New York Rangers
About the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers were founded in 1926 and are one of the NHL's most historic franchises.
The Rangers became one of the teams associated with the NHL's “Original Six” era. From 1942-43 through 1966-67, the league consisted of the Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Success came quickly for New York. In just their second NHL season, the Rangers won the 1928 Stanley Cup, becoming the first U.S.-based NHL franchise to capture the trophy.
Division History
When the Rangers entered the NHL in 1926, they were placed in the American Division.
The NHL later eliminated its divisional structure before restoring divisions when the league expanded in 1967. New York then became a member of the East Division.
League realignment in 1974 placed the Rangers in the Patrick Division. Another reorganization in 1981 kept New York in the Patrick Division while moving it into the Wales Conference.
When the NHL introduced geographic conference and division names in 1993, the Rangers became members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.
Another league realignment in 2013 placed New York in the newly created Metropolitan Division, where the Rangers remain today.
The exception was the shortened 2020-21 season, when the NHL temporarily reorganized its divisions and New York competed in the East Division.
Championship History
The Rangers have won four Stanley Cup championships.
New York captured its first Cup in 1928 by defeating the Montreal Maroons in five games. The Rangers won another championship in 1933, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs, before adding their third Stanley Cup in 1940.
A championship drought lasting more than half a century followed.
The Rangers finally returned to the top of the NHL in 1994. New York finished the regular season with the league's best record and won the Presidents' Trophy before advancing through the playoffs to face the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final.
The series went seven games, with the Rangers winning the deciding game at Madison Square Garden to capture their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Defenseman Brian Leetch won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
New York returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers faced the Los Angeles Kings in the championship series but lost in five games.
The Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Final again in 2022 before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Another strong season followed in 2023-24. New York set franchise records with 55 wins and 114 points, won the Metropolitan Division and captured the fourth Presidents' Trophy in team history. The Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in six games.
The Metropolitan championship in 2023-24 was the eighth division title in franchise history.
Home of the Rangers
The Rangers play their home games at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
The franchise has been closely associated with Madison Square Garden throughout its history. The Rangers began play in 1926 at the third building to carry the Madison Square Garden name, which stood on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets.
The current Madison Square Garden opened in 1968 above Pennsylvania Station and became the Rangers' new home during the 1967-68 season.
The arena has undergone extensive renovations over the years and remains one of the most recognizable venues in professional sports.
Madison Square Garden has a hockey capacity of 18,006 and is the oldest arena currently used by an NHL team.
Notable Rangers
Rod Gilbert remains the leading scorer in Rangers history.
Gilbert spent his entire NHL career with New York and recorded 406 goals, 615 assists and 1,021 points in 1,065 regular-season games.
He remains the franchise leader in both goals and points and became the first Rangers player to have his number retired when No. 7 was raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters in 1979.
Gilbert played on the famous Goal-A-Game Line alongside Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.
Brian Leetch became the greatest offensive defenseman in Rangers history after New York selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 1986 NHL Draft.
Leetch recorded 240 goals, 741 assists and 981 points during his time with the Rangers. His 741 assists remain the franchise record, while his 981 points rank second in team history.
He won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989 and twice received the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.
Leetch's defining achievement came during the 1994 Stanley Cup run. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, becoming the first U.S.-born player to receive the award, and helped New York end its 54-year championship drought.
Mark Messier became the captain and emotional leader of the Rangers' 1994 championship team after joining New York from the Edmonton Oilers in 1991.
Messier won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP during his first season with the Rangers and helped the team capture the Presidents' Trophy.
Two years later, he captained New York to the Stanley Cup. Messier famously guaranteed a Rangers victory before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils and then scored a third-period hat trick to force a deciding Game 7.
He became the first player in NHL history to captain two different franchises to Stanley Cup championships.
Henrik Lundqvist became the defining Rangers goaltender of the modern era.
The Swedish goaltender spent his entire 15-season NHL career with New York and holds the franchise records for wins, appearances by a goaltender and shutouts.
Lundqvist won 459 regular-season games and captured the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2012. He helped the Rangers reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Final and three Eastern Conference Finals during a four-season span.
The Rangers retired his No. 30 in 2022.
Jean Ratelle was one of the franchise's leading offensive players during the 1960s and 1970s.
Ratelle recorded 336 goals, 481 assists and 817 points during his time with the Rangers, ranking among the franchise's all-time leaders in each category.
He centered the Goal-A-Game Line with Gilbert and Hadfield and became the first Rangers player to record 100 points in a season when he finished with 109 in 1971-72.
Other prominent players in Rangers history include Bill Cook, Frank Boucher, Andy Bathgate, Harry Howell, Ed Giacomin, Brad Park, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Jaromir Jagr and Chris Kreider.