The New York Rangers have a history spanning nearly a century and have won the Stanley Cup four times. They have great players like Mark Messier and teams like the 1994 Rangers that will top the list.
From the era before the Original Six to their peak performance in recent years, the Rangers have been an integral part of NHL history. Which teams, champions or not, top the list?
Best Rangers team of all time: 1993–94
The best team in Rangers history is their most recent championship squad. The 1994 team won the President’s Trophy for the best regular season record, led by Adam Graves’ 52 goals and Sergei Zubov’s 77 assists and 89 points. 27-year-old Mike Richter won 42 of his 64 regular season appearances in goal.
They began the playoffs with an 8-1 run that saw them sweep the New York Islanders and beat the Washington Capitals in five games. They trailed 3-2 against the Devils in the Eastern Conference finals, but Mark Messier’s hat trick in game six and Stefan Matteau’s overtime winner in game seven put them in the Stanley Cup final. They beat the Canucks in game seven to win their fourth Stanley Cup.
#2: 1939-40
The 1940 team has the same points percentage as the 1994 team (0.667) and also won the Stanley Cup. The Rangers beat the Bruins and Maple Leafs in six games to win their third title. The Rangers were led in the regular season by Bryan Hextall with 24 goals and 40 points. They finished behind the Bruins in the regular season.
Despite the title, 1940 was a sore spot for Rangers fans before the 1994 triumph. The year became a slugfest, with opposing fans using it to taunt Ranger fans about their championship drought. There were seven teams in the league that season, with the Original Six and the New York Americans representing the NHL.
3rd place: 1971–72
The Rangers, who posted the best regular season in franchise history, lost to Bobby Orr’s Boston Bruins in the 1972 Stanley Cup Final. Jean Ratelle led the team with 63 assists and 109 points despite playing in only 63 of the 78 games. Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert rounded out one of the most dominant lines in hockey.
The Rangers went 8-2 in the first round, beat the Canadiens in six games and swept the Black Hawks to reach the final. Orr and the Bruins won in six games in the Cup final, looking for revenge after having a great regular season spoiled the year before.
4th place: 1970–71
With 109 points, the 1971 team falls behind the following year due to its playoff performance. Walt Tkaczuk led the team with 49 assists and 75 points in the regular season. Hadfield, Gilbert and Ratelle were a year away from their breakout season and still finished in the top ten in team points.
The Rangers finished behind the Bruins in the regular season but did not face them in the playoffs. After defeating the Maple Leafs in the first round, New York lost Game 7 to the Black Hawks. Chicago lost the Cup final to the Canadiens, who defeated the Bruins in the first round.
#5: 1931-32
Going back to the days before the Original Six, the Rangers finished the 1931-32 regular season in first place with a points percentage of .581. Captain Bill Cook was the best player with 33 goals and 47 points, and Frank Boucher was the best player with 24 assists. The team won 23 of its 48 games.
The playoffs consisted of two best-of-five rounds. The Canadiens won the first game of the semifinals, but the Rangers won three games in a row, including a win in three overtimes. They were swept by the Maple Leafs in the Cup final, each game ending in a loss by multiple goals.
#6: 2023-24
Last season’s Blueshirts posted the third-highest points percentage in Rangers history and won the President’s Trophy. Artemi Panarin finished fifth in the Hart Trophy voting and led the team with 49 goals, 71 assists and 120 points. The Rangers also had a dominant goalie in Igor Shesterkin between the posts.
They swept the Capitals in the first round and took a 3-0 lead in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers beat the Hurricanes in six games, but cracks began to show, losing to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in six games. Vincent Trochek was phenomenal in the playoffs, leading the team with 20 points.
7th place: 1978–79
This entry on the list has almost nothing to do with the regular season. The Rangers lost their division to the New York Islanders by 25 points, but still made the postseason. Phil Esposito led the team with 42 goals at age 36, while Anders Hedberg tallied 45 assists and saved Esposito’s 78 points.
They swept the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in a best-of-three series and beat the Flyers in five games in the second round. In the conference finals, they beat the Islanders in six games, which is considered one of the biggest upsets of the era. The Islanders won 19 consecutive playoff series. The Rangers lost to the Canadiens in the Cup final.
#8: 1932-33
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Another Stanley Cup title is number 8. The 1933 team finished third in its division during the regular season. Bill Cook dominated with 28 goals and 50 points, both team highs. He led the league’s best offense, scoring a league-high 135 goals in 48 games.
This was a dominant playoff run for the Rangers, who posted a 6-1-1 record en route to the title. Cecil Dionne led the team with eight goals in eight games after scoring 21 goals in the regular season. Cook led the league in goals in the regular season and was a first-team All-Star that season.
9th place: 2014-15
The most recent Stanley Cup Final loss in Rangers history is their ninth. The 2014-15 team was not an offensive force, failing to score a single 60-point goal in the regular season. Instead, they were led by Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, who posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average in the regular season.
In the playoffs, Martin St. Louis was the big name. The veteran had been traded by the Lightning and was fighting for the Stanley Cup. His mother had just died and he was the team’s top scorer with eight goals. Unfortunately, they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. Three of the Kings’ four wins came in overtime.
#10: 1927-28
The first title in Rangers history is at the bottom of the list. They finished fifth in a ten-team league with 47 points in 44 games, but they hit their stride at the right time. The Rangers were led by Frank Boucher with 23 goals and 35 points in the regular season.
They went 6-3-1 in the playoffs, split the first-round series with the Pittsburgh Pirates and advanced overall, beating the Montreal Maroons in the decisive fifth game to win the first Stanley Cup in Rangers history.
