Eventually, Hadfield cracked the Rangers lineup in 1961-62 when he was 21. Statistically, it would take him six seasons in the NHL to break the 20-goal mark and only three seasons to surpass 100 penalty minutes, leading the league with 151 in 1963-64. Interestingly, at the time, those 151 minutes were the third-highest total in team history, behind Lou Fontinato’s total of 206 (1955-56) and 152 (1957-58).

However, things began to change for Hadfield as he found chemistry with teammates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, who would eventually form the GAG “Goal-A-Game” Line. Ultimately, the trio would end a lengthy playoff drought on Broadway, rewrite the team’s record book, and reenergize a fanbase two decades removed from a Stanley Cup championship. 

Thanks to the success of the GAG Line, Hadfield began to routinely score 20 goals a season, setting a career-high of 26 in 1968-69. But, the best was yet to come, as he would become the first player in team history and just the sixth skater in NHL history to net 50 goals in a single campaign. 

So, let’s revisit Hadfield’s historic 1971-72 season, where he set a franchise goal-scoring record that remained unmatched for 22 seasons. 

Related: History of New York Rangers captains

Vic Hadfield begins historic season by piling up points 

The Rangers played 15 games in October 1971, producing a 6-1-4 record, scoring 41 goals and giving up 31. Statistically, Hadfield had 16 points in 11 games with eight goals and assists, accounting for 19% of the team’s goals that month. Additionally, he only had ten penalty minutes and registered a 24.2 shooting percentage. 

As the calendar flipped to November, he picked up the pace, potting nine goals and 11 helpers for 20 points in 11 games. Amazingly, he had those totals, including a 25.7 shooting percentage, while collecting 39 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, the team was rolling, destroying opponents with a 9-2 record and an eye-popping 62-20 goal differential in the month. 

“As a player, Vic Hadfield embodied the heart, soul, and determination of a New York Ranger. His willingness to contribute in any way necessary to help the Rangers win earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and fans alike. – #NYR President Glen Sather pic.twitter.com/xHkVSBLa8P

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 4, 2018

In the final 14 games of 1971, Hadfield collected another eight goals with ten assists for 18 points in 14 games. Interestingly, he was a plus-18 in December, earning another 39 penalty minutes, while his shooting percentage dipped to 18.6. Ultimately, the Rangers showed no signs of slowing down either, going 10-2-2 in the month with a 57-30 goal difference. 

Hadfield and Rangers stumble at the beginning of 1972

On Jan. 1, 1972, New York had a 25-5-6 record, good enough for first place in the NHL East Division with a three-point cushion over the Boston Bruins. Shockingly, the team doubled up opponents on the scoreboard, with a 160-81 goal differential. Statistically, Hadfield had 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points, five game-winners, and 88 penalty minutes. 

After all their early season success, Hadfield and the Rangers stumbled in January, with the team going 6-4-2 and their star player only netting six goals and 15 points. During the 12 games, the Rangers kept outpacing opponents 51-28, but Hadfield’s 14.6 shooting percentage gave him his worse totals of the season to that point. At this point, if he was going to break the 50-goal mark, he would need to bounce back in February. 

In 14 games during the season’s shortest month, Hadfield reached double digits in goals for the first time, collecting ten. Additionally, he had 11 assists for 21 points, his best offensive month of the season. Meanwhile, after a sluggish start to the New Year, the Rangers responded with a 10-2-2 run in the month, scoring 57 goals and surrendering 34. Ultimately, the race for the division title was an intense battle between New York, Boston, and Montreal, with just one whole month left on the schedule.

Thanks to 16 points in his final 16 games, which included nine goals and seven assists, Hadfield managed to pot his 50th goal of the season on Apr. 2, 1972. During a contest with the Canadiens at Madison Square Garden, he scored the game’s final goal at 14:46 of the third period against Denis DeJordy as the Rangers lost to the Canadiens 6-5. 

Sadly, that loss on such a historic night summed up the Rangers’ run down the stretch, which concluded with a 7-6-3 record. Sadly, New York missed the division title by 10 points (Boston 119) and barely held off the Canadiens (108), who finished in third place. 

After producing a fantastic 1.35 points per game average during the regular season, Hadfield’s production dipped in the playoffs with just 16 points in 16 games as the Rangers would eventually lose in the Stanley Cup Final. As fate would have it, New York avenged their late-season loss to the Canadiens in the opening round before sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. However, one of their most successful seasons in decades ended when the Bruins won the championship in six games. 

