Rod Gilbert became the face of the Rangers when hockey was virtually a niche sport in New York. But the flashy right wing, whose death at the age of 80 was announced on Sunday, helped turn the club into an attraction that often rivaled their Madison Square Garden co-tenants, the Knicks, allowing the Rangers to join the Mets, Yankees, Jets and Giants as stars of the city’s sports scene.
He was a 19-year-old when he came to New York. Like every other Ranger — and nearly every player in the six-team league during the 1960-61 season — he was from Canada.