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

1. Emile Francis – 654 games
2. Lester Patrick – 604 games
3. Frank Boucher – 527 games
4. Alain Vigneault – 410 games
5. 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

1. Emile Francis – 342
2. Lester Patrick – 281
3. Alain Vigneault – 226
4. Frank Boucher – 181
5. 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

1. Frank Boucher – 263
2. Lester Patrick – 216
3. Emile Francis – 209
4. Alain Vigneault – 147
5. Phil Watson – 124

Best Rangers coaching records by points percentage

1. Mike Keenan – .667 (52-24-8)
2. Gerard Gallant – .662 (99-46-19)
3. Peter Laviolette – .607 (94-59-11)
4. Emile Francis – .602 (342-209, 103 ties)
5. Alain Vigneault – .596 (226-147-37)

Worst Rangers coaching records by points percentage

1. Alf Pike – .378 (36-66-21)
2. Red Sullivan – .385 (58-103-35)
3. Tom Webster – .389 (5-9-4)
4. Bill Cook – .393 (34-59-24)
5. Muzz Patrick – .415 (43-66-27)

Most Rangers games coached in postseason

1. Emile Francis – 75
2. Lester Patrick – 65
3. Alain Vigneault – 61
4. John Tortorella – 44
5. Colin Campbell – 36
6. Roger Neilson – 29
7. Frank Boucher – 27 *Won Stanley Cup 1940
8. Gerard Gallant – 27
9. Fred Shero – 27
10. Tom Renney/Herb Brooks – 24

Best Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)

1. Mike Keenan – .696 (16-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1994
2. Peter Laviolette – .625 (10-6)
3. Lynn Patrick – .583 (7-5)
4. Fred Shero – .556 (15-12)
5. Lester Patrick – .546 (32-26-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1928, 1933

Worst Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)

1. David Quinn – .000 (0-3)
2. Phil Esposito – .200 (2-8)
3. Phil Watson – .250 (4-12)
4. Doug Harvey – .333 (2-4)
5. 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.”

Unfortunately for the Rangers, success stories with their coaches are not easy to come by in the 21st century, as the past 24 years are littered with more misses than hits. That comes with the territory when you haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1994.

The Rangers have had 10 different coaches since 2000. Here’s a complete ranking from best to worst.

Related: Only 1 other coach topped Peter Laviolette in 1st season with Rangers

Ranking Rangers coaches in 21st century

There have been 23 NHL seasons played since the turn of the century, with the 2004-05 season canceled by a lockout. The Rangers have made the playoffs 15 times since 2000, reaching the Eastern Conference Final five times and the Stanley Cup Final once, in 2014. Eight times they failed to reach the postseason.

Let’s breakdown the work of the Rangers coaches since 2000.

10. Bryan Trottier — 2002-03, 54 games, .454 PTS%

Bryan Trottier isn’t just the worst Rangers coach since 2000 — he’s got a strong case for the worst coach in franchise history.

General manager Glen Sather’s hiring of the New York Islanders legend drew the ire of both Islanders and Rangers fans, the latter of which was further aggravated by the on-ice product.

Trottier was in over his head from the start, unprepared and uncomfortable in the role, and was fired after just 54 games in 2002-03 with the Blueshirts posting a 21-26-6-1 record in that span. Opting to play within a defensive-focused neutral zone trap that limited the team’s scoring capabilities, he limited the offensive potential of Hall of Famers like Mark Messier, Eric Lindros, and Pavel Bure.

Lindros went from scoring 37 goals under a full season with coach Ron Low the year before to just 15 in 54 games with Trottier.

The Rangers played above .500 in the final 28 games under Sather, who replaced Trottier as coach, but still finished under .500 and fourth in the division and out of the playoffs. It was a bold move entrusting the reigns to Trottier, not just a rival legend but someone who had never been an NHL head coach before and would never get the opportunity again. It ended up being one of the worst moves in franchise history.

9. John Muckler — 1998-2000, 185 games, .451 PTS%

John Muckler’s tenure marks the downturn of the Rangers in the late 90s and the beginning of one of the worst periods in recent franchise memory. Taking over for Colin Campbell in 1998, Muckler lasted two and a half seasons, never once posting a .500 record before being replaced by assistant John Tortorella for the final four games of the 1999-2000 season.

Muckler’s .451 points percentage is the lowest of any Rangers coach since 2000. After the Rangers were 8-15-2 with Muckler at the helm to close out the 1997-98 season, the Rangers finished fourth in the five-team Atlantic Division in back-to-back seasons, culminating in the coach’being fired, along with Stanley Cup-winning general manager Neil Smith.

