Glen Miller’s Favorite New York Rangers: 20-16

In part two of “My Favorite Rangers,” you’ll begin to notice a trend in my selections. I’ve always had an appreciation for the tough guys in the sport. Derek Boogaard, Theo Fleury and Pat Verbeek all made my list in the first edition. In this post you’ll be reintroduced to a couple more noted tough guys.

20. Nick Kypreos – Like many of you I owned some of the early EA Sports hockey games. Naturally I always played as the Rangers and I vividly recall playing NHL ’94 on my Sega Genesis. Kypreos was one of the guys the game automatically benched so I would dress him for every game. He wasn’t very good, skated as if was wearing cement skates, but I got him a handful of goals during those fictional seasons I played.

Kypreos was acquired in the deal that also brough Steve Larmer to Manhattan and sent D James Patrick and F Darren Turcotte to Hartford. He would play 128 games with the Blue Shirts and accrue 272 PIM with the Rangers. Here’s a pretty good scrap Kypreos had as a Ranger with Quebec’s Chris Simon, another player who would eventually don a Rangers sweater. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWQDhtOJto4&feature=related

19. Ulf Samuelsson – Far from a popular player during his day (ask Don Cherry or Cam Neely how they feel about Ulfie), Ulf nonetheless was a guy you loved to have on your team and hated when he was on the other club. Ulf was known as one of the most vicious hitters, legal and otherwise, in the game during his time. Here’s a nice little montage of his hits while a member of the Penguins (you’ll get a better idea why Neely wasn’t fond of Ulfie). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W82Lx1DGDGU

18. James Patrick – Patrick was a terrific offensive defenseman in his early days as a member of the Rangers. In parts of 11 seasons Patrick racked up 104 goals and 487 points with the Blue Shirts. He paired with Brian Leetch top give the Rangers a potent one-two punch from the blue line on the PP before being dealt to Hartford in November of 1993.

17. Joey Kocur – Kocur was one of the league’s best fighters despite being on the small side for a heavyweight (6’0”, 210). He came over from the Red Wings in a deal which sent F’s Kevin Miller and Jim Cummins to Detroit. He amassed 466 PIM in 278 games with the Rangers. Here’s an epic clash with the NHL’s baddest man of this era and Kocur’s former Red Wing teammate, Bob Probert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJvC80CKwKs

16. Stephane Matteau – Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! Would the Rangers have ever won the Stanley Cup if not for Matteau’s famous game winner in OT of game seven of the ECF? It’s funny because former GM Neil Smith only made the trade to acquire Matteau and Brian Noonan, at the expense of talented F Tony Amonte, because coach Mike Keenan insisted upon it. Many fans wondered if and how many Cups the Rangers would have won had they never traded Amonte in the first place. Here’s the Matteau “History Will Be Made” commercial which ran this past season. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Od1O23P7I

That’s 16 – 20 of my favorite New York Rangers players of all time. Up next are several players with the team in more recent times.

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• Glen Miller’s Favorite New York Rangers: 25-21 (nyrnation.net)