1937–38 New York Rangers season

The 1937–38 New York Rangers season was the 12th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). New York finished 2nd in the American Division in regular season with a record of 27–15–6, and qualified for the playoffs. In the Semi-finals, the Rangers lost to the New York Americans 2–1 in a best of three games series.
==Pre-season==
The Rangers and the New York Americans played a seven game series in western Canada:
*Saturday, October 23 Rangers 2 Americans 2 @ Calgary
*Tuesday, October 26 Rangers 6 Americans 5 @ Edmonton
*Wednesday, October 27 Americans 6 Rangers 2 @ Calgary
*Thursday, October 28 Rangers 3 Americans 1 @ Edmonton
*Saturday, October 30 Americans 1 Rangers 0 @ Saskatoon (afternoon)
*Saturday, October 30 Americans 1 Rangers 1 @ Saskatoon (evening)
*Monday, November 1 Americans 4 Rangers 3 @ Winnipeg
The Americans won 3 wins to 2 with 2 ties.
==Regular Season==
An important match versus the Boston Bruins on December 28, 1937 was judged to be the "poorest refereed game seen here in many a moon" Boston Globe, p.18, December 29, 1937. and as so often happens, when the referees (Clarence Campbell and Archie McTier) wouldn't keep order, the players took matters into their own hands. The spark that lit the fire occurred at the 12 minute mark of the first period with the Bruins leading 1-0 on Cooney Weiland's seventh goal of the season. As Milt Schmidt was carrying the puck out of the Bruins end, Mac Colville caught him with an elbow to the jaw, breaking it. Schmidt left the game and no penalty was called. As play progressed, every scrum saw high-sticking and threats. In the second period with Boston leading 2-0, anger turned to outrage when Dit Clapper was assessed a weak interference penalty. The Rangers knotted the game on the power play and shortly after, Phil Watson and Eddie Shore crashed into each other. Watson butt-ended Shore in the mouth and received a blow from Shore's stick to his forehead, felling him. Both players received major penalties and cooler heads prevailed for the rest of the game. Flash Hollett scored the winner on a weak, one-handed shot as he was holding off Ott Heller and the Bruins won 3-2.
The February 17, 1938 Bruins-Rangers game in New York went to overtime (which was not sudden death) tied 1-1 on goals by Milt Schmidt and Mac Colville. Tiny Thompson saved the game for Boston just before the third frame ended with a diving save off Bryan Hextall. After the Bruins Gord Pettinger scored at the 3:59 mark, Milt Schmidt took a pass from Flash Hollett, cut to the right of the Rangers net and beat Dave Kerr with a beautiful backhand goal to the top left corner tipped by Dit Clapper (a video exists of this). Hextall scored with 19 seconds left but the Bruins held on for a 3-2 win and a five point lead for first place.
Determined to not lose any more ground, the Rangers came out blazing against the Bruins on February 20, 1938 and scored twice in the first period. Near the end of the frame, Eddie Shore nailed Babe Pratt with a check and the two went at it. Having not settled matters, the two fought in the penalty box which required police intervention. Charlie Sands scored through a screen in the second period and Dit Clapper tied the game 5:02 into the third period. With 1:11 left in regulation, Leroy Goldsworthy whacked in a rebound for a 3-2 Boston win. It was the first time all season the Rangers blew a two goal lead.