Inside the numbers of Hadfield’s record season

The GAG Line finished third (Ratelle), fourth (Hadfield), and fifth (Gilbert) in league scoring behind the Bruins’ Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr. Furthermore, only three players in the league netted at least 50 goals, with Esposito (66), Bobby Hull (50), and Hadfield reaching the plateau. 

Additionally, Hadfield finished in the top five in goals (50), assists (56), points (106), plus/minus (plus-60), even strength points (72), power-play goals (23), and power-play points (34). 

To my surprise, he scored 50 goals without securing a single hat trick during the season. Instead, he had 11 two-goal games and 28 single-goal games. Offensively, his best nights, with four points, came against the Detroit Red Wings (Oct. 27) and the St. Louis Blues (Feb. 5). 

On this day 48 years ago, Vic Hadfield became the first player in @NYRangers history to score 50 goals in a season 🐐 pic.twitter.com/i77paV4Jmu

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) April 2, 2020

Interestingly, he also racked up a season-high 17 penalty minutes in a contest against the Vancouver Canucks (Nov. 6) and the California Golden Seals (Mar. 1). Moreover, the only game in which he had double-digit penalty minutes (14) and scored a goal came against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 3. 

Considering the Rangers scored 317 goals that season, Hadfield’s total accounted for 15.7% of the final numbers. Meanwhile, his seven game-winners secured 15.5% of the team’s 45 wins that season. 

Historically, the GAG Line combined for 139 goals in 1971-72, good enough for 43.8% of New York’s lamplighters. Ultimately, Hadfield, Ratelle, and Gilbert became the first players in Rangers history to surpass 40 goals, breaking the record set by Andy Bathgate in 1958-59. 

What happened to Hadfield after the 1971-72 season?

Unfortunately, after his heroic season of 1971-72, Hadfield never regained his scoring touch and netted a combined 55 goals and 117 points over the next two seasons on Broadway. Despite securing a lucrative new contract, his production only worsened, forcing the Rangers to deal him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 28, 1974. 

When Hadfield left New York, he had 262 goals and 310 assists for 572 points in 841 games. As of 2022-23, he remains in the top ten in all those statistical categories. However, he risks losing his spot someday regarding games played, assists, and points, where he sits at or near the bottom of the top ten. 

Surprisingly, with the Penguins, he responded well to playing in a new city with new teammates by collecting back-to-back 30-goal campaigns. Ultimately, this marked the only time (outside of the 50-goal season) he reached the plateau. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his final season, 1976-77, when he suited up in just nine games and collected two assists opting to retire by the end of the campaign. 

Hadfield had a great run in the NHL, skating in 1,004 games, scoring 323 goals, and finishing with 712 points. Even though he became the Rangers’ first 50-goal scorer, a record he held until Adam Graves broke in 1993-94 with 52, his number remained unretired.

Meanwhile, Mark Messier would come to town in 1991-92 and became the 11th player to wear #11 after Hadfield departed in 1974. However, Messier would be the last player to wear those digits, breaking a 54-year curse in 1994 by delivering the Stanley Cup to the Rangers, resulting in a jersey retirement ceremony on Jan. 12, 2006. 

Eventually, the Rangers would honor all the members of the GAG Line when Ratelle (Feb. 25, 2018) and Hadfield (Dec. 2, 2018) joined Gilbert (Oct. 14, 1979) in the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Until Henrik Lundqvist’s recent ceremony (Jan. 28, 2022), Hadfield remained the team’s last player to have his number retired. 

Starting in goal, number 1 Eddie Giacomin

Edd-ie Edd-ie Edd-ie!

There are three sure things in life, my friends. Death, taxes and that Pavlovian chant from Rangerstown each time the Sudbury, Ontario native takes the ice or is shown in the Garden Vision scoreboard. Giacomin’s 267 regular season wins and 49 shutouts were Ranger records at the time of his retirement in 1978. The Hall-of-Famer was the 2nd player in franchise history to have his jersey raised to the Garden rafters making Giacomin a perfect fit to tend goal for our Canadian born team

On defense, number 3 Harry Howell

The Norris Trophy winner and eventual Hall-of -Famer spent 17 years patrolling the blue line at both MSG III and MSG IV. Even though it’s been more than 50 years since Howell last donned the red, while and blue colors of your beloved hockey team, the native of Hamilton, Ontario is still the team’s all time leader in games played with 1160. Howell’s jersey was belatedly raised to the Garden rafters in a dual ceremony with Andy Bathgate in February of 2009. The late Howell is true Ranger royalty and very much deserving to make our list.

