New York Rangers Greatest Players
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Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
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Tom Laidlaw
"(Tom) Laidlaw plays defense the way it is supposed to be played," said New York Islanders legendary coach Al Arbour back in 1985.
Arbour then continued, " He almost never makes a mistake, he takes the man out in the slot, is mobile enough to get the puck out of his own end by skating it, or, more likely, hitting the open man with a precise, accurate, pass. If he gets a chance to rush he'll take it, but he understands that is not his job. And he plays it the way most defensemen did in the old six-team NHL."
Tom's playing style was a throwback to the old six-team era, an art form almost extinct in today's hockey He never tried to be fancy with the puck, he just concentrated to do his job and that was to keep his opponents and the puck away from his defensive zone.
Tom was born in Brampton, Ontario where his father Don was a district fire chief. Tom grew up idolizing legendary Gordie Howe. Tom first played for the Bramalea Blues and then played four seasons for Northern Michigan University (CCHA) while he majored in speech. He was also a good football player.
At NMU he was coached by Rick Comley who had a great influence on the young Tom.
"He stuck with me when I would make a mistake and sent me back out there," Tom recalled. "He helped me personally, and in my life. And he helped my hockey."
Tom quickly gained reputation for his toughness. Many years after he had left NMU people still talk about how he broke his stick over his head, purposefully, following his first goal at NMU.
In 1980 he helped the Wildcats advance to the NCAA championships before bowing out to the University of North Dakota. Tom was selected to the All-NCAA tournament team in 1980. He also was a CCHA First All-Star in 1979 and 80. All in all he scored 90 pts in 124 games for NMU.
NY Rangers selected Tom in the 1978 draft (78th overall). He immediately took a regular shift from opening night (October 9,1980 vs. Boston) and never looked back. During his first four NHL seasons Tom only missed 2 out of 320 games. Then in his 5th season he ruptured his spleen against Boston (January 5,1985) and missed 19 games.
Some people compared Tom to Ranger legend Harry Howell. It didn't take Tom many years before he was constantly paired up with rookies on defense to "break them in".
On March 10, 1987 Tom was traded to Los Angeles where he played for almost four years. He retired in 1990 while playing a few games for Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL).
Among teammates Tom was simply known as "Cowboy".
"I like Westerns and my boyhood hero might have been described as any cowboy. I like watching football, driving my jeep, country music and anything to do with hockey. My favorite actor is John Wayne for obvious reasons.", Tom said back then.
Tom always accepted his defensive role and not being in the spotlight of things.
"You don't win the Stanley Cup without defense. All the wheeling and dealing up ice with the puck is great for the fans, but not for the coach if you get caught out of position. Defense still wins in the NHL," Tom said.
Laidlaw's philosophy was simple: Don't let 'em through. Maybe it could have been dubbed as Laidlaw's Law.
Speaking of law, Laidlaw went on to become a prominent NHL player's agent in his off-ice career.
Camille "The Eel" Henry
For 12 seasons and 637 games, the 5'7" and barely 145lb Camille Henry was one of the biggest stars on Broadway.
The stylish Henry, both on and off the ice, endeared him to the fans of New York right away. On the ice he was a slippery and elusive magician, hence the nickname "Camille The Eel." Off the ice he was a favorite with the media and therefore well connected to the fans. Because of his willingness to talk, often in an entertaining fashion, he was labeled as a quote machine by the media.
He was one of the National Hockey League's most accomplished snipers of his era, particularly noted for his uncanny ability to deflect shots past goalies, usually on the power play.
Henry became and instant star with the New York Rangers as a 20 year old in the 1953-54 season. He scored 24 goals and 39 points in 66 games, good enough to earn him the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year - the same rookie year as Montreal great Jean Beliveau.
Even with the fine rookie season under his belt, the Rangers were still concerned about his size. The team put the puny center from Charlesbourg, Quebec through a weightlifting program in the off-season to bulk him up, but the move backfired as he wasn't able to play effectively at his new weight level. Henry spent most of his sophomore season in the minors.
Henry returned to the Rangers in 1956, becoming a regular for 8 NHL seasons. Twice he finished among the top 5 goal scorers, and in 1958 Lady Byng trophy for his gentlemanly play.
Henry also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues for another 5 seasons, retiring in 1970. He did rejoin the Rangers for a short stint in 1967-68, just in time for the opening of the new Madison Square Garden on February 18, 1968. He considered christening the new building to be one of his favorite memories of his career.
His final career stats included 279 goals and 528 points in 727 games. After retiring from hockey "The Eel" fell upon hard times, enduring a personal tragedy. He had two broken marriages and battled alcoholism, diabetes and epilepsy as a poverty stricken loner. He died at the age of 64.
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