ANDY BATHGATE

Let me begin with a confession. I am the world's biggest Andy Bathgate fan.

A year ago - actually 14 months ago - Brian Leetch announced that Adam Graves would be the next retired Ranger to have his jersey retired. Adam's number - as a Blueshirt - was 9. Thirty years before him, Bathgate wore that same number. The day after that announcement, I was all over the Internet voicing my outrage. Most of that effort was probably in vain, but one thing I did do that day did pay off. I looked for and found Stan Fischler's e-mail address, and sent him a request - in particular, I asked Stan to speak to Glen Sather about including Andy Bathgate in the Adam Graves ceremony. To be very honest - that e-mail representing my first contact with the Maven - I was not especially confident that he would ever see my e-mail, let alone act on it. To my great surprise, Fischler responded to my e-mail, and - better yet - promised to speak to Sather. He did so, and the result of that conversation were seen last month - Andy and Harry Howell received the salute that had been long overdo. They watched their jerseys raised to the rafters of MSG.

If you're still with me, let me provide you with the rationale for saluting Andy Bathgate. Please have a look at the facts and figures below:

In 1954-55, Andy played his first full season in the NHL - with the New York Rangers - and scored 20 goals (and had 20 assists). During the six-team era, 20 goals was a big deal, and for Bathgate it was an indication that he had finally arrived as a legitimate NHL player - after two not-so-successful seasons. In 1955-56, Andy indicated - with the stats below - that he would be a star in the league. As the stats indicate, few players were more productive than Andy during his heyday - 1955-56 to 1963-64:

1955-56
J. Beliveau (MTL) 70 games, 47 goals, 41 assists, 88 points
G. Howe (DET) 70 games, 38 goals, 41 assists, 79 points
M.Richard (MTL) 70 games, 38 goals, 33 assists, 71 points
B. Olmstead (MTL) 70 games, 14 goals, 56 assists, 70 points
T. Sloan (TOR) 70 games, 37 goals, 29 assists, 66 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 19 goals, 47 assists, 66 points

1956-57
G. Howe (DET) 70 games, 44 goals, 45 assists, 89 points
T. Lindsay (DET) 70 games, 30 goals, 55 assists, 85 points
J. Beliveau (MTL) 69 games, 33 goals, 51 assists, 84 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 27 goals, 50 assists, 77 points

1957-58
D. Moore (MTL) 70 games, 36 goals, 48 assists, 84 points
H. Richard (MTL) 67 games, 28 goals, 52 assists, 80 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 65 games, 30 goals, 48 assists, 78 points

1958-59
D. Moore (MTL) 70 games, 41 goals, 55 assists, 96 points
J. Beliveau (MTL) 64 games, 45 goals, 46 assists, 91 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 40 goals, 48 assists, 88 points
(Won Hart Trophy)

1959-60
B. Hull (CHI) 70 games, 39 goals, 42 assists, 81 points
B. Horvath (BOS) 68 games, 39 goals, 41 assists, 80 points
J. Beliveau (MTL) 60 games, 34 goals, 40 assists, 74 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 26 goals, 48 assists, 74 points

1960-61
B. Geoffrion (MTL) 64 games, 50 goals, 45 assists, 95 points
J. Beliveau (MTL) 69 games, 32 goals, 58 assists, 90 points
F. Mahovlich (TOR) 70 games, 48 goals, 36 assists, 84 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 29 goals, 48 assists, 77 points

1961-62
B. Hull (CHI) 70 games, 50 goals, 34 assists, 84 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 28 goals, 56 assists, 84 points
(Led NHL in assists)
Only Hull's name was etched on Art Ross Trophy

1962-63
G. Howe (DET) 70 games, 38 goals, 48 assists, 86 points
A. Bathgate (NYR) 70 games, 35 goals, 46 assists, 81 points

1963-64
S. Mikita (CHI) 70 games, 39 goals, 50 assists, 89 points
B. Hull (CHI) 70 games, 43 goals, 44 assists, 87 points
J. Beliveau (MTL) 68 games, 28 goals, 50 assists, 78 points
A. Bathgate (NYR/TOR) 71 games, 19 goals, 58 assists, 77 points
(Led NHL in assists)

Playoff Success
With New York, Andy Bathgate never made it past the first round. Twice within three seasons - after leaving the Rangers - Andy made it to the Stanley Cup finals.

Team Success
Bathgate won the Memorial Cup with the Guelph Biltmores, the Calder Cup with the Cleveland Barons, the Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Lester Patrick Trophy with the Vancouver Canucks.

Joseph Durocher

Introduction

Greetings, folks.

This particular blog - West of the East River - is devoted to hockey - or at least it will be when I get started. Yours truly has been a hockey fan for a long time - not as long as the Ranger Pundit - but a long time nonetheless. I've always referred to myself as the world's biggest Rangers fan - west of the East River - hence the name of this blog.

Somehow - many moons ago - yours truly began following the New York Rangers. My father was enamoured of the Montreal Canadiens, my older brother was a Chicago Blackhawks fan, and most of the other kids at my school were big on the Maple Leafs. When I finally came out as a Rangers fan - some time after the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup - my hockey-loving friends could not understand how I (or anyone well to the west of the Niagara River - never mind the East River) could be a fan of the Blueshirts. With my navy-blue Rangers jersey - worn whenever it was too warm for a jacket but too cold for short sleeves - yours truly certainly stood out. It wasn't until I attended my first NHL game - in Buffalo during the Sabres' inaugural season - that I saw someone else wearing my beloved blueshirt. With the New York Rangers providing the opposition that evening, there were many blueshirts to be seen.

My knowledge of - and experience with - this new fangled contraption in front of me is not nearly as extensive as my knowledge of - and experience with - hockey, so this blog will be simple. Nonetheless, I will try to make this blog informative and thought-provoking enough to make it worth reading.

Joseph Durocher