On October 3 in Rangers history: Another milestone for the King

What happened on October 4 in the history of the New York Rangers

As the current version of the New York Rangers moves forward with the goaltending tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev, let’s look back at Henrik Lundqvist who won his 450th career game in his final season on this date in 2019.  He became the sixth goalie in NHL history to reach that mark.

450 wins wasn’t the only milestone achieved that night by the King.  It was his 14th straight opening night start as the Rangers beat Winnipeg 6-4.   He tied Gump Worsley’s franchise record of 43 saves in a season opener, first set in 1955.

The 14 straight season opening starts is the second most in NHL history, behind only Martin Brodeur who started 18 straight first games with the Devils.  By playing in his 15th season as a Ranger, he became the only goalie in franchise history to play in that many different seasons.  Mike Richter had held the record, appearing in 14 seasons.

Lundqvist was coming off the first season in 14 years that he didn’t get 20 wins, but was expecting to rebound with a better season. Instead, Lundqvist lost his starting job to Igor Shesterkin in January and played in only seven games in the last three months of the season.

The future Hall of Famer would pass Curtis Joseph (454 wins)  and end the season with 459 career wins.  He is currently sixth on the all-time list.

Today’s birthdays

22 NHL players have been born on October 3 with five of them former New York Rangers.

Jean Ratelle was born on this date in 1940 in Lac St-Jean, Quebec.  One of the greatest players to ever wear the Rangers uniform, the smooth skating center was a member of the famous GAG line with Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield.  Ratelle had one of the greatest seasons by a Ranger in 1971-72 though it was cut short by a broken ankle.  In only 63 games he scored 46 goals and 109 points and was on track to beating Phil Esposito for the scoring title.  That broken ankle probably ended the Rangers hopes for a Stanley Cup that season.   Ratelle was traded to the Boston Bruins for Esposito in a blockbuster deal in 1975.   He never won a Stanley Cup in his career, but he is 39th in career points (1,267) among all NHL players and 47th in goals (491).  His number 19 was retired and hangs from the rafters of Madison Square Garden and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Andy Hebenton was born on October 3, 1929 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  The right winger played eight of his nine NHL seasons with the Rangers, winning the Lady Byng Trophy in 1957. Amazingly, he never missed a game in nine season, playing 630 consecutive games.  560 of them were with the Rangers, a franchise record.  Those 630 games was an NHL record that stood for  12 years until it was surpassed by Gary Unger.  He played in one All-Star Game as a Ranger.

Michael Nylander was born on this date in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden.  The center signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 2004, only to see the season cancelled by the lockout. He made his debut in 2005, centering Jaromir Jagr and helped the Czech star to one of his best seasons and the greatest offensive season ever by a New York Ranger. Nylander played two seasons in New York before signing with Washington. He played for seven NHL teams in a 15 year career.  He is the father of NHL players William and Alexander Nylander.

Pat Flatley was born on October 3 in 1963 in Toronto, Ontario.  He was a right winger and a first round draft pick by the Islanders in 1982. He played 12 full seasons for the Isles before signing with the Rangers as a free agent in 1996.  He played one season on Broadway, scoring 10 goals and 22 points before retiring.

Ronnie Sundin was a defenseman, born on this date in 1970 in Ludvika, Sweden.  He played only one game in the NHL for the Rangers in 1998 at age 27.  He had been an older selection, drafted in the ninth round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.   He spent only one season in North America, returning to Sweden where he was a mainstay on defense for Frölunda until he was almost 40, retiring in 2009.