December 8 in NYR history: A very special day for one young man
By Steve Paulus
What happened on December 8 in the history of the New York Rangers
No matter what you may think about the New York Rangers’ ownership or the business of hockey, there’s one effort that should be applauded and supported and that is the Garden of Dreams Foundation. On this date in 2014, the Rangers made a young man’s dreams come true, signing him to a one day contract so he could be a Blueshirt.
The Rangers signed 15-year old Chris Falzone to a one-day contract and he got to practice with the team and was a healthy scratch for their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Falzone was a cancer survivor, diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Mature B Cell Lymphoma in his freshman year at Middletown South High School in New Jersey.
A hockey player, he had to undergo a full hip replacement and the prognosis was he would never play again, but after chemotherapy he was cancer free and back on the ice and playing with his high school team again.
Falzone got to skate with the Rangers in their pregame warm-up and he wore uniform number 14. To make things even better, in 2017 the Garden of Dreams Foundation awarded him a scholarship as he went on to attend Monmouth University where he was captain of their hockey team.
First game in B.C.
On this date in 1970, the team played the first game in its history in the province of British Columbia, playing the expansion Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks were the first modern expansion team based in Canada so this was the Rangers’ first game north of the border that didn’t include a team from Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto.
The game was played at the Pacific Coliseum and came two days after the Rangers had won 4-1 at Madison Square Garden in the first game ever between the two teams. Whether it was jetlag or any other reason, the tables were turned in this game and the Canucks won 4-1.
The teams exchange first period goals,but after that it was all Vancouver as they scored the last three goals. It was the first win against an “Original Six” team other than the Toronto Maple Leafs. By this date, the expansion team had inexplicably already beaten the Leafs three times.
The Rangers would win their next seven games against the Canucks including their next three in Vancouver.
It is 2,428 miles between Madison Square Garden and the Pacific Coliseum. That’s the farthest distance between the Rangers’ arena and any Canadian team’s, but not as far as the Los Angeles Kings’ Staples Center, 2,450 miles away.
Today’s birthday
17 NHL players were born on December 8 including four former New York Rangers including one goalie who broke NHL tradition.
Marcel Paiile was born on this date in 1932 in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec. Paille played goal for the Rangers from 1957 to 1965, playing in 107 games with a record of 32-52-22. Paille is tenth all time for the Blueshirts in shots against (3,475), saves (3,113) and save percentage (.896). He is best known as the first goalie to attempt to wear a mask. He wore a fiberglass prototype in 1959 in practice with the Rangers, but abandoned it because perspiration fogged the plexiglass eye covering.
Ted Irvine was born on December 8, 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played 11 years in the NHL, including six seasons with the Rangers. He was traded from the Kings to New York in 1970 and the left winger found himself on a line with Pete Stemkowski and Bruce MacGregor. He was a popular and tough player who won the Players’ Player Award in 1974. Ranger fans will remember the “Irvine Shuffle” dance he did after he scored which he did 26 times in 1973-74, his best year. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1975 in the deal that netted the Rangers goalie John Davidson. A little known fact is that Irvine was the father of professional wrestler, Chris Jericho.
Red Berenson was born on this date in 1939 in Regina, Saskatchewan. A center, Berenson was traded from Montreal to the Rangers in 1966 and he played 49 games in parts of two seasons in New York, scoring only two goals and eight points. The Rangers gave up on the 27-year old and traded him, with Barclay Plager, to the St. Louis Blues for Ron Stewart and Ron Attwell. It turned out to be a fabulous trade for the Blues as he took the expansion team to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and was their best player and a point-a-game player. He was traded to Detroit before returning to finish his career with the Blues. While Stewart was a good defenseman for New York, Berenson was truly the one who got away. After he retired he had a successful career as coach of the Michigan Wolverines, leading them to two NCAA championships.
Joe Shack was a left winger, born on this date in 1915 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played two seasons for the Rangers in the war years from 1942-1945, appearing in 70 games while scoring nine goals and 36 points. After his NHL career ended at age 29, he moved to Europe and played seven years in the U.K. and later coached the Swedish national hockey team in the mid-1950s.
The numbers
The Rangers have played 40 times on December 7 in franchise history. They are over .500 for the date, but what’s notable is that they have been ended 15 of those 40 games tied after regulation.
Regulation wins: 11
Regulation losses: 14
Ties: 10
Overtime wins: 3
Shootout wins: 1
Shootout losses: 1
Points percentage: .512