New York Rangers
Encyclopedia
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey
team based in the borough of Manhattan
in New York
, New York
, USA
. They are members of the Atlantic Division
of the Eastern Conference
of the National Hockey League
(NHL). Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden
, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise. They are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six
, along with the Detroit Red Wings
, Toronto Maple Leafs
, Montreal Canadiens
, Boston Bruins
, and Chicago Blackhawks
. The Rangers were the first NHL franchise in the United States to win the Stanley Cup
, which they have done four times (most recently in 1993–94
). On October 31, 2011 Jeff Woywitka and Marian Gaborik were named alternate captains with Marc Staal and Brad Richards, yet they havent made the jerseys with the "A's" on them for Gaborik and Woywitka.
, was awarded an NHL franchise for the 1926-27
season to compete with the now-defunct New York Americans
, who had begun play at the Garden the previous season. The Americans (also known as the "Amerks") proved to be an even greater success than expected during their inaugural season, leading Rickard to pursue a second team for the Garden despite promising the Amerks that they would be the only hockey team to play there. The new team was quickly nicknamed "Tex's Rangers".
Rickard's franchise begin play in the 1926–27 season. The first team crest was a horse sketched in blue carrying a cowboy waving a hockey stick aloft, before being changed to the familiar R-A-N-G-E-R-S in diagonal. Rickard managed to get future legendary Toronto Maple Leafs
owner Conn Smythe
to assemble the team. However, Smythe had a falling-out with Rickard's hockey man, Col. John S. Hammond
, and was fired as manager-coach on the eve of the first season — he was paid a then-hefty $2,500 to leave. Smythe was replaced by Pacific Coast Hockey Association
co-founder Lester Patrick
. The new team turned out to be a winner. The Rangers won the American Division title their first year but lost to the Boston Bruins
in the playoffs. The team's early success led to players becoming minor celebrities and fixtures in New York City
's Roaring 20's nightlife. It was also during this time, playing at the Garden on 48th Street, blocks away from Times Square
, that the Rangers obtained their now-famous nickname "The Broadway Blueshirts".
On December 13, 1929, the New York Rangers became the first team in the NHL to travel by plane when they hired the Curtiss-Wright Corporation to fly them to Toronto for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs
which they would lose 7-6.
three games to two. One of the most memorable stories that emerged from the Finals involved Patrick playing in goal at the age of 44. At the time, teams were not required to dress a backup goaltender
so when the Rangers' regular goaltender
, Lorne Chabot
, left a game with an eye injury
, Maroons head coach
Eddie Gerard
vetoed his original choice for a replacement (who was Alex Connell
, another NHL goalie of the old Ottawa Senators
who was in attendance for the game). An angry Patrick lined up between the pipes for two periods in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals, allowing one goal to Maroons center Nels Stewart
. Frank Boucher
would score the game-winning goal in overtime for New York.
After a loss to the Bruins in the 1928–29 finals and a few mediocre seasons in the early 1930s, the Rangers, led by brothers Bill
and Bun Cook
on the right and left wings, respectively, and Frank Boucher
at center, would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the 1932–33 best-of-five finals, three games to one, to win their second Stanley Cup, exacting revenge on the Leafs' "Kid line" of Busher Jackson
, Joe Primeau
, and Charlie Conacher
. The Rangers would spend the rest of the 1930s playing close to 0.500 hockey until their next Cup win. Lester Patrick stepped down as head coach and was replaced by Frank Boucher.
The Rangers would collapse by the mid-1940s, losing games by as much as 15–0 and having one goaltender with a 6.20 goals-against average. They would miss the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before squeaking into the fourth and final playoff spot in 1948. They lost in the first round and would miss the playoffs again in 1948–49 NHL season. In the 1950 Stanley Cup Finals
, the Rangers were forced to play all of their games on the road (home games in Toronto) while the circus was at the Garden. They would eventually lose to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in the seventh game of the finals, despite a stellar first-round performance as underdogs to the Montreal Canadiens.
During this time, Red Wings owner James E. Norris became the largest stockholder in the Garden. However, he did not buy controlling interest in the arena, which would have violated the NHL's rule against one person owning more than one team. Nonetheless, he had enough support on the board to exercise de facto control.
The Rangers remained a mark of futility in the NHL for most of the remainder of the Original Six
era, missing the playoffs in 12 of the next 16 years. However, the team was rejuvenated in the late 1960s, symbolized by moving into fourth version of Madison Square Garden
in 1968. A year earlier, they made the playoffs for the first time in five years on the strength of rookie goaltender Eddie Giacomin
and acquired 1950s Montreal Canadiens
star right wing Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion
.
The Rangers made the Finals twice in the 1970s, but lost both times to two '70s powerhouses; in six games to the Boston Bruins
in , who were led by such stars as Bobby Orr
, Phil Esposito
, Ken Hodge
, Johnny Bucyk
, and Wayne Cashman
; and in five games to the Canadiens in , who had Bob Gainey
, Guy Lafleur
, Larry Robinson
, Ken Dryden
, Guy Lapointe
, and Serge Savard
. This time the Rangers had Esposito, but it did not matter, as the Canadiens were dominant.
By , the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Finals despite losing high-scoring center Jean Ratelle
(who had been on pace over Bruin Phil Esposito
to become the first Ranger since Bryan Hextall
in 1942 to lead the NHL in scoring) to injury during the stretch drive of the regular season. The strength of players like Brad Park
, Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield
and Rod Gilbert
(the last three constructing the famed GAG line meaning "goal-a-game") would still carry them through the playoffs. They would defeat the defending-champion Canadiens in the first round and the Chicago Blackhawks
in the second, but lost to the Bruins in the finals.
The Rangers played a legendary semifinal series against the Philadelphia Flyers
in the 1973–74 playoffs, losing in 7 games and becoming the first of the "Original Six" to lose a playoff series to an 1967 expansion team. This series was noted for a game seven fight between Dale Rolfe
of the Rangers and Dave Schultz of the Flyers. Schultz pummeled Rolfe without anyone on the Rangers lifting a finger to protect him (the GAG line was on the ice at the time). This led to the belief that the Rangers of that period were soft, especially when taking into account the bullying endured by the Rangers during the 1972 finals. One example is Gilbert's beating at the hands of Derek Sanderson
of the Bruins.
Their new rivals, the New York Islanders
, who entered the league in 1972 after paying a huge territorial fee — some $4 million — to the Rangers, were their first-round opponent in 1975. After splitting the first two games, the Islanders defeated the more-established Rangers eleven seconds into overtime of the deciding game three, establishing a rivalry that continued to grow for years.
After some off years in the mid-to-late 1970s, they picked up Esposito and Carol Vadnais
from the Bruins for Park, Ratelle, and Joe Zanussi
in 1975. Swedish stars Anders Hedberg
and Ulf Nilsson jumped to the Rangers from the maverick World Hockey Association
. And in 1979 they defeated the surging Islanders in the semi-finals and would return to the finals again before bowing out to the Canadiens. The Islanders got their revenge, however, eliminating the Rangers in four consecutive playoff series starting in 1981 en route to their second of four consecutive Stanley Cup
titles.
The Rangers stayed competitive through the 1980s and early 1990s, making the playoffs each year except for one but never going very far. An exception was 1985–86, when the Rangers, behind rookie goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck
, upended the Patrick Division
-winning Flyers in five games followed by a six-game win over the Washington Capitals
in the Patrick Division Finals. Montreal disposed of the Rangers in the Wales Conference Finals behind a rookie goaltender of their own, Patrick Roy
. The Rangers then acquired superstar center Marcel Dionne
after almost 12 years as a Los Angeles King
the next year. In 1988, Dionne moved into third place in career goals scored (since bettered by Brett Hull
). But Dionne's always-churning legs started to slow the next year, thereby ensuring that his goals came further and further apart. "Because you love the game so much, you think it will never end", said Dionne, who spent nine games in the minors before retiring in 1989. He would only play 49 playoff games in 17 seasons with the Rangers, Kings, and Detroit Red Wings
.
