New York Rangers: Top 20 Goal-Scorers in Franchise History

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Rod Gilbert (R), with linemates Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield, the “G.A.G” line.

Being one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises, it is highly likely your team will have more than a handful of notable scorers permeating your all-time lists.

The Montreal Canadiens have some of the all-time greatest names, period. Names like Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Guy Lafleur and Jean Beliveau. The Boston Bruins have names like Phil Esposito, Raymond Bourque and the legendary Bobby Orr on theirs. You’ll find names like Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman over in Motown. Chicago features the “The Golden Jet” Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Jeremy Roenick. The Leafs? Well the Leafs are the Leafs and no one really cares about them, right?

20. Marian Gaborik

Despite suiting up for just 248 games over parts of three seasons for the Blue Shirts, Marian Gaborik scored an impressive 114 goals in that time frame. Perhaps more impressively is that he posted seasons of 42 and 41 goals around a 22 goal effort.

Ultimately, because of his short tenure, Gaborik can’t really go much higher up on this list. It wouldn’t be fair to the guys who were around a helluva lot longer than he was. But in his three and a half seasons in the Big Apple, Gaborik was easily one the game’s top snipers and those 40-goal campaigns prove that.

Working against Gaborik in regards to Rangers history is that he’s not only more well-known for his time in Minnesota, where he was a high draft pick and the franchise player for the State of Hockey, but now for the Kings as well given his addition to the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Still, Gaborik was a force during his time in New York and one of the best snipers in the game. Given a longer tenure, who knows where he could have ended up in terms of the all-time goal-scoring leaders in franchise history.

Next: #19 Andy Hebenton

Jan 23, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the ice rink prior to the game between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

19. Andy Hebenton

If there was a model of consistency and dependability during the 1950s and early portion of the 1960s for the Rangers, it was Hebenton.

Making his debut two years after the Rangers would win what would be their last Stanley Cup Championship until 1994, Hebenton never missed a game during his tenure in New York, playing in all 70 games each of his eight seasons with the Rangers.

In those eight seasons, he was also the model of consistency in terms of his production. For the first six seasons he was with the Rangers, he only failed to score 20 goals once and that was his 19-goal effort of 1959-60 and that was on the heels of his career-best 33 goals.

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In 560 games of work for the Rangers over eight seasons, Hebenton found the back of the net 177 times, though he was seemingly in clear decline during his last few seasons, having dropped in goal totals from 26 to 18 to 15 before finishing out his NHL career with a dozen-goal effort in 1963-64.

He may not have been the flashiest of player, but Hebenton earned his position on this list by being what every team needs: the guy who shows up every single night and plays his guts out. Gaborik and some of the others on this list may have been more attention-grabbing, but Hebenton earned his place all the same.

Next: #18 Dean Prentice

18. Dean Prentice

At nearly the exact same time as Hebenton was doing his thing with the Rangers, Dean Prentice was doing his. Prentice began his NHL career in 1952-53 with the Rangers and played 11 seasons in the Big Apple.

Like Hebenton, he was also more quietly consistent than a standout scorer. His career-best of 32 goals in 1959-60 was far and away his best season, as he managed to top the 20 goal mark just three other times during his tenure in New York.

Despite never registering Earth-shattering numbers, Prentice was also consistent, never dipping below 13 goals in a given year even as he battled injury on multiple occasions. He missed almost half of the 1957-58 campaign as well as 14 games from the 1960-61 season.

Prentice and those 1950s and 1960s Rangers teams couldn’t quite compete with the far flashier and dominant Canadiens of those times, but they featured quite a few names that showed up each night and gave you a steady performance each season.

He would finish his career with the Rangers with 186 goals in 666 games (the mark of the beast!) before moving on to tenures with Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minnesota over his incredible 22-years in the NHL.

Next: #17 Walt Tkaczuk

17. Walt Tkaczuk

If there is one man from the pre-Messier era of the New York Rangers that doesn’t necessarily stand out for his offense but is remembered for his time in the red, white and blue, it might be Walt Tkaczuk.

Father of 500 goal scorer Keith, Walt spent his entire career in the red, white and blue of the Rangers. Making his debut in 1967-68, Tkaczuk would become a regular the following season and not leave until his retirement following a 43-game stint in 1980-81.

