The Maven takes Rangers fans on a trip down memory lane.
Over the years, many Blueshirts have had what we call "handles" attached to their names. Some of these nicknames have cute stories attached to them. Here are The Maven's four faves.
1. IVAN (THE TERRIBLE) IRWIN: When I worked for the Rangers in 1954-55, Irwin was one of my pals. He loved to hit and to fight and often tormented Montreal's legendary Maurice (Rocket) Richard. The fans loved battlin' Ivan but they didn't like Irwin's many boo-boos. In this case "terrible" had a double meaning – terribly tough and terrible on the blue line.
2. ALEX (KILLER) KALETA: Alex was a really good forward with a blazing shot and lots of speed to go with it. "The fans adored him so much that they hung a huge KALETA sign over the end arena," said Rangers ace publicist Stan Saplin. "And we loved him because he was a good guy. The only problem was that Alex was a 'snow-thrower.' He didn't like to hit and really didn't like to get hit. So for fun we nicknamed him 'Killer.'"
3. LOUIE (THE LEAPER) FONTINATO: One of the many Guelph (Junior) Biltmores who won the 1951 Memorial Cup, the big defenseman had to play on the farm clubs before coming to New York. In the Western League when Lou got a penalty he had a habit of leaping in the air in anger. Hence, "The Leaper." The nickname stuck until he got to New York. Refs took a dislike to Louie;s leaping and began hitting him with extra penalties. Hence, he became Louie The Former Leaper!
4. HANK (LOU COSTELLO) D'AMORE: During the World War II years when many Rangers were serving in the armed forces, management would reach down to the New York Rovers farm team for substitutes. One of them was a darn good forward from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Hank D'Amore starred in the Eastern Amateur Hockey and Rovers fans were nuts about him and not just for his scoring. The slightly chubby Hank looked exactly like stage and film comedy star Lou Costello from the act Abbott and Costello. Unfortunately, D'Amore was a delight to watch as a Rover but only made it to the Blueshirts for a cup of Java!
