The first Rangers team that took the ice for the first time at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1926 was loaded with tough guys such as Ching Johnson, Taffy Abel and Bill Cook. Facing them was an equally rugged Montreal Maroons squad. Yet the fellow who engaged in the first Rangers fight at the Old Garden was the mildest-mannered player on the entire sextet. It was center Frank Boucher, who would become a seven-time Lady Byng Trophy-winner for superior play and even better decorum on the pond. Yet Frankie couldn't temper his temper on this night. Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG In the third period Boucher got miffed over the rough play of Maroon Bill Phillips. The two of them dropped their gloves and slugged it out long enough for referee Lou Marsh to dole out a pair of five-minute major penalties. Ironically, that opening night bout was the only fight of Boucher's long and glorious NHL playing career that lasted 17 years! (He returned for one last fight-free fling during World War II.)
