During the NHL’s Original Six Era all teams travelled to out of town games by railroad; usually either the then big New York Central or Pennsylvania Railroad.
Most of the time the trains did their jobs well but sometimes Mother Nature intervened. On this particular weekend in 1950 the Rangers played the Red Wings on a Saturday night in Detroit and followed with a Sunday game, starting at 8:30 p.m. at The Garden.
Only this time it was different. A blizzard had hit Upstate New York between Buffalo and Rochester. The 20th Century Limited, carrying the Wings and Blueshirts, was having big problems buffeting the snow.
“We got word late Sunday afternoon at the Garden that the train would be late,” said Rangers Business Manager Tom Lockhart. “The problem was that the game was a near sellout and what were we gonna tell the fans.”
Lockhart also managed the Sunday afternoon MSG doubleheaders which featured a Met League game at 1:30 in the afternoon and then an Eastern League game at 3:30 p.m., including Lockhart’s New York Rovers.
“I knew that all my Met League players stayed over to see the Rangers game every Sunday,” Lockhart recalled, “so I figured I’d better round them up at about 7 p.m., just in case.”
Like the 15,000 or so fans, The Maven was in his balcony seat awaiting the Rangers and Wings when an announcement blared over the MSG public address system, telling us that the big game would be delayed. But nobody knew how long; or if the NHLers ever would show up.
Lockhart: “At 8:30, when the Wings and Rangers still hadn’t arrived, I sent the Met Leaguers out on the ice for a ‘Met League All-Star Game.’ I also told the crowd to be patient.”
I remember the Met Leaguers well. Fellas like Blacky Borab, Jake Cerny, Gene Blasen and Eddie Beardon played their hearts out. They loved the idea of skating before a huge Rangers crowd. It would be their night of center ring royalty.
That “Met League All-Star Game” was so much fun that we forgot about the Rangers and Wings. Our eyes were glued to an exciting spectacle; kind of like a super Beer League extravaganza.
Sure enough, at about 9:30 the NHLers arrived, suited up and played one of the best games I had ever seen. The Blueshirts won it, 1-0, behind Hall of Famer Charlie Rayner’s goaltending.
The Detroit goalie wasn’t too bad either – another Hall of Famer, Terry Sawchuk. The evening was so riveting that not one fan left his seat until Midnight.
Much as the Rangers victory was a huge plus, that night always will go down in my memory as “The Met League All-Star Game” that kept us in our seats while we awaited the big guys!
Bottom Line: No matter who plays, nor what ages, a great hockey game is a GREAT HOCKEY GAME.
Those doughty Met Leaguers proved it on that memorable Garden night when the Rangers and Wings were marooned on the railroad!
