On September 21 in Rangers history: Hockey in Florida????

What happened on September 21 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 1990 and 1991, the New York Rangers played the first two NHL games in the state of Florida.  In 1990, they played the Los Angeles Kings and in 1991, the opponents were the Washington Capitals.

Miami was trying to lure an expansion franchise to southern Florida and they scheduled the exhibitions to prove that there was a hockey audience in the Sunshine State.

The Kings won the first game 6-4 behind Wayne Gretzky, who set up three power play goals. A sellout crowd of 14,596 came to the game and left happy despite the third period getting stopped after 15 minutes due to bad ice.

One year later the Rangers came back to Miami, a region often called the sixth borough of New York City. It felt like a home team for the New Yorkers with a partisan crowd definitely behind the Blueshirts.

Miami’s first application for an expansion franchise had failed and with no NHL future in sight, it wasn’t a sellout with attendance announced as 8,826.   This time, the ice held up and the Rangers prevailed, 5-4 on a third period goal by Bernie Nicholls with five minutes left.

Fans were treated to a donnybrook between Tie Domi of the Blueshirts and Bobby Babcock of the Caps that ended up with a broken hand for Babcock.

The Miami group that was promoting hockey had paid $700,000 for chilling equipment and plexiglass to prepare for the game in 1990.   Washington was all in favor of adding a Florida franchise. Believe it or not, the southernmost city in the NHL in 1990 was Washington DC (and Los Angeles on the west coast) since the Atlanta Flames had departed for Calgary in 1980.

Miami finally got its team in 1993-94 when Blockbuster Video owner Wayne Huizenga was awarded a franchise and founded the Florida Panthers.  It was one year after the Tampa Bay Lightning had been the first team in Florida.  They called the Miami Arena their home until 1998 when the arena now known as the  BB&T Center was built in the Miami suburb of Sunrise.

Marcel Dionne into the Hall of Fame

On this date in 1992, Marcel Dionne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dionne was one of the greatest scorers in NHL history, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings.  He found himself a New York Ranger at the tale end of his career, traded to New York for Bobby Carpenter and Tom Laidlaw in 1987.   Rangers GM Phil Esposito was desperate to unload Carpenter who had been a bust in a brief stop in New York and he jumped at the chance to acquire Dionne who had clashed with his coach, Pat Quinn.

It was another case of an aging superstar ending his NHL days in New York, long past his prime. In his one full season with the Rangers at age 36, he scored 31 goals and had 65 points in 67 games.  By the next season he slumped to only seven goals and 23 points in 37 games and was actually demoted to the AHL, playing nine games with the Denver Rangers.  That’s when he decided to retire.

Dionne was a two time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy and he played in eight All-Star games.  Although he never won the Hart Trophy as MVP, he was voted the MVP twice by his fellow players, winning the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1979 and 1980.  He won one Art Ross scoring Trophy in 1980 and topped the 50 goal mark six times.

Today’s birthdays

20 NHL players have been born on September 21 including five former Rangers.

Howie Morenz was born on this date in 1902 in Mitchell, Ontario.  Morenz, a center, is a Hall of Famer for a brilliant career with the Montreal Canadiens.  He won four Stanley Cups in Montreal and won the Hart Trophy three times.  The only players to win it more times were Wayne Gretzky and Eddie Shore.  Morenz found himself a Ranger for 18 games in 1936 at age 33. The Rangers sold him to Montreal the next fall so he could end his career with the Habs.  Morenz was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

Bob Errey was born on September 21, 1964 in Montreal, Quebec.  He played 15 years in the NHL and the left winger had his greatest success with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning two Stanley Cups.  In 1998 he was traded to the Rangers from the Dallas Stars and he played the last 12 games of his career in New York, retiring after he spent the entire next season with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Troy Loney was born on this date in 1963 in Bow Island, Alberta.  Loney was another player who ended his career with the Rangers, playing four games in New York after being claimed off waivers from the Islanders.  Loney was a valuable bottom six left winger who won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.

Percy Jackson was a goalie, born this date in 1907 in Canmore, Alberta.  He played seven games in the NHL between 1931 and 1936 including one game for the Rangers in 1934.  He gave up eight goals in that one game, a 8-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Al Staley was born on this date in 1928 in Regina, Saskatchewan.  A center, he played one game in the NHL for the Rangers in the 1948-49 season, notching one assist.  Known as “Red” he played a number of years in Canadian pro leagues, but never made it back to the NHL.