2008–09 New York Rangers season

The 2008–09 New York Rangers season was the National Hockey League franchise's 82nd season of play and their 83rd season overall. It saw the Rangers qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Rangers started the season in Europe. First, as part of the inaugural Victoria Cup being held in Switzerland, the Rangers played an exhibition game against SC Bern on September 30, and then the main game against the 2008 European Champions Metallurg Magnitogorsk on October 1 (the first game between a Russian club and an NHL team since 1991). They won both games, and were awarded the first Victoria Cup. The Rangers battled from a 3–0 deficit in the Victoria Cup to win the game by a score of 4–3. Ryan Callahan scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds left.[1]

2008–09 New York Rangers
Division4th Atlantic
Conference7th Eastern
2008–09 record43–30–9
Home record26–11–4
Road record17–19–5
Goals for210
Goals against218
Team information
General managerGlen Sather
CoachTom Renney (Oct.–Feb.)
John Tortorella (Feb.–Apr.)
CaptainChris Drury
Alternate captainsScott Gomez
Markus Naslund
ArenaMadison Square Garden
Average attendance18,200
Team leaders
GoalsMarkus Naslund (24)
AssistsScott Gomez (42)
PointsScott Gomez
Nikolay Zherdev (58)
Penalty minutesColton Orr (193)
Plus/minusRyan Callahan (+7)
WinsHenrik Lundqvist (38)
Goals against averageLundqvist (2.40)

On October 3, 2008 Chris Drury was named the 25th captain in Rangers history. The Rangers opened the NHL regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning with two games in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4 and 5.[2] Alexei Cherepanov, a former first-round draft pick of the Rangers, died suddenly on October 13 during a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) game in Moscow.[3] The Rangers tied the 1983–84 Rangers for the best start in franchise history with a 5–0 record. The quest for the greatest start in franchise history was put to a halt on October 15, 2008, with a 3–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.[4] The Rangers set the franchise record for best start in a season by going 10–2–1 for 21 points in the first 13 games. The 10 wins and 21 points both marked franchise records.[5] On January 24, 2009, the festivities for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game began in Montreal with Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal playing for the Sophomore Team in the YoungStars Game. Staal scored two goals in the game, but the Rookie Team won 9–5. Henrik Lundqvist was the Rangers' only All-Star selection, and stopped 12 of 16 shots in the Elimination Shootout during the SuperSkills Competition.[6] On January 25, 2009, Lundqvist stopped 15 of the 21 shots he faced in the second period of the All-Star Game, helping the East beat the West 12–11 in a shootout.[7] On February 3, 2009, the New York Rangers retired Adam Graves' number 9 jersey before a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, joining fellow 1994 Stanley Cup champion teammates Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Mike Richter, as well as Ranger greats Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacomin, in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.[8] On February 22, the Rangers retired Andy Bathgate's number 9 and Harry Howell's number 3 jerseys before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[9] A day later, Head Coach Tom Renney was fired after five seasons with the Rangers. Former Rangers assistant coach and coach of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, John Tortorella, was hired later that same day to replace Renney. Rangers Assistant General Manager Jim Schoenfeld was given the interim assistant coaching position.[10] Shortly after that, Sean Avery made his return to the Rangers, claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars.[11] Head Coach John Tortorella was suspended for Game 6 of the Rangers–Washington Capitals playoff series after an altercation with a fan towards the end of the Rangers' 4–0 loss in Washington, D.C., during Game 5.[12] On May 4, 2009, Markus Naslund announced that he would be retiring after one season with the Rangers.[13]

Pre-season

Regular season

The Rangers finished the regular season with the League's best penalty-kill percentage, at 87.84%.[14]

Divisional standings
Atlantic Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1y – New Jersey Devils8251274244209106
2Pittsburgh Penguins824528926423999
3Philadelphia Flyers8244271126423899
4New York Rangers824330921021895
5New York Islanders822647920127961

