New York Rangers and the Hockey Hall of Fame

The New York Rangers have a long list of Hall of Famers, but …

Seems there’s always a “but” when it comes to the New York Rangers.

“The Rangers would have won but … they had rotten luck; but … they had too many key players injured; but … they were screwed by the officials.”

And on and on.

There’s even a “but” attached to the Rangers’ list of former players enshrined in Hockey’s Hall of Fame.

At first glance, some of the names are staggering: Howie Morenz, Terry Sawchuk, Bernie Geoffrion, Doug Harvey, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, Jacques Plante, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, and Dick Duff.

That’s enough talent to make anyone wonder how it is that the Rangers have won just four Stanley Cups since their inception in 1926.

But a closer look reveals that each of those aforementioned players earned their enshrinement while playing for teams other than the Rangers. Most came to Broadway in the twilight of their career and had little (or no) impact on the Blueshirts’ fortunes.

Some, like Sergei Zubov, Brendan Shanahan, Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, and Mike Gartner played well as Rangers but earned their HOF cred while skating for other teams. Former general managers Craig Patrick and Glen Sather were inducted into the builders’ category for their work in Pittsburgh and Edmonton. Patrick constructed two Stanley Cup-winning Penguins teams, while Sather built the Oilers’ dynasty. (His work in New York in the salary cap era was solid, too.)

Others, like Pat LaFontaine, Eric Lindros, Jari Kurri, Luc Robitaille, and Pavel Bure didn’t help the Rangers win anything to skate home about.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of the biggest names in hockey history that spent time on Broadway but cemented their place in hockey lore elsewhere.