Allan Guy Hamilton (born August 20, 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman , most notably with the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association . He also played in the National Hockey League for the Oilers, as well as the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres .
111-863: Signed by the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a teenager, Hamilton spent his junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings . He met with great success in juniors, being one of the rare players to play in the Memorial Cup tournament for three consecutive years. His final season in 1966 with the Oil Kings saw the team win the Memorial Cup, led by Hamilton's remarkable 82 points in 55 regular season and playoff games, drawing frequent comparisons with his junior contemporary Bobby Orr of
222-527: A 2014 sixth-round draft pick. After the Rangers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Boston, management fired head coach John Tortorella, and on June 21, 2013, general manager Glen Sather formally introduced former Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault as Tortorella's replacement. A trade late in the 2013–14 season contributed to the Rangers reaching the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals . On March 5, 2014,
333-510: A 2–0 series deficit. The team responded with consecutive 4–1 home wins in games 3 and 4 to tie the series at two games apiece. However, the Rangers lost the next two games and were eliminated by the Senators. On June 14, 2017, the Rangers announced a buyout of Dan Girardi's contract. Just over a week later, the Rangers traded Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for
444-570: A 2–0 series lead. Igor Shesterkin was named the Vezina Trophy winner following the season. Eastern Conference (NHL) The Eastern Conference ( French : Conférence de l'Est ) is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL) used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference . Originally named the Prince of Wales Conference , it was created in 1974 when
555-511: A 4–7–2 record in December for only ten points. After the holiday break, the team gradually improved their play, going on a 10–3–1 run without any back-to-back losses in February. The Rangers finished the season with 101 points for back-to-back 100+ point seasons. Despite high hopes, the Rangers were eliminated in the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs by a Penguins team that would go on to win
666-467: A 5-goal-game against Washington on March 5 and ending up with 41 goals in 57 games played. By early March 2020, the Rangers were within striking distance of the second wild-card position when the coronavirus pandemic halted the regular season. In May 2020, the league announced a 24-team playoff tournament to complete the season, where the Rangers were seeded 11th and faced the Carolina Hurricanes;
777-458: A bang for the Rangers, with the signing of two high-profile centerman; Scott Gomez on a seven-year contract, as well as Chris Drury on a five-year deal. The moves, along with retaining most other key players, had been met favorably, and the Rangers made 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, losing their second-round series to
888-667: A broken ankle and Gilbert hampered by injuries, Walt Tkaczuk played a key role as the Rangers defeated the defending champion Canadiens and the previous year's finalists, the Black Hawks, to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. While the Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins in six games, Tkaczuk earned much respect for holding the Bruins' Phil Esposito without a goal in the series. The Rangers played a legendary conference semifinals series against
999-500: A cowboy waving a hockey stick aloft, before being changed to the familiar "RANGERS" in diagonal. Future Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe was hired to assemble the team, however he 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 Smythe assembled turned out to be
1110-437: A damaged nerve in his left shoulder . Blackburn could not rehabilitate the damaged nerve, and was forced to retire at the age of 22. Towards the end of the 2003–04 season , general manager Glen Sather finally gave in to a rebuilding process by trading away Brian Leetch, Alexei Kovalev, and eight others for numerous prospects and draft picks. With the retirements of Pavel Bure and Mark Messier, as well as Eric Lindros signing with
1221-458: A first-round draft pick (seventh overall) and former first-round pick Tony DeAngelo . The Rangers' management was also successful in signing top free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on July 1, to a four-year deal. With injuries sidelining Shattenkirk, Kreider, and Zibanejad, the Rangers struggled to compete. By February 8, 2018, the team had a 25–24–5 record, leading the front office to issue
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#17328556538141332-498: A franchise-record seven-year postseason drought from 1998 to 2005 and languished for the majority of the 2000s before enjoying another period of prosperity after the 2004–05 NHL Lockout . After the arrival of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist , the Rangers thrived, missing the playoffs just once between 2006 and 2017. They reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014, falling to the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Several former members of
1443-644: A letter to fans announcing the Rangers would be committing to a rebuild and may "lose some familiar faces" in the process. Rick Nash was traded the day before the 2018 NHL trade deadline to the Bruins for a 2018 first-round pick, a 2019 seventh-round pick, Matt Beleskey , Ryan Spooner and Ryan Lindgren . The following day, the Rangers traded captain Ryan McDonagh and J. T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vladislav Namestnikov , prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek , and multiple draft picks. With
