2011–12 New York Rangers season

On April 11, 2011, the NHL announced that the Rangers would open the regular season in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 7, 2011, against the Los Angeles Kings, and on October 8 against the Anaheim Ducks as part of the 2011 NHL Premiere.[2]

On May 13, Rangers forward Derek Boogaard was found dead in his apartment. Boogaard had played in 22 games for the Rangers during the 2010–11 season after signing a four-year deal with the Rangers in the previous off-season.[3]

On June 29, Rangers captain Chris Drury's contract was bought out.[4][5]

On July 2, free agent Brad Richards signed a nine-year contract worth almost $60 million with the Rangers. Richards had been considered to be the top free agent of 2011.[6][7]

On August 4, Sean Avery was arrested at his home in Hollywood Hills for battery on a police officer after pushing an officer that was trying to break up a party at Avery's home.[8]

On September 12, the Rangers announced that Ryan Callahan would be the 26th captain in New York Rangers history.[9] Brad Richards and Marc Staal were named as alternate captains.

On September 26, the NHL officially announced that the Rangers would face the Philadelphia Flyers on January 2, 2012, in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.[10] As part of the Winter Classic festivities, the Rangers were featured in HBO's 24/7 series.[11] The throwback jerseys the Rangers wore for the Winter Classic were unveiled at an event on November 28.[12]

On December 10, the Rangers won their 2,500th game in franchise history at the Buffalo Sabres, 4–1.[13]

On December 17, in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes in Phoenix, Brad Richards scored the game-winning goal with 0.1 seconds left in the third period to win the game for the Rangers 3–2, at the last possible moment in regulation.

On January 2, 2012, the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3–2 in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, moving into first place overall in the NHL for the first time at this point in the season since the 1995–96 season.[14]

On January 6, thanks to the Rangers' first place standing in the Eastern Conference, Head Coach John Tortorella was named as one of the coaches for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.[15]

The Rangers set an NHL record by not allowing more than four goals in regulation in a game through the first 69 games of the season. The Rangers, with back-up goaltender Martin Biron playing, lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 15 by a score of 5–2 to break the streak.[16]

From March 11 to March 23, the Rangers had a seven-game homestand (playing every other day during that span), tying a franchise record for most consecutive games played at Madison Square Garden.[17] The other time this occurred was between December 10 and December 23 of the 2001–02 season.

The Rangers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot with a 4–2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on March 20.[18]

With a victory on March 24 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Rangers reached the 100-point plateau for the seventh time in franchise history, and the first time since the 2005–06 season.[19]

On March 28, Henrik Lundqvist notched his 250th career win as the Broadway Blueshirts netminder, thus becoming the 45th goalie in NHL history to reach this plateau, in a 4–2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre.[20]

With a 5–3 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on April 3, the Rangers clinched the Atlantic Division title and first place in the Eastern Conference with their 51st win in their 80th game of the season. The Rangers had been in first place in the Conference since December 30, 2011.[21] It was the first title of either kind for the Rangers since winning the 1994 Stanley Cup.

Rookie Carl Hagelin was an early standout, coming in 6th on the team in both goals and total points, despite playing in only 64 games.

On May 2, 2012, Marian Gaborik scored 14:41 into the third overtime of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to defeat the Washington Capitals 2–1 at the Verizon Center. This was longest playoff game for the Rangers since April 29, 1971, when Pete Stemkowski scored in the third overtime for a 3–2 win in Game 6 of the 1971 Semifinals over the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.[22] Later in the series with Washington, on May 7, 2012, Brad Richards tied Game 5 with 6.6 seconds left in regulation, on a power-play. This was the latest tying goal in Rangers playoff history. That same Rangers power-play carried over into overtime due to it being a 4-minute double minor. Marc Staal then scored at 1:35 of overtime on the power-play, giving the Rangers a 3-2 victory, and a 3-2 series lead.[23]

The New York Rangers ended the 2011–12 regular season as the Eastern Conference's 1st seed. They faced the #8 seed Ottawa Senators in the first round. The Rangers battled back from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Senators in seven games. The Rangers defeated the #7 seed Washington Capitals their second round opponent, in seven games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers faced the #6 seed New Jersey Devils. After leading the series 2-1, the Rangers lost 3 games in a row and lost the series 4-2.

