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My newest book, “The Top 100 Villains of New York Rangers History,” is 100% complete and the day has finally arrived – I am now asking you to buy a copy of it!
The book is now available for all on Amazon.com.
To purchase the Kindle version of the book, please visit: Amazon.com
To purchase the Paperback version of the book, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Villains...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689900316&sr=1-1
To purchase the Hardcover version of the book, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Villains...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689900316&sr=1-1
For readers who want to go the extra mile and desire to purchase a signed copy of the book, you can do so by following the directions below:
The price for the signed paperback version is $30. (This price includes shipping for U.S. customers.)
The price for the signed hardcover version is $35. (This price includes shipping for U.S. customers.)
I accept PAYPAL, VENMO and personal check. (International customers, please contact me at [email protected] for a shipping quote.)
You can directly PAYPAL me your order by paying [email protected]. (Use the Friends & Family tab.)
You can directly VENMO me your order by paying @Sean-McCaffrey-34.
As an exclusive deal for HFBoard members, if you haven’t purchased my first book, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden,” then a signed paperback copy can be yours for an additional $5.00!
For those who would like to pay by check, want a direct payment link (Paypal or Venmo) or have any other questions, please contact me at [email protected].
You will receive a confirmation email once shipped.
The book, with its 7″x10″ dimensions, clocks in at a whopping 420 pages! This picture is my test copy of the physical paperback version. In other words, your copy won’t have that “Not For Resale” watermark on it!
Just a few notes on the pricing before giving you my hard-sell and the two sample chapters.
As you can tell, the price for this title is a little bit higher than what I’ve charged in the past for my three other titles (nine books in total).
However, and as you may have already figured out – everything that we buy in life has gone up in recent years. Books are no different, as Amazon, who I use as my publisher, has jacked-up their printing costs. For example, my first nine books cost me anywhere from $7 to $9 to print per copy. The cost of this book is nearly double that.
Furthermore, Amazon no longer ships the books written by their authors to them for free anymore either.
All Jeff Bezos and company has to do next is drop the gloves with me, and then it will be a real “Gordie Howe Hat Trick!”
While there are 100 different people and events individually profiled in the book – this book isn’t exclusively limited to 100 different people and events either. In total, there are over 200+ men and events covered, both directly and indirectly.
At this time, some quick Q&A, as I have received a lot of questions from you guys and gals about this book:
Question: How could you forget about (Insert Player X here)?
Answer: Whoever you’re thinking of, that player (or event) is likely covered in the book.
I have individually profiled 100 “Ranger Killers,” but there are easily over a hundred more names and events covered throughout the book too. There’s also a mini-omission segment in the book too – where I mention how I have enough material for a “B-Side” sequel!
Question: How could you rank Player X over Player Y? For shame, for shame!
Answer: The book is written in a comedic tone, and as explained in the introduction chapter – no one is going to agree on any list – whether it be two items or hundred items being discussed.
For me, it was more about profiling the Top 100 Ranger Villains – and not as much about the order in how they were listed.
Heck, I often used player jersey numbers when doing my rankings too, such as #76 for P.K. Slewban, #43 for Tom Wilson, #8 for Alex Ovechkin, etc.
Plus, when it comes to a book of this nature, a list, it’s primarily written to drive and create debate – and where really – there are no right and wrong answers. We all have our own opinions. This book is just my own opinion, albeit, from a well-informed source if I say so myself!
Question: Why is Hitler on the cover?
Answer: Read the World War II chapter. Plus, I thought it was a bit humorous to place a picture of Germany’s “Fuhrer” next to the NHL’s “Fuhrer,” Commissioner Gary Bettman!
Question: Is this book just a list?
Answer: No.
As you can tell by the size of it, where I even released a bigger physical version of the book to avoid hitting 1,000 pages (7×10 vs the traditional 6×9 format), the book profiles every name listed, although as you read along, the profiles get longer and more detailed as I work my way down from #100 to #1.
Of note: A nice thing about the 7×10 format was that it allowed me more room to work in pictures. When compared to my previous nine books, this title has more pictures than all of them combined!
Question: How come James Dolan, Chris Drury or (Insert former Ranger here) aren’t included?
Answer: As previously answered – this book covers many people – and not just the 100 men and events profiled.
For what it’s worth, both Dolan and Drury (these were the two names I received the most questions about) are included in the book. However, I wanted to limit this book to just Ranger opponents, although men who either played, coached or managed the team are included – but mainly for what they did elsewhere. (Phil Esposito in Boston, Bernie Geoffrion in Montreal and Eric Lindros in Philadelphia are a few examples of this.)
