New York Rangers forgotten players A-Z: The A’s

Tony Amonte RW

Most hockey fans remember Tony Amonte for his very strong tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks. That’s where he cemented himself as a star in this league. In 627 games over nine seasons with the team, Amonte had 268 goals, 273 assists and 541 points. He had at least 30 goals in six seasons there and also had three 40-goal campaigns. He also was their captain for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.

Yet, Amonte’s NHL career started with the Rangers when he was drafted 68th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. After two seasons with Boston University, Amonte would make his debut with the Rangers during the 1991 NHL postseason. In two games, he had just as many assists.

He then had a very solid rookie campaign during the 1991-92 season, as he scored 35 goals and had 69 points in 79 games. This made him finish third in the Calder Memorial Trophy race. He followed that up with a fantastic 76 points in 83 games. However, Amonte struggled in new head coach Mike Keenan’s system and had just 16 goals and 38 points in 72 games during the 1993-94 season.

His struggles and notably being in Keenan’s doghouse led the Rangers to trade him along with Matt Oates in exchange for Stéphane Matteau and Brian Noonan. Matteau and Noonan would each play big parts in the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup win, so it’s a move that did work out for the Rangers. Matteau of course scored the 2OT goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to make them get to the Stanley Cup Finals, too. However, it is interesting to think about how the Rangers could have done in the long-term if they kept Amonte around during his prime years.

In 234 regular season games with the Rangers, Amonte had 84 goals, 99 assists and 183 points.

Glenn Anderson RW

Glenn Anderson is justifiably remembered by most hockey fans for his time with the Edmonton Oilers. He was a member of all five of their Stanley Cup wins and cemented his spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame because of his excellent play there. He also participated in four All-Star games and had three 100+ point campaigns as an Oiler. In 845 games over 12 seasons with them, he scored 417 goals and recorded 906 points.

After being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 1991-92 season, he would go to play there until the 1993-94 season. From here, the Rangers acquired him right before their 1994 Stanley Cup run in exchange for fellow Hockey Hall of Famer, Mike Gartner. Anderson would play just 12 regular season games with the Blueshirts and had six points. In 23 postseason games, he scored three goals and had six points. Although he was not the biggest factor offensively, his immense playoff success certainly came in handy during the Rangers’ run. This is where he would win his sixth and final Stanley Cup.

Anderson’s time with the Rangers would come to an end right after this. Although he was a Ranger for a short time, it was surely impactful. Ranger fans from the 90s will remember him for his time with the club, but the vast majority of opposing ones would not jump to this first. Thus, it feels fair to include him in this.

Derek Armstrong C

Derek Armstrong spent four years as a part of the Rangers’ organization. However, his time with the NHL squad was very limited, as he appeared in just seven games over three seasons and failed to record a point. He would end up being a great player for the Hartford Wolf Pack, though. In fact, he was quite dominant in the AHL.

In his first year with Hartford during the 1997-98 season, he recorded 46 points in 56 games. That was certainly solid production, but he then took his game to an entirely new level the following season. In 59 games, he went on to score 29 goals and had a total of 80 points. He followed that up with an 82-point campaign and then had 101 points in 75 games in his final season with Hartford. He also did all of this while racking up a lot of penalty minutes because of his tenacious style of play. Yet, even with all of this, he never could get himself a permanent spot on the Rangers.

Armstrong spent the 2001-02 with SC Bern of the National League before being traded by the Rangers during the 2002 off-season in exchange for a 2003 sixth-round pick. In Los Angeles, he was finally able to get a prolonged chance at the NHL again and took advantage of it. In 385 games over six seasons with the Kings, he had 63 goals, 139 assists and 202 points. He was a consistent 35-to-40 point player with the Kings until the 2008-09 season when he had just nine points in 56 games.

Still though, for a player who was a fringe-NHLer until his 30s, he was able to have a few very solid seasons at the NHL level. The trade to Los Angeles was exactly what he needed.

Alex Auld G

When going through previous Ranger players, Alex Auld really surprised me. The retired goaltender was claimed off waivers by the Rangers during the 2009-10 season after beginning the year with the Dallas Stars. In three games with the Blueshirts, he had a 0-1-0 record and .904 SV%. At the end of the season, he would move on and sign a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens.

Auld had a bit of an intriguing career. After just 14 games of experience over three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, he was quickly made their starting goaltender during the 2005-06 season. He would go on to play 67 games on the year, where he had a 33-26-6 record and .902 SV%. After playing so many games for the team that season, he was then shipped out to the Florida Panthers as a part of the infamous Roberto Luongo deal. That clearly was the right call by Vancouver.

From here, Auld would become an ultimate journeyman, as he find a new home each and every year until the 2011-12 season – which was his last in the league.

In 237 games between the Canucks, Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Stars, Rangers, Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, Auld sported a 91-88-32 record, 2.80 GAA and .904 SV%.

Don Awrey D

To conclude this list, let’s look at defenseman Don Awrey. The defensive defenseman is primarily known by hockey fans for his tenure with the Bruins. He played 10 seasons with them and was a part of their 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup teams. In 543 games as a Bruin, he had 21 goals, 87 assists, 108 points and a notable 830 penalty minutes.

From there, he became a bit of a journeyman as he would play for five teams over his final six NHL seasons. In his second to last professional year during the 1977-78 season, he joined the Rangers. At this point of his career, his best years were behind him, but he still stayed in their lineup consistently. In 78 games, the then 34-year-old scored two goals and had 10 points. He also had a -14 rating. The Rangers would sell his contract to the Colorado Rockies that off-season and he finished his NHL career with them.

Over his 16-year NHL career, Awrey played for the Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers and Rockies. In 979 career games, he had 31 goals, 158 assists, 189 points and 1,068 penalty minutes.

These are just a few NHL players who are not remembered most for their times with the Rangers. In our next piece, we will be looking at players with last names who start with B.