Rod Gilbert may have been “Mr. Ranger” and one of the most popular athletes in the history of New York City. However, he was born and raised in Montreal – though luckily for the New York Rangers, they found him first.

Gilbert’s skills got him noticed at an early age. At 14, he was playing with grown men in the competition for the Allan Cup, Canada’s senior amateur championship. When the Rangers hired Yvon Prudhomme, the scout who had invited him to play senior hockey, to start a Junior B team, he signed Gilbert. Even better for the Rangers was that Gilbert proved to be a good talent scout, urging Prudhomme to sign boyhood friend and linemate Jean Ratelle, who became his longtime center with the Rangers.

Despite two serious back injuries that nearly derailed his hockey career, Gilbert was already a three-time 20-goal scorer by the time he and the Rangers came to the Montreal Forum for a Saturday night game against the first-place Canadiens on Feb. 24, 1968.

The Rangers were enjoying their best season in a decade – they ended up in second place, their best showing since 1957-58. But the Forum had been a house of horrors for the Rangers, who were 4-18 with one tie in their previous 23 visits to Montreal. The Canadiens were 19-0 with one tie in their previous 20 home games against all comers.

This night, however, was different. The greatest night of his career, and just the third four-goal game in Rangers history, came in his hometown that night — but only because Gilbert didn’t want to let his family and friends down.

“I was sick as a dog the morning of that game,” he remembered decades later.

“Friday night I had dinner with my parents and my brother and sister. I woke up with a 103-degree fever and I didn’t think I could play that night. I didn’t go to the pre-game skate; I stayed in bed. I was hot, and I called the doctor from the hotel. He gave me some antibiotics, and I went back to sleep. I wasn’t sure if I could play.”

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Rod Gilbert had career night for Rangers in hometown

But tickets for a Saturday night game were hard enough to get at the Forum in those pre-StubHub days, even for a Montreal native and visiting player. Having made the effort to get tickets for family and friends provided some extra incentive to suit up.

“I had bought 15 tickets for the game, so I had to play,” Gilbert remembered. “I wound up getting really hot in the warmup and forgetting about the whole thing (feeling sick). I went out there and just played.”

Did he ever!

After Ron Stewart gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 4:13 into the game, Gilbert made it 2-0 at 6:28 with a power-play goal, rocketing a 20-footer past Canadiens goalie Rogie Vachon.

Montreal made it 2-1 at 6:06 of the second period on a goal by Yvan Cournoyer. But Gilbert restored the Rangers’ two-goal lead at 12:01, beating Vachon from 25 feet. He completed a hat trick at 19:10, beating Vachon over the shoulder from 35 feet.

“(Jean) Ratelle, (Vic) Hadfield and I had our line going in high gear,” Gilbert said.

Ratelle earned his third assist on Gilbert’s fourth goal of the night, flicking a loose puck past Vachon. Gilbert earned an assist on Ratelle’s goal at 16:34 that completed the scoring in the 6-1 victory.

Gilbert said Vachon, a fellow Hockey Hall of Famer, played well despite surrendering four goals to him and six to the Rangers.

“I got 16 shots on goal (an NHL record at the time), and I only scored four goals,” he said. “I should have had maybe eight. Rogie Vachon made some incredible saves against me.

“I was banging that thing toward the net — and remember, we didn’t shoot from far out. Our line worked it in pretty close. I had a lot of chances. I also had an assist on Ratelle’s goal, so I finished the night with five points. We didn’t win often in Montreal, so to win 6-1 and score four goals, that was a pretty big night.”

By the end of the night, even the fiercely pro-Canadiens crowd was giving some cheers to the hometown boy.

“They never should have let him get out of Montreal,” one fan said, according to The New York Times. “He learned to play here.”

#TodayInNYRhistory 10/14/1979: Rod Gilbert’s @rodgilbert7 #7 is raised to the @TheGarden rafters. pic.twitter.com/2ekkHbKp8S

— NYR Alumni Reports (@NYRalumni) October 14, 2017

Gilbert had two other four-goal games in his NHL career, both against the Detroit Red Wings. He scored four in a 5-5 tie against them at the Garden on Feb. 2, 1975, and again in a 5-4 win at the Olympia on Feb. 7, 1976.

But scoring four at the Forum in front of 16,070 fans on that February night was the kind of game no player would ever forget. Gilbert certainly didn’t.

“I had a lot of friends and family in Montreal – it was my hometown – so it was pretty important,” he said. “It was extra special.”

The Hall of Fame center not only was their first player to break the 100-point mark (109 points in 1971-72). But his 22nd goal of that season came on Dec. 25, 1971, and is the last ever scored by a member of the Rangers on Christmas Day.

Ratelle’s goal at 19:11 of the second period gave the Rangers a 2-1 victory against the Minnesota North Stars, their 24th win all-time on Dec. 25. Ed Giacomin got the win by making 22 saves. Defenseman Rod Seiling had the Rangers last Christmas fight when he squared off against Minnesota center Jude Drouin at 17:11 of the first period.

Before the NHL stopped playing games on Christmas, the Rangers had more fun on the holiday than Jolly Old St. Nick. In their first 45 NHL seasons after entering the NHL in 1926, the Rangers played 37 times on Christmas (plus six more on Christmas Eve, when they were 4-0 with two ties). 

Their 24-11-2 record on Dec. 25 is by far the best of any NHL team, and they went more than 20 years without a loss on Christmas, going 15-0-1 from 1928-49; the Detroit Red Wings ended the streak with a 4-1 win on Dec. 25, 1950.

