New York Rangers: 20 Best All-Time Offensive Performances

OK, so the title of the article says New York Rangers: 20 Best Offensive Seasons of All-Time. For the purposes of this discussion, though. "all-time" will cover from the 1979-'80 season through last season, 2010-2011 to be exact. Why?

Well, there are a couple of reasons. The first is that this writer is simply not old enough to credibly comment on the years prior to that 1979-'80 season. For instance, although Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Brad Park all merit a spot on this list for their respective 1971-'72 seasons alone, this writer cannot recount a single moment of that season with any authority.

The second reason for this abbreviated timeframe is that, in many ways, the 1979-'80 season marked the beginning of a new era in the National Hockey League. That was the year that Wayne Gretzky & Mark Messier began to redefine the way the game was played, and it’s the year the New York Islanders won the first of their four consecutive Stanley Cups, symbolically and literally severing the generations-long hold that the Montreal Canadians had over the league.

These "events" established a boundary, if you will, between the new and the old in the NHL, and so we will use this boundary in our countdown today.

To provide some clarity, the definition of an all-time best offensive performance, again, for the purposes of this article, is an outstanding contribution to the overall team offense relative to the season.

It is not necessarily who scored the most goals in a particular year or even who scored the most points; it's about those special performances by players that should be remembered as Blueshirt Heroes, even if a Blueshirt Hero is, statistically at least, usually a bit different than the typical NHL hero.

20. Petr Nedved, 2000-2001 Season

32G, 46A, 78 Total Points

Statistically, this would not appear to be a banner year, even in the pre-lockout days that this season took place in.

With that said, however, anyone who watched Nedved night in and night out that year would remember that he was the engine that drove the offense.

Centering a line with fellow Czechs Jan Hlavacand Radek Dvorek, players that would never produce again the way they did this season, Nedved achieved warrior status, and if there's any justice in the world, the long-overdue respect of Mark Messier.

19. Walt Poddubny, 1986-1987 & 1987-1988 Seasons (Tie)

1986-'87       40G, 47A, 87 Total Points

1987-'88       38G, 50A, 88 Total Points

There was another 40-goal scorer on the 1986-'87 team, Tomas Sandstrom and Kelly Kisio was a point-per-game centerman for the 1987-'88 squad, but there was something magical about this little run that Walt put together these two seasons.

He never broke the 80-point mark again in his career and, for all intents and purposes, his career was over after his 1988-'89 year in Quebec. There was a 10-point gap between Walt and the next highest Rangers scorer on the roster in 1987-'88 and a 13-point gap in the 1986-'87 season.

He was the best and brightest that the team had for a brief spell there, and as a result, these two very similar statistical years deserve this slot on our list.

18. Mark Pavelich, 1981-1982 Season

33G, 43A, 76 Total Points

Although Pavelich would probably prefer to be remembered for his fishing exploits as opposed to his on-ice heroics, for both the Rangers and the legendary 1980 gold medal winning USA hockey team, we cannot help but to acknowledge his special contribution to the memorable year that Ron Duguay had this same season.

Duguay would score 40 goals during this season, and it seemed as if each one was assisted by Pavelich. Though Duguay would go on to produce higher point totals with other teams in the future, he never approached this kind of productivity with the Rangers before or after. It was arguably due primarily to the canny Pavelich, and for that, we remember the diminutive pivot in the 18th spot on our list.

17. Ron Duguay, 1981-1982 Season

40G, 36A, 76 Total Points

Sorry, but I simply could not resist using the above picture.

Regardless, Duguay was electric during the 1981-'82 campaign, fast, aggressive, unconventional and productive. He scored on the rush, in the dirty areas and was part of one of the most memorable tandems in Rangers' history with Mark Pavelich.

While Duguay never approached these offensive totals with the Rangers in any of his other five seasons with the club; no Rangers fan will forget the magic of that season.

16. Brian Leetch, 1988-1989 Season

23G, 48A, 71 Total Points

The true beginning of a new era in Rangers' history. This was Leetch's rookie season, and he was everything and more that he was touted to be prior to joining the team.

Rangers fans got a brief glimpse of his skills at the end of the 1987-'88 season when he joined the club after the Olympics, however, it was during this, his rookie season, where he put the league on notice.

While 71 total points is not a legendary total, the 23 goals remain the highest total in NHL history for rookie defensemen. He outscored all, but one of his teammates that year (Tomas Sandstrom), again, as a rookie d-man, and generally controlled the Rangers offense with his puck-carrying and skating abilities.