Enjoying success with the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres previously, Muckler was never able to translate it to a Rangers’ roster that had the highest payroll in the NHL and a number of big free-agent signings that didn’t quite pan out.

It’s likely not all the fault of the Stanley Cup champion that an aging roster failed to miss the playoffs in his two-and-a-half seasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that Muckler’s Rangers teams greatly underperformed expectations and simply were no good. Muckler never coached again in the NHL.

8. Glen Sather — 2003-04, 90 games, .467 PTS%

After failing to find the right fit with Trottier and Ron Low, Sather, who was the Rangers general manager, stepped into the coaching role himself, taking over for the fired Trottier and staying into the 2003-04 season before ultimately selecting Tom Renney as his replacement.

His success with the Wayne Gretzky-era Oilers, when he won four Stanley Cup championships as coach, didn’t carry over and despite finishing the first season with an 11-10-4-3 record after Trottier’s dismissal, the Blueshirts dipped back below .500 with Sather in 2003-04, playing to a 22-29-7-4 record in his 62 games as coach that season.

Sather’s stint as coach marked the end of the Rangers’ run with their aging core. In his role as GM, Sather traded away Rangers legend Brian Leetch, as well as big pieces like Alex Kovalev and Petr Nedved.

7. Ron Low — 2000-02, 164 games, .463 PTS%

Ron Low was the successor to Muckler, continuing a dark era of Rangers hockey as the Rangers finished fourth in the Atlantic twice more, missing the playoffs for the fourth and fifth straight seasons.

Low drew a resurgent 79-point season from the 32-year-old Leetch and got strong individual years from Theo Fleury, Nedved, and Lindros in his two seasons as coach, but it never reflected in a competitive record.

His 80-point season in 2001-02 ended up being the high point in the Blueshirts’ seven-year postseason drought that spanned from 1998-2004, so he settles in above Trottier, Muckler, and Sather, but it’s a low bar and not great company to keep. Just another former Oilers coach that faild on Broadway.

6. David Quinn — 2018-21, 208 games, .522 PTS%

David Quinn took over in the first full season following the release of The Letter by Sather, then team president, and GM Jeff Gorton, which informed fans about the Rangers intent to sell core pieces and begin a rebuild. Understandably, Quinn’s three seasons were rough since he bridged an ugly gap between the highly competitive mid-2010s teams and the current Rangers.

The Blueshirts finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division in his first two seasons, landing the No. 2 and No. 1 overall picks in consecutive seasons, despite showing real promise in 2019-20 and qualifying for the expanded 24-team postseason. A regression in 2020-21 led to his firing at the end of the season and concluded his Rangers tenure in dismal fashion.

Despite the lack of on-ice success from a team perspective, Quinn did facilitate important developments that paid dividends in future seasons.

Under Quinn, Adam Fox blossomed into a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, and K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren blossomed into core pieces. Igor Shesterkin took over as the No. 1 goalie, although the bulk of credit there goes to goaltender guru Benoit Allaire.

Mika Zibanejad enjoyed some excellent seasons under Quinn, who paired him with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich to great success. Quinn also notably paired Fox and Lindgren together, which has become an effective staple of the Blueshirts backend to this day.

Quinn left plenty to be desired with his development of young forwards and outlasted his welcome with his strict coaching style, but nonetheless helped set the foundation for the latest iterations of successful Rangers teams.

5. Gerard Gallant — 2021-23, 164 games, .662 PTS%

Gerard Gallant is the third most successful coach by points percentage in franchise history, his two-year tenure in New York leaves a tumultuous and complicated legacy.

Gallant succeeded where Quinn failed, taking the Rangers out of rebuilding purgatory and making them a certified contender with a 110-point season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final in his first year at the helm in 2021-22.

That season was a nice surprise, one that reframed expectations for the current squad. But the Blueshirts struggled to find their footing the following season. They still finished third in the Metropolitan Division with 107 points but failed to make the most of a star-studded roster, falling to the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs after blowing a 2-0 series lead.

Gallant leaned heavily on his veterans and did little to facilitate the development of young forwards like Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, and was criticized mightily for his lack of on-ice strategic adjustments, particularly in the postseason. His relationship with players, as well as GM Chris Drury, deteriorated, and he was fired despite back-to-back 100-point seasons.

4. Tom Renney — 2004-09, 327 games, .572 PTS%

Tom Renney helped the Rangers end a seven-year postseason drought, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in every season after officially assuming the head coaching role following the lockout.

