Rangers Celebrate Fans Favorites at the Garden

Those former players whom the fans rooted for were those who did the spectacular and dropped the gloves

New York, NY- On Thursday night, before the New York Rangers faced the Buffalo Sabres, honored those former players who gave Rangers fans excitement and chanted their names when they made great plays, stopped big goal scoring moments, or stood up for their teammates and dropped the gloves to duke it out on the ice. We will never forget those magical moments, either at The Garden or when they go on the road.

Nick Fotiu

The Staten Island Native was the first New York City Local to suit up wearing the Broadway Blueshirts Jersey and showed his love for the team and from the fans. No matter who was facing the Rangers, they knew Fotiu would be on the ice, standing up for his teammates and the city he called home. This was his second Centennial Night moment after the New Garden Era night.

Don Maloney

The brother of Dave Malony, who skated with him on the Rangers, played 11 seasons after being selected in the 1978 NHL Draft. The Lindsay, Ontario, native played in 653 games, scored 195 goals, and had 307 assists for 502 Points. He was traded in the 1988-89 Season to the Hartford Whalers. Then he spent the last two seasons of his NHL Career with the New York Islanders.

During his time with the Rangers, Don Maloney led the Rangers in goals, assists, and points in the 1980s. After his playing career was over, Maloney went to the front office, where he was hired by the Islanders as their General Manager from 1992-1995. After his stint on Long Island, he returned to the Rangers to become the Vice President of Player Personnel under former GMs Neil Smith and Glen Sather from 1996 to 2007.

He was then hired as the General Manager of the Phoenix Coyotes in May of 2007, till the 2015-16 season. In August of 2016, he became a scout for the Calgary Flames, then was promoted to President of Hockey Operations till Craig Conroy took over in May of 2023.

Jan Erixon

He played his entire 10 years with the Rangers from 1983-84 to the 1992-93 season and was selected in the 1981 NHL Draft. The Skelleftea, Sweden native played 556 games, scored 57 goals, and had 159 assists for 216 points. He was known as a defensive player who faced the opposition’s best goal scorers, as he was given the nickname “The Shadow.” His son Tim has played in the NHL and was a member of the Rangers for one season. Jan Erixon was a two-time winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort award.

George McPhee

He played five seasons with the Rangers, beginning in the playoffs from the 1982-83 season till the 1986-87 season, and was signed as an undrafted rookie. The Guelph, Ontario, native played 109 games, scored 21 goals, and had 21 assists for 42 points. He was known for his toughness and hard work to put the Rangers in a position to win hockey games. Scored three goals in the 1982-83 playoffs before he began in the regular season the following year.

His last two seasons in the NHL he was a free agent, signing with the New Jersey Devils. His post-playing career saw him move into the front office as the General Manager of the Washington Capitals from 1997 to 2014. Then went to the New York Islanders for one season with roles as an Alternate Governor, Vice President, and Special Advisor to the General Manager.

Then joined the Vegas Golden Knights as their First General Manager and during their inaugural 2016-17 season, as the team went to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost to the Washington Capitals. He would finally get the Stanley Cup when the Knights won it in 2023, but as the President of Hockey Operations before he stepped down as GM.

Pierre Larouche

Returning to his second Centennial night celebration, the Taschereau, Quebec native, was signed as a free agent for the 1983-84 season, and broke out with 48 goals in his first season with the Rangers. That automatically made him a fan favorite by scoring multiple goals in that season. He continued to play four more seasons with the Rangers, but never scored past 25 goals or more until a back injury ended his 1987-88 season, and then retired from hockey.

Tony Granato

He played just two seasons with the Rangers from 1988-89 to 1989-90 and was selected in the 1982 NHL Draft. When he began his rookie season, Granato scored 36 goals, and that has been the Rangers’ rookie record to this day. He also had a six game goal scoring streak in his rookie season; only Daniel Goneau was one shy of matching Granato.

In the 1989-90 season, Granato, along with Tomas Sandstrom, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Bernie Nichols to add depth in goal scoring with a veteran presence, along with Mike Gartner, who came over from the Washington Capitals. Defeated the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs.