His defense partner, number 4 Ron Greschner

The Goodsoil, Saskatchewan native played all of his 16 seasons and 981 regular season games wearing his familiar #4, that, in all honesty, should be among the retired banners dangling from the iconic Garden roof. “Gresch” could do it all. He was big, strong, skilled and man was he tough! In 1977-78, Gresch scored 24 goals, tallied 72 points and amassed 100 PIM. Gresch may never have won an individual award and he may not be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, he is very much qualified of being Harry Howell’s defense partner on our hypothetical Ranger team.

On left wing, number 11 Vic Hadfield

The first player in franchise history to reach the 50-goal plateau and one of just six Blueshirts to top 100 points in a single season, Hadfield was the left wing on the famed Goal-A-Game line. Hadfield also served as Ranger captain from 1971-1974. The native of Oakville, Ontario was a fearless leader who could light the lamp on one shift and beat the tar out of an opponent the next, Hadfield’s number 11 jersey was retired last season joining his legendary GAG line-mates in Ranger lore forever.

At center, number 11 “The Messiah” Mark Messier

The man who engineered his ouster from his home town of Edmonton, Alberta to New York City in October of 1991 on a supreme mission to defeat the daunting, intimidating and seemingly unbeatable 1940 monster.
The man who guaranteed victory in game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals and then scored a now iconic third period hat trick to facilitate the unthinkable.

The man who raised that silver chalice towards the heavens on the unforgettable evening of June 14th, 1994 to, in fact, permanently put to rest that dreaded “1940” chant. On a personal note, Mark Messier is a hero of mine and it is my own belief that every Ranger fan should own his #11 jersey to pay homage to the only player in 80 years to captain a Ranger team to a Stanley Cup Championship.

On right wing, number 7 Rod Gilbert

The unofficial ambassador of the Garden and the New York Rangers, Gilbert is simply put, unequivocal Ranger royalty. The Montreal, PQ native continues to be the franchise’s all time leader in goals with 406 and points with 1021. Gilbert is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his #7 was the first jersey to be retired by the only NHL team he had ever played for. Gilbert has become synonymous with Ranger hockey and you’ll never meet a classier individual.

Honorable mention: Jean Ratelle, Adam Graves, Andy Bathgate, Dave Kerr, James Patrick, Walt Tkaczuk, Brad Park, and Mike Gartner.

The passing of Rangers great Harry Howell has been felt across the hockey community, by both his former teammates and others involved in the game he loved.

Harry was a first-class individual, as was his whole family,” former Rangers forward Vic Hadfield, Howell’s teammate for eight seasons, said on Sunday. “We were very, very close, the two families. Harry was a very humble guy, the nicest guy, someone who would give you the shirt off his back. Just a wonderful individual.

“When we first went to New York, he took us in and made sure we all had places to live and were able to get to the games. We just watched what he was doing. He wasn’t boisterous, but he was a quiet leader and just a genuine good guy.”

NHL.com

Following two losses north of the border by a combined score of 8-2, the Rangers headed back to Madison Square Garden in hopes of getting back in the win column. And with many Rangers legends in the building to watch Vic Hadfield’s #11 rise to the MSG rafters, you’d think the Rangers would try and do whatever they could to come away with the two points. Unfortunately, for everyone in attendance, the Rangers couldn’t close out the Winnipeg Jets and would ultimately lose the game, sending The Garden Faithful home unhappily.

Jesper Fast – On his 27th birthday, Quickie gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. With Mika Zibanejad having just stepped out of the penalty box, the two Swedes ran a give-and-go that resulted in Fast beating Connor Hellebuyck from the top of the blue paint.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1069378368032903168?s=21

The goal was just the second of the season for Fast, who has been thrust onto the first line with the rash of injuries the Rangers have faced. Regardless of whether or not he deserves to be in a top-six role, Fast’s style of play doesn’t change and it’s always nice to see him get on the scoreboard.

