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Who Would You Rather Be Spinoff Thread

MFS62 Sep 20 2006 02:11 PM

Since we no longer have our spinoff threads, this is a follow-up to a question Mole asked in the "Who Would You Rather Be" thread. He asked Carl Braun or Andy Bathgate. I saw both of them play. Braun, a guard, played on the Knicks with center Ray Felix, guard Richie Guerin, and forwards Willie Naulls and Kenny Sears. I just missed seeing center "Sweetwater" Clifton, but my dad (May he rest in Peace) pointed him out to me in the stands at The (Old) Garden after he retired. Bathgate played with the Rangers. He was a scoring forward. during that era, other teams began naming their #1 lines (e.g.- the Uke Line in Boston, because Stasiuk, Bucyk and Horvath had Ukranian roots). My friends began calling Bathgate's line the ABC line, for Andy Hebenton, Bathgate and Camille Henry. Later, the Rangers had the GAG (Goal A Game) line, but to us it wasn't the same. It wasn't specific to the players themselves. Others on those Ranger teams were defensemen "Leapin'" Looie Fontinato (because he would always leap into a fight on the ice) and Harry Howell. We called Howell "Family Man" because he rarely fought, and was "the only defenseman in the NHL with all his own teeth". Ah, the memories. Thanks, Mole. Later

Willets Point Sep 20 2006 02:36 PM

MFS62, don't be shy about making your own spinoff threads.

RealityChuck Sep 21 2006 09:03 AM

Bathgate was a little before my time; I was aware he was the Ranger's big star, but by the time I started really following hockey (when we got cable and I could actually see a game), he was gone. And, of course I can remember the GAG Line: Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Vic Hadfield. It was as specific as Detroit's Production Line (Gordie Howe, Sid Abel, and Ted Lindsay). Also, the practice of naming lines on a team dates back to at least the 20s, when the Rangers had "The Bread Line" of Bill Cook, Bun Cook, and Fred Boucher. When I started following the Rangers, Emil Francis had just taken over, and the roster included Howell, Gilbert, Ratelle, Hatfield, Phil Goyette, Orland Kurtenbach, Boom Boom Geoffiand (it wasn't until later that I realized how great he had been before then) and, of course, my hero Ed Giacomin. Didn't follow the Knicks all that much: I found (and still find) basketball boring.

RealityChuck Sep 21 2006 09:16 AM

Bathgate was a little before my time; I was aware he was the Ranger's big star, but by the time I started really following hockey (when we got cable and I could actually see a game), he was gone. And, of course I can remember the GAG Line: Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Vic Hadfield. It was as specific as Detroit's Production Line (Gordie Howe, Sid Abel, and Ted Lindsay). Also, the practice of naming lines on a team dates back to at least the 20s, when the Rangers had "The Bread Line" of Bill Cook, Bun Cook, and Fred Boucher. When I started following the Rangers, Emil Francis had just taken over, and the roster included Howell, Gilbert, Ratelle, Hatfield, Phil Goyette, Orland Kurtenbach, Boom Boom Geoffiand (it wasn't until later that I realized how great he had been before then) and, of course, my hero Ed Giacomin. Didn't follow the Knicks all that much: I found (and still find) basketball boring.

MFS62 Sep 21 2006 09:29 AM

The Ranger goalie I first remember was Lorne "Gump" Worsley. I remember fans saying how bad the defense must have been because he had to make a lot of saves every game. Later I realized it a lot of it was Worsley's own fault - he gave up a lot of rebounds/ second shots because he didn't hold onto the puck very well. But when he wasn't in the nets, the reserve 'tender I remember most was Marcelle Paille. His name was properly pronounced something like Pai-YEE, but the Ranger fans called him PILE (as in pile of s**t). I was at a game when Bobby Hull took a slapshot that hit Paille's stick, bounced straight up in the air, came down on top of his head, and rolled down his back and into the net for a goal. The fans never let him forget that one. New York high school students in those days could get a GO (general Organization) card. You got it for passing all your classes and having good citizenship (whatever that meant). With a GO card, they could get into Ranger games for 50 cents. We would sit in the upper deck, but because of the overhang, when you were seated you couldn't see the ice between the near side boards and the near faceoff circle. So we basically had to watch the games standing up. I also remember that every Spring both the Rangers and Knicks were forced out of the Garden because the Circus was in town. More about some Knick memories in another post. Later

TheOldMole Sep 25 2006 06:43 PM

Don't forget Bones Raleigh and Wally Hergesheimer.

