Patrick Flatley RW (1996-1997) Andy Hebenton RW (1955-1963) Michael Nylander C (2005-2007) Jean Ratelle C (1960-1975) Ronnie Sundin D (1997-1998)
Today in NYR History 10/3:
1959: The Rangers acquire Noel Price from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Bill Kennedy & Future Considerations.
1991: Adam Graves makes his Rangers debut against the Boston Bruins, wearing No. 11.
One of the most popular figures to ever wear the New York Rangers uniform, Adam Graves spent 10 years with the Blueshirts, setting a watermark in professional sports for excellence both on and off the ice.
Drafted by Detroit, Graves won the Stanley Cup with Edmonton before signing with the Rangers in 1991. He had an immediate impact in New York, registering 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in his first season with the Rangers.
Graves will always be best known for his achievements and contributions to the Rangers magical 1994 Stanley Cup team, helping break a 54-year old championship drought. "Gravy" set the Rangers` single season record for most goals in the 1993-94 season, tallying 52 goals to break Vic Hadfield’s 22-year old mark of 50. His record stood for 12 years before Jaromir Jagr notched 54 in the 2005-06 campaign.
Graves also recorded 27 assists for 79 points, appeared NHL All-Star Game, and was named as an NHL Second Team All-Star in 1993-94.
Although it would have been hard for any player to author an encore to his 1993-94 season, Graves appeared in seven more solid seasons in New York, recording at least 20 goals in five of those years.
From 1991-2001, the Rangers` No. 9 won numerous league and team honors. He was recognized by the NHL with its King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1994, presented annually to the NHL player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made noteworthy humanitarian contributions to his community".
In 2000, Graves was honored with the NHL Player Foundation award, "recognizing the NHL player who applies the core values of hockey - -commitment, perseverance and teamwork — to enrich the lives of people in his community.”
The Professional Hockey Writer`s Association awarded Graves the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2001 as the "NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
In addition, Graves has received numerous Rangers` team awards, including the Most Valuable Player honor in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
Outside his numerous league and team awards, Graves has been recognized with honors from countless organizations and publications for his achievements in the community, including USA Weekend`s "Most Caring Athlete" Award, Sports Illustrated for Kids` "Good Sport" Award and The Sporting News` "Good Guy" Award.
Traded to San Jose at the 2001 NHL Draft, Graves played two seasons for the Sharks before retiring in 2003 from a shoulder injury. He returned to the Rangers organization in the summer of 2005 as Special Assistant, Prospect Development and Community Relations. In this role, he assists in the Blueshirts` many community outreach and fan development programs and also works with the team's young prospects as they prepare for a life in pro hockey.
1997: Brian Leetch is named the 23rd captain in Rangers history.
Born in Texas but raised in Cheshire, Conn., defenseman Brian Leetch spent 17 remarkable seasons with the Blueshirts, setting NHL and Ranger records throughout his historical career.
After playing a single season at Boston College and then joining Team USA for the 1988 Olympics, Leetch signed his first NHL contract with the Rangers in late February 1988 and made his debut on Feb. 29, 1988, at The Garden against St. Louis. He went on to skate in 17 games for the Blueshirts in 1987-88, tallying two goals and 12 assists for 14 points.
Leetch`s first full season was the 1987-88 campaign, and he tallied 71 points, including 23 goals, a record for rookie defenseman. That season, he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
In 1991-92, Leetch enjoyed his highest-scoring season — notching 22 goals and 80 assists for 102 points in 80 games. He became only the fifth defenseman in history to top the century mark in points, and was awarded the Norris Trophy for the first time.
In 1993-94, Leetch matched his career-best 23 goals and finished with 56 assists for 79 points. He then turned in a brilliant postseason performance to lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. In 23 games, he tallied 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points to become the first non-Canadian born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP. Leetch remains the only American to win that award.
The 11-time All-Star, who missed two All-Star Games due to injury, won his second and final Norris Trophy following the 1996-97 season. In 82 games, he netted 20 goals and 58 assists for 78 points. Following the departure of Mark Messier after that year’s surprising playoff run to the Conference Finals, Leetch was named the 23rd captain in Rangers history. He held the honor from the 1997-98 season until Messier’s return to the Blueshirts prior to the 2000-01 campaign.
Leetch was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3, 2004, but had one last chance to come back The Garden as a member of the Bruins two years later. As he stood on the blueline prior to the game, Leetch received a standing ovation from fans, and the team honored him with a donation to the Ronald McDonald House, a charity he had worked tirelessly for during his years in New York.
"It was great. I don’t think that during the season you can really do too much," Leetch said of the pregame tribute. "Both teams have too much at stake to really focus on someone during the game. I didn't even hear what was going on. The Ronald McDonald House was a big part of my life out here."
"It was a strange feeling sitting on that blue line," Leetch said that day. "All I can say is thank you."
1999: The Rangers acquire Alexandre Daigle from The Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations.
2008: Chris Drury is named the 25th captain in Rangers history.
Currently the New York Rangers Assistant General Manager, Drury on July 1, 2007 signed a five-year, $35.25 million contract with the New York Rangers. He made his Rangers debut against the Florida Panthers, scoring a goal in a 5–2 win. On February 1, 2008, in a game against the New Jersey Devils, Drury scored an empty net goal on the power play for his 500th career point. He finished his first season with the Rangers with 58 points – third in team scoring. Matched up against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, Drury scored the game-winning and series-clinching goal to eliminate the Devils in five games.[19] On October 1, 2008, Drury and the Rangers won the Victoria Cup, defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk by a score of 4–3.
After the departure of Jaromir Jagr from the Rangers to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Drury was named the 25th captain in Rangers history on October 3, 2008. Drury was only the second American-born captain in team history (The first was Brian Leetch from 1997 to 2000). This made Drury one of four active NHL players at the time to have captained two different NHL teams (the others were Chris Pronger, Joe Thornton and former teammate Adam Foote).
Drury was named to the United States roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Drury, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Rafalski were the only members of the 2010 team who have previous Olympic experience. Because of his disappointing play for the Rangers in 2010 (he had spent much of the season on the fourth line, with a pre-Olympics scoring total of 8G-11A-19P and a –14 plus-minus rating), Drury's inclusion on the team was questioned by former Olympian Jeremy Roenick, who said the team might be better served by adding either former Rangers teammate Scott Gomez or T. J. Oshie. On February 21, 2010, Drury scored the go-ahead goal to break a 2–2 tie in a critical round-robin game against Canada. The American team went on to win 5–3. The Americans lost a rematch to the Canadians in the gold medal game and Drury was awarded an Olympic silver medal for the second time.
In June 2011, rumors began circulating that the Rangers were looking to negotiate a contract buyout with Drury. However, these rumors were silenced after it was announced that Drury may have a degenerative condition in his left knee which would cause him to miss the entire 2011–12 season. On June 29, 2011, Drury accepted a buyout of the final year of his contract, to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2011.
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