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Rangers Halt Bruins, Boston Winless Streak Continues

Jan. 9, 1964 - The Bruins developed more enthusiasm and efficiency at Boston Garden tonight but not quite enough to cope with the New York Rangers. The result was a 5-3 loss, the latest frustration in a string of 10 winless games that includes nine defeats and one tie. It was the Rangers’ fourth straight victory, their longest win streak since November 1958. For Boston, the outcome was another crusher since it thrust the hapless Bostonians ever deeper into the NHL’s cellar, eight points behind the fifth-place Rangers. This latest failure was witnessed by only 6,739, the smallest gathering for a Bruins game in almost two years. The crowd again was tolerantly amused rather than loudly critical. One unusual form of protest was made by a fan who just happened to have a rubber baby crocodile in his pocket and tossed it onto the ice during the second period.

To put the kindest interpretation on the proceeding, this was one time when you really couldn’t say the Bruins defeated themselves. They skated and shot well from the outset, but were throttled by the unpredictable Jacques Plante, who put on a goaltending demonstration that ranked with any of his best at Montreal. This was at least true in the first two periods, as Jacques blanked the B’s with 36 saves, many of them spectacular. To add to Boston’s woes, Eddie Westfall was taken to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary after suffering an eye injury late in the second period. Westfall had a 10-stitch cut in the right eyelid. He was hit accidentally by Phil Goyette’s stick near the boards. At the hospital, Westfall was found to be bleeding in the front of his right eye. Physicians said he would be hospitalized five days and would be unable to skate for two weeks.

The New York scoring was spread among five shooters — Rod Gilbert, Camille Henry, Al Langlois, Vic Hadfield, and Jim Neilson. The last three all were made on the power play. Before the game, Ranger general manager loudly denied a rumor that Andy Bathgate would be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs following the game.



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