New York Rangers

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Lore & Background

Founded in 1926 by Tex Rickard, the Rangers are one of the Original Six teams that competed in 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. In 1928, they became the first NHL franchise in 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, where playoff appearances and successes were infrequent. The team enjoyed a mini-renaissance in the 1970s, making the Stanley Cup Final twice, losing to 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, 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, enduring a franchise-record seven-year postseason drought from 1998 to 2005. After the arrival of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in 2006, the Rangers thrived, missing the playoffs just once between 2006 and 2017. The Rangers returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, falling to the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Between 2012 and 2024, they reached the Eastern Conference finals five times.

In Their Own Story

In the 1928–29 season, the Bruins faced the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final at the Boston Garden. This match-up resulted in a victory for Boston, secured by goaltender Tiny Thompson, giving the team its first championship. The win was significant as it followed the franchise's move from the Boston Arena to the new venue after three seasons. Decades later, during the 1970–71 season, the Rangers were mentioned again in the context of the Stanley Cup, having defeated the Canadiens to win the title, while the Bruins had lost their series to Montreal. The source does not recount specific game scores or player stats for Bruins-Rangers matchups outside of these final outcomes, focusing instead on the broader achievements of Boston during these periods.

Reader's Guide

The Rangers' early years (1926–1942) saw them win the American Division title in their first season but lose to the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. In only their second season, they won the 1928 Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Maroons in five games. After a loss to the Bruins in the 1929 Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs in the 1933 Stanley Cup Final to win their second Stanley Cup. In the 1939–40 season, the Rangers finished the regular season in second place behind Boston, then defeated the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs and went on to win the Stanley Cup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the Original Six era (1942–1967), the Rangers collapsed by the mid-1940s, missing the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before earning the fourth and final playoff spot in 1947–48, losing in the first round. In the 1950 Stanley Cup Final, they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in the seventh game. The Rangers missed the playoffs 12 of the next 16 years within the remainder of the Original Six era. In the post-Original Six era (1967–1993), the Rangers reached the 1972 Stanley Cup Final despite losing high-scoring center Jean Ratelle to injury during the last half of the regular season.

Did You Know?

• The Rangers are one of the Original Six teams.
• They won the Stanley Cup in 1928, 1933, 1940, and 1994.
• The team's nickname 'Rangers' is attributed to sports editor George Haley, who referred to the new team as 'Tex's Rangers'.
• On December 13, 1929, the Rangers became the first team in the NHL to travel by plane.