Greatest Rangers of first 100 years by the numbers: From 61 to 80

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Greatest Rangers of first 100 years by the numbers: From 61 to 80

Greatest Rangers of first 100 years by the numbers: From 61 to 80 — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

John Kreiser · Forever Blueshirts

Tue, Aug 18, 2026 ·

14 min read

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Only 33 New York Rangers wore uniform numbers from 61 to 80 in their first 100 years. But that small total includes a couple of big names.

Jaromir Jagr, the No. 2 scorer in NHL history, wore No. 68 for all three of his seasons in New York during the late 2000s. Three decades earlier, Phil Esposito became the first player in NHL history to wear No. 77 when he began his first full season on Broadway after being traded to the Rangers by the Boston Bruins .

Here are the greatest Rangers who've worn Nos. 61 to 80. Note that no Ranger wore 66 and 69, and eight other numbers were worn by just one player.

(For the best players from 00-9, click here; for the best from 10-20, click here, for the cream of the crop from 21-30, click here and for the best among those who wore Nos. 31-40, click here). For the best from 41 to 50, click here ), and for the best from 51-60, click here .

61 – Rick Nash (2013-19: 375 GP; 145-107-252)

Nash is the greatest player in the history of the Columbus Blue Jackets , and he scored at least 20 goals in seven of his nine seasons after being picked No. 1 overall by the CBJ in the 2002 NHL Draft. But after Nash requested a trade, the Rangers pounced, looking to take the next step after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2012. The Rangers traded three players and a 2013 first-round pick to the Blue Jackets for Nash in July 2012. He kept the No. 61 he'd worn with Columbus and remained productive — even scoring a career-high 42 goals in 2014-15. But his struggles in the Stanley Cup Playoffs were pronounced. Even when the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, Nash scored just three goals in 25 potseason games that spring. The Rangers traded Nash to the Boston Bruins on Feb. 25, 2018 , for a package of players and picks highlighted by defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Nash played just 11 games with Boston before retiring at age 33, having scored 145 of his 437 career goals with the Blueshirts.

62 – Carl Hagelin (2011-15: 266 GP; 58-72-130)

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning — Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY SportsCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers waited four years for Hagelin after selecting him in the sixth round (No. 168 overall) of the 2007 draft. He proved to be worth the wait. The speedy Swede, who starred at the University of Michigan, was a solid third-line forward and penalty-killer for four seasons in New York, reaching double figures in goals in all four and never ending below plus-8. He also had seven goals and 12 points in the Rangers run to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. But the Rangers sent him to the Anaheim Ducks shortly after losing the Final to the Kings ; the Ducks sent him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in January 2016, and he played on two Cup-winning teams with them. He officially retired in 2023, one year after an eye injury that effectively ended his career.

63 – Anthony Duclair (2014: 18 GP; 1-6-7)

NHL: New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs — Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duclair was the Rangers' third-round pick in 2013 and the forward made the team out of training camp as a 19-year-old in 2014. Duclair's speed and skills were obvious, but with the Rangers eyeing another long playoff run, they needed help on defense — and part of the price for landing Keith Yandle from the Phoenix Coyotes in March 2015 was Duclair. The Rangers were the first of nine teams to employ Duclair, who's had four 20-goal seasons and is now with the New York Islanders .

64 – Tyler Motte (2022-23: 33 GP; 5-5-10)

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers — Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Motte, a speedy bottom-six forward and the only Rangers player to wear No. 64, had two short stints with the Blueshirts. He was scoreless in nine regular-season games after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the 2022 trade deadline, but did score twice in 15 playoff games during New York's run to the Eastern Conference Final. Motte signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators that summer but was traded back to the Rangers in February 2023 and chipped in five goals and 10 points in 24 games. The Rangers didn't re-sign him, and he's played with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings since then.

65 – Brett Berard (2024-26: 48 GP; 6-4-10)

NHL: Preseason-New York Rangers at Boston Bruins — Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The fifth-round pick (No. 134 overall) in the 2020 draft turned pro late in 2022-23 after finishing his college career at Providence. Berard scored 25 goals at AHL Hartford in 2023-24 and earned a 35-game stint with the Rangers the following season, impressing with his speed. But 2025-26 was a lost season. After failing to make the opening-night roster, the only No. 65 in Rangers history struggled with Hartford and was scoreless in 13 games with New York before his season ended in mid-March due to an upper-body injury . The Rangers traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in June.

