NHL: The best goalie from each franchise’s history (Updated 2023)

Best NHL goalie from each franchise: New York Rangers – Mike Richter

If you were a fan of the New York Rangers back in the 90s, you more than likely want to thank everything goalie Mike Richter accomplished for the franchise. It was back in the mid-90s that Richter hit the NHL by storm and put the Rangers on a path of major success.

The year 1993 will go down in history as one of the best seasons ever for the Rangers. Richter was a big part of that legacy as he played lights-out hockey as a goalie. He had career-highs in regular-season wins at 42 and four shutouts when it mattered most in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Richter played at a whole other level which resulted in the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup that season and continued playing at this high level until 2003. Once he retired that year, it was only a matter of time before the Rangers honored him for 15 years of service.

The Rangers retired his No. 35 a year later in 2004 as at this point in time, Richter’s jersey is only the third one to ever be retired in Madison Square Garden. Richter was then inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008 as many hockey gurus and pundits predicted he would have a long and successful career once he got drafted into the NHL.