2015 New York Rangers Qualifying Tournament

1. ’39-’40 New York Rangers (27-11-10, 64 points (2nd in NHL), STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS)
2. ’93-’94 New York Rangers (52-24-8, 112 points (1st in Atlantic), STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS)
3. ’32-’33 New York Rangers (23-17-8, 54 points (3rd in American), STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS)
4. ’27-’28 New York Rangers (19-16-9, 47 points (2nd in American), STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS)
5. ’71-’72 New York Rangers (48-17-13, 109 points (2nd in East), Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
6. ’78-’79 New York Rangers (40-29-11, 91 points (3rd in Patrick), Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
7. ’31-’32 New York Rangers (23-17-8, 54 points (1st in American), Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
8. ’13-’14 New York Rangers (45-31-6, 96 points (2nd in Metropolitan), Lost in Stanley Cup Final)

The ’71-’72 New York Rangers were the 9th seed in the inaugural Ultimate NHL Playoff. They had a Bye in the First Round before sweeping the 24th-seeded ’07-’08 Florida Panthers in the Second Round. Then, in the Third Round, they defeated their bitter rivals, the 8th-seeded ’78-’79 New York Islanders, in six games. They’re tournament came to an end in the Quarterfinals where they fell to the eventual champions, the top-seeded ’76-’77 Montreal Canadiens, in seven games. They gave that Canadiens team they’re toughest fight in their Cup run.

Players to Watch:

• RW – Rod Gilbert – He spent an incredible 18 years as a Ranger and never wore another team’s sweater. He is the franchises all-time leading scorer with 1,021 points in 1,065 games.
• D – Brian Leetch – Probably my “favorite” Ranger of all time. I say “favorite” because I am in no way a Rangers fan, but I really enjoyed watching him play.
• C – Mark Messier – He spent 10 years with the franchise and he’s most remembered for his promise during the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. He also was basically a point-per-game player during those 10 years.