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

By Michael DeRosa

OTTAWA, CANADA - DECEMBER 29: Matt Cullen #5 of the New York Rangers carries the puck out of his zone up the far boards during a game against the Ottawa Senators on December 29, 2006 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. The Senators won 1-0. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, CANADA - DECEMBER 29: Matt Cullen #5 of the New York Rangers carries the puck out of his zone up the far boards during a game against the Ottawa Senators on December 29, 2006 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. The Senators won 1-0. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1981: Bobby Carpenter #10 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Quebec Nordiques during an NHL Hockey game circa 1981 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Carpenter’s playing career went from 1981-99. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1981: Bobby Carpenter #10 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Quebec Nordiques during an NHL Hockey game circa 1981 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Carpenter’s playing career went from 1981-99. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Bobby Carpenter C

Bobby Carpenter showed great offensive promise during the beginning part of his career with the Washington Capitals. He hit the 60-point plateau in his three first seasons and then scored 53 goals in 80 games in his fourth. However, after falling out of favor with head coach Bryan Murray, he would be traded to the Rangers early on into the 1986-87 season.

Yet, Carpenter’s stay with the Rangers would be extremely short. He would go on to play 28 games with them, where he scored two goals and had 10 points. From here, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Hockey Hall of Famer, Marcel Dionne. With the Kings, Carpenter was able to slightly find his offensive rhythm again. During the 1987-88 season, he had 52 points in 71 games.

Carpenter then played four seasons with his hometown Boston Bruins, where he became more known for his defensive play than offense. This improvement with his two-way play allowed him to stay in the league for a long time, even when his scoring contributions completely fell off. In his last five seasons in the league with the New Jersey Devils, he had under 20 points in each of them.

Alas, it was a long and solid career for Carpenter at the end of the day. In 1,178 games, he had 320 goals, 408 assists and 728 points. He also added on 919 penalty minutes. However, it is very unlikely that most hockey fans outside of New York remember him most for his short tenure with the Blueshirts.

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