George Kuhn · ·
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This day in hockey history, September 22nd 1981, with Bobby Hull in the lineup on a tryout basis, Meikko Leinnonen scored two goals to lead the Rangers to 7-1 over Gothenberg in Sweden's International Pre Season Tournament. The Rangers won the tournament championship.
Hull was 42 years old at the time and had not played since early in the 1979-80 season, was given a tryout as the team
trained and played exhibition games in Finland and Sweden. Craig Patrick, the Rangers vice president said that Hull, who last played for the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, was in Finland on business and would meet the team there.
''We were both interested in him playing with the Rangers, and the only way to find out if he can still play is to give him a tryout,'' Patrick said. ''He's been skating and riding a bike. He looks like he's in excellent shape.''
The possibility of Hull's playing with the Rangers was first raised by the new coach, Herb Brooks. David A. (Sonny) Werblin, the president of Madison Square Garden, is also known to be enthusiastic about the idea.
If Hull plays well in the tryout, the Rangers intended is to put him on a line with Ulf Nilsson at center and Anders Hedberg at right wing. The three played together for four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association. They made up one of the highest scoring lines in hockey before Nilsson and Hedberg joined the Rangers in June 1978.
''Herb's idea was to see if Bobby and the Swedes still have the magic,'' Patrick said. ''We have a good team, but we want to see if Ulf and Anders and Bobby still have it.'' He said the line would play in a game in Helsinki, and four games in a tournament in Sweden.
Hull was still under contract to the Whalers, for whom he played nine games and scored five goals in 1979-80. But Patrick said he had received permission from the Whalers to give him a tryout and to work out a settlement with Hartford if Hull made the Rangers.