What happened on December 3 in the history of the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have made retiring numbers a great tradition, but on this date in 1987, it was an honor in Boston that was memorable. The Blueshirts were in Boston to play the Bruins on the night they were going to retire the number seven worn by Rangers General Manager Phil Esposito.
The event had been planned ahead and there was to be a pre-game ceremony with the Bruins honoring their ex-superstar. The big surprise was when Ray Bourque skated over to Esposito and took his jersey off and gave it to Espo. Bourque had worn number seven since breaking into the NHL in 1979 and in a surprise move he relinquished the number to wear number 77 the rest of his career. The belief had been that the number seven would not be officially retired until Bourque stopped playing.
While Esposito was touched by the gesture, he probably would have wished that the Rangers won the game. The Bruins won 4-3 on three late goals.
Esposito remains one of the greatest Bruins of all time. In eight years as a Bruin he was a first or second team All-Star every year while winning the Hart and Pearson Trophies twice each and leading the league in scoring five times. His trade to New York in 1975 along with Carol Vadnais in exchange for Brad Park and Jean Ratelle is still considered to be the biggest NHL trade of all time.
Ironically, while a Ranger, he was never able to wear number seven as it belonged to Rod Gilbert. In his days in New York, Esposito wore numbers five and twelve before finishing with number 77.
Two MSG firsts
December 3rd saw two teams make their Madison Square Garden debuts. In 1967 the expansion Los Angeles Kings played at the Garden for the first time with the Rangers winning 4-2. The game was at the “old” Garden, on Eighth Avenue and 50th Street. The Rangers were led by Phil Goyette who scored two goals against the Kings who were in first place in the West.
The game is also notable because a shoe salesman named Saul Maslow had to take to the ice as a replacement linesman when referee Bruce Hood was injured. Maslow also served as an off-ice official and was the designated replacement whenever an official was injured. He had just come from a wedding and his appearance on the ice shocked his wife who was in the stands. The good news is Hood was able to return in the third period so Maslow only worked part of the second period.
Five years later, on December 3, 1972, the Atlanta Flames made their Garden debut (at the present arena), losing to the Rangers 3-2. The Blueshirts pulled out a tough contest when Rod Gilbert scored with just over two minutes left in the game, breaking the tie.
Rangers coach Emile Francis went nuts at the end of the game when an apparent empty net goal was waved off and the Rangers ruled offside. Francis thought the Flames had too many men on the ice and that the goal should have been awarded automatically.
While he was wrong on his interpretation and his protestations drew a two minute penalty and an automatic $200 fine since he left the bench to argue. After the game near the locker rooms he charged after referee Bryan Lewis, but was restrained by Flames coach Boom Boom Geoffrion. They knew each other well as Francis had hired and fired Geoffrion as coach of the Rangers three years prior.
Two hat tricks
Two of the top scorers in NHL history registered hat tricks on December 3 as members of the New York Rangers. On December 3, 2002, Pavel Bure got his only hat trick as a Ranger in a 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden.
Bure notched two first period goals and scored his third with two minutes left in the game. He also added an assist. Bure was a gifted scorer with bad knees who was limited to only 39 games in his one full season in New York. He still scored 19 goals that season, including this three goal effort. Bure had 21 hat tricks in his career.
On December 3, 2006, Brendan Shanahan got the 19th and final hat trick of his career and his only one as a member of the Rangers. Shanahan’s effort was for naught as the Blueshirts lost 7-4 to the Islanders at the Garden. Kevin Weekes took the loss in relief of Henrik Lundqvist who allowed the first four Islander goals.
The numbers
The Rangers have played 36 games on December 3 in their history. It hasn’t been a good day for them. Here are the numbers:
Regulation wins: 12
Regulation losses: 18
Ties: 4
Overtime wins: 1
Shootout wins: 1
Points percentage: .444
Today’s birthdays
Only 14 NHL players have been born on December 3 including two former Rangers.
Bob MacMillan was born on this date in 1952 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. A right winger, he was drafted by the Rangers in the first round of the 1972 Entry Draft,but chose to mak his pro debut in the WHA with the Minnesota Fighting Saints. After two year in the upstart league, he signed with the Rangers and made his NHL debut in 1974-75, playing 22 games and scoring one goal. They traded him to their frequent trade partners, the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Larry Sacharuk. He played 11 years in the NHL with five different teams, winning the Lady Byng Trophy in 1979 while with the Atlanta Flames. His brother, Billy, is best known for playing for the Islanders.
Ray Manson was born on this date in 1926 in St. Boniface, Manitoba. He played left wing and made it to the NHL for only two games, one with the Bruins and one with the Rangers in 1949. He got an assist in his only game as a Blueshirt. He did play professionally for ten years in the minor leagues.