Conference standings
Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1z – Boston BruinsNE82531910274196116
2y – Washington CapitalsSE8250248272245108
3y – New Jersey DevilsAT8251274244209106
4Pittsburgh PenguinsAT824528926423999
5Philadelphia FlyersAT8244271126423899
6Carolina HurricanesSE824530723922697
7New York RangersAT824330921021895
8Montreal CanadiensNE8241301124924793
8.5
9Florida PanthersSE8241301123423193
10Buffalo SabresNE824132925023491
11Ottawa SenatorsNE8236351121723783
12Toronto Maple LeafsNE8234351325029381
13Atlanta ThrashersSE823541625728076
14Tampa Bay LightningSE8224401821027966
15New York IslandersAT822647920127961

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

Schedule and results

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

2008-09 Game Log
October: 10-2-1 (Home: 6-2-0; Road: 4-0-1)
November: 7-6-1 (Home: 4-3-1; Road: 3-3-0)
December: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-2-1; Road: 3-3-0)
January: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-1-0; Road: 3-4-1)
February: 3-6-4 (Home: 3-2-2; Road: 0-4-2)
March: 8-4-1 (Home: 5-1-0; Road: 3-3-1)
April: 3-2-0 (Home: 2-0-0; Road: 1-2-0)

Playoffs
Main article: 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New York Rangers ended the 2008–09 regular season as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. They were defeated in the first round by the Washington Capitals in seven games.

Key:   Win   Loss

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Player statistics
Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season
Player GP TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO
Henrik Lundqvist704153382571682.432007.9163
Steve Valiquette15823552392.84421.9071
Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO
Henrik Lundqvist738034193.00207.9081
Steve Valiquette2400000.0091.0000

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.
‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.

[15]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Milestones
Regular Season
PlayerMilestoneReached
Lauri Korpikoski1st NHL Regular Season GameOctober 4, 2008
Henrik Lundqvist200th NHL AppearanceOctober 15, 2008
Brandon Dubinsky100th NHL GameOctober 27, 2008
Nikolay Zherdev300th NHL GameNovember 8, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski1st NHL Regular Season Goal
1st NHL Regular Season Point		November 12, 2008
Marc Staal100th NHL GameNovember 15, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski1st NHL AssistNovember 15, 2008
Michal Rozsival500th NHL GameNovember 17, 2008
Fredrik Sjostrom300th NHL GameNovember 22, 2008
Nikolai Zherdev200th NHL PointNovember 24, 2008
Scott Gomez400th NHL AssistDecember 3, 2008
Corey Potter1st NHL Regular Season GameDecember 7, 2008
Ryan Callahan100th NHL GameDecember 16, 2008
Dmitri Kalinin500th NHL GameDecember 16, 2008
Paul Mara600th NHL GameDecember 23, 2008
Colton Orr200th NHL GameDecember 23, 2008
Corey Potter1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point		December 27, 2008
Wade Redden500th NHL Penalty MinuteJanuary 3, 2009
Nigel Dawes100th NHL GameJanuary 5, 2009
Blair Betts300th NHL GameJanuary 9, 2009
Henrik Lundqvist1st NHL All-Star GameJanuary 25, 2009
Artem Anisimov1st NHL GameFebruary 3, 2009
Aaron Voros100th NHL GameFebruary 3, 2009
Colton Orr500th NHL Penalty MinuteFebruary 21, 2009
Michal Rozsival200th NHL PointFebruary 22, 2009
Wade Redden900th NHL GameFebruary 26, 2009
John Tortorella1st Win as Rangers coachFebruary 28, 2009
Markus Naslund1,100th NHL GameMarch 5, 2009
Henrik Lundquist1st NHL goalie to win 30+ games in first four seasonsMarch 12, 2009
John TortorellaWinningest US-born coach in NHL history with 245 winsMarch 17, 2009
Mike Sauer1st NHL GameMarch 24, 2009
Nik Antropov300th NHL PointMarch 26, 2009
Scott Gomez700th NHL GameMarch 28, 2009
Corey Potter1st NHL GoalApril 2, 2009
Artem Anisimov1st NHL Playoff GameApril 28, 2009
Markus NaslundFinal NHL GameApril 28, 2009

Transactions

The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2008–09 season.