The many playoff failures convinced Rangers fans that this was a manifestation of the Curse of 1940
, which is said to either have begun when the Rangers management burnt the mortgage to Madison Square Garden
in the bowl of the Stanley Cup after the 1940 victory or by Red Dutton
following the collapse of the New York Americans
franchise. In the early 1980s, Islander fans began chanting "1940!" to taunt the Rangers. Fans in other cities soon picked up the chant.
Frustration was at its peak when the squad captured the Presidents' Trophy
. They took a 2–1 series lead on the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins
and then faltered in three straight (most observers note a Ron Francis
slapshot from the blue line that eluded Mike Richter as the series' turning point). The following year, injuries and a 1–11 finish landed the Rangers in the cellar of the Patrick Division after being in a playoff position for much of the season. Coach Roger Neilson
did not finish the season. The off-season hiring of controversial head coach Mike Keenan
was criticized by many who pointed out Keenan's 0–3 record in the finals.
During this period, the Rangers were owned by Gulf+Western
, which was renamed to Paramount Communications in 1989, and sold to Viacom
in 1994. Viacom then sold the team to ITT Corporation
and Cablevision, and a couple of years later, ITT sold their ownership stake to Cablevision, who owned the team until 2010, when they spun off the MSG properties as their own company.
(now with the Rangers as special assistant to president and general manager), who was a part of the Edmonton Oilers
' Cup-winning teams. Adam Graves
, who also came from the Oilers, joined the Rangers as well. Other ex-Oilers on the Rangers included Esa Tikkanen
and trade deadline acquisitions Oilers Captain Craig MacTavish
and Glenn Anderson
from the Toronto Maple Leafs
. Graves would set a team record with 52 goals, breaking the old record of 50 held by Vic Hadfield
. This record would later be broken by Jaromir Jagr
on April 8, 2006, against the Boston Bruins
.
The Rangers clinched the Presidents' Trophy
by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a franchise record with 112 points. Their winning of the inaugural Atlantic Division
title was only one of two times that the division title wasn't won by two of their biggest rivals, the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers
.
The Rangers successfully made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping the New York Islanders
, who were seeded eighth in the first round, and then breezed by the Washington Capitals
, seeded seventh, in five. However, things got interesting in the Conference Finals against the third-seeded Devils
. The Rangers lost the series opener at home in double overtime, but won the next two games before the Devils beat the New York offense and defeated them 3-1 and 4-1. The series headed back to the Meadowlands for the next game, but the day before that sixth game, Rangers' captain Mark Messier stepped up and guaranteed a win. Keenan said of the guarantee:
In that sixth game, Messier rose to the occasion and scored three times in the final period to lead the Rangers to a 4-2 win and set up a seventh game back at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won game seven 2-1, when Stephane Matteau
scored a goal in double overtime, leading the team to the finals for the first time since .
Up against the Vancouver Canucks
, the Cinderella
team from the west, the Rangers again lost the series opener at home in overtime. Brian Leetch
hit the crossbar at one end, and the Canucks going down to score the winner at the other on a shot from Greg Adams. The Rangers to bounced back and they won the next three games, allowing the Canucks just four goals. That set the stage for a game-five Stanley Cup celebration at home, the first time the team had ever been in a position to win a Cup at the Garden.
That night, the Canucks were leading 3-0 by the third minute of the third period. Even though the Rangers pulled even by the midway point, Vancouver took the lead 29 seconds later and cruised to a 6-3 win. New York's parade hopes were given another jolt two nights later when the Canucks put together a 4-1 win. Keenan said of playing game seven:
Entering Game 7, Keenan became the first head coach in Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, having been with the Flyers
when they lost to the Oilers in . Mike Babcock
would join him in this feat in while with the Detroit Red Wings
, having been with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
when they lost to the Devils in (the home team won all seven games of the series).
The seventh game was a classic. The Rangers took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Leetch and Graves, but Vancouver captain Trevor Linden
scored short-handed to cut the lead. Messier scored later on a power play to put the Rangers up 3-1. Linden scored a power play goal early in the third, but the Rangers managed to hang on, 3-2, as the Garden erupted in cheers and tears. Mark Messier provided two of the most memorable images of that Stanley Cup Finals that would become iconic images to the Rangers and their fans and in all of hockey: first, jumping up and down like a little kid with overwhelming emotion as ticker tape fell, then, showing incredible emotion as he accepted the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
, as he became the first (and to this date, the only) player to captain two teams to the Stanley Cup, having been with the Oilers in . This image was taken by George Kalinsky
, photographer at Madison Square Garden, and were captured on film.
Leetch became the first American
-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy
, the first non-Canadian to win it, and Keenan avoided being the first coach to lose Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals with two teams. However, this unfortunate fate would befall Babcock in 2009 when the Red Wings lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins
, in-state rivals of the Flyers.
The Rangers winning this Stanley Cup was the highest-rated single CBC Sports
program in history to that point (Now that distinction belongs to the men's ice hockey gold medal game
between Canada and the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics
, when Canada won its first Olympic ice hockey gold medal since the 1952 Winter Olympics
). CBC
commentator Bob Cole
said that Game 7 was one of his most memorable TV games.
Despite having coached the Rangers to a regular season first place finish and the Stanley Cup, head coach Mike Keenan left after a dispute with General Manager Neil Smith. During the 1994–95 lockout-shortened season, the Rangers struggled to find their form and lost in the second round of the playoffs. They snuck in with the eighth seed and defeated Quebec in the first round, but were swept by Philadelphia in the second round. Succeeding Rangers coach Colin Campbell orchestrated a deal that sent Sergei Zubov and center Petr Nedved
to Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman Ulf Samuelsson
and left winger Luc Robitaille
in the summer of 1995.
The Rangers landed an aging Wayne Gretzky
in 1996, but even with The Great One, they would fizzle out. Their 1994 stars were aging and many retired or dropped off in performance. Gretzky's greatest accomplishment was leading them to the 1997 Eastern Conference finals, where they lost 4–1 to the Eric Lindros
-led Philadelphia Flyers. Messier, a former Oiler teammate of Gretzky's, left in the summer of 1997 and the team failed in a bid to replace him with Colorado Avalanche
superstar Joe Sakic
, the Rangers began a streak of seven seasons without making the playoffs, despite routinely having the highest payroll in the league.
In March 2000, Smith was fired along with head coach John Muckler
, and, that summer, James Dolan hired Glen Sather
to replace him. By the end of the 2000–01 season, the Rangers had landed a lot of star power. Mark Messier had returned to New York, Theoren Fleury
joined the Rangers after spending most of his career with the Calgary Flames
, and Eric Lindros
was traded to the Rangers from the Philadelphia Flyers
. The Rangers also acquired Pavel Bure
late in the 2001–02 season from the Florida Panthers
. It was the rookie season of goalie Dan Blackburn
, who made the NHL All-Rookie Team
even as the Rangers fell back to last place in the conference. Despite these high-priced acquisitions the Rangers still finished out of the playoffs. Later years saw other stars such as Alexei Kovalev
, Jaromir Jagr
, Martin Rucinsky
and Bobby Holik
added, but in 2002–03 and 2003–04, the team again missed the playoffs. Blackburn started strongly in 2002–03, but burned out after 17 games. He missed 2003–04 due to mononucleosis
and a damaged nerve in his left shoulder
. Blackburn could not rehabilitate the damaged nerve, and was forced to retire at age 22.