1554-410: A mediocre 2018–19 season , Gorton and his team remained committed to rebuilding the franchise. 2017 first-round draft pick Filip Chytil made his NHL debut, and early in the season Ryan Spooner was traded to Edmonton for Ryan Strome . With the trade deadline approaching and their playoff chances slim, the Rangers once again traded away veteran players, with fan-favorite Mats Zuccarello being sent to
1665-532: A record of 44–26–12, their best record since 1993–94. 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,
1776-512: A seventh game back at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won game 7, 2–1, when Stephane Matteau scored a goal in double overtime, leading the team to the finals for the first time since 1979 . Up against the Vancouver Canucks , the Rangers again lost the series opener at home in overtime. The Rangers bounced back and they won the next three games, allowing the Canucks just four goals. However,
1887-681: A strong team, setting a new franchise record of 25 road game wins. New York defeated Philadelphia in seven games in the first round of the 2014 playoffs , and in the next round rallied from a 3–1 series deficit for the first time in their history to defeat Pittsburgh in seven games. They then defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games to become the Eastern Conference champions, moving on to the Cup Finals, their first visit in 20 years, to face 2012 champions Los Angeles Kings . The Rangers led
1998-579: A team record with 52 goals, breaking the prior record of 50 held by Vic Hadfield . The Rangers clinched the Presidents' Trophy by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a franchise record with 112 points earned. The Rangers successfully made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping the New York Islanders, and then defeating the Washington Capitals in five games. However, in
2109-648: A thundering shoulder check that required smelling salts to help him retain consciousness.. While he played a few games for the Rangers in 1966 , he toiled for the next three seasons in the minors, winning all-star accolades for the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League in 1967 and spending the two years thereafter with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League . Hamilton finally cracked
2220-504: A tumultuous season, a major bright spot was the play of Adam Fox ; he led NHL defensemen with 42 assists, finished second in points with 47, and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy . In the 2021–22 season , the Rangers finished the regular season with a record of 52–24–6, making the playoffs for the first time since 2020. For the third time in franchise history, the Rangers overcame a 3–1 series deficit, this time against
2331-659: 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 Twenties nightlife. It was during this time, playing at the Garden on 49th Street, blocks away from Times Square , that the Rangers obtained their nickname "The Broadway Blueshirts". On December 13, 1929,
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#17328556538142442-513: The 1986–87 season , the team acquired superstar center Marcel Dionne after almost 12 years with the Los Angeles Kings . In 1988, while a Ranger, Dionne moved into third place in NHL career goals scored . Dionne spent nine games in the minors before retiring during the 1988–89 season . Frustration was at its peak when the 1991–92 Rangers captured the Presidents' Trophy . They took a 2–1 series lead on
2553-587: The Alberta Oilers for their first season. Named the team's captain at the age of 26, he immediately responded with a 61-point season, his best as a pro, A superb defender and leader, he captained the Oilers for four seasons and was chosen to represent Canada in the 1974 Summit Series against the Soviet Union . Overcoming injuries that frequently struck—and which cost him most of the 1975 season —Hamilton remained
2664-615: The Atlanta Thrashers in the first round of the 2007 playoffs , the Rangers swept the series. However, they were eliminated in the next round by the Buffalo Sabres . At the 2007 NHL entry draft , the Rangers chose Alexei Cherepanov 17th overall, who had been ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the number one European skater. Despite the departure of Michael Nylander, the 2007 free agency season started with
2775-686: The COVID-19 pandemic in North America forced a realignment of the League to preclude the need for teams to regularly cross the Canada–United States border . For 2020–21 the three Canadian teams competed in the newly formed North Division while six Metropolitan Division teams and two American teams from the Atlantic Division formed a re-constituted East Division. The five remaining American teams from
2886-781: The Eastern Conference . The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden , an arena they share with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are one of three NHL franchises located in the New York metropolitan area ; the others being the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders . Founded in 1926 by Tex Rickard , the Rangers are one of the Original Six teams that competed in
2997-582: The NHL All-Rookie Team even as the Rangers fell back to last place in the Conference, and 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
3108-538: The Oshawa Generals . In fact in Hamilton's Memorial Cup-winning final junior year, Hamilton and Orr highlighted the championship game by trading end-to-end rushes. Hamilton made a rather auspicious debut with the Rangers on a Wednesday night hockey broadcast. As Frank Mahovlich was skating down the boards, Hamilton entered the playing surface from the bench on a line change and knocked out the unsuspecting Mahovlich with