67 – Benoit Pouliot (2013-14: 80 GP; 15-21-36)

NHL: Stanley Cup Final-New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings — Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers became the fifth team on Pouliot's well-traveled resume when they signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2013 and made him the first No. 67 in team history. The forward became a useful mid-level contributor in New York, scoring 15 goals and finishing with a career-best 36 points in 80 games. Pouliot also had five goals and 10 points during the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup Final. But the Rangers opted not to re-sign him; he played three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and one with Buffalo before retiring.

68 – Jaromir Jagr (2005-08: 277 GP; 124-195-319)

The future Hall of Famer had the greatest three-year stretch of any player in the Rangers' first 100 years. Jagr owned five scoring NHL scoring titles when the Rangers acquired him from the Washington Capitals in January 2004. His first full season on Broadway was a record-setter; his 54 goals and 123 points are still the most in team history, and he won the Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Award), given to the League's most valuable player as voted by the NHL Players Association. He had 55 goals and 167 points over the next two seasons, but the Rangers opted not to offer him another contract, and he decided to play in Russia for three seasons. Jagr returned to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011 and played for five more teams before going home to the then-Czech Republic in 2017 and playing for Kladno (a team he partly owned) all the way until 2025-26. His 1,921 NHL points are second all-time to Wayne Gretzky.

70 – Mackenzie Skapski (2015: 2 GP; 2-0-0)

NHL: New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres — Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Skapski's NHL career lasted all of two games, both against the Buffalo Sabres in 2014-15. The goalie couldn't have done much better, allowing just one goal (14 seconds into his NHL debut) and earning a 2-0 shutout in the second. Skapski was the first Rangers goalie to make multiple starts without losing; ironically, the other was goalie Louis Domingue, the only other Ranger to wear No. 70 (though Joonas Korpisalo is likely to wear it this season), who's also 2-0-0 with New York.

71 – Mike Rupp (2011-12: 68 GP; 4-1-5)

Rupp is probably best known these days for his work on TV. But he was a rugged, bottom-six forward for 68 games in 2011-13 with the Rangers, one of six teams he played with during 11 seasons in the NHL. He averaged just 6:36 of ice time in those 68 games, as well as 6:13 in New York's 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2012. The Rangers traded him to the Minnesota Wild in February 2013, and he retired a year later.

72 – Filip Chytil (2017-25: 378 GP; 75-89-164)

NHL: New York Rangers at Nashville Predators — Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn ImagesCredit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The only Rangers player to wear No. 72 showed promise of becoming a solid middle-six center, but injuries — especially concussions — kept getting in the way. The second of New York's first-round picks (No. 21 overall) in the 2017 draft made the team after his first training camp and played nine games with the Rangers as an 18-year-old, then earned a full-time role the following season. His best season came in 2022-23, when he finished with 22 goals and 45 points while centering the "Kid Line" with Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere . But a host of injuries, including at least three "official" concussions, kept getting in the way. The Rangers sent him to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the J.T. Miller trade on Jan. 31, 2025, but he sustained another likely concussion soon after the trade, then missed all but 12 games last season because of injuries.

73 – Matt Rempe (2024-present: 85 GP; 5-6-11)

NHL: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers — Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rempe brought a physical presence to the Rangers since making his NHL debut against the Islanders at the Stadium Series game on Feb. 18, 2024. His willingness to drop the gloves — he battled the Isles' Matt Martin in front of nearly 80,000 fans 1:29 into his first game — quickly made him a fan favorite. But he's still learning to discipline himself to avoid suspensions while trying to show he has the skill to play a regular role. Rempe missed most of last season with a broken thumb after an early-season fight against ex-Rangers enforcer Ryan Reaves.

