Incredible But True Blueshirts Tales: Ching Johnson Goon Or Not?
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
I doubt that anyone reading the following will know the answer, but here goes:
Al Laney of the New York Herald-Tribune was one of the city's most famous sports writers during "The Roarin' Twenties." He once penned the following sentence:
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"Only one other athlete equaled Babe Ruth in winning the hearts of New York fans."
Which athlete do you think Laney was referring to in 1929?
If you guessed that it was a hockey player you would be right. And if you named Ivan (Ching) Johnson, a Rangers Hall of Fame defenseman, you'd REALLY be right.
Fans loved the prematurely bald Johnson for his "booming body checks and physical play."
My buddy Larry Hirsch suggested that Ching was a "goon" but that was not the case and teammate Frank Boucher admitted as much in Boucher's autobiography, "When The Rangers Were Young."
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Boucher: "Ching loved to deliver a good hoist early in a game because he knew his victim would probably retaliate, and Ching loved body contact."
Incredible But True Rangers Stories
Incredible But True Rangers Stories You may have heard of Taffy Abel or you may not but -- if you care for vintage Rangers history – now is the time to hear about one of the biggest, best and funniest of Blueshirt backliners.
Johnson played on both the 1928 and 1933 Cup-winners, but ended his career with one last season on the New York Americans.
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