3219-592: The Philadelphia Flyers in the 1974 playoffs , losing in seven games and becoming the first Original Six club to lose a playoff series to a 1967 expansion team. This series was noted for a game 7 fight between Dale Rolfe of the Rangers and Dave Schultz of the Flyers. The Rangers' new rivals, the New York Islanders , who entered the League in 1972–73 after paying a hefty territorial fee – some $ 4 million – to
3330-547: The Pittsburgh Penguins in a first round matchup that concluded with a game-winning overtime goal from Artemi Panarin . In the next round, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games after trailing in the series 2–0 and 3–2, advancing to their first conference finals since 2015. There they faced the back-to-back defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning , and lost the series in six games despite having
3441-714: The Stanley Cup Finals , as happened in 1977 , 1978 and 1980 . Under this system, the Wales Conference champion, and therefore the winner of the Prince of Wales Trophy, was the team that finished with the best regular season record in the conference. Ever since the introduction of the Conference finals in 1982, the Prince of Wales Trophy has been presented to the Wales/Eastern Conference playoff champions. In
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3552-623: The Victoria Cup final, defeating the European Champions Cup winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Bern , Switzerland. This was followed by two NHL regular season games against Tampa Bay in Prague on October 4 and 5, and the Rangers won both games. The Rangers tied the 1983–84 Rangers for the best start in franchise history with a 5–0 record, and set the franchise record for best start in a season through
3663-602: The lockout -shortened 1994–95 season , the Rangers won their first-round series with the Quebec Nordiques , but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Flyers in four games with succeeding head coach Colin Campbell . General manager Neil Smith 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
3774-687: The 1980s and early 1990s, making the playoffs each year. In the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs , the Rangers, behind the play of 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, however, disposed of the Rangers in the Wales Conference finals behind a rookie goaltender of their own, Patrick Roy . For
3885-521: The 2006–07 season, the second half was dominated by the stellar goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. On February 5, 2007, the Rangers acquired agitating forward Sean Avery in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, which brought further intensity to the team. Despite losing several players to injury in March, the Rangers went 10–2–3 in the month and clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. Facing
3996-482: The Bruins in 1972 and the Canadiens in 1979. The Rangers subsequently embraced a rebuild for much of the 1980s and early 1990s, which eventually paid dividends in 1994, where the team, led by Mark Messier , Brian Leetch , Adam Graves , and Mike Richter , captured their fourth Stanley Cup. The team was unable to duplicate that success in the years that followed, and entered into another period of mediocrity. They endured
4107-457: The Canadiens in 1979 , who had Bob Gainey , Guy Lafleur , Larry Robinson , Ken Dryden , Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard . The Rangers reached the 1972 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
4218-453: The Canucks won the next two 6–3 and 4–1 to set up a seventh game, for the second consecutive series, at home. In the seventh game, the Rangers took a 2–0 first period lead, with Messier scoring later to put the Rangers up 3–1, the eventual Cup winning goal as the home team won 3–2, becoming the first (and to this date, only) player to captain two teams to the Stanley Cup. Brian Leetch became
4329-506: The Columbus Blue Jackets and returned to New York to become the organization's new president. Davidson and Gorton addressed the team's defensive woes by acquiring top prospect Adam Fox from Carolina for a pair of picks, as well as veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba . The team also signed free agent Artemi Panarin to a seven-year deal on July 1. To help with salary cap restrictions, the Rangers then traded Jimmy Vesey and bought out
4440-530: The Dallas Stars in exchange for two draft picks and Kevin Hayes going to Winnipeg in exchange for a first-round pick, a conditional pick, and forward Brendan Lemieux . The Rangers received the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft , and subsequently used it to select forward Kaapo Kakko . On May 17, 2019, former Ranger goaltender and broadcaster John Davidson resigned from his position as president of
4551-590: The Devils a 4–2 series win and ending the Rangers' season. On July 23, 2012, the Rangers traded Brandon Dubinsky , Artem Anisimov , Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round draft pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Rick Nash , Steven Delisle , and a 2013 conditional third-round pick. At the 2013 NHL trade deadline on April 3, the Rangers then traded Marian Gaborik and Steven Delisle to Columbus for Derick Brassard , Derek Dorsett , John Moore , and
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4662-719: The Eastern Conference teams joined the Central Division. These changes have been reversed, for the 2021–22 season. The Wales Conference originally consisted of the Adams Division and the Norris Division . The 1981 realignment moved the Norris Division to the Clarence Campbell Conference and added that Conference's Patrick Division instead. When the names of conferences and divisions were changed in 1993,
