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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 manager Glen Sather
Coach Tom Renney (Oct.–Feb.)
John Tortorella (Feb.–Apr.)
Captain Chris Drury
Alternate captains Scott Gomez
Markus Naslund
Arena Madison Square Garden
Average attendance18,200
Team leaders
Goals Markus Naslund (24)
AssistsScott Gomez (42)
PointsScott Gomez
Nikolay Zherdev (58)
Penalty minutes Colton Orr (193)
Plus/minus Ryan Callahan (+7)
Wins Henrik Lundqvist (38)
Goals against averageLundqvist (2.40)
←  2007–08
2009–10 →

The 2008–09 New York Rangers season was the 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]

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

2008 pre-season game log: 3–5–0 (home: 2–2–0; road: 1–3–0)
# Date Opponent Score Decision Record
1 September 20 @ Ottawa Senators 3 – 2 Valiquette 0–1–0
2 September 22 Ottawa Senators 2 – 1 Lundqvist 1–1–0
3 September 23 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – 2 Wiikman 1–2–0
4 September 24 @ New Jersey Devils 3 – 2 Lundqvist 1–3–0
5 September 25 Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – 2 Valiquette 1–4–0
6 September 27 New Jersey Devils 4 – 2 Lundqvist 1–5–0
7 September 30 (in Bern, Switzerland) SC Bern 8 – 1 Valiquette 2–5–0
8 October 1 (in Bern, Switzerland) Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 – 3 Lundqvist 3–5–0

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
1 New Jersey Devils 82 51 27 4 244 209 106
2 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 45 28 9 264 239 99
3 Philadelphia Flyers 82 44 27 11 264 238 99
4 New York Rangers 82 43 30 9 210 218 95
5 New York Islanders 82 26 47 9 201 279 61

Conference standings

Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 z – Boston Bruins NE 82 53 19 10 274 196 116
2 y – Washington Capitals SE 82 50 24 8 272 245 108
3 y – New Jersey Devils AT 82 51 27 4 244 209 106
4 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 45 28 9 264 239 99
5 Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 44 27 11 264 238 99
6 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 45 30 7 239 226 97
7 New York Rangers AT 82 43 30 9 210 218 95
8 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 41 30 11 249 247 93
8.5
9 Florida Panthers SE 82 41 30 11 234 231 93
10 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 41 32 9 250 234 91
11 Ottawa Senators NE 82 36 35 11 217 237 83
12 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 34 35 13 250 293 81
13 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 35 41 6 257 280 76
14 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 24 40 18 210 279 66
15 New York Islanders AT 82 26 47 9 201 279 61