Led by MVP-level play from Jaromir Jagr, who set franchise records with 54 goals and 123 points in 2005-06, and the emergence of Henrik Lundqvist as an elite No. 1 goaltender, the Rangers were once again a competitive team and finished with between 94 and 100 points from 2005 to 2009.

Renney was never able to get the Blueshirts past the second round of the playoffs and came under fire for his constant juggling of lines, particularly towards the end of his time in New York. He also received blame for his perceived misuse of Petr Prucha, who scored 30 goals in his rookie campaign but saw his production dip in the years to come as he failed to live up to his promising start.

Still, Renney brought the Rangers out of the longest postseason drought in franchise history and ushered in the Lundqvist era.

3. John Tortorella — 2000 / 2009-13, 319 games, .583 PTS%

The polarizing John Tortorella was — if nothing else — entertaining to watch on and off the ice. “You either love him or you hate him” is a phrase that applies better to few people in the hockey world than Torts.

But beyond his often edgy personality and spats with the media, Tortorella helped forge a tough and gritty identity for the Rangers, culminating in some very successful seasons in the early 2010s. With players like Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan, and Carl Hagelin coming into their own, the Blueshirts became one of the fiercest defensive teams to play against.

His high mark came in 2011-12 when the Rangers finished first in the Atlantic Division with 107 points and reached Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Devils. It remains a surprise to many that he didn’t win the Jack Adams Award for his work that season.

Tortorella is rightly criticized for his treatment of Marian Gaborik, who he pushed to be traded because he didn’t believe the talented wing could succeed in the playoffs. Gaborik would do just that in 2014, scoring a team-high 14 goals for the Los Angeles Kings en-route to the Stanley Cup championship, taking down his former team in the process.

His hard-nosed attitude and open criticism through the media likely wore off on the team by his final season and the Rangers ultimately had their best seasons after he was fired, but the identity he established was a good fit for New York and helped the development of numerous young pieces who became key players by the mid-2010s.

2. Peter Laviolette — 2023-present, 82 games, .695 PTS%

If Laviolette stepped down today, his .695 points percentage would be the highest in the Rangers’ 97-year history. Winning the Presidents’ Trophy with a franchise-record 55 wins and 114 points, Laviolette set a high bar in his first season.

The magical year ended in the Eastern Conference Final when the Blueshirts were outclassed in six games by the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Still, Laviolette was a refreshing change from Gallant, implementing rigorous but engaging practices and active strategic adjustments that routinely worked out.

On top of career years from Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, Laviolette entrusted Lafreniere with top-six minutes, allowing the former No. 1 overall pick to blossom with a 28-goal, 57-point season and an eight-goal postseason that breeds excitement for his future.

Whether or not he can get the Blueshirts over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Final remains to be seen, but Laviolette has quickly ingratiated himself with Rangers fans after his inaugural season.

1. Alain Vigneault — 2013-2018, 410 games, .596 PTS%, 1 SCF appearance

It’s hard to argue for anyone over Alain Vigneault considering the Rangers lone appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 1994 came during his tenure.

After finishing second in the Metro with 96 points, Vigneault took the Blueshirts to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final in his first season, falling to the Kings in five games. The following season, the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy with a then-franchise record 113-point season, this time losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final after crucial injuries to Mats Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh.

Despite two more 100-point seasons, the Rangers would not return to the conference final, losing in the first and second round the next two years before missing the playoffs entirely and finishing dead last in the division in his fifth and final season, after the Rangers traded McDonagh, J.T. Miller, and Rick Nash among others ahead of the deadline.

Like many of the coaches on this list, the ending was not pretty for Vigneault, who struggled with the handling of young talent and was reluctant to entrust players like Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Buchnevich with ice time despite the fact that the team needed to become more reliant on their young guns.

But nevertheless, he finished with 226 wins, third-most in Rangers history, and remains the only coach to lead the Blueshirts to a Stanley Cup Final since Mike Keenan did so in 1994.

Laviolette coached the Rangers to a franchise-record 55 wins and 114 points in the regular season, helping them earn their fourth Presidents’ Trophy. He also coached in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game and finished fourth in the voting for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year Laviolette received five first-place votes, tied for third-most among all coaches.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Laviolette guided New York to a 10-6 record before the Rangers were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Those 65 combined wins moved Laviolette past Gerard Gallant (62 combined wins and a conference final appearance in 2021-22) as the second-most successful coach in his inaugural season with the Blueshirts.