But yes – Glen Sather (and for that matter, Wade Redden too), is included – just because I couldn’t ignore him!
Question: Where is Bobby Clarke? Where is Dave Schultz? Where is Ondrej Palat? Where is Andrei Vasilevskiy?
Answer: In the attempt to cover as many names and events as possible – I grouped players when I could.
Rather than individually listing every “Broad Street Bully;” instead, I wrote one long mega chapter on them. Ditto the 2015 Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sutter Brothers, the early 1950s Detroit Red Wings and others.
Admittedly, I didn’t do the same thing for the dynasty Islanders, nor the Devils from their three Stanley Cup runs – largely because the Rangers had more playoff history with these two teams. (This is all explained in-detail during the book.)
Question: Your past books have been serious in nature and include a ton of history in them. Is this one the same?
Answer: While the book is serious in some chapters; for the most part, it is written to be funny, and as a way for Ranger fans, as a collective group, to commiserate together. After all, “Misery Loves Company!”
However, and as usual – there are a ton of historical stories included in the book too, especially in “The Circus” profile!
Question: What was your biggest factor/tangible when determining your rankings?
Answer: Playoff success against the Rangers.
While it was tough to ignore regular season success (for example, Gordie Howe didn’t see much of the Rangers in the postseason – but all-time, he has scored the most goals, assists and points against the Blueshirts, so accordingly, he has a high ranking); but more times than not – players who burnt the Rangers in the playoffs were ranked higher than the players who just had regular season moments.
Question: Are there any personal biases in the book?
Answer: Yes, yes and yes.
As discussed in the book, every “Ranger Killer” will hit every fan in a different manner, where more times than not, it’s all age-related.
For example, an older fan will groan more about Jean Beliveau and Bobby Orr, while a younger fan will groan more about the Adam Henrique and Alec Martinez types of the world.
However, for a franchise that’s set to turn 100-years-old in just three-years – villains from every season in Rangers’ history are profiled.
The 100 profiles that are covered in the book.
In case that graphic isn’t good enough for you; then here are the men and events that are discussed at length, and covered with full details, in “The Top 100 Villains of New York Rangers History”:
2015 Tampa Bay Lightning
Adam Henrique
Air Force One (Movie)
Akira Schmid
Al Arbour
Alec Martinez
Alex Delvecchio & Ted Lindsay
Alex Ovechkin
Back-Up Goalies Making Their First Start
Bernie Geoffrion
Billy Smith
Blake Comeau
Bob Gainey
Bob Probert
Bobby Hull
Bobby Nystrom
Bobby Orr
Brad Marchand
Braden Holtby
Bruce Boudreau
Bryan Trottier
Busher Jackson
Butch Goring
Clark Gillies
Claude Giroux
Claude Lemieux
Craig Berube
Dale Hunter
Daniel Briere
Dave Brown
Denis Potvin
Derek Sanderson
Donald Brashear
ESPN
Eddie Shore
Eric Lindros
Evgeni Malkin
Frank Mahovlich
Gary Bettman & The Hard Salary Cap
George Armstrong
Glen Sather
Glenn Hall
Gordie Howe
J.P. Parise
Jack Hughes
Jaroslav Halak
Jean Beliveau
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Jimmy Howard
John Druce
John Ferguson
John LeClair
John Spano
John Tonelli
Jonathan Quick
Justin Williams
Ken Daneyko
Ken Dryden
Ken Hodge
King Clancy
Lou Lamoriello
Marc-Andre Fleury
Mario Lemieux
Martin Brodeur
Marty Barry
Mascots
Matt Martin
Maurice Richard
Mike Bossy
Mike Milbury
Milt Schmidt
Norm Ullman
Normie Smith
P.K. Subban
Patrick Roy
Patrik Elias
Pete Babando
Petr Bondra
Phil Esposito
Red Dutton
Red Kelly
Ron Hextall
Scott Stevens
Sidney Crosby
Stan Mikita
Ted Green
Terry O’Reilly
The Bell Centre
The Broad Street Bullies
The Circus
The Referees
The Sutter Brothers
Tiny Thompson
Tom Wilson
Tommy Salo
Tony DeAngelo
Wade Redden
Wayne Simmonds
World War II
Zdeno Chara
The wrap of the book for the customers who buy the physical version.
At this time, and in my final push – two free sample chapters of the book.