74 – Joel Bouchard (2002-04: 55 GP; 6-14-20)

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers — Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Bouchard had two short stints with the Rangers. He scored five goals and finished with 12 points in 2002-03 before moving to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a late-season trade that brought Alex Kovalev back to Broadway. The Rangers claimed the defenseman in the preseason waiver draft the following fall and he played 28 games, finishing with a goal and seven assists. Bouchard played one game in 2001-02 season with the New Jersey Devils and his final 25 in the NHL with the Islanders in 2005-06. He's coached in juniors and the AHL since 2014.

75 – Ryan Reaves (2021-22: 81 GP; 5-8-13)

Reaves, the only Rangers skater to wear No. 75, had five of his 94 career fights with New York, which acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2021. He also had five goals and 13 points in 69 games in 2021-22 as part of a useful fourth line. But after going 12 games without a point in 2022-23, the Rangers traded him to the Minnesota Wild. In all, he's played 962 games with seven teams over 16 seasons. Reaves is a free agent this summer and said he hopes to get signed and reach the 1,000-game mark before he retires.

76 – Brady Skjei (2015-20; 307 GP; 25-87-112)

NHL: New York Rangers at Calgary Flames — Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

New York's first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in 2012 got his first taste of the NHL three years later and became a regular on the blue line in 2016-17 — making the NHL All-Rookie team after finishing with five goals and 39 points in 80 games. Skjei was a solid middle-pair defenseman with the Blueshirts until February 2020, when they traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes . He's been the same player with the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators — a reliable, 20-minute-a-game defender who contributes offensively.

77 – Phil Esposito (1975-81: 422 GP; 184-220-404)

The older of hockey's two Esposito brothers retired as a beloved member of the Rangers in January 1981 — something that would have been impossible to believe in the early 1970s, when he was loathed by Garden fans while setting NHL scoring records with the Boston Bruins. The Rangers acquired Esposito along with defenseman Carol Vadnais in November 1975 for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi in one of the biggest deals in NHL history. "Espo" was horrified at the thought of joining his longtime archrivals, but that changed as he and the crowds at the Garden got used to each other. "It took me probably a year to accept that I wasn't part of the Boston Bruins anymore," Esposito remembered years later. "All I knew about New York was between Seventh and Eighth avenues and 33rd and 34th streets, Madison Square Garden. When I did learn the city, it was … the greatest city and the greatest fans, and we had some good years." Esposito, who wore Nos. 5 and 12 before switching to No. 77 in 1976, wasn't the scorer he'd been in his prime, but still averaged a point a game and scored as many as 42 goals in a season. He also became part of team president Sonny Werblin's efforts to widen interest in the Rangers. Esposito helped the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final; but after a solid 1979-80 season, he began to run out of gas at age 38 and retired midway through the season. He later served as coach and general manager with the Rangers before helping establish the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 1990s.

78 – Brennan Othmann (2024-26: 42 GP; 1-2-3)

Othmann never became the player the Rangers hoped he would when they selected him in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2020 draft. The forward had three stints with the Rangers and produced almost nothing offensively before being traded to the Calgary Flames on March 6, 2026.

79 – K'Andre Miller (2020-25: 368 GP; 36-96-132)

NHL: Boston Bruins at New York Rangers — Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers selected Miller with the second of their three first-round picks (No. 21 overall) in 2018, and he became the first player in franchise history to wear No. 79 when he made the roster for the 2020-21 season. He looked like a player ready for a breakout after scoring nine goals and finishing with 43 points in 2022-23, but his offensive numbers dropped in each of the next two seasons. The Rangers opted not to make a major commitment to Miller in the summer of 2025 and traded him to Carolina, where he helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup last season.

80 – Kevin Weekes (2005-07: 46 GP; 18-20-5)

NHL: USA TODAY Sports-Archive — Credit: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY SportsCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's easy to forget now that Weekes is one of hockey's best-known analysts, but he had an 11-year NHL career that included two seasons on Broadway. The Rangers signed Weekes in the summer of 2004 , and he was in goal on opening night of the 2005-06 season (after the owners' lockout wiped out 2004-05). Little did he know that a seventh-round round pick in the 2000 draft named Henrik Lundqvist would come along and take the starting job. Weekes backed up Lundqvist for two seasons, then signed with the New Jersey Devils and spent his final two seasons backing up another Hall of Famer, Martin Brodeur .

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