The only other coach ahead of Laviolette on that list? That would be Mike Keenan, the last coach to guide the Rangers to a Stanley Cup championship.

Keenan won 52 games in in his only season with the Rangers in 1993-94, leading them to their second Presidents’ Trophy at the time. Then in the magical spring of 1994, he guided them to a 16-7 record and the fourth Stanley Cup championship in their history, first in 54 years.

Those 68 combined victories are most for a coach in his first season with the Rangers.

Frank Boucher is the only other coach to win the Stanley Cup in his first season behind the Rangers bench. He did so in 1939-40. Boucher totaled 34 wins that season, 26 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs, when there were only six teams and the schedule was shorter.

Related: Where Rangers stand after NHL: salary cap increases

Top 5 inaugural seasons by Rangers coach

Here are some honorable mentions first: Ted Sator won 49 games combined (41 regular season, eight playoffs) in his only season as Rangers coach in 1985-86. Roger Neilson won 41 games (36 regular season, five playoffs) in 1989-90 and John Tortorella won 38 regular-season games (did not make playoffs) in his first full season of 2009-10. He replaced Tom Renney the previous season.

Renney had 47 combined wins (44 regular season, three playoffs) in 2005-06, his first full season as coach. He had replaced Glen Sather during the previous season.

5. Fred Shero – 51 combined wins

Fred Shero led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season behind the bench in 1978-79, when they lost in five games to the Montreal Canadiens. Shero won 40 regular-season games and 11 in the playoffs that season.

4. Alain Vigneault – 58 combined wins

Alain Vigneault also guided the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season as Rangers coach in 2013-14, but they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. Vigneault won 45 games in the regular season and 13 in the playoffs.

3. Gerard Gallant – 62 combined wins

Gerard Gallant got the Rangers to within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final in 2021-22. He had 52 regular-season victories and 10 more in the postseason.

2. Peter Laviolette – 65 combined wins

Like Gallant, just two wins from reaching the Stanley Cup Final. He had the same 10 postseason victories as Gallant, but three more in the regular season.

1. Mike Keenan – 68 combined wins

1940 No More! Mike Keenan is the coach who hung a photo of the Stanley Cup on the locker room wall and then helped end the 54-year curse. 1993-94 was the most memorable season in Rangers history, with 52 regular-season wins and those 16 more in the playoffs.

The Metro

While taking a gander at those same standings, if you use your mouse, or your finger (if you’re reading this article on a mobile device) scroll up just a bit to see who’s on the precipice of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Why, it’s the Philadelphia Flyers who are now coached by our old friend and former Ranger head coach, Alain Vigneault.

As “AV” accomplished in his first year coaching the Rangers in 2013-14, the Flyers are a completely different squad than they were in previous years. AV, as he did on Broadway, has brought structure, balance and a defensive conscience to Broad Street. Under Vigneault’s tutelage, the Flyers have marched their way towards the top of the division and are a certain playoff team with Stanley Cup aspirations. The surprising success of the Flyers would assuredly make AV a candidate for the Jack Adams award for Coach of the Year.

Now, if you can, please scroll back down the Eastern Conference standings just a smidge. You’ll see another surprising squad coached by another former Blueshirt bench boss. Yes, the Columbus Blue Jackets, coached by the fiery, the combustible, the hysterical John Tortorella, currently hold one of the two Wild Card berths. The Jackets, who lost most of their best players to free agency and injury, are arguably the NHL’s most astonishing teams.

As “Torts” did while patrolling the bench inside the World’s Most Famous Arena, he has gotten his over-performing, under-skilled Blue Jacket team to buy into his take-no-prisoners, shot-blocking, team first mantra. Some how, some way, Tortorella has his injury depleted, free agency ravaged team on a one way track towards playoff hockey. The surprising success of the Blue Jackets would assuredly make Torts a candidate for the Jack Adams award for Coach of the Year.

Quinn’s Rangers

Getting back to your favorite hockey team, the Rangers. Many pundits and prognosticators are floating around the idea of current head coach David Quinn being in the Jack Adams conversation. Let’s be honest, many members of the Garden Faithful were looking at mock draft boards and trying to figure out Lottery statistics during the NHL All Star break. With the Blueshirts some eleven points away from the final playoff position, the chances of the mediocre, inconsistent “Baby Blueshirts” climbing up the standings seemed low. Quinn deserves a lot of credit for keeping his young, inexperienced team focused and for not letting their disappointing, underwhelming position in the standings get them down.