, moved away from high-priced veterans towards a group of talented young players, such as Petr Prucha
, Dominic Moore
, and Blair Betts
. However, the focus of the team remained on veteran superstar Jaromir Jagr
. The Rangers were expected to struggle during the 2005–06 season for their eighth consecutive season out of the postseason. For example, Sports Illustrated
declared them the worst team in the league in their season preview, but behind stellar performances by Swedish rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist
, Martin Straka
, Prucha, and Jagr, the Rangers finished the season with their best record since 1993–94 (44–26–12).
Jaromir Jagr broke the Rangers' single-season points record with a first-period assist in a 5–1 win against the New York Islanders
on March 29, 2006. The assist gave him 110 points on the season, breaking Jean Ratelle
's record. Less than two weeks later, on April 8, Jagr scored his 53rd goal of the season against the Boston Bruins
, breaking the club record previously held by Adam Graves
. Two games prior, on April 4, the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers
3-2, in a shootout, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 1996–97 season. On April 18, the Rangers lost to the Ottawa Senators
5–1, and, due to wins by division rivals New Jersey Devils
and Philadelphia Flyers
, the Rangers fell back to third place in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference
to end the season. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
the Rangers drew a matchup with the Devils and were defeated in a four-game sweep. In the process they were outscored 17–4, as New Jersey net-minder Martin Brodeur
took two shutouts and a 1.00 goals-against average to Lundqvist's 4.25. In the first game of the series Jagr suffered an undisclosed injury to his left shoulder, diminishing his usefulness as the series went on. Jagr missed game two of the series and was back in the lineup for game three. He was held to one shot on goal. On his first shift of game four, Jagr re-injured his shoulder and was unable to return.
Jagr fell two points short of winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy
as scoring champion in 2005–06 (the San Jose Sharks
' Joe Thornton
claimed the award, his first, with 125 points), but Jagr did win his third Pearson Award as the players' choice for the most outstanding player. He has thus tied Guy Lafleur
in third, and needs one more to tie his ex-centerman, Mario Lemieux
, in second and two more to tie Wayne Gretzky
in first for times receiving the Pearson Award. On opening night of the 2006–07 season, Jagr was named the first team captain since Messier's retirement.
With the Rangers doing so well in 2005–06, expectations were raised for the 2006–07 season, evidenced by Sports Illustrated
then predicting the Rangers would finish first in their division. Realizing that the team had trouble scoring goals in the 2005–06 campaign, the Rangers went out and signed long-time Red Wing
Brendan Shanahan
to a one-year contract. However, the organization remained committed to its rebuilding program despite the signing of the 37-year-old left winger.
Though the Rangers started a bit slow in the first half of the 2006–07 season, the second half was dominated by the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. The acquisition of Sean Avery
brought new life to the team, and the Rangers finished ahead of Tampa Bay
and the Islanders
to face Atlanta
in the first round of the playoffs
. The Rangers swept the series thanks to play from all around the ice. However, the Rangers lost the next round to Buffalo
four games to two.
At the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
, the Rangers chose Alexei Cherepanov
17th overall. Cherepanov had been ranked by Central Scouting as the number one European skater and was considered to be a top five pick leading up to the draft, but fell due to teams being unsure whether he would ever come to the NHL from Russia. The 2007 free agency season started with a bang for the Rangers signing two high profile centerman, Scott Gomez
from the New Jersey Devils for a seven-year, $51.5 million dollar contract as well as Chris Drury
from the Buffalo Sabres for a five-year deal worth $32.25 million. The moves, along with retaining most other key players, have been met favorably as the Rangers appeared to be strong Stanley Cup contenders, making the playoffs for the third consecutive season and the second round for the second season in a row. Despite these streaks, the Rangers failed to meet expectations as they lost their second round series 4–1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins
.
The New York Rangers were one of four NHL teams to open their 2008–09 season in Europe, being featured in the Victoria Cup final, defeating the European Champions Cup winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk, in Bern, Switzerland. The Rangers followed by playing two NHL regular-season games against the Tampa Bay Lightning
team in Prague
on October 4 and October 5, winning both games 2-1. A successful early start was tempered with the news of the death of 2007 first round draft choice
Alexei Cherepanov
on October 13, 2008. After a disappointing 2nd half of the season, coach Tom Renney was fired and John Tortorella
named as his replacement. The Rangers made the playoffs, but lost their opening round series to the Washington Capitals
four games to three after having a 3-1 lead and a chance to close the series.
In the 2009-2010 season, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. There was some criticism that the off-season acquisition of superstar Marian Gaborik
amongst other top tier players had not paid off. Gaborik, however, scored 42 goals in the season. In spite of an impressive start (8-2), the Rangers appeared to play inconsistently with numerous losing streaks. By March 2010, the Rangers were in danger of falling out of the playoff race entirely, but they registered a respectable 7-1-2 record to finish the season. The final 2 games of the season were a home and home versus the Philadelphia Flyers
. The first was April 9, 2010 in New York. The Rangers skated away with the victory keeping their hopes alive. The final game of the season would become the deciding game to see who would make the playoffs. The Flyers peppered the Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist with 47 shots, but only scored once. The game would then go into a shootout seeing the Flyers prevail to move on to the post season, despite a strong finish to the season by the Rangers.
For the 2010-2011 season, the Rangers waived Wade Redden and brought in several players to get more balanced scoring. They wore a third jersey for the first time in several years. On Friday, November 12 the Rangers unveiled the new Heritage Jersey for the first time at the rink at Rockefeller Center in a special ceremony. The event featured Rangers alumni and current players discussing the history of the storied franchise. The club wore the jersey for the first time on Wednesday, November 17 when they played the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. The jersey will be worn every time the Rangers play an Original Six team or on a Sunday afternoon game at home. The Rangers' fate of making or missing the playoffs would come down to the final day of the regular season for the second straight year. The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils on the final day of the season to finish with 93 points. In order to qualify for the playoffs, they would need the Carolina Hurricanes to lose their final game of the season as Carolina owned the tiebreaker had both teams finished with the same number of points. Carolina lost its final game to Tampa Bay by a 6-2 score, putting the Rangers in the playoffs after missing them in 2010. The Rangers would go on to face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. After blowing a 3-0 third period lead in game 4 with Washington ahead in the best of seven series 2-1, the Rangers would go on to lose the series in 5 games. It was the second time in three years that the Capitals eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs.
On May 13, 2011, Derek Boogaard
, a player whom the Rangers signed for four years, was found dead in his Minnesota
apartment. On July 2, 2011, Brad Richards
, a free agent who had played with the Dallas Stars
during the prior season, signed a nine-year, $60 million contract to play for the Rangers.
On September 12th, 2011, Ryan Callahan
was named the 26th Captain in New York Rangers history. He is the 5th youngest captain in team history. Brad Richards
and Marc Staal
were named Alternate Captains on the same day.
Records as of April 10, 2011
Builders
Broadcasters (Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
)
(2005–06) — 123 Goals: Jaromir Jagr
(2005–06) — 54 Assists: Brian Leetch
(1991–92) — 80 Points by a defenseman: Brian Leetch
(1991–92) — 102 Points by a rookie: Mark Pavelich
(1981–82) — 76 Goals by a rookie: Tony Granato
(1988–89) — 36 Power play goals: Jaromir Jagr
(2005–06) — 24 Game-winning goals: Jaromir Jagr
(2005–06), Mark Messier
(1996–97) and Don Murdoch
(1980–81) — 9 Shots on goal: Jaromir Jagr
(2005–06) — 368 Penalty minutes: Troy Mallette
(1989–90) — 305 Goaltending wins: Mike Richter
(1993–94) — 42 Goaltending wins by a rookie: Henrik Lundqvist
(2005–06) — 30
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Rangers player
, who was named on June 1, 2000. He had previously been the General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers
, a title he had held since 1979.
