On June 1 in NYR history: The Sather era begins

What happened on June 1 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 2000, the New York Rangers hire Glen Sather as the President and General Manager of the team, replacing Neil Smith, the architect of the Blueshirts’ only Stanley Cup in 6 years.  It was a move that has had ramifications until today and the jury is out on whether Sather was the right choice.

Even though he retired as President of the team in 2019, his fingerprints are still evident with his role in the recent firings of John Davidson, Jeff Gorton and David Quinn.  How exactly has the Sather era gone?

After missing the playoffs for four straight seasons, Sather’s Rangers were an annual playoff participant, making the postseason 11 times in 12 years.  That run of success culminated in the trip the Final in 2014, along with two trips to the Conference Finals.

There’s no denying that the ultimate mark of success is a Stanley Cup and he didn’t bring one to New York, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

The Herb Brooks era begins

As much as the Glen Sather era has been notable, on this date in 1981, the Rangers announced that they had hired Herb Brooks,  the architect of the Miracle on Ice, as coach.  Brooks lasted only three and a half seasons as head coach, but his teams were among the most fun to watch of any  Rangers team in recent memory.

Brooks brought his European style of hockey to the Rangers, stressing skill  over size as he leaned heavily on undersized players like Mark Pavelich, Mike Rogers, Rob McClanahan and Reijo Ruotsalainen.  His first season as coach was his best as the team finished in second place with 92 points.

Brooks biggest issue was bad timing.  During his stay in New York, the Rangers always made the playoffs, but inevitably ran headfirst into the New York Islanders and every season, they were eliminated by their Metropolitan Area rivals.

Today’s birthdays

33 NHL players have been born on June 1 including four former Blueshirts.

Mike Dunham was born on this date in 1972 in Johnson City in the southern tier of New York State. He played two seasons with the Rangers and is one of the few players who toiled for all three New York City area teams. A Devils draft pick in 1990, the goalie came to the Rangers in a trade with Nashville, In his two years for the non-playoff Rangers, he posted a record of 35-47-11.

Michal Grosek was born on this date in 1975 in Vyskov, Czechoslovakia.  A left winger, he played for five NHL teams in 11 seasons. He played 80 games over two seasons in New York, with 12 goals and 25 points.

Leo Reise was a defenseman born on this date in 1892 in Pembroke, Ontario.  He played four years for the Hamilton Tigers, then four years with the New York Americans before he found himself a New York Rangers in 1929-30 when he played 14 games as a Blueshirt.  Coincidentally, his son, also named Leo Reise, also was a defenseman and played two seasons for the Rangers in the 1950s.

Ron Talakoski was born this date in 1962 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. A right winger, he played nine games in the NHL, all with the Rangers, over two seasons from 1986 -88.  He failed to score a goal, but did notch one assist in those nine games.

The numbers

No playoff games for the Rangers on June 1.