In New York, the Bruins met the Rangers on March 13, 1938 and the Blue Shirts Alex Shibicky opened the scoring, or did he? His shot hit the net, bounced out to the blueline, Shibicky raised his stick in triumph and the goal light went on. Several New York Americans players were in the stands and informed the Bruins the puck hit the crossbar.Boston Globe, p.29, March 14, 1938. The Bruins protested but referee Clarence Campbell counted it. In the third period, Charlie Sands tied it up and in the last minute, there was a faceoff in Boston's zone. Bill Cowley won it, kicked the puck to Woody Dumart who used Sands as a decoy on a 2 on 1, and fired it in. Mistakenly, no assist was given on the game winner. The Bruins had won their 7th Prince of Wales Trophy.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results 	Regular Season Results
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	W 	November 7, 1937 	3–0 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	1–0–0
2 	L 	November 11, 1937 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38) 	1–1–0
3 	L 	November 14, 1937 	2–3 	@ Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	1–2–0
4 	W 	November 16, 1937 	1–0 	New York Americans (1937–38) 	2–2–0
5 	W 	November 20, 1937 	3–0 	@ Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	3–2–0
6 	T 	November 21, 1937 	3–3 OT 	Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	3–2–1
7 	L 	November 25, 1937 	1–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38) 	3–3–1
8 	L 	November 27, 1937 	1–2 	@ Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	3–4–1
9 	L 	December 2, 1937 	1–2 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38)	3–5–1
10 	W 	December 5, 1937 	4–0 	Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	4–5–1
11 	W 	December 11, 1937 	6–3 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38)	5–5–1
12 	W 	December 12, 1937 	5–2 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	6–5–1
13 	W 	December 14, 1937 	3–1 	Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	7–5–1
14 	W 	December 16, 1937 	2–0 	@ New York Americans (1937–38) 	8–5–1
15 	T 	December 19, 1937 	2–2 OT 	Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	8–5–2
16 	W 	December 23, 1937 	4–0 	@ Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	9–5–2
17 	L 	December 26, 1937 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38) 	9–6–2
18 	L 	December 28, 1937 	2–3 	@ Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	9–7–2
19 	W 	December 31, 1937 	5–3 	Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	10–7–2
20 	T 	January 4, 1938 	5–5 OT 	New York Americans (1937–38) 	10–7–3
21 	W 	January 6, 1938 	4–1 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38)	11–7–3
22 	L 	January 8, 1938 	2–3 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38)	11–8–3
23 	W 	January 9, 1938 	4–1 	Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	12–8–3
24 	T 	January 13, 1938 	3–3 OT 	Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	12–8–4
25 	W 	January 16, 1938 	4–0 	@ New York Americans (1937–38) 	13–8–4
26 	W 	January 18, 1938 	3–1 OT 	Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	14–8–4
27 	W 	January 23, 1938 	8–2 	Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	15–8–4
28 	W 	January 25, 1938 	3–2 	@ Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	16–8–4
29 	L 	January 27, 1938 	2–4 	@ Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	16–9–4
30 	T 	January 30, 1938 	2–2 OT 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38)	16–9–5
31 	W 	February 1, 1938 	6–1 	Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38) 	17–9–5
32 	W 	February 6, 1938 	2–1 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38) 	18–9–5
33 	W 	February 10, 1938 	4–0 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	19–9–5
34 	W 	February 12, 1938 	5–3 	@ Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	20–9–5
35 	W 	February 13, 1938 	4–1 	Montreal Maroons (1937–38) 	21–9–5
36 	L 	February 17, 1938 	2–3 OT 	Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	21–10–5
37 	L 	February 20, 1938 	2–3 OT 	@ Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	21–11–5
38 	L 	February 22, 1938 	1–2 	Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	21–12–5
39 	W 	February 24, 1938 	6–3 	Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38) 	22–12–5
40 	W 	February 26, 1938 	4–2 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38)	23–12–5
41 	W 	February 27, 1938 	4–1 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1937–38)	24–12–5
42 	W 	March 3, 1938 	4–3 	Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	25–12–5
43 	L 	March 6, 1938 	1–3 	@ New York Americans (1937–38) 	25–13–5
44 	W 	March 8, 1938 	4–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–38) 	26–13–5
45 	L 	March 13, 1938 	1–2 	Boston Bruins (1937–38) 	26–14–5
46 	W 	March 17, 1938 	5–3 	New York Americans (1937–38) 	27–14–5
47 	T 	March 19, 1938 	1–1 OT 	@ Montreal Canadiens (1937–38) 	27–14–6
48 	L 	March 20, 1938 	3–4 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1937–38) 	27–15–6
==Playoffs==
===New York Americans 2, New York Rangers 1===
Game 3 was decided in the 4th overtime period as Lorne Carr scored the series winning goal.