, who was named head coach of the Rangers on February 23, 2009, replacing Tom Renney
, who was fired earlier that day. On March 17, he became the American-born coach with the most wins in NHL history, surpassing Peter Laviolette
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in the borough of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are members of the Atlantic Division
Atlantic Division (NHL)
The NHL's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division. It is the only division in the NHL where all of its current members have won the Stanley Cup at least twice, though only three teams have won...
of the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise. They are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
, along with the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, and Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. The Rangers were the first NHL franchise in the United States to win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, which they have done four times (most recently in 1993–94
1994 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...
). On October 31, 2011 Jeff Woywitka and Marian Gaborik were named alternate captains with Marc Staal and Brad Richards, yet they havent made the jerseys with the "A's" on them for Gaborik and Woywitka.
Early years
George Lewis "Tex" Rickard, president of Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden (1925)
Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena in New York City, the third of that name. It was built in 1925 and closed in 1968, and was located on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan on the site of the city's trolley car barns. It was the first Garden that was not located near...
, was awarded an NHL franchise for the 1926-27
1926-27 NHL season
-Stanley Cup Final:Cy Denneny led the Senators with four of the team's seven total goals. He scored the game-winning goals in both victories.Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa SenatorsOttawa wins best-of-five series 2–0–2-NHL awards:...
season to compete with the now-defunct New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
, who had begun play at the Garden the previous season. The Americans (also known as the "Amerks") proved to be an even greater success than expected during their inaugural season, leading Rickard to pursue a second team for the Garden despite promising the Amerks that they would be the only hockey team to play there. The new team was quickly nicknamed "Tex's Rangers".
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
owner Conn Smythe
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe MC was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1927 to 1961 and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens...
to assemble the team. However, Smythe had a falling-out with Rickard's hockey man, Col. John S. Hammond
John S. Hammond
Col. John S. Hammond was an original sponsor and the first president of the New York Rangers franchise in the National Hockey League .-References:...
, and was fired as manager-coach on the eve of the first season — he was paid a then-hefty $2,500 to leave. Smythe was replaced by Pacific Coast Hockey Association
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
co-founder Lester Patrick
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
. The new team turned out to be a winner. The Rangers won the American Division title their first year but lost to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in the playoffs. The team's early success led to players becoming minor celebrities and fixtures in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Roaring 20's nightlife. It was also during this time, playing at the Garden on 48th Street, blocks away from Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, that the Rangers obtained their now-famous nickname "The Broadway Blueshirts".
On December 13, 1929, the New York Rangers became the first team in the NHL to travel by plane when they hired the Curtiss-Wright Corporation to fly them to Toronto for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
which they would lose 7-6.
1927–28 Stanley Cup
In only their second season, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal MaroonsMontreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
three games to two. One of the most memorable stories that emerged from the Finals involved Patrick playing in goal at the age of 44. At the time, teams were not required to dress a backup goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
so when the Rangers' regular goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
, Lorne Chabot
Lorne Chabot
Lorne "Chabotsky" Chabot was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender.-Playing career:Lorne played in the National Hockey League from 1926 to 1937. During this time, he played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Montreal Maroons, and New York Americans...
, left a game with an eye injury
Eye injury
Physical or chemical injuries of the eye can be a serious threat to vision if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. The most obvious presentation of ocular injuries is redness and pain of the affected eyes. This is not, however, universally true, as tiny metallic projectiles may cause...
, Maroons head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Eddie Gerard
Eddie Gerard
Edward George Gerard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators and was member of several Stanley Cup-winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923...
vetoed his original choice for a replacement (who was Alex Connell
Alex Connell
Alec Connell was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, New York Americans and Montreal Maroons teams in the National Hockey League...
, another NHL goalie of the old Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
who was in attendance for the game). An angry Patrick lined up between the pipes for two periods in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals, allowing one goal to Maroons center Nels Stewart
Nels Stewart
Robert Nelson "Old Poison" Stewart was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
. Frank Boucher
Frank Boucher
François-Xavier "Raffles" Boucher was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and the Vancouver Maroons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association...
would score the game-winning goal in overtime for New York.
1932–33 Stanley Cup
Bill Cook
William Osser Xavier Cook was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and Saskatoon Crescents in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association....
and Bun Cook
Bun Cook
Frederick Joseph "Bun" Cook was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Saskatoon Crescents in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.Cook was part of the Bread Line with his brother Bill Cook and Frank...
on the right and left wings, respectively, and Frank Boucher
Frank Boucher
François-Xavier "Raffles" Boucher was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and the Vancouver Maroons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association...
at center, would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1932–33 best-of-five finals, three games to one, to win their second Stanley Cup, exacting revenge on the Leafs' "Kid line" of Busher Jackson
Busher Jackson
Harvey "Busher" Jackson was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and defenceman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New York Americans in the National Hockey League....
, Joe Primeau
Joe Primeau
Alfred Joseph Francis "Gentleman Joe" Primeau , was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.-Playing career:...
, and Charlie Conacher
Charlie Conacher
Charles William "The Big Bomber" Conacher, Sr. was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and New York Americans in the National Hockey League. An early power forward, Conacher was nicknamed "The Big Bomber," for his size, powerful...
. The Rangers would spend the rest of the 1930s playing close to 0.500 hockey until their next Cup win. Lester Patrick stepped down as head coach and was replaced by Frank Boucher.
1939–40 Stanley Cup
In 1939–40 NHL season, the Rangers finished the regular season in second place behind the Boston Bruins. The two teams would meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins gained a two-games-to-one series lead from the Rangers until they recovered to win three straight games, defeating the first-place Bruins four games to two. The Rangers' first-round victory gave them a bye until the finals. The Detroit Red Wings disposed of the New York Americans in their first round best-of-three series two games to one (even as the Americans had analytical and notorious ex-Bruins star Eddie Shore) and the Toronto Maple Leafs ousted the Chicago Black Hawks two games to none. The Maple Leafs and Red Wings would play a best-of-three series to determine who would go on to play the Rangers in the Cup Finals. The Maple Leafs swept the Red Wings and the Finals match-up was determined. The 1940 Stanley Cup Finals started in Madison Square Garden in New York. The first two games went to the Rangers. In game one the Rangers needed overtime to gain a 1–0 series lead, but they won game two more easily with a 6–2 victory. The series then headed to Toronto where the Maple Leafs won the next two games, tying the series 2–2. In games five and six, the Rangers won in overtime, taking the series four games to two to earn their third Stanley Cup.The Rangers would collapse by the mid-1940s, losing games by as much as 15–0 and having one goaltender with a 6.20 goals-against average. They would miss the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before squeaking into the fourth and final playoff spot in 1948. They lost in the first round and would miss the playoffs again in 1948–49 NHL season. In the 1950 Stanley Cup Finals
1950 Stanley Cup Finals
-References:...
, the Rangers were forced to play all of their games on the road (home games in Toronto) while the circus was at the Garden. They would eventually lose to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in the seventh game of the finals, despite a stellar first-round performance as underdogs to the Montreal Canadiens.
