Clean slate: A history of Rangers coaches hired in off-season
By Ryan Gagne
Inception through Original Six years (1926-1967)
When fans look up at the Stanley Cup banners at the Garden, they may look back at the 1939-40 champions and the “curse” associated with that team. Little would anyone remember the second coach in team history, Fred Boucher, who won the Stanley Cup in his first season.
Lester Patrick was the first coach in Rangers history and, after 13 seasons, handed the reins over to Boucher to focus on running the team as general manager. Patrick’s last season produced a winning record in 48 games, 26-16-6. Boucher compiled a similar record in his first year, 27-11-10, en route to the title.
Neil Colville replaced Lynn Patrick at the start of the 1950-51 season. Patrick unexpectedly resigned following a fourth-place finish (28-31-11) and loss in the Stanley Cup Final. Colville wasn’t successful in his first year, going 20-29-21 before losing his job in the middle of the next season.
After Bill Cook retired following a losing (17-37-16) campaign in 1952-53, Boucher, who was now general manager, returned as head coach for the 1953-54 season. He could not find a winning formula producing a 14-20-6 record before hiring his replacement Muzz Patrick midseason.
For the start of the 1955-56 season, Phil Watson was hired as head coach, replacing Muzz Patrick, who had a 17-35-18 record. Watson turned things around pretty quickly, producing a winning record, 32-29-10 in his first season.
Many of the Original Six-era fans would know Doug Harvey, who earned his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame after playing in Montreal, New York, Detroit, and St. Louis. He was traded to the Rangers from Montreal to be player-coach in the 1961-62 season, succeeding Al Pike, who had a 22-38-10 record. He won the Norris Trophy that season but was less successful as a coach, producing a losing record (26-32-12). He stepped down as coach after the season but played another season for the Rangers.
When Harvey relinquished his coaching duties, general manager Muzz Patrick began his second stint behind the bench for the 1962-63 season. Patrick struggled to win (11-19-4), so he sought a midseason replacement in Red Sullivan.