On February 18 in NYR history: The biggest night for a Ranger…ever

On this date in 1976, Steve Vickers set a franchise record that has stood for over 40 years.  The fourth year left winger went out and scored seven points in one game, the most ever for anyone who has played for the New York Rangers.

Vickers had three goals and four assists as the Rangers blew out the Washington Capitals, 11-4 at Madison Square Garden.  The line of Wayne Dillon, Rod Gilbert and Vickers had a total of 16 points in the game. Vickers had shaved his mustache in an effort to change the team’s luck. It worked.

Vickers broke the club record of six last achieved by Don Raleigh in 1951. Vickers was the 22nd NHL player to score as many as seven points in a game. It didn’t get major headlines as Darryl Sittler of the Maple Leaf has set the NHL record of 10 point in one game just 11 days earlier.

First game at the new Garden

On this date, the World’s Most Famous Arena hosted its first hockey game as the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1.   Philadelphia’s Wayne Hicks scored the first goal ever at the arena while Bob Nevin was the first Ranger to score at the new Garden, the fourth version to bear the Madison Square Garden name.

Coincidentally, this was the first game ever played in New York City by the expansion Flyers.

Since that date, the Rangers have played 2,040 games at the new Garden, with a record of 1,074 wins, 691 losses, 200  ties along with 75 overtime losses. Oh yes, and one Stanley Cup Championship.

Bad day for coaches

There were two coaching changes on February 18 in franchise history.  In 1969, Bernie Geoffrion stepped down as coach, replace by General Manager Emile Francis. Geoffrion wasn’t fired, he voluntarily gave up the job because he was plagued by ulcers. He lasted 43 games with a record of 22-18-3.  He would return behind the bench to coach the Atlanta Flames and the Montreal Canadiens.  Geoffrion had been acquired by Francis and played two seasons for the Rangers before retiring to take the coaching gig.

In 1998 on this date, the Rangers fired Colin Campbell after almost four years on the job.  Campbell had succeeded Mike Keenan in 1994 and presided over the decline of the Cup winning team. General Manager Neil Smith would go on to hire John Muckler to replace Campbell.   The coach was fired while the team had a record of 17-24-16 after a series of misguided free agent signings and the departure of Mark Messier.  Campbell had been an assistant coach with Keenan on the 1994 Cup winning team.

Sweeping the Islanders

On this date in 1973 the Ranger beat the Islanders 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.  It meant a sweep of the six games season series against the expansion team  and it was one of the closest of all six games.   The Rangers outscored the Islanders 25-5 in the season series.

The streak would end the following October when the Islanders beat the Rangers for the first time though the Blueshirts would take four of their five games against the interlopers from Long Island.

Farewell Gordie

On February 18 in 1980, Gordie Howe played his last game against the New York Rangers. He was with the Hartford Whalers and they beat the Blueshirts 6-4.   Howe was scoreless in his last game against the Blueshirts.

For Howe it was one last year in the NHL after six years in the World Hockey Association.  The Whalers joined the NHL in 1979-80 when the senior league absorbed absorbed four teams when the WHA folded.

This also happened to be the first game ever played by the Rangers in the state of Connecticut.  They had played the Whalers in December, but that game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts because the Hartford arena was still under construction after the roof collapsed from a heavy snowfall.

Today’s birthdays

32 NHL players were born on February 18 with three former Rangers in that mix.

Dick Duff was a left winger born on this date in 1936 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He was a star scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs and he won six Stanley Cups with the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.  The Rangers acquired him in a blockbuster 1964 trade that included Andy Bathgate, but he never liked playing in New York and he was swapped to Montreal within a year.

Playing in Montreal revitalized Duff and he was on four Cup winners in five years. He played only 43 games for the Rangers, putting up the worst offensive numbers of his career.  Duff was induced into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Kris King was a feisty left winger who was born on this date in 1966 in Bracebridge, Ontario. He played three and a half seasons with the Rangers and his 286 penalty minutes in 1989-90 was the second most for  Ranger in any one season.  He topped he 200 penalty minute mark twice in his time with New York.

Three days after Christmas in 1992, King and Tie Domi were traded to Winnipeg for Eddie Olczyk.

Nik Antropov was born on this date in 1980 in Ust-Kamenogorsk, USSR.  The center was a trade deadline acquisition in March 2009.  He played 18 games that season in New York, scoring seven goals and 13 points but he signed with Atlanta as a free agent that summer.

The numbers

The Rangers have played 41 times on February 18 and are just under .500.

Games: 41
Regulation wins: 16
Regulation losses: 18
Ties: 5
Overtime wins: 1
Overtime losses: 1
Points percentage: .488

Last year

The Rangers were off with less than a week to the trade deadline. They were headed to Chicago to play the Blackhawks with an eight point gap to make up to get into the playoffs.