Blueshirts By the Numbers: Number 6 - Fred "Bun" Cook
At Number 6 we honor a man who was an original New York Ranger, Fred "Bun" Cook. Cook was the younger brother of number 5 Bill Cook, and older brother of former NHLer Bud Cook. Bun, his brother Bill, and Frank Boucher were the Rangers number one line for the first seven seasons of the franchise, and were the Rangers top three scorers each of the Blueshirts first five seasons.
Bun Cook began his pro hockey career in the Western Hockey League, where scouted by Conn Smythe, the Rangers` first general manager. In 1926, Smythe recruited Bill and Bun Cook New York to be part of
From Legends of Hockey:
It was in New York that Fred picked up his nickname. A journalist wrote that he was 'quick as a bunny.' Bunny Cook was soon shortened to 'Bun.'
Bun is also credited with being the innovator of the drop pass. "I had a dream about the drop pass one night and at our next practice, I told Frank and Bill about it," explained Bun. "They thought I was crazy, but they decided to humour me. By gosh, it worked! I'd cross over from left wing to centre as I moved in on defense. I'd fake a shot and leave the puck behind and skate away from it, with frank or Bill picking it up. We got a lot of goals off the crisscross and drop pass."
Bun was always tinkering with elements of the game. He was an early proponent of the slapshot, and occasionally took a rolling puck up on the
blade of his stick and carried it through the bewildered opposingteam .
Cook was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 1995.
Honorable Mentions: Neil Colville (who immediately followed Cook at 6, this number used to have good history), Doug Lidster.
Useless Rangers trivia for today: Glen Sather and Wade Redden have both worn Number 6 for the Rangers.