4773-399: The Eastern Conference's divisions became the Atlantic and Northeast . Realignment in 1998 added a third division, the Southeast . Another realignment in 2013 reorganized the Eastern Conference into two, eight-team divisions: the Atlantic Division name retained, but was reassigned to what had been the Northeast Division, while the old Atlantic Division was renamed the Metropolitan Division ;
4884-402: The Hurricanes swept the Rangers. After being eliminated from the playoffs the Rangers were entered into the second phase of the NHL draft lottery where the team won the lottery and were awarded the first pick in the 2020 NHL entry draft , which Gorton used to select Alexis Lafreniere . Later in the off-season, the team traded veteran defenseman Marc Staal to the Red Wings. In September 2020,
4995-417: The NHL before its 1967 expansion , along with the Boston Bruins , Chicago Blackhawks , Detroit Red Wings , Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs . The team attained success early on under the guidance of Lester Patrick , who coached a team containing Frank Boucher , Murray Murdoch , and Bun and Bill Cook to win the Stanley Cup in only their second season. They were the first NHL franchise in
5106-402: The NHL realigned its teams into two conferences and four divisions. Because the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography, geographical references were removed. The Prince of Wales Trophy dates back to 1925, when it was donated to the League by the Prince of Wales , who later became King Edward VIII and then the Duke of Windsor . It was originally given to
5217-470: The NHL's playoff champion. (Until 1926, the Stanley Cup was presented to the winner of a post-season playoff between the NHL and Western Hockey League champions.) Since 1926–27 , the Stanley Cup has gone to the NHL's playoff champion. During the years when the NHL had no divisions, (i.e., 1925–26; 1938 to 1967), the Prince of Wales Trophy was presented to the League's regular season champion (analogous to today's Presidents' Trophy ). From 1926 to 1938,
5328-410: The Oiler alumni and community affairs in the Edmonton area. His son, Steve Hamilton (born 1973) is the current head coach with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League . New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City . The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in
5439-425: The Pittsburgh Penguins. The following off-season saw the departures of captain Jaromir Jagr to the KHL, and alternate captains Martin Straka and Brendan Shanahan, who left to play in the Czech Republic and with the New Jersey Devils, respectively. Following Jagr's departure, Chris Drury was named captain on October 3, 2008. The Rangers were one of four NHL teams to open the 2008–09 season in Europe, being featured in
5550-484: The Rangers $ 250,000 for their comments. Two days later, Rangers owner James Dolan fired president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton . Despite the timing, Dolan stated the firings were not related to the Wilson incident and statement, citing "culture" issues within the organization. Chris Drury was then announced as the Rangers' new president and general manager. On May 12, Drury fired head coach David Quinn, and replaced him with Gerard Gallant . Despite
5661-412: The 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 Maple Leafs, which they lost 7–6. In only the second season , they won the 1928 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
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#17328556538145772-411: The Rangers bought out the final year of Henrik Lundqvist 's contract, ending his tenure in New York after 15 years. On January 31, 2021, defenseman Tony DeAngelo was placed on waivers, following reports that he had an altercation with teammate Alexandar Georgiev following an overtime loss. According to The Athletic , his continued "maturity" issues, combined with a marked decline in his play, led
5883-412: The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3–2, in a shootout, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 1996–97 . In the 2006 conference quarterfinals , the Rangers drew a matchup with the Devils and were defeated in a four-game sweep. Jagr fell two points short of winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion in 2005–06, but did win his third Pearson Award as the players' choice for
5994-467: The Rangers from the League's rival, the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1978 . In the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs , New York defeated the surging Islanders in the conference semifinals and advanced to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals , losing to the Canadiens. In the three consecutive 1982 through 1984 playoffs, the Rangers were eliminated by the rival Islanders, who went on to win the Stanley Cup each of those years. The Rangers stayed competitive through
6105-406: The Rangers have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame , four of whom – Buddy O'Connor , Chuck Rayner , Andy Bathgate , and Messier – have won the Hart Memorial Trophy while playing for the team. George Lewis "Tex" Rickard , president of Madison Square Garden , was awarded an NHL franchise for the 1926–27 season to compete with the New York Americans , who had begun play at the Garden
6216-482: 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 shifted to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs won the next two games, tying the series at two games apiece. In games 5 and 6, the Rangers won in overtime, taking the series four games to two to earn their third Stanley Cup. However, the Rangers collapsed by the mid-1940s, losing games by scores as lopsided as 15–0. In 1943–44 , goaltender Ken McAuley led
