The best Rangers Off-Season story has nothing to do with "The Free Agent Frenzy." That, my good citizens of Rangerville, was a disaster for New Yorik with a capital D.
Nay, by far the story that has us gripped to our eye-phones, cell phones and smart-phones is the latest soap opera segment "The Many Lives of Jacob Trouba" or "Where Will Our Beloved Captain Be 'Traded' To Next?"
Granted that it's a gripping melodrama worthy of HBO, if not MGM, but The Maven has unearthed a Rangers "TradeTale" one from yesteryear that actually had both a happy and unhappy ending; assuming that such a feat is possible.
For this particular Ranger tale of simultaneous joy and sorrow I am indebted to author-historian George Grimnm and his delightful Blueshirts book "We Did Everything Butr Win."
It's all about the years when Emile "The Cat" Francis managed the Manhattanites during the 1970's and slapshot artist Jack Egers was a New York ace.
If you think Trouba's future is up for grabs, poor Egers was grabbed and tossed by The Cat on the same day that his wife had a baby. Here's how Egers remembered the burlesque-on-a-burlesque:
"Francis actually traded me on the day my daughter was born," Egers remembered. "It happened this way: First, my wife Wendy had the baby and we're celebrating. Then, all of a sudden The Cat phones in the afternoon. Naturally, I thought he called to congratulate me."
Well, in a sense Francis did have that in mind but not the way Egers was thinking.
Egers: "So Francis says, 'I hear today is a big day for you.' And I said, 'It sure is!' So, he says, 'Well, I got some more good news for you. YOU'VE BEEN TRADED TO ST.LOUIS.' And the Blues want you in Detroit tomorrow night.'"
There was no hemming and hawing as we're now witnessing in the Trouba Follies. Jack had to fly out to Motor City and that was that. In that bygone era it was a mere phone call and poor Egers was gone. But leads to yet another cold trade tale.
Virtually the same scenario happened to Egers' buddy, defenseman Paul Curtis, one summer. As it happened Curtis had to fly to see his wife in Texas and left his car with Egers
"One day," Egers recalled, "Paul called me to see how his car was and I said, 'I'm sorry to hear that you've been traded. and he shot back: 'WHAT? I'VE BEEN TRADED?'"
That's the way it was in Ye Olde National Hockey League. What we don't know – Hey! A soap opera has to go on for a while -- is what the next installment will be for Mr. and Mrs. Trouba.
Or, will Chris Drury do the unthinkable and trade his captain-defenseman. Although The Maven has not seen producer Drury's script, I'm betting that Sir Trouba will not go the way of Jack Egers.
Furthermore, I expect the Troubas to live happily ever after in New York – until the Trade Deadline next March!
