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Vic Hadfield describes himself this way: "I am a Ranger through and through."
He was the captain of the Rangers in the 1970s, the first 50-goal scorer in the history of the franchise, the ultimate teammate - and on Dec. 2, his No. 11 will take its place among the Rangers legends in the Garden rafters.
NYRangers.com will present 11 of the great moments of Hadfield's career, 11 snapshots of the Blueshirts' legendary left winger, 11 for No. 11 - counting down to the celebration of Vic Hadfield Night presented by Budweiser before the Blueshirts take on the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden.
By the end of the 1960s, it was the Rangers who ruled the roost at Madison Square Garden: No longer would the Blueshirts be displaced during the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the circus came to town. But if there were any fans out there who missed seeing a circus at the Garden in the springtime, Vic Hadfield helped bring it back - one night only! - in 1971.
One newspaper reporter from the time called it "the zaniest show on Earth," but over the years it took its place as one of the more famous scenes in hockey history: the final minutes of Game 2 of the NHL quarterfinals, the Rangers against the Toronto Maple Leafs, on April 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden.
There was nothing zany at the time about the 1970-71 Rangers' Stanley Cup aspirations: Seven different players had scored 20 or more goals during the regular season, most in the League, and their 49 wins and 109 points were second in the 14-team NHL behind only the defending-champion Bruins.
Following a 5-4 Ranger win in the playoff opener at the Garden on April 7, the Leafs punched back the following night in Game 2 - but the game's lasting intrigue only came about long after the outcome had been more or less decided.
Hadfield and Toronto's Jim Harrison had been going at each other all night, and with just under five minutes left and the Leafs leading by three goals it boiled over, and every skater on the ice became embroiled in a melee. Actually, more than just those on the ice - Brad Park and Darryl Sittler darted from the penalty boxes to get involved, and Bernie Parent, the Maple Leafs' goaltender, broke with keeper custom and left his crease to get in between Hadfield and Harrison.
Vic Hadfield Legendary Moments No. 3: "Don't Give It Back!"
© Barton Silverman