Related: Rangers week ahead includes Christmas break, trip to Florida

Christmas was usually a happy day for Rangers

Even when the Rangers were at their worst, Christmas was often a feel-good day.

One example was Dec. 25, 1942, when World War II had decimated the Rangers roster. New York came to Detroit with a 4-12-2 record on the way to a last-place finish. The Red Wings were third in the six-team league at 8-5-5 and had not lost at home all season.

But the Rangers played Grinch for the fans who filled the Olympia that night by winning 3-1. Rookie Red Garrett, at 18 years and 154 days old, set an  NHL record as the youngest defenseman to score his first goal. Since then, five defensemen have been younger when they scored their first NHL goal, but Garrett’s mark is still a Rangers record.

Even more amazing was what took place in Toronto a year later. The Rangers were 3-15-1 and on the way to an historically awful 6-39-5 record (.170 points percentage) when they arrived at Maple Leaf Gardens. Much to the shock of Toronto fans, the Rangers scored five straight goals and held on for a 5-3 victory. Ossie Aubuchon scored three of his 20 NHL goals for his only hat trick, and goalie Ken McAuley, who played all 50 games for one of the worst teams in history, kept the Maple Leafs off the scoreboard until there were less than 14 minutes remaining.

“This was Santa at work,” said a grinning coach Frank Boucher afterward, according to hockey historian Stan Fischler. “Everyone in the League believed the Rangers were Santa’s favorites — for one night at least.”

How unlikely was that Christmas victory? The Rangers won just twice more all season.

The best Christmas Eve-Christmas Day combo for the Rangers came in 1966, when New York re-emerged from the doldrums of the early 1960s under Emile Francis. Despite playing a back-to-back holiday set on the road, the Rangers found themselves in first place when they went to bed on the night of Dec. 25 after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 at the Forum before ruining Christmas for the fans at Chicago Stadium with a 1-0 victory.

“I liked the Christmas Eve game more,” said Rangers Hall of Fame forward Rod Gilbert, a Montreal native. “My parents were probably at the game, and I had a chance to spend a little time with my family.”

Gilbert, who was single during the years when the Rangers played on Christmas, said that made a difference.

“The fact that I was not with family, directly — I had brothers, nephews, but I wasn’t married — I didn’t have that feeling that it was preventing me from enjoying [the holiday],” he said. “If it made sense to the League and sense to the fans that were at the game for me to entertain them, that was fine. It wasn’t depriving me of anything. … I didn’t have a family, so it didn’t affect me as much as the other guys.”

However, it was another Montreal native, Bernie “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion, who was the holiday hero for the Rangers. The longtime Canadiens star came out of retirement in 1966 and helped spark the Rangers to their first playoff berth in five years. He scored twice in the win at the Forum, then had the only goal of the game late in the second period to back Giacomin’s 27-save shutout.

The Rangers were 2-0-1 in their last three Christmas games, ending with the victory at Minnesota. Their 24 wins on Christmas Day represent an NHL record that will never be broken.

Four days before Turkey Day, the Rangers dined on a banquet of Golden Seals – specifically, the California Golden Seals, who brought their green-and-gold sweaters and white skates to Madison Square Garden for a Sunday night visit and left on the wrong end of what is still the biggest offensive explosion in Rangers history. The Rangers ran the Golden Seals out of the Garden and down into the subway tunnels below Penn Station that night, setting team records that still stand by flattening California 12-1.

How bad was it? Seals goalie Gilles Meloche, then a rookie playing in his 13th NHL game, left the ice in tears at 11:03 of the third period after allowing the Rangers’ ninth goal – the first of rookie forward Pierre Jarry’s NHL career. Jarry needed only eight seconds to get his second goal, beating Meloche’s replacement, Lyle Carter, on a breakaway at 11:11. Jarry’s two goals in eight seconds are still a Rangers record.

With the full house of 17,250 screaming “more,” Carter allowed two more goals before the final buzzer mercifully ended a game that saw the Rangers outshoot California 52-16 — including 21-3 in the third period, when they scored eight goals, tying an NHL record set by the Detroit Red Wings against the World War II-weakened Rangers in 1944. Their 15 assists in the final period set an NHL record.

Jarry wasn’t the only Rangers skater to have a memorable night. Center Jean Ratelle scored on each of his first four shots. Prized rookie Gene Carr, recently acquired from the St. Louis Blues, scored twice and had two assists in his Garden debut — coach Emile Francis had planned to spot the flashy forward (“I don’t want too much pressure on him too soon”), but he got a regular shift because Bobby Rousseau was out with an ankle injury. Third-line left wing Ted Irvine scored twice and had an assist, and the defense pair of Jim Neilson (two assists) and Rod Seiling (three assists) each finished plus-7.

The only disappointment came when Golden Seals forward Norm Ferguson beat Gilles Villemure at 17:53 of the second period to spoil his shutout bid. Ferguson’s goal cut the Rangers lead to 4-1, setting the stage for the record-setting third period. Few fans thought the puck went over the goal line, but the replay shown to the limited cable TV audience at the time clearly showed the on-ice call of “goal” was correct.

Related: Adam Fox politely claps back at notion Rangers needed to ‘turn it around’

Rangers flashback: A 12-goal night at MSG

The Rangers had a bit more incentive to win than they might have had otherwise because their 14-game unbeaten streak had ended the night before with a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota North Stars at Met Center. They were also catching the Golden Seals playing the finale of a seven-game road trip.

