Glenn Byrdson RW (1935-1936) Jim Johnson C (1964-1967)
Today in NYR History 11/7:
1960: The Rangers trade Eddie Shack to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchnge for Pat Hannigan and Johnny Wilson.
1975: The Rangers acquire Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jean Ratelle, Brad Park, and Joe Zanussi.
The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, archrivals for the first half of the 1970s, complete a franchise-altering trade involving three future Hockey Hall of Famers. The Rangers send center Jean Ratelle, defenseman Brad Park and minor league defenseman Joe Zanussi to the Bruins for center Phil Esposito and defenseman Carol Vadnais.
The trade stuns everyone, especially Esposito, the NHL's top goal-scorer in each of the previous four seasons and a player who has always been reviled in New York. Park, regarded for several years as the best NHL defenseman not named Bobby Orr, is just as unpopular in Boston.
"It took me probably a year to accept that I wasn't part of the Boston Bruins anymore," Esposito remembers years later. "All I knew about New York was between Seventh and Eighth avenues and 33rd and 34th streets, Madison Square Garden. … When I did learn the city, it was … the greatest city and the greatest fans, and we had some good years."
Twelve hours after the trade is announced, Esposito scores two goals and has an assist for the Rangers in a 7-5 loss to the California Seals in Oakland.
2002: Brian Leetch becomes the first defenseman in NHL history to score seven regular-season overtime goals.
The seventh one comes when he scores 51 seconds into OT to give the Rangers a 1-0 victory against the Calgary Flames at Madison Square Garden.
2007: Brian Leetch and former Rangers PR director John Halligan are among four people to receive the Lester Patrick Award for their contributions to of outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
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