15. Tomas Sandstrom, 1988-1989 Season

32G, 56A, 88 Total Points

Though Sandstrom never fully realized his potential as a player while with the Rangers, he would go on to have a very productive NHL career on the whole.

This 1988-1989 campaign, however, saw Sandstrom put most of the pieces of the puzzle together as a Ranger. There was a 24-point gap between Sandstrom and the next highest offensive total by a forward with the team, and his 88 total points eclipsed Brian Leetch's rookie year output by a healthy 17 points.

On a team that sported twin 37-year-olds Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, each of whom appeared closer to 60, Sandstrom succeeded, statistcally at least, in stealing the spotlight from future Hall of Famer Leetch. No easy feat, and therefore, his performance during the 1988-1989 season warrants the 15th spot on our list without question.

14. Brian Leetch, 1990-1991 Season

16G, 72 A, 88 Total Points

This is Leetch's second highest season point total in the NHL as well as the second highest assist total of his career.

Over and above the impressive point total for a defenseman, what makes this performance truly special is the fact that there was a 15-point differential between Leetch and the second highest point total on the team (Bernie Nichols).

Leetch had 23 more assists than any other Ranger that year and was a force unto himself in the pre-Messier era.

13. Mike Gartner, 1990-1991 Season

49G, 20A, 69 Total Points

Though by no means a very memorable points total, of course, as 69 points was a very pedestrian number in the pre-trap days of the NHL, no Ranger fan will forget Gartner's frantic, and ultimately doomed attempt, to become just the second Ranger in history to reach the 50-goal mark (Andy Bathgate).

The last game of the season saw the speedy winger tally his 49th of the year, and then, Blueshirts fans were subjected to the very Rangers-like spectacle of Gartner desperately trying to net that elusive 50th.

Gartner would ring up eight shots during the game, and for Rangers fans, it seemed that seven of the eight came from the slot in the last few moments of the game.

12. Pierre Larouche, 1983-1084 Season

48G, 23 A, 81 Total Points

Though Larouche was a 50-goal scorer on two separate occasions elsewhere, with Pittsburgh and Montreal specifically, he never approached this kind of production in any other of his four seasons with the Blueshirts.

He scored 16 more goals than any other Ranger and was only out-pointed by Mark Pavelich for the team lead, 82-81. He came tantalizingly close to becoming the second Ranger in history to reach 50 goals in a season, and his performance deserves its place on our list accordingly.

He gets the nod over Gartner for this spot based on having recorded more overall points with arguably a less talented pool of teammates to work with.

11. Sergei Zubov, 1993-1994 Season

12G, 77A, 89 Total Points

Rangers fans will remember Zubov fondly for being part of the amazing Stanley Cup run of 1994, and perhaps, equally for the tragedy that was management's eventual decision to ship out both he and Petr Nedved for Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelson.

The Rangers dominated the regular season on their way to the Cup this year, but on a team with Messier, Leetch, Adam Graves, Gartner and Alexei Kovalev, Zubov's total of 89 points was the most on the team.

His 77 assists are the second highest season total in team history behind Brian Leetch's total of 80 during the 1991-1992 season, and that alone secures his hold on 11th place on our list.

10. Theo Fleury, 2000-2001 Season

30G, 44A, 74 Points

At first glance, 74 total points does not seem all that remarkable. When you take into account the fact that Fleury produced that total in just 62 games, however, you start to get a sense of the kind of season he was having before self-admitting into a rehab program.

It is because of this choice, as opposed to being despite this choice, that we decided to include Theo on this list at this advanced stage. He could have continued on that year, he could have continued risking his and his family's future, but he chose the brave way to go despite being on pace to score roughly 40 goals and 100 points.

9. Marion Gaborik, 2009-2010 Season

42G, 44A, 86 Total Points

Gaborik's totals break down as follows: he scored 22 more goals than the second highest performer on the team and 28 more total points than the second place finisher.

He did this all while arguably being the only player on the ice for the Rangers that opponents knew existed. Rangers fans will be waiting to see if he can recapture this form for the upcoming season after a rocky 2010-2011 campaign, but nothing can take away from the inspired brilliance that was his 2009-2010 season.

8. Wayne Gretzky, 1996-1997 Season

25G, 72A, 97 Total Points

While Gretzky had years where he amassed more points through 40 games than he did throughout this entire campaign, it was a joy for Rangers fans to watch him up close and personal after years of only brief exposure.

