Ranger Rumblings: Kravtsov latest, All-Stars and a legend passes

A Ranger legend passes away

For Rangers captain Bob Nevin died on Monday at age 82.   Nevin played seven seasons in New York, scoring 168 goals and 342 points in 505 games.   He came to the Rangers in a blockbuster trade from Toronto in February 1964. Nevin with Dick Duff, Rod Seiling, Arnie Brown and Bill Collins were swapped to the Blueshirts for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Maple Leafs, Nevin brought leadership to the Blueshirts and was named captain in 1965.   He led the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1967 for the first time in four years.   He was a key member of the 1971 team that won a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.

Nevin was traded to the Minnesota North Stars before the 1971-72 season for Bobby Rousseau. He went on to play six more seasons with the North Stars, Los Angeles King and finished his career with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA.

Nevin’s six year run as Rangers captain is the second longest tenure in that role in franchise history.  The team’s first captain, Bill Cook, served for 11 seasons.  Barry Beck served for six years in the 1980s.  In his first stop in New York, Mark Messier was the team captain for six years. Messier was captain for a total of ten seasons in his two tenures with the Rangers.