theme Nights sprinkled throughout the season celebrating the franchise's 100th anniversary.
10. The opener will be "Honoring the team's early success and established reputation for being 'The Classiest Team in Hockey' during a celebrated time in NY history."