New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are an ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. 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, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six. 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 1994).

Early years
George Lewis "Tex" Rickard, president of Madison Square Garden, was awarded an NHL franchise for 1926-27 season to compete with the now-defunct New York Americans, which had begun play at the Garden the previous season. The New York 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.

1927–28 Stanley Cup
In only their second season, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Maroons 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.

1932–33 Stanley Cup
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.

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, 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
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.

1993–94 Stanley Cup: the ending of the curse
The 1993–94 season was a successful one for Rangers fans, as Keenan led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years. Two years prior, they picked up center Mark Messier (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.

After clinching the Presidents' Trophy by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a franchise record with 112 points, they 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 New Jersey 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: Mark was sending a message to his teammates that he believed together we could win. He put on an amazing performance to make sure it happened.

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: Even though we were up 3-1 in the series and had to play a seventh game, the team was very confident and very poised. We had a lot of experience and a lot of leadership in our room...I told the players they should be proud of themselves...play hard and enjoy the moment. This is what we all dreamed about, playing a seventh game on home ice to win the Stanley Cup.

Entering Game 7, Keenan became the first head coach in Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, having been with the Philadelphia Flyers when they lost to the Oilers in. Mike Babcock would join him in this feat in while with the Detroit Red Wings.

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.

1994–2004: expensive acquisitions
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.

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 Renney, 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 remains 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.

For the 2010-2011 season, the Rangers waived Wade Redden and brought in several players to get more balanced scoring. They will also wear 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.

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 against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of May 5, 2008

Hall-of-Famers
Players
 * Glenn Anderson, RW, 1994, inducted 2008
 * Andy Bathgate, C, 1952–63, inducted 1978
 * Doug Bentley, LW, 1953–54, inducted 1964
 * Max Bentley, C, 1953–54, inducted 1966
 * Frank Boucher, C, 1926–44, inducted 1958
 * Johnny Bower, G, 1953–54, inducted 1976
 * Neil Colville, C, 1936–49, inducted 1967
 * Bill Cook, RW, 1926–37, inducted 1952
 * Bun Cook, LW, 1926–36, inducted 1995
 * Art Coulter, D, 1935–42, inducted 1974
 * Marcel Dionne, LW, 1986–89, inducted 1992
 * Dick Duff, LW, 1964–65, inducted 2006
 * Phil Esposito, C, 1975–81, inducted 1984
 * Bill Gadsby, D, 1954–61, inducted 1970
 * Mike Gartner, RW, 1990–94, inducted 2001
 * Bernie Geoffrion, RW, 1966–68, inducted 1972
 * Eddie Giacomin, G, 1965–75, inducted 1987
 * Rod Gilbert, RW, 1960–78, inducted 1982
 * Wayne Gretzky, C, 1996–99, inducted 1999
 * Doug Harvey, D, 1961–62, 1963–64, inducted 1973
 * Bryan Hextall, LW, 1936–48, inducted 1969
 * Tim Horton, D, 1970–71, inducted 1977
 * Harry Howell, D, 1952–69, inducted 1979
 * Ching Johnson, D, 1926–37, inducted 1958
 * Jari Kurri, LW, 1996, inducted 2001
 * Guy Lafleur, RW, 1988–89, inducted 1988
 * Pat LaFontaine, C, 1997–98, inducted 2003
 * Edgar Laprade, D, 1945–55, inducted 1993
 * Brian Leetch, D, 1987–2004, inducted 2009
 * Harry Lumley, G, 1943, inducted 1980
 * Mark Messier, C, 1991–1997, 2000–2004, inducted 2007
 * Howie Morenz, C, 1935–36, inducted 1945
 * Buddy O'Connor, C, 1947–51, inducted 1988
 * Brad Park, D, 1968–75, inducted 1988
 * Lynn Patrick, LW, 1934–43, 1945–46, inducted 1980
 * Jacques Plante, G, 1963–65, inducted 1978
 * Babe Pratt, D, 1936–42, inducted 1966
 * Jean Ratelle, LW, 1960–75, inducted 1985
 * Chuck Rayner, G, 1945–55, inducted 1973
 * Luc Robitaille, LW, 1995–1997, inducted 2009
 * Terry Sawchuk, G, 1969–70, inducted 1971
 * Babe Siebert, LW, 1932–35, inducted 1964
 * Earl Siebert, D, 1931–36, inducted 1963
 * Allan Stanley, D, 1948–54, inducted 1981
 * Clint Smith, C, 1937–43, inducted 1991
 * Gump Worsley, G, 1952–63, inducted 1980