6327-443: The Rangers signed superstar Marian Gaborik on the first day of free agency. In the 2009–10 season , the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the first time in five years. There was some criticism that the off-season acquisition of Gaborik had not paid off, despite Gaborik scoring 42 goals and 86 points in the season. The final two games of the season were a home-and-home against the Philadelphia Flyers, with both teams competing for
6438-548: The Rangers to put him on the market; there were no takers. In a game against the Washington Capitals on May 3, 2021, Capitals forward Tom Wilson cross-checked Pavel Buchnevich in the head and slammed Artemi Panarin into the ice, ending his season. Wilson, a repeat offender, was fined the league maximum of $ 5,000 for the incident. The Rangers organization released a statement expressing disappointment in this decision, calling head of player safety George Parros "unfit to continue in his current role". The NHL subsequently fined
6549-479: The Rangers traded their captain Ryan Callahan, along with a first-round draft pick in 2015 , a conditional second-round pick in 2014 , and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2015, for Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis . The trade occurred both due to the Rangers' and Callahan's inability to reach a contract extension, as well as St. Louis' growing tension with the Lightning organization and subsequent request to be traded to New York. The 2013–14 Rangers were already
6660-421: The Rangers unveiled the new Heritage Jersey for the first time at the ice rink at Rockefeller Center in a special ceremony featuring Rangers alumni and current players discussing the history of the storied franchise. The club wore the jersey for the first time on November 17 when they played the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers' playoff chances came down to the final day of the regular season for
6771-496: The Rangers were forced to play all of their games, including "home" games, in Toronto, while the circus was held at the Garden. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in the seventh game of the finals. 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
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#17328556538146882-433: The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy for the third time in franchise history and their seventh division title by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 53–22–7. The 53 wins and 113 points both set franchise records. The team also won 28 road games in the regular season, breaking the franchise record set the previous season. In the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs , the Rangers dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in
6993-419: The Rangers' lineup in 1969 , playing in 59 games, but he had arrived at a time when the Ranger defence was stacked and a new kid named Brad Park was turning heads. Hamilton was left unprotected for the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft and was selected by the Buffalo Sabres as their third choice. However, when the World Hockey Association began in 1972 , Hamilton jumped over to the fledgling league, signing with
7104-493: The Rangers, were their first-round opponents in the 1975 playoffs . After splitting the first two games, the Islanders defeated the more-established Rangers 11 seconds into overtime of the deciding game 3, establishing a rivalry that continued to grow for years. In a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins , the Rangers acquired Esposito and Carol Vadnais from the Bruins for Park, Ratelle and Joe Zanussi in 1975 , while Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson jumped to
7215-416: The Southeast Division was dissolved. With this 2013 realignment, all 16 teams in the Eastern Time Zone are situated within the Eastern Conference. The NHL's playoff system has changed over the years. Prior to 1982, the NHL had a unique playoff system relative to the NFL, NBA and MLB. Playoff teams were seeded regardless of conference affiliation. As a result, two teams from the same conference could meet in
7326-419: The Stanley Cup. That summer, the Rangers extended Antti Raanta's contract, signed Pavel Buchnevich to an entry-level contract, and re-signed J. T. Miller, Chris Kreider , and Kevin Hayes . On July 18, 2016, the Rangers traded Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 second-round draft pick. The team also signed Michael Grabner to a two-year deal and
7437-410: The Toronto 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 . The Rangers were expected to struggle during the 2005–06 season , but behind stellar performances by Swedish rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist , the Rangers finished the season with
7548-403: The Trophy went to the American Division regular season champion; from 1967 to 1974, it was presented to the East Division regular season champion; and from 1974 to 1981, it was presented to the Wales Conference regular season champion. The conferences and divisions were re-aligned for the 1981–82 to better reflect the geographical locations of the teams, but the existing names were retained with
7659-419: The United States to win the trophy, and are still the fastest true expansion team in NHL history to do so. The team won two more Stanley Cups in 1933 and 1940. Following this initial grace period, the franchise struggled between the 1940s and 1960s, wherein playoff appearances and successes were infrequent. The team enjoyed a mini-renaissance in the 1970s, where they made the Stanley Cup Finals twice, losing to