New York killed an early 5-on-3 disadvantage before Ratelle opened the scoring at 4:11, then assisted on Vic Hadfield’s goal at 14:59 to make it 2-0. Goals by Irvine and Ratelle in the second period bumped the lead to 4-0 before Ferguson got California on the board.

As if furious with the Golden Seals for daring to break up Villemure’s shutout, the Rangers came out flying in the third period. Villemure might have been the loneliest man in the Garden during the final 20 minutes – all of the action was at the other end of the ice.

Ratelle completed his hat trick 41 seconds into the period, and Irvine got his second of the night at 1:56. With the Garden crowd now roaring, sensing that history was going to be made, Ratelle scored his fourth of the night at 3:40 and Carr made it 8-0 at 6:44.

Jarry’s first goal sent Meloche (who went on to finish with 270 NHL wins) to the bench in tears; his second put the Rangers into double figures for just the fifth time since entering the NHL in 1926 and the first since they defeated Detroit 10-5 on March 29, 1967.

Jarry also did something that had never been done before and hasn’t been accomplished since: He scored twice in eight seconds against two different goalies. Alas, that was the highlight of his time in New York; he scored just once more before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 20, 1972.

But they weren’t finished yet. Carr’s long blond hair was flying as he scored the Rangers’ lone power-play goal of the night at 12:37, and Bill Fairbairn beat Carter with 36 seconds left for goal No. 12. The only thing that stopped the onslaught was the fact that time ran out.

Jarry and Villemure said they “feel sorry for the poor goalie.”

On any other night, Ratelle’s four-goal night would have been the big news. But this was anything but an average night.

“If you score four,” Ratelle told the media, “it’s better than three — but it’s not as good as five.”

Despite a couple hot stretches, the dynamic two-way forward was marred by inconsistency and even-strength struggles. Mustering just eight goals at five-on-five, his lowest total since his first season in New York as a still-developing 23-year-old, Zibanejad was unable to reach the heights that the Rangers have grown accustomed to from his typically elite play.

That narrative persisted in the postseason. Zibanead was red hot to start, racking up three goals and 10 points in his first five games and recording at least one point in his first eight contests. But his production quickly slowed as the Blueshirts trudged through the second round and the competition got tougher, first against the Carolina Hurricanes then against the Florida Panthers.

Zibanejad finished the postseason with just three points in his final eight games and was held without a goal for 11 straight games to close out the playoffs. Along with a costly overtime turnover in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, he struggled mightily against Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers, who completely neutralized his line for lengthy stretches.

It makes sense, then, that Zibanejad has not been showered with praise this offseason. However, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that he is already one of the greatest centers in Rangers history.

Related: ‘Secret language’ between Rangers stars makes it tough for linemates to fit in

Mika Zibanejad is already one of Rangers best centers all-time

Zibanejad ranks fourth all-time among Rangers centers with 527 points. He trails Jean Ratelle (817), Mark Messier (691), and Walt Tkaczuk (678). Ratelle and Messier are in the Hockey Hall of Fame and Tkaczuk spent 14 seasons in the NHL, all with New York.

He’s also fourth in goals among Blueshirts centers, notching 230 in his eight years with the Rangers, which trails Ratelle (336), Camille Henry (256), and Messier (250).

Last night, Mika Zibanejad scored his 100th power play goal with the Rangers, becoming the sixth member of the franchise to hit the milestone. He also tied Bill Cook for the 11th most goals in team history (228). #NYR pic.twitter.com/uPwtuf1Acr

— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) March 27, 2024

Zibanejad is averaging 30.9 goals over the past seven seasons and has never scored less than 24 in that span. In all likelihood, he’ll leap Messier and potentially Henry next season, which would make him the second all-time leading goal scorer among Rangers centers.

Of those mentioned, only Messier played after the 1983-84 season, making Zibanejad one of the best Rangers centers in the past 40 years.

Granted, there are others who had a strong impact but not the longevity in a Rangers uniform.

Wayne Gretzky famously spent the last three seasons of his storied career in New York, and while it didn’t result in a championship, he still recorded multiple 90-point seasons and led the League in assists in back-to-back years. He finished his Rangers career with 249 points in 234 games, ranking fourth all-time in Rangers history with 1.04 points per game.

Other notable centers include Derek Stepan, who amassed 128 goals and 360 points in his seven seasons with the Blueshirts, and Michael Nylander, who enjoyed two very solid seasons in the mid-2000s, tallying 162 points in 160 games.

Stepan was reliable, consistent, and a clutch postseason performer, but not quite the point producer that Zibanejad is, never topping 22 goals or 57 points in his career. Gretzky and Nylander were excellent in their brief stay with New York but didn’t stick around long enough to be in the conversation for the greatest Rangers center of all time.

You can argue that Zibanejad is already in that conversation based on the numbers he’s put up in his eight seasons. Those numbers will only continue to rise as he readies for his age-31 season.

Right now, it’s hard to put him over Messier, who earned icon status after leading them to the Stanley Cup championship in 1994, or Ratelle, whose numbers trail only Rod Gilbert and Brian Leetch. But the fact remains — Zibanejad will likely end his career with similar or better numbers in a Rangers uniform.

WATCH: Exclusive 1-on-1 interview with former Rangers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck

Mika Zibanejad could enter greatest Rangers of all time discussion

And not just that — when it’s all said and done, Zibanejad has a chance to be considered one of the greatest Rangers of all time.

Zibanejad ranks 11th all-time in goals (230) and points (527) and first all-time in overtime goals (8).

