On December 30 in NYR history: Greschner sets a record

What happened on December 30th in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 1974, New York Rangers rookie Ron Greschner was barely 20 years old when he got three points in a game , breaking a franchise record that had stood for over a decade.  He notched three points, all assists, in an 8-1 win over the Minnesota North Stars, becoming the youngest Rangers defenseman to accomplish that feat.  He was 20 years and eight days old and he broke the record set by Rod Seiling who had been 20 years and 14 days old when he did it in 1964.

Greschner still holds the record as the youngest defenseman in franchise history to get three points in a game and at the time he was the second youngest Rangers player to accomplish that feat. Winger Jackie McLeod had a goal and two assists in a game on February 23, 1950 when he was 19 years, 299 days old. Six years later, Mike Allison set the current team record, scoring three points at 19 years, 197 days in an 8-3 win at Toronto on October 11, 1980.

Incidentally, the NHL record belongs to Bep Guidolin of the Boston Bruins who was all of 17 years, 34 days old when he had two goals and an assist  on January 12, 1943.

A streak starts

On this date in 1934, the Boston Bruins and the Rangers played a 0-0 tie at Madison Square Garden.  Dave Kerr was in net for the Rangers and Tiny Thompson was the goalie for Boston.  What made this notable was that Boston went on to go undefeated in the next 36 games in overtime.

That 37 game unbeaten streak is the longest in NHL history.  Boston won ten games and 27 ended in a tie and it lasted four years.

Ranger goalie Dave Kerr registered eight 0-0 ties in his career with the Blueshirts, the most in franchise history. Most recently, Henrik Lundqvist had five 0-0 games go to a shootout of which he won two and lost three.

Captain Cally retires

He may have been traded in his prime, but Ryan Callahan will always have a place in the hearts of Ranger fans.  On this date in 2020 he announced his retirement, though he hadn’t played in a year due to a back injury.

Callahan played the first seven full seasons of his career in New York, named captain in 2011.  He was known for his shot blocking and fearless play, a style that result in a number of injuries.  He was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014 in a blockbuster deal for Martin St. Louis. Though he was dealt, he was always a Ranger, something he made clear when he announced he was hanging up his skates.

“First I want to thank the New York Rangers organization for giving me a chance. Playing in front of the blue shirt faithful, at the world’s most famous arena, is something I will always remember and cherish. There is no feeling like hearing the Garden erupt from scoring a goal, blocking a shot or making a big hit!  My proudest moment in my career was being able to wear the “C” on a Rangers sweater.”

Callahan played 450 games with the Blueshirts scoring 132 goals and 254 points and blocked 416 shots, annually leading all forwards in that category.

Today’s birthdays

15 NHL players have been born on December 30 while the Rangers boast a franchise legend and Hall of Famer and a player who the Rangers hope will be a future Hall of Famer.

Igor Shesterkin was born on this date in 1995 in Moscow, Russian Federation.  Drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, he is in his third season with the Rangers and has established himself as one of the top NHL netminders.

Lester Patrick was born on this date in 1883 in Drummondville, Quebec.  His name is synonymous with the New York Rangers as he was a player, coach and general manager for the team for over 20 years.  A defenseman, Patrick played one regular season game for the Blueshirts in their inaugural season.  Known as “The Silver Fox,” Patrick was hired by the Rangers to be their first coach and general manager, though he did play one regular season game as a defenseman.   He coached the team for 13 years, leading them to two Stanley Cups and missing the playoffs only once.

He stepped down as coach in 1939, hiring Frank Boucher while remaining as GM.   He finally relinquished that role in 1946 after winning another Cup in 1940.  He is most famous for stepping in and playing goal in the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals when his netminder, Lorne Chabot, was hit by a puck in the eye.  The 44 year old Patrick allowed one goal and won the game in overtime.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

The numbers

The New York Rangers own December 30.  They have played 30 times on this date and have only lost three times.  The .783 points percentage on this date is one of the best.

Games: 30
Regulation wins: 18
Regulation losses: 3
Ties: 7
Overtime wins: 2
Points percentage:  .783