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New York Rangers History continued...
Rickard managed to get future legendary Toronto Maple Leafs coach Conn Smythe from the University of Toronto. Smythe assembled a fine team, filled with talent. Along with Coach Lester Patrick, Smythe was able to get future Hall of Famers Frank Boucher and Bill Cook. They teamed with Cook's brother Bun, to form professional hockey's top line. The Rangers also had Hall of Fame defenseman Ivan “Ching” Johnson. Johnson effectively teamed with Taffy Abel and second line winger Murray Murdoch. Murdoch became hockey's first “iron man,” playing 508 consecutive games.
With all of their talent and the leadership of Patrick, who had become one of hockey's most quotable characters, the New York Rangers ended up with a first place finish in their opening season. This was capped off with Bill Cook winning the scoring title and the team winning their first Stanley Cup in 1928, defeating the Montreal Maroons. It was the last time that an NHL team has won the Stanley Cup in their second season. During game two of the finals, Coach Patrick substituted for injured goaltender Lorne Chabot. Although he only filled in for two periods, it remains one of professional hockey's legendary moments.
The Rangers quickly became known as “the classiest team in hockey”, due to their hard but clean play and their innovative tactics. During these early seasons, the Rangers went to the Stanley Cup finals four times in six years. Frank Boucher regularly led the league in assists. He won the Byng Trophy so frequently that the league agreed to let him keep the original statue and construct a new one. Bill Cook won his second scoring title in 1932-1933 and in April of that year, his overtime goal in game four of the Stanley Cup Finals gave the Rangers a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs and their second Stanley Cup title.
In the first 16 seasons of New York Rangers hockey, the team missed the playoffs only once. They fell lower than third place only twice. They also won three regular season championships in that span. They finished second five times and finished third six times. Madison Square Garden became the place to be on hockey nights. A “dinner-jacket” crowd could be found in attendance at Rangers games. The crowd often included other sports figures, Broadway entertainers, New York's society elite and City Hall politicians. New Yorkers were enjoying their hockey.
In the late 1930's, a new group of Rangers stars began to build a new dynasty. Newly acquired defenseman Art Coulter and goalie Davey Kerr formed the backbone of the next great New York Rangers team. The team lost a five game Stanley Cup Finals series to Detroit in 1937. Three years later, Frank Boucher took over as head coach of the Rangers. This led to the Rangers winning their third Stanley Cup Championship over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team was led by the dangerous combination of Hall of Famer Neil Colville, his brother Mac and Alec Shibicky. Up front, the Rangers talent included Hall of Famer Bryan Hextall, Phil Watson, Dutch Hiller, Alf Pike, Clint Smith, Kilby MacDonald and Lester Patrick's son Lynn. The Rangers also had a solid defense that included the captain, Art Coulter, Lester's other son, Muzz, Babe Pratt and Ott Heller. Two years later, the Rangers finished on top of the league and dominated league scoring.
Although the New York Rangers enjoyed immense success in the 1930's, the club struggled throughout the 1940's. They only made the playoffs twice during the next 13 seasons. These were rough times for the Rangers. They lost games by as much as 15-0 and had one goaltender that had a 6.20 goals-against average. Despite the lack of team success, the Rangers did have a few stand-out individuals. Buddy O'Connor won the Hart Trophy in 1947-1948, as the league's MVP. In 1949-1950, goalie Chuck Rayner won the Hart Trophy and the Rangers lost a seven game overtime Stanley Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings. Other standouts in the late Forties and early Fifties were Edgar Laprade, Hy Buller and Bones Raleigh.
The team began to turn things around in the 1950's. This was due in part to a healthy farm system and some very helpful trades. Hall of Famers Andy Bathgate, Dean Prentice, Harry Howell, Bill Gadsby and Gump Worsley, along with Camille Henry, Andy Hebenton and “Leapin' Louie” Fontinato helped get the team back to the playoffs by mid-decade. Bathgate, who became the club's captain and all-time leading scorer, won the Hart Trophy in 1958-1959. Hebenton, an iron man, played in 560 consecutive games. Howell became one of hockey's best defensemen and won the Norris Trophy in 1966-1967.
Led by coach and General Manager Emile Francis, the club made the playoffs nine consecutive seasons beginning in 1966-1967. Rangers were led at this point by Rod Gilbert, who had eclipsed the scoring records that were set by Bathgate. His teammates, Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield, helped to complete the New York Rangers powerhouse. Along with defenseman Brad Park and goalie Ed Giacomin, Ratelle, Hadfield and Gilbert were all named All-Stars during this period. Rounding out the Rangers team were two-way players like Pete Stemkowski, Steve Vickers and Walt Tkaczuk. In 1971-1972, Hadfield became the first Ranger to score 50 goals in a season. That year, the Rangers faced Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals and lost a tough six-game series.
A new group of Rangers began to emerge in the mid 1970's. Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, Barry Beck, Ron Greschner, Phil Esposito, John Davidson and the Maloney brothers, Dave and Don, led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1979. They had defeated their arch-rivals, the New York Islanders, in the semi-finals but were defeated in five games in the finals by the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers would not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1994. However, it always took the best teams to defeat them. Beginning in 1979, the teams that eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs for the next nine years all went to the finals or won the Stanley Cup.
In 1989, the team hired Neil Smith as general manager. Smith began improving the New York Rangers immediately, acquiring center Mark Messier from Edmonton in 1991-1992. Messier immediately began to have an impact. He led the Rangers to the top of the league and was rewarded by winning the Hart Trophy in his first season as a New York Ranger. With several calculated moves, Smith was able to put together a Rangers team that had as much talent as any in the past.
The New York Rangers won the fourth Stanley Cup in the 1993-1994 season. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. Mark Messier, the captain of the team, scored the Cup-winning goal. That season, numerous franchise records were set and Rangers fans enjoyed several outstanding individual performances. In the past eight years, the Rangers have won three division titles and two Presidents' Trophies.
In 1999, Wayne Gretzky, in Madison Square Garden, skated in his final game as a professional hockey player, ending his illustrious 20-year career. The team is now under the leadership of one of the most talented executives in the game, Glen Sather. Sather wasted no time in trying to bring the New York Rangers back to glory. In 2001, Sather brought "The Captain," Mark Messier back to the Rangers for another shot a Stanley Cup title. Sather has also infused the team with youth and excitement, setting the stage for the beginning of another era of New York Rangers hockey.
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