Builders
 * Herb Brooks, Coach, 1981–85, inducted 2006
 * Emile Francis, inducted 1982
 * William M. Jennings, inducted 1974
 * Roger Neilson, Coach, 1989–93, inducted 2002
 * Craig Patrick, inducted 2001
 * Lester Patrick, inducted 1945
 * Lynn Patrick, inducted 1980
 * Glen Sather, LW, 1970–73, Coach, 2002–04, President/General Manager, 2000–present, inducted 1997

Broadcasters (Foster Hewitt Memorial Award)
 * Sal Messina, broadcaster, 1974–2003, awarded 2005
 * John Davidson, G, 1975–83, broadcaster, 1983–2006, awarded 2009

First-round draft picks

 * 1963: Al Osborne (fourth overall)
 * 1964: Bob Graham (third overall)
 * 1965: Andre Veilleux (first overall)
 * 1966: Brad Park (second overall)
 * 1967: Bob Dickson (sixth overall)
 * 1968: none
 * 1969: Andre Dupont (eighth overall) & Pierre Jarry (12th)
 * 1970: Norm Gratton (11th overall)
 * 1971: Steve Vickers (10th overall) & Steve Durbano (13th)
 * 1972: Al Blanchard (10th overall) & Bob MacMillan (15th)
 * 1973: Rick Middleton (14th overall)
 * 1974: Dave Maloney (14th overall)
 * 1975: Wayne Dillon (12th overall)
 * 1976: Don Murdoch (sixth overall)
 * 1977: Lucien DeBlois (eighth overall) & Ron Duguay (13th)
 * 1978: none
 * 1979: Doug Sulliman (13th overall)
 * 1980: Jim Malone (14th overall)
 * 1981: James Patrick (ninth overall)
 * 1982: Chris Kontos (15th overall)
 * 1983: Dave Gagner (12th overall)
 * 1984: Terry Carkner (14th overall)
 * 1985: Ulf Dahlen (seventh overall)
 * 1986: Brian Leetch (ninth overall)
 * 1987: Jayson More (10th overall)
 * 1988: none
 * 1989: Steven Rice (20th overall)
 * 1990: Michael Stewart (13th overall)
 * 1991: Alexei Kovalev (15th overall)
 * 1992: Peter Ferraro (24th overall)
 * 1993: Niklas Sundstrom (eighth overall)
 * 1994: Dan Cloutier (26th overall)
 * 1995: none
 * 1996: Jeff Brown (22nd overall)
 * 1997: Stefan Cherneski (19th overall)
 * 1998: Manny Malhotra (seventh overall)
 * 1999: Pavel Brendl (fourth overall) & Jamie Lundmark (ninth)
 * 2000: none
 * 2001: Dan Blackburn (10th overall)
 * 2002: none
 * 2003: Hugh Jessiman (12th overall)
 * 2004: Al Montoya (6th overall) & Lauri Korpikoski (19th)
 * 2005: Marc Staal (12th overall)
 * 2006: Bob Sanguinetti (21st overall)
 * 2007: Alexei Cherepanov (17th overall)
 * 2008: Michael Del Zotto (20th overall)
 * 2009: Chris Kreider (19th overall)
 * 2010: Dylan McIlrath (10th overall)

Retired numbers
The Rangers have retired eight numbers, by nine players, in their history.