He trails linemate Chris Kreider for 10th in points (552). Both should leap over Vic Hadfield (572) and Steve Vickers (586) next season to firmly enter the Top 10. If Zibanejad can return to the 80-point mark, he’ll have a chance of rising as high as eighth, surpassing Ron Greschner (610) by next year.

Zibanejad is in a good position to leap Messier, Henry, Brian Leetch (240), and Steve Vickers (246) in goals, and if he can muster up another 30-goal season, would come awfully close to Vic Hadfield’s 262, which ranks sixth.

And that’s just for next season. Zibanejad has six years left on an eight-year deal that takes him through the 2029-30 season when he’ll be 36 years old. Rod Gilbert’s 406 goals and 1,021 points, both first in franchise history, may be difficult to reach, but Zibanejad could easily finish his career in the top three all-time for both statistics.

It’s an interesting conversation to have about a player who, outside of his recent struggles, is generally beloved by the fanbase but isn’t necessarily discussed as an all-time franchise great.

It certainly feels different than the dialogue surrounding the homegrown Kreider, who ranks third all-time in goals and will likely surpass Gilbert in the next few years. Kreider feels like a shoo-in to have his number raised in the rafters. Zibanejad’s legacy is less certain.

In New York, legacies are formed in the playoffs. Four of the 11 retired jerseys belong to members of the 1994 Stanley Cup team. Others like Gilbert and Henrik Lundqvist performed valiantly despite their team’s failing to win championships.

Whether it’s fair or not, there’s a different attitude with players who were brought in as opposed to drafted and raised in the system. It may take Zibanejad overcoming his postseason woes and bringing a Cup to New York in order to earn all-time status treatment from the demanding Blueshirts fans.

Either way, the fact remains. Zibanejad will be an all-time Rangers great when it’s all said and done.

Interestingly, Kreider appeared to score his 300th goal in the second period of that game against the Coyotes, but it was overturned because of goalie interference. But he kept p[lugging away and scored early in the third period and now sits behind Jean Ratelle (336) and Rod Gilbert (406) for the franchise record.

This one counts!

No. 300 for Chris Kreider!

(via @MarchMadnessMBB) https://t.co/hwpcfZpnpe

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 31, 2024

At just 32, he’s averaged 41 goals over the past three seasons; there’s a chance Kreider could challenge Gilbert’s record before his contract expires at the end of 2026-27. No matter how close he is to becoming the Rangers’ all-time leading goal scorer, here are some interesting statistics from his first 302 goals, with five games still remaining this season.

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Inside the Numbers: Chris Kreider becomes 3rd Rangers player with 300 goals

1996: Kreider has fired 1,996 shots on goal throughout his career, and with 302 goals, he has a 15.1 shooting percentage

217: The Rangers have won 217 games when Kreider scores a goal, with a record of 217-71-14 when he finds the back of the net.

157: Although Kreider made his NHL debut during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored his first regular-season goal on Feb. 5, 2013, against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.

His first three goals came on the road, and he finally scored at home at Madison Square Garden in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 31, 2013. Since then, he’s collected 157 at The World’s Most Famous Arena.

145: Kreider has collected 145 goals on the road, accounting for 48 percent of his career goal total.

111: When he scored his 300th NHL goal on Mar. 30 against the Arizona Coyotes, he became the 111th player to achieve the milestone with one NHL team. Kreider is also the 39th skater to reach 300 goals with an Original Six franchise.

108: Kreider has tied Gilbert for second on the all-time franchise list with 108 power-play goals. He is only nine power-play goals away from breaking the franchise record, currently held by Camille Henry, with 116.

106: From Hall of Famers like Brodeur and Roberto Luongo to former teammates Alexandar Georgiev and Cam Talbot, Kreider has beaten 106 different goalies over his 12 NHL seasons.

105: As of April 6, Kreider is 105 goals away from breaking Gilbert’s team record of 406 goals, which has been the top mark since his last game on Nov. 23, 1977.

100: Kreider scored his 100th career goal on Dec. 15, 2017, on home ice against current teammate Jonathan Quick, then with the Los Angeles Kings.

Related: Inside the Numbers: Jonathan Quick’s historic NHL career with Rangers, Kings, Golden Knights

93: Mika Zibanejad wears jersey #93, so it is only fitting that as of their most recent game together on Apr. 5, against the Detroit Red Wings, Zibanejad has assisted on 93 (30.7 percent) of Kreider’s career goals.

67: Whether it’s been Adam Fox, Henrik Lundqvist or Patrick Kane, 67 different skaters have earned an assist on at least one of Kreider’s goals.

59: According to his career splits available at Hockey-Reference.com, Kreider does his best work between November and March, averaging 47.5 goals in those two months, but historically, he’s scored the most goals in February with 59.

52: In 2021-22, Kreider had his best season, collecting 77 points and becoming a member of the 50-goal club. He finished the campaign with 52 lamplighters, tying Adam Graves (1993-94) for the second-most in a single season. Jaromir Jagr owns the franchise record with 54 in 2005-06.

50: Since scoring his first NHL goal against the Devils, it is not surprising that he has the most career goals against the Rangers rival, with 50. Overall, his best performances have come against division rivals: the New York Islanders (44), Washington Capitals (43), Philadelphia Flyers (42) and Pittsburgh Penguins (42).

47: According to Stathead.com, Kreider has scored 47 goals that have tied the game for the Rangers at some point in 810 career games.

44: Kreider’s first game-winning goal came on Jan. 3, 2015, against Michael Neuvirth and the Sabres. Since that night, he’s collected 43 more game-winners to climb to third in Rangers history behind Ratelle (46) and Gilbert (52).

