Follow Up On The Worst Rangers Trade Of All-Time
As pointed out here earlier, Middleton was an out-of-control potential star whose off-ice shenanigans drove Rangers' president Bill Jennings to distraction.
But once Middleton arrived in Beantown, coach Don Cherry straightened him out and made him a star; not to mention the darling of New England hockey fans.
That, however, was only the start of further repercussions under GM John Ferguson's regime.
Rangers historian George Grimm, whose books include "We Did Everything But Win," points out that Fergie's machinations even helped the rival Islanders.
"Fergy did Mike Bossy a big favor when John bypassed twice in the 1977 Entry Draft in favor of Lucien DeBlois and Ron Duguay," notes Grimm. "Those two moves would allow the Islanders to eventually nab Bossy."
Hall of Famer Mike is regarded by some historians as the greatest natural goal-scorer of all-time. But how could Fergie and his aides bypass Bossy not once but twice during the same 1977 Draft?
Grimm: "Bossy was not Fergy's kind of player, nor would he have been a favorite of Fred Shero, Ferguson's successor in New York. Had he been a Ranger, Mike would have been shuttled from line to line, benched and eventually traded."
The Isles high command hardly could believe they had a chance for Bossy as one team after another chose other players. DeBlois went eighth and Duguay 13th. Buffalo picked 14th one ahead of the Islanders and chose Ric Seiling.
The Islanders table exhaled in unison.
"We had scouted Mike," Bow Tie Bill Torrey recalled, "and some said that Bossy was weak defensively. Still, our coach Al Arbour had the best line, 'But he can score; I'll teach him defense." And that's how the Isles were able to nab Bossy.
"Give Torrey and Arbour credit," adds Grimm. "They saw that Bossy was a special talent and showed patience with him. Bossy scored 573 goals in his ten seasons on Long Island. He was rookie of the year in 1978 and played in eight All-Star games, earned three Lady Byng Trophies, won four Stanley Cups and was inducted into the Hall of Fame."
Then, a pause: Would any of that have happened if Ferguson had drafted Mike instead of DeBlois or Duguay?
The Maven Says: As the late, great, jazz pianist Fats Waller liked to say, "One Never Knows, Do One?"
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