Breaking down every 50-plus single-season goal scorer in NY Rangers history
The NY Rangers have been around since 1926, but they’ve only seen four players hit the half-century mark in goals scored in a single season. In 2023-24, Artemi Panarin nearly joined that club but was short by one goal, as was Mike Gartner in 1990-91.
Players like Pierre Larouche, Mark Messier, and Jean Ratelle all came within four goals of hitting the mark but nonetheless also fell short. So, which players in Blueshirts history scored 50 times in a single season, and what kind of honors did they receive for their efforts?
If you’re new to the Rangers, this is an article you’ll want to read to help familiarize yourself with the organization’s rich history.
Vic Hadfield, 50/1971-72
Vic Hadfield was a reliable player throughout his time with the New York Rangers between 1961-62 and 1973-74, but he never finished with over 26 goals in a season until 1971-72. That year, Hadfield went off, scoring 50 times and finishing the season with 106 points.
What’s more amazing is how well he played on the man advantage, finishing 23 power play goals. His performance earned him a spot as a Second-Team All-Star and a fifth-place finish for the Hart Trophy, and after spending another two seasons with the Rangers, Hadfield moved on to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final three seasons of his career.
Chris Kreider, 52/2021-22
A relatively recent one, Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in the Rangers long history to snag 50-plus goals when he found the net 52 times to finish the 2021-22 season. Like Hadfield, Kreider’s goal total never even broke into the 30s, yet his performance in 2021-22 changed that.
In the two seasons that followed Kreider’s outburst, he put up 36 goals as an encore in 2022-23 before ending the 2023-24 campaign with 39. Oh, and let’s flashback to 2021-22 one more time to share a couple more stats - Kreider also had 26 goals on the man advantage and 11 game-winners, leading the league in both categories.
Adam Graves, 52/1993-94
When the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, Adam Graves was a huge reason why. He fueled the Blueshirts that year with 52 goals, 27 assists, and 79 points. His efforts landed him recognition when he took first place for the Clancy, eighth for the Hart, and fifth for the Selke.
A Second-Team NHL All-Star that year, some of Clancy’s other outstanding accomplishments included 20 goals on the power play plus a 17.9 shooting percentage, both of which were career-highs.
Jaromir Jagr, 54/2005-06
Few players in NHL history have enjoyed a more decorated career than Jaromir Jagr who, if you’re new to the Rangers, you may know more for his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But Jagr turned out to be a journeyman in the NHL, and he made a stop in New York for a few seasons.
Jagr, who scored 50-plus goals on two different occasions in Pittsburgh, did it again in 2005-06 while with the Rangers when he found the back of the net 54 times. The then-33-year-old Jagr took first for the Pearson and second for the Hart following a year in which he also put up 69 assists and 123 points.
It would be the last time Jagr would score 50-plus goals in a single season, and he would never again hit the century mark in points.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)