On August 25 in Rangers history: Horton into the HOF
By Steve Paulus
What happened on August 25 in the history of the New York Rangers
On this date in 1977, Tim Horton was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Horton was another in a long line of star players who ended up in New York past his prime. He played one full season and part of another for the Rangers, so he joins the ranks of former Blueshirts enshrined in the Hall.
He earned that status for his 20 years of patrolling the blueline for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in seven all-star games and won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs. There was no loyalty in those days and the Leafs traded him to the Rangers in 1970 when he was 40 years old.
In his one full season as a Ranger, he played in all 78 regular season and 13 playoff games. He scored two goals and added 18 assists.
Horton was the co-founder of the Tim Horton Doughnut Shops and he died tragically in a car accident. In 1974, while playing for the Buffalo Sabres, Horton was killed in a car accident driving back to Buffalo after a game in Toronto.
Fellow inductees in 1977 included the Red Wings’ Alex Delvecchio and Harold Ballard in the builder category.
A tragic drowning
On this date in 1939, former Ranger Babe Siebert died tragically, drowning while swimming in Lake Huron. He had just retired and was set to become coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
25 août 1939 : Peu de temps après avoir été nommé entraîneur-chef des Canadiens, Albert «Babe» Siebert meurt par noyade à Zurich, en Ontario pic.twitter.com/ed81T7iFZM
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) August 25, 2017
Siebert was a former Ranger who played left wing and defense in the NHL. In need of cash, the Montreal Maroons sold Siebert to the Rangers in 1932 and the left winger played on the 1933 Stanley Cup championship team. In 1933-34, his play deteriorated and the Rangers traded the 30-year-old to Boston. The Bruins shifted him to defense and it revitalized his career. In his final six years as a defesnseman with Boston and Montreal he was an All-Star three times and he won the Hart Trophy with Montreal in 1936-37.
Today’s birthdays
20 NHL players have been born on August 25. Three of them suited up for the New York Rangers.
Pete Stemkowski was born on this date in 1943 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He scored what is considered the most famous goal by a Ranger in the 1970s, when, facing elimination, he scored in triple overtime against the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1971 Stanley Cup Semifinals. It was his second overtime game winner of that series, a series the Rangers eventually lost. Stemkowski, played 15 years in the NHL, including seven in New York. The center did play on a Cup winner in 1967 with Toronto. He was an outstanding faceoff man and a popular player, well known for his practical jokes, nicknamed either “Stemmer” or “The Polish Prince.”
Dean Talafous was born on this date in 1963 in Duluth, Minnesota. He signed as a free agent with the Rangers in 1978 and the right winger played four years in New York. A college star at Wisconsin, he also played for the Atlanta Flames and Minnesota North Stars. His career in New York ended abruptly when he was traded to Quebec for Robbie Ftorek, but refused to report when the Nordiques wouldn’t guarantee a contract for another year. He chose to retire instead and the Rangers had to send Pat Hickey to Quebec instead.
Jerry Holland was born on August 25, 1954 in Beaverlodge, Alberta. The left winger was drafted by the Rangers in the third round of the 1974 Amateur Draft and made it to New York for 37 games over two seasons from 1974 to 1976. He scored seven goals and 12 points, spending most of those two seasons with the Providence Reds of the AHL. With no future in New York, he signed with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA and played there for one season.