Round 2, Vote 1 (HFNYR Top NYR Defensemen)

[Chief]

Just sent my list in and I found myself ranking players with long tenures higher than most without it (Park's the exception). Coulter dropped a few spots for me. Although Coulter was a team guy and even a coach of sorts on the ice, I found nothing that made me think he was a better player than Heller or Pratt. There was one thing I read about Heller and Pratt that stuck out, namely, that during the 39-40 Cup season Pratt and Heller had only been on the ice for 17 goals against all season. Heller also had 15 seasons as a Ranger. Reading about how much of a winner Pratt was throughout his entire career also made me think he might have had a bigger role in that 40 Cup win than Coulter.

There's only one player above Greschner on my list who played less than 8 seasons as a Ranger. In the end, I thought his time as a key Ranger for so many seasons merited a higher ranking than some will probably give him. He did hold all the offensive records until Leetch. He was a bigger cog on the Rangers for a longer time than Coulter.

 

[bernmeister]

I assume this is to be closed and we continue w/round 2, vote2?...

 

[Richter Scale]

I know this is late to the party; but figured I would add it since I put most of it together when we were discussing this... just didn't have the time to finish it and get it up here. So, not that it will impact voting - but just for interested parties, here are some tid bits on Park:


http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-22/sports/26052318_1_second-best-defenseman-brad-park-nhl

There was no ultimate reward for him, either. Park probably ranks as the best defenseman who never played on a Stanley Cup champion.

No matter what Park did in the late '60s and early '70s, the highest honors he could attain were second-best defenseman in the league, second-best puck- carrying defenseman in the league, and second-best defenseman on the first all-star team.

When Park appeared on the cover of the Sporting News in February 1971, the accompanying story carried this statement from Ned Harkness: "Brad, defensively, is sounder than Orr."

Emile Francis on Park: "Brad has a great deal of hockey sense. He was 22 when I made him the captain of the Rangers. Normally, you don't have a captain that young. "In those days, if I'd had to point down the road and say which players of mine could be a coach, Park is the first one I would have pointed to, for the same reasons I picked him as captain: He had good leadership qualities, he knew hockey, and he cared about his teammates."

From Glenn Wilkins – 25 years in media, did profiles on Yahoo! of several NHL defensemen during Park’s time, and wrote a book, “Legendary NHL Coaches”: http://voices.yahoo.com/brad-park-star-great-white-way-8431407.html?cat=14

The Rangers -- as did the Yankees, when they sent Mickey Mantle down to the farm to perfect that home run swing of his -- had gambled and won. Brad Park had taken his minor-league medicine and would return to become a star in the making, a defenceman on the order of Orr, Eddie Shore, and Doug Harvey, posting a rookie season many players only dream of, culminating on a brilliant February evening in 1969 when he would notch four assists in the same night, leaving the ice with the Garden faithful chanting his name in tribute rather than derision.

He had grown by now to over six feet tall and had filled out in the arms and shoulders, thus enabling to play a hard-hitting game and becoming the team "policeman" when necessary.

He would fight a lot, and pile up the penalty minutes (traditionally triple digits), but was also becoming an offensive force, tallying 73 points in 1971-72, including 24 goals (and was a remarkable plus-62, appearing on the ice for 62 more goals for the Rangers than against), and helping to lead the Broadway Blueshirts to their first Stanley Cup final in 22 years, a series they would eventually lose in six games to Bobby Orr and the Bruins.

Sports Illustrated, 1976 - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091863/1/index.htm

Actually, almost any Ranger fan would now identify with the sentiment [“Brad Park, we miss you, come home.”].Mired in the cellar of the Patrick Division when Park and Ratelle departed, the Rangers never escaped from those depths last season, and the man responsible for the New York side of the trade, General Manager Emile Francis, was eventually fired. The situation in New York is scarcely any better today. Esposito, two months shy of 35 and surrounded by a less talented cast than the one that supported him in Boston, has shown only flashes of his former self, and Vadnais has been a disappointment, too. The Rangers are once again in last place.

The Bruins were also struggling when the trade was made, but thereafter climbed to the top of the Adams Division, where they remained the rest of the season, a singular feat considering that Bobby Orr played only 10 games before departing for a season-ending knee operation.”