Key:   Win   Loss

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†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.

Updated May 16, 2012.[35]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
42		Artem Anisimov	C	L	32	2006	Yaroslavl, Soviet Union
41		Stu Bickel	D/RW	R	34	2010	Chanhassen, Minnesota
43		Martin Biron	G	L	43	2010	Lac-Saint-Charles, Quebec
22		Brian Boyle	C	L	36	2009	Hingham, Massachusetts
24		Ryan Callahan (C)	RW	R	35	2004	Rochester, New York
4		Michael Del Zotto	D	L	30	2008	Stouffville, Ontario
17		Brandon Dubinsky	C/LW	L	34	2004	Anchorage, Alaska
44		Steve Eminger	D	R	37	2010	Woodbridge, Ontario
53		Tim Erixon	D	L	29	2011	Port Chester, New York
26		Ruslan Fedotenko	LW	L	42	2010	Kiev, Soviet Union
10		Marian Gaborik	RW	L	38	2009	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
5		Daniel Girardi	D	R	36	2006	Welland, Ontario
62		Carl Hagelin	LW	L	32	2007	Södertälje, Sweden
20		Chris Kreider	LW	L	29	2009	Boxford, Massachusetts
30		Henrik Lundqvist	G	L	38	2000	Åre, Sweden
27		Ryan McDonagh	D	L	31	2009	St. Paul, Minnesota
		Dylan McIlrath	D	R	28	2010	Winnipeg, Manitoba
		J. T. Miller	F	L	27	2011	East Palestine, Ohio
34		John Mitchell	C/RW	L	36	2011	Oakville, Ontario
45		Kris Newbury	C	L	38	2010	Brampton, Ontario
8		Brandon Prust	W	L	36	2010	London, Ontario
19		Brad Richards (A)	C	L	40	2011	Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island
71		Michael Rupp	LW/C	L	41	2011	Cleveland, Ohio
38		Michael Sauer	D	R	33	2005	St. Cloud, Minnesota
28		John Scott	D/LW	L	38	2012	St. Catharines, Ontario
18		Marc Staal (A)	D	L	34	2005	Thunder Bay, Ontario
21		Derek Stepan	C/LW	R	30	2008	Hastings, Minnesota
32		Anton Stralman	D	R	34	2011	Tibro, Sweden
81		Cam Talbot	G	L	33	2010	Caledonia, Ontario
		Casey Wellman	C	R	33	2012	Brentwood, California
6		Jeff Woywitka	D	L	37	2011	Vermilion, Alberta
36		Mats Zuccarello	RW	L	33	2010	Oslo, Norway

The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season:

Trades Date Details May 8, 2011[36] To Phoenix Coyotes Ethan Werek To New York Rangers Oscar Lindberg June 1, 2011[37] To Calgary Flames Roman Horak Two 2nd-round picks (45th and 57th overall) in 2011 To New York Rangers Tim Erixon 5th-round pick (134th overall) in 2011 June 25, 2011[38] To St. Louis Blues Evgeny Grachev To New York Rangers 3rd-round pick (72nd overall) in 2011 June 25, 2011[39] To Nashville Predators 6th-round pick in 2012 To New York Rangers 6th-round pick (172nd overall) in 2011 July 2, 2011[40] To Nashville Predators Brodie Dupont To New York Rangers Andreas Thuresson November 8, 2011[41] To Washington Capitals Tomas Kundratek To New York Rangers Francois Bouchard February 3, 2012[42] To Minnesota Wild Erik Christensen Conditional 7th-round pick in 2013 To New York Rangers Casey Wellman February 25, 2012[43] To Florida Panthers Wojtek Wolski To New York Rangers Michael Vernace 3rd-round pick in 2013 February 27, 2012[44] To Chicago Blackhawks 5th-round pick in 2012 To New York Rangers John Scott

