Andy Aitkenhead

Andrew "Andy" Aitkenhead (born March 6, 1904 in Glasgow, Scotland - Died October 1968) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the NHL. Although born in Glasgow, Andy Aitkenhead came to Canada as a young child with his family. They eventually settled down in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Playing Career
Andy Aitkenkead played ten years in various minor leagues in Western Canada, most notably appearing in the Allan Cup playoffs in 1924 and 1926 with the Saskatoon Nationals and the Saskatoon Empires.

Aitkenhead was signed by the New York Rangers as a free agent on April 19, 1931. He made his debut for the Rangers on November 10, 1932 at the Montreal Forum against the Montreal Maroons. He won the job as starting goaltender for the Rangers from John Ross Roach. from 1932 - 1934 he served as a "solid" but rather "unspectactular" starting goalie for New York. He helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1933. However in 1935 Aitkenhead struggled and eventually lost the starting job to Dave Kerr. He played only 10 games that season. After 1935 Andy Aitkenhead was returned to the minor leagues. Aitkenhead spent 6 seasons with the Portland Buckaroos of the PCHL before retiring from hockey in 1941.

Legacy
In the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) by Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider, the authors ranked Aitkenhead No. 97 on the all-time list of New York Rangers.

Trivia

 * Wore Uniform #1 for the New York Rangers.
 * Height 5'8" Weight 150 lb.

Career Statistics
Season  Team                        Lge    GP   Min   GA  EN SO   GAA   W   L   T                                                                                       -- 1931-32 Bronx Tigers                CAHL   33     0   74   0  0  2.24  16  13   4 1932-33 New York Rangers            NHL    48  2970  107   0  3  2.16  23  17   8 1933-34 New York Rangers            NHL    48  2990  113   0  7  2.27  21  19   8 1934-35 New York Rangers            NHL    10   610   37   0  1  3.64   3   7   0

Video
Highlights of the February 22, 1934 game between the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings, won by the Rangers 3-1. Rangers second goal by #8 Cecil Dillon, assisted by #4 Vic Ripley on Detroit's Wilf Cude is shown. Rangers goalie Andy Aitkenhead plays with a hat.