The Patrick Family – An Incomparable Rangers Legacy

The New York Rangers have been in existence for nearly a century, and over that time, they have become one of the iconic organizations in the National Hockey League. As one of the league’s Original Six franchises, the Rangers have built a storied reputation based on pride, passion, and tradition.

And four of the people who helped create and uphold that reputation are all part of the Patrick family. Through three generations, the Patrick family made its impact on the Rangers’ hockey operation in every way possible – on the ice, behind the bench, and in the front office.

The legacy began with Lester Patrick, who joined the Rangers organization as head coach and general manager less than a month before the franchise’s first game in 1926. Known as “The Silver Fox”, Patrick not only molded the Rangers into a winning organization, but he also helped sell and educate people on the sport of hockey through his unique knowledge and ability to explain the finer points of the game.

“Lester fit the term patriarch,” hockey historian Stan Fischler said. “He was an innovator. He and his brother, Frank, recreated the game from primitive hockey into the modern game. They put numbers on players’ jerseys and changed rules around to make it more exciting.

“Hockey owes more to Lester Patrick than any single guy.”

In 1966, the Rangers donated a trophy to the NHL in Lester’s name; to this day, the Lester Patrick Trophy is awarded annually in recognition of an individual’s outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

Lester was a Hall of Fame player – he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Players category in 1947 for his career accomplishments in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) – but he made just as much of an impact on the sport in his role as head coach and general manager of the Rangers. And the results were almost instantaneous.

With Patrick helping create an identity for the Rangers as the classiest team in hockey, they won the American Division in their inaugural season in 1926-27, and the following year, the Blueshirts became the first (and still only) NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in one of their first two years of existence.

The defining moment of the 1928 Stanley Cup Final took place in Game 2 of the series. After losing Game 1 of the best-of-five series to the Montreal Maroons, the Rangers were dealt a blow in Game 2 when goaltender Lorne Chabot was hit in the eye by a shot from the Maroons’ Nels Stewart. Chabot couldn’t continue to play; without a backup goalie in those years, and after the Maroons refused to give the Rangers permission to use the Ottawa Senators’ goaltender Alec Connell (who was in attendance that night), Lester, who was 44 years old at the time, decided that he would enter the game in goal as Chabot’s replacement.

In one of the most legendary and improbable stories in hockey history, Lester only allowed one goal over more than two periods and helped the Rangers win the game in overtime.

Lester remained behind the bench as the team’s head coach through the 1938-39 season and served as the team’s general manager for more than 20 years. Over that time, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup again in 1932-33 and 1939-40, and the 1939-40 Stanley Cup victory would not have been possible without the play of Lester’s two sons, Lynn and Muzz.

Lynn Patrick was a product of the Rangers’ farm system – the system Lester created in his role as general manager – and made his debut with the team in 1934-35 as a 22-year-old. By the 1939-40 season, Lynn was a member of the “Powerhouse Line”, starring at left wing alongside center Phil Watson and right wing Bryan Hextall to help the Rangers win the Stanley Cup.

In 1941-42, Lynn led the NHL with 32 goals, was named to the league’s First All-Star Team, and was the inaugural winner of the Rangers’ Team MVP Award. Lynn’s Hall of Fame playing career was cut short when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, but his impact on the organization continued after he returned from the War. Lynn was named the Rangers’ head coach midway through the 1948-49 season, and in 1949-50, he guided the team to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in one of the most remarkable runs in team history. Lynn’s accomplishments during his 10-year playing career – all of which were with the Rangers – were recognized when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Players category in 1980.

When Lynn went to join the U.S. Army in July of 1943, he joined his brother, Murray “Muzz” Patrick, who had already served for two years at that point. A talented multi-sport athlete, Muzz played three full seasons for the Rangers as a hard-nosed defenseman. Although his abilities were best-served to prevent the opposition from scoring, it was his goal in double overtime in Game 5 of the 1940 Stanley Cup Final that gave the Rangers a three-games-to-two lead in the series and ultimately helped the team win the series in six games.

Following his playing career and time serving his country, Muzz began coaching in the Rangers’ minor league system and ultimately became the Rangers’ head coach in 1953-54. Two years later, he became the Rangers’ general manager and guided the team in that role for nearly a decade.

Under Muzz’s stewardship, the Blueshirts made the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as the team’s general manager. In addition, several future Rangers legends were either signed to their first NHL contract and/or made their NHL debuts with the team while Muzz was in the general manager’s role, including all three members of the ‘G-A-G’ Line – Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Vic Hadfield.

As the 1980s began, the next generation of the Patrick family made his mark on the Rangers. Craig Patrick – Lester’s grandson, Lynn’s son, and Muzz’s nephew – joined the Rangers organization as director of hockey operations in 1980, shortly after he helped the United States win a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in his role as Team USA’s assistant coach and assistant general manager. Craig ultimately was named the youngest general manager in Rangers history, and throughout the first half of the 1980s (which included two stints as the Rangers’ head coach), he helped the organization consistently put a playoff-caliber team on the ice.

In addition to the series of transactions Craig made to make the Rangers successful early on in the decade, two draft picks he made in consecutive years helped set up the franchise for success that extended well beyond his own tenure with the organization. First, he selected goaltender Mike Richter in the second round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Then, in the first round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, Craig selected a defenseman from Cheshire, Connecticut named Brian Leetch. In addition to becoming franchise legends whose numbers now hang from the MSG rafters, Leetch and Richter were among the core players who led the Rangers to their Stanley Cup victory in 1993-94.

From Lester to Leetch – a span that covered nearly the first eight decades of Rangers hockey – a member of the Patrick family has been responsible for providing some of the defining moments that make the Rangers the iconic franchise it is today.