Frank Boucher François X . Boucher ( October 7 , 1902 in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada – December 12 , 1977 in Kemptville , Ontario , Canada ) was a Canadian professional forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and the Vancouver Maroons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association . Born in Ottawa , Ontario , Boucher centered a line with the brothers Bill and Bun Cook , and together they helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1928 and 1933 , also reaching the Finals in 1932 . Frank was not only a brilliant forward , but was also one of the game ' s classiest . Lady Byng , wife of Viscount Byng , the Governor - General of Canada , donated a trophy to be awarded to the NHL ' s " most gentlemanly player . " While playing for the New York Rangers , Boucher won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 7 times in 8 years . He was then given the trophy outright , and Lady Byng donated another trophy to the NHL . Boucher played for the Rangers until he retired in 1937 - 38 . The Rangers hired him to coach the New York Rovers , a minor - league team that also played at Madison Square Garden , as his apprenticeship to coaching the Rangers . When general manager Lester Patrick made the decision to retire from coaching prior to the 1939 - 40 season , he hired Boucher , who led his Ranger club to the last Stanley Cup . The franchise would be in existence for 68 seasons before they won a Cup without Boucher being directly involved . After finishing first in the NHL ' s regular season in 1942 , the Rangers lost in the Playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs . Soon they became victims of the military draft of World War II and went into a steep decline . In 1943 - 44 NHL season the New York Rangers were so bad that Boucher came out of retirement for 15 games to play where he recorded 14 points . The Rangers finished the 50 game season with only 6 wins . From 1940 to 1972 they reached the Stanley Cup Finals only once . When Patrick retired , Frank took over as general manager . He got the Rangers into the playoffs in 1947 - 48 with his trade to get Buddy O ' Connor and Frank Eddolls . He stepped down from coaching to concentrate on his manager ' s job and hired Lynn Patrick , Lester ' s son and an ex - teammate , to coach the Rangers , and Lynn came very close to winning the Stanley Cup in 1950 , proving Boucher astute in hiring him as coach . But the Rangers were an aging team and eroded . Lynn Patrick resigned to go to Boston , and neither Neil Colville nor Bill Cook , also former teammates of Boucher ' s , could get the Rangers into the playoffs . Here , General John Kilpatrick , the Rangers ' owner , thought about replacing Boucher , but he held off . During the 1945 - 46 season , Boucher became the first coach to use two goalies regularly . Alternating Charlie Rayner and Jim Henry every game , and later , every four to six minutes , he proved the use of having two goalies . Frank went back behind the bench in 1953 - 54 , but couldn ' t get the Rangers into the playoffs . He then hired Muzz Patrick , another son of Lester and ex - teammate , to coach the team , but the Rangers won only 17 games and missed the playoffs again . So General Kilpatrick had a talk with Frank and reluctantly expressed that Frank couldn ' t build the Rangers into a winner , and recommended Frank resign as general manager . Frank thought it over , realizing that it was better than being fired . He then typed his resignation and handed it in to the General . He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 . In 1998 , he was ranked number 61 on " The Hockey News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players . His uniform number 7 hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden , although it was retired for a later Ranger , Rod Gilbert . Although later Rangers such as Gilbert and Mark Messier have been more honored by recent fans , Boucher ' s status as the star of two Ranger Stanley Cups and the coach behind another marks him , except perhaps for team builder Lester Patrick , as the greatest Ranger of them all . In 1974 , Boucher wrote " When the Rangers Were Young " , a book about his experiences with the old - time Broadway Blueshirts , giving him one last moment of fame during his lifetime . He died of cancer on December 12 , 1977 in the town of Kemptville , Ontario , near Ottawa at the age of 76 . Frank Boucher was one of five brothers who played in the NHL . His brother , George " Buck " Boucher , played on the Ottawa Senators dynasty of the 1920s , winning four Stanley Cups . Brothers Joe , Bobby and Billy also played in the league .