On September 18 in Rangers history: A great start for Quinn

What happened on September 18 in the history of the New York Rangers

On the morning of September 18, 2018 all was rosy for the New York Rangers.  They were basking in the aftermath of the first game with David Quinn as their new coach.   Though it was only the first preseason game of the new season, the Rangers won in overtime on the road, beating the Devils 4-3.

Neal Pionk scored the game winner at 1:20 of overtime on assists from Pavel Buchnevich and Jesper Fast.   Though it was only a preseason game and it featured a number of players who would never see the NHL in a regular season game, it was also the Lias Andersson show as he scored two goals.  His first goal was shorthanded and he also scored on the power play.  It might have been his best game as a New York Ranger.

The Rangers would finish the preseason with a 3-2-1 record, but would open the season with three straight losses. Of the 20 Rangers who suited up for that first exhibition game, only three were still on the team three years later as the team prepared for its first game under new coach Gerard Gallant.  Chris Kreider, Ryan Lindgren and Alexandar Georgiev all played in that game.

Today’s birthdays

24 NHL players have been born on September 18 with two Rangers including a Hall of Famer and former team captain.

Bun Cook was born on this date in 1903 in Kingston, Ontario. His real name was Frederick and he and his brother Bill were both signed to play with the newly formed New York Rangers team in 1926.  He played left wing with his brother and Frank Boucher on the “Bread Line,”   a line that stayed together for nine seasons. He won two Stanley Cups with the Rangers and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Kelly Kisio was a center, born on this date in 1959 in Peace River, Alberta.  After four seasons in Detroit, Kisio was traded to the Rangers for goalie Glen Hanlon and two draft picks. The 27-year old played five years in New York, the last four as team captain.  He was an excellent defensive forward but also topped the 20 goal mark four times. He is on the all-time franchise list with an 18% shooting percentage as a Ranger. That’s sixth best on the team since that statistic was kept by the NHL starting in 1960.