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)
Game October Opponent Score Decision Record
1 4 (in Prague, Czech Republic) @ Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – 1 Lundqvist 1–0–0
2 5 (in Prague, Czech Republic) Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – 1 Lundqvist 2–0–0
3 10 Chicago Blackhawks 4 – 2 Lundqvist 3–0–0
4 11 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 3 Valiquette 4–0–0
5 13 New Jersey Devils 4 – 1 Lundqvist 5–0–0
6 15 Buffalo Sabres 3 – 1 Lundqvist 5–1–0
7 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 1 – 0 SO Valiquette 6–1–0
8 18 @ Detroit Red Wings 5 – 4 OT Lundqvist 6–1–1
9 20 Dallas Stars 2 – 1 Lundqvist 6–2–1
10 24 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 3 – 1 Lundqvist 7–2–1
11 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 8–2–1
12 27 @ New York Islanders 4 – 2 Lundqvist 9–2–1
13 30 Atlanta Thrashers 3 – 2 Lundqvist 10–2–1
November: 7-6-1 (Home: 4-3-1; Road: 3-3-0)
Game November Opponent Score Decision Record
14 1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 5 – 2 Valiquette 10–3–1
15 4 New York Islanders 2 – 1 Lundqvist 10–4–1
16 6 Tampa Bay Lightning 5 – 2 Lundqvist 11–4–1
17 8 @ Washington Capitals 3 – 1 Lundqvist 11–5–1
18 10 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 11–5–2
19 12 @ New Jersey Devils 5 – 2 Lundqvist 12–5–2
20 15 Boston Bruins 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 13–5–2
21 17 Ottawa Senators 2 – 1 SO Lundqvist 14–5–2
22 19 Vancouver Canucks 6 – 3 Lundqvist 14–6–2
23 22 @ Ottawa Senators 4 – 1 Valiquette 14–7–2
24 24 Phoenix Coyotes 4 – 1 Lundqvist 15–7–2
25 26 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 16–7–2
26 28 @ Florida Panthers 4 – 3 SO Lundqvist 17–7–2
27 30 Florida Panthers 4 – 0 Lundqvist 17–8–2
December: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-2-1; Road: 3-3-0)
Game December Opponent Score Decision Record
28 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 18–8–2
29 4 @ Montreal Canadiens 6 – 2 Lundqvist 18–9–2
30 7 Calgary Flames 3 – 0 Lundqvist 18–10–2
31 10 @ Atlanta Thrashers 3 – 2 OT Valiquette 19–10–2
32 12 @ New Jersey Devils 8 – 5 Lundqvist 19–11–2
33 13 Carolina Hurricanes 3 – 2 SO Lundqvist 20–11–2
34 16 @ Anaheim Ducks 3 – 1 Lundqvist 21–11–2
35 17 @ Los Angeles Kings 3 – 2 OT Valiquette 22–11–2
36 20 @ San Jose Sharks 3 – 2 Lundqvist 22–12–2
37 23 Washington Capitals 5 – 4 OT Lundqvist 22–12–3
38 27 New Jersey Devils 4 – 2 Lundqvist 22–13–3
39 29 New York Islanders 5 – 4 Lundqvist 23–13–3
January: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-1-0; Road: 3-4-1)
Game January Opponent Score Decision Record
40 3 @ Washington Capitals 2 – 1 Valiquette 23–14–3
41 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – 0 Lundqvist 24–14–3
42 7 Montreal Canadiens 6 – 3 Lundqvist 24–15–3
43 9 @ Buffalo Sabres 2 – 1 SO Valiquette 24–15–4
44 10 @ Ottawa Senators 2 – 0 Lundqvist 25–15–4
45 13 @ New York Islanders 2 – 1 Lundqvist 26–15–4
46 16 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3 – 2 OT Lundqvist 27–15–4
47 18 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3 – 0 Lundqvist 27–16–4
48 20 Anaheim Ducks 4 – 2 Lundqvist 28–16–4
49 27 Carolina Hurricanes 3 – 2 Valiquette 29–16–4
50 28 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 6 – 2 Lundqvist 29–17–4
51 31 @ Boston Bruins 1 – 0 Lundqvist 29–18–4
February: 3-6-4 (Home: 3-2-2; Road: 0-4-2)
Game February Opponent Score Decision Record
52 3 Atlanta Thrashers 2 – 1 SO Lundqvist 29–18–5
53 6 @ Dallas Stars 10 – 2 Valiquette 29–19–5
54 9 @ New Jersey Devils 3 – 0 Lundqvist 29–20–5
55 11 Washington Capitals 5 – 4 SO Lundqvist 30–20–5
56 13 @ Florida Panthers 2 – 1 SO Lundqvist 30–20–6
57 15 Philadelphia Flyers 5 – 2 Lundqvist 30–21–6
58 16 @ St. Louis Blues 2 – 1 Lundqvist 30–22–6
59 18 New York Islanders 3 – 1 Lundqvist 31–22–6
60 21 @ Buffalo Sabres 4 – 2 Lundqvist 31–23–6
61 22 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – 2 OT Lundqvist 31–23–7
62 25 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2 – 1 SO Lundqvist 31–23–8
63 26 Florida Panthers 2 – 1 Lundqvist 31–24–8
64 28 Colorado Avalanche 6 – 1 Lundqvist 32–24–8
March: 8-4-1 (Home: 5-1-0; Road: 3-3-1)
Game March Opponent Score Decision Record
65 5 @ New York Islanders 4 – 2 Lundqvist 33–24–8
66 8 Boston Bruins 4 – 3 Lundqvist 34–24–8
67 9 @ Carolina Hurricanes 3 – 0 Valiquette 34–25–8
68 12 @ Nashville Predators 4 – 2 Lundqvist 35–25–8
69 14 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 2 Lundqvist 35–26–8
70 15 Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 1 Lundqvist 36–26–8
71 17 @ Montreal Canadiens 4 – 3 SO Lundqvist 37–26–8
72 21 Buffalo Sabres 5 – 3 Lundqvist 38–26–8
73 22 Ottawa Senators 2 – 1 Lundqvist 38–27–8
74 24 Minnesota Wild 2 – 1 Lundqvist 39–27–8
75 26 @ Atlanta Thrashers 5 – 4 SO Valiquette 39–27–9
76 28 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – 3 Lundqvist 39–28–9
77 30 New Jersey Devils 3 – 0 Lundqvist 40–28–9
April: 3-2-0 (Home: 2-0-0; Road: 1-2-0)
Game April Opponent Score Decision Record
78 2 @ Carolina Hurricanes 4 – 2 Lundqvist 40–29–9
79 4 @ Boston Bruins 1 – 0 Lundqvist 40–30–9
80 7 Montreal Canadiens 3 – 1 Lundqvist 41–30–9
81 9 Philadelphia Flyers 2 – 1 Lundqvist 42–30–9
82 12 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 3 Lundqvist 43–30–9

