Few NHL franchises have a prouder history than the Broadway Blueshirts. Here are the 10 best players in New York Rangers history.
Over the years, numerous all-time greats and Hall of Fame players have spent time with the Broadway Blueshirts. Even though the New York Rangers have won merely one Stanley Cup since 1941, their fan base remains one of the NHL’s most loyal and passionate.
Founded in 1926 by George Lewis “Tex” Richard, the Blueshirts have won four Stanley Cups (1928, 1933, 1940, 1994) and have made 11 total appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. Most recently, they represented the Eastern Conference in the 2014 Final before falling to the Los Angeles Kings. The Rangers are well represented in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with 49 players and nine additional people in the builder category.
Though the Blueshirts are going through a rebuild, things are looking good on Broadway. They jumpstarted a much-needed rebuild by getting outstanding returns for Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, and Rick Nash at the 2017 trade deadline. The Rangers also have a very wealthy ownership group. If they use it to their advantage, this might be a very short rebuild.
Narrowing down the list of the 10 best Rangers in franchise history was an extremely difficult task. They’ve had the honor of having nearly 50 Hall of Fame players during their history. In addition, several players probably should be in the Hall of Fame, but aren’t.
Before this list begins, let’s take a look at those who just barely missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions
Defenseman Ron Greschner played 981 games with the Rangers, just barely missing out on 1,000 games on Broadway. He served as the captain in 1986-87 and 1988-89. With 610 points, Greschner ranks seventh in franchise history.
Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck is one of the two Rangers in history to win a Vezina Trophy (1986). He’s one of the five goalies in franchise history to pick up at least 200 wins with the Blueshirts. Hall of Fame goalie Gump Worsley warrants being mentioned as well.
Forward Jaromir Jagr had four outstanding seasons for the Rangers. He nearly made the list despite his short tenure with the Blueshirts thanks to his 1.15 points per game (a franchise record) and his outstanding 2005-06 season. Much like Jagr, Bryan Hextall had a short, but very successful, tenure with the Rangers.
Harry Howell was the last player left off the list.