On September 12 in Rangers history: The Captain calls it quits

What happened on September 12 in the history of the New York Rangers

On this date in 2005, Mark Messier announced that he was retiring.  The greatest leader in New York Rangers history decided to hang up his skates after 25 years and 1,756 games.  He retired with a long list of achievements.  Second overall in career points.  Third overall in assists. Seventh overall in career goals.  Second in career shorthanded goals.

Despite missing the playoffs the last seven years of his career, he finished second overall in total playoff goals, assists and points in his career, behind only Wayne Gretzky.

He was a winner of six Stanley Cups and his greatest achievement will be his leadership in taking the Rangers to hockey Nirvana in 1994 and ending the longest Cup drought in NHL history.

The 44-year old Messier made the announcement on a conference call with reporters, saying “It’s been a long career and I’ve achieved a lot.  There was nothing really left of me to achieve.”

Messier had been away from the game for a year due to the 2004-05 lockout and his last season had been a bitter disappointment including the sell off of Ranger veterans at the trade deadline, including his buddy, Brian Leetch.

Two of the greatest Rangers into the Hall of Fame

September 12 is a important date in Rangers’ Hall of Fame history as the date that two of the greatest Rangers were inducted.  In 1979, Harry Howell made the HOF and in 1985 it was Jean Ratelle’s turn.

Harry Howell was one of the greatest defensemen in franchise history, playing 17 seasons and winning the Norris Trophy in 1967.  He was the last true defensive defenseman to win that award, as Bobby Orr transformed the role of blueliner, winning the Norris for the next eight seasons.

He is the franchise career leader in games played (1,160) and he played in seven All-Star games. In 1969 he was sold to the Oakland Seals and he played over 400 more games in the NHL and WHA before retiring.

Jean Ratelle was arguably the greatest Rangers center of all time.  If he had not been traded to the Boston Bruins in his prime, there is no doubt he would be the career leader in every offensive franchise category. He is second to Rod Gilbert in career goals (336) and game winning goals (46) and third in assists (481), points (817).

In 1971-72 he was en route to one of the greatest seasons for any NHL player when he broke his ankle costing him 15 games.  Despite the injury he had 46 goals and 109 points in 63 games.  Prorated over 78 games,he would have finished with 56 goals and 134 points.  He would have been the first Ranger to top the 50 goal mark and would have beaten Phil Esposito for the scoring title.  He was so good that he won the Lester Pearson Award that season for Most Outstanding Player as chosen by his fellow NHLers.  He finished fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy.

London calling

On this date in 1993, the Rangers completed a two game sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs in London.  The exhibition games were played at Wembley Arena and the tournament was called the French’s Mustard Challenge. The Rangers won the first game 5-3 and finished off the sweep with a 3-1 win.

The six day trip to Europe is credited with getting the team off to a good start under new coach Mike Keenan.  They tournament was before training camp started and Keenan took the nucleus of the team on the trip.   The Blueshirts were coming off a disappointing season when they finished in last place and missed the playoffs.

Mike Gartner was awarded the “Man of the Tournament” award and got a trophy they had picked up in a nearby flea market.

Good-bye to Troy Mallette

On this date in 1991, an arbitrator made his decision on compensation for the Edmonton Oilers, awarding them Troy Mallette of the Rangers in exchange for the Blueshirts signing free agent Adam Graves.

The Oilers had asked for prospects Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk while the Rangers proposed that Mallette go the other way.

Ranger fans were upset with the swap as Graves was relatively unknown and had scored fewer goals than Mallette, who was also the team leader in penalty minutes. As we all know, it turned out to be a totally one-sided exchange with Graves becoming a star with the Blueshirts while Mallette didn’t do much the rest of his career.

The Americans go to Brookyn

On this date in 1941, the New York Americans announced that they were going to relocate to Brooklyn and be known as the Brooklyn Americans, leaving the Rangers as the sole hockey team at Madison Square Garden.  The two teams had shared the Garden as their home since the Rangers’ inaugural season in 1926-27.

The plan was for the Americans to play in Brooklyn in a new arena, but the onset of WWII waylaid any plans to construct a new building and they played the 1941-42 season at the Garden, though they were known as the Brooklyn Americans.  When it appeared that the arena would not be built, the Americans folded.

Ranger fans owe a debt of gratitude to the Americans.  They were so successful in their inaugural season in 1925-26 that Tex Rickard, the owner of Madison Square Garden, decided to go for his own team and the New York Rangers were born a year later.

Today’s birthdays

17 NHL players have been born on September 12 including one former Blueshirt and a prospect who hopes to star at Madison Square Garden.

Lauri Pajuniemi was born on this date in 1999 in Tampere, Finland. The right winger was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.  He has shown a knack for scoring and was one of the top forwards in the Finnish Liiga for his last two seasons before coming to North America.

Mike Murphy was born on this date in 1950 in Toronto, Ontario.  A right winger, he was picked by the Blueshirts in the second round of the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft .  He was traded to the St. Louis Blues before he had a chance to play in New York, but found himself traded back to the Rangers in 1973.  He played only 31 games in two seasons for the Rangers before they traded him again, to the Los Angeles Kings.  He had a long and successful career in L.A., playing 10 years for the Kings and scoring 194 goals in 673 games.