(Of note: These are the unedited versions of these chapters, but you’ll get the gist!)
Since Jonathan Quick is now a relevant name today for Ranger fans, I decided to include his chapter. I also decided to include my chapter on Mike Milbury below – and for two reasons.
1) I think it’s one of the better chapters.
2) It’s also nice to have this piece on Milbury out there on the internet for free!
Nearly ten-years after winning his second Stanley Cup in Los Angeles against the Rangers (2014); future Hall of Fame backstop, Jonathan Quick, is now a Ranger today. Photo Credit: NHL.com
Jonathan Quick
Similar to Jimmy Howard – Jonathan Quick is another American-born goalie who grew up rooting for the Rangers because of Mike Richter.
But while there are other similarities between the two back-stops; when it comes to their roles as “Ranger Killers” – these two couldn’t have been any more different.
In the grand scheme of things – Quick will always be despised by Ranger fans. Howard, in comparison, is an afterthought.
Born on January 21st, 1986 in Milford, Connecticut, Quick is nearly two-years younger than Howard – and lived much closer to MSG too!
Quick’s beginnings in the NHL began when the Los Angeles Kings selected him 72nd-overall during the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He later made his NHL debut during the 2007-08 season, with three games of work.
A year later, the 2008-09 season, Quick was called up by the Kings one more time from their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs – and never to play in the AHL again.
Due to the Kings playing in the Pacific Time Zone; Quick didn’t really first start receiving attention from Ranger fans until the 2011-12 campaign. During that season, Quick joined Nashville’s Pekka Rinne and Lundqvist himself as the three finalists for the 2012 Vezina Trophy – a piece of hardware that “The King” won.
However, the Vezina Trophy loss was already in Quick’s rearview, because during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kings’ goaltender had one of the best playoff performances in all of NHL history.
During the tournament, Quick compiled a record of 16-4, a GAA of 1.41 and a .946 save percentage. He also posted three shutouts – not only en route to the Kings’ first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history – but as that year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner too.
If there was ever any doubt before, then it was all erased following the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Quick had arrived – and was an elite goalie.
The Kings also thought as much, as they quickly (pun intended) re-signed him to a ten-year deal worth $58,000,000 overall – practically a steal – considering the salaries that other goalies around the league were earning (and later earned) – including Lundqvist – who would soon earn nearly $3,000,000 more annually than Quick ($8,500,000 per-season).
A season later, Quick, who had battled some back injuries, led the Kings to the 2013 Western Conference Final. While Quick played well (1.86 GAA and a .934 save percentage); the Kings lost to that year’s eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.
A year later – the reason why Quick is in this book.
As previously mentioned when talking about Justin Williams, during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kings emerged victorious in the first three-rounds and needed 21-games to do so, in their trio of 4-3 series/seven-game wins.
Over in New York, some 3,000 miles away from Los Angeles; the Rangers beat the Flyers in seven-games, the Penguins in seven-games and then the Canadiens, during the Eastern Conference Final, in six-games.
The stage was set – for the first time ever, the two biggest media markets of the United States, and from either side of the coast, would meet during the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
The Rangers blew two-goal leads in the first two games of the series in Los Angeles, and in turn, the Kings won Game 1 in overtime (3-2) and Game 2 in double overtime (5-4).
In Game 3, now in New York, Quick shut-out the Rangers, 3-0.
In the do-or-die Game 4, Lundqvist delayed the inevitable, in the Blueshirts’ 2-1 win.
Come Game 5, back in the City of Angels, the Rangers had a 2-1 lead – but once again – blew it – as the Kings closed the Rangers out, once again in double overtime, by a final score of 3-2.
Lundqvist had played well, but it was Quick who found the extra save when it mattered most.
While the series final read as Kings 4, Rangers 1; all five games were closely contested. This Stanley Cup Final appearance wound up being the only one that Lundqvist made during his career – as it were “The Kings” who dethroned “The King.”
Statistically, during the regular season, both Quick and Lundqvist played much better against other league opponents. Their numbers posted against each other were pretty-even and nothing really to write home about.
However, this 2014 Stanley Cup Final loss, with Quick in net, and despite the Rangers on a “Cinderella Run;” will always be one of the biggest “what if questions” in franchise history – especially because of all of the close games and overtime losses – where it felt like the Kings got every break imaginable – while the Rangers couldn’t get one.
A goalie worse than Quick in the black-and-silver net? I guess it’s not even worth thinking of the answer to this “what if question” either.