Over those 945 career NHL games, he would light the lamp 227 times for the Rangers, posting six seasons of at least 20 goals along the way. He was never the guy leading the league in goals or points, but he was as consistent as it got from 1969-70 through 1973-74, posting at least 21 goals and 63 points in each of those seasons, topping out at 27 goals and 77 points in his second season in the league.

Like son Keith, Walt’s game was no-frills and he made the most of his opportunities around the net. He had the misfortune of playing for some poor Rangers teams in the 1970s, not fortunate enough to play with some of the talent that Hall of Famers in Montreal did.

Next: #16 Don Maloney

16. Don Maloney

Though he is perhaps better known for his time as a general manager in the NHL than his time as a player, there was a time when, like a good deal of the players on the lower half of this list, he was a solid if unspectacular cog for the Rangers in the 1980s.

Maloney was selected by the Rangers in the second round, 26^th overall, in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He would debut with them that season, posting 26 points in 28 games before becoming a full-timer the following season.

15. Tomas Sandstrom

From nearly the time the Rangers selected him with the 36^th overall pick in the 1982 NHL Draft, Sandstrom appeared as though he might be on the verge of becoming something bigger.

Debuting in 1984-85, Sandstrom made the NHL All-Rookie Team thanks to a 29-goal, 59-point effort that season. Two years later, he would post 40 goals and 74 points, both bests for him at that point in his career.

For the next couple of seasons, Sandstrom showed good production, with seasons of 28 and 32 goals while compiling a career-high 88 points in 1988-89. In his mid-20s with a couple of impressive seasons ahead of him, Sandstrom suddenly found himself a Ranger no more. He and Tony Granato were dealt for former 70 goal scorer Bernie Nichols, sending Sandstrom to Los Angeles to play with the newly-arrived Wayne Gretzky in 1989-90.

Sandstrom would dabble with stardom in Los Angeles, posting a 45-goal, 89point season during his first campaign in Los Angeles. From there, he spent the remainder of his nearly 1,000-game NHL career with stops in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Anaheim.

Sandstrom’s Ranger tenure was short – just 407 games over five and a half seasons – but he produced. His 173 place him in the top 20 all-time for the Rangers and one can’t help but wonder just how much more he could have done in the Big Apple.

Next: #14 Mike Gartner

14. Mike Gartner

Like the aforementioned Esposito, Mike Gartner wasn’t long for the New York Rangers, but made a sizeable impact during his tenure in New York.

In March of 1990, he was dealt from Minnesota to New York for Ulf Dahlen, a draft pick and future considerations, lasting just a year and a half in the State of Hockey. Gartner wasted little time making an impact with the Rangers, scoring 11 goals in 12 games during the tail end of 1989-90.

Gartner would suit up in three full seasons for the Blueshirts and the results were pretty good: three consecutive 40-goal seasons, topping out at 49 in the 1990-91 season. But just like his stop in Minnesota, it was over before it began.

With just 10 games to go in the 1993-94 season, Gartner – who was having a down year with 28 goals – was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Glenn Anderson, a minor leaguer and a draft pick. His New York tenure was over in just 322 games despite scoring 173 goals in that span.

Gartner is an odd case. He scored over 700 goals in his NHL career, but was never really regarded as a true standout player. He played for five teams in his career and couldn’t stick with anyone as long as he did with his first team, the Washington Capitals.

Still, during his time in New York, it was nearly impossible to keep the puck out of the net when Gartner was on the ice. It seems like the Rangers got the last of his truly good years, though he did manage a couple of 30-goal seasons before hanging up the skates after 1997-98.

Next: #13 Jaromir Jagr

Jaromir Jagr: A Ranger again? (NY Daily News)

13. Jaromir Jagr

Another name on the list, another incredibly short tenure with the Rangers.

Jagr was brought to New York via trade in 2004, a huge disappointment for the Washington Capitals the previous two and a half seasons. He was such a disappointment, in fact, that he was traded for Anson Carter and the promise that the Capitals would pay $4 million of his salary. Yikes.

But in New York, coming out of the lockout with huge changes to the previous clutch-and-grab style in which the game was played, Jagr thrived. In 246 games beginning with 2005-06, Jagr was nearly his old self once again, scoring 109 goals and 290 points over that span, including a massive 54-goal, 123-point year during that 2005-06 season.

