On January 28 in NYR history: Dionnes’s record (for now)

What happened on January 28 in the history of the New York Rangers

Marcel Dionne joined the New York Rangers for a brief, forgettable period in an unforgettable career, but in his brief stint in New York, he did set a record that still stands (but not for long).  On this date in 1988, he became the first player to score at least 20 goals in his first 17 seasons in the NHL.

That record was later equaled by Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin and Mike Gartner, but it hasn’t been surpassed. However, all four of these Hall of Famers will lose their record next season when Alex Ovechkin scores his 20th goal.   Already this season, Ovechkin tied the record and the odds are that he will do it again next year and be the sole record holder.

For Dionne, it was a power play goal in the second period of 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.  For a milestone goal, it wasn’t spectacular,  bouncing off Mark Howe’s skate and into the net.

Dionne finished with 31 goals in 67 games and after scoring only seven goals the next season, he retired.  He was yet another hockey immortal acquired by the Rangers at the tail end of a brilliant career.  He scored 42  of his 731 career goals in New York.

Eight shots in one period

On this date in 2006, Jaromir Jagr set a franchise record with eight shots in the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Those eight shots were one off the NHL record of nine, set by Paul Kariya in 1998.

The Rangers won the game 7-1, at Madison Square Garden with four third period goals.  On the eight shots, Jagr scored twice and added an assist.

Jagr’s total is still a franchise record, though it was tied by Brendan Shanahan two years later.  He broke the team record of seven set by Brian Leetch in October 1997 and tied by Adam Graves two months later the same season.   Jagr had seven shots in a period later the same season, becoming only the second player in franchise history to do it twice and the only player to do it twice in the same season.

The current NHL record of 10 shots in one period was set by Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks in November 2018 in a game against the Blue Jackets.

California firsts

In 1992 on this date, the Rangers played their first game in San Jose, winning 4-2.  Rookie Sergei Nemchinov and veteran James Patrick both had three assists in the game.

In 1994, the Rangers made their first trip to Orange Country, California and lost 3-2 to the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.  Believe it or not, the expansion team swept the season series against the future Stanley Cup champions.  They played at what is now known as the Honda Center but was called the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Today’s birthdays

25 NHL players have been born on January 28 including four former Rangers.  Add two former Ranger coaches to that list as well as a prospect who hopes to play in the New York someday.

Kalle Väisänen was born on this date in Kotka, Finland.  He’s a right winger who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.  He’s currently playing for TPS Turku in the Finnish Liiga after playing in the truncated World Junior Championships in December.

Colin Campbell was born on this date in 1953 in London, Ontario.  While he never played for the Rangers in his 11 year NHL career, he did serve as assistant coach for the Rangers from 1991 to 1994, taking over as head coach when Mike Keenan abandoned the team after winning the Stanley Cup.  He coached the team for four years with a record of 118-108-43.  He was fired 57 games into the 1997-98 season and replaced by John Muckler.

Ron Smith was another former Rangers coach, born on this date in Galt, Ontario in 1944.  He served as the interim head coach after the Rangers fired Roger Neilson midway through the 1992-93 season.  He had previously served as head coach for the Binghamton Rangers of the AHL  He only coached those 44 games with a record of 15-22-7 as the Rangers missed the playoffs.

Arnie Brown was a defenseman, born on this date in 1942 in Oshawa, Ontario. He played seven years for the Rangers after coming from Toronto along with Bob Nevin and Rod Seiling in a trade that included Andy Bathgate going to the Maple Leafs.

Dan Carcillo, known as “Car Bomb”, was born on this date in 1985 in King City, Ontario.  Carcillo had a brief career with the Rangers, but was on the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014.  The Rangers got him from the Kings late in the season and he played three games for them before the playoffs.   During the playoffs, he was suspended for ten games for abusing a linesman, but on appeal, the suspension was reduced to six games. He played in eight playoff games, scoring two goals.  He was not re-signed by the Rangers after that season.  Since he retired, Carcillo has become a leading advocate against fighting in hockey because of the physical and mental health issues that result.

Jack Egers was born on January 28, 1949 in Sudbury, Ontario. He was a Ranger draft pick in 1966 and was a big scorer in juniors and the minor leagues,but it never translated to the NHL. He scored only 12 goals in 83 games for New York and was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1971 for Gene Carr.  The Rangers reacquired the right winger in 1974 in a trade for Glen Sather, but with only one goal in 28 games he was left exposed in the expansion draft and claimed by the Washington Capitals.

Normand Rochefort was a defenseman, born on this date in 1961 in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.  After eight years in Quebec, he was traded to the Rangers in 1988. Expectations were high as he had been selected for Team Canada  in the Canada Cup in 1987.  He played four years as a Blueshirt and was a disappointment as the physical style that made him one of the top defensemen in the NHL took its toll and he had to have complete reconstructive knee surgery in his first year in New York. He was never the same after that.

The numbers

The Rangers have not had a lot of success on January 28, winning only 12 times in regulation in 38 games.

Games: 38
Regulation wins:  12
Regulation losses: 19
Ties: 5
Overtime wins: 2
Points percentage: .434