For parts of sixteen seasons, Quick manned the pipes in La La Land.
However, due to age, injuries and young emerging goalies in the Kings’ system; on March 1st, 2023, Quick was a King no more.
Unlike Lundqvist and Howard; Quick wouldn’t play for one franchise for his entire career. Instead, following 743 regular season games played in LA, and with the two Stanley Cup wins too; Quick was now property of the Columbus Blue Jackets – and for all of 24-hours.
A day after being traded to Ohio; the Blue Jackets then flipped Quick to one of LA’s newest rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Quick appeared in ten-games for Sin City’s favorite hockey team at the end of the 2022-23 season – but didn’t play for them during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, by the end of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs? Due to his back-up role, he was now a three-time Stanley Cup champion.
Ironically, on July 1st, 2023 – the “Ranger Killer” became a Ranger himself, after signing a one-year deal with the club for the 2023-24 season.
Whatever happens next, one thing is for certain – Quick will join his former nemesis, Lundqvist, in the Hall of Fame.
This is how I always viewed the former Isles’ general manager, and one-time Bruin, Mike Milbury, whenever he did television work for NBC!
Mike Milbury
We are getting to the nitty-gritty here, as after Milbury – we only have one last Islander employee to talk about – Denis Potvin.
Furthermore, there’s not one man, woman or child alive today that absolutely hates the Rangers as much as Milbury does.
The only person from the past that could even give Milbury a run for his money when it comes to an overwhelming feeling of disdain for anything Blueshirt-related? The previously covered Red Dutton.
Born on June 17th, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts, Milbury, a south-paw rearguard, spent his entire twelve-year career in the NHL (754 games) with his hometown club, the Bruins.
Prior to being “canceled,” and as he was during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs (more on this in a bit); Milbury had spent his entire life as both a hockey man and as a hockey lifer – and as one of the biggest villains of Rangers’ history too.
Milbury has worn every cap possible since his days of playing collegiate hockey at Colgate University as a teenager.
Following his playing days, Milbury then served as a head coach at both the AHL and NHL levels, became a general manager and worked in every role on television – as an announcer, a color-analyst and as an in-studio analyst too. And no matter the year or the job – Milbury always let it be known how much the Rangers made him sick. The feeling is mutual!
As an undrafted free-agent, Milbury signed with the Bruins on November 5th, 1974. After spending nearly two seasons with Boston’s AHL affiliates, Milbury finally received his first NHL call-up towards the end of the 1975-76 campaign. While this was a terrible season for the Blueshirts (and as talked about when we discussed J.P. Parise) – it was both a good season for “Mad Mike” and the B’s.
Not only from this point on would the undrafted defenseman never play in the minor-leagues again; but the black-and-gold, and with Milbury in their line-up, reached the third-round of the 1976 Stanley Cup Playoffs – a five-game series loss to the Flyers. Still, it was playoff experience for Milbury, who at the time, wasn’t even technically a “rookie.”
The brash and never bashful Milbury, due to his rough-and-rugged style of play, quickly endeared himself to his teammates, Bruin fans, and his head coach of the time too, Don Cherry. As Milbury’s career progressed, he reached the Stanley Cup Final in both 1977 and 1978 – but once there – the Canadiens beat the Bruins each time.
While not much of a scorer, especially during the days of Bobby Orr, and then both Brad Park and Ray Bourque in Boston; during his career, Milbury still scored 49 goals and picked up 189 assists for a grand total of 238 points. However, with his size, where he stood at 6’2” and weighed 210 pounds, it were his 64 fights and 1,552 PIM accrued that kept him around in the NHL.
Against the Rangers, Milbury posted similar numbers as he posted against his other opponents. In 37 games played against the Blueshirts, he scored 1 goal, picked up 9 assists, totaled 10 points, recorded a plus/minus rating of +21, fought 3 times and racked up 77 PIM. But of course, and as previously discussed during the Terry O’Reilly profile – even if Milbury hadn’t gone on to work with the Islanders for many years – it’s the date of December 23rd, 1979 that Ranger fans will never forget.
To pick up where we left off following the O’Reilly profile – those three words that you know are coming – “The Shoe Incident.”
Once O’Reilly hit the stands, in an attempt to catch up with “Kaptain’s Krew;” Milbury, who had actually and originally gone to the visitor’s locker room without knowing what had happened, returned to the ice – and then went into the stands himself. Once there, he was the one that caught up to John Kaptain, and as you all know by now – Milbury soon removed Kaptain’s shoe – and while holding the heel end – slapped him with it before being restrained.
