New York Rangers forgotten players A-Z: The B’s
Yesterday, the first piece of our forgotten Rangers series was released. It focused on a handful of players with last names that start with A. Now, let’s look at the B’s.
The players on this list are certainly recognizable by most hockey fans, but their times with the Rangers are rarely thought of first. This could be due to the fact that their tenures with the Rangers were short or they simply had far more success elsewhere. Ultimately, though, it is rather apparent that the Rangers were not the team that made them famous at the end of the day.
Each of these players ended up having very interesting careers as well. For example, one is a Hockey Hall of Famer who is regarded as one of the best goaltenders to ever play the sport. However, it was not until he left New York when he found success. Another is a former first overall pick who was able to restart his NHL career with the Blueshirts. The other two are also popular names who would end their careers with the Rangers.
Nonetheless, let’s take a look at these few players now.
Bryan Berard D
Former first overall pick Bryan Berard played the 2001-02 season with the Rangers. This came after he missed the entirety of the 2000-01 season due to sustaining serious eye injuries from the season before. After being clipped in the right eye by then Ottawa Senator Marian Hossa’s stick, Berard suffered a retinal tear and detached retina. This would also result in him having significant vision loss in that eye.
However, through hard determination, Berard was able to return to the league and signed a professional tryout contract with the Rangers. His impressive play at camp resulted in him signing a one-year, $2 million deal that also came with two one-year team options. Yet, the Rangers released him after just the one season. In 82 games with the team, he scored two goals and had 23 points. That was solid production for a defenseman who just suffered a life-changing injury and most thought wouldn’t be able to play again. However, it was still not enough for the Rangers to keep him around.
After his time with the Rangers, he joined the Boston Bruins and had 38 points in 80 games. In 58 games the following season with the Chicago Blackhawks, he scored 13 goals and had 47 points. The Rangers would have loved that production had they kept him around, but there’s no way to tell if he would have done the same in New York.
For a player who experienced such a serious injury, he had a pretty lengthy career, too. In 619 career games over 10 seasons, he had 76 goals, 247 assists and 323 points. Honestly, that warrants a lot of respect.
Martin Biron G
Martin Biron is remembered by most hockey fans for his time with the Buffalo Sabres. In 300 games over nine seasons with the team, he had a 134-115-29 record and .909 SV%. His time with the team ran out due to the emergence of Ryan Miller, but nonetheless, he still had a solid tenure with Buffalo.
Biron would end up being dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in the middle of the 2006-07 season and played three seasons there. After spending the 2009-10 season with the New York Islanders, he signed a two-year, $1.75 million deal with the Rangers. In a backup role, his first season with the team was very solid, as he sported an 8-6-0 record with a notable .923 SV%. His numbers the next season went down a bit, as he had a .904 SV%, but he still had a 12-6-2 record.
His solid overall play led the Rangers to sign him to a two-year, $2.6 million contract during the 2012 off-season. Yet, he would only play a total of eight games over those two seasons. His tenure ended during the 2012-13 season when he was put on waivers by the team. Not willing to play for the Hartford Wolf Pack, Biron opted to retire. It was a hard way to see the veteran go out, but still, he had himself a solid career overall. In 508 career games, he had a 230-191-27 record, 2.61 GAA and .910 SV%.
Johnny Bower G
Johnny Bower is remembered for his outstanding career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 475 regular season games with the team, he had a 245-157-79 record and .922 SV%. He won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs and was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. His success also made him make the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976 and he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players by the league in 2017. However, he did not spend his whole career in Toronto.
That’s right, Bower began his illustrious NHL career with the Blueshirts. As a 29-year-old rookie during the 1953-54 season, Bower suited up for the Rangers and instantly became their starter. In 70 total games, he had a 29-31-10 record and 2.54 GAA. However, he then lost his spot with the team the following season and only played five games at the NHL level.
He spent the entire 1955-56 season in the AHL with the Providence Reds before playing two final games with the Rangers the following season. However, after claimed by the Leafs in the 1958 Inter-League draft, everything changed for him. This would be the move that sparked his superb NHL career and like we stated earlier, allowed him to become one of the best players of all-time.
Donald Brashear LW
Former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear actually ended his career with the New York Rangers. During the 2009 off-season, the Blueshirts signed him to a two-year, $2.8 million contract. It was a controversial move at the time. As a member of the Capitals that previous postseason, he landed a dirty hit on then Ranger Blair Betts and broke his orbital bone. This led to him getting a six-game suspension.
However, in attempt to get tougher, they opted to bring in the veteran fighter. In 36 games with the team during the 2009-10 season, he had an assist and 73 penalty minutes. His play resulted in him being a healthy scratch on multiple occasions and then sent down to the Wolf Pack. With them, he scored two goals and had six points. During that off-season, they ended up trading the disgruntled winger along with Patrick Rissmiller to the Atlanta Thrashers for Todd White. The Thrashers then bought out his contract and Brashear was out of the league for good.
In 1,025 career NHL games between the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Capitals and Rangers, he had 85 goals, 120 assists, 205 points and 2,634 penalty minutes. Out of the five teams he played for, it is likely most hockey fans think about his time with the Rangers least often.
In our next piece, we will be looking at forgotten Ranger players with last names that start with C. Expect to see that out shortly.
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