On October 14 in Rangers history: Rod Gilbert’s night

What happened on October 14 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 1979, the New York Rangers retired Rod Gilbert’s number seven, after he retired as the greatest scorer in Blueshirts history.   His was the first number to be retired by the Rangers and it came one year after he retired at the end of the 1977-78 season.

Gilbert passed away at age 80 in August and will be honored before the Rangers home opener, ironically, 42 years to the day after his number was retired.  The team will wear a patch with his number seven on their uniforms all season.

The night was a disappointment as the Rangers lost to the Capitals 4-3. Dennis Maruk scored all four goals for the Caps and the Rangers had a tying goal by Don Murdoch disallowed when it was ruled he had kicked the puck in the net, though he maintained he shot it.  No video replay in those days.

Gilbert played all 16 seasons in the NHL with the Rangers and he is the all-time leading goal scorer in franchise history.   A member of the famed GAG line, the only blemish on his career record was the lack of a Stanley Cup Championship.  He played on one Rangers teams that made it to the Final, losing to the Boston Bruins in 1972.

500 goals for Gartner

On  this date in 1991, Mike Gartner scored his 500th NHL goal, becoming the first player to reach that total while a member of the Rangers.   He scored a power play goal in the first period against his former team, the Washington Capitals.   The Caps ended up winning 5-3 on three third period goals.  He was the 16th NHL player to reach that magic milestone.

Gartner would score 49 goals in that season, his first full season as a Ranger.  He ended his career with 708 goals including 173 as a Blueshirt.  He would also tally his 600th goal as a Rangers in December 1993.

A record number of shots

They’ve only been keeping track of the number of shots in a period since 1997-98 and it didn’t take long for Brian Leetch to establish a franchise record.  On this date in 1997 he had seven shots in one period, setting a team record.  All seven shots came in the second period in a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden.

Adam Graves equaled that record just two months later and the team mark of eight shots in one period was set Jaromir Jagr in 2006 and tied by Brendan Shanahan in 2008.

Hello Buffalo

On October 14, 1970, the expansion Buffalo Sabres played their first game at Madison Square Garden, a 3-0 win for the Rangers. It was the first game between the two team as well. The Sabres didn’t beat the Ranger that first season, losing four and tying two games.

The Sabres have played 96 games at the Garden and the Rangers own a winning record with 47 wins against 34 losses with 15 ties.

Today’s birthdays

22 NHL players have been born on October 14 with three of them former Rangers.

Sylvain Lefebvre was born on this date in 1967 in Richmond, Quebec.  The defenseman played 14 years in the NHL, the final four with the Rangers after signing as a free agent in 1999.  A Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche, the Blueshirts thought he could lead them back to the playoffs, giving him a four-year $10 million contract.  It didn’t come to pass as Lefebvre was hampered by injuries including a shattered finger while blocking a shot.

Billy Tibbetts was a right winger born on this date in 1974 in Boston, Massachusetts. He played 82 NHL games for three teams including the Rangers.  His tenure in New York was only 11 scoreless games in the 2002-03 season.

Billy Taylor was a center born on October 14, 1942 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  A career minor leaguer, he made his way to the NHL for two games with the Rangers in 1964-65.  He didn’t have a point in that brief stint in the big leagues.