His production declined slightly from those massive numbers over the next two years, but Jagr was still either well above or nearly at a point-per-game rate. Then, as an unrestricted free agent in 2008, he was told he would not be re-signed by the Rangers and left to finish his career in Russia.

That has obviously not played out the way Jagr thought, with him since returning to the NHL to show flashes of his former self even as a man in his early-40s. His time with the Rangers was the shortest of everyone on the list, but few scored at a more dominating clip.

Next: #12 Phil Esposito

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

12. Phil Esposito

Though Esposito is clearly more remembered for his time in the black and gold Boston sweater, his tenure with the Rangers was definitely worth writing home about.

Esposito had been one of the game’s great scorers during his time in Boston, dominating scoring races routinely playing with fellow offensive dynamo Bobby Orr. But during the 1975-76 season, as his age crept into the mid-30s, he was no longer happy with the role being given to him in Boston. With that, he was shipped out of town in an absolute blockbuster deal: he and Carol Vadnais were sent to New York for Brad Park, Joe Zanussi and Jean Ratelle.

This was a massive deal for both sides: Esposito was still a major force offensively, but Ratelle was a skilled center and Park was arguably the second-best defenseman in the NHL. To say the Rangers gave up a lot would be an understatement.

Still, Esposito was as advertised during his tenure with the Rangers. He would lead them in scoring each of his four full seasons in New York, scoring new fewer than 34 goals in each of those seasons. Despite being in his mid-30s, he remained an offensive force until his very last season in New York in 1980-81.

The only thing keeping Esposito relatively low on this list is his short tenure with the club. Esposito only played parts of six seasons, but still managed 184 goals in 422 games for the Blueshirts, leaving many to wonder what it would have been like to have him in his prime.

Next: #11 Bryan Hextall Sr.

11. Bryan Hextall Sr.

Hextall was without a doubt one of the true iron men in Rangers history. Debuting in 1936-37, Hextall played at a time when equipment was scarce and you had to be tough as nails to simply lace up your skates and make it to the ice.

Making his full-time debut during the 1937-38 season, Hextall would not miss a game for the next seven seasons, racking up a streak of 340 games. It would take a World War to end that streak – World War II, to be exact. His streak ended in 1944 when Canadian war authorities denied him a permit to cross into the United States.

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Unfortunately for Hextall, the 1945-46 season would see more troubling news: a liver ailment limited him to just three games. Doctors weren’t sure he would be able to continue his career, but he overcame expectations to return the following season, appearing in all 60 games.

Hextall played before 82-game seasons and in an era where scoring was limited. The fact that he scored 20 goals routinely – he scored no fewer than 20 goals in every full season he played save his first and last – is a testament to the talent he displayed. Hextall was as talented as he was tough.

Next: #10 Vic Hadfield

10. Vic Hadfield

Meet one third of the Rangers’ famous GAG (goal a game) line. Hadfield made his Rangers debut in 1961-62, becoming a full-time regular in 1963-64.

Hadfield began his career as more of an enforcer – he had three consecutive seasons of 100+ penalty minutes from his full-time debut through his third season and even had two more seasons like that later in his Rangers career.

Eventually, he transitioned away from that role and became more of an offensive threat, registering his first 20-goal season in 1967-68. It would be one of nine-consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals under his belt.

Then, playing with Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert as the aforementioned GAG line, Hadfield exploded. He posted a whopping 50 goals and 106 points during the 1971-72 season, becoming just the sixth player in NHL history to register a 50-goal season.

His production would drop back into the upper-20s over the next two seasons before he was eventually moved to Pittsburgh, where he would play out the final years of his career.

Hadfield was once the muscle for the Rangers, slowly emerging into a steady goal-scorer before erupting for his landmark season. He would amass 262 goals in 839 career games for the Blueshirts, good for fifth all-time in franchise history.

Next: #9 Steve Vickers

9. Steve Vickers

Drafted with the 10^th overall pick in the 1971 Amateur Draft, Vickers made his NHL debut with the Rangers in 1972-73, netting 30 goals in 61 games to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie that year.

Over the course of his decade-long NHL career, Vickers along with linemates Walt Tkaczuk and Bill Fairbairn would make up one of the NHL’s best two-way lines with Vickers leading the way. He would follow up his sterling rookie campaign with seasons of 34, 41 and 30 goals. His 41-goal, 89-point effort in 1974-75 would be the best of his career earning him an All-NHL Second Team nod.

