THIS will be for the guy who wore the gold lamé suit and played the slide trombone upon making his entrance at the old Garden. This will be for the fans who grew up going to games for 50 cents on their GO cards and spent their winters balancing on the rails in the side balcony. This will be for those of us who crumpled up paper cups and played hockey in the stairwells between periods.
This will be for Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell, and for Rangers history preceding not only 1994 but even the Emile Francis Era. This will be the Blueshirts celebrating two of the greatest and classiest players of their Original Six history. This will be for those unique men and this will be for everyone who watched them play.
Slap Shots has learned the Rangers next season will stage a night for the two signature members of those clubs from the ’50s and ’60s, in which they will raise Bathgate’s No. 9 and Howell’s No. 3 to the famous round ceiling. These will not be official number retirements, but they will be honored numbers, recognized to be as distinct in Rangers history as Bathgate and Howell, themselves.
Glen Sather wanted it done and so did Jim Dolan. We have learned that Sather, a long-time friend of Howell’s who hired him as a scout here and in Edmonton, informed the great defenseman of the team’s plans earlier this week. None other than Adam Graves himself, whose No. 9 will be retired on a different night before this ceremony takes place, told Bathgate of the honor over lunch in Toronto this week.
From the final No. 9 to the greatest No. 9. How neat is that?
Bathgate, who will turn 76 in August, is the fourth-leading goal-scorer and point-producer in Rangers history. He won the Hart Trophy in 1959 on a team that didn’t qualify for the playoffs. From 1956-57 through 1962-63, he finished second in the Art Ross race twice; third twice; and fourth three times. He was a first- or second-team All-Star four times in an era when that meant bumping Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard or Boomer Geoffrion from the chart.
Howell, who will turn 76 in December, was booed out of the captaincy in the mid-’50s but became popular enough to have been given a “Nite” by the team in 1966-67. He wore the Blueshirt in more games, 1,160 of them, than any player in franchise history. He won the Norris Trophy in Bobby Orr’s 1966-67 rookie season, and thus stands as the only defenseman to eclipse Orr in the voting while No. 4 was healthy.
Bathgate and Howell were more than about numbers, either career stats or the numerals on their sweaters. They represented class. They were proud to represent New York during a time when players did not want to work here. Red Kelly even briefly retired rather than accept a trade to the Rangers from the Red Wings.
Next year, the Rangers will honor Bathgate and Howell. It will be a great night for hockey in New York, a great night for everyone who fell in love with the sport when they played it at the barn with the unforgettable marquee on Eighth between 49th and 50th announcing: TONITE HOCKEY.
Next year, one night, now on Seventh between 31st and 33rd: TONITE BATHGATE AND HOWELL.
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The Islanders play hard for coach Ted Nolan, there’s no doubting that – Friday at the Garden wasn’t quite a, “Is Brooklyn still in the league?” moment, but it was satisfying enough for the Shipwreck Franchise. Nevertheless, there is considerable doubt within the organization about whether Nolan is the right man to coach a team that will be stocked next season with youngsters.
Owner Charles Wang will meet with general manager Garth Snow and perhaps others on the hockey committee to discuss whether Nolan has the combination of patience and teaching ability that will allow the kids to grow. If the consensus is no, Nolan is likely to be dismissed with a year remaining on his contract so the Islanders can hire a nurturer.
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So maybe it’s true Karel Rachunek has been recently sidelined by a neck injury he sustained last week at practice.
It’s probably only a coincidence that the defenseman has been a scratch since Lou Lamoriello learned that impending-free-agent Rachunek already signed a contract to play in Russia next season for Dynamo, as a well-placed source informed Slap Shots.
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Anyone suggesting the Caps would have to make the playoffs in order for Alex Ovechkin to qualify for the Hart Trophy must be working on an alternative, attention-seeking agenda. This year, there is The Big O and then everyone else, the runners-up featuring a most-worthy Alex Kovalev of Montreal.
The NHL’s force-feed focus on all Sidney Crosby all the time and Pierre McGuire‘s relentless pandering and cheerleading over the air are going to create a backlash against the remarkable 20-year-old center, mark our words.
Finally, just wondering, but how has management leaking Wade Redden‘s refusal to waive his no-trade clause worked out for Ottawa and GM Bryan Murray, anyway?