Rangers make memories to last a lifetime

Posted: May 17, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Hockey, NHL, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers Red Wings Hockey

Chris Kreider’s three-goal natural hat trick in the third period earlier this week lifted the Rangers to a comeback 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and reminded us all once again why we love sports and root so passionately for our teams.

I started cheering cheering for the Rangers when I was a teen-ager, and have lived through the highs and lows (mostly lows) through nearly 60 years, from numerous playoff disappointments to the ultimate joy, the 1994 Stanley Cup.

That cherished championship 30 years ago will always hold a special place in my heart. I was in the house that night as the Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canuks 3-2 and won their first Cup since 1940. They’ve come close, but haven’t won since. .  

The championship was preceded by two dramatic wins against the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game Six, Mark Messier guaranteed victory and then scored a natural hit trick in the third period to beat New Jersey 4-2. Two nights later, Stephan Matteau scored in the second overtime to send the Rangers to the Finals.

Since then, the Rangers have had some great moments, including rallies from being down three games to one to beat the Penguins in 2014, the Capitals in 2015 and the Penguins again in 2022. However, they came up short in each of those seasons, including a loss the Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

Ranger fans have been waiting 30 years for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.

Early memories

My earliest Ranger memory dates back to 1966, when Bobby Hull of the Black Hawks scored to become the first player to score more than 50 goals in a season.

I went to my first Rangers game in 1967 at the old Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lost 4-0 to the Bruins, but I was hooked on hockey.

My senior year in high school, 1969, I saw the Rangers demolish a great Boston team 9-0 at MSG. That night, the Rangers scored three goals in 38 seconds to put a capper on the rout.

During the 70s the Rangers made two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost them both – in 1972 to the Bruins and 1979 to the Canadiens,

I was at the old Boston Garden in the spring of 1979 when Phil Esposito returned to his former home and scored four goals to beat the Bruins 7-4.

When my grandson Cameron was born in 2012, I was at the Garden to see the Rangers beat the Canadiens.

In 2013, my son Daniel and I saw a  21-year-old rookie named Chris Kreider, score in overtime to beat the Bruins and extend a series the Rangers would eventually lose.

Kreider cemented his Ranger legacy 11 years later with the hat trick that moved the Rangers along in their quest to win the Stanley Cup.

New York athletes by the numbers

Posted: April 8, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, football, Hockey, Soccer | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Over the years, New York athletes have worn some of the most famous numbers in all of sports. Icons like Babe Ruth (#3), Lou Gehrig (#4) and Joe DiMaggio (#5) sit atop a long and storied list of Yankees, who will have retired all single digit numbers as soon as they get around to Derek Jeter (#2). Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson wore #42, which has now been retired by major league baseball. Willie Mays wore #24 when he roamed center field for the New York Giants.

And there are so many more. Legends such as Lawrence Taylor (#56) with the New York Football Giants, Joe Namath (#12) with the Jets, Walt Frazier (#10) with the Knicks and Wayne Gretzky (#99) with the Rangers, just to name a few.

As you might expect, since there are more players per team and higher numbers in football, the Giants top our list of top New York athletes by number with 36. Every team is represented, even the Giants and Dodgers, who left New York for California in 1958. There are 21 Yankees, 16 Jets, 7 Mets, 6 Knicks, 5 Rangers, 3 Dodgers and Nets, 2 Devils and an Islander and baseball Giant on the list. If you’re counting with me that adds up to 101, with Casey Stengel (#37) getting the nod as both Yankee and Met manager.

Here are the top New York players by number from 0-99, with other candidates also listed. Competition was tough in some spots, most notably #10, where Walt Frazier edged out Pele, Eli Manning, Phil Rizzuto and Fran Tarkenton, and #42, where Mariano Rivera and Charlie Conerly failed to make the cut.

