Matt Rempe is not the first of his "Sideshow Charlie" kind in Rangers history. Over the years, off-the-wall characters such as the comical defenseman Jean Pusie and other off-the-wall eccentrics have worn the blueshirt. Some for a season and some for just one night. In The Maven's Memory one of the best was a 20-year-old with flowing blond hair who wrote poetry with a peace sign next to his name. But, unlike the gangly Rempe, Gene Carr was streamlined in stature and built for speed. Historian-author Alan Greenberg remembered when Carr arrived on Seventh Avenue in 1971 and looked like an immediate winner. "Carr's two goals and one assist in his first game at the Garden captured the crowd," Greenberg recalled. "Fans would have loved to turn him into a hero. His speed initially turned the crowd on, but frustration quickly followed." Just as the fans late last season went nuts over Rempe, Carr inspired cheers of "GENO!" Alas, instead of becoming the "New Lamplighter," as management hoped, Carr hit posts or shot wide. Stan Fischler talks about Matt Rempe. Rangers radio analyst Bill Chadwick became so frustrated with Carr's misses, the ex-Hall of Fame referee blurted, "Carr couldn't put the puck in the ocean if he was standing on a pier off the Atlantic!" Greenberg: "Things got so bad for Gene that he was even mugged on the streets of New York. He was clearly non-establishment, something New York hockey fans loved. Fans stuck with him when he went 33 games without a goal in 1972-73. "Ah, but then he brought the house down when he scored a key playoff goal against Tony Esposito of the Black Hawks!" Matt Rempe should be so lucky!
