Phil Esposito of the New York Rangers watches the play during NHL game (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)
What happened on April 1 in the history of the New York Rangers
April Fools’ Day 1989 was the appropriate date for the firing of Coach Michel Bergeron by New York Rangers General Manager Phil Esposito. It was the second time in three years that Esposito had fired a coach and had taken over behind the bench, but this was the craziest.
Bergeron was in his second season as Rangers coach. They had signed him away from the Quebec Nordiques, giving up cash and a first round draft pick to do it.