A Blast From The Past Featuring Rangers Legends

In tune with both the holiday spirit and the Blueshirts,The Maven lists MY SEVEN FAVORITE RANGERS FROM THE PAST.

1. ANDY BATHGATE: The right wing with the winning smile had a mighty shot. His backhand hit goalie Jacques Plante in the noggin and that's how the goalie mask came into being. Hall of Famer Andy was the face of the franchise from the late 1950's into the 1960's.

2. CAMILLE HENRY: They called him "Camille The Eel" because his weight never cleared 140 pounds. But Cammy made it big as a rookie in 1954, won the Calder and never was bullied out of the league. He's the only Ranger I took to a high school and he wowed the kids. Cammy scored four goals in a game against the great Terry Sawchuk!

3. CHUCK RAYNER: Bonnie Prince Charlie never was blessed with a super team yet in 1950 he was NHL MVP; because he was that good. Rayner took the Rangers to double overtime of Game 7, 1950 final vs. Detroit, finally beaten by Pete Babando's screener. Never a big winner yet made it to the Hall of Fame.

4. PAUL RONTY: When I was VP of the Rangers Fan Club in the early 1950's I made my first tv appearance on the Jimmy Powers' (WPIX) sports show. It was The Maven, Powers and Blueshirts center Paul Ronty. made my debut as fun as could be. Paul couldn't have known it at the time but he helped launch my long TV career!

5. LORNE WORSLEY: "Gump," because he looked like Andy Gump, the comic book character. No Ranger ever was funnier than Lorne and no goalie ever was better during tough conditions. "Me and (coach) Phil Watson had one thing in common, we hated each other!" Asked which team gave him the most trouble, Gump said "Rangers!"

6. ALDO GUIDOLIN: How could you not like a guy who came from a town that no longer exists? My buddy Aldo was born in Forks of Credit, Ontario and don't bother looking, it's not on the map. Guidolin and I became lifetime pals. I did play by play once when Aldo scored a shorthanded breakaway vs. Habs. A thrill for both of us!

7. PENTTI LUND: The Rangers' first Finnish-born star outscored Rocket Richard in the 1950 playoff semi-final. Blueshirts won the series and went to the Cup Final. Lund, a super guy, wound up being sports editor of Thunder Bay daily. Gotta love him for that, as well!

Pentti was the quintessential two-way forward – offense-defense!