Red, White, and Blue

As the United States of America celebrates its birthday on July 4, here is a look at the American influence on the Rangers throughout the franchise's history, as well as the influence that the Rangers have had on American hockey.

1. The Rangers were the first American-based NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. The Blueshirts accomplished the feat in their second season (1927-28) and remain the only team in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup in one of their first two seasons in the league.

2. Each of the Rangers' last four captains - Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, and current captain Jacob Trouba - are American-born. The Rangers are the only franchise in NHL history to have four consecutive full-time American-born captains.

3. Peter Laviolette, who was named the 37th Head Coach in Rangers history on June 13, has the most career wins among American-born head coaches in NHL history. Laviolette played 12 games with the Rangers during the 1988-89 season, and he also represented the United States in the Olympics on two occasions (1988 and 1994).

4. Two of the legendary American-born players in NHL history are also two of the most iconic players in Rangers history - Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. Leetch (No. 2) and Richter (No. 35) both had their jersey numbers retired by the organization following their playing careers.

5. During the Rangers' Stanley Cup run in 1994, Leetch became the first American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Leetch's 34 points and 23 assists during the playoffs that year are still the most by an American-born player in a single playoff year in over a century of NHL hockey. Leetch holds over 40 all-time and single-season Rangers records. When Leetch was named the 23rd captain in Rangers history on October 3, 1997, he became the first American-born captain in franchise history, as well as the first Rangers captain that was not born in Canada.

6. Leetch has the second-most career points (1,028) and assists (781) by an American-born defenseman in NHL history. The only American-born defenseman who has tallied more career points and assists in NHL history than Leetch did is Phil Housley, who was recently named the Rangers' new associate head coach.

7. Richter holds several Rangers franchise and single-game records; among them are the most regular season wins by a goalie in one season (42 in 1993-94), the most playoff wins by a goalie in one year (16 in 1994), the longest unbeaten streak by a goalie in one year (20 in 1993-94), and the most saves in one game (59 on Jan. 31, 1991 at Vancouver). Richter's 59 saves in the Rangers' 3-3 tie against the Canucks are also the most saves an American-born goaltender has made in one NHL game since the league began to track saves in 1955-56.

8. Leetch, Richter, and Drury each represented the United States in the Olympics three times, and did so at least once while as a member of the Rangers (Leetch - 1988, 1998, 2002; Richter - 1988, 1998, 2002; Drury - 2002, 2006, 2010). Richter is the only goaltender who has represented the United States in three different Olympic Games, and he helped the United States earn a silver medal in 2002.

9. Leetch and Richter helped Team USA win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, defeating Canada in a best-of-three Final. Leetch was the captain of Team USA in the tournament, while Richter was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

10. Drury won two Olympic medals while representing the United States in his career (silver in 2002 and silver in 2010, when he was a member of the Rangers). Drury's two Olympic medals are tied for the most by an American-born player in history.

11. Adam Fox won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's Best Defenseman in 2020-21. Fox became just the fourth American defenseman to win the Norris Trophy in NHL history, joining Hockey Hall of Famers Leetch, Chris Chelios, and Rod Langway.

12. Three of the top six Rangers in franchise history in career playoff games played are American-born (Chris Kreider - tied for third with 107; Derek Stepan - fifth with 97; Ryan McDonagh - sixth with 96).

13. Kreider has scored more goals than any American-born player in Rangers history (265), and as of the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, he ranks fifth in franchise history in goals. Kreider is also one of four players in franchise history - and the only American-born player - to score at least 50 goals in a season (52 in 2021-22).

14. Kreider holds several Rangers franchise records, including career records for playoff goals (40), game-winning goals (11), and power play goals (17), and he is also the Blueshirts' single-season leader in game-winning goals (11 in 2021-22) and power play goals (26 in 2021-22). In addition, Kreider shares the NHL record for career playoff goals when facing elimination (16), and he shares the record with Rangers legend Mark Messier.

15. In 1966, the Rangers presented a trophy to the National Hockey League, which was to be awarded annually to individuals "for outstanding service to hockey in the United States." The trophy bears the name of Lester Patrick, who was the Rangers' first head coach and general manager and significantly increased the popularity of hockey in New York and the United States.

16. Craig Patrick was the first American-born general manager and head coach in Rangers history. Patrick - the grandson of Lester Patrick - was a member of the coaching staff and management team for the gold medal-winning Team USA at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

17. Shortly after becoming general manager, Craig Patrick would hire Herb Brooks, the head coach of Team USA's gold medal-winning team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, as the Rangers' head coach. Patrick would also be responsible for the acquisition (through the draft, free agency, or trades) of several key American-born players in Rangers history, which included selecting Richter and Leetch in back-to-back years in the NHL Entry Draft.