During this time, Red Wings owner James E. Norris became the largest stockholder in the Garden. However, he did not buy controlling interest in the arena, which would have violated the NHL's rule against one person owning more than one team. Nonetheless, he had enough support on the board to exercise de facto control.
The post-Original Six era
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
era, missing the playoffs in 12 of the next 16 years. However, the team was rejuvenated in the late 1960s, symbolized by moving into fourth version of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in 1968. A year earlier, they made the playoffs for the first time in five years on the strength of rookie goaltender Eddie Giacomin
Eddie Giacomin
Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League, as well as for the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident,...
and acquired 1950s Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
star right wing Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion
Bernie Geoffrion
Joseph André Bernard Geoffrion , nicknamed Boom Boom, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered as one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 following a 16-year career with the Montreal Canadiens and New York...
.
The Rangers made the Finals twice in the 1970s, but lost both times to two '70s powerhouses; in six games to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in , who were led by such stars as Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
, Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
, Ken Hodge
Ken Hodge
Kenneth Raymond Hodge, Sr. is a retired hockey player for the NHL Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers.-Playing career:...
, Johnny Bucyk
Johnny Bucyk
John Paul "Chief" Bucyk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Having played most of his career with the Boston Bruins, he has been associated in one capacity or another with the Bruins' organization since the late 1950s.-Early life:Bucyk...
, and Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach.-Playing career:Cashman played his junior hockey as a teammate of Bobby Orr's on the Oshawa Generals of the OHA...
; and in five games to the Canadiens in , who had Bob Gainey
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael "Le Capitaine" Gainey is the former executive vice president and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a former professional ice hockey player who played for the Canadiens from 1973 until 1989...
, Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
, Larry Robinson
Larry Robinson
Larry Clark Robinson is a former ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. Robinson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and is currently the defensive coach for the New Jersey Devils...
, Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
, Guy Lapointe
Guy Lapointe
Guy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
, and Serge Savard
Serge Savard
Serge Aubrey "The Senator" Savard, OC, CQ is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a local businessman in Montreal, and is nicknamed the Senator.-Playing career:Savard played minor league hockey with the...
. This time the Rangers had Esposito, but it did not matter, as the Canadiens were dominant.
By , the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Finals despite losing high-scoring center Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
(who had been on pace over Bruin Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
to become the first Ranger since Bryan Hextall
Bryan Hextall
Bryan Aldwyn Hextall was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League . Considered one of the top wingers of the 1940s, he led the NHL in goal scoring twice and in points once...
in 1942 to lead the NHL in scoring) to injury during the stretch drive of the regular season. The strength of players like Brad Park
Brad Park
Douglas Bradford Park is a retired ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings...
, Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
and Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle...
(the last three constructing the famed GAG line meaning "goal-a-game") would still carry them through the playoffs. They would defeat the defending-champion Canadiens in the first round and the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
in the second, but lost to the Bruins in the finals.
The Rangers played a legendary semifinal series against the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1973–74 playoffs, losing in 7 games and becoming the first of the "Original Six" to lose a playoff series to an 1967 expansion team. This series was noted for a game seven fight between Dale Rolfe
Dale Rolfe
Dale Roland Carl Rolfe is a former ice hockey defenceman. He spent his junior career with the Barrie Flyers through the 1956–57 and 1959–60 seasons...
of the Rangers and Dave Schultz of the Flyers. Schultz pummeled Rolfe without anyone on the Rangers lifting a finger to protect him (the GAG line was on the ice at the time). This led to the belief that the Rangers of that period were soft, especially when taking into account the bullying endured by the Rangers during the 1972 finals. One example is Gilbert's beating at the hands of Derek Sanderson
Derek Sanderson
Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....
of the Bruins.
Their new rivals, the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, who entered the league in 1972 after paying a huge territorial fee — some $4 million — to the Rangers, were their first-round opponent in 1975. After splitting the first two games, the Islanders defeated the more-established Rangers eleven seconds into overtime of the deciding game three, establishing a rivalry that continued to grow for years.
After some off years in the mid-to-late 1970s, they picked up Esposito and Carol Vadnais
Carol Vadnais
Carol Marcel Vadnais is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1966–67 until 1982–83...
from the Bruins for Park, Ratelle, and Joe Zanussi
Joe Zanussi
Joseph Lawrence Zanussi is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 149 games in the World Hockey Association and 87 games in the National Hockey League...
in 1975. Swedish stars Anders Hedberg
Anders Hedberg
Anders Hedberg is a retired former professional ice hockey player who was one of the first European-born players to make an impact in North America...
and Ulf Nilsson jumped to the Rangers from the maverick World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. And in 1979 they defeated the surging Islanders in the semi-finals and would return to the finals again before bowing out to the Canadiens. The Islanders got their revenge, however, eliminating the Rangers in four consecutive playoff series starting in 1981 en route to their second of four consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
titles.
The Rangers stayed competitive through the 1980s and early 1990s, making the playoffs each year except for one but never going very far. An exception was 1985–86, when the Rangers, behind rookie goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck
John Vanbiesbrouck
John "Beezer" Vanbiesbrouck is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender, who was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils...
, upended the Patrick Division
Patrick Division
The Patrick Division of the National Hockey League was formed in 1974 as part of the Clarence Campbell Conference. The division moved to the Prince of Wales Conference in 1981. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honor of Lester Patrick...
-winning Flyers in five games followed by a six-game win over the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
in the Patrick Division Finals. Montreal disposed of the Rangers in the Wales Conference Finals behind a rookie goaltender of their own, Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy
Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...
. The Rangers then acquired superstar center Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Elphege "Little Beaver" Dionne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers...
after almost 12 years as a Los Angeles King
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
the next year. In 1988, Dionne moved into third place in career goals scored (since bettered by Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
). But Dionne's always-churning legs started to slow the next year, thereby ensuring that his goals came further and further apart. "Because you love the game so much, you think it will never end", said Dionne, who spent nine games in the minors before retiring in 1989. He would only play 49 playoff games in 17 seasons with the Rangers, Kings, and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
.
The many playoff failures convinced Rangers fans that this was a manifestation of the Curse of 1940
Curse of 1940
The Curse of 1940, also called Dutton's Curse, was a superstitious explanation for why the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League did not win the league's championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, from 1940 to 1994.-Popular theories:...
, which is said to either have begun when the Rangers management burnt the mortgage to Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in the bowl of the Stanley Cup after the 1940 victory or by Red Dutton
Red Dutton
Norman Alexander "Mervyn" "Red" Dutton was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans of the National Hockey League...
following the collapse of the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
franchise. In the early 1980s, Islander fans began chanting "1940!" to taunt the Rangers. Fans in other cities soon picked up the chant.
Frustration was at its peak when the squad captured the Presidents' Trophy
Presidents' Trophy
The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The winning team is also awarded C$350,000...
. They took a 2–1 series lead on the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and then faltered in three straight (most observers note a Ron Francis
Ron Francis
Ronald Michael Francis, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs...
slapshot from the blue line that eluded Mike Richter as the series' turning point). The following year, injuries and a 1–11 finish landed the Rangers in the cellar of the Patrick Division after being in a playoff position for much of the season. Coach Roger Neilson
Roger Neilson
Roger Paul Neilson, CM was a National Hockey League coach, and was responsible for many innovations in the game...
did not finish the season. The off-season hiring of controversial head coach Mike Keenan
Mike Keenan
Michael Edward Keenan is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Calgary Flames, and former General Manager of the Florida Panthers. He is currently working as an analyst for the New York Rangers on MSG Network.Keenan was a player for the St...
was criticized by many who pointed out Keenan's 0–3 record in the finals.