7770-486: The Wales Conference becoming the conference primarily for the NHL's eastern teams. The names of conferences and divisions were changed for the 1993–94 season to reflect their geographic locations. Then-new NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) all use geographic-based names for their divisions. However,
7881-408: The age of 44. At the time, teams were not required to dress a backup goaltender . When the Rangers' starting goaltender, Lorne Chabot , left a game with an eye injury , Maroons head coach Eddie Gerard vetoed Patrick's original choice for an emergency replacement, Alex Connell of the Ottawa Senators , who was in attendance. An angry Patrick lined up between the pipes for two periods in game 2 of
7992-401: The board to exercise de facto control. 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 the fourth version of Madison Square Garden in 1968. A year earlier, they made the playoffs for the first time in five years on
8103-461: 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 defeated them 3–1 and 4–1. The series headed back to the Meadowlands for the sixth game, in which Messier, who had guaranteed a win to the press, scored three times in the final period to lead the Rangers to a 4–2 win and set up
8214-443: The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins and then faltered in three-straight (some observers note a Ron Francis slapshot from outside the blue line that eluded goaltender Mike Richter as the series' turning point). The following year, injuries and a 1–11 regular season finish landed the Rangers at the bottom of the Patrick Division after being in a playoff position for much of the season. Head coach Roger Neilson did not finish
8325-548: The end of the 2000–01 season , the Rangers had landed a significant amount of star power. 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 by the Flyers. The Rangers also acquired Pavel Bure late in 2001–02 from the Florida Panthers . It was also the rookie season of goalie Dan Blackburn , who made
8436-526: The finals, allowing one goal to Maroons center Nels Stewart . Frank Boucher scored the game-winning goal in overtime for New York. After a loss to the Bruins in the 1929 Stanley Cup Finals and an early struggle 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, defeated the Maple Leafs in the 1933 Stanley Cup Finals to win their second Stanley Cup. The Rangers spent
8547-469: The first 13 games by going 10–2–1 for 21 points, with the 10 wins and 21 points each becoming franchise records. A successful start to the season, however, was tempered with by the news of the sudden death of 2007 first-round pick Alexei Cherepanov, which occurred during a KHL game in Russia on October 13. A disappointing second half of the season followed. After the Rangers went 2–7–3 in 12 games, coach Tom Renney
8658-530: The first American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, while Alexander Karpovtsev , Alexei Kovalev , Sergei Nemchinov and Sergei Zubov became the first Russians to have their names engraved on the Cup. Despite having coached the Rangers to a regular season first-place finish and the Stanley Cup victory, head coach Mike Keenan left after a dispute with general manager Neil Smith . During
8769-509: The first four games of the series, but the Rangers lost game 5 by a 2–0 scoreline at home. In game 6, Derick Brassard scored a hat-trick and assisted on two other goals in an emphatic 7–3 victory to force game 7 in New York. There, the Lightning shutout the Rangers 2–0, ending the Rangers' season, and marking the first occasion the Rangers had ever lost a game 7 at home in franchise history as well as
8880-562: The first round. The Rangers then came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win their second-round series against the Capitals in seven games, becoming the first team in NHL history to battle back from a 3–1 deficit in back-to-back seasons and sending the Rangers to the conference finals for the third time in four years. However, after winning the first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers lost game 2 by four goals. The two teams split
8991-578: The first time they lost an elimination game at home since they lost to Buffalo in 2007 . On June 27, 2015, the Rangers traded Carl Hagelin to the Anaheim Ducks, Cam Talbot and a draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers, and prospect Ryan Haggerty to the Chicago Blackhawks for Antti Raanta , who replaced Talbot as Lundqvist's backup goaltender. Subsequently, on July 1, Glen Sather resigned as
9102-403: The first two games by two goals but lost each game in overtime, and were then shut-out at home 3–0 in game 3. The Kings outshot the Rangers in game 4, but the Rangers staved off elimination by winning the game 2–1. They had another lead in game 5, but after the game was tied and subsequently sent to overtime, Kings defenseman Alec Martinez scored with 5:17 left in the second overtime period to win
9213-713: The first-place Bruins four games to two. The Rangers' first-round victory gave them a bye until the finals. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the New York Americans in their first-round best-of-three series two games to one, and the Toronto Maple Leafs ousted the Chicago Black Hawks two games to none. The Maple Leafs then swept Detroit a best-of-three series to advance to the finals. The 1940 Stanley Cup Finals commenced in Madison Square Garden. In game 1,
9324-471: The game for Los Angeles, 3–2, as well as the Stanley Cup. On June 20, 2014, a week after their season ended, the Rangers bought-out the remaining six years of Brad Richards' contract in order to free up salary cap space . On October 6, defenseman Ryan McDonagh was named the Rangers' 27th captain in team history, with Derek Stepan , Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Martin St. Louis serving as alternates. In 2014–15 ,