18. In his first offseason as the Rangers' general manager, Patrick signed one of the players he coached on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, Mark Pavelich, as a free agent. Pavelich registered 76 points during the 1981-82 season, establishing a single-season Rangers franchise record for points by a rookie that still stands today. In his second season with the Rangers in 1982-83, Pavelich led the Rangers with 37 goals and ranked second on the team with 75 points. In addition, on February 23, 1983, Pavelich tied a single-game franchise record by scoring five goals in a game against the Hartford Whalers at MSG.

19. Clarence "Taffy" Abel was the first American-born player in Rangers history. Abel, believed to be the first Native American to ever play in the NHL, was also the first player officially signed by the Rangers in franchise history (August 14, 1926). He teamed with Ivan "Ching" Johnson to form the Rangers' top defense pair, and he helped the Blueshirts win the Stanley Cup in 1927-28. Abel was one of the charter members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1973. He was also the flag bearer for the United States delegation during the opening ceremony at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, and he helped the United States earn a silver medal at the Olympics by registering 15 goals in five games.

20. The second American-born player to appear in a game for the Rangers in franchise history, Myles Lane, only skated in 24 career games with the Blueshirts (all of which were during the 1928-29 season). Lane's more lasting impact, however, came after the end of his hockey career, as he served as a New York Supreme Court justice.

21. Cecil Dillon registered 160 goals in 409 games as a Ranger, and he has the third-most goals by an American-born player in franchise history (trailing only Kreider and Leetch). Dillon helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1932-33, when he led all players with eight goals and 10 points in eight games during the 1933 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

22. The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (known as AHAUS, and which is now USA Hockey) was founded on October 29, 1937 at Madison Square Garden. The first president of the organization was Tommy Lockhart, who was one of the unsung influential figures in Rangers history. Lockhart was a charter member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame upon his induction in 1973, and he was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders Category in 1965.

23. Lockhart held several important roles throughout his tenure in hockey, and the majority of them ultimately helped promote and grow hockey in New York and, as a byproduct, the United States. Lockhart, a native New Yorker, was the manager of the New York Rovers of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL), president of the entire EAHL, and vice president of the Metropolitan Amateur Hockey League (MAHL; also know as the Met League), and he also ultimately became the Rangers' business manager from 1947 through 1953.

24. In 1932, Lockhart was tasked with organizing amateur hockey along the eastern seaboard. Naturally, given Lockhart's location and a central location for the league, all roads went through MSG for the league. Thanks to Lockhart, Sunday afternoon amateur hockey at The Garden was selling out the venue. Besides growing the EAHL as a whole, Lockhart's success led to the Rangers ultimately having their own team in the league, called the New York Rovers.

25. Gerry Cosby helped the United States earn a gold medal at the 1933 World Championship, as he posted four shutouts in five games in the tournament, and he also represented the United States at the 1938 World Championships. In addition to his international experience, Cosby played for the New York Rovers in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and served as a practice goalie for the Rangers. But his everlasting impact on the Rangers, American hockey, and the sport of hockey in general came after his playing career.

26. While with the Rovers, Cosby, who was fascinated by hockey equipment, made suggestions to Lester Patrick about alterations that could be made to equipment and uniforms, and he also helped Tom Lockhart order equipment for the Rovers, Rangers, and New York Americans. Ultimately, Cosby decided to open and operate a store specializing in hockey equipment, and Gerry Cosby & Co. Inc. was born. Whether it was at the 'Old Garden' or at the current MSG for numerous years, going to games at MSG usually meant a trip to Cosby's to check out hockey equipment and the never-ending supply of Rangers jerseys. For decades, the jerseys the Rangers wore were manufactured by Gerry Cosby & Co. Inc.

27. After the Rovers moved out of MSG in 1950, the popularity of amateur hockey - and specifically the Met League - began to dwindle. In 1966, Emile Francis, the Rangers' head coach and general manager, helped usher in a new era of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey Association (originally called the Metropolitan Hockey Association, and still referred to as the Met League) that helped grow hockey in New York and throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States.