He [Boston General Manager Harry Sinden] decided to seek Park as "insurance" after scouting him in two games. "Brad was the best player on the ice in both games," says Sinden. "Of course, when everybody said we made a bad trade, I had a few nervous second thoughts."

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...ole-ruined-boston-forever-181049788--nhl.html

As Emile Francis (then coach and GM of the Rangers) said, “It was unfortunate Park came along at the same time as Bobby Orr or he'd have won a handful of Norris Trophies.”

From the book “Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story”:

Don Cherry (in the foreword): “Brad’s knee started to go, just like Bobby’s. Their style of play, holding onto the puck and taking chances, led to getting hit and put their knees at risk, but that’s what made them great. Both of them were better on one knee than anybody with two legs.”

Following Brad’s breakout performance, Emile Francis had nothing but praise for his budding young star. “Mr. Park is so cool with the puck and deliberate in his passes. But what I like about him best is his toughness. Nobody goes into the corner with him without getting hit…”

When it came to Brad’s shot, Rangers goaltender Eddie Giacomin describes it this way: “If he could see an inch, he’d take that inch and he could put it there quickly. He was a guy you wanted to have playing the power play, because he knew exactly where to put the puck. He just had great hockey sense as a defenseman. He knew that he didn’t necessarily have to pound the puck through the goalie to score.”

1970-71, Park injures ankle: With Brad out of the Rangers lineup, the team began to slide in the standings. A nine-game winless streak put the Rangers’ playoff hopes in peril… With Brad back in the fold, the Rangers began to win once again.

“The GAG line never would have been as successful without Brad feeding us the puck to start the attack; he was our general back there on the blue line,” remarked Gilbert.

Jean Ratelle agrees. “Brad made a lot of good things happen for our line. With him on defense and the three of us up front, every time we went on offense, we had a chance to score a goal. With Brad on the point, he could make plays back there and he was a good shooter as well. Sometimes you’re only as good as the players beside you, and Brad certainly complemented our line very well in all situations.”

Since adding Brad to their lineup in the fall of 1968, the Rangers had shown considerable regular season improvement, but had only once made it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Ratelle and Giacomin injured in 71-72 playoffs, but still were competitive with Orr's Bruins...

The Bruins also won game two, a tense 2-1 match, and the Rangers knew they needed a win at home in game three or the series would be all but over. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Brad to make his presence known in front of his home crowd at Madison Square Garden. After receiving a pass from behind the Bruins’ net while on the power play, he fired a slap shot from the top of the left wing circle that beat Gerry Cheevers for the game’s first goal. Brad connected again with his second power-play goal of the period to make it 3-0 after just 13 minutes of play… in the end, Brad had a memorable four point night (two goals, two assists) in a 5-2 win.

“The turning point was Brad’s second goal, which gave us the 3-0 lead. He just shows you why he’s the best defenseman in the league” [said Francis]”

What Brad Park meant to the team...

Brad Park injured again in 72-73: The Rangers were riding high on a 10-game home unbeaten streak, which would be tested without Brad in the lineup. During his absence, the Rangers managed to tread water, but took just 20 of a possible 36 points…Brad returned to the ice early…re-aggravated the knee…After a week of rest, Brad returned to the lineup on January 7, and the New York Rangers got back to winning games. The now-healthy club pulled off a string of 16 consecutive games without a loss…

Jean Ratelle also agreed with Brad’s appointment [to Captain]: “Sure, either Rod or I could have been the next captain, but we were both getting older and Brad was just 27 or 28 years old at the time. I’m sure Emile thought he was going to be there the longest, so it was the natural thing to do. Brad was also the best player on the team and I think the logical choice to be the next captain. He was a superstar and had all the necessary leadership skills needed for the job.”

Emile Francis offers his reasoning behind Brad’s appointment as team captain. “When Vic was traded, he was the automatic choice, I had no one else in mind for the captaincy. Brad played the most, he played the hardest, and he was a key guy on the team, and the other players respected him.”

http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep198804.shtml

The Rangers, along with the Boston Bruins, had been the laughingstocks of the NHL for years. New York was part of post-season play in 1967 for the first time since 1962. Similarly, Boston hadn't participated in the playoffs since 1959 and had missed in 1967. Both were led out of the cellar doldrums through the sizeable efforts of an outstanding defenseman — Park for the Rangers and Bobby Orr with the Boston Bruins.

 

[Crease]

Good stuff RS, thanks for putting these up.