"Career" Rangers

[sbjnyc]

Okay folks today's trivia. What was Vickers nickname (kind of easy) and how did he get it?

His nickname was Vic but he had to get a new one when he got to the rangers since Hadfield was already on the team.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I started following the Rangers in 71-72 and the next season after that was Vickers rookie year and he had a big year. I think he got 30 goals and there were several fights. The one against Don Marcotte opened a lot of eyes as he KO'ed him. I remember him fighting O'Reilly too. Steve wasn't really a guy that went looking it for that though. If he had been it might have made him a more effective player--at least in that era there were some very good players that did fight a lot.

Vickers definitely won that fight. He had a rep as a good fighter. For many years there was a rumor Vickers beat up a young Clarke Gillies in a unaired preseason game but that may have just been a rumor.

 

[Maximus]

I distinctly remember...not sure who and how that Schultz backed down from Vickers in a game. I thought it was one of the announcers saying it. It may have been Jim Gordon come to think of it.

This is back in '74 or so as like Eco and I think you as well Nick, I started watching Ranger games and knew what was going on around 1970-71 Emile Francis time period when Rangers started to become really good again after alot of dark ages years before than.

I know I'm wondering a bit off course but to this day had Ratelle not gotten hurt during that magical 71-72 Cup run where we, it could easily be argued were as good if not better than the eventual Cup champs...the Bruins that year.

When Ratelle went down at the 63 game mark of the season, he was on pace for around 130 points believe it or not which for that time period would have put him in rarefied air.

Once he was out, tho we were still a great team,we lost that extra edge we had on the Bruins and that was the GAG line as Ratelle along with Gilbert and Hadfield dominated hockey like no other line pretty much ever at the time.

Those were good times...for like a 5 year period till ****ing JP Parise stuck a knife in our backs that fateful night in 1975....lol

 

[Larrybiv]

You and I are one of the few who go back to the 70's and actually watched these guys play unlike most of the young turks in here who probalby represent 80-90 % of the board in here, but a few others that I can think of who were longtime career Rangers besides the ones you astutely brought up were Steve Vickers who just so happens to be my favorite Ranger of all-time. What a great player he was for us that most peeps in here don't even know about. I'll never forget the time he challenged Dave Schultz to a fight and Schultz declined knowing Vickers reputation as a great fighter besides his prowess as a player.

A few other career Rangers from back in the day I can recall were Rod Gilbert and Anders Hedberg who haven't been mentioned.

Players on the current roster who if I had a gun to my head and had to choose who I feel pretty confident and have best chances too finish and retire as career Rangers would be the aforementioned Hank for sure and I'd add McDonagh and Kreider to the mix.

Other than those two besides Hanky, I can't really see anyone else I'd feel Gorton wouldn't deal away in the right deal if it would help our club. Now obviously like what occurred with Leetch who is as close to a career Ranger as you can get withought officially being one, one never knows what will happen going forward with the current system that is in place in the NHL. But one would have to think it would take an arm and a leg for Gorton to ever let McDonagh and Kreider go.

It's an interesting question to ponder and an excellent thread brought up by the OP....well done....

Add me in there as well. Jeez, who would've think we would love this long and only see ONE cup, come our way. We deserve much better.

 

[Larrybiv]

]I distinctly remember...not sure who and how that Schultz backed down from Vickers in a game. I thought it was one of the announcers saying it. It may have been Jim Gordon come to think of it.[/B]

This is back in '74 or so as like Eco and I think you as well Nick, I started watching Ranger games and knew what was going on around 1970-71 Emile Francis time period when Rangers started to become really good again after alot of dark ages years before than.

I know I'm wondering a bit off course but to this day had Ratelle not gotten hurt during that magical 71-72 Cup run where we, it could easily be argued were as good if not better than the eventual Cup champs...the Bruins that year.

When Ratelle went down at the 63 game mark of the season, he was on pace for around 130 points believe it or not which for that time period would have put him in rarefied air.

Once he was out, tho we were still a great team,we lost that extra edge we had on the Bruins and that was the GAG line as Ratelle along with Gilbert and Hadfield dominated hockey like no other line pretty much ever at the time.

Those were good times...for like a 5 year period till ****ing JP Parise stuck a knife in our backs that fateful night in 1975....lol

My memory isn't what it once was, but I think I can verify that. I think after finding that out......I specifically was looking for those 2 to come together and Duke it out. But nooo, he picked on guys like Dale Rolfe, Rick Seiling amongst others. I'm pretty sure that was the game plan, to taken out our excellent defense.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I distinctly remember...not sure who and how that Schultz backed down from Vickers in a game. I thought it was one of the announcers saying it. It may have been Jim Gordon come to think of it.

This is back in '74 or so as like Eco and I think you as well Nick, I started watching Ranger games and knew what was going on around 1970-71 Emile Francis time period when Rangers started to become really good again after alot of dark ages years before than.