When the Rangers are performing their customary end-of-the-season “Blueshirts Of Our Backs” ceremony on the Garden ice following the final regular season game against the Blackhawks on April 4th. if an MSG broadcaster is interviewing de facto captain Mika Zibanejad about their presumptive first round playoff opponent, one would expect Quinn to certainly be in the audience at the NHL Awards extravaganza as an Adams finalist.

Rangers Coaching Tree

So, let’s envision a scenario in which the Flyers win the Metro division and the Blue Jackets and Blueshirts claim the Wild Cards spots in the East. Would the current Ranger head coach and his two immediate predecessors all be in Las Vegas, in tuxedos, awaiting the opening of the envelope to announce which of the three has won Coach of the Year? To me, seeing the New York Rangers coaching tree represented and recognized at the NHL Awards ceremony in that manner would fill me with pride.

In the team’s final game before the league’s holiday break, the Rangers were in Philadelphia to face some familiar faces. But it would be Alain Vigneault, Kevin Hayes and the Flyers skating off the ice at Wells Fargo Center with a 5-1 win.

Jesper Fast – The longtime Rangers jack of all trades got the only goal for David Quinn’s squad, finishing off a shorthanded rush for his sixth goal of the season. After Brady Skjei was denied by Carter Hart, the defenseman stayed with the play and found Fast in front for a one-timer and the second-period lead.

Fast’s goal was the eighth goal the Rangers scored this season while killing a penalty, which is tied for the NHL lead.

Missed Opportunities – Perhaps the biggest reason the Rangers didn’t pull out the two points would be the inability to cash in on their many chances. Four man-advantage opportunities, including a 64-second 5v3, were unable to generate a goal. In addition, the Rangers had 24 attempted shots that either missed the net or got blocked; and that doesn’t include the handful of saves that Carter Hart made on ”Grade-A” chances.

Yes, this was a game where both goaltenders were on top of their game. But when you get multiple high-quality chances to score, you have to take advantage of them. The Flyers, on the other hand, seized their opportunities and skated away with the win.

Henrik Lundqvist – While the scoreline may indicate otherwise, it was a strong game for Henrik Lundqvist. The Flyers started the game strongly and Lundqvist was forced to be sharp in the opening seconds. King Henrik made a handful of 10-bell saves to keep the Rangers in the game. But after former Ranger Kevin Hayes scored on an odd-man rush to give the Flyers the lead, the Rangers pressed hard to tie the game, which gave Philadelphia many high-quality chances to extend their lead. Had it not been for Lundqvist early on, this game could have been over early in the second period.

Next Game: The Rangers return to action on Friday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at MSG. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

With the summer coming to a close, hockey is less than one month away. Albeit preseason, it’s hockey nonetheless. The New York Rangers have two RFA’s to sign and probably one more cap move to make before the season. For all intents and purposes, the summer of rebuilding was a success, and the team is about ready to enter a new era.

There’s just one thing missing. The team has gone a year and a half without having a captain. Of course, there are locker room leaders on every team. While the Rangers are a relatively young team, there are veteran leaders on the team (Marc Staal, Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Kreider).

A quick search on the old Twitter will see picks like Kreider or Mika Zibanejad for the vacant captaincy role. However, let’s be honest, the player that deserves to be the next captain is Jesper Fast.

An Alternate Choice

In February 2018, Fast was given the ‘A’ for the first time. Finally getting the recognition he deserved from former coach Alain Vigneault, was a breath of fresh air. To start last season, Coach Quinn named Fast one of the five alternate captains.

With two different coaches and two different styles, both bench bosses found a commonality with the Swedish number 17. While only playing in 66 games this past campaign due to an upper body injury, Fast still notched 20 points. Fast was fifth on the team in blocks and fourth in hits. Some may say Fast is fragile, but an upper-body injury happens when you play with too much heart.

Gift or Curse?

Jesper Fast is my favorite player. Bias aside, the last two team captains have been traded, to the same team. Hopefully, that isn’t a trend going forward. While many will say that Mika is the leader of the team going forward, it may not be the case. Is Mika a massive part of the foundation? Absolutely. Was he the team MVP last season? Yes, he was literally given the award by his teammates. Does he spin fire tracks? Absolutely.

All that said, Fast has won the Players’ Player Award for four straight seasons.