9: Although he’s known for his skills on the man advantage, Kreider has nine shorthanded goals, including tallies against the San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Penguins and Sabres.

9: Kreider has scored nine unassisted goals in his career, with his first coming against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 16, 2014. He’s got eight more such goals against the Coyotes (x2), Blues (x2), Canadiens, Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks.

8: Through 302 career goals, Kreider has beaten netminders Tristan Jarry and Sergei Bobrovsky most often, with each goalie surrendering eight goals apiece. Although Jarry has only played with the Penguins, Bobrovsky has given up goals while playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets (five) and Florida Panthers (three).

8: Kreider has scored eight empty-net goals, five of which came at Madison Square Garden and three on the road. He’s scored two against the Penguins and one against the Minnesota Wild, Blues, Devils, Blue Jackets and Kings. On Jan. 13, 2022, Kreider scored into an empty net at the SAP Center in San Jose to collect his 200th goal.

6: In 12 seasons, he has collected six hat tricks, which ties him for fourth all-time in Rangers history, a spot he occupies with seven other players, including Mark Messier, Phil Esposito and Ratelle. He remains three away from Bill Cook’s record of nine. Kreider has split his production evenly with three on the road against the Devils, Flyers and Colorado Avalanche and three at home against the Canadiens, Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks.

6: As mentioned, Kreider’s best season was 2021-22, when he scored 52 goals. That was the campaign when he registered the longest goal-scoring streak of his career, which lasted six games from Jan. 13- 24, 2022. During the streak, he had a lamplighter against the Sharks, Flyers, Coyotes, Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

0: Kreider is one of the most gifted scorers in Rangers history but has yet to score a penalty shot goal, failing on four attempts. He did not convert on penalty shots against the Bruins (Nov. 19, 2013), Lightning (Nov. 19, 2015), Panthers (Nov. 21, 2015) nor Penguins (Apr. 8, 2021). 

Wait. What?

That’s right. Kreider entered the game sitting on 299 goals after scoring Thursday in a 3-2 shootout win against the Colorado Avalanche. Then he scored late in the second period and again in the third Saturday against the Coyotes.

But the popular 32-year-old forward exited Mullett Arena afterward with an even 300 goals in his NHL career.

That was actually fitting considering the crazy circumstances in this crazy back-and-forth victory, New York’s fifth in a row.

Related: Key area Rangers must improve upon against top NHL teams

Chis Kreider scores 300th goal twice in Rangers win against Coyotes

Kreider appeared to achieve the coveted milestone at 16:38 of the second period with the Rangers leading the Coyotes 3-2. Parked right outside the crease, he banged home a rebound and the celebration was on. Kreider was handed the puck as a memento and he was feted on the bench by his appreciative teammates.

But hold on. The goal was reviewed and the on-ice call eventually overturned when it was determined Jack Roslovic interfered with Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka.

Kreider disgustedly flipped the puck back on to the ice. It no longer held any value to him since he was back to 299 goals.

Chris Kreider's 300th career goal was disallowed so naturally he threw the puck back onto the ice 😭 https://t.co/hFA6Vx8mYv

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 30, 2024

However, he didn’t need to wait long to officially become the third player in Rangers history to score 300 goals. At 5:45 of the third period, Kreider skated in front of Vejmelka to deflect a Ryan Lindgren shot into the net for a 4-3 Rangers lead and his unquestioned 300th goal.

This one counts!

No. 300 for Chris Kreider!

(via @MarchMadnessMBB) https://t.co/hwpcfZpnpe

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 31, 2024

That Kreider scored each of his goals — one that counted, one that didn’t — from within a few feet of the net is no surprise. That’s where he does his best work and where most of his 35 goals this season and a large chunk of his 300 since his rookie season in 2012-13 come from.

“Chris Kreider milestone. I thought he was probably our most dominant forward tonight, just the way he competed out there,” coach Peter Laviolette said while standing in the Arizona sunshine outside the arena postgame.

Only Hockey Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert (406) and Jean Ratelle (336) have scored more goals when wearing a Rangers sweater.

And Kreider is showing no signs of slowing down. He scored 52 goals two seasons ago, tying Adam Graves for second most in a single Rangers season, behind Jaromir Jagr, who had 54 in 2005-06. He scored 36 last season and should pass that total with eight games remaining this season.

He’s scored 20 or more goals nine times in the NHL. And he’s third all-time in Rangers history with 106 power-play goals, tied with Brian Leetch behind Camille Henry (116) and Gilbert (108).

Though it took him an extra few minutes and a second chance Saturday, that 300th goal cements Kreider as one of the all-time great New York Rangers.

Despite some of the game’s greatest players calling Madison Square Garden home, whether it was for one season or a decade, names like Wayne Gretzky, Phil Esposito, Brad Park, Eric Lindros, Sergei Zubov, Pavel Bure, Martin St. Louis, Brendan Shanahan, and Pat LaFontaine are missing from this list. Realistically, when people think of those names, they remember highlights from other teams. Although many of them had heroic moments on Broadway, most people would rarely associate their careers with being prominent players for the Rangers. 

Ultimately, our goal with this list is to determine which inductees have the strongest association with the Blueshirts. So, after crunching the numbers, and separating the players based on merits, here is the list of players in the Hockey Hall of Famer who best represent the Rangers. 