Marc Staal – The elder statesman on David Quinn’s blue line, Staal has been a steady presence playing aside young gun Neal Pionk. And like Fast, Staal also recorded his second goal of the campaign. After a fantastic keep-in by Ryan Strome, the puck came right to Staal and he beat the Winnipeg netminder off of the far post. Despite what you may read on social media, Marc Staal hasn’t been as bad as people may lead you to believe; and seeing him on the scoresheet is definitely a welcome sight.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1069388867361492992

Chris Kreider – The Rangers leading goal-scorer got his 14th goal of the season as he redirected a Mika Zibanejad shot as the Blueshirts powerplay expired. Kreider has scored in a variety of ways this season, be it off the rush, putting in a rebound, or deftly redirecting a puck past the opposing goaltender. David Quinn has sparked something within Kreider this season, and the 27-year-old has really shined this year.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1069395498178625536

Brendan Smith – As I wrote a little over a week ago on the site, Brendan Smith should be the team’s seventh defenseman because he plays a bit risky for my liking. And tonight, with the Rangers up 3-0 in the third, Smith took a very unnecessary penalty, to say the least. The Jets would score on the ensuing powerplay, sparking their comeback and ultimate triumph over the Blueshirts. Was Smith’s penalty the only reason the Rangers lost tonight? No. But he didn’t do anything to help his team.

Henrik Lundqvist – Had it not been for some fantastic stops from King Henrik, the Rangers would’ve been blown out. The Jets peppered Lundqvist with 42 shots, 39 of which were stopped by the veteran Swede, and had an additional 24 attempts that were either blocked or missed the net. And as Lundqvist rightly said after the game, “they owned us.” Had Lundqvist not made save after save, this game would’ve ended in regulation with a much larger margin of defeat.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1069402688985722881?s=21

Offense, Offense, Wherefore Art Thou? – The Rangers put up 19 shots on goal against a team that allows an average of 32 shots per game. Against the Canadiens on Saturday night, the Rangers recorded 22 shots while the Canadiens average 31 shots against. The Rangers have recorded 30 or more shots just five times in their last 16 games. Thanks to some good goaltending from Lundqvist and Alex Georgiev, a lot of those games resulted in wins. However, the Rangers are seeing that if they don’t mount some sort of consistent forecheck over the full 60 minutes, they aren’t going to win many games.

Vic Hadfield – It was a special night for the former Rangers forward as his number 11 was raised to the rafters. Coming into this season, Hadfield was the final member of the GAG line waiting to be enshrined in Rangers lore alongside his line mates, Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle. Hadfield was the first Rangers player to score 50 goals in a single season, and was an integral part in the Rangers run to the 71-72 Stanley Cup Finals.

Next Game: The Rangers will head south to The Sunshine State to take on the Florida Panthers on Friday night. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

On December 2nd, 2018, prior to their contest with the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers will honor their former captain Vic Hadfield by retiring his number 11 and raising his jersey to the Garden rafters.

Hadfield will join his former linemates, Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle, as all three members of the Goal-A-Game line will have their legacies conjoined and cemented in Rangers history. Hadfield is the least recognized of that feared threesome. Even though he was the first Rangers player to score 50 goals in a single season, his overall career accomplishments were not as noteworthy as Gilbert and Ratelle, both of whom are members of the Hockey Hall-of-Fame.

The Worker

Hadfield may not have been as flashy as Gilbert and he may not have been as offensively gifted as Ratelle, but Hadfield was as tough and as hardworking as they came. And, as was another New York Ranger who had his number 11 retired, Hadfield could be really really mean. Opposing players would pay the price if they got out of line with Hadfield or either of his skilled linemates. Hadfield made his Rangers debut in the 1961-62 season. He struggled early on in his NHL career scoring just three goals in 44 games in his rookie campaign and notching just five goals in his next 36 games.

When Rangers head coach, Emile “The Cat” Francis” decided to put the rugged Hadfield on the left wing with the two skilled French Canadians in the late 1960s, the line that would forever be known as the GAG line took the NHL by storm. Each of the three stalwart Rangers was perfectly suited for their respective roles. Ratelle was the slick skating, playmaking center. Gilbert was the marksman of the group who was a danger to score in any area of the ice. Hadfield was the bull-in-the-china-shop who would drive to the net, create space for his linemates and score those important “dirty” goals from in and around the goalie’s crease.

For those of you who joined Rangerstown well after Hadfield was traded to Pittsburgh in 1974 and never saw him play, well, the two more recent Rangers players that we could compare Hadfield to are Adam Graves and Ryan Callahan. Grit, toughness, scoring ability and unconditionally having their teammates backs are qualities that will forever epitomize these three Rangers fan-favorites.