Free agents signed Player Former team Contract terms Blake Parlett[45] Connecticut Whale 2 years, $1.075 million entry-level contract Mike Rupp[46] Pittsburgh Penguins 3 years, $4.5 million Brad Richards[47] Dallas Stars 9 years, $58.5 million Brendan Bell[48] EHC Biel 1 year, $525,000 Andre Deveaux[49] Chicago Wolves 1 year, $525,000 Anton Stralman[50] Columbus Blue Jackets 1 year, $900,000 Marek Hrivik[51] Connecticut Whale 3 years, $1.925 million entry-level contract

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Alexander Frolov[52] Avangard Omsk 3 years Jeremy Williams[53] Red Bull Salzburg 1 year Matt Gilroy[54] Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year, $1 million Vaclav Prospal[55] Columbus Blue Jackets 1 year, $1.75 million

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Jeff Woywitka[56] Montreal Canadiens October 6, 2011

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Dale Weise[57] Vancouver Canucks October 4, 2011

Lost via buyout Player Chris Drury[58] Player signings Player Date Contract terms Jason Wilson[59] May 12, 2011 3 years, $1.765 million entry-level contract Christian Thomas[60] May 19, 2011 3 years, $2.515 million entry-level contract Scott Stajcer[61] May 20, 2011 3 years, $1.86 million entry-level contract Tim Erixon[37] June 1, 2011 3 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract Chad Kolarik[62] June 17, 2011 2 years, $1.05 million Dale Weise[63] June 27, 2011 1 year, $605,000 John Mitchell[64] June 30, 2011 1 year, $650,000 Ruslan Fedotenko[65] July 1, 2011 1 year, $1.4 million Michael Sauer[66] July 8, 2011 2 years, $2.5 million Artem Anisimov[67] July 8, 2011 2 years, $3.75 million Brian Boyle[68] July 15, 2011 3 years, $5.1 million Brandon Dubinsky[69] July 21, 2011 4 years, $16.8 million Steve Eminger[70] July 25, 2011 1 year, $800,000 Ryan Callahan[71] July 27, 2011 3 years, $12.825 million J. T. Miller[72] July 28, 2011 3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract Andrew Yogan[73] March 26, 2012 3 years, $1.965 million entry-level contract Chris Kreider[74] April 10, 2012 3 years, $2.4 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	15	J. T. Miller	LW	United States	U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
3	72 (from St. Louis)	Steven Fogarty	C	United States	Edina High School (USHS-MN)
4	106	Michael St. Croix	C	Canada	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
5	134 (from Calgary)	Shane McColgan	RW	United States	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
5	136	Samuel Noreau	D	Canada	Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
6	172 (from Nashville)	Peter Ceresnak	D	Slovakia	Dukla Trencin Jr. (Slovakia-Jr.)

See also

• 2011–12 NHL season

Farm teams

Connecticut Whale (AHL)

The 2011–12 season was the 15th season of AHL hockey for the franchise, and was the franchise's first full season as the Connecticut Whale.

Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL)

The 2011–12 season was the 2nd season of affiliation for the Rangers and the Greenville Road Warriors.

