On May 14 in NYR history: Saying goodbye to Quebec

What happened on May 14 in the history of the New York Rangers

Hockey played in Quebec City is becoming a distant memory and it was on this date in 1995 that the New York Rangers played their last game ever in La Vieille Capitale.    The game was the fifth of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals and the Nordiques won 4-2.

The game, played at the Quebec Coliseum, brought the Nordiques within a game of the Rangers, cutting their series lead to 3-2.   It shifted to Madison Square Garden for the next game with the Rangers winning 4-2 and taking the series.

In the regular season the Rangers played 27 games at the Coliseum with a record of 10-14-3. This was the only time the Rangers met the Nordiques in the playoffs so their final record in Quebec was 14-16-3.

Today’s birthdays

18  NHL players were born on May 14 including four Rangers, one in the Hall of Fame, and a former coach.

Alain Vigneault was born on this date in 1961 in Quebec City, Quebec.   He played only 42 games with the St. Louis Blues, but has coached 1,340 games including 410 games as the head coach fo the Blueshirts, fourth most in franchise history.  He took the team to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season, 2013-14.  Fired in 2018, he is now coaching the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gump Worsley was born on this date in 1929 in Montreal, Quebec.  He spent 21 years as one of the best goalies in the NHL. He came up with the Rangers in 1952, winning the Calder Trophy, and was traded to Montreal in a blockbuster deal for fellow Hall of Famer Jacques Plante.  It was a good move for him as he was in net for four Stanley Cup championships teams in Montreal.  His is third all time in games played, fourth in wins and his .913 save percentage is second best to Henrik Lundqvist’s .918.

Pierre Plante was born on May 14, 1951 in Valleyfield, Quebec.  A first round pick in 1971 by the Flyers, he played in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago before ending up in New York for one season. He was a member of the 1979 team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final  against the Montreal Canadiens. As a fourth line player he scored six goals and totaled 31 points. He was claimed by Quebec in the expansion draft the next season.

Cory Larose was a center, born on this date in 1975 in  Campbellton, New Brunswick.  Signed as an undrafted free agent by Minnesota, he was traded to the Rangers in 2003 where he played his only games in the NHL,  notching one assist in seven games.  He spent of his pro career in the minor leagues before ending up in Russia and Switzerland.

The numbers

Playoff games: 2
Wins: 1
Losses: 1
Winning percentage: 50%