On February 28 in NYR history: Contributing to a record shutout streak

What happened on February 28 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 1929, the New York Rangers shut out the Chicago Black Hawks, playing a 0-0 tie.  There were several reasons this game was of significance.  Unbelievably, it was the eighth straight game that the Black Hawks had been shut out.  That’s an NHL record that still stands with no team coming even close.  The next longest streak was four straight shutouts, suffered by four teams including the 1927-28 New York Rangers.

How bad was it?  The Black Hawks scored on February 5 and they didn’t dent the twines  for almost a month on March 2.

The road game versus Chicago was played in the Detroit Olympia because Chicago Stadium was under construction.  That season the Black Hawks had to play their home games at three different arenas with only one in Chicago.

In net for the Rangers was John Ross Roach and this was his 13th shutout of the season, a franchise record that stand to this day.  Lorne Chabot and Henrik Lundqvist both came close, with 11 shutouts in one season.

Get this statistic.  In 44 games that season, the Black Hawks scored three goals only once, netting two or fewer in the other 41 games including 20 shutouts.  That’s the most times shut out for any team in NHL history.   Compare that to the Rangers who scored nine goals in one game and had three or more goals in 10 games that season.  The Blueshirts were shut out 10 times that season, the only time that has happened in franchise history.

Two losses in the same game

On this date in 2020 the Rangers suffered two notable losses.  They dropped a 5-2 decision in Philadelphia, ending their franchise record nine road game win streak.  More significant was the fact that Chris Kreider suffered a broken foot blocking a shot, just four days after the Rangers decided to hold on to him at the trade deadline, signing him to a seven-year $45.5 million contract.

A Bathgate milestone

On this date in 1960, Andy Bathgate scored his 250th career goal, becoming the first New York Ranger to achieve that feat and the 10th in NHL history.  The goal came in a 6-1 win over the Chicago Black Hawks in Chicago.

The winner of the Hart Trophy in 1959, Bathgate score 22 more goals for the Rangers for a total of 272, fourth most in club history. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964 and went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Leafs that spring.

Today’s birthdays

32 NHL players have been born on February 28 including four former Rangers, one of them a Hall of Famer.

On this date in 1973, Eric Lindros was born in London, Ontario.  Lindros was one of the top power forwards in the NHL  whose career was cut short by multiple concussions.  He came to the Rangers in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2001.  He played three seasons in New York, but was hampered by injuries while with the Rangers.  A Hart Trophy winner with the Flyers, the perennial All-Star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Mark Pavelich was born on this date in 1958 in Eveleth, Minnesota.  A member of the 1980 gold medal Olympic team, he signed with the Rangers and his former coach, Herb Brooks and played in New York for five years.  Only 5’8″ and 170 pounds, Pavelich was a skilled goal scorer and playmaker and is one of three Rangers to score five goals in one game.  The center left the team in 1986 after a dispute with coach Ted Sator.  He had two brief stints with San Jose and the Minnesota North Stars after he left New York.

Clint Albright was a center who was born on this date in 1926 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  He played only one season in the NHL, with the Rangers in 1948-49, scoring 14 goals in 59 games. Albright was nicknamed “The Professor” because he was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Manitoba and for the fact that he was one of the few players to wear glasses on the ice.

Jean-Paul Denis was born on this date in 1924 in Montreal, Quebec. He had two brief stops in New York while spending most of his time with the New Haven Ramblers of the AHL.  The right winger played in ten games with the Rangers, notching one assist.

The numbers

The Rangers have played 44 games on February 28 and are just under .500.  Their nine ties on this date are the most ties of any day in the month of February.

Games: 45
Regulation wins: 15
Regulation losses: 19
Ties: 9
Overtime wins: 1
Overtime losses: 1
Points percentage: .467