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Who are the top New York Rangers of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Mike Richter: one of the best American-born goalies ever, Richter won 301 career games and more importantly, backstopped the team to the 1993-1994 Stanley Cup (a year in which he also led the league in wins).
9. Harry Howell: the franchise career leader in regular season games played, Howell was a rock on the defensive end for 17 years with the Rangers, highlighted by the 1966-1967 Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
8. Brad Park: consistently the second-best defenseman of the 1970s after Bobby Orr, Park played his first seven-and-a-half seasons with the Rangers, finishing runner-up for the Norris Trophy 5x and top-10 for the Hart Trophy 4x during that span.
7. Frank Boucher: one of the NHL’s early stars in the 1920s and 1930s, Boucher won a record seven Lady Byng Trophies and also topped the league in assists 3x while guiding the Rangers to a pair of Stanley Cups.
6. Jean Ratelle: in 15 years with the Rangers, Ratelle racked up over 800 points as part of the famed GAG line (Goal-a-Game), including a then-single season record of 109 points in 1971-1972, and won two Lady Byngs, a Pearson and a Masterton.
5. Andy Bathgate: spending his first dozen NHL seasons with New York, Bathgate not only led the league in scoring in 1961-1962, but was also the 1958-1959 Hart Trophy winner and averaged over a point-per-game with the team.
4. Henrik Lundqvist: the winningest goalie in Rangers history, Lundqvist has been a model of consistency and excellence throughout his career with a record seven straight 30-win seasons to start his career, the 2011-2012 Vezina Trophy (plus six other top-five finishes), and more wins in NHL history than any other European-born goalie.
3. Rod Gilbert: the team’s career leader in goals (406) and points (1,021), Gilbert spent his entire 18-year career with the Rangers and was the first player in franchise history to have his number retired.
2. Mark Messier: after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade, Messier won a second Hart Trophy and averaged close to a point per game during his decade in New York across two stints; more importantly, he captained the team to the 1993-1994 Stanley Cup, in the process scoring the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Finals.
1. Brian Leetch: the Conn Smythe winner during the Rangers’ 1993-1994 Stanley Cup run, Leetch was also a Calder and 2x Norris Trophy winner who put up over 1,000 career points from the blue line.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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