Prior to Milbury’s 2020 “cancellation;” this “highlight” routinely ran not only during national broadcasts of Rangers vs Bruins games – but during the playoffs too – as a way to illustrate intense rivalries – even if this game was played two nights before Christmas Day!
Milbury, who has endlessly talked about this incident nearly one million times over the years, if not more than that; chuckled when talking about it to the New York Times in 2009, on the 30th-anniversary of this meeting of man-and-shoe.
“I grabbed his shoe, took a little tug on it, and then sort of double pumped,” Milbury said. “I don’t know if I hesitated for a minute because I thought I’d be vilified for the next thirty years, but I gave him a cuff across the leg and then I did what I thought was probably the most egregious thing of all: I threw his shoe on the ice.
“If you watch the tape, and I can freely throw my teammates under the bus now after thirty years, but people were throwing some serious shots down below that were obscured by the fact that everybody was focusing on the idiot highest up in the stands who was hitting somebody with a shoe.”
While the incident is now looked at as humorous and as part of hockey lore today; back then, and as you’d imagine – it was as serious as a heart-attack.
“None of us wanted to be in the toothless Neanderthal grouping,” Milbury said when talking about the reaction on that date. “In the greater public’s view, it re-emphasized stereotypes of hockey players.”
The stereotype that Milbury was referencing ? Paul Newman’s “Slap Shot” movie, which was released on February 25th, 1977 – just a little over two-years prior to the “Melee at MSG.”
In March of 2023, and now nearly 44-years removed from the incident; Milbury appeared on the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, where he added a few new gems – yet some kernels of truth too:
“The horn sounds, so I, like everybody else, does the rush out to congratulate the goalie, and because I know it’s MSG, I then go right off the ice. I went right into the locker room. It’s two days before Christmas, we won the game, and the Budweiser is cold on ice. We’re ready to go home – but nobody follows me in. I don’t know what the hell happened and so [goalie] Gerry Cheevers came in and I said, ‘Gerry, where is everybody?’ He said, ‘There’s some sort of beef going on.’ I heard that and you know how teammates do what teammates do, so I ran back out there and left my gloves, my stick, my everything, in the locker room. I finally get to the ice level [and once seeing what was going on], and I jump into the stairs.
“I saw O’Reilly, McNabb and a bunch of other guys [in the stands] but McNabb’s up highest and he’s my buddy. I used to sit beside him in the locker room, so I know I gotta go up there and help him. He’s already got the guy over the chair and his [John Kaptain] feet are up in the air.
“I have no f***ing clue why I’m there, why I’m here, why am I in this position or what has happened. In my mind, I was singing Christmas Carols and my heart was racing a thousand-beats per-minute. I just don’t know what happened [that led to his teammates jumping into the stands].
“I just had a brain cramp and grabbed a shoe, a shitty little penny loafer, and hit him on the thigh. You would have thought over the next three days, due to the number of times this was replayed, that I’d committed a murder.”
In what I found to be the most telling and interesting, were Milbury’s next few words:
“They just actually recently did a study at BU [Boston University] where they showed the clip [one time] and then they asked the students, ‘How many times did he hit him with the shoe and where did Milbury hit him?’
“The students said three, four or five times at most – and that the fan was hit in the head or upside the face. In reality, it was one little penny loafer shot to his leg.”
The way that the Boston University students of 2023 recollected the clip was the exact same way as Ranger fans of 1979 had interpreted the incident – and from that day forward – Milbury and Blueshirts backers have had a hate-hate relationship with one another ever since.
Prior to the 1985-86 season, Milbury retired as a player and then joined the Bruins’ coaching staff, as led by former Islander Butch Goring, as an assistant head coach. However, on February 11th, 1986, the Bruins were so banged-up with injuries, that Milbury was asked, and then obliged, to come out of retirement. He continued to play in the season that followed and then retired for good following the events of the 1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs – when the Habs swept the Bruins in the first-round.
Having already expressed an interest in coaching; Milbury then spent the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons as the head coach of the Bruins’ AHL affiliate of the time, the Maine Mariners. Come the 1989-90 season, and with his feet now wet with head coaching experience – he then became the seventeenth bench boss in Bruins’ history.
His first year as an NHL head coach was a success, as the Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1990 – but ultimately fell short of their goal – as the Edmonton Oilers defeated them in five-games in that year’s Stanley Cup Final. Even so, Milbury was named as the NHL “Executive of the Year” for his efforts.
