Lucky No. 7

The date was October 14, 1979, and something special was taking place at Madison Square Garden - something that had never happened before in over half a century of New York Rangers hockey.

For the first time in Rangers history, the franchise was taking a jersey number out of circulation - retiring the number in honor of one of its greatest players and immortalizing him and the number with a banner in the fabled rafters of The World's Most Famous Arena.

The player was Rod Gilbert and the number that was being retired was, of course, No. 7.

It was fitting that Gilbert, "Mr. Ranger", was the first player in franchise history to receive this honor. Two years earlier, shortly after he became the first player to tally 1,000 career points and 400 career goals, his legendary accomplishments were celebrated during "Rod Gilbert Night". He was only the second Rangers player to receive such a night as an active player; Harry Howell had been the first a decade prior after he played in his 1,000th career game with the Blueshirts.

But Gilbert, as one sign read during his night in 1977, had been "the greatest Ranger of them all". And this honor signified that.

"It looks awfully good up there," Gilbert said that night with his head raised at The Garden rafters.

Gilbert wasn't the only player who wore jersey No. 7 with the Rangers that was inside Madison Square Garden that night. Only five players had ever worn the number for the Blueshirts prior to Gilbert - Frank Boucher, Phil Watson, Don Raleigh, George "Red" Sullivan, and Jean-Guy Gendron.

Other than Boucher, who passed away in 1977 and was represented by his son, Earl, at MSG that night, every Ranger who wore No. 7 was together for this amazing night. Together, they helped make No. 7 become one of the most iconic numbers in Rangers history.

Here is a look at each of the six players who wore jersey No. 7 for the Rangers in franchise history.

Frank Boucher (wore jersey No. 7 from 1926-27 - 1936-37, and in 1943-44)

An original Ranger, Boucher was the center on the first great line in franchise history, the "A Line", with Fred "Bun" Cook and Bill Cook. With a combination of skilled play and gentlemanly demeanor that was exemplary in his era, Boucher won the Lady Byng Trophy seven times in an eight-season span from 1927-28 through 1934-35. Ultimately, he was given the original trophy to keep permanently and a new one was created to give to players going forward.

Boucher was one of the NHL's best centers throughout his career, and he was named to the league's First All-Star Team on three occasions. In addition, he helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup twice as a player, first in 1927-28 and then in 1932-33. Boucher led the NHL with seven goals and 10 points in nine games in the 1928 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and no other player in the league eclipsed two goals or five points in the playoffs that year. In the 1928 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Maroons, Boucher scored four of the Rangers' five goals in the five-game series, including all of the team's three game-winning goals and both of the team's goals in the winner-take-all Game 5. He remains the only Ranger who has scored three game-winning goals in one playoff series in franchise history.

By the end of the 1936-37 season, the Rangers' roster was changing and several members of the 'Old Guard' retired or took lesser roles. Boucher, who became an Assistant Coach with the Blueshirts, played in only 18 games during the 1937-38 season and did so wearing jersey No. 17, having relinquished No. 7 to the next great Rangers center, Phil Watson.

Boucher would wear No. 7 again, however, in 1943-44. While serving as the Rangers' Head Coach, he also played 15 games to try and help his lineup that had been depleted as players served in World War II. At 42 years old, Boucher tallied 14 points in the 15 games he played.

Boucher's impact on the Rangers did not end when his playing career was over. He was part of the organization as either a player, Assistant Coach, Head Coach, Assistant General Manager, or General Manager during the first 29 years of the franchise. In his first year as Head Coach in 1939-40, Boucher guided the Rangers to their third Stanley Cup Championship.

Phil Watson (wore jersey No. 7 from 1937-38 - 1942-43, and from 1944-45 - 1947-48)

Phil Watson joined the Rangers midway through the 1935-36 season as a 21-year-old, and he quickly (literally and figuratively) became one of the team's most important players for over a decade.

Watson began wearing jersey No. 7 at the start of his second full season with the Rangers in 1937-38. His nicknames were "Flyin' Phil" and "Fiery Phil", a nod to how he was one of the fastest skaters in the NHL and could play the game with a mean streak. Watson had his best seasons with the Rangers while centering the "Powerhouse Line" with Lynn Patrick at left wing and Bryan Hextall at right wing.

