On September 15 in Rangers history: HOF day for Rod Gilbert

What happened on September 15 in the history of the New York Rangers

Two former New York Rangers made it into the Hall of Fame on September 15 1982.  It was induction day for Rod Gilbert,  one of the greatest player to ever wear the Rangers jersey.  On that day he was joined by Emile Francis who made the Hall in the Builders category.

Rod Gilbert played 18 years in the NHL, all with the Rangers and is the franchise lead in goals (406), points (1,021) and game-winning goals (52).  He played 1,065 games, more than any other Ranger forward. He was  member of the famous GAG line in 1971-72 along with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield.

In the playoffs he scored 34 goals and 67 points in 79 games.  He played in eight All-Star games, won the Masterton Trophy in 1976 and played for Canada at the Summit Series against the Soviet Union in 1972.

After retirement he continued to represent the Blueshirts and was known as Mr. Ranger until his death less than a month ago.

Emile Francis was inducted into the Hall just two days after his birthday. While he had a brief career as a Ranger goalie he made the Hall for his work as coach and general manager of the Rangers from 1965 to 1972.  As GM he built an annual Cup contender and he led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 1972.   Francis also served as coach and general manager of the St. Louis Blues and General Manager of the Hartford Whalers, spending 25 consecutive years running an NHL team.

Allan Stanley in the Hall of Fame

Mention the name Allan Stanley and most Ranger fans will draw a blank. He was an NHL defenseman for 21 years and a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He started his NHL career with the Rangers in 1948 and played for them for six full seasons before being traded to the Blackhawks in 1954.

He was a top defenseman for the Rangers in their trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1950, his only appearance in the postseason as a Blueshirt.   He also served as team captain from 1951 to 1953.

Stanley spent four seasons with the Blackhawks and Bruins before finding his way to Toronto in 1958.  That’s when his career took off as he was the cornerstone for the defense of the great Toronto teams of the early 1960s.   He was a three-time Second Team All-Star, one of the best stay-at-home defensemen in the league. He played his last NHL season with the Flyers after being selected by Philadelphia in the intra-league draft in 1968.

Today’s birthdays

23 NHL players have been born on September 15 including two former Rangers.

Alf Pike was born on this date in 1915 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a student at Lester Patrick’s hockey school and made it to the Rangers in 1939-40,  The center was a member of the 1940 Stanley Cup championship team and went on to play six full seasons for the Rangers.  A mortician in the off-season, he as nicknamed “The Embalmer.”  After serving in the Canadian Air Force during WWII he returned to the NHL as a defenseman.  He played right wing his last season, one of the few NHL players to play three different positions.  Pike returned to coach the Rangers, taking over from Phil Watson. He coach one more season, but was fired after missing the playoffs both seasons.

Mike Korney was a right winger born on this date in 1953 in  Dauphin, Manitoba.  A Detroit Red Wings draft pick, he played parts of three seasons in Detroit before finding his way to New York via St. Louis and Montreal.  He played 18 games for the Rangers in the 1978-79 season, his last in the NHL.