There Was A Matt Rempe On The Rangers Before Matt Rempe

Late in the homestretch last season a phenomenal event took place in Rangerville.

A veritable unknown was promoted from Hartford and – literally overnight – became the most popular player on the team.

Matt Rempe was big (6-8) heavy (248) and loved to throw his fuselage into any enemy worth hitting. And he didn't mind a fight or two.

As we all know, the Rempe star has been reduced to a flicker as he commutes between Hartford and Seventh Avenue whenever management needs an enforcer.

But as The Maven looks back, I can recall a player much in the Rempe manner. His name was Eddie Shack and he came via the Rangers Junior team in Guelph, Ontario.

In many ways, Shack was Matt Rempe before Matt Rempe. Historian Andrew Podnieks described Shack thusly:

"Shack was instantly recognizable for his skating, legs and arms akimbo, hell bent on moving in a direct line from A to B and pity anyone who got in his way."

When I shook hands with Shack, I thought I was holding an outfielder's mitt, the paw was so big. "Clear the track, here comes Shack!" was his calling card. The big fella also had a sense of humor and he became known as "Eddie The Entertainer."

The left wing came to the Rangers in 1958 when Phil Watson was coach and Hall of Famers such as Andy Bathgate, Bill Gadsby, Gump Worsley and Harry Howell formed the core of a playoff team.

The similarity between Rempe and Shack extended to the coaches. Peter Laviolette either does not like Rempe as a player or cannot extract the best out of him. The same was true with Watson and Shack.

Phil had no idea how to make a hockey player out of the monster Shack and the Rangers traded him to Toronto in 1960. It was then and there where coach-manager Punch Imlach turned Eddie into a valuable player.

How valuable? Shack played on four Stanley Cup-winners with the Leafs.Matt Rempe should be so lucky!