Andy Bathgate's brilliance often was obscured because he spent much of his career with the New York Rangers during what was largely a down period in their history. For many fans, he's remembered mostly as the player whose backhand shot hit Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante in the face on Nov. 1, 1959, leading Plante to become the first NHL goaltender to wear a mask on a regular basis.
However, Bathgate also finished among the NHL's top four scorers in eight consecutive seasons. He tied Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks for the League scoring lead in 1961-62, though Hull was awarded the Art Ross Trophy because he scored 50 goals to Bathgate's 28. Bathgate won the Hart Trophy in 1959 as the NHL's most valuable player.
As author Stu Hackel writes in his NHL100 profile of Bathgate, 10 months before the Plante incident,
Sports Illustrated put Bathgate on the cover
, calling him the "most exciting player" in hockey:
"Sports Illustrated's Kenneth Rudeen wrote, 'Already conceded to be the finest player to put on the red, white and blue uniform of the New York Rangers since the heyday of the great prewar wing Bad Bill Cook, Bathgate was making the best start of his short but dazzling career. He shot magnificently, skated with the puck so well that he stirred old-timers to memories of the great stick-handlers of bygone days and passed the puck with uncanny timing and aim.'
"He would capture the Hart Trophy that season, scoring 40 goals (the first Ranger to do so) and adding 48 assists. Bathgate had received serious Hart consideration in the two previous seasons as well. But what made his '59 selection striking was the Rangers -- who had made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the three prior seasons and finally looked like a Cup contender for a good chunk of the season -- blew a nine-point lead with two weeks remaining and missed the postseason when they lost their final game. But that didn't prevent the voters from naming Bathgate the NHL's most valuable player by a substantial margin over [Gordie] Howe."
"My painting of Andy Bathgate is another in the long list of original six subjects," artist Tony Harris said. "My resource photo was black and white so getting the colors right was a little challenging, but all in all I was happy how it turned out."