The Players’ Player Award has been given annually since the conclusion of the 1958-59 season and recognizes the Ranger who, as selected by his teammates, “best exemplifies what it means to be a team player.”

https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-announce-2018-19-team-award-winners/c-306490168

The captain of a hockey club doesn’t necessarily have to be the best player. Quite frankly, it can be argued that it typically isn’t. When it comes to who should don the ‘C’ going forward, there is no doubt that the leader of the team is the future first-line winger, Conn Smythe, and Stanley Cup Winner Jesper Fast. Also, get on it Jeff and give him that Colton Sissons extension we all know he’s worth.

2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 1: Dan Girardi. The superb and usually dependable Ranger defenseman commits an egregious turnover that leads directly to the game-winning overtime goal by eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams giving the LA Kings a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: With the Rangers holding a 4-2 third period lead and in complete control of the affair, referee Dan O’ Halloran decided to let a controversial Los Angeles goal stand even though Kings forward Dwight King (no relation) plowed over the valiant but incredulous Ranger net-minder Henrik Lundqvist in an obvious goalie interference infraction. Obvious to everyone except the officials that is. The Blueshirts would not recover from the O’Halloran gaffe and would end up losing, again, in overtime giving the Kings a 2-0 series lead.

Game 5: Overtime. With the Stanley Cup and the Rangers season hanging in the balance, their best offensive player, Rick Nash was an inch width of a Kings player’s stick from burying the game-winner and sending the Finals back to Gotham for an assuredly electric game six. Instead, Nash’s shot deflects off the stick of defenseman Slava Voynov and flutters harmlessly wide giving the Kings a reprieve. And, wouldn’t you know it, fellow Los Angeles blue-liner Alec Martinez rockets himself into Stanley Cup lore, scoring the golden goal off a rebound to give the Kings their second Stanley Cup championship in a three-year span.

Rehashing the outcome of the Stanley Cup Finals series that took place exactly five years ago is not the purpose of this piece. Unearthing the pain that had been recently sequestered is certainly not my intention.

You see, the 2014 Ranger team, as a group, should be honored and celebrated. After all, AV’s squad is the only Band of Blueshirts to compete for hockey’s Holy Grail since Mark Messier and Co. slew the 1940 monster 25 years ago and was only the fifth Ranger team to reach the cup finals in the last 79 years.

The wounds and the scars and the bad memories and the heartbreak are still very much fresh in the minds of the Garden Faithful and rightfully so. However, when you really sit down and calm down, you can come to the concussion and realization of what a special team and special season that was.

The 2013-14 regular season, under first-year head coach Alain Vigneault, was a bit of struggle early on. Once the players adjusted to the new system of their new coach, the Rangers began their climb up the standings finishing second in the Metropolitan Division and had a first-round match-up with their bitter rivals from down the Jersey Turnpike, the Philadelphia Flyers. It took seven hard-fought and at times excruciating games, but the Rangers found a way to beat their orange and black-clad nemesis to advance to the next round.

The Rangers would then face off against Pennsylvania’s other hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Down 3-1 in the series, the team received the sad news of the unfortunate passing of beloved teammate Marty St Louis’ mother, France. The Blueshirts would rally around their mourning comrade to storm back, win the final three games and advance to the Conference Finals.

Their opponent, the team they would battle for the right to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup, was the Montreal Canadiens. Henrik Lundqvist would turn the Bell Center, which was once his House of Horrors, into his own personal redemption center, back-stopping his hockey team to a 2-0 series lead. Game six back in New York proved to be a coronation for ‘The King” as Lundqvist, and a timely goal from grinder Dominic Moore proved to be the difference in the Rangers 1-0 victory sending Rangerstown into an absolute frenzy.

Folks, I have no illusions. I am fully aware that “almost” only counts in “horseshoes and hand-grenades” as the saying goes. I am not one for moral victories. Heck, I even wrote a book about my lack of championships and all of the “suffering” my sports teams have put me through. I want to witness my heroes accepting trophies from their respective league commissioner instead of consolatory pats-on-the-back.

Five years after the fact, I am finally at peace with how the 2014 playoff run ended. The euphoric Kings players celebrating just a few feet from the exasperated and sprawled out Henrik Lundqvist is a visual I won’t soon forget. However, as painful as that memory is, my goodness, there was so much to be proud of from that march to the finals.

The Rangers beat the Flyers in a playoff series for the first time since 1986.

The Rangers beat the Penguins in a playoff series for the first time ever, while also becoming the first Blueshirt squad to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

The Rangers clinched the Eastern Conference Championship on home ice in front of the Garden Faithful with their scintillating 1-0 triumph in game six.

