Whether you agree or not, enough sage hockey people have said that the greatest hockey story ever told involved the Rangers vs. Montreal Maroons in thd 1928 playoffs Final.

After New York lost the opener 2-0, the Maroons were favored to sweep the best of five series in Three games. But Game Two would change a lot of things including the swing of the series.

The score was 0-0 in the second period of the second game when Rangers goalie Lorne Chabot was struck in the left eyeball by a Nels Stewart shot. The injury was so serious that Chabot had to immediately be removed to a hospital. 

"We had no spare goaltender," said center Frank Boucher, "and the Maroons wouldn't let us borrow Alex Connell, an Ottawa goalie who was watching the game. Bill Cook and  I huddled and finally decided that our coach Lester Patrick was the answer.

"Bill and I pulled Lester over and told him what we decided was best. He looked from one of us to the other, his eyes wide, and when he saw that we were serious he bowed his head in thought for a moment. 

"Suddently and dramatically, he rose to his feet and called to our trainer Harry Westerby ,who quickly arrived and listened carefully."

Lester, who was 43 at the time, never had been a full-time goalie but he had fooled around in the crease as many players liked to do. Meanwhile, Westerby got the message:

"Harry; get me a dry set of underwear. I want you to strip off Lorne's skates and uniform and I'll use his equipment and go into the goaltender's position myself."

And so he did, with mixed reactions. The Montreal Forum crowd was surprised at the sight of Lester between the pipes and rendered a hospitable round of applause. 

Writing in the Montreal Star, sports editor Baz O'Meana noted:

"Patrick's lanky legs were upholstered by brown pads that seemed to fit like father's old trousers."