Watson helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1939-40, as he tied for the NHL lead with nine points in 12 playoff contests. The best statistical season for Watson and the Powerhouse Line came in 1941-42; Hextall, Patrick, and Watson finished first, second, and fourth in the NHL, respectively, in points during the season (Hextall - 56; Patrick - 55; Watson - 52), Patrick led the league with 32 goals, and Watson led the league with 37 assists. The trio helped the Rangers finish the season with the best regular season record in the NHL, and Watson was named to the league's Second All-Star Team.

As a result of World War II, the Rangers loaned Watson, who was working in an aircraft factory in his native Montreal in the summer of 1943, to the Canadiens for the 1943-44 season. Watson helped Montreal win the Stanley Cup in 1943-44, and then returned to the Rangers for the final four seasons of his NHL career.

Following his retirement as a player, Watson began his coaching tenure in the Rangers' minor league system with the New York Rovers. In 1955-56, he became the Rangers' Head Coach and guided the team for parts of five seasons. Watson helped the Blueshirts advance to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 1955-56 - 1957-58.

Don Raleigh (wore jersey No. 7 from 1948-49 - 1955-56)

A week before Don Raleigh made his NHL debut as a 17-year-old in 1943, legendary Rangers Head Coach and General Manager Lester Patrick said that the teenager was "a jewel" and that "he's a better player at 17 than Phil Watson was at 20."

Raleigh played in 15 games as a teenager in 1943-44, and after spending one year in the Canadian Armed Forces and two years at university, Raleigh returned to the Rangers for good in 1947-48. One season later, after Watson retired, Raleigh donned the No. 7 and continued the tradition of Rangers centers making a big offensive impact with that number on their back.

Raleigh's nickname was "Bones" due to his slight frame (he was listed at 5'11" and 150 pounds). But despite his stature, Raleigh's elusiveness, stickhandling, and playmaking ability made him one of the best centers in Rangers history.

During the 1949-50 season, "Bones" helped the Blueshirts advance to the Stanley Cup Final and come within one goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Raleigh tallied nine points in the 1950 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the game-winning goal in overtime in both Game 4 and Game 5 of the 1950 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. Raleigh became the first player in NHL history to score two overtime goals in the same Stanley Cup Final series.

Raleigh played in two NHL All-Star Games and had his best statistical season in 1951-52, when he finished second in the league with 42 assists and fourth in the league with 61 points. He was also named the Rangers' Most Valuable Player for the 1950-51 season and was the inaugural winner of the Frank Boucher Trophy (which was awarded annually to the Ranger who was considered the most popular player on and off the ice, as chosen by members of the Rangers Fan Club) in 1951-52. Raleigh's talent and respect among his teammates was recognized when was named the Rangers' captain in November of 1953, and he served as the team's captain for two seasons.

At the time Raleigh played his final game with the Rangers in December of 1955, the three players who had worn No. 7 for the franchise at that point - Boucher, Watson, and Raleigh - ranked first, second, and third on the Rangers' all-time assists list, first, fourth, and sixth on the Rangers' all-time points list, and fourth, second, and third on the Rangers' all-time games played list.

George "Red" Sullivan (wore jersey No. 7 from 1956-57 - 1960-61)

The Rangers acquired Red Sullivan in a trade with the Chicago Black Hawks in the summer of 1956, and shortly before the start of the 1956-57 season, Head Coach Phil Watson assigned Sullivan jersey No. 7. At the time, Watson said, "I took great pride in number 7. It stood for certain unwritten things - for length of service, for unselfishness in action, for team play."

Muzz Patrick, the Rangers' General Manager who made the deal to acquire Sullivan, convinced Watson not to take the number out of circulation. He also felt that when he made the trade to acquire Sullivan, he was getting Watson a player who reminded him of the former No. 7.

Throughout his Rangers tenure, Sullivan proved why he was the right choice to wear the jersey number. Sullivan's combination of skill and tenacity resembled "Fiery Phil", and he embodied the qualities that Watson spoke of when he bestowed him with the No. 7 jersey. In Sullivan's first season in 1956-57, he suffered a spleen injury that sidelined him for 28 games, but he returned for the final two months of the season to help the Rangers make the playoffs.

Before the start of the 1957-58 season, Sullivan was named Rangers captain, and he played in all of the team's 70 regular season games for each of the four seasons that he wore the 'C' on his jersey. In Game 1 of the 1958 Semifinals against Boston, Sullivan suffered a triple fracture of his jaw that forced him to miss the remainder of the series. When Sullivan saw Muzz Patrick in the hospital, he asked Patrick what he could do to get him back on the ice. Watson told the media that day that Sullivan was the Rangers' Most Valuable Player.

