As Rangers trade steals go, one of the most underrated was pulled against the Bruins some seven decades ago.
The Bostonians were nurturing Finnish-born Pentti Lund in their amateur incubator with the Boston Olympics.
I recall watching the left wing at Eastern Amateur Hockey League Rovers games on Sunday afternoons at the Old Garden.
Lund was a solid scorer and I recall saying to my buddy Larry Schildkret, "Wouldn't Pentti look good as a Ranger."
Remarkably, manager Frank Boucher managed to swing a deal for Lund in the summer of 1948 and – POOF! – just like that he became a star.
Pentti won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1948-49 skating on a line with Edgar Laprade at center and Tony Leswick on right wing – alias "The Three L Line."
Lund continued to excel in the 1949-50 season and into the first playoff round against the Canadiens. "They asked me to shadow Rocket Richard who was in his prime at the time," Pentti recalled. "I did what I was told but I never expected to outscore the great Maurice."
Lund's diligence enabled the Blueshirts to beat the favored Habs in five games. Pentti's prowess also was on display in the seven-game final eventually won by Detroit.
"The other thing I never expected," Lund chuckled, "was to go into the newspaper business as a sports writer."
He rose in the journalistic ranks becoming sports editor of the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Times-News.
And if he was able to write his own headline, it would have been. FINN FINISHES HABS AND PRESSES ON TO NEWSPAPERING!