A very small sample of some of the Ranger's worst heels in its history.
Generations of Rangers fans dating back to the late 1920s could raconteur tales of opponents who enjoyed their pain and misery, Many of those players are all-time performers like Gordie Howe, the Islander's "Trio Grande", and Mario Lemieux. Here's a look at Rangers opponents that made you say "Of course!"
Red Dutton: The bitter New York American's owner is the supposed origin of the 1940 curse. With the Ranger's success in Madison Square Garden and the “Amerks” taking a heavy hit because of World War II, the club had to seize operations. Dutton served as the NHL president and quickly succeeded in the position with the promise that he could revive his beloved club and move the team to Brooklyn (following the New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers rivalry). When he was denied by NHL owners, he vowed that the Rangers would never win again in his lifetime. His supernatural wish came true, as he passed in 1987. The Rangers would not win the Stanley Cup for another 7 years.
The Killer B’s Line: Following the Rangers Presidents Trophy clinching season in 2015, they fell into a 3-1 deficit against the Washington Capitals. “The Killer B’s” line of Jay Beagle, a young Andre Burakovsky, and aged Troy Brouwer dropped the hammer on the Rangers, combining for 3 goals and 3 assists in the opening 4 games to take hold of the series. They may have been forgotten because of the eventual result…
The Triplets Line: As for “The Triplets”, the result is in their favor. In a time before three consecutive championship series appearances, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat's connection decimated the Rangers in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. The line combined for 11 of the team's 21 goals in seven games. Palat still tortures the Rangers to this day, recording two game-winning goals against the Rangers in the 2022 post-season and he skated as a Devil to bury the Rangers in 2023.
J.G Pageau: Most Rangers fans can still hear the Senator's goal horn in their sleep thanks to Pageua. In the fourth game of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semi-Final, where Brady Skjei looked like a true number-one rearguard and the Rangers held a lead twice, they lost in double overtime at the hands of four JG Pageau goals. To make matters worse, he signed with the New York Islanders in 2020 at the displeasure of Rangers fans. He would score his first goal with his new club on February 25th, 2020... imagine who that was against. In the same game, he also tried to fight Jacob Trouba following the defenseman's highlight reel check on Michael Dal Colle.
Matt Murray/Akira Schmid: These two belong in the "random goalie does it again" category. Matt Murray would replace Jeff Zatkoff in the Penguins first-round series against the Rangers in 2016. Annihilating the Rangers, the surprise starter would lead Pittsburgh to a championship. Akira Schmid is one of the many that has done the same, blanking the Rangers in Game 7 to win a first-round series in the latest edition of “Battle of the Hudson”.
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