Despite winning the Adams’ Division and reaching the third-round (Prince of Wales) one year later; Milbury, following his sophomore season, abruptly stepped down.
“I only have one life to live and I want to try a lot of different ways,” said Milbury on May 30th, 1991. “Even if we had won the crown, then my decision would have been the same. I’m leaving [as coach] because I want to try something else. I’m going to be 39-years-old in a couple of weeks and I want to try some different things. In life, you only do it once.
“At this time in my life, with the opportunities given to me to move into full-time management, it was too good to pass up. Pretty good, eh? I didn’t get fired!”
That something else for Milbury was the front office, now as the club’s assistant general manager. However, he later resigned from that position too and on March 30th, 1994, he was named as the head coach of Boston College.
He didn’t last one game. Prior to the season’s commencement, he cited “philosophical differences” between himself and the school’s Athletic Director, Chet Gladchuk, and then resigned.
It may have taken us a while to get here, but I felt it was necessary to explain all of the twists-and-turns that Milbury had taken prior to the date of July 5th, 1995 – when “Mad Mike” was named as the sixth head coach in Islanders’ history – and just three months later, now in a dual-role – the third general manager in franchise history too.
Starting with the 1995-96 season and lasting until June of 2006, when he accepted a job with then Isles’ owner Charles Wang’s sports holding group, in a way – Milbury eventually became a Rangers’ fan wet dream.
After all, and in a fact that even Islander fans would co-sign – Milbury soon became the worst general manager in franchise history – and his 191 games spent behind their bench never produced a finish higher than seventh-place either.
Furthermore, during his “decade of decadence,” the Isles’ only reached the postseason three times – and never won a series once there. In total, they only won five playoff games – music for the ears of Ranger fans.
However, Milbury always hated the Rangers – and no matter how bad his own team was. Sadly, the Blueshirts weren’t much better during Milbury’s tenure on Long Island – and as it’s still been the case ever since 1994 – would never meet in the playoffs either.
Following his wretched tenure with the Islanders, where during every interview imaginable, he’d besmirch the Blueshirts whenever he could; Milbury got into television. While he made many comments that were deemed as “controversial” to others, comments which we can save for a different book; Milbury, whenever calling a Rangers’ game or talking about the team – never let his days with the Bruins and Islanders escape him.
In a way, Milbury’s work on NBC was somewhat comical – as he’d never give the Rangers any credit. And on the rare occasions that he did – where you had to check if pigs were flying – he still found a way to squeeze-in a backhanded compliment.
Heck, during the 2012 Winter Classic, a Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Flyers; Milbury, subconsciously, referred to the victors as “The Blueshits!”
When he wasn’t being potty-mouthed, Milbury would always take regular digs at the Rangers’ stars – and whether it be Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash or anyone else who was playing well.
While I can’t profess to possess any fandom for Milbury; I did think his 2020 “cancellation,” one that he has yet to recover from, was overblown – and unfortunately – a corporate reaction to the thin-skinned world of today.
During the 2020 Stanley Covid Cup Playoffs; Milbury, who was working, rather than staying at home like the majority of the world; made a joke on-air when he said, “there are not even any women here to disrupt your concentration!”
Following both social media backlash and complaints from the cancel culture crew; Milbury was soon fired by NBC. In his response, the “Ranger Killer” said:
“I want to explain the comment from that day. As a player and coach in the league, I’ve been on a lot of road trips and around a lot of guys that are young, fit, well-compensated, have celebrity status, and when they go on the road they play hard and they party hard. And a lot of their attention is on women, and I certainly don’t mean that in a bad way. What if I had said there aren’t any dogs here to distract the players? Or any wives? Or children? Do I have to describe the whole pantheon of the human race in order for it to be politically correct?”
As we get to the end here – long-story short?
Despite walking away from many different jobs, destroying a franchise for ten-years and being biased against the Rangers during his days on T.V. – he always had a job in the league.
One wise-crack, that to anyone with half-a-brain (which arguably, may not be something that Milbury has!) was a joke – BOOM – career over.
Maybe Glen Sather, in the year 2025, can revive-and-hire Milbury to run the Rangers. After all, he did hire Trottier!
UGH!
Up next?
Our Top Ten “Ranger Killers.”
The back cover of the physical version of the book.
As mentioned at the top of this, you can directly order the book through me right now or buy it on Amazon.com.
Thank you for all of your continued support!
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