During this period, the Rangers were owned by Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
, which was renamed to Paramount Communications in 1989, and sold to Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
in 1994. Viacom then sold the team to ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
and Cablevision, and a couple of years later, ITT sold their ownership stake to Cablevision, who owned the team until 2010, when they spun off the MSG properties as their own company.
1993–94 Stanley Cup: the ending of the curse
The 1993–94 season was a successful one for Rangers fans, as Mike Keenan led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years. Two years prior, they picked up center Mark MessierMark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
(now with the Rangers as special assistant to president and general manager), who was a part of the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
' Cup-winning teams. Adam Graves
Adam Graves
Adam Graves is a former professional hockey player. He is best-known for his ten-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks...
, who also came from the Oilers, joined the Rangers as well. Other ex-Oilers on the Rangers included Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, St...
and trade deadline acquisitions Oilers Captain Craig MacTavish
Craig MacTavish
Craig "MacT" MacTavish is the current head coach of the American Hockey League Chicago Wolves and a former ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He played centre for 19 NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis...
and Glenn Anderson
Glenn Anderson
Glenn Christopher Anderson is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger in the National Hockey League who played for the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues...
from the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Graves would set a team record with 52 goals, breaking the old record of 50 held by Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
. This record would later be broken by Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
on April 8, 2006, against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
.
The Rangers clinched the Presidents' Trophy
Presidents' Trophy
The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The winning team is also awarded C$350,000...
by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a franchise record with 112 points. Their winning of the inaugural Atlantic Division
Atlantic Division (NHL)
The NHL's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division. It is the only division in the NHL where all of its current members have won the Stanley Cup at least twice, though only three teams have won...
title was only one of two times that the division title wasn't won by two of their biggest rivals, the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers
Devils–Flyers rivalry
The rivalry between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League is a rivalry between two teams in the Atlantic Division...
.
The Rangers successfully made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, who were seeded eighth in the first round, and then breezed by the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, seeded seventh, in five. However, things got interesting in the Conference Finals against the third-seeded Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Rangers lost the series opener at home in double overtime, but won the next two games before the Devils beat the New York offense and defeated them 3-1 and 4-1. The series headed back to the Meadowlands for the next game, but the day before that sixth game, Rangers' captain Mark Messier stepped up and guaranteed a win. Keenan said of the guarantee:
In that sixth game, Messier rose to the occasion and scored three times in the final period to lead the Rangers to a 4-2 win and set up a seventh game back at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won game seven 2-1, when Stephane Matteau
Stephane Matteau
Stéphane Matteau is a former National Hockey League player.As a member of the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship team, Matteau is most remembered for scoring two overtime goals in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils...
scored a goal in double overtime, leading the team to the finals for the first time since .
Up against the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
, the Cinderella
Cinderella (sports)
In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...
team from the west, the Rangers again lost the series opener at home in overtime. Brian Leetch
Brian Leetch
Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
hit the crossbar at one end, and the Canucks going down to score the winner at the other on a shot from Greg Adams. The Rangers to bounced back and they won the next three games, allowing the Canucks just four goals. That set the stage for a game-five Stanley Cup celebration at home, the first time the team had ever been in a position to win a Cup at the Garden.
That night, the Canucks were leading 3-0 by the third minute of the third period. Even though the Rangers pulled even by the midway point, Vancouver took the lead 29 seconds later and cruised to a 6-3 win. New York's parade hopes were given another jolt two nights later when the Canucks put together a 4-1 win. Keenan said of playing game seven:
Entering Game 7, Keenan became the first head coach in Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, having been with the Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
when they lost to the Oilers in . Mike Babcock
Mike Babcock
Michael "Mike" Babcock, Jr. is a Canadian professional ice hockey head coach of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and former player. He serves as head coach of the Red Wings. He also served as the head coach of Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver...
would join him in this feat in while with the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, having been with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
when they lost to the Devils in (the home team won all seven games of the series).
The seventh game was a classic. The Rangers took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Leetch and Graves, but Vancouver captain Trevor Linden
Trevor Linden
Trevor John Linden, C.M., O.B.C. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre and right wing with four different teams: the Vancouver Canucks , New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals...
scored short-handed to cut the lead. Messier scored later on a power play to put the Rangers up 3-1. Linden scored a power play goal early in the third, but the Rangers managed to hang on, 3-2, as the Garden erupted in cheers and tears. Mark Messier provided two of the most memorable images of that Stanley Cup Finals that would become iconic images to the Rangers and their fans and in all of hockey: first, jumping up and down like a little kid with overwhelming emotion as ticker tape fell, then, showing incredible emotion as he accepted the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League , a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association...
, as he became the first (and to this date, the only) player to captain two teams to the Stanley Cup, having been with the Oilers in . This image was taken by George Kalinsky
George Kalinsky
George Kalinsky is a world-renowned, award-winning photographer. He has been the official photographer for Madison Square Garden since 1966 and also serves as the official photographer at Radio City Music Hall. Throughout his career, Kalinsky has captured many of the greatest moments in sports and...
, photographer at Madison Square Garden, and were captured on film.
Leetch became the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
, the first non-Canadian to win it, and Keenan avoided being the first coach to lose Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals with two teams. However, this unfortunate fate would befall Babcock in 2009 when the Red Wings lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, in-state rivals of the Flyers.
The Rangers winning this Stanley Cup was the highest-rated single CBC Sports
CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, with some additional broadcasts on bold, CBC.ca, and occasionally CBC Radio One...
program in history to that point (Now that distinction belongs to the men's ice hockey gold medal game
Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics were held at the E Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah. Both the men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, defeating the host USA in both games.-Men:...
between Canada and the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, when Canada won its first Olympic ice hockey gold medal since the 1952 Winter Olympics
1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...
). CBC
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
commentator Bob Cole
Bob Cole (announcer)
Robert Cecil "Bob" Cole is a Canadian television announcer and former competitive curler.Cole was the primary play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada 'HNIC' on CBC, usually for Toronto Maple Leafs games, from 1980 to 2008. Aside from the Leafs broadcasts, he was also a staple for the...
said that Game 7 was one of his most memorable TV games.
1994–2004: expensive acquisitions
Petr Nedved
Petr Nedvěd is a Czech Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. He currently plays centre for HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.- Biography :...
to Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman Ulf Samuelsson
Ulf Samuelsson
Ulf Samuelsson is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player and currently the head coach of Modo Hockey of the Elitserien . He played for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers.- Biography :He specialized in heavy body checks...
and left winger Luc Robitaille
Luc Robitaille
Luc Robitaille is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During his 19-season National Hockey League career, Robitaille won a Stanley Cup in 2001–02 with the Detroit Red Wings, and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, but is most known for his fourteen seasons,...
in the summer of 1995.
The Rangers landed an aging Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
in 1996, but even with The Great One, they would fizzle out. Their 1994 stars were aging and many retired or dropped off in performance. Gretzky's greatest accomplishment was leading them to the 1997 Eastern Conference finals, where they lost 4–1 to the Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros
Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
-led Philadelphia Flyers. Messier, a former Oiler teammate of Gretzky's, left in the summer of 1997 and the team failed in a bid to replace him with Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
superstar Joe Sakic
Joe Sakic
Joseph Steven "Joe" Sakic is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player and current hockey executive. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. In his 20-year tenure, Sakic won the Stanley Cup twice, captured numerous NHL...
, the Rangers began a streak of seven seasons without making the playoffs, despite routinely having the highest payroll in the league.
In March 2000, Smith was fired along with head coach John Muckler
John Muckler
John Muckler is a professional hockey coach and executive, most recently serving as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the NHL. Muckler has over 50 years of professional hockey experience as a part owner, general manager, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, head...
