Lucien Deblois RW (1977-79,1986-89) Alex Gray RW (1927-1928) Howie Morenz C (1935-1936) Buddy O'Connor C (1947-1951) Pascal Rheaume C (2003-2004)
Today in NYR History June 21
1986: The Rangers select Brian Leetch ninth overall.
In 1129 games in a Broadway Blueshirt Brian Leetch would tally 240 goals and 741 assists for 981 career points along with being a plus 24 over the span. Leetch accumulated many individual honors during his 18-year career. He was a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman (1992, 1997) and was the first American-born winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for his performance during the Rangers' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup championship. Leetch is one of only five NHL defensemen to score 100 points in a season with his 102-point campaign in 1991–92. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989 and his 23 goals that season remain an NHL record for rookie defensemen. Leetch's number 2 was retired by the Rangers on January 24, 2008. During the ceremony, longtime teammate Mark Messier referred to Leetch as the single "Greatest Ranger of All Time." Leetch served as Rangers Captain from 1997–2000 after the departure of Mark Messier to the Vancouver Canucks (he would hand back the captaincy to Messier upon his return to the Rangers in 2000). In 1994 Leetch became the first non-Canadian to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, and remained the only American to win the award until the Boston Bruins' Tim Thomas in 2011. Leetch is only the second player in league history, as well as the only non-Canadian, to win the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year), the Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) in their career. The only other player to do so was Bobby Orr.
Leetch's Rangers career would come to an end at the 2004 when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs just prior to the trade deadline for prospects Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a first-round pick in the 2004 draft, which became Kris Chucko (pick was later traded to the Calgary Flames), and a second-round pick in 2005, which became Michael Sauer. On January 24, 2008, the New York Rangers retired Leetch's number 2 jersey, joining fellow 1994 Stanley Cup Champion teammates Mark Messier and Mike Richter, as well as Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacomin in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
2008: The Rangers draft Derek Stepan in the second-round, 51st overall.
Afterwards Stepan attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played for the Badgers hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association WCHA. On July 1, 2010, he signed his first professional contract with the Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin. On October 9, 2010, he became the first player in Rangers history, and the fourth in NHL history, to score a hat-trick in his NHL debut. In 515 games as a Rangers Stepan totaled 128 goals and 232 assists for 360 points and was a plus 109 during a 7 year span. On June 23, 2017, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes along with goalie Antti Raanta in exchange for the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and Anthony DeAngelo.
2013: The Rangers name Alain Vigneault the 35th coach in franchise history.
Vigneault would take the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Final in his first season as head coach only to lose to the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Over a five year span as head coach Vigneault would post a record of 226-147-37 in 410 Regular Season Games until April 7, 2018, when the Rangers fired Vigneault after the team finished at 34-39-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
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