The New York Rangers are nearing their Centennial season, marking 100 years of hockey history on Broadway. As one of the Original Six franchises, the Blueshirts have seen many Hockey Hall of Famers who have set significant records and milestones for the team.
With the evolution of the game since the Rangers’ first season in 1926, most of the team’s standout statistics have been achieved in the past 50 years. Some of these records are so remarkable that they may never be surpassed in our lifetime.
5 New York Rangers records likely never to be broken
Here’s a look at five of the most unbeatable records in Rangers history.
Single Season Plus/Minus Total
Brad Park (1971-72) Plus-63
During the 1971-72 season, Brad Park played 75 games, scored 24 goals, and recorded 73 points—his highest total in the NHL as a Hall of Fame defenseman. He ranked fourth in team scoring, trailing Jean Ratelle (109 points), Vic Hadfield (106), and Rod Gilbert (97), who placed third, fourth, and fifth in league scoring, respectively.
Park finished with the 17th highest point total in the NHL that season and set a Rangers record for the best single-season plus/minus rating at plus-63, second only to Bobby Orr’s plus-83. Ratelle (plus-61) and Hadfield (plus-60) were close, but in the half-century since that remarkable season, no player has approached Park’s milestone, with none exceeding a plus-40 rating.
Since the 2004 NHL lockout, only five Rangers players have achieved a plus/minus rating of plus-30 or better: Artemi Panarin (plus-36), Michal Rozsival (plus-35), Jaromir Jagr (plus-34), Marek Malik (plus-32), and Michael Nylander (plus-31).
Still, none have come close to matching Park’s extraordinary record set over 50 years ago.
Career penalty minutes by goalie
John Vanbriesbrouck (1981-93) 212 PIM
John Vanbiesbrouck started his NHL career with a single game in the 1981-82 season as an 18-year-old. He became a regular starter for the New York Rangers by the 1984-85 season and won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender the following year.
Kelly Hrudey and John Vanbiesbrouck were supposed to go out to dinner after an #Isles-Rangers game.
Instead they wound up having a goalie fight.
Hrudey shared the story on Talkin’ Isles. Listen here: https://t.co/5DH5AYnLud pic.twitter.com/QmzuIRe7dr
— Cory Wright (@WrightsWay) September 2, 2022
Vanbiesbrouck played 11 seasons with the Rangers, posting a record of 200-177-47, a 3.45 goals-against average, and a .890 save percentage, solidifying his place as one of the franchise’s greatest goalies.
Nicknamed “The Beezer,” Vanbiesbrouck was known for his feisty play despite his smaller size (5-foot-8, 175 pounds). He holds nine of the top 15 spots for most penalty minutes by a Rangers goalie in a single season.
Although Bob Froese holds the franchise record for penalty minutes by a goalie in a season with 56, Vanbiesbrouck is close behind with 46 minutes in 1987-88, followed by 30 minutes in 1988-89. Due to his frequent penalties, Vanbiesbrouck set a Rangers career record with 212 penalty minutes, making him the only goalie in team history to surpass 100 minutes. Froese ranks second with just 68 minutes, ensuring that Vanbiesbrouck’s record will stand for generations to come.
Single season games played by goalie
Henrik Lundqvist (2009-10) 73 games
Grant Fuhr holds the NHL record for most games played in a single season by a goalie, with 79. It’s unlikely this record will ever be broken in today’s NHL, where goalies typically max out at around 65 games per season.
During his prime, Henrik Lundqvist was a true workhorse for the New York Rangers, playing over 70 games in four different seasons. He came closest to challenging Fuhr’s record, playing 73 games (72 starts) in the 2009-10 season, which remains a Rangers record.
Five Rangers goalies have played 70 or more games in a season, including Mike Richter, Johnny Bower, Gump Worsley, and Ed Giacomin, but none have done so since Lundqvist in 2009-10. In fact, no Rangers goalie has played more than 60 games in a season since Lundqvist in 2017-18.
Currently, Igor Shesterkin is the top goalie for the Rangers, playing an NHL career-high 58 games in the 2022-23 season, which is 15 fewer than Lundqvist’s record. With the current focus on keeping goalies fresh for the playoffs, NHL starters play less often, and only four goalies have played 70 games in the past decade.
Most points in single postseason
Brian Leetch (1993-94) 34 points
Hall of Famer Brian Leetch is the only player in New York Rangers history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He earned the honor in 1994 when the Rangers ended a 54-year championship drought. During that memorable playoff run, highlighted by two intense Game 7 victories, Leetch, regarded as the greatest defenseman in franchise history, tallied 34 points with 11 goals and 23 assists.
Leetch led all players in the postseason in assists, points, plus/minus (plus-19), and game-winning goals, scoring four. Despite several deep playoff runs since their 1994 victory, no Rangers skater has reached 25 points, with Mika Zibanejad coming the closest with 24 in the 2021-22 season.
Leetch still holds the team record for most playoff points (89) and, along with Mark Messier (30), remains one of only two players in Rangers history to score 30 points in a single playoff run, securing their status as franchise legends.
Most points in single game
Steve Vickers (Feb. 18, 1976) 7 points
Steve Vickers made his debut with the Rangers as a 21-year-old during the 1972-73 season, scoring 30 goals and 53 points to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. He scored 30 or more goals four times in his career, including a career-high 41 goals in 1974-75.
On This Day 5/29/1973: Rangers left winger Steve Vickers won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. He was the first Ranger to win the award since Camille Henry in 1954 and he was the seventh Blueshirt to win it. pic.twitter.com/N2u1fEn0OE
— Realistic_Blue_Shirts (@Rangerblue1978) May 29, 2023
Considered one of the top 10 players in franchise history, Vickers set a Rangers record with a seven-point performance against the Washington Capitals on February 18, 1976. In the 11-4 victory at Madison Square Garden, the 24-year-old recorded a hat trick and four assists, contributing 63 percent of the team’s offense that night.
Vickers broke the previous record of six points in a game, held by Frank Boucher (1930), Bill Cook (1933), and Don Raleigh (1951). Since then, multiple players have matched six points in a game for the Rangers, including Anders Hedberg (1980, 1984), Mark Messier (1992), and Mika Zibanejad twice in 2021.
Only four NHL players in the 21st century have registered a seven-point game, making it one of the rarest accomplishments in modern hockey. Vickers’ record remains seemingly unbreakable.
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