, and, that summer, James Dolan hired Glen Sather
Glen Sather
Glen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
to replace him. By the end of the 2000–01 season, the Rangers had landed a lot of star power. Mark Messier had returned to New York, Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
joined the Rangers after spending most of his career with the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
, and Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros
Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
was traded to the Rangers from the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Rangers also acquired Pavel Bure
Pavel Bure
Pavel Vladimirovich Bure is a retired Russian professional ice hockey right winger. Nicknamed "The Russian Rocket" for his speed, Bure played for 12 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers...
late in the 2001–02 season from the Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
. It was the rookie season of goalie Dan Blackburn
Dan Blackburn
Daniel Blackburn is a retired Canadian professional hockey goaltender. He played 63 regular-season games for the New York Rangers, going 20–32–11 with 1 shutout.-Minor league career:...
, who made the NHL All-Rookie Team
NHL All-Rookie Team
The NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...
even as the Rangers fell back to last place in the conference. Despite these high-priced acquisitions the Rangers still finished out of the playoffs. Later years saw other stars such as Alexei Kovalev
Alexei Kovalev
Alexei Vyacheslavovich "Alex" Kovalev is a Russian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for Atlant Moscow Oblast of the Kontinental Hockey League....
, Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
, Martin Rucinsky
Martin Rucinsky
Martin Ručinský is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for HC Litvínov of the Czech Extraliga. Ručínský was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round as the 20th overall selection in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft on June 22, 1991. Ručinský led the Montreal Canadiens in...
and Bobby Holik
Bobby Holik
Robert Holík is a retired Czech-American professional ice hockey center who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League...
added, but in 2002–03 and 2003–04, the team again missed the playoffs. Blackburn started strongly in 2002–03, but burned out after 17 games. He missed 2003–04 due to mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...
and a damaged nerve in his left shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
. Blackburn could not rehabilitate the damaged nerve, and was forced to retire at age 22.
2005–present: post-lockout revival
Towards the end of the 2003–04 season Sather finally gave in to a rebuilding process by trading away Leetch, Kovalev, and eight others for numerous prospects and draft picks. With the retirements of Bure and Messier as well as Lindros signing with the Maple Leafs, the post-lockout Rangers, under new head coach Tom RenneyTom Renney
Thomas Renney is a Canadian ice hockey Head Coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League . He has previously coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks....
, moved away from high-priced veterans towards a group of talented young players, such as Petr Prucha
Petr Prucha
Petr Průcha is a Czech professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, Dominic Moore
Dominic Moore
Dominic Michael Moore is an Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. Moore attended both St. Michael Catholic Elementary School and St. Anthony's Catholic Elementary School in Thornhill, Ontario; St...
, and Blair Betts
Blair Betts
Blair Betts is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
. However, the focus of the team remained on veteran superstar Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
. The Rangers were expected to struggle during the 2005–06 season for their eighth consecutive season out of the postseason. For example, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
declared them the worst team in the league in their season preview, but behind stellar performances by Swedish rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...
, Martin Straka
Martin Straka
Martin Straka is a Czech ice hockey centre who plays for HC Plzeň 1929 of the Czech Extraliga. He is also the club's general manager and co-owner.-Playing career:...
, Prucha, and Jagr, the Rangers finished the season with their best record since 1993–94 (44–26–12).
Jaromir Jagr broke the Rangers' single-season points record with a first-period assist in a 5–1 win against the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
on March 29, 2006. The assist gave him 110 points on the season, breaking Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
's record. Less than two weeks later, on April 8, Jagr scored his 53rd goal of the season against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, breaking the club record previously held by Adam Graves
Adam Graves
Adam Graves is a former professional hockey player. He is best-known for his ten-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks...
. Two games prior, on April 4, the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
3-2, in a shootout, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 1996–97 season. On April 18, the Rangers lost to the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
5–1, and, due to wins by division rivals New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, the Rangers fell back to third place in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
to end the season. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League championship began on April 21, 2006, following the 2005–06 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, seeded one through eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series with re-seeding after the conference quarterfinals...
the Rangers drew a matchup with the Devils and were defeated in a four-game sweep. In the process they were outscored 17–4, as New Jersey net-minder Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
took two shutouts and a 1.00 goals-against average to Lundqvist's 4.25. In the first game of the series Jagr suffered an undisclosed injury to his left shoulder, diminishing his usefulness as the series went on. Jagr missed game two of the series and was back in the lineup for game three. He was held to one shot on goal. On his first shift of game four, Jagr re-injured his shoulder and was unable to return.
Jagr fell two points short of winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
as scoring champion in 2005–06 (the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
' Joe Thornton
Joe Thornton
Joseph Eric Thornton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . He was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play seven seasons with the club, five as its Captain. During the...
claimed the award, his first, with 125 points), but Jagr did win his third Pearson Award as the players' choice for the most outstanding player. He has thus tied Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
in third, and needs one more to tie his ex-centerman, Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
, in second and two more to tie Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
in first for times receiving the Pearson Award. On opening night of the 2006–07 season, Jagr was named the first team captain since Messier's retirement.
With the Rangers doing so well in 2005–06, expectations were raised for the 2006–07 season, evidenced by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
then predicting the Rangers would finish first in their division. Realizing that the team had trouble scoring goals in the 2005–06 campaign, the Rangers went out and signed long-time Red Wing
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Frederick "Shanny" Shanahan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently serves as the National Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and head disciplinarian. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry...
to a one-year contract. However, the organization remained committed to its rebuilding program despite the signing of the 37-year-old left winger.
Though the Rangers started a bit slow in the first half of the 2006–07 season, the second half was dominated by the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. The acquisition of Sean Avery
Sean Avery
Sean Christopher Avery is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He formerly played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. Prior to the NHL, Avery played for the Owen Sound Platers and the...
brought new life to the team, and the Rangers finished ahead of Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
and the Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
to face Atlanta
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
in the first round of the playoffs
2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11, 2007. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the...
. The Rangers swept the series thanks to play from all around the ice. However, the Rangers lost the next round to Buffalo
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
four games to two.
At the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
2007 NHL Entry Draft
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007...
, the Rangers chose Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
17th overall. Cherepanov had been ranked by Central Scouting as the number one European skater and was considered to be a top five pick leading up to the draft, but fell due to teams being unsure whether he would ever come to the NHL from Russia. The 2007 free agency season started with a bang for the Rangers signing two high profile centerman, Scott Gomez
Scott Gomez
Scott Carlos Gomez is an American ice hockey center of both Mexican and Colombian descent, currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
from the New Jersey Devils for a seven-year, $51.5 million dollar contract as well as Chris Drury
Chris Drury
Christopher Drury is an American retired professional ice hockey player. Drury is a Hobey Baker Award-winner with Boston University, a Calder Trophy winner with the Colorado Avalanche, a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche, a two-time Olympic silver medalist with the United States, and a...
from the Buffalo Sabres for a five-year deal worth $32.25 million. The moves, along with retaining most other key players, have been met favorably as the Rangers appeared to be strong Stanley Cup contenders, making the playoffs for the third consecutive season and the second round for the second season in a row. Despite these streaks, the Rangers failed to meet expectations as they lost their second round series 4–1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
.
The New York Rangers were one of four NHL teams to open their 2008–09 season in Europe, being featured in the Victoria Cup final, defeating the European Champions Cup winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk, in Bern, Switzerland. The Rangers followed by playing two NHL regular-season games against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
team in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on October 4 and October 5, winning both games 2-1. A successful early start was tempered with the news of the death of 2007 first round draft choice
2007 NHL Entry Draft
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007...
Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
on October 13, 2008. After a disappointing 2nd half of the season, coach Tom Renney was fired and John Tortorella
John Tortorella
Jonathan "John" Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and is now the head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He is perhaps best known for his tenure as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he led the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship...
named as his replacement. The Rangers made the playoffs, but lost their opening round series to the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
four games to three after having a 3-1 lead and a chance to close the series.
In the 2009-2010 season, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. There was some criticism that the off-season acquisition of superstar Marian Gaborik
Marian Gaborik
Marián Gáborík is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He began his career in the Slovak Extraliga with HC Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the...
amongst other top tier players had not paid off. Gaborik, however, scored 42 goals in the season. In spite of an impressive start (8-2), the Rangers appeared to play inconsistently with numerous losing streaks. By March 2010, the Rangers were in danger of falling out of the playoff race entirely, but they registered a respectable 7-1-2 record to finish the season. The final 2 games of the season were a home and home versus the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The first was April 9, 2010 in New York. The Rangers skated away with the victory keeping their hopes alive. The final game of the season would become the deciding game to see who would make the playoffs. The Flyers peppered the Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist with 47 shots, but only scored once. The game would then go into a shootout seeing the Flyers prevail to move on to the post season, despite a strong finish to the season by the Rangers.
For the 2010-2011 season, the Rangers waived Wade Redden and brought in several players to get more balanced scoring. They wore a third jersey for the first time in several years. On Friday, November 12 the Rangers unveiled the new Heritage Jersey for the first time at the rink at Rockefeller Center in a special ceremony. The event featured Rangers alumni and current players discussing the history of the storied franchise. The club wore the jersey for the first time on Wednesday, November 17 when they played the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. The jersey will be worn every time the Rangers play an Original Six team or on a Sunday afternoon game at home. The Rangers' fate of making or missing the playoffs would come down to the final day of the regular season for the second straight year. The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils on the final day of the season to finish with 93 points. In order to qualify for the playoffs, they would need the Carolina Hurricanes to lose their final game of the season as Carolina owned the tiebreaker had both teams finished with the same number of points. Carolina lost its final game to Tampa Bay by a 6-2 score, putting the Rangers in the playoffs after missing them in 2010. The Rangers would go on to face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. After blowing a 3-0 third period lead in game 4 with Washington ahead in the best of seven series 2-1, the Rangers would go on to lose the series in 5 games. It was the second time in three years that the Capitals eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs.
On May 13, 2011, Derek Boogaard
Derek Boogaard
Derek Leendert Boogaard was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was of Flemish descent. Known primarily as a fighter and enforcer, his nicknames included "Boogeyman" and "The Mountie"...
, a player whom the Rangers signed for four years, was found dead in his Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
apartment. On July 2, 2011, Brad Richards
Brad Richards
Bradley Glenn Richards is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Early career:Born and raised in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island...
, a free agent who had played with the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
during the prior season, signed a nine-year, $60 million contract to play for the Rangers.
On September 12th, 2011, Ryan Callahan
Ryan Callahan
Ryan Callahan is an American ice hockey forward and captain of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:Callahan played one year of high school hockey for Hilton High School...
was named the 26th Captain in New York Rangers history. He is the 5th youngest captain in team history. Brad Richards
Brad Richards
Bradley Glenn Richards is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Early career:Born and raised in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island...
and Marc Staal
Marc Staal
Marc Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
were named Alternate Captains on the same day.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstRecords as of April 10, 2011
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 42 | 30 | 10 | 94 | 242 | 216 | 3rd, Atlantic | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... ) |
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | 210 | 218 | 4th, Atlantic | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... ) |
| 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 87 | 222 | 217 | 4th, Atlantic | Did not qualify | |
| 2010-11 | 82 | 44 | 33 | 5 | 93 | 233 | 198 | 3rd, Atlantic | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... ) |
Hall-of-Famers
PlayersBuilders
Broadcasters (Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an award named after Foster Hewitt and presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of ice hockey during their broadcasting career...
)
Retired numbers
The Rangers have retired eight numbers, by nine players, in their history.| New York Rangers retired numbers | |||
| No. | Player | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Giacomin Eddie Giacomin Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League, as well as for the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident,... |
March 15, 1989 | |
| 2 | Brian Leetch Brian Leetch Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his... |
January 24, 2008 | |
| 3 | Harry Howell | February 22, 2009 | |
| 7 | Rod Gilbert Rod Gilbert Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle... |
October 14, 1979 | |
| 9 | Andy Bathgate Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins.-Playing career:... |
February 22, 2009 | |
| 9 | Adam Graves Adam Graves Adam Graves is a former professional hockey player. He is best-known for his ten-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks... |
February 3, 2009 | |
| 11 | Mark Messier Mark Messier Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver... |
January 12, 2006 | |
| 35 | Mike Richter Mike Richter Michael Thomas Richter is a former ice hockey goaltender. One of the most successful American-born goaltenders in history, he is best known for having led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994 and for repeatedly representing the United States in international play. Due to his... |
February 4, 2004 | |
| 99 | Wayne Gretzky Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,... |
February 6, 2000 (Retired League-Wide, no banner at MSG) | |
Single-season records
- Points:
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
(2005–06) — 123
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
(2005–06) — 54
Brian Leetch
Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
(1991–92) — 80
Brian Leetch
Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
(1991–92) — 102
Mark Pavelich
Mark Thomas Pavelich is a retired US professional ice hockey forward who played 355 regular season games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1992 and was a member of the 1980 U.S...
(1981–82) — 76
Tony Granato
Anthony Lewis Granato is an American retired National Hockey League left winger and a former head coach and assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche...
(1988–89) — 36
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
(2005–06) — 24
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
(2005–06), Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
(1996–97) and Don Murdoch
Don Murdoch
Donald Walter Murdoch is a retired former professional ice hockey player. After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch made the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old and had an impressive rookie scoring 56 points in 59 games his rookie season...
(1980–81) — 9
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
(2005–06) — 368
Troy Mallette
Troy Matthew Mallette is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Mallette played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.-Playing career:Mallette was drafted 22nd overall by the...
(1989–90) — 305
Mike Richter
Michael Thomas Richter is a former ice hockey goaltender. One of the most successful American-born goaltenders in history, he is best known for having led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994 and for repeatedly representing the United States in international play. Due to his...
(1993–94) — 42
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...
(2005–06) — 30
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Rangers player
| Points | Goals | Assists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NHL awards and trophies
The following lists the league awards which have been won by the Rangers team and its players and alumni:General managers
The current manager is Glen SatherGlen Sather
Glen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
, who was named on June 1, 2000. He had previously been the General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, a title he had held since 1979.
Head coaches
The current head coach is John TortorellaJohn Tortorella
Jonathan "John" Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and is now the head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He is perhaps best known for his tenure as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he led the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship...
, who was named head coach of the Rangers on February 23, 2009, replacing Tom Renney
Tom Renney
Thomas Renney is a Canadian ice hockey Head Coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League . He has previously coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks....
, who was fired earlier that day. On March 17, he became the American-born coach with the most wins in NHL history, surpassing Peter Laviolette
Peter Laviolette
Peter Laviolette Jr. is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and is the current head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League...
.
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- Curse of 1940Curse of 1940The Curse of 1940, also called Dutton's Curse, was a superstitious explanation for why the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League did not win the league's championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, from 1940 to 1994.-Popular theories:...
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
- New York AmericansNew York AmericansThe New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
- Lake Placid RoamersLake Placid RoamersThe Lake Placid Roamers were an independent, intermediate senior level ice hockey team from Lake Placid, New York. The Roamers were a farm team of the New York Rangers, and produced future National Hockey League goaltender Gilles Mayer...
- Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award