Related: Henrik Lundqvist to be inducted into HHOF

Top 10 New York Rangers in the Hall of Fame

10. Andy Bathgate

Anytime anyone writes a top ten list on any subject, some may question the last entry unless it’s concrete. Although many deserving names could have slid into this spot, we ultimately chose Andy Bathgate, who spent the first 12 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers. Upon his departure from the team in 1964, he was the franchise’s leading scorer with 729 points, a mark he held for a decade until Jean Ratelle broke it in 1974. 

Coincidently, Bathgate’s jersey #9 is retired, sharing the honor with Adam Graves, who wore the number three decades later in the 1990s. Despite leaving New York 59 years ago, he still ranks fourth in goals, assists, and points. Even though he played in several other cities, and the team waited decades to retire his jersey, there’s no denying his place in Rangers’ history. 

9. Bill Cook

Bill Cook made his NHL debut at 30 after a dominant professional career in Canada, playing in his native Ontario, before venturing west to Saskatchewan (pre-NHL days). Eventually, he came to New York, joining the Rangers upon their inception in 1926. As the first captain in New York history, he also scored the first goal for the franchise on Nov. 16, 1926. 

Interestingly, Cook became one of the first players to surpass 60 points, achieving the feat alongside Frank Boucher in 1929-30. By that time, he had already won a Stanley Cup title (1928) and, within three seasons, would add another ring to his collection. Although he never won awards as a player, he served as Rangers’ head coach from 1951 to 1953, spending his entire NHL career with the Blueshirts. 

8. Ed Giacomin

Long before Mike Richter established a new record for wins by a goalie in 2003, a mark Lundqvist would break later, the winningest netminder for 25 years was franchise icon, Ed Giacomin. As a late bloomer, making his NHL debut at 26, the Canadian netminder would also set a franchise record for wins during the regular season with 38 in 1968-69, a total only surpassed by Richter (42) and Lundqvist (39) decades later.

During his career, Giacomin was a five-time All-Star and won the Vezina Trophy in 1970-71, becoming only the second Rangers goalie (at the time) to win the prestigious award. Although he finished his career with the Detroit Red Wings from 1976 to 1978, New York made him the second player in team history to have his number retired in 1989.

7. Jean Ratelle 

Jean Ratelle was just 20 years old when he put on a Rangers jersey for the first time in 1960-61, going on to forge one of the best statistical careers on Broadway over the next 16 seasons. As the center for the famous GAG line (Goal a Game) with Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield, the trio rewrote the team record book and registered the first 100-point seasons in Rangers’ history.

Interestingly, Ratelle set the record at 109 in 1971-72, which stood for 34 years before Jaromir Jagr broke it with 123 points. Although he left town in the famous Phil Esposito trade in 1976, he remains amongst the top three in goals, assists, and points. Meanwhile, he is one of 11 players with their number retired by the club. 

6. Harry Howell

It has been 54 years since Harry Howell last wore a Rangers jersey, skating with the club from 1952 to 1969. And even though the league did not play 82 games in a season, he became the franchise’s leader with 1,160 games, a record that still stands today. 

Of course, there have many big names to patrol the blueline at Madison Square Garden, but no one did it longer than Howell, who won a Norris Trophy and was an All-Star in 1966-67. Even though he played eight seasons with other teams in the NHL and WHA, there’s no denying that he’s forever linked to the Rangers as one of their longest-tenured players. 

5. Frank Boucher

Outside of 24 games with the Ottawa Senators in 1921-22, Boucher was the first true “Mr. Ranger,” playing in 533 games over 13 seasons. Additionally, he served as New York’s coach from 1939 to 1949, with another season in 1953-54, compiling a 181-263-83 record behind the bench. Ultimately, he was a part of the Rangers organization in one capacity or another for 1,060 games. 

Statistically, at the time of his retirement in 1944, Boucher ranked as one of the franchise’s top scorers with 424 points. Furthermore, he won two Stanley Cup titles as a player in 1928 and 1933 and served as head coach of the 1940-winning team. As of 2023, he remains the only player in NHL history to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy seven times, claiming the award from 1928-1931 and 1933-1935. 

4. Mark Messier

There’s no denying that by the time Mark Messier came to New York in 1991, he was already a Hall of Famer. Five Stanley Cup championships during his tenure with the Edmonton Oilers will do that for a player. Additionally, he had already won the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) and Hart Trophies (league MVP). 

However, Messier will forever be associated with the Rangers for one historical playoff run in 1994, ending a 54-year championship drought. Whether it was guaranteeing a victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final and scoring a hat trick or scoring the Cup-clinching goal a few weeks later, those two iconic moments are the crown jewels of his Hall of Fame career.

Messier ended his career with 1,887 points which ranks third all-time. While many will argue that he should be higher on this list, we took into account the majority of his points and accomplishments were in Edmonton.

3. Rod Gilbert

There’s no denying some highly talented players have skated in a Rangers jersey, but there will be one that always stands out more than any other: Gilbert. Even though his franchise record for games played has fallen since his retirement in 1978, he remains the only player in team history to score 400 goals (406) and collect 1,000 points (1,021). 

The No. 7 is a beloved one around here.

A look behind the very first retired number in #NYR history and the legendary Rod Gilbert. 💙 https://t.co/WZtNPMZoE4 pic.twitter.com/98md4eJttx

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 7, 2023

Known as “Mr. Ranger,” Gilbert spent his 18-year career on Broadway and was very active in the community serving as the Rangers’ alumni association president until he died in 2021. Additionally, he played a significant role in the team’s charity Garden of Dream Foundation, engaging with countless fans who never saw him in action. Ultimately, no one represented the Rangers like he did, leaving behind a legacy that may go unmatched forever.