9435-420: The general manager, with Jeff Gorton taking his place to become the 11th general manager in team history. On July 2, Martin St. Louis announced his retirement. The team then re-signed Jesper Fast , J. T. Miller , and Derek Stepan. The Rangers started the 2015–16 season with a 14–2–2 record after 18 games, including a nine-game winning streak. However, the team lost their momentum and floundered, posting
9546-404: The last two years of Shattenkirk's contract. The 2019–20 season was a step forward for the rebuilding Rangers; Panarin lived up expectations and earned a Hart Trophy nomination, rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin proved to be a worthy successor to aging superstar Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Kreider signed a seven-year contract extension, and Mika Zibanejad emerged as an elite forward, recording
9657-452: The leader of the Oilers' defence corps for the whole of the WHA's history. When the Oilers joined the NHL for the 1979–80 NHL season , Hamilton had set the record for most games played (455) and most points scored (311) by any player while a WHA Oiler . Hamilton finished his career back in the NHL, playing 31 games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1979–80 ; however, beset by a lingering eye injury from
9768-421: The league with 39 losses and 310 goals allowed in 50 games played; his 6.24 goals-against average that year remains the worst in NHL history by a goaltender playing at least 25 games in a season. They missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before earning the fourth and final playoff spot in 1947–48 . They lost in the first round and missed the playoffs again in 1948–49 . In the 1950 Stanley Cup Finals ,
9879-404: The most outstanding player. Realizing that the team had trouble scoring goals in the 2005–06 campaign, the Rangers signed Triple Gold Club winner and 12-time 30-goal scorer Brendan Shanahan to a one-year contract. On October 5, 2006, opening night of the 2006–07 season , Jagr was named the first team captain since Mark Messier's retirement. Though the Rangers started slow in the first half of
9990-611: The much-anticipated college sensation Jimmy Vesey to a two-year entry-level contract. The Rangers finished 2016–17 in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 102 points. In the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs , they won their series with the Montreal Canadiens in six games. In the second game of their second-round series with the Ottawa Senators, the Rangers held a two-goal lead on three different occasions, but lost in double overtime, putting themselves in
10101-447: The next round, the Rangers once again faced the Capitals. In game 3, Gaborik scored to win 14:41 into the third overtime, giving the Rangers a 2–1 lead in the series, but Washington came back to tie the series 2–2 in game 4. Washington was up by one during the final minutes of game 5 when Joel Ward committed a high-sticking double-minor. Richards scored to tie with just 6.6 seconds remaining, and in overtime, defenseman Marc Staal scored on
10212-584: The playoff system introduced in 1982, the top four teams in each division made the playoffs. The first-round winners met in the Division finals, and the division final winners met in the conference finals. In this format, the division standings tended to be somewhat static, though not quite as static as in the Campbell Conference. In the Adams Division, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens never missed
10323-417: The playoffs in this format, while the Buffalo Sabres only missed twice. In the Patrick Division, the Washington Capitals only missed the playoffs once, the New York Rangers twice, the New York Islanders three times and the Philadelphia Flyers four. In both cases, this usually left the other two teams to contend for the final playoff spot. This format also raised the possibility of the strongest teams in
10434-534: The previous season, he retired at season's end. His number "3" was the first retired by the franchise. As of 2024, Hamilton is the only Oiler not to be a member of the 1980s Stanley Cup teams to have his number retired. For the WHA all-time, he is 13th in games played, 15th in assists, 40th in points, and 38th in penalty minutes. He was also the franchise leader for the WHA Oilers in games, assists, and points, and second in penalty minutes. Hamilton remains active with
10545-462: The previous season. The Americans' early success in their inaugural season exceeded expectations, leading Rickard to pursue a second team for the Garden despite promising the Amerks that they were going to be the only hockey team to play there. The new team was quickly nicknamed "Tex's Rangers". Rickard's franchise began play in the 1926–27 season. The first team crest was a horse sketched in blue carrying
10656-402: The regular season being forced to meet in the first or second round rather than the conference finals. From 1994 to 2013, the top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the division winners being guaranteed the top seeds (top two from 1994 to 1998 and top three from 1999 to 2013) and home ice in the first round regardless of record. A new playoff format was introduced as part of
10767-488: The regular season. The strength of players such as Brad Park , Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert (the last three constructing the famed " GAG line ", standing for "goal-a-game") carried them through the playoffs. They defeated the defending-champion Canadiens in the first round and the Chicago Black Hawks in the second, but lost to the Bruins in the finals. In the 1972 playoffs, with Ratelle sidelined with
