Incredible But True Blueshirt Stories: Leone's Magic Elixir

Early in the 1950-51 season the Rangers got off to a sorry start. One slump-busting idea was to hire a hypnotist to work on the players and they did – and he did – but it failed.

Still slumping, the Rangers received a tip from restaurateur Gene Leone who ran the best Italian eatery in The Big Apple.

Leone's trattoria was on West 48th Street, only two blocks from the Old Garden. Gene was a huge Rangers fan and pal of manager Frank Boucher and attended many games.

In the midst of the slump, Leone told Boucher that he would mix a "Magic Elixir" that would break the Rangers losing streak. "Go do it," said an exuberant Boucher, "and we'll try it."

Leone kept the ingredients secret but he did show the media a big, black bottle that would contain  the "Magic Elixir."

At first the pre-game drink was tried in private and – Shazam! – the Rangers won and won again. 

"We decided to make a big deal out of it," said Rangers press agent Herb Goren, "and the media just loved the story. But it got even bigger when we had an upcoming game against the Leafs in Toronto."

Remember, this was in 1950 before the days of jet aircrafts; and since it was an out-of-town game, the black bottle had to be flown to Toronto the day of the game,

Veteran World-Telegram hockey writer James Burchard was chosen to carry the bottle in an insulated carrying bag – likely purchased at Cosby's in The Garden – on a plane to arrive in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon, a few hours before game time.

"Leafs owner Conn Smythe got wind of the scheme," Goren remembered, "and tried to get Canadian Customs to impound the black bottle before the Magic Elixir got to the players."

Somehow a Customs boss, who happened to be a Rangers fan, got wind of Smythe's plot and arranged to get Burchard and the black bottle a police escort to Maple Leaf Gardens where a flock of photographers were there to welcome the Rangers Elixir Expeditionary Force.

Eventually the magic elixir made it to the Blueshirts' throats and --miracle of miracles, cocktails for two became cocktails for ten. Next,  they went out and won a rare victory over a team that eventually would win The Stanley Cup that spring.

"We got stories galore out of it," Goren remembered, "and that was the high point because a gimmick is a gimmick and it soon ran out of juice." 

Then, a pause: "Or whatever the heck 'schnaps' Leone put in that black bottle."

Then, another pause: "The good news is that we won the game and the 'Magic Elixir' got a ton of press and Gene Leone was beaming. As for the bad news – we missed the playoffs."

P.S. Some players quietly confessed that the "elixir" tasted like "Water from Beach Two at Coney Island!"