Roster

Updated April 28, 2009.[22]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
42 Artem Anisimov C L 32 2006 Yaroslavl, Soviet Union
80 Nik Antropov RW L 40 2009 Ust-Kamenogorsk, Soviet Union
16 Sean Avery LW L 40 2009 North York, Ontario
15 Blair Betts  C L 40 2004 Edmonton, Alberta
24 Ryan Callahan RW R 35 2004 Rochester, New York
23 Chris Drury (C) C R 44 2007 Trumbull, Connecticut
17 Brandon Dubinsky C L 34 2004 Anchorage, Alaska
5 Dan Girardi D R 36 2006 Welland, Ontario
19 Scott Gomez (A) C L 41 2007 Anchorage, Alaska
29 Lauri Korpikoski LW L 34 2004 Turku, Finland
30 Henrik Lundqvist G L 38 2000 Åre, Sweden
27 Paul Mara D L 41 2007 Ridgewood, New Jersey
53 Derek Morris D R 42 2009 Edmonton, Alberta
91 Markus Naslund (A) LW L 47 2008 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
28 Colton Orr RW R 38 2005 Winnipeg, Manitoba
6 Wade Redden D L 43 2008 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
33 Michal Rozsival D R 42 2005 Vlašim, Czechoslovakia
20 Fredrik Sjostrom LW L 37 2008 Färgelanda, Sweden
18 Marc Staal D L 34 2005 Thunder Bay, Ontario
40 Steve Valiquette G L 43 2003 Etobicoke, Ontario
34 Aaron Voros LW L 39 2008 Vancouver, British Columbia
13 Nikolay Zherdev RW R 36 2008 Kiev, Soviet Union

Staff

New York Rangers staff
Executive Operations  

Hockey Operations

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario:

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 20 Michael Del Zotto D  Canada Oshawa Generals (OHL)
2 51 Derek Stepan C  United States Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN)
3 75 Evgeny Grachev C  Russia Lokomotiv-2 Yaroslavl (Russia)
3 90 Tomas Kundratek D  Czech Republic Ocelari Trinec (Czech Extraliga)
4 111 Dale Weise RW  Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
5 141 Chris Doyle C  Canada P.E.I. Rocket (QMJHL)
6 171 Mitch Gaulton D  Canada Erie Otters (OHL)

See also

Farm teams

Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

The 2008–09 season will be the 12th season of American Hockey League (AHL) hockey for the franchise.

Charlotte Checkers (ECHL)

The 2008–09 season will be the 16th season of ECHL hockey for the franchise.

References

  1. IIHF Top 100 Hockey Stories of All Time, Szymon Szemberg and Andrew Podnieks, p. 173, Fenn Publishing, Bolton, Ontario, Canada, 2008, ISBN 978-1-55168-358-4
  2. NHL's European plans finalized
  3. Ralph, Dan. Rangers draft pick dies, Canadian Online Explorer, October 13, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  4. Obernauer, Michael. "Rangers tie mark for best start with 4-1 win over Devils at Garden" Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, New York Daily News, October 13, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  5. Zherdev, Lundqvist pace Rangers to fourth straight win, Associated Press, ESPN, October 30, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  6. "Rangers shine in SuperSkills competition". Archived from the original on 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  7. "Lundqvist helps East win NHL All-Star Game". Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  8. "Graves joins Rangers legends in MSG rafters". Archived from the original on 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  9. Bathgate, Howell come home to the rafters Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Tortorella expected to add more 'fire' to bench". Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
  11. "Rangers claim Avery off re-entry waivers". Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  12. "Rangers' Tortorella banned one game for altercation with fan". Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  13. "Rangers' Naslund announces retirement at age 35". Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  14. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2009.html
  15. "2008-09 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
  16. Columbus Sends Zherdev To The Rangers", The Sports Network, July 2, 2008, accessed on July 2, 2008.
  17. Hollweg traded to Toronto for fifth-rounder Archived 2008-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, New York Rangers, July 14, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  18. Rangers trade Jessiman to Predators Archived 2009-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, New York Rangers, October 30, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  19. Rangers obtain Reitz from Wild Archived 2009-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, New York Rangers, January 29, 2009, accessed on January 29, 2009.
  20. Rangers add power in a hurry at deadline Archived 2009-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, New York Rangers, March 4, 2009, accessed on March 4, 2009.
  21. Rangers sign Redden to six-year deal, The Canadian Press, Canadian Online Explorer, July 1, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
  22. "New York Rangers - Team - Roster". Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
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