The 2009 New York Rangers Ride a Dark Horse into the Playoffs Just Like in 1949

George Harrison sang, "I'm a dark horse / Running on a dark race course...."

"John Tortorella's troops comprise the most dangerous dark horse sextet in the entire group of sixteen playoff teams," Stan Fischler stated in his column on newyorkrangers.com.

He gave kudos to Henrik Lundqvist, for backstopping these boys; Ryan Callahan, for turning into more and more of an offensive force; and to both Chris Drury and Sean Avery.

He said, "It was Avery—a demon on offense and defense—whose tenacious digging behind the Flyers goal was the seed that resulted in a HUGE Callahan goal."

He noted that Tortorella showed enough faith in Avery's defensive ability to put him on the ice in the final, very tumultuous minute of play.

For those who suggest that the Rangers relatively low standing on the NHL totem pole guarantees an early playoff exit, Fischler provided a few historical precedents of hockey's underdogs doing great things in the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks of 1938 finished with a less than .500 record but won the Stanley Cup.

The 1949 Toronto Maple Leafs had a horrible season but still won their third Stanley Cup in a row.

The New York Rangers of 1949-1950 almost missed the post-season but upset the favored Montreal Canadiens in five games and, in the Finals, took a vaunted Detroit Red Wings team to double-overtime in the seventh game before bowing out.

A "dark horse" was originally a racehorse that is not known to gamblers and difficult to place betting odds on. The Hockey News recently gave the New York Rangers 30-to-1odds on winning the Stanley Cup.

The earliest-known use of the phrase "dark horse" is in Dizzy Disraeli's novel The Young Duke (1831). The main character goes to a horse race and sees a surprise finish.

"A dark horse which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph."

Politically, the term was first applied to James K. Polk, a relatively unknown Tennessee Democrat who won the Democratic Party's 1844 presidential nomination over better-known candidates. Polk won the nomination on the ninth ballot and went on to win the presidential election.

Other famous dark horse candidates for the United States presidency include:

• Franklin Pierce, chosen as the Democratic nominee and later elected the 14th president in 1852
• Abraham Lincoln, chosen as the Republican nominee and elected as the 16th president in 1860.
• Rutherford B. Hayes elected the 19th president in 1876.
• James A. Garfield elected the 20th president in 1880.
• Warren G. Harding elected the 29th president after his surprise nomination.

More recently, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were described as dark horses. They overcame many Democratic hopefuls to win the 1992 and 2008 presidential elections.

Surprising or unlikely nominations for such prizes as the Academy Award are referred to as dark horses. For instance, Puckface is a dark horse for the Best Picture Award.

It is also used in sports other than horse racing, in connection with competitors or teams that—despite not being initial favorites—have done well and may win.

The year the Rangers rode a dark horse and almost won the Cup, they came up against Detroit's "Production Line" with Sid Abel, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.

Those three-finished 1-2-3 in scoring that year and the Red Wings finished in first place, 11 points in front of the Montreal Canadiens.

That was the year the New York Rangers goalie, Chuck Rayner, won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

New York eliminated the Canadiens while the Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Red Wings had a hard time beating the Rangers for the Cup.

Because a circus was booked into Madison Square Garden, the Rangers had only two "home games" in the final series, and both of those were played in Toronto.

The Rangers riding that dark horse included Fred Shero, Allan Stanley, Emile Francis, Edgar Laprade, Tony Leswick, Ed Slowinski, Don Raleigh, Dunc Fisher, Buddy O'Connor, Alex Kaleta, Pentti Lund, Nick Mickoski, Pat Egan, Jackie McLeod, Bud Poile, Gus Kyle, Frank Eddolis, Jean Paul Lamirande, Jack Lancien, Bing Juckes, Don Smith, Wally Stanowski, Norm "Oldie" Lowe, Jean Paul Denis, Sherman White, Doug Adam, Fern Perralut, Bill McDonagh, Billy Kyle, Jack Gordon, Jack Evans, Chick Webster, and Chuck Rayner.

Amanda Marshall sings:

"My love is riding on this dark horse baby
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
If we let this dark horse run
Stars are brighter in a desert sky
No need to wonder or to justify where this will lead

"The joy is in the ride"