There's No Place Like Home

From growing up in his hometown of Goodsoil, Saskatchewan to playing at his adopted home, Madison Square Garden, for the New York Rangers for 16 years, Ron Greschner says he couldn't have scripted his life any better.
Recently, Greschner learned that he was going to be inducted into the Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023. While the induction ceremony is still several months away, the news has given Greschner this opportunity to reflect on the incredible honor.
"To get into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is an honor for me," Greschner said. "I grew up there. Those first 15 years of my life, where I kind of got groomed into what I was going to be for the rest of my life, I couldn't have found a better place to grow up than Goodsoil."
Goodsoil is a small town with a population of approximately 250 people that, according to him, had even fewer people when he was a child. "When you come from one of those little towns, you didn't know much about anything outside of the town until you got older," Greschner explained. "You had all of the sports you needed with hockey, softball, and curling, but we played ice hockey and street hockey all year round, and that was a passion for all of the kids who grew up there."

Greschner said there were two major events around the time he was 16 years old that changed the course of his career and his life. The first one was a conversation with his dad that convinced him not to quit playing junior hockey. The second one came shortly thereafter with his new junior coach, Orv Litchfield, who moved Greschner from playing left wing to defense.
"Coach came skating by me at practice and asked me how I was doing and if I had ever played as a defenseman before," Greschner recalled. "I said no, and he said, 'well, you are tomorrow night.' I ended up making the First All-Star Team at defense the next year in the British Columbia Junior League and the year after that I made the First All-Star Team in the Western Canadian Hockey League.
"And then I ended up in New York, and it couldn't have been a better place to play."
The Rangers selected Greschner in the second round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft after selecting Dave Maloney in the first round of that year's Draft, and the two defensemen would have a great impact on the franchise throughout their careers. Fittingly, Greschner and Maloney arrived to Madison Square Garden together for the first time. However, their first entry into the building was more difficult than they might have predicted.
"The first time I walked into Madison Square Garden as a Ranger was in September of 1974 for an exhibition game," Greschner said. "Dave Maloney and I came into the building together; we were carrying our bags and couldn't find out where we were. Finally, a guy told us to go to the fifth floor, and we thought he was joking at first. When the games were on TV back then, they never mentioned that the ice was on the fifth floor."
Although he had a strong pre-season as a 19-year-old, Greschner was assigned to the Providence Reds, the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate, for the start of the 1974-75 season. Greschner's AHL stint lasted only seven games; after recording 11 points in those seven games, he made his NHL debut with the Blueshirts on November 3, 1974 and never looked back.
Greschner is one of only five players in franchise history who played in parts of 16 or more seasons with the Rangers, along with Rod Gilbert (18), Brian Leetch (17), Harry Howell (17), and Jean Ratelle (16). Greschner played with Gilbert, Ratelle, and Leetch. His tenure spanned several eras of Rangers hockey, starting with the final days of the great 1960s and early 1970s teams, and then being a part of the up-and-coming Rangers team that advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 1979.
"I owe a lot to Ed Giacomin, Rod Gilbert, and Brad Park," Greschner said. "Eddie was really good to me, and I called him 'Pop'. As a defenseman, I was learning from Brad a lot early in my career. Brad was traded and (Phil) Esposito came in, and I ended up learning a lot from Phil. Phil was a really good leader and he had a burning desire to win.
"When we went to the Final in 1979, a lot of it was because of Phil, John Davidson's play in goal, and a lot of really good young players."
Greschner scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the Semifinals against the Islanders at MSG, which sent the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. When recalling that game, Greschner said it was "the loudest he has heard Madison Square Garden. The final five minutes of Game 6, the whole building was shaking."
"It wasn't luck that we beat them," Greschner said. "I think we had a little more drive to succeed that year than they did because we were the underdog and we had a little extra push.
Through the 1980s, Greschner was a mainstay with the Rangers. He lost nearly two seasons due to a back injury, but he was able to return in 1983-84 and continue to be a valuable player to the team on the ice and in the locker room. At the start of the 1986-87 season, he was named captain and held the role for parts of two seasons. At the end of his 16th season in 1989-90, Greschner decided to retire, finishing his NHL career where it started, with the Rangers.
"I couldn't have scripted it better than that, playing 16 years in New York," Greschner said. "I loved playing there, I'm glad I retired there, and I wouldn't have changed anything that I did, except that I would have liked to have won one Stanley Cup in those 16 years. The only reason for that is I would have liked to seen what the Rangers fans would have been like at that time. I saw what fans were like in 1994, and I know I wasn't part of that team, but it was still a highlight for me to watch Rangers fans show how much respect they had for the game and how they celebrated in New York."
Although it has been over three decades since Greschner played his last game, his name still ranks among the franchise leaders in several categories. Only three players - Howell, Leetch, and Gilbert - have more games played as a Ranger than him. Greschner, who combined offensive ability from the blue line with toughness that was paramount in his era, is the franchise's all-time leader in penalty minutes (1,226). Leetch is the only defenseman who has more career goals, assists, and points with the Rangers.
But beyond the statistics, there is arguably no other player who takes more pride in being a Ranger and calling Madison Square Garden home than Greschner does. And it's why you can still find him at nearly every Rangers game and numerous alumni events nearly half a century after he played his first game with the team.
"I go to The Garden for almost every game, and I have been for almost 49 years now. Every time I go there, it still feels like the first time I went. I can't wait to get there, and I go with my kids there and they're all Rangers fans. It's hard to believe it was that long ago when I got here and that I'm still here. I appreciate everything that the Rangers and The Garden do for me. It's just amazing how thankful you can be for something that's so meaningful for me.
"It's very special. I know a lot of guys who have played on a lot of different teams, and everybody speaks highly of their alumni, but there aren't enough words to say how thankful all of the Rangers alumni are to Mr. Dolan, Glen Sather, Chris Drury, and all the way down the line for how good the organization is to us.
"A lot of how I feel about the Rangers has to do with the Ranger fans. Every team has great fans, but it doesn't matter where you go, what arena you go to, there are Rangers fans. And it's not because of the guys who wore the uniform and played for the Rangers, it's because it's the New York Rangers and the logo. The front of the jersey is the most important thing.
"Madison Square Garden is my real home. I spend more time there than I do anywhere else. I've always been a Ranger and that will never change."