The New York numbers list:

0 – Orlando Woolridge (Nets)

Shane Larkin

1 – Pee Wee Reese (Dodgers)

Eddie Giacomin, Billy Martin, Earle Combs

2 – Derek Jeter (Yankees)

Brian Leetch

3 – Babe Ruth (Yankees)

Bill Terry, Harry Howell, Ken Daneyko

4 – Lou Gehrig (Yankees)

Mel Ott, Duke Snider, Tuffy Leemans, Scott Stevens

5 – Joe DiMaggio (Yankees)

Denis Potvin, David Wright

6 – Joe Torre (Yankees)

Tony Lazzeri, Carl Furillo

7 – Mickey Mantle (Yankees)

Mel Hein, Rod Gilbert, Ken O’Brien, Carmelo Anthony

8 – Yogi Berra (Yankees)

Bill Dickey, Walt Bellamy, Gary Carter

9 – Richie Guerin (Knicks)

Roger Maris, Graig Nettles, Andy Bathgate, Adam Graves, Clark Gillies, Hank Bauer, Charlie Keller

10 – Walt Frazier (Knicks)

Pele, Eli Manning, Phil Rizzuto, Fran Tarkenton, Brad van Pelt

11 – Mark Messier (Rangers)

Carl Hubbell, Lefty Gomez, Phil Simms

12 – Joe Namath (Jets)

Dick Barnett

13 – Don Maynard (Jets)

Alex Rodriguez, Mark Jackson, Odell Beckham, Dave Jennings

14 – Gil Hodges (Dodgers)

YA Tittle, Bill Skowron

15 – Thurman Munson (Yankees)

Red Ruffing, Earl Monroe, Dick Mcguire, Jeff Hostetler, John McLean

16 – Frank Gifford (Giants)

Whitey Ford, Dwight Gooden

17 – Keith Hernandez (Mets)

Vic Raschi

18 – Darryl Strawberry (Mets)

Don Larsen, Phil Jackson

19 – Willis Reed (Knicks)

Bryan Trottier, Dave Righetti, Jean Ratelle

20 –Allan Houston (Knicks)

Jorge Posada, Monte Irvin, Jimmy Patton, Joe Morris

21 – Paul O’Neill (Yankees)

Tiki Barber

22 – Mike Bossy (Islanders)

Dave DeBusschere, Allie Reynolds, Dick Lynch

23 – Don Mattingly (Yankees)

Bobby Nystrom

24 – Willie Mays (Giants)

Bill Bradley, Derrell Revis, Robinson Cano, Ottis Anderson

25 – Bill Mclchionni (Nets)

Dick Nolan, Jason Giambi, Joe Pepitone, Bill Cartwright, Mark Collins

26 – Patrik Elias (Devils)

Wade Boggs, Orlando Hernandez

27 – Rodney Hampton (Giants)

Scott Niedermayer, Alexi Kovalev

28 – Curtis Martin (Jets)

Al Leiter

29 – Catfish Hunter (Yankees)

Alex Webser

30 – Martin Brodeur (Devils)

Bernard King, Henrik Lundqvist, Dave Meggett, Eddie Lopat, John Davidson

31 – Dave Winfield (Yankees)

John Franco, Mike Piazza, Billy Smith

32 – Julius Erving (Nets)

Elston Howard, Sandy Koufax, Al Blozis

33 – Patrick Ewing (Knicks)

David Wells

34 – Charles Oakley (Knicks)

John Vanbiesbrouck, Don Chandler

35—Mike Richter (Rangers)

Mike Mussina

36 – David Cone (Yankees)

Jerry Koosman

37 – Casey Stengel (Yankees/Mets)

38 – Bob Tucker (Giants)

Johnny Blanchard

39 – Roy Campanella (Dodgers)

40 – Joe Morrison

Lindy McDaniel, Mark Pavelich

41 – Tom Seaver (Mets)

Matt Snell

42 –Jackie Robinson (Dodgers)

Mariano Rivera, Charlie Conerly

43 – Spider Lockhart (Giants)

Jeff Nelson

44 – Reggie Jackson (Yankees)

John Riggins, Ahmad Bradshaw

45 – Emlen Tunnell (Giants)

Tug McGraw, John Franco

46 – Andy Pettitte (Yankees)

Bill Baird

47 – Luis Arroyo (Yankees)

48 – Jacob deGrom (Mets)

Andy Pafko, Kenny Hill, Bobby Humphrey

49 – Ron Guidry (Yankees)

Erich Barnes

50 – Ken Strong (Giants)

51 – Bernie Williams (Yankees)

