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New York Rangers all-time top forward lines

By Jim Madden

New York Rangers Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka in action against the Tampa Bay Lighting. New York Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lighting 4-2 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on December 22, 2005. (Photo by Dave Saffran/NHLImages)
New York Rangers Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka in action against the Tampa Bay Lighting. New York Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lighting 4-2 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on December 22, 2005. (Photo by Dave Saffran/NHLImages) /
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UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 17: The Rangers, champs last year, receive their award. President Frank Calder of the National Hockey League presents the Stanley Cup to (l. to r.): Seibert, Aitkenhead, Johnson, Boucher, Bun Cook and his brother, Capt. Bill Cook. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 17: The Rangers, champs last year, receive their award. President Frank Calder of the National Hockey League presents the Stanley Cup to (l. to r.): Seibert, Aitkenhead, Johnson, Boucher, Bun Cook and his brother, Capt. Bill Cook. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) /

# 2 -The Bread line

The first great scoring line for the Rangers was the Bread line of the late 1920’s and 1930’s.  The line featured brothers Bill and Bun Cook with the mild mannered Frank Boucher at center.  The Bread line brought crowds to their feet way with their dazzling speed, beauty and criss-crossing style which was unique at the time.  Difficult to anticipate and defend, their style is thought to have been the basis by which teams from Russia became known for decades later.  The Cook Brothers and Boucher were all inducted in the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame

The line dominated games as evident by scoring every goal of a five game Stanley Cup winning series in 1928.  Bill Cook was the line’s goal scorer, a burly right winger with flashy moves.  He scored the first goal in New York Rangers history and led the NHL in goal scoring three times.  Cook remains the all-time leader in hat tricks with 9 despite never playing 50 games in a season.  He scored the overtime Stanley Cup winning goal in the 1933 and served as team captain for eleven seasons.

His brother Bun was the key to the attack with intricate passing and the ability to move and pass into an open space.  He also was no stranger to mucking it up in the corners.  Boucher was perhaps the best of the three players, orchestrating the attack with brilliant playmaking skills which often resulted in one of the Cooks pushing the puck into the open net.

Boucher is regarded as the franchise’s greatest player of the pre-War era leading the league in assists three times.  He held the Rangers career scoring record until 1959.  With statistical weighting for games adjusted, Boucher would be the franchise  leader in assists and points.  Boucher was also a perennial winner of the Lady Byng trophy for gentlemanly play.  He was given permanent possession of the trophy after winning it in seven of the first eight seasons in which it was awarded.

And now for the #1 line in Rangers history…

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