The Franchises Early Days
There's only one way to start: to go back to the start. In 1926-27, the New York Rangers came into existence, bringing a second hockey team to New York and Madison Square Garden. The Blueshirts named a captain for their first season in Bill Cook. Cook was starting his NHL career a little late, at 30, and he was the captain of the Rangers his entire NHL career.
In his 10 years, he was not the most recognizable Ranger, but he led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup twice, winning the trophy in 1928 and 1933. Accompanying his two Championships, Cook scored 228 goals and 138 assists for 366 points in 475 games wearing the "C" on his jersey. He retired at 40 in 1937, giving way to a new face and a new voice to lead the Blueshirts.
That was Art Coulter. Coulter was named the captain ahead of the 1937-38 season and would pick up where Cook left off. As Cook won the cup twice, Coulter would add a third to the Rangers trophy cabinet in 1940, as the Rangers threatened to become a superpower in the ancient hockey world. These three championships helped build the Rangers into one of the major superpowers of the league, but everything changed just after Coulter retired in 1942.
As Coulter left his role, the New York Americans announced they would be ceasing operations due to the heavy impact of players going to fight in the Second World War. This led to the curse of 1940, which you can read about here on Blue Line Station, but the curse changed the course of the Rangers' captaincy. It changed the course of the Rangers and possibly the entire league.