52– Buck Williams (Nets)

Jon Schmitt, CC Sabathia

53 – Harry Carson (Giants)

Don Drysdale

54 – Goose Gossage (Yankees)

55—Hideki Matsui (Yankees)

Ray Wietecha

56 –Lawrence Taylor (Giants)

57 – Johan Santana (Mets)

John Wetteland, Mo Lewis

58 – Carl Banks (Giants)

59 – Kyle Clifton (Giants)

Michael Boley

60 – Larry Grantham (Jets)

D’Brickeshaw Ferguson, Brad Benson

61 – Rick Nash (Rangers)

62 – Al Atkinson (Jets)

Joba Chamberlain, Carl Hagelin

63 – Karl Nelson (Giants)

64 – Jim Burt (Giants)

65 – Joe Fields (Jets)

Bart Oates

66 – Jack Stroud (Giants)

David Diehl, Randy Rasmussen

67 – Dave Herman (Jets)

Bill Ard, Kareem McKenzie

68 – Kevin Mawae (Jets)

Jaromir Jagr,Dellin Betances

69 – Rich Seubert (Giants)

70 – Sam Huff (Giants)

Leonard Marshall

71 – Dave Tollefson (Giants)

72 – Ose Umenyiora (Giants)

73 – Joe Klecko (Jets)

74 – Nick Mangold (Jets)

75 – George Martin (Giants)

Jim Katcavage, Winston Hill

76 – Rosey Grier (Giants)

Jumbo Elliott, Chris Snee

77 – Phil Esposito (Rangers)

Dick Modzelewski

78 – Jerome Salley (Giants)

Marvin Powell

79 – Roosevelt Brown (Giants)

80 – Victor Cruz (Giants)

John Elliott, Wayne Chrebet, Jeremy Shockey

81 – Andy Robustelli (Giants)

Amani Toomer, Gerry Philbin

82 – Mario Manningham (Giants)

Mark Ingram

83 – George Sauer (Jets)

84 – Harland Svare (Giants)

Zeke Mowatt

85 – Del Shofner (Giants)

Wesley Walker

86 – Verlon Bigggs (Jets)

Lionel Manuel

87 – Howard Cross (Giants)

Pete Lammons, Domenik Hixon

88 – Al Toon (Jets)

Pat Summerall, Eric Lindros

89 – Mark Bavaro (Giants)

90 – Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants)

Dennis Byrd

91 – Justin Tuck (Giants)

John Tavares

92 – Michael Strahan (Giants)

93 – Marty Lyons (Jets)

94 – John Abraham (Jets)

95 – Frank Ferrera (Giants)

96 – Barry Cofield (Giants)

97 – Mathias Kiwanuka (Giants)

98 – Jesse Armstead (Giants)

Fred Robbins

99 – Wayne Gretzky (Rangers)

Mark Gastineau, Steve DeOssie

Finally, Blueshirts are back in the Finals

Posted: May 31, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Hockey, NHL, Stanley Cup | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist exults as the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I began following the New York Rangers in grammar school. Back then there were just six teams in the NHL, and yet the Rangers missed the playoffs eight of nine seasons between 1958 and 1966. They weren’t very good….or else they weren’t quite good enough…and those would become  prevailing themes as I followed the Blueshirts through the years.

I went to my first hockey game in 1967, just days before Christmas, at the old Madison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue. The Rangers got blanked by the Boston Bruins that night, but the team was on the rise, thanks primarily to goalie Eddie Giacomin.

In 1972, the Rangers, fueled by superb goaltending and the GAG (goal a game) line of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in my lifetime. There they lost to Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and the Bruins in six games.

Several years later Espo was traded to the Rangers, and with John Davidson between the pipes the  Broadway Blues knocked off the Islanders and made it to the Finals in 1979, only to lose to the Montreal Canadiens in five.

The Islanders dominated the early 80s winning four straight Stanley Cups. Meanwhile the Rangers title drought continued, often to the accompaniment of 1940 chants in visiting arenas.

The Messiah delivers

Before the 1991-92 season began, the Rangers acquired Mark Messier, from the Edmonton Oilers with the express purpose of delivering a Stanley Cup. And the Messiah delivered, with help from defenseman Brian Leetch, goalie Mike Richter and a stellar supporting cast.