After his playing career was over, he became the assistant coach to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2002-03 season, which saw then head coach Bob Hartley get fired and was promoted to head coach on an interim basis. The team improved to win a division title. In the 2004-05 season, Granato was replaced by Joel Quenneville and remained taking a demotion back to assistant coach. Regained the head coach position in the 2008-09 season after Quenneville was fired. Then, after that season, Granato was let go.

Granato had several assistant coaching stints, but in 2016, he went back to college hockey to become the head coach at his alma mater in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but was let go after seven seasons.

Chris “Knuckels” Nilan

He played in three seasons with the Rangers after being traded by the Montreal Canadiens. The Boston, Massachusetts, native came over in the 1987-88 season till the 1989-90 season. He played 85 games, scored 11 goals, and had 14 assists for 25 points. Known for his toughness and hard-hitting punches, Nilan was always a threat to the opposition’s players if they ever wanted to throw their gloves down.

In a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he fought Troy Loney and also delivered a big hit that put a Penguins player into the Rangers’ Bench by the boards at Madison Square Garden.

Tie Domi

He signed as a free agent and played three seasons with the Rangers from 1990-91 to 1992-93. The Windsor, Ontario, native played 82 games, scored five goals, and had four assists for nine points. He was known for his annoying play on the ice and throwing the gloves off, and duking it out with the other fighters in the NHL.

He’s best known for his two big bouts against Bob Probert of the Detroit Red Wings, and both fights were at Madison Square Garden. The first round was during the 1991-92 season, when the NHL was celebrating its 75th season. On February 9th, 1992, both men started a Pier Six brawl, where they started a four-fight tussle between the teams in the first period. (I was at the game)

Then, in the 1992-93 season, both men returned to the Garden as Probert wanted Domi very badly to start a fight after both men were warned by the then Interim NHL President Gill Stein not to drop the gloves and restart the melee on December 2nd. But Probert lined up with Domi and wanted round 2, then both men proceeded to drop the gloves and give the fans what they wanted.

Domi was then traded to the Winnipeg Jets in the middle of the 1992-93 season, but later on was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1994-95 season and stayed till the end of his career.

After his playing career, Domi tried being an analyst on TSN in Canada, but he only lasted less than a month. He was also involved in Canadian TV shows for a while and played in the Canadian Football League for a time. His son, Max, is currently playing in the NHL with the Maple Leafs.

Darren Langdon

He played for six seasons for the Rangers and was signed as a free agent to play in their minor league AHL team in Binghamton for three years before getting a call-up to Broadway from 1994-95 to 1999-2000. The Deer Lake, Newfoundland, native played 277 games, scored 14 goals, and had 14 assists for 28 points.

Known for his toughness on the ice and defending his teammates, Langdon always took the call when he had to drop the gloves and holds the Rangers record for fighting majors with 75. He signed as a free agent with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2000-01 season and spent three seasons before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks, then a stint with the Montreal Canadiens, and a stint with the New Jersey Devils till his retirement.

In his post-hockey career, he coached his sons and their high school hockey team in Deer Lake and has a bar filled with Hockey memorabilia with an autographed stick from Wayne Gretzky. The name of the bar is Langer’s.

Jeff Beukeboom

He was traded to the Rangers from the Edmonton Oilers on November 12th, 1991, and spent eight seasons in New York City, from the 1991-92 season to the 1998-99 season, and then retired from hockey. The Ajax, Ontario, native played 520 games, scored 18 goals, and had 72 assists for 90 points. He was paired and was the protector of Brian Leetch. He was a member of the 1994 Stanley Cup team.

Beukeboom is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion, earning his first three with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1986-87, 1987-88 & 1989-90 seasons with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. After his playing career, Beukeboom became an assistant coach in the minor leagues, including a stint with the Rangers AHL Affiliate, the Connecticut Whale, and when they renamed themselves back to the Hartford Wolfpack.

He returned to the Rangers as an assistant coach in the 2016-17 season.

