On May 31 in NYR history: A player coach for the Blueshirts

What happened on May 31 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 1961, the New York Rangers announced that Doug Harvey would be taking over behind the bench, replacing Alf Pike.  But he wouldn’t be only the coach, he would also be playing defense for the Blueshirts.

Doug Harvey was acknowledged as the best defenseman in hockey.  He had won the Norris Trophy the two previous years with Montreal, winning it six of seven years.  He had been an All-Star for ten straight years when he signed with the Rangers.

The Canadiens allowed Harvey to leave to make the transition to coaching though the Rangers had to send Lou Fontinato to Montreal as compensation in a deal that was announced on June 13.  The Canadiens were actually glad to see him go as they felt his play was declining and because was also a vocal critic of the NHL hierarchy and pay scale.

The 37 year old Harvey left Montreal with a heavy heart, acknowledging that he had been with the Canadiens organization since he was 12 years old.

As player-coach, Harvey led the Rangers to the playoffs for the first time in four years while winning the Norris Trophy for the seventh time, record that was passed only by Bobby Orr.

Harvey didn’t like the dual role and stepped down as coach the following season, succeeded by General Manager Muzz Patrick.

Ouch…a first game loss to Vancouver

The New York Rangers were a giddy, happy bunch when they took on the Vancouver Canucks in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden on this date in 1994.  Still hung over from their double overtime Game Seven win over the Devils, the Rangers were confident going into the Final.

They had reason to be. Vancouver had finished in second place in the Pacific Division with 85 points, 27 points fewer than the Rangers.  They were led by superstar Pavel Bure and the netminding of Kirk McLean, but no one in New York thought the Canucks stood a chance.

All of that overconfidence got a rude awakening when the Canucks won the game on an overtime goal by Greg Adams with only 34 seconds left in the first overtime period.  The defeat was made worse because the Canucks’ game winning two-on-one was preceded second before by a Brian Leetch shot that beat McLean, but hit the crossbar.

The Rangers had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 and dominated play, but the Canucks battled back and tied the game with only a minute left in the third period. That led to the overtime and that backbreaking goal.  McLean was fabulous in net, making 52 saves, compared to 28 for Mike Richter.  For the Rangers it was a slap in the face and a reminder that they were in a series.

Today’s birthdays

25 NHL players have been born on the last day in May including one who barely saw any action and another who was a Cup winner and Hall of Famer.

Art Coulter was born on this date in 1909 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.   After winning a Stanley Cup in 1934 with the Black Hawks, the 26 year old defenseman was dealt to the Rangers in exchange for the younger blueliner, Earl Siebert.  It was a trade for future Hall of Fame defensemen as Coulter played seven years in New York, a Second Team All-Star three times and a member of the 1940 Cup winning team.

Sam McAdam was born on this date in 1908 in Sterling in the United Kingdom.  Though born in the U.K. he was raised in Canada.  The forward played almost 20 years in the minor leagues and made it to the NHL in 1930-31 for five scoreless games with the Rangers.

The numbers

Playoff games: 1
Wins: 0
Losses: 0
Overtime losses: 1
Winning percentage:  0%