The Rangers represented themselves with pride and dignity in the finals going tooth-for-tooth with the bigger, stronger and more talented Los Angeles Kings. A different bounce here, a changed referee call there and the Canyon of Heroes could have very well seen another red, white and blue mid-June parade. Be that as it may, as frustrating as the series with the Kings was with an outcome that will forever be hard-to-swallow, the 2014 New York Rangers season and playoff run are one to be proud of.

Alain Vigneault was a pretty well respected coach for most of his tenure in New York. He brought the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in his first year as head coach, which was immediately followed by a President’s Trophy victory the following season.

But as the playoff exits began arriving sooner and sooner into the postseason, it began to look as though a change was needed. Then, finally, after a poorly handled postseason and a trade deadline selloff the next season, Vigneault was shown the door.

Unfortunately, he’s back, and in the division as having just been named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. So he may haunt the Rangers as they emerge as a contender from this rebuild.

But in the wake of his firing, the Rangers brought in this not-so-well-known coach of Boston University named David Quinn. Having served as an assistant in the NHL for one year and as an AHL head coach, this seemed, maybe for some, a little questionable.

Quinn was brought to the Big Apple because he’s a teacher. He proved during his tenure as an NCAA coach that he knows how to get through to the young guys. And the Rangers have an incredibly young team.

This season was shaky at times, and he certainly made mistakes. But Quinn has cemented himself as the right man for the rebuild.

Quinn was an excellent mentor for the younger Rangers this season. Earlier in the season, it was reported that he would take his rookies out to breakfast every game day because he wanted them to respect him and build a relationship, rather than be scared.

A major difference between Quinn and his predecessor was the way he handled younger players. Quinn benched the neophytes if they played poorly and demoted them to lower lines if need be. But one thing he didn’t do is lock them in a crate and throw the key away.

This is one thing that Pavel Buchnevich once said was a major issue with AV. He would punish the youngsters for making poor plays and not allow them to find their game on the ice. He made the kids play safe, and they were punished every time they tried to get creative and use the real skill they possess.

Quinn’s benchings were justified because he still allowed the team to find their game and test their skills on the ice. He encourages the creativity and learning. The only time Quinn benched players was due to glaring mistakes that no one, at any age, should make, or due to a lack of production and/or effort; but it was seldom for being too creative or trying new things.

On this same note though, Quinn needs to improve his consistency when it comes to benching players. Filip Chytil, Neal Pionk, Pavel Buchnevich and many more all were scratched at times due to poor play. Yet, rookie Brett Howden was not. Howden showed excellent potential this season at times, but he made a plethora of bad errors. He turned the puck over a lot and was not the best decision maker. But he never saw the bench. Nor did Jimmy Vesey, who also committed enough errors at times to earn a trip to the “Quinn Bin.”

One area that Quinn excelled at this season was his honesty. He knows he’s a rookie coach and that he may make an occasional boneheaded decision. Every time he did something wrong or noticed an area he could improve, he made that known. Quinn made it a norm to analyze his performance during press conferences, as well as the performances of his players. He did not shy away from acknowledging mistakes or misjudgments on his end. This sort of transparency is a breath of fresh air after AV, who was not one to often admit his mistakes.

One of the mistakes he did not apologize for though, was his questionable decision to carry 11 forwards and seven defensemen for a large portion of the year, playing Brendan Smith on the fourth line. Creating unique combinations and trying new things is never a bad thing, especially with a young team. That being said, there were always actual forwards who would end up on the bench in favor of Smith. Unfortunately, Smith was only played as a forward due to how bad he was at his actual position. Regardless, it would’ve been nicer to see the gritty Connor Brickley, an actual fourth liner, the popular Boo Nieves, or maybe even forward prospect Tim Gettinger, instead of Smith.

The most promising part of Quinn’s methodology and performance this season was the respect he earned. Despite the fact that this was a wild ride of a season with plenty of changes and instability, Quinn was able to get his team playing extremely hard every single night. Even after the Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention, they came out with the same intensity and grit. He has already instilled in the minds of his players what the words “compete level” mean in his eyes, and they’ve fully bought into it.

Quinn is the right guy for this job. He has gotten through to the young players and hammered home his relentlessly competitive ideology. He made rookie mistakes like the inconsistency with his benchings, too many penalties for too many men, and some lineup decisions. But, all in all, Quinn did a remarkable job in his first year.

Season Grade: A-

Latest news surrounding the Rangers.

Igor Shestyorkin and Vitali Kravtsov agree to deals

The Rangers prized goalie prospect and heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist is on the way. As is their top pick from last year’s draft.