Vickers would remain an effective two-way forward following his fourth straight 30-goal season, but his production began to decline sharply. He would manage just two seasons of 20 or more goals over the next five, hitting 29 in 1979-80 before eventually being relegated to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL two seasons later.

Vickers might not have been as flashy a scorer as fellow Ranger great Rod Gilbert and the GAG line, but he was quietly productive and a very good two-way player. His contributions to the Rangers were evident both on the score sheet and in the much smaller aspects as well.

Next: #8 Mark Messier

He will be playing…and may cry too. (NYZone)

8. Mark Messier

If this were of the greatest players in New York Rangers history, you can rest assured The Captain would be much higher on the list, if not in the number one spot itself. Alas, this is the list of the greatest goal-scorers in Rangers history, so he’ll have to sit a little farther down the list.

Messier came to the Rangers in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers during the 1990-91 season, being shipped to New York for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk. Over the next six seasons, Messier would play like a superstar for the Rangers, winning the Hart Trophy in his first season while leading the Rangers to the best record in the NHL.

Over his 698 games with the Rangers – split into two tenures – Messier would net 250 goals, some of them not only the biggest in Rangers history, but the biggest in NHL history as well.

Though his production dipped a bit from his days in Edmonton – and that should be expected when you no longer play with the likes of Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, and Paul Coffey – he still scored consistently for the Blueshirts, never scoring fewer than 25 goals in any full season he played (the 1994-95 season was lockout-shortened).

Messier is obviously most known for leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, making a few outrageous guarantees along the way, but scored like few others in Rangers history.

Next: #7 Brian Leetch

Mandatory Credit: Bleacher Report

7. Brian Leetch

Along with Mark Messier, there are few names more synonymous with the New York Rangers than Leetch.

The ninth overall pick in 1986, Leetch wasted little time before he was one of the premier offensive defensemen in the NHL. His first full season with the Rangers, he netted 23 goals, a huge total for a defenseman. He would accomplish the feat of scoring 20 another four times in his career.

Leetch was at his best in 1993-94, tying his career-high with 23 goals and leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy thanks to his 11 goals and 34 points in 23 games that post season.

Leetch would remain one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL for nearly the entirety of his career, which spanned 17 seasons with the Rangers as well as one each with the Maple Leafs and Bruins.

Though there are a few on the Rangers’ all-time goal-scoring list higher than him, Leetch’s 240 goals in just over 1100 games is an impressive enough feat. But given defensemen historically haven’t scored like he did, it is made all the more impressive.

Messier may have gotten all of the attention for his daring guarantees and leadership, but many would argue that those Rangers teams went as Leetch went and it’s certainly hard to argue given his outstanding play for the Rangers back then.

Next: #6 Adam Graves

6. Adam Graves

There are a few cases of “underrated” players on this list, but Adam Graves may be the actual definition of the word.

A second round pick in the 1986 NHL Draft, Graves initially struggled to find a spot with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers during his first four seasons in the NHL. Then, prior to the 1991-92 campaign, would join former Oiler teammates Mark Messier and Jeff Beukeboom as a free agent in New York.

Graves would finally find himself in New York, posting 26 goals in his first season in the Big Apple. During his first three years in the red, white, and blue, Graves would become an offensive force. He would improve upon his 26-goal effort with a 36-goal season in 1992-93 before exploding for 52 goals in 1993-94, helping him to win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy that season.

Graves would also play an integral part in the Rangers hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years, netting 10 goals during the 23-game playoff run.

Over his decade playing in New York, Graves would pot 280 goals in 772 games, placing him third on the team’s all-time list behind Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle. As much as those Rangers teams of the ‘90s are remembered for Messier and Leetch, they are equally remembered for the contributions of Graves.

Next: #5 Camille Henry

5. Camille Henry

Henry was like no other player on this list in more ways than one. Firstly, he was the smallest player in the NHL at the time, standing just 5’7” when he debuted with the Rangers in 1954-55. That didn’t stop him from doing big things, however, as he won the Calder Trophy that year, beating out Jean Beliveau for the honor.

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The second thing that made him like no other on the list is that he was actually traded to the AHL’s Providence Reds. He would return to the NHL two seasons later as an offensive force for the Rangers.