Colton Orr

He played four seasons with the Rangers, as he was traded from the Boston Bruins in the 2005-06 season to the 2008-09 season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native played 224 games, scored four goals, and had seven assists for 11 points. Was a physical hitter along the boards and had a tremendous right hand that could knock out the best fighters in the league.

In the 2006-07 season, the Philadelphia Flyers played the New York Rangers and won at the Garden, but Todd Fedoruk took liberties and started to recklessly hit Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan all over the ice without any calls from the referees. On March 21st, 2007, Colton Orr, who wasn’t in the last game, was dressed by Tom Renney and right away tapped Fedoruk to start the dance.

When both men saw each other, they dropped the gloves at the same time and started the round. That’s when Orr saw some daylight during the tussle as Fedoruk picked up his head, and Orr delivered a strong right hand to the face of Fedoruk and knocked him out with one punch. That gave The Garden crowd a big roar and cheers for righting a wrong in the last game.

After he retired from Hockey, Orr has been involved with coaching in the minors and Women’s Professional Hockey at the PWHL’s New York Sirens, but now he’s the head coach at the Harvey School’s Boys Varsity Team in Katonah, NY.

Brandon Prust

He was traded to the Rangers from the Calgary Flames and played three seasons from the 2009-10 season till the 2011-12 Season. The London, Ontario, native played 190 games, scored 19 goals, and had 33 assists for 52 points. He was on a line with Brian Boyle as the two were a terror defensively, and he was an important piece on the penalty kill. He scored five short-handed goals and earned the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award in the 2010-11 season.

He quietly retired after his playing career when he became a coach of the OHL’s junior hockey team London Knights, but now he is working at a financial guidance firm in Navigator Financial and has opened up a gym called BP8 Fitness in 2023.

Sean Avery

He was traded to the Rangers from the Los Angeles Kings and spent six seasons with the club from the 2006-07, then left in the 2008-09 season to sign with the Dallas Stars, then during that season came back to the Rangers as he spent time in the AHL with their affiliate in the Hartford Wolfpack and was called up to come back with the Rangers till the 2011-12 season.

The North York, Ontario, native played 271 games, scored 47 goals, and had 79 assists for 126 points. Besides being an annoying pest on the ice, Avery always pushed the boundaries every time he took a shift. But nothing was more classic than the battles he had with New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.

It started when the Rangers were at the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands when he attempted to stop at the Devils’ net and accidentally bumped Brodeur. Marty shoved Avery, then Avery shoved back, and a melee that felt like a scene from the movie Slap Shot came to fruition.

Another moment happened in the playoffs during the 2007-08 season when the Rangers were on a power play, and Avery skated toward the net. Instead of Avery trying to screen Brodeur the traditional way, he faced Brodeur, waiving his stick and arms to distract him. After the puck was cleared, Avery took a pass and scored on Brodeur to take the lead. That allowed the NHL to create the Avery Rule and prevent that type of unsportsmanlike conduct from being considered a penalty.

Avery retired in 2012, started working in different jobs in the fashion industry, the advertising industry, and many other outlets. He is currently using social media to discuss hockey plays on television and has been a guest on the Spittin’ Chicklets podcast with Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonette.

Ryan Callahan

He spent eight seasons with the Rangers, selected in the 2004 NHL Draft. He played from the 2006-07 till the 2013-14 season, when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Martin St. Louis to make that Stanley Cup Finals Run. The Rochester, New York, native played 450 games, scored 132 goals, and had 122 assists for 254 points.

On March 6th, 2011, Callahan scored four goals in a seven-to-nothing scoreline at Madison Square Garden against the Philadelphia Flyers on a Saturday Afternoon. He was also given the Captain’s C on his sweater for the 2011-12 season. He was the fifth youngest Captain of the team, and the second homegrown player since Brian Leetch to have it on his sweater. He is also the first NY State Native to Captain the Rangers. He is also a four-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner.

After his hockey career ended, Calaahan went to ESPN to be a hockey analyst to call NHL games. He also has his own foundation to help parents battle pediatric cancer.

Adam Graves

He signed as a free agent after two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1991-92 season. He played ten seasons with the Rangers from the 1991-92 season to the 2000-01 season. The Tecumseh, Ontario, native played 772 games, scored 280 goals, and had 227 assists for 507 points. He was a member of the 1994 Stanley Cup Team.

Adam Graves was going to be a support player until the big trade came when Mark Messier was sent over from the Oilers. That’s when Graves was Messier’s linemate during his Rangers tenure, he was given the Alternate Captain’s A on the road during the 1993-94 season under then head coach Mike Keenan. That same year, he broke the Rangers record for most goals in a season with 52, passing Vic Hadfield.

In the 1996-97 season, Wayne Gretzky came to the Rangers to rejoin Mark Messier. In Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Rangers face the New Jersey Devils, as they dropped the first game and took the next four. Game five was in Overtime at the Meadowlands, when Messier took a hit and made a pass out of the far corner to Geoff Courtnall.

Inside the Devils’ zone, Courtnall backhanded the puck off the far boards and down into the corner, where Graves skated and scooped the puck. He skated behind the net with a defender on him, and all of a sudden, he delivered a wrap-around goal to beat Brodeur to win the series. It almost mirrored the same play as Stephane Matteau did in game seven of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

Graves was traded to the San Jose Sharks in the 2001-02 offseason and only played two seasons before he announced his retirement in April of 2004. He’s been working at the Rangers front office as the Special Assistant for Prospect Development and Community Relations. He has always been a part of multiple children’s charities during his playing career and is a part of the Garden of Dreams Foundation.

During the ceremony of Brian Leetch’s Banner raising ceremony, Graves learned that he was going to receive his own banner raising ceremony, which shocked him, and he looked up to the rafters of the Garden as he would join Leetch, Messier, Richter, Gilbert & Giacomin. He was also a five-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Winner

Henrik Lundqvist

He played all 15 seasons with the Rangers from the 2005-06 season till the 2019-20 season, and was selected in the 2000 NHL Draft. The Are, Sweden, native played 887 games, earned 459 wins, 310 losses, with 96 overtime losses. For the first time since the days of Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck, the Rangers had a big question mark at goaltender.

Even though they signed veteran Kevin Weekes to be the starter, Lundqvist shone and showed everyone he was the brick wall that they had been looking for. Making so many physical and athletic saves inside his crease, the Garden crowd started to chant his name, and out of nowhere, he lifted his glove hand to wave thank you to the Rangers fans.

From that point on, he was the number one netminder till the Rangers allowed his contract to expire, and he went to the Washington Capitals, but never played a single game for them due to a condition called Recurring Pericarditis. A chronic heart condition that causes severe chest pain and inflammation.

Lundqvist helped the Rangers reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals as they defeated the Flyers and the Penguins in seven games in the first two rounds, then won game six at The Garden with an amazing blocker save on a fluttering puck that was deflected off a defenseman, then cleared. Later on, Dominic Moore scored the only goal of the game to defeat the Montreal Canadiens.

Lundqvist was also a part of the first four outdoor games as they won the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia, two consecutive wins in the 2014 Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium against the Devils and the Islanders, then his last one in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres.

He broke the Rangers’ career wins list by passing Mike Richter, and he also passed Hall of Famer Eddie Giacomin with the most career shutouts in Rangers history, getting his 50th and finishing with 64. Then, on January 28th, 2022, the New York Rangers retired Henrik Lundqvist #30 and raised his banner to the rafters.

Since retiring from the game, he has worked part-time with MSG Networks during Rangers coverage and nationally on TNT Sports coverage of the NHL. He was the man who kept the Rangers in the game every rush the opposition took against them.

These men were the fans’ favorites to wear the Rangers Blue Sweater, and gave all the fans some memorable moments on the ice from the regular season to the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final. It was wonderful to see them get their chance to see the fans and get the recognition that they truly deserved.

HONORABLE MENTION: From Dan Rosen, Petr Prucha was supposed to attend this event, but unfortunately, he had a prior engagement back in Czechia and was unable to attend.

New York Rangers News:

• Rangers get Unlucky Bounces in Loss to the Sabres
• Rangers fall in Overtime to the Mammoth
• Reminising the Rangers Outdoor Victories

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