I was in the house on June 14, 1994, when the Rangers ended a 54-year jinx, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 to win their first Cup since 1940. That night, a fan in the Garden unfurled a banner that read “Now I can die in peace.” We all felt that way.

But not even the great Wayne Gretzy could bring another championship to the Rangers. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 1997, the Rangers missed the playoffs seven years in a row.

A rookie goalie named Henrik Lundqvist arrived in 2005, and backstopped the Rangers to their first playoff appearance since 1997. The Rangers gradually built a team to support Lundqvist, making a big trade to acquire sniper Martin St. Louis just before the trading deadline, and now they are back in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years.

Some playoff runs are expected. The 1994 Rangers had the best record in the NHL during the regular season, and were favored to win the Cup. This year’s team has been a surprise, taking New York fans along for the ride. New York has become RangerTown.

After beating the Flyers in the first round, the Rangers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Penguins, then topped the Canadiens in six to advance to the Finals. They’re now on the doorstop, on the verge of making hockey history.

Rangers Need to Dump Sather, Tortorella

Posted: April 11, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Hockey, NHL, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 4 Comments

 

A decade of lousy management is long enough. Goodbye Dr. Evil, Glen Sather.

Let’s not let the Rangers inspired run for the final playoff slot these last few weeks cloud the issue.

Truth is, if the Rangers showed the same intensity in all those mid-season games they messed up, especially the home games, they never would have found themselves in this position.

Bottom line: Glen Sather must go, and take John Tortorella with him. Bring in Mark Messier and Mike Keenan, the two men most responsible for the Rangers only Stanley Cup in 70 years.

Listen, we know James Dolan loves Sather’s Edmonton pedigree. But the guy has been in New York for 10 years now, and has won squat.

In 10 years, Sather’s Rangers have never finished higher than third in their division. And in those 10 years they’ve missed the playoffs five times, and won a total of two playoff series.

During his reign, Sather has released such beloved Rangers as Brian Leetch and Adam Graves and failed to hold on to Jaromir Jagr. That didn’t stop him from bringing in busts like Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Bobby Holik and Scott Gomez, just to name a few.

Other than Tom Renney, Sather’s coaching choices — like Bryan Trottier, Ron Low and himself — have left the Rangers high, dry and misguided.

Tortorella ought to be fired, if for no other reason than his senseless decision to pul  goalie Henrik Lundquist in the second period of a loss to the Buffalo Sabres in the final week of the season.

Lundquist carried the Ragners onn his back all season — without him, they are not even sniffing a playoff berth. Sadly, Henrik’s reputation as king of the shootout took a loss in the final loss to the Flyers.

But Lundquist is not the Rangers problem. Sather is. And Torts must go took  Time to clean house, Jimmy Dolan.

Bring back some excitement and a winning tradition to the Garden. Bring back Messier and Keenan.

Predicting the Future is No Guarantee

Posted: October 9, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, football, Hockey, Sports | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.”
— Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929
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We’re all experts in this world. We think we know it all,

We see the crystal ball. We foresee the future.

In sports, as in life, we make predictions. We guarantee.

Oh sure, they’ll cover the spread. This one’s a lock. We’re gonna win.

But for every Joe Namath there’s a Fred ‘The Hammer’ Williamson. For every Mark Messier, a Patrick Ewing.
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“640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
— Bill Gates, 1981  ____________________________________________________________________

In 1969, quarterback Joe Namath brashly predicted his Jets would upset the heavily-favored Colts in the Super Bowl. They did of course, cementing the legend of Broadway Joe.

Two years earlier, Kansas City defensive back Fred ‘The Hammer’ Williamson, not only predicted his Chiefs would beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I. Furthermore, Williamson vowed that his trademark forearm chop to the helmet – a move he dubbed “The Hammer” – would rain down on Packers receivers all day.

Well the Pack crushed the Chiefs 35-10, and The Hammer was carried off on a stretcher after getting trampled by running back Donny Anderson. Asked afterward about Williamson, Packers coach Vince Lombardi said, “Was he out there? The only time I noticed him was when they carried him off.”