10878-441: 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. In the 1939–40 season , the Rangers finished the regular season in second place behind Boston. The two teams then met in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins gained a two-games-to-one series lead from New York, but the Rangers recovered to win three-straight games, defeating
10989-514: The same day. In the 2011–12 season , the team finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, recording 51 wins and 109 points. Their leading scorer was Marian Gaborik, who finished the season with 41 goals and 76 points while playing all 82 games. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rangers faced the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators. After falling behind 3–2 in the series, the Rangers bounced back to win game 6 in Ottawa as well as game 7 at home. In
11100-446: The same playoff spot. The Rangers skated away with the victory in the first game, keeping their postseason hopes alive. In the second game, the Flyers peppered Henrik Lundqvist with 47 shots, but scored only once. The game went to a shootout, and the Flyers prevailed to move on to the playoffs. For the 2010–11 season , the team waived defenseman Wade Redden and brought in several players to achieve more balanced scoring. On November 12,
11211-478: The season. 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. The 1993–94 New York Rangers season
11322-541: The second penalty of the double-minor just 1:35 into overtime. Rangers went on to win the series 4–3, sending them to the conference finals for the first time since 1997. In the conference finals, they faced the New Jersey Devils, a major divisional rival. After leading the series 2–1, the Rangers lost three games in a row, losing game 6 in New Jersey with a goal by Devils forward Adam Henrique at 1:03 in overtime, giving
11433-474: The second-straight year. The team defeated the New Jersey Devils and passed the Carolina Hurricanes in the standings, putting the Rangers in the playoffs after missing out the previous season. The Rangers faced Washington in the first round and lost the series in five games. It was the second time in three years that the Capitals eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs, fueling a rivalry that lasted several seasons. On May 13, 2011, Rangers forward Derek Boogaard
11544-455: The strength of rookie goaltender Eddie Giacomin and 37-year-old former 1950s Montreal Canadiens star right wing Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion , signed out of retirement in 1966. The Rangers made the finals twice in the 1970s, but lost both times to two 1970s powerhouses; in six games to the Boston Bruins in 1972 , who were led by such stars as Bobby Orr , Phil Esposito , Ken Hodge , Johnny Bucyk and Wayne Cashman ; and in five games to
11655-494: The summer of 1995. The Rangers defeated the Canadiens in six games in the 1996 playoffs , but lost their second-round series to the Penguins in five games. The Rangers then acquired Wayne Gretzky in 1996. Gretzky's greatest accomplishment with the Rangers was leading them to the 1997 conference finals , where they lost 4–1 to the Flyers, who were then led by Eric Lindros . Mark Messier, a former Oiler teammate of Gretzky's, left in
11766-420: The summer of 1997 and the team failed in a bid to replace him with Colorado Avalanche superstar Joe Sakic . The Rangers missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, finishing no higher than fourth in their division. Gretzky retired at the end of the 1998–99 season . In March 2000, Smith was fired along with head coach John Muckler , and that summer, James Dolan hired Glen Sather to replace him. By
11877-436: The team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010 , finishing under .500 for the first time since 2004 , and placing last in the Metropolitan Division, head coach Vigneault was fired after the conclusion of the season. On May 23, David Quinn was hired as the team's new head coach. During the off-season, Hayes, Vesey, Brady Skjei and Spooner all filed for salary arbitration and all of them were re-signed. Despite
11988-474: The trophy awarded to the conference champion, the Prince of Wales Trophy, retains some connection to the heritage of the League. In 2005, following the 2004–05 NHL lockout , Bettman changed the Eastern Conference logo (along with the Western Conference and NHL logos) to its current format. Along with the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference was temporarily abolished for the 2020–21 NHL season after
12099-452: Was fired, with 2004 Stanley Cup and Jack Adams Award winner John Tortorella named as his replacement. The Rangers made the 2009 playoffs , but lost their opening-round series to the Washington Capitals four games to three. On June 30, 2009, the Rangers traded Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt , and Michael Busto to the Montreal Canadiens for Ryan McDonagh , Chris Higgins , Pavel Valentenko , and Doug Janik . With Gomez's salary cap hit gone,
12210-454: Was found dead in his Minnesota apartment. On June 29, the Rangers bought out captain Chris Drury's contract. On July 3, the Rangers signed free agent Brad Richards to a nine-year contract. On September 12, Ryan Callahan was named the 26th captain in the Rangers' history. He became the fifth-youngest captain in team history. Brad Richards and Marc Staal were named alternate captains on
12321-540: Was their most successful in 54 years, as Mike Keenan coached the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup championship , winning their fourth Cup. By the 1993–94 season, the Rangers had acquired seven players who had been part of the Edmonton Oilers ' Cup-winning teams: Oilers captain (and new Rangers captain) Mark Messier , Adam Graves , Kevin Lowe , Jeff Beukeboom , Esa Tikkanen , Craig MacTavish and Glenn Anderson . Graves set
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