RIP Rod Gilbert

 

Rod Gilbert who was the greatest Ranger of all time has passed. There might be bigger stars who played for the Rangers like Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. But for a hockey fan of a certain age like me it was all about the great Rod Gilbert.

When I was kid in the sixties there were only a few hockey teams. So you could follow the sport in between watching football and baseball. The Rangers had a decent team. They had the great goalie Eddie Giacomin and his back up Gilles Villemure. The hard nosed Vic Hadfield. The always elegant Jean Ratelle. Glen Stather and Pete Stemkowski. The unpronounceable Walt Tkaczuk. All the flotsam and jetsom that Marv Albert would talk about when the Rangers played. I went to a couple dozen games in those days. Tickets were not hard to get. The Rangers were often out of contention. But they still were a lot of fun.

Rod lived to be 80. He had a good run. He was always a very classy guy. Never a scandal or a bad word. The kind of guy people would point to as a role model. I always really admired him and I thought of him as Mr. Ranger.

RIP Rod. You did good.

I told you Hockey sucks!

New York Post November 15, 2014

BRAINERD, Minn. — Authorities have identified a 14-year-old Minnesota boy who died after collapsing while playing hockey.

The Star Tribune reported Saturday that the player was Patrick Schoonover. He collapsed Friday afternoon while playing for an Eastview Youth Hockey team against Wayzata during a tournament in Brainerd. He was transported to a hospital but attempts to revive him there failed.

A message The Associated Press left at the Brainerd Police Department seeking more details wasn’t immediately returned.

Schoonover’s family issued a statement saying they appreciate the outpouring of support from the Eastview and Minnesota hockey communities. The family said Schoonover loved to play hockey and loved all his teammates.

The Minnesota Wild issued a statement Friday evening offering condolences to Schoonover’s family, friends and teammates.

Reason 1,938 why Hockey sucks!

Did you hear about the hockey player who had to go on the disabled list because he ate a plate of pancakes?

Los Angeles Kings winger Dustin Penner said he couldn't play over the weekend after suffering back spasms brought on by eating a plate of his wife's pancakes. Lifting that forkful of tasty pancakes was just too much for the poor guy.

Or maybe he threw his back out because he couldn't chew them because he didn't have any teeth left.

You know what you get when you have thirty two hockey fans in a room?

A full set of teeth.

I hate hockey!

I hate hockey.

I mean I was sort of a fan when I was a kid. There were only about eight teams and you knew all the players. The Rangers had Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacoman and Vic Hatfield and Brad Park. They had epic battles with the Bruins who had Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and Derek (seventies porno guy mustache) Sanderson. Stan Mikta. Keith Magnunson. Bobby Hull. Bobby Clarke and Dave Schultz and the Broad Street bullies.

But I sort of lost touch. Then all through the eighties and nineties I had season tickets for the Knicks and had to hear racist assholes from Long Island (usually Garden City) spout off about how basketball wasn't a real sport and how superior hockey was as a sport. I just don't see it. They all became big pussies when they started wearing helmets like some yuppies puppie on a skateboard.

Now baseball is over and the Giants only play once a week and the Knicks suck and there is nothing to watch.

Man I hate hockey.