28. Francis - sparked by seeing kids playing street hockey on roller skates in Hell's Kitchen near the 'Old Garden' - wanted to invest in ice hockey opportunities for kids in the New York Metropolitan Area. In pitching his idea about creating the league to Rangers' President Bill Jennings, Francis said he believed that there could be a player from New York that would develop in the league and make it to the NHL within 10 years. That player would be Nick Fotiu.

29. When Nick Fotiu, a native of Staten Island, made his NHL debut with the Rangers on October 6, 1976, he became the first player born in New York City to play for the Rangers in franchise history. Fotiu instantly became a fan favorite and ultimately one of the most popular players in Rangers history.

30. Fotiu resonated with the fans at MSG, particularly those sitting in the "Blue Seats", which is where he sat when he attended Rangers games as a kid. One of Fotiu's trademarks throughout his tenure was throwing pucks up to the "Blue Seats" following pre-game warmups, much to the delight of the die-hard fans in those sections. Fotiu played 455 career regular season games with the Rangers, which is the sixth-most among American-born players in franchise history (trailing only Leetch, Kreider, Richter, McDonagh, and Stepan).

31. Among the players who ultimately made the NHL after playing in the Met League were Fotiu, Richter (a native of Pennsylvania), and Jeremy Roenick (a native of Massachusetts). Two of the players who made it to the NHL from the Met League, however, were perhaps the embodiment of what Francis had envisioned when he wanted to start the league - brothers Brian Mullen and Joey Mullen.

32. The Mullen brothers were born and raised in Hell's Kitchen on West 49th Street, near where the 'Old Garden' stood. Their father, Tom, knew Emile Francis as a result of working at MSG as part of the building's ice and maintenance crew. Brian Mullen played 11 seasons in the NHL, including parts of four seasons with the Rangers from 1987-88 through 1990-91. Joe Mullen played 16 seasons in the NHL, became the first American-born player to register 1,000 career NHL points and 500 career NHL goals, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. Francis, a Hockey Hall of Famer himself, said on numerous occasions that the proudest moment he had was watching Brian Mullen and Joey Mullen both playing in the 1989 NHL All-Star Game.

33. The first New York Metropolitan Area native to play for the Rangers - as well as the first American-born goaltender to play for the franchise - was an off-ice official and statistician who served as the team's house goalie. Joe Schaefer, a Long Island native, was forced into action on February 17, 1960 in a game between the Rangers and Black Hawks at MSG. Chicago's Bobby Hull skated over Gump Worsley's right hand early in the second period, severing two tendons and sending Worsley to the hospital. Without a backup goaltender in that era, Schaefer, who had played in the Met League years prior, filled in for Worsley. Schaefer would also play another game the following season on March 8, 1961 under similar circumstances - Worsley was forced to leave a game against Chicago at MSG after pulling a muscle attempting to save a shot by Hull.

34. Prior to the 'Miracle on Ice' in 1980, the only time the United States Men's Team won a gold medal at the Olympics was in 1960 at Squaw Valley, California. Like Jim Craig in 1980, Jack McCartan provided superb goaltending to lead Team USA to the gold medal. Following his outstanding performance in the Olympics, McCartan joined the Rangers - who had put him on their negotiation list prior to the Olympics - to finish the 1959-60 season. In his NHL debut on March 6, 1960, McCartan stopped 33 of 34 shots to lead the Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings - led by Gordie Howe - at MSG, earning a standing ovation from 'The Garden Faithful' at the end of the game.

35. John Vanbiesbrouck is the only American-born Rangers goaltender who has won the Vezina Trophy (1985-86). In the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Vanbiesbrouck helped lead the Rangers to the Wales Conference Final, as the fourth-place Blueshirts pulled off upsets of the first-place Flyers in the Patrick Division Semifinals and the second-place Capitals in the Patrick Division Finals.

36. The Rangers have selected five players in the NHL Amateur/Entry Draft who would register at least 900 career NHL points. Of those five players, three are American-born (Doug Weight - first with 1,033; Brian Leetch - third with 1,028; Tony Amonte - fifth with 900).

37. Amonte and Weight each made their NHL debuts with the Rangers during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As rookies with the Blueshirts during the 1991-92 season, Amonte and Weight helped the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy, and Amonte was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. Amonte's 35 goals in 1991-92 were the second-most by a Rangers rookie in one season.

38. Ryan Callahan won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award in four of his eight seasons with the Rangers (2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13), including each of his two full seasons as the team's captain. The only player who has won the award more times than Callahan is Adam Graves (five times).