Single-season records

 * Points: Jaromir Jagr (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

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

NHL awards and trophies
The following lists the league awards which have been won by the Rangers team and its players and alumni: Stanley Cup
 * 1927–28, 1932–33, 1939–40, 1993–94

Victoria Cup
 * 2008 Victoria Cup

Presidents' Trophy
 * 1991–92, 1993–94

Prince of Wales Trophy
 * 1931–32, 1941–42, 1993–94

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
 * Jean Ratelle: 1970–71
 * Rod Gilbert: 1975–76
 * Anders Hedberg: 1984–85
 * Adam Graves: 2000–01

Calder Memorial Trophy
 * Kilby MacDonald: 1939–40
 * Grant Warwick: 1941–42
 * Edgar Laprade: 1945–46
 * Pentti Lund: 1948–49
 * Gump Worsley: 1952–53
 * Camille Henry: 1953–54
 * Steve Vickers: 1972–73
 * Brian Leetch: 1988–89

Conn Smythe Trophy
 * Brian Leetch: 1993–94

Hart Memorial Trophy
 * Buddy O'Connor: 1947–48
 * Chuck Rayner: 1949–50
 * Andy Bathgate: 1958–59
 * Mark Messier: 1991–92

James Norris Memorial Trophy
 * Doug Harvey: 1961–62
 * Harry Howell: 1966–67
 * Brian Leetch: 1991–92, 1996–97

King Clancy Memorial Trophy Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
 * Adam Graves: 1993–94
 * Frank Boucher: 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
 * Clint Smith: 1938–39
 * Buddy O'Connor: 1947–48
 * Edgar Laprade: 1949–50
 * Andy Hebenton: 1956–57
 * Camille Henry: 1957–58
 * Jean Ratelle: 1971–72, 1975–76
 * Wayne Gretzky: 1998–99

Lester Patrick Trophy
 * William M. Jennings: 1970–71
 * Terry Sawchuk: 1970–71
 * Phil Esposito: 1977–78
 * Fred Shero: 1979–80
 * Emile Francis: 1981–82
 * Lynn Patrick: 1988–89
 * Rod Gilbert: 1990–91
 * Frank Boucher: 1992–93
 * Brian Mullen: 1994–95
 * Herb Brooks: 2001–02
 * John Davidson: 2003–04
 * Brian Leetch & John Halligan: 2006–07

Lester B. Pearson Award
 * Jean Ratelle: 1971–72
 * Mark Messier: 1991–92
 * Jaromir Jagr: 2005–06

NHL Plus/Minus Award
 * Michal Rozsival: 2005–06 (shared with Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators)

Vezina Trophy
 * Dave Kerr: 1939–40
 * Eddie Giacomin & Gilles Villemure: 1970–71
 * John Vanbiesbrouck: 1985–86

Team captains

 * Bill Cook, 1926–37
 * Art Coulter, 1937–42
 * Ott Heller, 1942–45
 * Neil Colville, 1945–48
 * Buddy O'Connor, 1949–50
 * Frank Eddolls, 1950–51
 * Allan Stanley, 1951–53
 * Don Raleigh, 1953–55
 * Harry Howell, 1955–57
 * George Sullivan, 1957–61
 * Andy Bathgate, 1961–64
 * Camille Henry, 1964–65
 * Bob Nevin, 1965–71
 * Vic Hadfield, 1971–74
 * Brad Park, 1974–75
 * Phil Esposito, 1975–78
 * Dave Maloney, 1978–80
 * Walt Tkaczuk, 1980–81
 * Barry Beck, 1981–86
 * Ron Greschner, 1986–87
 * Kelly Kisio, 1987–91
 * Mark Messier, 1991–97
 * Brian Leetch, 1997–2000
 * Mark Messier, 2000–04
 * No captain, 2004–06 (2004–05 lockout)
 * Jaromir Jagr, 2006–08
 * Chris Drury, 2008– present

General managers
The current manager is Glen Sather, 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.

Head coaches
The current head coach is John Tortorella, 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.