Aug. 19: Hall of Famer Lafleur agrees to contract with Rangers

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Aug. 19
1988:
Guy Lafleur
, already elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, begins his NHL comeback by agreeing to a one-year contract with the New York Rangers that's contingent on his performance at training camp.

Lafleur hasn't played in the NHL since retiring in November 1984 with 518 goals and 1,246 points in 961 NHL games, all with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he also wins the Stanley Cup five times. The 36-year-old forward plays well enough at training camp to earn a contract with the Rangers, joining
Gordie Howe
as the only players to take part in an NHL game after being elected to the Hall (
Mario Lemieux
becomes the third to do so in 2000).
Lafleur finishes with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 67 games with the Rangers, then plays two seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before retiring for good.

MORE MOMENTS
1947: The rebuilding Rangers obtain
Buddy O'Connor
and
Frank Eddolls
from the Canadiens in a trade for defenseman
Hal Laycoe
and forwards
Joe Bell
and
George Robertson
. Eddolls becomes a regular on defense, but O'Connor, a 5-foot-8, 142-pound center, has a career year with New York in 1947-48, finishing with 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in 60 games and helping the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1942. He ends up second to former teammate
Elmer Lach
in the scoring race but wins the
Hart Trophy
as MVP and the
Lady Byng Trophy
for skillful and gentlemanly play, becoming the first player to win both awards in the same season. O'Connor retires after the 1950-51 season and is inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.
1982:The Philadelphia Flyers acquire defenseman
Mark Howe
in a trade that sends forwards
Ken Linseman
and
Greg Adams
, plus two draft picks, to the Hartford Whalers. Howe becomes a three-time NHL First-Team All-Star with the Flyers and helps them advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 1985 and 1987. After 10 seasons with the Flyers, he plays three more with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1995. He joins his father,
Gordie Howe
, in the Hall of Fame in 2011.