New York Rangers Team History
New York Rangers Team Formation
George Lewis “Tex” Rickard, president of Madison Square Garden, was awarded an NHL franchise for the 1926 – 1927 season to compete with the now defunct New York Americans, who had begun play at the Garden the previous season. The Americans (also known as the “Amerks”) proved to be an even greater success than expected during their inaugural season, leading Rickard to pursue a second team for the Garden despite promising the Amerks that they would be the only hockey team to play there.
Stanley Cup Winner 1928
The 1928 Stanley Cup Finals was a NHL championship series was played by the New York Rangers and the Montreal Maroons. It was the first appearance by the Rangers in the Finals and was their first victory of the Stanley Cup in only their second season. This was the second Stanley Cup victory by an American team, the first being the Seattle Metropolitans in the 1917 Stanley Cup Finals.
Stanley Cup Winner 1933
The 1933 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, in a rematch of the 1932 Final. The Rangers won the series 3–1 to win their second Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup Winner 1940
The 1940 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. New York would win the series 4–2 to win their third Stanley Cup. The Rangers would not win another for 54 years.
Stanley Cup Winner 1994
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. The Canucks were making the club’s second Final appearance, their first coming during their Cinderella run of 1982, and the Rangers were making their tenth appearance, their first since 1979. The Rangers ended their record 54-year championship drought with a victory in game seven to claim the long-awaited Stanley Cup. It was the fourth championship in franchise history. The CBC broadcast of the deciding game seven attracted an average Canadian audience of 4.957 million viewers, making it the most watched CBC Sports program in history to that time.
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan. The Rangers are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area, along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. The club is also one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise. They are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six, along with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers were the first NHL franchise in the United States to win the Stanley Cup, which they have done four times, most recently in 1993 – 1994.
Established
1926
City
New York
League History
1926 – Present National Hockey League
Team History
1926 – Present New York Rangers
Nickname
Rangers – In 1925, the New York Americans joined the National Hockey League and played their home games at the old Madison Square Garden. Tex Rickard, the boxing promoter and ex-gold prospector who built and owned the arena, decided he wanted his own NHL team, which he was awarded in 1926. Rickard’s team was immediately dubbed “Tex’s Rangers” as a pun referencing the paramilitary force founded in Texas during the 1830s. The Americans folded in 1942, while Tex’s Rangers remain.
Championship
Stanley Cup 4
1993 – 1994, 1939 – 1940, 1932 – 1933, 1927 – 1928
Arena
1968 – Present Madison Square Garden II
1926 – 1968 Madison Square Garden I
Owner
1926 – Present Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Retired Number
1 Eddie Giacomin
2 Brian Leetch
3 Harry Howell
7 Rod Gilbert
9 Andy Bathgate
9 Adam Graves
11 Mark Messier
35 Mike Richter
99 Wayne Gretzky
Mascot
*Blue is this team’s history