Walk through a Madison Square Garden during a Rangers home game and you will be treated to an eclectic history of jerseys. You’ve got your Brian Leetchs, your Andy Bathgates, your Mark Messiers, your Jean Ratelles, and for recency sake, the Henrik Lundqvists. While the league is becoming more about the superstars playing here and now – the Crosbys, the McDavids, and the Matthews – some teams have such a rich history that they appreciate the old-timers as well.
One name that suited up in 1,065 games in the New York blue, red, and white is Rangers’ great Rod Gilbert.
Gilbert, a native of Montreal, Quebec, is the all-time Rangers leading scorer, and the only player to ever surpass the 1,000 point milestone for the original six franchise. He finished his career with a remarkable 1,021 points, all of which came as a member of the Rangers.
Even so, the new generation of fans would maybe start to be a little more hesitant to hockey greats that played in the 60’s and 70’s, but ahead of Monday night’s match between the Rangers and Golden Knights in Vegas, one fan was rewarded for his appreciation of the Rangers’ legend.
The fan was taking in warmups and sporting Gilbert’s #7 when suddenly he got a tap on the shoulder. While likely expecting a friend, a vendor, or maybe just a Vegas supporter ready to throw a chirp his way, the fan was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact Gilbert in the flesh. The fan recognized the Rangers’ great right away and they shared a nice moment.
While you never know where you’re going to run into your heroes, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to receive a shoulder tap from them while taking in an away game in Nevada.
