Look Who's No. 1

PRO HOCKEY

Whom does a New York sports fan root for these days? The pro-football Giants have turned into dwarfs (see col. 2), and the Jets are strictly subsonic. The Knicks are to pro basketball what Mrs. Miller is to soul music. Baseball's onceproud Yankees are a burnt-out case: they finished tenth last year. And the Mets wound up ninth only because they play in another league with the even worse Chicago Cubs.

That leaves the Rangers--the worst team in the National Hockey League, a team that has not won the Stanley Cup since 1940. For years, a tailor named John Gerecitano has shown up at every Ranger home game dressed in a leopardskin hat and carrying a trombone; when the game gets beyond hope, he plays taps. Surprise. Last week Gerecitano was nowhere to be seen in Madison Square Garden--only 15,542 fans who chanted "We're No. 1!" as Forward Rod Gilbert slammed in two goals and the Rangers swept into the N.H.L. lead by winning their fourth straight, 4-1, over the Detroit Red Wings.

To hear Coach Emile ("The Cat") Francis tell it, first place was exactly where he expected the Rangers to be. A diminutive ex-goalie, Francis took over as coach in the middle of the 1965-66 season, when the Rangers had a reputation for being slick stick handlers--but short on muscle. His answer was to stock the squad with the strongest, meanest players he could find. From Boston, he obtained Reggie Fleming, the No. 1 "bad boy" in the N.H.L., who leads the league with 80 minutes of penalty time. From Toronto, Francis landed Wingman Orland ("K.O.") Kurtenbach, proud possessor of "the fastest fists in hockey."

Boom with Boom. With twelve players over 6 ft. tall and an average weight of 186 Ibs. per man, the Rangers boast the biggest team in the N.H.L. They also boast Bernie ("Boom Boom") Geoffrion, the fifth highest scorer (375 goals) in N.H.L. history. Lured out of retirement by a $25,000-a-year contract, Geoffrion is a fierce competitor who needles his teammates unmerci fully. One day after a particularly tough workout, 22-year-old Rookie Bryan Campbell complained: "I should have been a banker." Exploded Geoffrion: "You little s.o.b. I'm 35. You're 22. What are you complaining about?"

Geoffrion's barbs are obviously having their effect on the team. Last week, Forward Rod Gilbert had 15 goals, tops in the N.H.L. Wingman Don Marshall was only one goal off Gilbert's pace. Goalie Ed Giacomin, 27, in his second big-league season, led in shutouts, ranked No. 2 in the average of goals (2.27) allowed per game. It was still a long way to the Stanley Cup play-offs--but at least nobody was playing taps for the Rangers now.

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