2. Henrik Lundqvist

Lundqvist is the greatest goalie to play for the Rangers and, without a doubt, only second to Martin Brodeur in accomplishments amongst the three NY/NJ area franchises. Unfortunately, the Swedish netminder never won a Stanley Cup; but instead rewrote the team’s record book and was one of his generation’s best statistical goalies with 459 wins. 

Welcome to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Henrik Lundqvist.#HHOF2023 | #HHOF pic.twitter.com/jeS2Gds8Dw

— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) June 21, 2023

Although there is an argument that Lundqvist is ranked too high on this list, he spent his entire career in the Big Apple. Ultimately, many Rangers fans will remember his acrobatic saves in those Lady Liberty pads, backstopping his team to another win in the World’s Most Famous Arena.

1. Brian Leetch

Although the Rangers have four Stanley Cup championships, the team has only one Conn Smythe winner, Brian Leetch. As a two-time Norris Trophy winner and Rookie of the Year in 1989, the American-born defenseman played the first 17 years of his career in New York, helping the team to a championship in 1994. 

Statistically, Leetch came just 40 points shy of the franchise record (1,021) and was only 39 games away (1,160) from becoming the all-time leader in appearances in a Rangers jersey. Unfortunately, the team traded away a franchise icon in 2004, who finished his career with brief stops in Toronto and Boston. Moreover, he was the last defenseman to score 100 points in a season, with 102 in 1991-92, until Erik Karlsson scored 101 in 2022-23. 

At the end of the day, these lists are subjective as to ranking, but it’s hard to argue with the place these names hold in New York Rangers history.

Normally these guys need to play on the same line to be a dynamic duo, but not always. Take the current duos of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh or Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton. They may play special teams together, but are featured on separate lines. You get the point, and these guys get all the points if you catch my drift.

So when it comes to the New York Rangers, where does the team’s current one-two punch rank? Let’s break it down.

Magic Mika Zibanejad and the Breadman Artemi Panarin

Artemi Panarin’s silky smooth hands combined with his extreme hockey sense and uncanny ability to thread the needle while passing to a semi-open teammate should make him a shoe-in to win the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.

This season, Panarin’s 95 points led the team in scoring and recognized by the NHL and NHLPA. On the strength of 32 goals with 63 assists, he is up for Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award.

Mika Zibanejad is the Rangers all-around superstar. The team’s top pivot has a booming and accurate slap shot coupled with clutch play-making ability. In a shortened season impacted not only by the pandemic, he missed time due to a neck injury. Still, he managed a staggering 41 goals in 57 games.

These two Blueshirt superstars only played a few games together on the same line before being separated for a great two line punch. However, they are featured on the top PP unit and have combined for 22 goals and 51 points this season. This is highlighted by Mika’s 15 man advantage markers.

Obviously, this is only one season, but you get the feeling they are only going to get better.

Jaromir Jagr and Michael Nylander

While teammates with the Washington Capitals, Jagr and Nylander developed a bonafide chemistry that traveled up the I-95 corridor from Our Nation’s Capital to New York City. In the 2005-06 season, Nylander helped Jagr re-write the Blueshirts record books for single season accomplishments including most goals and most points by a Ranger in team history.

In that season, Jagr scored 54 goals and 123 points. By the time his career was done, Jagr became the 2nd leading scorer in NHL history. His pivot, Nylander notched 79 points in that campaign as well. While their time was limited, they gave Rangers fans a very bright light during a dark age.

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Adam Graves and Mark Messier

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to include Mark Messier and his ride-or-die wingman, Adam Graves. Messier is one of the greatest players to ever lace them up as the 3rd leading scorer in NHL history.

In the magical 1994 season, Adam Graves became the first Rangers since Vic Hadfield in the 70’s to score 50 goals. Graves finished with 52 goals that year, but the offensive magic was established in their first year together in 1991-92.

Adam scored 26 goals that season, which doesn’t seem much until you realize he never scored more than 9 in 3 full seasons before that. Messier on the other hand was a monster with 35 goals and 107 points in his first season with the Rangers.

Messier won the Hart Trophy that year, and the Stanley Cup two seasons later. No Ranger has ever had a better start with the team, until now with Artemi Panarin.

Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle

Rod Gilbert is considered one of the greatest Rangers ever. He and Jean Ratelle comprised two thirds of the famed Goal-a-Game line with Vic Hadfield. This “Dynamic Duo” and Hadfield earned the right to have their jersey numbers hung in the Madison Square Garden rafters. Yes, an entire line had their numbers retired.

Here’s the deal, these two played 16 seasons together, in essence making this a pretty clear cut winner for #1 Rangers duo. Ratelle amassed 817 points on Broadway, and his favorite winger scored 1021 points. These two were special, no question about it.

The Rangers greatest duo

So why have this discussion? It is because all these duos played in different eras. The game has changed in each of the decades they represent. That makes this a conversation worth having.

Now that you have everything laid out before you, who do you think is the Rangers best dynamic duo in history?

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Editor’s Note: Jeff Weinstein also contributed to this article.

The Yankees and Red Sox are considered the gold standard when it comes to mutual disdain and unbridled hatred. The Knicks and Celtics have been doing continuous battle on the hard wood floor since the NBA’s inception back in 1949. The Jets and Patriots have been sworn enemies since 1960 and the debut of the old American Football League when they were known as the New York Titans and Boston Patriots respectively. Heck, even the Giants and Patriots have a great deal of animosity towards one another thanks to Big Blue’s two monumental upsets of the heavily favored Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI.