I know I'm wondering a bit off course but to this day had Ratelle not gotten hurt during that magical 71-72 Cup run where we, it could easily be argued were as good if not better than the eventual Cup champs...the Bruins that year.

When Ratelle went down at the 63 game mark of the season, he was on pace for around 130 points believe it or not which for that time period would have put him in rarefied air.

Once he was out, tho we were still a great team,we lost that extra edge we had on the Bruins and that was the GAG line as Ratelle along with Gilbert and Hadfield dominated hockey like no other line pretty much ever at the time.

Those were good times...for like a 5 year period till ****ing JP Parise stuck a knife in our backs that fateful night in 1975....lol

Ratelle and that Goal a Game line were going nuts in that season before his injury. As you pointed out Jean had 109 points in 63 games. By the way Jean was 31 at that time. He could have had more than Jagr had for us in 2005-06

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

if Gretzky can get traded, anyone can get traded.

True in theory. But the Gretzky trade wasn't a hockey move.

 

[eco's bones]

My memory isn't what it once was, but I think I can verify that. I think after finding that out......I specifically was looking for those 2 to come together and Duke it out. But nooo, he picked on guys like Dale Rolfe, Rick Seiling amongst others. I'm pretty sure that was the game plan, to taken out our excellent defense.

Schultz picked his spots a lot. I remember him picking a fight with Middleton off of a face-off and Rick was only like a first/second year player and it might even have been his first fight ever. Schultz was popping him before he even knew what was going on. He always avoided Fotiu.

 

[Maximus]

Ratelle and that Goal a Game line were going nuts in that season before his injury. As you pointed out Jean had 109 points in 63 games. By the way Jean was 31 at that time. He could have had more than Jagr had for us in 2005-06

I actually took out the calculator and figured it out what Ratelle's #'s potentially could have been that year he got hurt had he played the full 82 and it's startling to say the least.

Ratelle at time he got injured had 46 goals 63 assists for 109 points in 63 games. That my friends is an insane 1.72 points per game pace. That's close to Gretzky, Lemieux territory folks. Extrapolate that over the 15 games he missed(78 game schedule back than), he was on a pace to score 57 goals and 78 assists which according to my fuzzy math would have been a 145 point season!!. That's just crazy.

In all the years I've followed the Rangers I actually never did the math as I did just now to see how truly great that year was for Ratelle and how much the team missed him when he went down. Anyways, how nuts is that year Ratelle could have had? We are talking possibly top 20 years of all-time in NHL history and that's with taking the no defense, no goalie NHL of the 80's when 7-6 games were the norm and anyone who had a pulse could score 30 goals. Heck John Ogrodnick and Walt Pudobny, nice players but nothing special, scored 40+ goals for us in the 80's and no one would mistake those two for all-stars.

Thank the good lord Ranger brass got their **** together and finally are going to bring #19 up the rafters of MSG, a place he should have been 30 years ago when Eddie's #1 went up to the rafters. Jean Ratelle was a special Ranger for sure!!

 

[NickyFotiu]

I actually took out the calculator and figured it out what Ratelle's #'s potentially could have been that year he got hurt had he played the full 82 and it's startling to say the least.

Ratelle at time he got injured had 46 goals 63 assists for 109 points in 63 games. That my friends is an insane 1.72 points per game pace. That's close to Gretzky, Lemieux territory folks. Extrapolate that over the 15 games he missed(78 game schedule back than), he was on a pace to score 57 goals and 78 assists which according to my fuzzy math would have been a 145 point season!!. That's just crazy.

In all the years I've followed the Rangers I actually never did the math as I did just now to see how truly great that year was for Ratelle and how much the team missed him when he went down. Anyways, how nuts is that year Ratelle could have had? We are talking possibly top 20 years of all-time in NHL history and that's with taking the no defense, no goalie NHL of the 80's when 7-6 games were the norm and anyone who had a pulse could score 30 goals. Heck John Ogrodnick and Walt Pudobny, nice players but nothing special, scored 40+ goals for us in the 80's and no one would mistake those two for all-stars.

Thank the good lord Ranger brass got their **** together and finally are going to bring #19 up the rafters of MSG, a place he should have been 30 years ago when Eddie's #1 went up to the rafters. Jean Ratelle was a special Ranger for sure!!

Hey Hey Hey....While they are not Jean Ratelle, I'd be happy to have a prime Walter or Johnny O skating for us this season.

All kidding aside Ogrodnick could skate and had a nice shot. We got him when he was starting his decline. Walter was a pretty good player as well. I was sad to hear how things went for him after hockey.

 

[Edge]

Man, John Ogrodnick, there's a blast from the past.

Part of that last generation of NHL forwards who routinely took low slap shots...and actually scored with them!

The man was about one dimensional as they come, but when he was on, he was a tremendously underrated player.

 

[E-Train]

The Kisio, Mullen, Ogrodnick line was a good one.