New York Rangers Look Back: The goalie experiment that failed

In this edition of “New York Rangers Look Back” we’ll be revisiting a fascinating experiment involving an obscure former Ranger.  This came about when the Rangers hired a coach with no NHL experience who was determined to shake things up.  And he did.  That’s where this week’s obscure player, Terry Kleisinger, comes in.

In June, 1985 the Rangers were fresh off one of their worst seasons. Though they made the playoffs (in those days EVERY team made the playoffs), but  they set two teams records that still stand:  most losses (44) and most goals allowed (345).

Eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers went out and hired Ted Sator, a Flyers assistant coach, to be their head coach.  It was an out-of-the-box selection as he had only two years NHL assistant coaching experience.  His five years experience coaching in Sweden and his ability to speak Swedish was cited as one reason he was hired though the team only had three Swedish players.

Two days before the start of the 1985-86 season, Sator made his final roster decisions.  In a shocking move he demoted top center Pierre Larouche, second leading scorer Mike Rogers, first-string goalie Glen Hanlon and fan favorite Nick Fotiu, all to the minor league.  With the moves he installed 22-year-old John Vanbiesbrouck as the top goaltender and kept Kleisinger as his back-up.

Terry Kleisinger

Terry Kleisinger was a 25-year-old rookie in October 1985, just graduated from the University of Wisconsin. He had missed the entire 1984-85 season with mononucleosis. He came to Rangers training camp as a free agent and had a good preseason. The highlight of the preseason was an  October 1st game versus the Philadelphia Flyers that featured a full scale brawl in one of the ugliest displays in NHL history.

506 minutes in penalties were assessed and 22 players were ejected.  After the half hour brawl, each team was left with seven players and one goalie to finish out the game.  No records are kept for exhibition games, but this could be the most penalized game in league history. The NHL record for penalty minutes in a game is 419 in a game between the Flyers (again) and the Ottawa Senators in 2004.

Kleisinger played all of four minutes before he was ejected after skating the length of the ice to fight Flyers goalie Bob Froese (seen here at 2:45):

That might have sealed the deal for Kleisinger as he was signed to a NHL contract a few days later.  One day later, veteran goalie Hanlon was sent to the minors and Kleisinger made the team as Vanbiesbrouck’s backup.

One month into the season the Rangers sent Kleisinger to the AHL and he never played again in the NHL.    He had made three starts and played in four games.  He had a 4.40 GAA and a save percentage of .872.  He was demoted after being pulled from after giving up a four goal lead against the Devils.  At the time, Rangers GM Craig Patrick said that Kleisinger was sent to New Haven to “get more work.”

After winning only two out of ten games in New Haven, he was demoted to Toledo of the International Hockey League.  The next season he played  ten games for three minor league teams allowing about six goals per game and he retired.

Postscript

Terry Kleisinger’s NHL career was just four games, all with the New York Rangers. Yet he is remembered for his role in what could be the most penalized game in NHL history and in one of the most tumultuous  roster periods in team history.

By the way, those roster moves didn’t last too long as Mike Rogers, Glen Hanlon and Pierre Larouche all made it back to the NHL within weeks of their demotions. The controversy continued into the spring as Mark Pavelich quit the team over differences with coach Sator.  Although Sator led the team to the Conference Finals,  Sator was gone 23 games into the next season, fired by the new General Manager, Phil Esposito.