Trocheck's impact on Rangers reminiscent of O'Connor in late 1940s

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his insight and humor with readers each Wednesday. This week is the return of the "Then and Now" feature comparing yesteryear's stars with current aces.

In this edition, the players featured are Buddy O'Connor from the late 1940s New York Rangers and current Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck.

On Aug. 19, 1947, the New York Rangers traded for a player discarded by the Montreal Canadiens because his career was considered on the wane by the Habs, as well many critics.

His name is Buddy O'Connor, a smallish center (5-foot-8, 142 pounds) who scored only 10 goals over 46 games during the 1946-47 season.

Nearly 75 years later, the Rangers signed a nine-season veteran who had played for the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.

His name is Vincent Trocheck, a center who over his NHL career had dropped from 75 points for the Panthers in 2017-18 to 51 with the Hurricanes before the Rangers signed him to a seven-year, free agent contract July 13, 2022.

Like O'Connor, Trocheck (5-11, 187) ranks among the smaller NHL forwards, and he has proven with the Rangers that he still has plenty of good hockey left in him.

The deal for O'Connor hardly was a blockbuster. He came to New York from Montreal with disappointing defenseman Frank Eddolls. In return, the Canadiens received defenseman Hal Laycoe and forwards Joe Bell and George Robertson.

"The deal was a gamble," Rangers general manager Frank Boucher told me when I worked for him during the 1954-55 season. "Lester Patrick, who was my boss, didn't want me to do it, so I went to Gen. John Reed Kilpatrick, who ran the Garden. He said, 'If you think it'll work, then do it.'"

It proved to be one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history. None of the players dealt to Montreal proved particularly useful to the Canadiens. The opposite was the case for Boucher.

Eddolls emerged as one of the best Rangers defensemen of that era while O'Connor missed being the NHL's leading scorer by only one point; losing to Montreal forward Elmer Lach (61). O'Connor won the Hart and Lady Byng Trophies, the Montreal-born Irishman becoming the first player in League history to win both awards.

"It wasn't until he came to the Rangers that Buddy came into his own as one of the great stars of hockey," said Stan Saplin who was the Rangers' publicist and later beat writer for the New York Journal-American. "And he was able to do all those great things while being the lightest player in the League."

Trocheck is relatively light, although he plays much bigger and has no trouble playing gritty hockey along the boards.

"Trocheck is the engine of the Rangers," said veteran author and hockey writer Alan Greenberg, who covers the Stanley Cup champion Panthers. "I remember him with the Panthers where he was a solid player, but he's become much more special as a Ranger."

A native of Pittsburgh, Trocheck finished last season second on the Rangers with an NHL career high 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists), trailing only Artemi Panarin's 120 (49 goals, 71 assists), but there's a lot more to Trocheck's game than mere points.

"You're talking about a player who touches every part of our game," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "Face-offs, offense, defense, power play, penalty kill, 6-on-5 and 5-on-5. He plays reliable high minutes, and I can count on him."

Said Trocheck: "I want to be touching every part of the game and I want to be sure I'm helping my team win. To do that I have to be involved in different aspects of the game. That means PK, 5-on-6, some of the gritty things, and I want to be out there in critical situations."

He was one of the best Rangers during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In some ways his style is reminiscent of Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk or Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, who play with an edge.

Trocheck has become a complete hockey player with a style all his own. He won 58.7 percent of his face-offs, second in the NHL (minimum 1,000 taken) behind Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares (59.3 percent). He was named an NHL All-Star for the second time.

Rangers historian-author George Grimm appreciates the similarity between O'Connor and Trocheck

"Both have had an immediate positive impact on the club," he said. "O'Connor helped get the Blueshirts into the playoffs for the first time in six years and into the Cup Final in 1950.

"Trocheck solidified the second line and helped Alexis Lafreniere establish himself as a legitimate scoring threat. In addition, both were seasoned veterans when they came to the Rangers."

Grimm's newest work, "Undermanned but Undaunted: The Frank Boucher Era New York Rangers 1940-1955," covers O'Connor's rise to stardom. His other works deal with the current Rangers.

"Interestingly, both Buddy and Vincent were worth the risk taken by their respective managers," Grimm said. "Boucher went counter to advice and his job on the line getting O'Connor. (Rangers GM Chris) Drury signed Trocheck to a huge [contract.]"

O'Connor played for two Stanley Cup winners in Montreal, though none in New York. In 1950, the Rangers went to the Stanley Cup Final and lost 4-3 in double overtime of Game 7 to the Detroit Red Wings.

"The similarity continues when one considers their superior leadership abilities," Grimm said. "O'Connor served as Rangers captain during the 1949-50 season. On the other hand, Trocheck could very well be considered a candidate as next Rangers captain."

In his sixth playoff appearance, Trocheck averaged more than a point a game (1.25) for the first time (eight goals, 12 assists in 16 games).

During the 1947-48 season, O'Connor hit NHL highs of 24 goals and 60 points. He had at least one point in 43 out of the 60-game schedule, one of the many reasons he was voted Hart Trophy winner as League MVP

"The bottom line," Greenberg concluded, "is this: O'Connor was, and Trocheck is, the kind of players every NHL franchise wishes they had."