New York Rangers Franchise History

Early years

Tex Rickard was awarded an NHL franchise in 1926 to compete with the now-long-forgotten New York Americans. The team was immediately dubbed "Tex's Rangers", and the nickname stuck. Rickard managed to get future legendary Toronto Maple Leafs coach Conn Smythe to assemble the team, but Smythe had a falling-out with management and was let go in favor of Lester Patrick before the first season. The new team turned out to be a winner--in their first season, the Rangers won the American Division, but lost to the Boston Bruins in the playoffs.

The Rangers won the Stanley Cup over the now long-defunct Montreal Maroons in only their second year in business, but it was not without some desperation: Coach Patrick had to be their goaltender for two periods of game two of the finals after regular goalie Lorne Chabot was injured.

After a finals loss in 1929 and a few mediocre seasons in the early 1930s, the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to win their second Stanley Cup in 1933, led by brothers Bill and Bun Cook on the wings, and Frank Boucher in centre. The Rangers would spend the rest of the 1930s playing mainly .500 hockey until they won the Cup again in 1940 (over the Maple Leafs), when Patrick stepped down and handed the reins to Frank Boucher.

The post-original six era

The Rangers remained a mark of futility in the NHL for the next 20 years, before rejuvenation in the late 1960s, symbolised by moving into a newly-rebuilt Madison Square Garden in 1967. They made the playoffs for the first time in five years on the strength of rookie goaltender Eddie Giacomin.

By 1972, the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup finals despite losing high-scoring center Jean Ratelle (who had been on track over Bruin Phil Esposito to become the only Ranger since Bryan Hextall in 1942 to lead the NHL in scoring) to injury during the stretch drive of the regular season. The strength of people like Brad Park, Vic Hadfield, and Rod Gilbert would still carry them through the playoffs. They would defeat the defending champion Montreal Canadiens in the first round and the Chicago Blackhawks in the second, but lost to the Boston Bruins in the finals.

After some off years in the mid-to-late 1970s, they picked up Phil Esposito from the Bruins in 1976. Swedish Anders Hedberg would defect to the Rangers from the maverick World Hockey Association and would lead the team in scoring his first season. In 1979, they defeated the surging New York Islanders in the semi-finals and would return to the finals again before bowing out to the Canadiens. The Islanders had their revenge however, eliminating the Rangers the following year en route to four consecutive Stanley Cup titles.

The Rangers stayed competitive through the 1980s and early 1990s, making the playoffs each year except for one but never going very far. An exception was the 1985-86 NHL season, when the Rangers, behind rookie goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, upended the Patrick Division winner Philadelphia Flyers in a decisive fifth game followed by a six game win over the Washington Capitals in the Patrick Division Finals. The Montreal Canadiens disposed of the Rangers in the Wales Conference Finals, behind a rookie of their own named Patrick Roy.

The 1993-94 season

1994 was a magical year for Rangers fans. Two years previous, they picked up center Mark Messier, an integral part of the Edmonton Oilers' Cup-winning teams in the 1980s. Adam Graves also defected from the Oilers to the Rangers. Brian Leetch and rookie Sergei Zubov were solid on defense. In fact, Zubov led the team in scoring with 89 points. Graves would set a new team record with 52 goals, breaking the old record held by Vic Hatfield. This record was later tied by Jaromir Jagr on March 27, 2006.

After clinching the President's Trophy for the best regular season record in the league (52-24-8; 112 points), the Rangers were pitted against their archrivals, the 8th seeded New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. The Isles proved to be no match, as they were swept in four games by an aggregate score of 22-3, including a pair of shutouts in Madison Square Garden for goalie Mike Richter. In the second round, the Washington Capitals were dismissed in five games, and set the stage for a matchup with the New Jersey Devils in the Conference Finals.

The Stanley Cup Finals pitted the Rangers against the upstart Vancouver Canucks, who were the seventh seed in the Western Conference. After dropping Game 1 in overtime 3-2, largely due to Canucks' goaltender Kirk McLean's 52 save performance, the Rangers won the next three games to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Rangers lost Game 5 in New York and then Game 6 in Vancouver forcing another seventh game at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers did not disappoint, using goals from Leetch, Graves, and Messier to seal a 3-2 victory and the Rangers first Cup in 54 years. Brian Leetch became the first American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and Mark Messier became the first Rangers captain to hoist the Cup on Garden ice.

Source: Answers.com