Rangers lost 1962 playoff series to Maple Leafs after missed call

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Fischler takes us back to the semi-finals in the 1962 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a significant series in many ways, including that it was the last time a coach played in the postseason.

Ever since the New York Rangers were eliminated from a playoff berth on the final night of the 1958-59 regular season, general manager Murray "Muzz" Patrick sought a formula for future success.
"We still had plenty of good players, and I felt that we'd be able to turn things around," Patrick said. "Especially with stars like Andy Bathgate, Bill Gadsby and 'Gump' Worsley as part of the core."
Despite a solid roster, the Rangers again missed the playoffs in 1959-60 and 1960-61. Patrick knew that something drastic had to be done, so he made a stunning trade that shocked the hockey world before the 1961-62 season.
The Rangers acquired elite defenseman Doug Harvey and his defense partner Al "Junior" Langlois from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Lou Fontinato, who was notorious for his rough style of play and little else.
Patrick not only added an all-star defenseman, he named Harvey coach of the Rangers, as well!
"It was a good challenge," Harvey said, "and the dough was good, too."
Harvey gave Patrick value for his money. Not only did he lead the Rangers back to the playoffs in 1962, he won the Norris Trophy, marking the seventh time he was voted best defenseman in the NHL.
"Doug did everything I could possibly have wanted of him including a place on the First All-Star Team," Patrick said, "but best of all was that he got us back into the playoffs."
New York finished fourth which meant it would face the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Maple Leafs were heavily favored and very confident before the best-of-7 series.
"We beat the Rangers in all seven games on our home ice," Maple Leafs GM/coach "Punch" Imlach said. "And we're going into the series with home-ice advantage."
Patrick believed in his Rangers, though.
"We can surprise. I know we'll be underdogs but this never hurt any team. We're coming back to our peak. It doesn't bother me in the least that we lost seven games in a row in Toronto. That can't go on forever."
But it did go on. The Maple Leafs won the opener 4-2 and then took Game 2 in double overtime, 2-1.
Back home at Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4, the Rangers were "very hopeful," Bathgate said.
"My center Earl Ingarfield was returning from an injury and 'Muzz' had brought up some promising kids from our farm system."
One of them was a talented French-Canadian right wing, Rod Gilbert. A graduate of the Rangers Junior team in Guelph, Ontario, Gilbert was inserted into the lineup in Game 3. His linemates were Dave Balon and Johnny Wilson. With Ingarfield and Gilbert fueling the attack, the Rangers won 5-4.
"All of a sudden, the whole town was focused on us," Gilbert explained. "I couldn't wait for the next game."
Before many fans could take their seats for Game 4, Gilbert scored and the Rangers had an early 1-0 lead. The Garden was going nuts; a star was born. Gilbert scored again and the Rangers won 4-2.
"That night was by far the biggest thrill in my life until then," Gilbert wrote in his autobiography, 'Goal -- My Life on Ice.' "Now the sky was the limit because we really believed that Toronto could be beaten."
Back at Maple Leaf Gardens for Game 5, the Maple Leafs nursed a 2-1 lead well into the third period. At that point Harvey made a pivotal, change, moving Ingarfield on to a line with Gilbert and Wilson.
"Finally, the break came," Gilbert recalled. "I put a pass in the direction of Earl and, with only a few minutes to go, he slapped it past (goalie) Johnny Bower. At that point, everybody figured we'd take the Leafs in overtime."
Neither team scored in the first sudden-death period. In the second OT Bathgate tried to break Camille Henry free with a long pass but the puck caromed off Red Kelly's skate and over to Toronto's sharpshooter Frank Mahovlich. "The Big M" fired the puck at Worsley who stopped it with his left shoulder.
"It bounced into the air," Worsley remembered, "and I fell to smother it."
The puck was nestled under the goalie's neck. Referee Eddie Powers apparently saw some of it but the rules stated that the entire puck must be in view for play to continue. For some reason, Powers failed to follow through and blow the play dead.
"I thought I had smothered the puck long enough for a whistle," Worsley said. "I figured I was down there long enough and nothing happened, so I lifted my head and that's where the puck was, under my head. When I lifted my head, 'Ole!'"
As (bad) luck would have it, Kelly was standing near the Rangers prone goalie.
"Worsley moved a little" said Kelly, "and the puck squirted loose."
Kelly scored one of the easiest -- and most meaningful -- goals of his life at 4:23 of the second overtime. The Maple Leafs won a game the Rangers thought they had in the bag.
"The defeat was a heartbreaker and we never did recover," Gilbert said.
Traumatized by the weird turn of events, the Rangers were blown out 7-1 in Game 6.
Had that game been played today, with all the sophisticated electronic equipment available, Kelly's goal might have been nullified and the game would have continued.
But it happened 60 years ago and Worsley said it best, "Referee Eddie Powers didn't blow the note I wanted."