==Player Stats==
===Regular Season===
;Scoring
Player	Pos 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
 	RW 	48	21	18	39 	6
 	C 	48	14	23	37 	0
 	C/D 	45	17	19	36 	11
 	RW 	48	17	18	35 	26
 	C/LW	48	15	19	34 	24
 	RW/C	48	7 	25	32 	52
 	RW/D	48	14	14	28 	18
 	RW 	48	17	4 	21 	6
 	D 	47	5 	14	19 	56
 	LW 	38	8 	9 	17 	12
 	D 	48	2 	14	16 	68
 	D 	43	5 	10	15 	90
 	RW 	39	4 	8 	12 	14
 	D 	46	3 	2 	5 	56
 	D 	1 	0 	2 	2 	0
 	C 	18	0 	1 	1 	2
 	LW 	8 	0 	1 	1 	2
 	D 	2 	0 	0 	0 	2
 	G 	48	0 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN 	GP	W 	L 	T	GA	GAA 	SO
 	2960	48	27	15	6	96	1.95	8
Team: 	2960	48	27	15	6	96	1.95	8
===Playoffs===
;Scoring
Player	Pos 	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
 	RW 	3 	2	0	2 	0
 	RW 	3 	2	0	2 	2
 	C 	3 	2	0	2 	0
 	RW/D	3 	0	2	2 	0
 	RW/C	3 	0	2	2 	0
 	RW 	3 	1	0	1 	0
 	C/D 	3 	0	1	1 	0
 	D 	3 	0	1	1 	2
 	LW 	3 	0	1	1 	2
 	C/LW	3 	0	1	1 	2
 	LW 	1 	0	0	0 	0
 	D 	2 	0	0	0 	2
 	D 	3 	0	0	0 	4
 	D 	3 	0	0	0 	8
 	D 	3 	0	0	0 	2
 	G 	3 	0	0	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA 	SO
 	262	3 	1	2	8 	1.83	0
Team: 	262	3 	1	2	8 	1.83	0
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals 
MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts 
==Awards and Records==
*Cecil Dillon, Right Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
*Frank Boucher, Coach, NHL First Team All-Star
*Dave Kerr, Goalie, NHL Second Team All-Star
*Art Coulter, Defense, NHL Second Team All-Star
==Farm Teams==
*Philadelphia Ramblers, International-American Hockey League
*New York Rovers, Eastern Hockey League
==Gallery==
37-38NHLExhNYRNYACalgaryGameAd.jpg|Calgary
37-38NHLExhNYRNYASaskatoonGameAd.jpg|Saskatoon
37-38NHLExhNYRNYAWinnipegGameAd.jpg|Winnipeg
16Dec1937-Rangers-Americans.jpg|Rangers Dave Kerr stops John Gallagher. #9 Lynn Patrick, #3 Ott Heller, #11 Sweeney Schriner, #2 Art Coulter on December 16, 1937.
1937-Dec19-Pratt-Kerr-Habs.jpg|Babe Pratt and Dave Kerr defend against the Canadiens, December 19, 1937.
1938-Jan4-NYR-NYA.jpg|Rangers-Americans action around Dave Kerr, January 4, 1938.
1938-Feb1-Levinsky-Karakas-Watson-Dahlstrom.jpg|Phil Watson scores on Mike Karakas while #8 Alex Levinsky and #15 Cully Dahlstrom look on, February 1, 1938.
1938-Feb17-Kerr-Goldsworthy.jpg|Leroy Goldsworthy is stopped by Dave Kerr, February 17, 1938.
==Video==
A minute worth of footage from the February 17, 1938 game won 3-2 by the Bruins over the New York Rangers. Fascinating footage including the Kraut Line in action, Milt Schmidt getting into a scrap, Eddie Shore with an open ice hit and a goal by Dit Clapper, assisted by Schmidt on the Rangers Dave Kerr which would win the game 3-2 in overtime.
Boston Bruins win the National Ice Hockey League by 3-2 against New York Ranger i...HD Stock Footage
Action from Game 1 of the 1938 Quarter-finals Rangers-Americans game on March 22, 1938. Two different views of a goal by Jack Beattie which tied the game in the second period are shown. The Americans won 2-1 in double overtime on a goal by John Sorrell.
The New York Americans win an ice hockey match against the New York Rangers by 2-...HD Stock Footage
==See Also==
*1937–38 NHL season
==References==
==External Links==
* 
Category:New York Rangers seasons
Category:1937 in hockey
Category:1938 in hockey