Blue Line Station
Fansided

Red, White and Blue: The 5 greatest American-born New York Rangers

By Scott Esposito

BOSTON, MA. - 1990's: Mike Richter #35 of the New York Rangers defends goal against the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA. - 1990's: Mike Richter #35 of the New York Rangers defends goal against the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next
New York Ranger players Adam Graves, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Eddie Giacomin (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
New York Ranger players Adam Graves, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Eddie Giacomin (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Some of the best New York Rangers to wear the uniform have been born and bred in the United States.  Here are the top five.

Ask a diehard New York Rangers fan to choose the best player in team history.  Depending on who you ask, answers could range from Andy Bathgate, to Rod Gilbert, to Jean Ratelle, to Eddie Giacomin, to Brian Leetch, to Mark Messier, to Henrik Lundqvist.

"But who is the greatest USA-born Ranger of all-time?"

Here are my top five, based solely on their performance as, and value to, the Blueshirts:

#5 Nick Fotiu (Staten Island, New York)

Plenty of Rangers had more points than the 103 Fotiu posted in 455 games with the Blueshirts.  But the native New Yorker didn’t become one of the organization’s most beloved players by using his hands for scoring.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward endeared himself to the blue seats faithful with crushing checks, willing fists and a blue-collar work ethic. He never forgot where he was from and would throw pucks into the cheap seats after warm ups.

His 970 penalty minutes rank sixth all-time among Blueshirts — and the five players ahead of him all played more games in a Rangers sweater.

If any player embodies #playlikeanewyorker, Fotiu fits perfectly.

Home/Editorials