During his legendary career with the Rangers, Adam Graves scored 16 goals against the Ottawa Senators, which is more than any other Ranger has recorded against the Senators in franchise history. Graves registered a hat trick against the Senators on two occasions, one of which occurred nearly 28 years ago (Mar. 14, 1997 in Ottawa).
This past weekend, however, Graves was focusing on a different kind of goal and completed a different kind of hat trick. The Rangers’ contest in Ottawa on Saturday marked the third Alumni Trip of the 2024-25 season, and this trip – presented by Benjamin Moore – brought four Rangers alumni together who played 2,257 combined games for the franchise and represented three different decades.
For Graves, who is in his 20th season with the Rangers’ front office in a hockey and business operations role, these alumni road trips are special because of how it reinforces the special bond between the franchise and their former players.
“One of the privileges of these road trips is how it brings the Rangers family back together,” Graves said. “Whether you played five years ago or 50 years ago, we’re all part of the Rangers family, and we all share the same bond of having worn that jersey. Because of that connection we have – with each other and with the team we played for – we’re all Rangers fans now and continue to support the guys wearing that jersey today.
“The slogan ‘Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger’ is something that means so much to our alumni, and I can’t thank the Rangers organization and Benjamin Moore enough for putting this fantastic experience together for the alumni and our families. It creates moments that we’ll never forget.”
The four alumni who were in attendance for Saturday’s game all made their own mark on Rangers history. Graves’ overall impact with the Rangers – both on and off the ice – cannot be overstated over the course of three decades as a player and member of the organization, and his No. 9 jersey hangs from The Garden rafters. Vickers – a first-round pick of the Rangers in 1971 – ranks among the top 10 in franchise history in goals, assists, and points, won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year in 1972-73, and helped the Blueshirts advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 1979. Laidlaw played 510 games over parts of seven seasons with the Rangers in the 1980s, and he was a two-time winner of the Players’ Player Award. And Langdon – also a two-time winner of the Players’ Player Award – played parts of six seasons with the Blueshirts and is the franchise’s all-time leader in fighting majors.
Beyond their accomplishments while wearing a Rangers jersey, what unites them today is that they shared the privilege of wearing that iconic jersey. And that sentiment is not lost on them when they have the opportunity to come together at events such as an Alumni Trip.
“We had a great dinner on Friday night, got a full curling lesson with the guys before the game on Saturday, and then were able to go to the arena and watch the game,” Laidlaw said. “It was a great trip that the Rangers and Benjamin Moore put together.”