Long History

In 1926, Madison Square Garden honcho Tex Rickard was awarded his own NHL franchise. “Tex’s Rangers” as they were known as, commenced play on November 16th with a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Maroons. On December 7th of that year, the Rangers played their inaugural game against the Boston Bruins and the National Hockey League joined the ranks of the New York versus Boston rivalry landscape.

The Blueshirts and Bruins rivalry got off to a rousing and immediate start in the 1929 Stanley Cup Finals where team from Bean Town knocked off the defending champions from the Big Apple in a brief two-games-to-none series. During the pre World Ward II era of the NHL, the Bruins and Rangers were consistently among the upper echelon franchises winning divisions, capturing Stanley Cups and having some of the league’s top players and engaging personalities.

However, when the United States and Canada entered the overseas conflicts in Europe and Japan, New York and Boston’s rosters were depleted when their best players went off to war. In fact, from 1942 through 1967, a 25 year period commonly refereed to as the “Original Six” era, the Rangers and the Bruins are the only franchises that survived World War II and The Depression not to capture hockey’s ultimate prize.

The Pain, The Trade

After almost three decades of futility and frustration, the late 1960’s saw a resurgence to the Bruins/Ranger rivalry and saw each team return to prominence and Stanley Cup contention. In 1972, these two historic combatants battled in a memorable six game championship series. Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and the rest of the “Big Bad Bruins” proved to be too much for Rod Gilbert, Brad Park the rest of Emile “The Cat” Francis’ squad. The Bruins raised Lord Stanley’s silver chalice inside the hallowed halls of the World’s Most Famous Arena which must have made the Long Suffering Garden Faithful cringe, snarl and weep.

In November 1975, the unthinkable happened when these two bitter enemies made one of the most blockbuster and controversial trades in NHL history. The Bruins dealt superstar center Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the Rangers for Brad Park, Joe Zanussi and Jean Ratelle. The shock waves this deal sent throughout Rangerstown were enormous

To put this trade in perspective, the above transaction is tantamount to today’s Rangers sending Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox to the Islanders for Anders Lee and Nick Leddy. You talk to any Ranger fan north of 55 years old, and I guarantee you they remember where they were when they found out about the Bruins larceny and how they felt.

The Shoe Incident

Unarguably, the singular most infamous, viscous and unforgettable (for the wrong reasons) moment in this 90-plus year rivalry is what took place two days before Christmas in 1979 at the Garden. The Bruins defeated the Rangers 4-3 and right after the final buzzer, several Bruin players climbed over the Plexiglas to attack antagonizing Ranger fans. Of course, the visual of Mike Milbury beating a fan with his own shoe is seared into the memory bank’s of each franchises fan bases.

With the addition of the New York Islanders and then the New Jersey Devils to the NHL ranks, the Rangers and Bruins rivalry has lost some of its luster since that 1979 near-riot in the stands. Being in separate divisions and meeting only once in the postseason (2013) in almost 50 years also douses the figurative flames that have burned since the roaring 1920’s. Be that as it may, New York versus Boston, Rangers versus Bruins still, to this day, is a hot ticket whenever each franchise travels along the I-95 corridor to face off against one another and each team’s fan bases commonly venture into enemy territory to support their beloved franchise.

Magic Mika and the Breadman

I don’t know about the rest of you, but if the 2020 NHL regular season reconvenes at any point and the Rangers continue their annual tradition of handing out the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, I honestly don’t know who’d receive my vote. Both Panarin and Zibanejad, while having differing styles of play, seem to take turns dazzling Ranger fans while bringing the Garden Faithful out of their seats.

Panarin’s silky smooth hands combined with his extreme hockey sense and uncanny ability to thread the needle while passing to a semi-open teammate should make him a shoe-in to win the Extra Effort Award. However, Zibanejad’s all-around excellence combined with his booming and accurate slap shot and clutch play-making ability has Ranger fans wondering just how many zero’s and comma’s will be on his next contract.

The “Bread Man” and the “People’s Captain” may not be on the same level as the Penguins Crosby and Malkin or the Oilers McDavid and Draisaitl just yet. However, I would not be surprised if number’s 10 and 93 reach that lofty level once the Rangers, as a group, continue to develop their youngsters and improve the overall team play. As I scan my memory banks, I can recall other tandems clad in red, white and blue that would immediately bring smiles to our collective faces.

Jaromir Jagr and Michael Nylander

While teammates with the Washington Capitals, Jagr and Nylander developed a bonafide chemistry that traveled up the I-95 corridor from Our Nation’s Capital to New York City. In the 2005-06 season, Nylander helped Jagr re-write the Blueshirts record books for single season accomplishments including most goals and most points by a Ranger in team history.

Brian Leetch and Mark Messier

While Leetch was certainly a force to be reckoned with by the time Messier first donned the Broadway Blue in October of 1991, there is no question that the “Messiah” helped Leetch bring his game to a new and extraordinary level. Leetch and Messier were the cornerstones of the 1994 Stanley Cup championship team.

Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle

Admittedly, the two French Canadians who turned Madison Square Garden into their personal playground were a bit before my time. I may never have seen two thirds of the famed Goal-a-Game line in person. However, their accolades and sportsmanship are forever etched into Ranger lore and their sweaters permanently and prominently hang from the iconic Garden ceiling.

While light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel may not be visible at this juncture, each day that passes brings us one step closer to normalcy and eventually, life as we knew it will return. And, when it does, Ranger fans can rejoice once again in the brilliance of their latest Dynamic Duo, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin.