Top 5 Rangers records that may never be broken

For pretty much the entire history of the NHL, the New York Rangers have been home to some of the league's most iconic players.

From Rod Gilbert, Brian Leetch and Henrik Lundqvist, Blueshirts legends have set milestone that define both the franchise's history and the NHL record books. And while records are meant to be broken, certain marks left by Rangers may very well be untouchable.

Let's take a look at a list of five Rangers' records that may never be broken.

Top 5 Rangers' milestones that may never be broken

5. Harry Howell - 1,160 career games played with the Rangers

Left-handed defenseman Harry Howell was essential the Rangers' iron man for 17 seasons, playing from 1952-1969 in what many could categorize as a rougher era for the Rangers in which there was a smaller roster and fewer substitutions and line changes.

In his career with the league, Howell tallied a total of 1,411 games played across the Rangers, Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals and the Los Angeles Kings.

The closest league player to meet Howell's 1,160 games played as a Ranger was Chris Kreider with 883. However, since Kreider has now been dealt off to Anaheim, Howell's record is likely to remain safe for at least another decade.

4. Dave Kerr - 1.54 goals-against average with the Rangers

Goaltender Dave Kerr had an incredibly low average of 1.54 goals-against in 1939-40 in 48 games played. Granted, this was back when the pace of play was slower and scoring was lower as a result.

With the NHL's modern offensive pace, power play units and over time formats, a GAA under 2.00 is already hard to come by, let alone approaching 1.54 over a full season of work.

Netminders Henrik Lundqvist (1.97 in 2011-12) and Igor Shesterkin (2.07 in 2021-22) have come the closest, but honestly it's fairy certain Kerr's 1.54 will never be touched.

3. Henrik Lundqvist - 459 career wins with the Rangers

Netminder Henrik Lundqvist was New York's No. 1 goaltender for over a decade (2005-20). Today, the league and the Rangers split starts much more evenly between netminders — such is the case between Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick — and now few goalies stay with one franchise for their entire career like Lundqvist.

As a result of his stories career as a Blueshirt goaltender, Lundqvist achieved 459 wins before his retirement following the 2019-20 season. Shesterkin currently comes the closest to this record as an active Blueshirt, but the 29-year-old only has 162 wins as of press time and is 297 wins away from hitting the milestone.

2. Brian Leetch - 741 career assists with the Rangers

One of the greatest offensive defenseman to have every played, Brian Leetch combined his playmaking with a long career with the Rangers (17 years).

Defensemen who produce points at this level of play usually move teams in the league at some point, so another Ranger matching Leetch's total of 741 career assists is unlikely.

1. Rod Gilbert - 1,021 career points with the Rangers

Ah yes, No. 1, you knew this one was coming

The great Rod Gilbert played his entire 18-year career (1960-1978) with the Rangers. He's known for being the most prolific scorer in the history of the New York Rangers. Gilbert ranks first in its history in goals (406) and points (1,021) in 1,065 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.

The closest current Blueshirt to breaking Gilbert's 1,021 career points is Artemi Panarin comes the closest with 550 points tallied for the Rangers across his six seasons of play with the franchise.

Panarin will be 34 years old in October and would need to nearly double his current output and stay another six to seven productive years with the Rangers. So, it's likely Gilbert's record will remain untouched for decades, if not forever.