Blue Line Station
Fansided

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

By Michael DeRosa

Rico Fata #21, Left Wing for the New York Rangers in motion on the ice during the NHL Western Conference Northwest Division game against the Calgary Flames on 14th November 2002 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Canada. The New York Rangers won the game 2 - 1. (Photo by Ian Tomlinson/Getty Images)
Rico Fata #21, Left Wing for the New York Rangers in motion on the ice during the NHL Western Conference Northwest Division game against the Calgary Flames on 14th November 2002 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Canada. The New York Rangers won the game 2 - 1. (Photo by Ian Tomlinson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Rico Fata #21, Left Wing for the New York Rangers in motion on the ice during the NHL Western Conference Northwest Division game against the Calgary Flames on 14th November 2002 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Canada. The New York Rangers won the game 2 – 1. (Photo by Ian Tomlinson/Getty Images)
Rico Fata #21, Left Wing for the New York Rangers in motion on the ice during the NHL Western Conference Northwest Division game against the Calgary Flames on 14th November 2002 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Canada. The New York Rangers won the game 2 – 1. (Photo by Ian Tomlinson/Getty Images) /

Rico Fata RW

Rico Fata was selected sixth overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames. After an impressive career in juniors, many predicted that he would end up being a very good NHLer. However, after playing just 27 games over three seasons with the Flames, they already had seen enough of the then 20-year-old forward. Calgary placed him on waivers and he would be claimed by the Rangers.

The Rangers had hoped to help him get his career back on track. During the 2001-02 season, he would play in 61 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In them, he scored 35 goals and recorded 71 points. It was a noticeable increase in production at the AHL level, but he would go pointless in 10 NHL games with the Blueshirts. The following season, he had 14 points in nine games with the Wolf Pack. He also received more NHL time, too, as he played 36 games with the Rangers and had six points.

Yet, in the middle of the 2002-03 season, the Rangers would send him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in an eight-player trade that notably sent Alexei Kovalev back to New York. In Pittsburgh, Fata had some offensive success, as he had a 34-point campaign in 73 games, but he quickly would regress again. His drop in production made him bounce around the league until his NHL career ended during the 2006-07 season.

In 230 games between the Flames, Rangers, Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and Washington Capitals, Fata had 27 goals, 36 assists and 63 points.

Home/History