Over the next seven full seasons (and the half season he played before being dealt to Chicago in 1964-65), Henry failed to top 20 goals just once, an injury-plagued 1959-60 season. His best effort came when he buried 37 pucks in 60 games in 1962-63.

Henry would make a final return to the Rangers midway through the 1967-68 season, playing 36 games before moving on to St. Louis the next season.

Despite his size and injury issues that plagued him throughout his career, Henry was a force to be reckoned with and more than made up for his size disadvantage with tenacity and offensive ability.

Next: #5 Camille Henry

4. Andy Bathgate

Before Mark Messier and Rod Gilbert, there was Andy Bathgate. One of the most popular Rangers at the time, thanks an offensive game that made him one of the best in the National Hockey League.

Bathgate really started to come into his own in his third season in New York, netting 27 goals and 77 points that year. Tough he was more known for his playmaking, he would follow that up with six straight seasons with at least 26 goals, including seasons of 30, 40 and 35 goals. That 40 goal campaign (he finished with 88 points) would help propel him to the Hart Trophy as League MVP.

Bathgate was also known for taking a stance against some of the brutality in the league at that time, most notably some of the vicious spearing that had become commonplace at the time. The NHL did nothing to stop what Bathgate was railing against, but he had at least brought to light the issue.

During his tenure in New York, Bathgate not only won an MVP but was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team and Second All-Star team twice each. He would finish his storied career with the Rangers with 272 goals in 772 games, good for fourth in franchise history.

Andy Bathgate may have been the Rangers’ first true superstar, competing with some of the biggest names of the 1950s and early 1960s for scoring supremacy.

Next: #3 Bill Cook

3. Bill Cook

Bill Cook was not only around for the inception of the New York Rangers to the NHL, but he also scored the franchise’s first goal, giving them a 1-0 win in their first game against the Montreal Maroons.

Cook, his brother Bun and Frank Boucher would form the famed “Bread Line” and dominated the early days of the NHL. The Bread Line would even help lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1928.

2. Jean Ratelle

The center of the famed GAGline, Ratelle made his New York Rangers debut in 1960-61, though he would not become a regular in the lineup on a full-time basis until the 1964-65 season.

Over the course of his 14 seasons with the Rangers, he would slowly but surely develop into one of the more productive centers in the game, posting back-to-back-to-back 32-goal seasons to end the 1960s. He would really come into his own during the 1971-72 season, scoring 46 goals and 109. The GAG line would finish third, fourth and fifth in the league in scoring that season, trailing only Boston’s dynamic duo of Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr.

Unfortunately for Ratelle, he would not end his career in Broadway. He, Brad Park and Joe Zanussi would be traded to the dreaded Bruins in exchange for scoring star Esposito and Carol Vadnais in a blockbuster trade that would greatly benefit the rival Bruins.

Ratelle would rack up 336 goals in his Blueshirt career over 862 games, second-best in franchise history behind his linemate Rod Gilbert. Though he was somewhat overshadowed by Esposito during that time, Ratelle was one of the most dynamic scoring centers in the game during his time with the Rangers.

Next: #1 Rod Gilbert

1. Rod Gilbert

After Messier and Leetch, there may not be a name more synonymous with the New York Rangers than Rod Gilbert. His success during the 1960s and 1970s was one of the defining points for the franchise over that time period.

Gilbert would make his debut in 1960-61, but wouldn’t become a regular until two seasons later. Gilbert was quietly consistent for the first several seasons of his career, scoring at least 24 goals in five of six seasons to close out the 1960s.

It was in the 1970s, as a part of the famed GAG line, that he really became an elite scorer. Over his final eight seasons in the NHL, all with the Rangers, Gilbert scored no fewer than 25 goals in any season, hit 36 goals in three consecutive seasons and topped out at 43 during the aforementioned 1971-72 season where all three GAG linemates finished in the top five in scoring.

Despite scoring 406 goals in his 1,065 NHL games, Gilbert was never regarded as a superstar. Regardless, he was a star for the Rangers for nearly two decades and sits alone atop the Rangers’ all-time goal-scoring list as the only man in franchise history to score 400 goals while wearing the Broadway blue.

Next: 10 Greatest Games/Performances in Rangers History

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