That said, this fact alone would not be enough to put him as high on this list as he is. The reality is that he still outpaced all teammates by a minimum of 13 points, and those teammates included a still formidable Mark Messier, with 84 points, and a Norris Trophy winning Brian Leetch, who tallied 78 points.

Not bad for a 36-year-old Gretzky playing in the Eastern Conference for the first time in his career.

7. Jaromir Jagr, 2006-2007 Season

30G, 66A, 96 Total Points

With Michael Nylander as his center and Martin Straka as the usual LW, Jagr produced his second consecutive big year for the Rangers and continued the resuscitation of the franchise that he was the driving force behind the year before. 

This would be his final outstanding year in a Rangers sweater, as he would not have a very memorable following season, but Jagr confirmed with this season-long performance that he was without question that rare breed—a star who came to the Rangers and actually performed at a level comparable to his abilities.

6. Adam Graves, 1993-1994 Seaon

52G, 27A, 79 Total Points

A magical individual performance during a magical Stanley Cup winning year for the franchise itself.

Graves' goal output of 52 was 24 more than the output of his closest teammate, Mike Gartner. He accomplished what Pierre Larouche and Mike Gartner came so close to accomplishing, specifically being the second player in franchise history to reach the 50-goal mark.

His role as Mark Messier's finisher and protector was instrumental in establishing the team's identity, and Graves exemplified the term power forward in every regard.

5. Mark Messier, 1995-1996 Season

47G, 52A, 99 Total Points

Messier was simply a bull throughout this season, playing with a physical edge and mean streak that hadnt been a major part of his game for the previous few seasons with the Rangers.

His penalty minutes total rose above the 100-minute mark (122) for the first and only time as a Ranger, and he seemed to have a look about him that said that, as a result of the lockout of 1994-1995, someone was going to pay dearly for costing him and the Rangers' franchise the opportunity to properly defend the Stanley Cup win of 1994.

4. Mike Rogers, 1981-1982 Season

38G, 65A, 103 Total Points

The same year that Ron Duguay was scoring 40, and Mark Pavelich was helping him get there, Mike Rogers went about putting up 27 more total points than any other Ranger for the season and 22 more assists as well.

His game left him rather quickly after this campaign, despite his still being young, but he produced three 100-plus point seasons in his six-year NHL career and will be forever remembered by Rangers fans for both his talent and his quiet, unassuming presence.

3. Brian Leetch, 1991-1992 Season

22G, 80A, 102 Total Points

Most assists by any Ranger in a single season, ever, most points in a single season by any Rangers defensemen, ever, and above all, Norris Trophy Winner for the first of two times.

Though Leetch was a bona fide star prior to this season, he unquestionably cemented his status as a top echelon player with his production during the 1991-1992 season. Only five defensemen have scored 100 or more points in a single season in the history of the NHL, with only two, Bobby Orr (six times) and Paul Coffey (five times) doing it more than once.

Leetch accomplishing this feat was just one more statement to the hockey world that he would always be in the discussion as one of the best defensemen of all time.

2. Mark Messier, 1991-1992 Season

36G, 72A, 107 Total Points

Messier's first season with the New York Rangers saw him achieve his highest point total as a Ranger as well.

Rangers' faithful were introduced to hockey royalty when Messier rolled into town, and the franchise was instantly credible the moment he arrived.

His fierceness, strength, speed and subtle finesse with the puck all combined to produce an almost unstoppable force, and his legendary leadership skills demonstrated to the entire organization what it would take to succeed in the National Hockey League.

1. Jaromir Jagr, 2005-2006 Season

54G, 69A, 123 Total Points

As Mark Messier did almost a generation previous, Jaromir Jagr brought a sense of legitimacy to the Rangers' franchise and lifted it to a higher level than it was before his arrival.

Though he came to the Rangers for the final 31 games of the 2003-2004 season, due to the work stoppage that killed the 2004- 2005 season, Jagr was unable to establish his true presence until the 2005-2005 campaign arrived.

There was an unmistakable professionalism to his approach this season, a selfless sort of pride and leadership that elevated those around him.

The Rangers returned to the NHL playoffs this season for the first time in seven years and amassed 100 points as a team for the first time since the 1993-1994 Cup-winning squad.

It was no coincidence that they did so during a season that saw Jagr dominate at every turn—almost single-handedly resurrecting a franchise in the process.