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.
Practicality forbids the Garden brass from giving out other awards yet there are ladies and gents out there who deserve mention for their good works. Here are a few:
1. JOE COHEN: Joseph (Everybody Loves Joe) Cohen earned the nickname because it is a plain fact of life that everybody DOES love Joe. One of Cohen's Rangers accomplishments was turning MSG Networks into one of the greatest sports outlets this side of New Hebrides.
2. JOE COHEN P.S. The Garden moguls – right up to Jim Dolan – should have nicknamed the Rangers-Knicks campsite up in Greenburgh, N.Y. "The Joe Cohen Ice Rink And Hardwood Court." After all, jovial Joe is the one who created that A-1 facility from blueprints to completion.
3. MICHAEL COSBY: Although the original – and famed – Cosby hockey store disappeared with the Old Garden, Gerry's dauntless son Mike kept the top-of-the-line tradition going at the current World's Most Famous Arena for decades. Under Michael it became the greatest hockey hangout this side of the Old Hebrides.
4. TOMMY AND MADELINE LOCKHART: Father and daughter were behind-the-scenes workers at the Old Garden. Tom ran the Met League, Eastern League, Amateur Hockey Association of the U.S. (AHAUS) and the Atlantic League. Madeline was his secretary and hard worker.
5. ED BJORNESS AND NORM DIVINEY: Both Brooklyn-bred hockey players eventually starred in the Met League for the Manhattan Arrows, Even later, Ed and Norm were the first local boys to make it up to a Canadian Junior team, the Quebec Citadelles.
6. STAN SAPLIN: After his World War II stint with the U.S. Naval Armed Guard – Stan managed the Armed Guard Gunners MHL hockey team – Saplin became Rangers press agent in 1945 and created "Inside The Blueshirt," the first official NHL team guide. Saplin received raved reviews from all hockey points on the continent for his original hockey guide.
A Short Survival Guide For Blueshirt Fans
If for any reason the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> make you nervous this coming season; remember The Maven's advice – a free public service:
7. CARL GLICKMAN: When in the spring of 1952 no rental car company would allow college-age hockey nuts such as Jim Hernon, Fred Meier, Bill Coggins, and Maven to rent a car for a playoff trip to Toronto. King Carl talked his older brother Marty into loaning us his brand new Pontiac – and we went. (Red Wings beat Leafs 6-2. Ugh!) Under the circumstances it was an unbelievably kind gesture. As you can see, I still can't get over it!
8. GLADYS GOODDING: The Garden's house organist from the late 1930's through 1968 Gladys – with two D's – not only was a Garden fixture but an outstanding musician who had a special tune for every single NHL team not to mention the Rovers, Sands Point Tigers, Manhattan Arrows, Jamaica Hawks and Brooklyn Torpedoes.
9. J. Fred COOTS: He wrote "The Rangers Victory Song," which to this day remains the only original composition for any NHL team. (My cousin Paul Friedman has the original sheet music with wonderful artwork on the cover.)
10. BEN OLAN: Smiling Benny gave Associated Press hockey coverage the class it never enjoyed before. In addition to being a mentor to younger writers, he did a ton of topnotch magazine work. AND, Olan is the only New York hockey writer I know of who was a respected friend of Maurice "Rocket" Richard!