MFS62 Sep 25 2006 08:16 PM

TheOldMole wrote: Don't forget Bones Raleigh and Wally Hergesheimer. Hey! How old do you think I am? :) I remember Wally - in name only. Glad you found it. Later

TheOldMole Sep 27 2006 05:33 AM

I'm old enough to remember listening to Rangers games on the radio in which Wally played...I think. Yep...on checking it out, he was with the Rangers through 1956. I probably started listening in 1953 or 54. That 1955-56 team roster -- and amazingly, I remember most of these names; Andy Bathgate Dave Creighton. Bill Gadsby. Danny Lewicki Ron Murphy Dean Prentice Wally Hergesheimer Larry Popein Andy Hebenton Bronco Horvath. Pete Conacher Harry Howell Lou Fontinato Don Raleigh (that would be Bones -- strange that they give Bronco Horvath's nickname, and the Gumper's, but not his) Jean-Guy Gendron. Jack Evans. Aldo Guidolin Jim Bartlett Ivan Irwin (Ivan "the Terrible" -- replaced Leapin' Looie as the Rangers' bad guy) Ron Howell. Lorne "Gump" Worsley Gordon Bell

TheOldMole Sep 27 2006 05:36 AM

And Wally came back for a final bow with the Rangers in 1958-59, after a couple of minor league seasons.

MFS62 Sep 27 2006 07:41 AM

TheOldMole wrote: And Wally came back for a final bow with the Rangers in 1958-59, after a couple of minor league seasons. And that's where I remember him from. I started to follow the Rangers during that season. Later

TheOldMole Sep 27 2006 12:36 PM

In about 1966, I chaperoned a group of students down to New York for an anti-war demonstration. Afterwards, a couple of them (and I) wanted to go to a Ranger game. One guy, whom we'll call Frank, a very bookish, very Marxist intellectual, begged off. He had no interest in sports at all. Another guy whom we'll call Mike (come to think of it, those were there real names), urged him: "Come on, you'll love it. Everyone I know who's political loves hockey." So Frank went, grudgingly, determined not to have a good time. The Rangers were playing Montreal, and the Habs were led at the time by enforcer John Ferguson. By midway through the first period, Frank was in a transport of excitement, cheering the Rangers, calling for Fergie's head.

MFS62 Sep 28 2006 10:44 AM

I promised a Knick story.... There were times when Knick tickets were, er, "easy to come by". To try to boost attendance, they even scheduled doubleheaders - bringing in otyer teams with more star power than the Knicks had. My friend and I went to the (old) garden to see one. When we got there, we got lower level seats, about ten rows back from the court, almost at midcourt. The first game was the Cincinnatti Royals against the Baltimore Bullets. The game was a shootout that went double overtime. The leading scorers, each with (IIRC) 35+ points, were Oscar Robertson and Kevin Loughery. The Bullets won. In the second game, the Knicks were hosting the Philadlphia Warriors with Wilt Chamberlain. Philly had dominated everyone that year, and the Knicks were in the midst of a spectacularly mediocre run. The game was a blow-out - by the Knicks. At the time, the Knicks had a player named Dave Budd. My friend and I called him "the Incredible Shrinking Man". He was drafted as a "6'10" center". About two years later he was listed on the roster as a "6' 8" forward". By the time of this game, he was being listed as a "6' 6" swingman". And he looked every inch of it. But later in this game, Budd tied up Wilt and a jump ball was called. Budd actually out-jumped Wilt for it and won the tap. A lot of money must have changed hands on that play. It was the day of the most memorable basketball I can recall seeing in person. Later

TheOldMole Sep 29 2006 12:58 AM

Remember standing room for the Rangers at the old Garden?

MFS62 Sep 29 2006 09:31 AM

TheOldMole wrote: Remember standing room for the Rangers at the old Garden? The only standing I remember was, as I mentioned above, because you couldn't see 1/3 of the ice from the student seats. But I also remember that the NY Fire Department wasn't always strict about enforcing the fire laws at sporting events. The listed capacity at old Yankee Stadium was 67,000 but they frequently drew crowds of over 72,000 there in the late 40's and early 50's. Later

TheOldMole Sep 29 2006 11:00 AM

It was great...it was true that you couldn't see the whole ice, but you could see a lot of it, and standing room tickets were only about 2 bucks. I do remember Dave Budd.

Willets Point Oct 31 2006 05:46 PM

Bump.

MFS62 Oct 31 2006 06:26 PM

Thanks, WP. With basketball and 'ockey seasons starting up, this will be a nice place to park memories of sports of yore as well as current season game comments. Hoping Vic chimes in with some of his favorite Knick memories. Later

Willets Point Oct 31 2006 06:34 PM

Maybe we can start a Knicks memory thread?

Rockin' Doc Nov 01 2006 12:41 PM

WP - "Maybe we can start a Knicks memory thread?" A memorial of sorts for what was once a great, storied franchise.