The Rangers will have both Shestyorkin and Kravtsov in camp and battling for rosters spots next September.

Vigneault in Philly

Very few Rangers over the last quarter of a century have endeared themselves to the Garden Faithful like Mats Zuccarello Aasen or “Zucc” as he is commonly known.

Some eyebrows were raised when former general manager Glen Sather first signed the obscure, diminutive Norwegian to an entry-level contract in the summer of 2010. Zuccarello did stand out for the Norwegian Olympic team in the 2010 Winter Games played in Vancouver. However, standing just 5’7″ and never playing a minute in any North American leagues prior to his signing made many question the purpose of this acquisition. After all, the head coach of the Rangers at that time was the fiery, demanding, and easily combustible John Tortorella.

Tortorella’s chief mantra to his team during his run on Broadway was to block shots and keep on blocking shots and then, block some more shots. Zuccarello’s entire professional hockey playing career was with one European team after another, and the emphasis on shot blocking in Europe is, well, not on the same level of importance as it was during the Tortorella regime. As one would expect, Zuccarello struggled in his early Blueshirt days trying to adhere to the Tortorella way of grinding, masochistic hockey. Zuccarello spent more time traveling on the I-95 corridor between New York and Hartford in 2011 and 2012 than most people would in a lifetime, hyperbolically speaking, of course. As one would also expect, when Alain Vigneault replaced Tortorella behind the Ranger bench after the 2013 playoffs, and installed a puck-possession system that was more conducive to Zuccarello’s skill sets, the talented Rangers forward was finally able to flourish and the “Legend of the Hobbit” was born.

Starting in the 2013-14 season, Zuccarello would score at least 49 points per campaign and he would lead the Rangers in scoring in four of the next five years. Zuccarello’s talent, skill, heart, and passion were omnipresent. His aura became ubiquitous. His favoritism among the Rangers fans that saw him develop from a fringe NHL player into an important piece of a Stanley Cup contender excelled as his legend grew. Zuccarello became a three-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner. Simply put, Mats Zuccarello has become the heart and soul of the New York Rangers. It is not a coincidence that the Rangers have been winning games recently since Zuccarello regained his mojo and started hitting the score sheet, as well as the opponent, with regularity.

I, and the myriad of talented writers on the ForeverBlueshirts staff, have opined in a multitude of ways about the upcoming trade deadline and the assured sequel to last February’s roster purging. As difficult as it would be to see him donning a jersey that isn’t his familiar white or blue with the diagonal Ranger name across his torso, it is imperative that he gets jettisoned to a contender as the stock piling of young assets continues. It is equally as compulsory that, in the off season, Zuccarello is not only brought back to the Big Apple, but he is also made the next captain of the team that he adores.

Admittedly, it is very rare, in any sport, for a player with an expiring contract to be moved from a rebuilding team to a contender and then said player immediately returns to the team that traded him. I am advocating for this anomaly for the following two reasons:

The Rangers need a captain

Having Marc Staal and a daily assortment of other alternate captains is pure folly. A team cannot be successful unless they have a solid leadership foundation and right now, the Rangers have a Grand Canyon-sized leadership hole in their locker room. No other player currently on the Rangers roster embodies the spirit, passion, and desire that an NHL captain needs like Zuccarello.

Zucc has plenty of good hockey left in him

Zuccarello has publicly voiced his displeasure about the prospect of being traded from the only NHL franchise that he has ever known. A melancholy Zuccarello means a struggling Zuccarello. However, since his heart-to-heart chat with head coach David Quinn, #36 seems to have his head screwed on straight again, and we are seeing the tangible results of the return of confidence and motivation. He loves, and takes pride in, being a Ranger. He loves the city. He loves the fans and the feeling is very much mutual. At the age of 31 and having played fewer than 500 NHL games leads me to believe that there is plenty of quality hockey left in his small but sturdy frame.

The next time you venture out to Madison Square Garden for a Rangers game, take a panoramic gaze around the World’s Most Famous and count how many Zuccarello jerseys you see. If I was a betting man, I would place a wager stating that the only jersey number more prevalent than number 36 is that of Henrik Lundqvist’s number 30.

Ranger royalty like Lundqvist, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch earned supreme amounts of adulation and adoration from the Garden Faithful mainly because of their sheer hockey greatness.

If there was ever a more perfect recipient for any award, it is Mats Zuccarello and the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. The man they call “Zucc” is the epitome of extra effort. Combine his unique and incessant motor with his marvelous skill set and the ingredients are all there to make him the next Ranger captain.