On March 7th 1981, The Rangers played host to Wayne Gretzky and The Edmonton Oilers, the Oilers fourth visit to Madison Square Garden ever.
The game video featured below provides us with an excellent look backward at what has turned out to be some present day New York Ranger staples.
The first of which is Ranger singer John Amirante. Amirante is shown belting out both national anthems at the spry age of 45, John is now 74.
We also get to see a youthful 37 year old Glen Sather coaching behind the Oiler Bench. Slats is now 66.
The game itself is no goaltending duel. Ranger Goaltender Steve Baker is bad and Oiler goalie Ed Mio is hapless.
Gretzky is dominant as usual and makes Ranger goaltender Steve Baker look like he chose the wrong profession, as we see when Baker reacts like a pick up hockey goalie on a Gretzky breakaway.
The game is full of some meanness and roughness as well. Ranger Crisis friend Chris “Kotsy” Kotsopoulos is seen mixing it up with Edmonton’s Mark Messier and then later jawing it up with Dave Hunter.
The verbal sparring between Hunter and Kotsy starts soon after Rangers goaltender Steve Baker delivers a pretty vicious butt end to the Oilers Dave Lumley right near the side of the goal mouth.
The game ends in a 5-5 tie, but it really was a game the Rangers let slip away. The Rangers were up 5-3 late into the third but gave up two goals with under five minutes left in the game and barely held on for the tie.
Tonight On Blueshirt Banter Radio At 8 PM, Leslie Treff of Hockey's Future to discuss about how the Rangers youth is progressing both on the farm and on the big club. Leslie as most of you know is one of the go to people as far as Ranger prospects and youth goes.
Also tonight, friends of the show Russ Cohen and Adam Raider stop by in what always turns out to be a fun and heated discussion about Ranger hockey. It's worth the listen it just ot hear the Mouth argue with XM Radio's Russ Cohen alone. Both Russ and Adam have written a wonderful book along with John Halligan entitled Ranger 100 greats.
To listen to the show Click this :
Look at Kotsy going at it with Mess!
ReplyDeleteI love how Jim Gordon kept calling him "Messy err" at first, then towards the end of the game he gets it right, like someone in the booth had corrected him.
Awesome stuff, love Steve Baker's mask, it was much better than his goalkeeping.
Chadwick: "Montreal having a picnic in Winnipeg its 8-0 in the 2nd period", LOL!!!