Native New Yorkers who played for the Rangers

[eco's bones]

And if we’re including New York Staters, wasn’t Mike Dunham from Binghamton or somewhere upstate?
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Yes....from the Binghamton area. There are a lot of Rangers fans in the Binghamton, Elmira, Corning and Ithaca areas. The more west and towards Rochester you go and it's more Sabres fans......or at least it seems that way to me though a lot of younger fans in central NY are Sabres fans though there are a lot also like other teams because the Sabres have not been good for a long while.

 

[Mandar]

Jim could throw but was a really good guy. He moved back to Kings Park and owned a local bar. I remember reading the few newspaper clippings on the Superior Ice Rink bulletin board. We were proud to have one our rinks guys make the NHL. It was kind of like if he could make it maybe one of us could as well. He played at St. Anthony's who used to kick our butts.

St. Anthony's was good....but Sachem was a lot better!!

 

[NickyFotiu]

St. Anthony's was good....but Sachem was a lot better!!

OMG Sachem kicked our butts as well. I went to hockey camp with some of the Sachem guys. They were actually really cool.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

I played drop in games and one school game with the Ferraro twins. We were from LI.

Also Nicky was from NY.

Played against one of them, don't remember who, when he was at Tabor Academy. Very humbling.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Played against one of them, don't remember who, when he was at Tabor Academy. Very humbling.

How old were they? I think I played with them and against them when they were early to mid teens. I didn't think they were that great. They were younger than me and I was obviously wrong.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

How old were they? I think I played with them and against them when they were early to mid teens. I didn't think they were that great. They were younger than me and I was obviously wrong.

Not sure. I think one or both of them played in that US Jr. League, so probably before that? I don't know what age they were when they went to Maine or if it was post grad thing at Tabor. Funny you mentioned spoiled. We heard a rumor that their family was loaded, owned sporting good stores maybe? And that they got kicked out of a league in LI and the father used to helicopter them to Jr. Bears games.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Not sure. I think one or both of them played in that US Jr. League, so probably before that? I don't know what age they were when they went to Maine or if it was post grad thing at Tabor. Funny you mentioned spoiled. We heard a rumor that their family was loaded, owned sporting good stores maybe? And that they got kicked out of a league in LI and the father used to helicopter them to Jr. Bears games.

Those weren't all rumors.
I can confirm that,

1. Their dad owned Plaza Sports in Centereach area.

2. Their dad owned the deck hockey rink and league in back of the strip center. I played in it. It was a nice setup.

3. They bragged to me at a pickup game about being helicoptered to games in Philly. This would have been around 1986-1987. Now to be fair I think they were probably 14 at that time so I would have bragged about that as well.

Edit: I heard of them getting kicked out of stuff but I didn't witness it personally.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Those weren't all rumors.
I can confirm that,

1. Their dad owned Plaza Sports in Centereach area.

2. Their dad owned the deck hockey rink and league in back of the strip center. I played in it. It was a nice setup.

3. They bragged to me at a pickup game about being helicoptered to games in Philly. This would have been around 1986-1987. Now to be fair I think they were probably 14 at that time so I would have bragged about that as well.

Edit: I heard of them getting kicked out of stuff but I didn't witness it personally.

hahaha, amazing. It's so rare rumors turn out to be true, even ones almost 40 years old. Regardless, they were really good. Probably the best I played against, except for a few absolute units at state championships.

 

[NickyFotiu]

hahaha, amazing. It's so rare rumors turn out to be true, even ones almost 40 years old. Regardless, they were really good. Probably the best I played against, except for a few absolute units at state championships.

Maybe that is why I'm not a scout. I really was not that impressed by their play at that time. Granted they were younger and playing against guys including myself that were older.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Maybe that is why I'm not a scout. I really was not that impressed by their play at that time. Granted they were younger and playing against guys including myself that were older.

I don't remember much to be honest, but the times I was on the ice with a guy getting scouted or going D1 or Jr, the difference was pretty noticeable. Especially their skating.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I don't remember much to be honest, but the times I was on the ice with a guy getting scouted or going D1 or Jr, the difference was pretty noticeable. Especially their skating.

I just took a peek at their stats. They did better in the AHL than I would have guessed. For some reason it did not translate to the NHL. I wonder why. Size?

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

I just took a peak at their stats. They did better in the AHL than I would have guessed. For some reason it did not translate to the NHL. I wonder why. Size?

From what I remember they were just ok. One was a bit better than the other. I think you're right about size, it was a much different league back then. I don't know if they had anything in their arsenal that could make up for their lack of size or physicality.

 

[eco's bones]

Traveling north from NYC instead of west a couple other guys who played for the Rangers Guy Hebert was from Troy and Mike Hurlbut from Massena. I remember Hurlbut from playing for the Binghamton Rangers. He was a St. Lawrence U. player who later went back there as an assistant coach.