Peter Laviolette Reflects On Rangers Tenure As ‘A Tale Of Two Years’

Peter Laviolette will make his return to Madison Square Garden on Monday night as the New York Rangers take on the Los Angeles Kings.

This will be the first time Laviolette faces off against the Rangers as an opposing coach since he was let go by the team in 2025.

The Rangers hired Laviolette to be their head coach in 2023 after a disappointing flameout in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the New Jersey Devils in a tightly contested seven-game series.

Laviolette made an instant impact for the Rangers during his first season behind the bench. The Blueshirts won the Presidents’ Trophy with a 55-23-4 record and reached the Eastern Conference Final before being eliminated by the Florida Panthers.

However, the Rangers missed the playoffs the following season, finishing the year with a 39-36-7 record and 85 points while dealing with internal issues. The Rangers’ failure to live up to expectations, as well as all the turmoil surrounding the team, ultimately cost Laviolette his job.

When looking back at his time with the Blueshirts, Laviolette sees it through two different lenses.

“It was kind of a tale of two years,” Laviolette said. “The first year was really good, I mean, most wins and most points and a very storied franchise. Took it to three rounds to Florida and lost in Game 6, and that was disappointing. Not to win a couple more games and get that chance to play for the Cup. But, overall, looking back at that year, it was a year that was really good. It was something that I'll remember being here in New York. Obviously, the second year was not as smooth and had problems inside of it.“

Laviolette was without a coaching gig for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign, but the Los Angeles Kings hired him to be their head coach this past summer.

He has now reunited with Artemi Panarin in Los Angeles, who recorded a career-high 120 points under Laviolette’s coaching.

Through all the ups and downs of Laviolette’s tenure in the Big Apple, he still relished the opportunity to coach an Original Six team like the Rangers in a market like New York.

“I really enjoyed being here. I loved being at Madison Square Garden,” Laviolette said. “The New York fans were just awesome. I can't tell you how many times I was around the country and somebody would come up to me and say 'I'm the biggest Rangers fan ever'. You can feel the passion from the people…

“It’s one of the greatest cities in the country. It’s a huge sports market, it’s Madison Square Garden, it’s the New York Rangers, so there were a lot of things I loved about being here.”