Rangers retire Ratelle's No. 19

NEW YORK --Forever regarded as one of the most gentlemanly and unselfish players in hockey,
Jean Ratelle
typically took one of the greatest nights in his professional life and passed a huge part of it to a linemate.
Moments before Ratelle's No. 19 was raised to the ceiling of Madison Square Garden on Sunday, retired by the Rangers to join eight others in the rafters, former Ratelle linemate
Rod Gilbert
had a delicious surprise to unveil.

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Next season, Gilbert announced, the Rangers will retire the jersey of
Vic Hadfield
, who played left wing on New York's famous 1970s "GAG" line. That will reunite the three above Garden ice - Ratelle's No. 19 between Gilbert's No. 7 and soon, Hadfield's No. 11.
Themed "Always A Gentleman, Forever A Ranger," a 45-minute ceremony attended by Rangers greats and favorites celebrated the Hockey Hall of Fame career of Ratelle, who shone for the Broadway Blueshirts from 1961-75.

A wonderful newsreel played on the arena's video board to begin the ceremony, vintage film clipped into a tribute montage. Ratelle would be presented with a commemorative watch, a framed game-worn jersey and a set of custom golf clubs in a Rangers golf bag, the last gift driven onto the ice in a golf cart by his former coach and general manager, Emile "The Cat" Francis.
In a seven-minute speech, Ratelle dismissed his own skill while deflecting credit to a great many of those who made it possible for him to pursue his hockey dream. Atop the list was Nancy, his wife of 54 years, whom he thanked for her love, support and sacrifice. Ratelle praised Hadfield and Gilbert, the latter a friend since boyhood whom he jokingly referred to as "bro," and he thanked former teammates, NHL executives, the Rangers organization and especially New York fans, whom he called the greatest in the game.
Ratelle was praised in introductory remarks by Francis, Gilbert and Hadfield. Six of the eight men whose banners already hang at the Garden were on hand - Gilbert,
Ed Giacomin
,
Mike Richter
,
Mark Messier
,
Brian Leetch
and
Adam Graves
.
Harry Howell
, unable to attend, and the late
Andy Bathgate
were represented by Howell's daughter, Cheryl. Another eight former Rangers completed the stage:
Rod Seiling
,
Gilles Villemure
,
Ted Irvine
,
Pete Stemkowski
,
Bob Plager
,
Steve Vickers
,
Bob Nevin
and
Brad Park
.
It was just before Ratelle's banner was pulled to the rafters near 7 p.m., the graceful star's eyes welling with tears with his three daughters, their husbands and eight grandchildren by his side, that Gilbert dropped the jersey retirement news on Hadfield, who was stunned by the announcement.

More than a few fans in the Garden were wearing jerseys with a Ratelle nameplate, standing to applaud the banner's rise.
Ratelle, Gilbert and Hadfield had met the media for a raucous 20 minutes about an hour before the ceremony. The way they poke fun at each other, finish each other's sentences and revise the history another tells, these three could very well take their comedy routine on the road.
"This is the Donut Line, and you know why?" Gilbert asked, on Ratelle's right side, where he played, with Hadfield on the left. "No center!"
But just as quickly, Gilbert had another needle: "Or you could call us the Helicopter Line. No wings."
Correcting a Ratelle story, Gilbert said, "I have a better memory because I'm younger."
"By nine months," Ratelle said as he rolled his eyes.

Hadfield dismissed the notion that the work of Ratelle and Gilbert played a significant role in his 50-goal season in 1971-72, the first time a Rangers player scored 50.
"They probably could have brought up a couple of juniors and I'd have had the same results," he said with a grin. "No, we worked well together. We had our roles. I couldn't carry a puck in a pail, so I had to be aggressive. I'd go into the corners, bring the puck out and pass it to Jean, who'd make the play and Rod would score the goals. We knew where each other was going to be. We knew what we wanted and where we had to be."
Ratelle listened to all of this, shaking his head.
"Tell the truth," he said to Hadfield. "It's when you changed your stick to the (sharply curved)
Bobby Hull
stick, that's when it happened."
To which Gilbert immediately reminded everyone of the time that Hadfield scored on Chicago Blackhawks goaltender
Glenn Hall
from center ice, a shot off the banana blade seemingly going over the glass until it dipped over Hall's shoulder.
"That's when I stopped passing to Vic," Gilbert said.

The linemates, family members, former teammates and friends who go back decades retired from the ice following the ceremony and headed up to Garden suites to watch the game. Ratelle admitted earlier in the day, attending the Rangers morning skate with Seiling and former Rangers forward
Ron Duguay
, that the weekend was tiring, emotional and very gratifying.
Having spent the final 26 years of his hockey career with the Bruins as a player, assistant coach and scout, Ratelle felt very much at ease back in Madison Square Garden, where he thrilled fans with his effortless skating and smooth touch around the net - when he wasn't passing the puck to his linemates.
"Welcome home, Jean," Gilbert said to Ratelle, greeted by a roaring crowd.
It wasn't long before Ratelle was hugging an almost overwhelmed Hadfield, the unforgettable evening's dramatic exclamation mark not about Ratelle at all.
Which is precisely how the man of the hour wanted it.