Red Wings legend Sid Abel described Sullivan as the type of captain that is needed to win because of fiery nature. Frank Paice, the Rangers' Trainer at the time, said that, "He has less beef than almost anybody else in the league, but his underclothes have more sweat than anybody else's at the game's end."

Sullivan played in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games with the Rangers, and he tallied a career-high 63 points in 1958-59 to finish seventh in the league in scoring during the season. His tenure as a Rangers player ended when he went to coach the Rangers-affiliated Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. Sullivan would ultimately become the Rangers' Head Coach for parts of four seasons (1962-63 - 1965-66).

Jean-Guy Gendron (wore jersey No. 7 in 1961-62)

Jean-Guy Gendron began his NHL career with the Rangers during the 1955-56 season, and he played with the Blueshirts for three seasons before being claimed by Boston in the Intra-League Draft.

After playing with Boston and Montreal for three seasons, Gendron was claimed by the Rangers from the Canadiens in the Intra-League Draft in June of 1961. He had scored 24 goals with the Bruins during the 1959-60 season and played on a line with Hall of Famers Jean Beliveau and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion when he was in Montreal for the latter part of the 1960-61 season.

Doug Harvey, who joined the Rangers from Montreal prior to the 1961-62 season, urged the Blueshirts to bring in Gendron. Described as a "little ball of fire", the 5'9", 157-pound winger fit the bill as a player who could provide offense, hit, forecheck, and fight when necessary.

Gendron scored 14 goals and led Rangers forwards with 71 penalty minutes in 69 games during the 1961-62 season, and he tied for the team lead with three goals in six games during the 1962 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the end of the season, the Bruins claimed Gendron in the Intra-League Draft.

Rod Gilbert (wore jersey No. 7 from 1962-63 - 1977-78)

Rod Gilbert's first great moment on the Madison Square Garden stage came with a No. 14 jersey on his back, and not the No. 7 that would later become his forever. As a 20-year-old, Gilbert joined the Rangers for the 1962 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the team win both Game 3 and Game 4 of their Semifinals series against Toronto at MSG. Playing on a line with Dave Balon and Johnny Wilson, Gilbert recorded two goals and three points in the Rangers' Game 4 win and dazzled Rangers fans in the process.

It was the start of a love affair between Gilbert and New York that continued for the rest of his life.

Gilbert was given jersey No. 7 at the start of the next season, and his star grew with each season. His ascendance to stardom was also coupled with perseverance. Gilbert battled through back injuries that almost derailed his NHL career before it even began, and in 1966, he underwent a spinal fusion operation.

Beginning with the 1966-67 season, the Rangers would make the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, and Gilbert was one of the primary reasons why the team was a consistent threat. Playing right wing on the 'Goal-A-Game (G-A-G) Line' with his childhood friend, Jean Ratelle, at center and Vic Hadfield at left wing, Gilbert would score 25 or more goals 10 times in an 11-season span.

Gilbert played in eight NHL All-Star Games during his career, and he was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 1971-72 and the NHL's Second All-Star Team in 1967-68. In 1971-72, Gilbert, Ratelle, and Hadfield became the first linemates to all score 40 goals in a season in NHL history, and Gilbert established career-highs with 43 goals and 97 points while helping the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

During his career, Gilbert established or matched 20 franchise records, and at the time of his retirement in 1977, was second only to Gordie Howe in points by a right wing in NHL history. Two of those franchise records - career goals (406) and career points (1,021) - still stand today.

For all of his on-ice accomplishments, perhaps there was no greater match between a city and an athlete than the match between New York City and Gilbert. He enjoyed everything that the city had to offer, and in turn, Gilbert spent countless hours giving back to his adopted city. Following his playing career, he became a beloved fixture for the Rangers and their fans over 32 seasons, serving as Director of Special Projects and Community Relations Representative. Gilbert was also a goodwill ambassador for Madison Square Garden and was deeply committed to the Garden of Dreams Foundation. He was tireless in his efforts to raise funds and generate awareness for numerous worthwhile charitable groups throughout the Tri-State area, particularly relating to children, and he and his wife, Judy, served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House.

Gilbert took the special tradition that jersey No. 7 had for the Rangers organization before he arrived and created a legacy that earned him the distinction of becoming Mr. Ranger. In looking back at the history of the Rangers, it is only fitting that Gilbert wore No. 7, and that No. 7 was the first number retired in franchise history.