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“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
— Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

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Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics was one of the greatest players in NBA history. During Bird’s rookie year, one NBA general manager was asked what he thoughts about Bird.

The GM admitted Bird was a pretty good shooter and a better passer than people thought. However, the GM did not think that Larry Legend was mentally tough enough for an NBA season. Yeah right.

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“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face, and not Gary Cooper.”
— Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind”

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Patrick Ewing, the Knicks center from Georgetown, was famous for issuing guarantees….guarantees which rarely, if ever, came true. In 1997, Ewing’s line to the media was “See you in Chicago,” by which he meant the Knicks would beat the Heat in a seventh game at Miami to face the Bulls in the Eastern finals. The Heat won.

Ewing ended his Knicks career by guaranteeing a victory in Game 6 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. He missed his final six shots in a 93-80 defeat.

Contrast that with Mark Messier of the New York Rangers, who not only guaranteed a victory against the New Jersey Devils in Game Six of the 1994 NHL playoffs, but scored a hat trick in the third period to clinch a 4-2 win. The Rangers went on to win the series, and then Messier scored the decisive goal in Game Seven as the Rangers beat Vancouver to win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years.

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“Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.”
— Dr. Lee DeForest, Inventor of TV

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After winning the overtime coin toss in a 2004 playoff game at Green Bay, Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, said, “We want the ball, and we’re gonna score.”

Shortly afterwards, Hasselbeck threw the ball right to Packers defensive back Al Harris, who returned it for the winning touchdown.

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“This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
— Western Union internal memo, 1876

The SportsLifer Top 10

Posted: July 13, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, college basketball, final four, football, Hockey, Olympics, Sports | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It was a tough call, but in the end Bucky Dent won out. The SportsLifer’s top 50 memorable sports events attended came down to a pair of decisive baseball games between the Red Sox and Yankees 25 years apart.

Bucky Dent’s decisive three-run homer against the Red Sox in the 1978 American League East playoff game at Fenway Park in Boston got the nod. The Dent game edged out Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the 2003 American League Championship Series contest at Yankee Stadium.

The tiebreaker — the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978 to win the World Series. The 2003 Yankees lost to the World Series to the Florida Marlins.

Other top 10 entrants include a Stanley Cup final, World Series clincher, Super Bowl, Triple Crown horse race, NCAA basketball Final Four and Winter Olympics. Counting a major golf tournament, the ‘Lifer has seen all the major championship sporting events, with the exception of the NBA Finals.

Here’s the final countdown.

TOP 10 SPORTING EVENTS

10. Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Ted Williams homer in the same game, Yankees beat Red Sox 5-4, 1960

9. Figure skating, speed skating, the men’s long ski jump and snowmobiling, Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, 2002

8. Florida repeats as national champion with win over Ohio State, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Atlanta, 2007

7. Affirmed edges Alydar down the stretch, wins by a neck and captures horse racing’s last Triple Crown, Belmont Stakes, 1978

6. David Wells pitches the first perfect game at Yankee Stadium since Don Larsen, Yankees beat Twins 4-0, 1998

5. Ravens defense overwhelms Giants, Baltimore defeats News York 34-7 and wins Super Bowl XXXV, 2001

4. Yankees beat Braves 4-1, complete four-game sweep of Atlanta to win World Series, Yankee Stadium,1999

3. Rangers end 54-year hex, Mark Messier scores game-winnng goal to beat Vancouver Canucks 3-2 and win Stanley Cup, 1994

2. Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in 11th beats Red Sox 6-5, gives Yankees 39th AL pennant, Yankee Stadium, 2003

1. Bucky Dent ‘s three-run homer propels Yankees to 5-4 win over Red Sox and AL East title, Fenway Park, 1978

Special Category

My first major league game features six Hall of Famers, White Sox 7, Yankees 1, Yankee Stadium 1958

First installment: 41-50. includes the St. Louis Hawks, Holy Cross, and a Ranger rout.

Second installment: 31-40. stars Lew Alcindor, The Mick, and the Boston Marathon.

Third installment: (21-30), recalls the play of Willie Mays, Joe Namath and Lawrence Taylor and others.

Fourth installment, (11-20). includes record-setting moments by Barry Bonds, Jim Hickman, Roger Clemens and Eric Young.