New York Rangers (NHL, 1960-61)

1960-61 Regular Season: Rangers vs. Detroit Red Wings

     The New York Rangers were entering some pretty lean seasons by 1960-61. In fact, in the last ten seasons of the Original Six era (1957-67), New York qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs just three times, all first-round exits. The typical Rangers season during this era saw the team finish in fifth place, about 12-15 points out of the final postseason berth.
     1960-61 was no different for the "Broadway Blueshirts". While New York was able to climb out of the basement, their forgettable 22-38-10 record kept them out of the playoffs. The Rangers' 54 points were twelve behind fourth-place Detroit for the final playoff spot.
     It wasn't that the Rangers didn't have talented players on their roster. Indeed, during the Original Six era, even bottom feeders like Boston and New York had a couple Hall-of-Famers on their lineups. Unfortunately, neither the Bruins or Rangers had the depth to match the other four clubs, and were often on the outside looking in come Stanley Cup time.
     The Rangers scored 204 goals in 1960-61, third-most in the NHL. New York was led by star right winger Andy Bathgate, a dependable scorer and one of the best centers in the NHL. Bathgate, who would be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978, led the Rangers with 29 goals and 77 points in 70 games. Andy Hebenton (26), Dean Prentice (20) and Camille "The Eel" Henry (28) were the other 20-goal scorers for the Rangers.
     While the offense was pretty good, it was the defense that did in the Rangers that year. New York allowed 248 goals, just six fewer than league-worst Boston. The team used four goaltenders that year, with future Hall of Famer Gump Worsley playing most of the games. The Gumper was once asked what team gave him the most trouble. His response: "The Rangers". Worsley was the classic "good goalie on a bad team" during his time in The Big Apple. His play often bordered on heroic behind a woeful Rangers squad year after year. In 1961-62, Worsley played in 59 games, sporting a 20-29-8 record with 1 shutout and a respectable 3.29 GAA. Former 1960 US Olympian Jack McCartan played in 8 games, but couldn't replicate the magic from Squaw Valley, going 1-6-1 with a 4.77 GAA, but his only win was a shutout. Marcel Paille and Joe Schaefer also spent time in the New York net.
     Despite the ugly defensive numbers, the Rangers blueline had some talent. Two defensemen from that team eventually reached the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bill Gadsby, the shot-blocking defenseman whose face was a virtual roadmap of scars, reached the Hall in 1970. Harry Howell, elected in 1979 was an outstanding defenseman who had been with New York since 1952. When he won the Norris Trophy in 1967, Howell declared that Boston's Bobby Orr would own the trophy for the next decade (he was right). And then there was Lou Fontinato, one of the toughest players in the NHL, who led the team with an even 100 PIM in 53 games.
     This is my second Rangers program, and it's 32 pages, all in black and white. I bought it from someone in Traverse City back in May. This program is from a December 7, 1960, game against the Detroit Red Wings at the old Madison Square Garden. Detroit won, 3-1, in front of 10,807 fans to drop the Rangers to 8-15-2. The Red Wings would finish in fourth place that year and reach the Stanley Cup Finals, but fell to the Chicago Black Hawks in 6 games.
     There was a lot of talent in this game that night. Worsley, Howell, Gadsby were the Hall of Famers in New York, while Detroit countered with Terry Sawchuk, Gordie Howe, Norm Ullman, Alex Delvecchio and Marcel Pronovost. Gordie was the Wings' captain, while George Sullivan wore the C for the Rangers.
     There are a lot of alcohol advertisements in this program...considering how bad the Rangers were, maybe that was on purpose. For your drinking pleasure, the ads include Calvert Reserve whiskey, Seagram Martini, Johnnie Walker Red scotch, Tribuno Vermouth and Canada Dry bourbon (a full page color ad on the inside back cover).
     There are cigarette ads too in this program, something you don't see anymore. Those ads include American Tobacco Company (Lucky Strike and Pall Mall), Phillip Morris (Marlboro) and Old Gold Straights. There's even an ad on page 17 for Benson & Hughes "Clear Havana Cigars", which were available at all cigar counters and selected by Madison Square Garden.

References:

National Hockey League Regular Season Statistics: 1960-61, from hockeyreference.com