GAG LINE

It was the 1971-72 season in which those all time great Rangers earned that well-deserved moniker. Hadfield led the team in goals with 50. Ratelle finished second on the team with 46 goals. Gilbert was third with 43 goals. My friends, that adds up to 139 goals scored by just one line of players. The NHL season was 78 games long back in the early 1970s. Math was certainly not my best subject in high school, but even I can see why the media nicknamed Hadfield, Ratelle, and Gilbert the Goal-A-Game line. Can you imagine three different Rangers scoring 40+ goals on the same line on the same team today? To put this in perspective, the Rangers have had only three different 40 goal scorers over the last 22 years (Jaromir Jagr, Rick Nash, and Marian Gaborik). Talk about a sobering statistic…

Since 2004, when Mike Richter has his number 35 retired, this will be the seventh banner-raising ceremony honoring a Rangers legend. Following Richter were Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, the joint ceremony for Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell, Jean Ratelle and now Hadfield. It’s safe to say that the next Rangers number to be retired will be Henrik Lundqvist’s number 30.

Gilbert had his number 7 retired back in 1979. Why it took almost 40 years for his linemates to join him in that rarefied air is a question for another day. Right now, let’s give Vic Hadfield the applause and adulation that he deserves. Let’s make sure Madison Square Garden is sold out. Let’s make sure Hadfield and the greatest line in Ranger history are shown respect and appreciation. We haven’t seen a line like theirs on Broadway since they tore through NHL defenses some 46 years ago. And, judging by the lack of goal scoring around the entire league, we may never see that again.

Join Zak Chiger and Johnluke Chaparro as they discuss the Rangers prospects heading to Traverse City, the prospects that have already begun their seasons in Europe, and Vic Hadfield retirement night. The boys also preview the Atlantic division, going in depth on each team with predictions and a whole lot more!

Make sure to subscribe on iTunes and wherever else you get your podcasts and follow Zak, JL and 4EverBlueshirts on Twitter!

The Rangers have announced that the team will raise team icon Vic Hadfield’s number 11 to the MSG rafters on December 2nd before the team plays the Winnipeg Jets.

The Oakville, Canada native played 13 seasons with the Rangers and tallied 572 points (262G, 310A) with the Blueshirts. Hadfield was team captain for his final three seasons on Broadway, represented the Rangers in two NHL all-star games, and was the left wing on the famous GAG line of the early 1970s.

Prior to last season, only Rod Gilbert’s number had been sent to the rafters from the GAG line. Jean Ratelle had his number 19 raised last season, and it was then that Gilbert delivered the news to his former teammate in front of 18,000 cheering fans.

This is a long overdue honor for Hadfield, and he will take his rightful place in the MSG rafters alongside his former linemates.

Here is our recap of the Rangers 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

JT Miller – After falling behind 2-0 in the second period, Miller brought the Rangers within one with a power-play goal in the middle frame. The versatile Rangers forward leaned into a slapshot from Jimmy Howard’s right and beat the Detroit goaltender over the glove, just inside the far post. The goal was the 13^th of the year for Miller, and he will need to continue to produce offensively as the Rangers will seemingly look to rebuild around the 24-year-old forward.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/967943768560283648

Jesper Fast – The always working Swede evened the score at two in the third period, finishing off a rebound chance from linemate Kevin Hayes. Hayes had his shot saved by Jimmy Howard, and the puck fell to an uncovered Fast who shot the puck into the half-open net. Fast got his tenth of the season in this one, tying his career best in goal production for a single season.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/967961263803334658

Ryan Spooner – After being brought to Broadway in the Rick Nash trade, Spooner made an immediate impact with his new team. The 26-year-old C/W earned the secondary assist on each of his team’s goals, earning the admiration of The Garden faithful who chanted “SPOOOON” whenever he touched the puck later in the game. The deal for Nash was certainly a move towards the future, and seeing Spooner contribute immediately is certainly a welcome sight for the Rangers and their fans.

“He’s definitely a talented player that can do a lot of things for you,” general manager Jeff Gorton said of Spooner. “His point production over his career has been really solid. On a really good team with a lot of good players — tonight, he’s going to get an opportunity to play, and he’ll probably play more than he’s played in a while.” Newsday/Laura Albanese

Jean Ratelle Ceremony – Regardless of the result on the ice, although a win would’ve been nice, this was Jean Ratelle’s night. In a phenomenal ceremony put on by the Rangers, the team raised Ratelle’s #19 to the rafters at MSG. Former teammates, other Rangers legends, and the announcement of Vic Hadfield’s #11 joining his G-A-G linemates next season capped off a well deserved night for Ratelle.