The first person to greet Ron Duguay and show him New York when he joined the Rangers in 1977 was Rod Gilbert.
This was Duguay’s debut NHL campaign and turned out to be the last of Gilbert’s 18 seasons in New York, but that didn’t stop the future Hall of Famer and the face of the franchise from welcoming the draft selection of the first round of the team.
Duguay, who now co-hosts The Post’s Rangers podcast “Up in the Blue Seats,” recalled his former teammate and longtime friend Sunday night after the Rangers announced the news of the passage of Gilbert at 80 at night.
“The first time I walked into Madison Square Garden to sign my contract, he was the first man to meet me,” Duguay recalled in a phone interview. “And it also took me out that night, a kind of celebration, and it was the beginning of a long relationship.
“He was such a nice person that he left an immediate impression on you. So yes, it was my introduction to the New York Rangers. And that stayed with me all my time as a player and my post-player career. “
After Duguay retired from the NHL in 1989, he and Gilbert worked together as team ambassadors and on various charitable initiatives as part of the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
“There was no one better at representing the garden, the franchise, the brand and representing us all [alumni]. Everyone turned to Rod, always, ”said Duguay. “I saw first hand the appreciation of the fans. He gave a lot of himself. Nothing ever bothered him.
“All the games that were there, it was because he liked being there. He liked being him and having played for the New York Rangers. He would see what he meant to the fans, the people who knew him for the first time. It was a joy. Always laughing. Always a smile on his face. And the stories I would tell ”.
On Sunday evening, Duguay posted a video of a goal Brian Leetch scored in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup final against Vancouver. The camera cut into the seats behind the penalty box and showed Gilbert giving a maximum of Duguay.
“I didn’t even know these images existed until today,” Duguay said. “I had the pleasure of being with Rod Gilbert when the Rangers finally won the Cup. He had his chances in his career, but obviously so much time had passed [since 1940], and we celebrated it together. I experienced this with him.
“The Cup really meant a lot to him, because he was part of the fabric of the organization for so long. Being with him when the Rangers finally won was an amazing experience.”
The two continued to work together for years to come, and Duguay said he would “leave everything to do anything for that man” whenever he was asked to appear at a team event, especially one led by Gilbert.
“That title, Mr. Ranger, was taken seriously,” Duguay said. “You would see him on visits to the suite and walk through the hallways; it would stop for anyone who wanted a photograph or an autograph. She absolutely loved it and the fans loved it. And he never got tired of anything. That was just who I was. ”