Breaking Down All The Latest New York Rangers' Trade Rumors Who was the second player in Rangers history to have his number retired? On May 17, 1965 Eddie Giacomin was signed by the Rangers. At first he was a flop and demoted to the minors. It was a good move. Giacomin returned and became an instant star. He paced the Blueshirts to the playoffs and wound up a First All-Star. When GM Emile (The Cat) Francis promoted Gilles Villemure as backup, the Rangers boasted one of the best one-two goalie combinations in the league. After eleven seasons of being the intrepid, barefaced goalie, Giacomin also decided to wear a face mask. The two-goalie system worked and by the end of the 1970-71 campaign Eddie and Gilles combined to win the Vezina Trophy. Giacomin retired in 1978 and his number 1 jersey was retired by the Rangers in 1989. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
