This week those Rangers fans who were around to remember are celebrating the 75th anniversary of a major Blueshirt accomplishment – and failing. The following is the why and how of it:
In the spring of 1950, manager Frank Boucher's underdog Blueshirts beat the Montreal Canadiens in the opening playoff round. Next up was the league-leading Detroit Red Wings.
This was an odd Final Round because the New Yorkers were denied use of old Madison Square Garden for their three home games. The Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus had dibs on the April dates and that was that!
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All the NHL could do was allow the Blueshirts two "home' games at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The remaining five games were scheduled for Detroit.
To everyone's amazement, the Rangers extended the Wings to a seventh game at Olympia Stadium in the Motor City. After regulation time, the teams were tied 3-3 and it remained that way after the first overtime period.
But on that night of April 23, 1950 the Rangers goalie Charlie Rayner made one fatal mistake in the second OT. Here's how Rayner explained it to Dick Irvin, Jr. in Irvin's book, The Habs:
"Edgar Laprade was one of our best centres but he had been on the ice for a long time. There was a face-off in our end and I thought he looked tired. So I told our defenseman Frankie Eddolls that maybe they should take him off the ice.
"Eddolls went to Lynn Patrick, our coach, and the next thing I saw Laprade was going off and Buddy O'Connor was coming on. Poor Buddy. He lost the face-off to center George Gee who passed it to Pete Babando who scored for them. "
Then, a pause: "I kind of blame myself for that one. Maybe if I'd kept my mouth shut I might have won a Stanley Cup!"