Proposal to the Mods: NY Rangers History Thread
- Thread starter Zanex
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As I've often said, I might be the oldest poster here. Ranger memories going back to 1958, hardcore fan by the early 1960s, season ticket holder in the blue seats from 1969-1976, proud dad of two Ranger fans. So, the idea sounds good to me. I think everyone is most attached to the the teams they rooted for when they first became fans.
TominNC
Registered User
EdJovanovski
#FreeRempe
Mandar
The Real Maven
Boris Zubov
No relation to Sergei, Joe
Earliest memories are of the '79 run to the Finals, but didn't start watching hardcore until the '82-83 season. Regardless I'm always in for threads like these.
So, I'll kick this off with a thought: picking one player from the past and seeing if anyone remembers him (I know this is similar to the Let's Remember Some Guys Thread):
Pat Hickey.
He came over from Toronto in the WHA in 75-76 just as the Francis era was ending. We had drafted him a few years earlier. A fast, speedy winger, I remember him most playing with Ulf Nillson and Anders Hedberg. That line, so extraordinarily skilled, is one of my favorite all time Ranger lines.
We traded him to Colorado in the Barry Beck trade. He came back a few years later. Had a 40 goal season and a 34 goal season.
Wore #16
Memories of him? Pick another player and keep it going.
Pat Hickey.
He came over from Toronto in the WHA in 75-76 just as the Francis era was ending. We had drafted him a few years earlier. A fast, speedy winger, I remember him most playing with Ulf Nillson and Anders Hedberg. That line, so extraordinarily skilled, is one of my favorite all time Ranger lines.
We traded him to Colorado in the Barry Beck trade. He came back a few years later. Had a 40 goal season and a 34 goal season.
Wore #16
Memories of him? Pick another player and keep it going.
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- Sep 1, 2010
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I don't go back quite as far back as '58, i was 2 then, but by mid-'60s was a young fan
I remember the old Garden, and the trumpet player in gold jacket who would excite the crowd
(way before there was Dancing Larry, even before the Chief! )
Family used to go to Sunday games a few times/season (back when almost all home games were Sun/Wed, Knicks Tues/Sat)
in spring '71, when a Sunday we hoped to attend was sold out, within a week we had seasons in Yellow behind visitors' sin-bin
Those passed down to me, until gave 'em up in '19, after the remodel price increases were followed by yearly increases
Speaking of Dancing Larry, my first memories of him were ~'94,
and actually more clearly of his 'partner', a stockier guy w light hair, maybe glasses, and cammo pants
is that familiar to anyone ?
leetch99
Leetch66 Joined 2007
They said Hickey and Errol Thompson from the Maple Leafs had the two best backhander shots in the NHL in the 70's . He had a brother named Greg who had a cameo appearance as a Ranger . Played one game in 77-78 and finished with 0 NHL points . Never played another NHL game .
Yes, Rangers almost always played at home on Wednesday and Sunday nights…like clockwork. That continued even into the new Garden. To this day, Sunday night home games just “feel right.”
Boris Zubov
No relation to Sergei, Joe
An older friend of mine had full seasons in the mid-late 80s & for some reason never liked Sunday night games. Back then games started at 8pm, so I guess it makes sense when he had to get up early for work on Monday after a weekend of drinking. I was still in high school, so I didn't give a crap & I would usually end up with his Sunday night games about twice a month.
BTW, according to the Ranger 1963-1964 Yearbook (Blue Book) that I still have, all home games started at 7:30, That is how I remember it. It was that way into the 70s at the new MSG. Can't speak for the mid and late 80s as I had moved to distant from MSG to keep my season ticket. But I did watch all games on TV and perhaps except for a few games where perhaps the Knicks played in the afternoon and they needed to time lay down the ice (a slower process than today), I still recall most games starting earlier.
- Sep 1, 2010
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seems to me 7:30 starts were less an issue, then, too
games played quicker,
and it seems you could get out of Manhattan quicker then ...
Teams seem to be moving to earlier and earlier starts, perhaps to attract people coming from work. This has even been the case in baseball where, when I was a kid games did start at 8. Can't recall whether they went to 7:30 before changing to 7. Heck, with all the pace of play issues baseball has and games lasting longer and longer, perhaps they can start at 6:30.
Just thought of another reason for possible 8 Sunday night starts: the Circus. I guess it took some time to shovel away animal waste and get rid of the circus surface before they could lay down the ice. But that was better than the real old days, when the Rangers had to vacate the Garden and play home playoff games on the road whenever the Circus was in town.
- Sep 1, 2010
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Boris Zubov
No relation to Sergei, Joe
Mandar
The Real Maven
Was always cool to see the trapeze and other things hanging from the ceiling during playoff time
