The New York Rangers had high hopes entering the 1950-51 season, seeking a second straight berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they had reached double-overtime of the deciding seventh game of the 1950 Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Detroit Red Wings.
"We had the makings of a winner the second time around," former Rangers general manager Frank Boucher recalled, "but then everything went wrong."
One of the biggest setbacks was when coach Lynn Patrick decided to leave New York and sign with the Boston Bruins before the season started. That began a series of misfortunes which sent the Rangers into a tailspin. They desperately needed help and one individual who believed he had the cure was Dr. David Tracy, who claimed to be both a psychologist and hypnotist.
Dr. Tracy contacted Rangers publicist Herb Goren and said he was convinced he could help the team to start winning again.
"Just give me permission to work with the players and you'll see the results." Tracy promised.
Always willing to try a new ploy if it would help the Rangers -- and get space in the papers -- Goren took the idea to his boss, Boucher.
"It can't do any harm," Goren said. "Let's try it. For sure we'll get good ink out of this."
Boucher agreed on the theory that anything so unique might loosen up his anxiety-ridden team which was suffering an awful winless streak. Dr. Tracy was given the green light and reported to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15, 1950.
"Tracy came into our dressing room an hour or so before our game against Boston," Boucher remembered. "He was a burly, jovial man with sleek black hair, beautifully tailored clothes and he had a peculiar eye. There was a white dot in it that made him look very odd indeed."
The hypnotist singled out forward Tony Leswick at the beginning of his hypnotic phase. Tracy stared into Leswick's eyes and talked quietly. Meanwhile, Tony's teammates, Pentti Lund, Alex Kaleta and Buddy O'Connor, sat in front of their lockers, listening closely.
"Then, he spoke to all the players," said Boucher, "but when it came to Nick Mickoski's turn, Nick fled from the room. He was afraid that Tracy was going to hypnotize him."
Next, the doctor spoke to the entire team, stressing positive attitudes, talking quietly and purposefully. Finished with his work, Tracy left the dressing room and the Rangers prepared to play the Bruins. The Tracy stunt already had gotten good play in the media so there was no surprise about the large crowd in the arena. The inspired Rangers played well, tied 3-3, until late in the third period.
Bruins defenseman Bill Quackenbush broke the spell with a long shot that hopped crazily over goalie Chuck Rayner's stick and the Rangers lost the game, 4-3, their 13th straight without a win (0-7 with six ties). After the match, Boucher met with the hypnotist to find out what went wrong.
"He told me he shouldn't have undertaken the experiment at the moment of our 13th game without a victory," Boucher recalled, "and he said he should have spent more time with my goalie, Rayner. He told me, 'The goalie is not relaxed.' Frankly, I thought the players responded pretty well but when he couldn't get us past our 13th hurdle, I concluded the experiment. Tracy couldn't put the puck in the net or keep it out any better than I could."
Before exiting The Garden, the doctor met with some members of the media. One of the reporters asked him why his experiment had failed.
For a moment Tracy mulled over the query and then shot back in non-hockey jargon, "The ghoulie wasn't paying attention!"
The Rangers lost one more game and tied another before ending their 15-game winless streak with a 3-2 win at the Bruins on Dec. 2. New York finished fifth in the six-team NHL in 1950-51 and missed the playoffs despite the hypnotist's best efforts.