References

1. National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
2. Rangers open next season in Sweden
3. Derek Boogaard passes away at age 28
4. Rangers buy out Drury's contract
5. Drury's Rangers career ends today
6. Rosen, Dan. "Report: Brad Richards chooses Rangers". NHL.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
7. "Richards chooses Rangers for nine years, 60 million". The Sports Network. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
8. REPORT: AVERY ARRESTED FOR BATTERY ON A POLICE OFFICER
9. Callahan named Rangers' 26th captain
10. It's Rangers vs. Flyers in Winter Classic
11. Rangers to be featured on HBO's '24/7'
12. Rangers unveil Winter Classic jersey
13. NYR win No. 2,500 truly a sweet one
14. "NHL Preview - New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins - Jan 06, 2012". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
15. Tortorella to coach in NHL All-Star Game
16. Without Henrik, Rangers fall at home
17. "#Islanders ChrisBottaNHL: Rangers' 7-game homestand, starting Sunday, ties longest in team histo". Letsgokings.com. 2012-03-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
18. "Rangers down Devils to clinch playoff berth at home". Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
19. Rangers beat Leafs, reach 101 points
20. Leonard, Pat (March 28, 2012). "NY Rangers defeat Winnipeg Jets 4-2 to stay on top of Eastern Conference playoff picture". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
21. Leonard, Pat (April 3, 2012). "NY Rangers earn Eastern Conference top seed for 2012 NHL Playoffs with 5-3 win over Philadelphia Flyers, top conference for first time since Stanley Cup win". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
22. Leonard, Pat (May 3, 2012). "NY Rangers' Marian Gaborik scores in third overtime of Game 3 to give Blueshirts 2-1 win over Washington Capitals". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
23. "Stunner! Rangers win in OT, 3-2". Newsday.com. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
24. Marchand, Gaborik, Giguere earn Three Stars
25. "A Trio of NYR All-Stars". Archived from the original on 2012-01-15. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
26. Hagelin going to All-Star Weekend
27. Gaborik MVP caps big All-Star Weekend
28. Callahan wins third McDonald Award
29. Lundqvist honored with the Vezina
30. Lundqvist, Rinne, Quick tabbed Vezina finalists
31. Lundqvist, Malkin and Stamkos are Hart finalists
32. Adams finalists: Hitchcock, MacLean, Tortorella
33. Malkin, Stamkos, Lundqvist named Lindsay finalists
34. Brown, Doan, Callahan finalists for Messier Award
35. "New York Rangers - Team: Roster". New York Rangers. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
36. Rangers obtain Lindberg for Werek
37. Rangers get Erixon in deal with Flames
38. Grachev dealt for a pick to land Fogarty
39. Rangers make six picks at 2011 draft
40. Blueshirts get Thuresson from Preds
41. "Rangers deal for Francois Bouchard". Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
42. Rangers obtain Wellman from Minnesota
43. Wolski traded for Vernace, draft pick
44. Rangers obtain Scott from Blackhawks
45. Blueshirts add defenseman Parlett
46. Rupp joins Blueshirts as a free agent
47. Rangers land All-Star center Richards
48. Rangers Agree To Terms With Free Agent Defenseman Brendan Bell
49. Blueshirts add Deveaux as free agent
50. Rangers add defenseman Stralman
51. Hrivik gets first NHL deal with Rangers
52. Alex Frolov signs with KHL one year after he should have
53. "Forward Jeremy Williams reinforces the Red Bulls" (in German). EC Red Bull Salzburg. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
54. Lightning Sign Free Agent Defenseman Matt Gilroy
55. Blue Jackets Sign Vinny Prospal
56. Rangers claim Woywitka from Habs
57. Canucks claim Dale Weise off waivers
58. Rangers buy out final season of Chris Drury's contract
59. Rangers, Wilson agree to terms
60. Thomas agrees to first NHL contract
61. Rangers, Stajcer agree to contract terms
62. Rangers, Kolarik agree on an extension
63. Weise agrees to contract extension
64. Mitchell, Rangers agree on extension
65. Fedotenko returning with new deal
66. Rangers agree to terms with Sauer
67. Anisimov returning with new contract
68. Rangers agree to terms with Boyle
69. Rangers, Dubinsky agree to terms
70. Eminger returning to Blueshirts
71. Callahan agrees to contract terms
72. First-rounder Miller agrees to terms
73. Rangers agree to terms with Yogan
74. Rangers, Kreider agree to contract terms