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The 1979 New York Rangers: Ooh, la, la — so close!

ByScott Esposito|
The New York Rangers celebrate their playoff victory over the New York Islanders on the ice at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, 1979. Visible players include Steve Vickers (#8, left), John Davidson, Ed Johnstone, and Doug Soetaert (extreme right). (Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)
The New York Rangers celebrate their playoff victory over the New York Islanders on the ice at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, 1979. Visible players include Steve Vickers (#8, left), John Davidson, Ed Johnstone, and Doug Soetaert (extreme right). (Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)
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ST. PAUL, MN – JANUARY 28: Ulf Nilsson #14 of the Winnipeg Jets celebrates after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Fighting Saints on January 28, 1975 at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – JANUARY 28: Ulf Nilsson #14 of the Winnipeg Jets celebrates after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Fighting Saints on January 28, 1975 at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)

Swedish savvy

Before the season, the Rangers made Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg the highest-paid players in the NHL, signing them from the disbanded World Hockey Association for a combined $2.4 million.

Hedberg and Nilsson had combined with Bobby Hull to form one of the most potent lines in the WHA.   The pair gave the Rangers a nice return on their lucrative investment. Hedberg tied Esposito for the team lead in points with 78, and his 33 goals were third-most behind Esposito (42) and Pat Hickey (34).

Nilsson started slowly, going scoreless in his first five games. He scored in his sixth match, a 5-2 win over Toronto at the Garden and settled in thereafter. In fact, he was performing well on Broadway, with 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in 59 games before he (and the Rangers) caught a terrible break.

On February 25, 1979, in the Rangers’ 59th match of the season, Nilsson suffered a broken ankle on a hit from New York Islanders defenseman and future Hall of Famer Denis Potvin. Nilsson’s skate got caught in a rut in the Garden ice on the hit.

The Swedish pivot missed the remaining 21 games that season and all but two playoff tilts, and was never the same player after returning. To illustrate how good Nilsson was, his 27 goals still tied Ron Duguay for fourth-most among Rangers while his 66 points ranked third.

To his credit, Nilsson never blamed Potvin for the injury. However, many Rangers fans (and some teammates) sure did. As a result, the famous “Potvin S**ks!” chant was born and is still heard at every Blueshirts game at the Garden regardless of the opponent.

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