39. After playing together at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons and beginning their NHL careers with the Rangers during the 2010-11 season, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan each played a total of 612 combined regular season and playoff games during their respective tenures with the Blueshirts. McDonagh and Stepan also represented the United States together at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The two players helped the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, and each player contributed significantly for the team in the playoffs throughout their Rangers careers. In the Second Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals, McDonagh and Stepan scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 5 and Game 7, respectively, to help the Rangers rally from a three-games-to-one deficit to win the series.

40. Since the NHL began naming an All-Rookie Team at the end of the 1982-83 season, six of the 11 players who made the team as member of the Rangers have been American-born (Brian Leetch - 1988-89; Tony Granato - 1988-89, Tony Amonte - 1991-92; Mike York - 1999-00; Brady Skjei - 2016-17; K'Andre Miller - 2020-21).

41. In 1988-89, Leetch and Granato were two of the three finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year (Leetch won the award). The 1988-89 season is the only time in the expansion era (since 1967-68) that the Rangers had two players as either the winner and/or finalists for the Calder Trophy in the same season.

42. Each of the Rangers' four highest single-season point totals by a rookie in franchise history are from an American-born player (Pavelich - 76 in 1981-82; Leetch - 71 in 1988-89; Amonte - 69 in 1991-92; Darren Turcotte - 66 in 1989-90).

43. Pat LaFontaine played the final season of his Hall of Fame career with the Rangers in 1997-98, and he tallied his 1,000th career NHL point on January 22, 1998. LaFontaine is one of only six players - and the only American-born player - to register his 1,000th career NHL point as a member of the Rangers.

44. In the Rangers' Stanley Cup Championship season of 1993-94, Eddie Olczyk was selected by his teammates as the winner of the Players' Player Award. Olczyk coined the Rangers' slogan for the 1993-94 season, which was "Heave Ho".

45. Current Rangers Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer is one of four players in NHL history who were born in Nebraska (former Ranger Neal Pionk is one of the other four, along with Jake Guentzel and Johnny Matz). Ortmeyer played three seasons with the Rangers in his NHL career, and was a two-time winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.

46. Although they were born in Canada, three prominent active players on the Rangers - Art Coulter, Muzz Patrick, and Lynn Patrick - left the team to serve in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. Muzz Patrick joined the U.S. Army in 1941, while Coulter joined the U.S. Coast Guard in October of 1942, when he was one of nine Rangers players who joined either the U.S. or Canadian Armed Forces. Lynn Patrick, who was named the Rangers' Most Valuable Player in 1941-42 and 1942-43, joined the U.S. Army in July of 1943. In addition, Bob Dill - a native of St. Paul, Minnesota - served in the U.S. Coast Guard prior to beginning his NHL career with the Rangers in 1943-44. Muzz Patrick missed four full seasons from 1941-42 through 1944-45 before he returned to the Rangers at the start of the 1945-46 season after being discharged from the Army. Lynn Patrick missed the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons before rejoining the Rangers in 1945-46. Coulter, who was the Rangers' captain at the time of his enlistment into the U.S. Armed Forces, never played another NHL game after joining the U.S. Coast Guard.

47. Three of the earliest Rangers' Presidents in franchise history - Col. John S. Hammond (1926-27 - 1931-32; 1934-35), Gen. John Reed Kilpatrick (1933-34; 1935-36 - 1959-60), and John J. Bergen (1960-61 - 1961-62) - all served in the United States Armed Forces.

48. The Rangers' existence in the NHL is due in large part to the success of a New York-based NHL team - named the Americans - that played at Madison Square Garden. In 1925-26, the New York Americans played their first season in the NHL and was an instant success at the box office. The success the Americans had in their inaugural season convinced Tex Rickard that MSG management should have its own team. This thought process led to the birth of the Rangers.

49. Jonathan Quick, who was signed by the Rangers on July 1, has the most career shutouts (58) and the second-most career wins (375) by an American-born goaltender in NHL history. A native of Milford, Connecticut, Quick was a Rangers fan when he was growing up and idolized an American-born goaltender who played for the Blueshirts - Mike Richter.

50. Of the top 50 American-born point scorers in NHL history, 15 have played at least one game with the Rangers: Tony Amonte, Bobby Carpenter, Matt Cullen, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Kevin Hatcher, Patrick Kane, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Leetch, Brian Mullen, Eddie Olczyk, Mathieu Schneider, Kevin Stevens, Doug Weight, and Keith Yandle. Blake Wheeler, who was signed by the Rangers on July 1, will join this group when he makes his Rangers debut during the 2023-24 season.