My last "Nickname Column" got a bigger response than I figured. Alex "Killer" Kaleta turned heads because Kaleta's "Killer" instinct was to avoid the boards as much as possible and don't you dare to be a belligerent, whether you can spell it or not.
Try these monickers on for size and lemme know which you like best:
* SUGAR JIM: That would be the fine goalie who succeeded 1940 Cup-winning Davy Kerr in the Rangers goal. Jim Henry was tagged with "Sugar" as a lad for his love for anything sweet that was called candy, cookies or salt water taffy.
* GUMP: Lorne Worsley was a promising prospect in goal for the Verdun (Junior) Cyclones in his native Montreal. During the early 1940's At the time "The Gumps" was a popular newspaper comic series about the nutty Gump Family. The nuttiest was Andy Gump and since Worsley looked a lot like him, Gump became his handle for life.
* APPLECHEEKS OR HORSE FACE: Future Hall of Famer Harry Lumley played one game in goal for the Rangers during the World War II years. As a teenager his rosy cheeks had an apple hue, hence his first "Applecheeks" nickname. Once Harry began starring for the Detroit Red Wings, Rangers fans likened his mug to a Kentucky Derby entrant. (We in Old MSG's end balcony liked "Horse Face Harry" better.)
How Long Will It Take Chris Drury To Build Toward A Panthers-Type Team?
If you had to guess what the sweetest dream for a citizen of Rangerville would be tonight, it certainly would be to have his Blueshirts as a reasonable facsimile of the Florida Panthers.
* LIGHTER: When cigarettes were more popular than they are now, the Rangers signed a promising forward named Len Ronson. It so happened that the most popular cigarette lighter of its time was made by the Ronson company. Since Ronson, the hockey player, lit the goal light in his Rangers debut "Lighter" was the most natural nickname. "Lighter" didn't last long as a nickname because Len, as Ye Olde Lamplighter, didn't last long as a Ranger.