New York Rangers coaching history by the numbers after Mike Sullivan hired
Mike Sullivan was named the 38th coach in New York Rangers history on May 2. Sullivan replaced Peter Laviolette after the Rangers became just the fourth team in NHL history to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs one season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
Though there’s rampant optimism with the Sullivan hire, it’s worth taking a look at the highs and lows, successes and misses with Rangers coaches over the years.
As the Rangers approach their centennial season, we take a look back on their 99 years of coaching history, including some of the best and worst numbers, most successful and least successful coaches, and the coaches who’ve helped the Rangers win the four Stanley Cup championships in franchise history.
Here’s a look at the history of Blueshirts bench bosses.
Related: Mike Sullivan hire by Rangers a ‘home run’: Brian Boyle
Longest-tenured Rangers coaches
- Emile Francis – 654 games
- Lester Patrick – 604 games
- Frank Boucher – 527 games
- Alain Vigneault – 410 games
- Tom Renney – 327 games
No surprise here that the longest-tenured coaches go way back, leading the way with Emile Francis and Lester Patrick each coaching more than 600 games. More recently, however, Alain Vigneault earned a spot in the top five by coaching 410 games from 2014-18. Tom Renney also cracks the top five, coaching from 2005-09.
Most wins as Rangers coach
- Emile Francis – 342
- Lester Patrick – 281
- Alain Vigneault – 226
- Frank Boucher – 181
- John Tortorella – 171
Coaching the longest goes hand in hand with earning the most wins, which is why this list and the next, most losses, will look pretty similar. Again, Francis, Patrick, Vigneault, and Boucher all find themselves in the top five. But cracking the list is John Tortorella, who earned 171 wins with the Rangers from 2009-13.
Related: Only 1 other coach topped Peter Laviolette in 1st season with Rangers
Most losses as Rangers coach
- Frank Boucher – 263
- Lester Patrick – 216
- Emile Francis – 209
- Alain Vigneault – 147
- Phil Watson – 124
Best Rangers coaching records by points percentage
- Mike Keenan – .667 (52-24-8)
- Gerard Gallant – .662 (99-46-19)
- Peter Laviolette – .607 (94-59-11)
- Emile Francis – .602 (342-209, 103 ties)
- Alain Vigneault – .596 (226-147-37)
Worst Rangers coaching records by points percentage
- Alf Pike – .378 (36-66-21)
- Red Sullivan – .385 (58-103-35)
- Tom Webster – .389 (5-9-4)
- Bill Cook – .393 (34-59-24)
- Muzz Patrick – .415 (43-66-27)
Most Rangers games coached in postseason
- Emile Francis – 75
- Lester Patrick – 65
- Alain Vigneault – 61
- John Tortorella – 44
- Colin Campbell – 36
- Roger Neilson – 29
- Frank Boucher – 27 *Won Stanley Cup 1940
- Gerard Gallant – 27
- Fred Shero – 27
- Tom Renney/Herb Brooks – 24
Best Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)
- Mike Keenan – .696 (16-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1994
- Peter Laviolette – .625 (10-6)
- Lynn Patrick – .583 (7-5)
- Fred Shero – .556 (15-12)
- Lester Patrick – .546 (32-26-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1928, 1933
Worst Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)
- David Quinn – .000 (0-3)
- Phil Esposito – .200 (2-8)
- Phil Watson – .250 (4-12)
- Doug Harvey – .333 (2-4)
- Jean-Guy Talbot – .333 (1-2)
Related: Dave Maloney explains why former Rangers coach Jean-Guy Talbot was ‘colorful character’
New York Rangers Stanley Cup Winners
Lester Patrick: 1927-28, 1932-33
Lester Patrick guided the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1927-28, their second season in the NHL. The Rangers played 44 regular-season games, and were 19-16-9, followed by nine playoff games. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, splitting the series 1-1 but winning 6-4 on aggregate goals. They were 1-0-1 against the Boston Bruins, but again won on aggregate goals, 5-2. That earned them a trip to the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Final, where they rallied from a 2-1 series deficit to defeat the Montreal Maroons 3-2 despite playing all five games at the Montreal Forum.
Patrick led the Rangers to their second championship in 1932-33 after a 48-game regular season in when they finished 23-17-8. The Rangers were 1-0-1 against the Montreal Canadiens, winning 8-5 on aggregate goals, and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 in a best-of-3 Semifinal series. The Final was again a best-of-5, and the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Andy Aitkenhead shut out the Maple Leafs 1-0 in the clincher, when Bill Cook scored the only goal.
Frank Boucher: 1939-40
Frank Boucher, who was named coach after the 1938-39 season when Patrick opted to focus solely on being general manager, led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in his first season. The Rangers played 48 regular-season games, finishing 27-11-10 and coming in second to the Boston Bruins in the seven-team NHL. By now, all playoff series were best-of-7, and the Rangers defeated the Bruins in six games in the Semifinals. Despite playing only two home games (the circus had first call on dates at Madison Square Garden in those days), they again defeated the Maple Leafs in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history. Bryan Hextall scored 2:07 into overtime to give New York a 3-2 victory in Game 6 and its third championship in 14 seasons since joining the NHL in 1926.
Mike Keenan: 1993-94
It took 54 years before Mike Keenan helped deliver the fourth Stanley Cup in team history in 1993-94. New York won the Presidents’ Trophy as the regular-season champion with a 52-24-8 record in an 84-game season. They swept the New York Islanders in the opening round and blitzed the Washington Capitals in five games in Round 2. The New Jersey Devils were a tough out, but the Rangers came back from down 3-2 in the series to win in seven, taking the deciding game 2-1 in double overtime on a goal by Stephane Matteau. They raced to a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, lost the next two games, then won 3-2 in Game 7 for a championship that, in the words of Sam Rosen, “would last a lifetime.”
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