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
Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (2) Washington Capitals – Washington wins series 4-3
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series
1 April 15 New York Rangers 4 – 3 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 1-0
2 April 18 New York Rangers 1 – 0 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 2-0
3 April 20 Washington Capitals 4 – 0 New York Rangers Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 2-1
4 April 22 Washington Capitals 1 – 2 New York Rangers Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 3-1
5 April 24 New York Rangers 0 – 4 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 3-2
6 April 26 Washington Capitals 5 – 3 New York Rangers Lundqvist Series tied 3-3
7 April 28 New York Rangers 1 – 2 Washington Capitals Lundqvist Washington wins series 4-3

Player statistics

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season
Player GP TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO
Henrik Lundqvist 70 4153 38 25 7 168 2.43 2007 .916 3
Steve Valiquette 15 823 5 5 2 39 2.84 421 .907 1
Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO
Henrik Lundqvist 7 380 3 4 19 3.00 207 .908 1
Steve Valiquette 2 40 0 0 0 0.00 9 1.000 0

†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
Player Milestone Reached
Lauri Korpikoski 1st NHL Regular Season Game October 4, 2008
Henrik Lundqvist 200th NHL Appearance October 15, 2008
Brandon Dubinsky 100th NHL Game October 27, 2008
Nikolay Zherdev 300th NHL Game November 8, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski 1st NHL Regular Season Goal
1st NHL Regular Season Point		 November 12, 2008
Marc Staal 100th NHL Game November 15, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski 1st NHL Assist November 15, 2008
Michal Rozsival 500th NHL Game November 17, 2008
Fredrik Sjostrom 300th NHL Game November 22, 2008
Nikolai Zherdev 200th NHL Point November 24, 2008
Scott Gomez 400th NHL Assist December 3, 2008
Corey Potter 1st NHL Regular Season Game December 7, 2008
Ryan Callahan 100th NHL Game December 16, 2008
Dmitri Kalinin 500th NHL Game December 16, 2008
Paul Mara 600th NHL Game December 23, 2008
Colton Orr 200th NHL Game December 23, 2008
Corey Potter 1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point		 December 27, 2008
Wade Redden 500th NHL Penalty Minute January 3, 2009
Nigel Dawes 100th NHL Game January 5, 2009
Blair Betts 300th NHL Game January 9, 2009
Henrik Lundqvist 1st NHL All-Star Game January 25, 2009
Artem Anisimov 1st NHL Game February 3, 2009
Aaron Voros 100th NHL Game February 3, 2009
Colton Orr 500th NHL Penalty Minute February 21, 2009
Michal Rozsival 200th NHL Point February 22, 2009
Wade Redden 900th NHL Game February 26, 2009
John Tortorella 1st Win as Rangers coach February 28, 2009
Markus Naslund 1,100th NHL Game March 5, 2009
Henrik Lundquist 1st NHL goalie to win 30+ games in first four seasons March 12, 2009
John Tortorella Winningest US-born coach in NHL history with 245 wins March 17, 2009
Mike Sauer 1st NHL Game March 24, 2009
Nik Antropov 300th NHL Point March 26, 2009
Scott Gomez 700th NHL Game March 28, 2009
Corey Potter 1st NHL Goal April 2, 2009
Artem Anisimov 1st NHL Playoff Game April 28, 2009
Markus Naslund Final NHL Game April 28, 2009

Transactions

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

Trades

Date
Details
July 2, 2008 [16] To Columbus Blue Jackets

Fedor Tyutin
Christian Backman

To New York Rangers

Nikolay Zherdev
Dan Fritsche

July 14, 2008 [17] To Toronto Maple Leafs

Ryan Hollweg

To New York Rangers

5th-round pick in 2009

October 30, 2008 [18] To Nashville Predators

Hugh Jessiman

To New York Rangers

Future considerations

January 29, 2009 [19] To Minnesota Wild

Dan Fritsche

To New York Rangers

Erik Reitz

March 4, 2009 [20] To Toronto Maple Leafs

2nd-round pick in 2009
Conditional pick in 2010 [a]

To New York Rangers

Nik Antropov

March 4, 2009 [20] To Phoenix Coyotes

Nigel Dawes
Dmitri Kalinin
Petr Prucha

To New York Rangers

Derek Morris

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 Oceláři Třinec ( 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

  • Game log: New York Rangers game log on espn.com
  • Player stats: New York Rangers statistics on espn.com
  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". Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  3. ^ Ralph, Dan. Rangers draft pick dies [usurped], 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 February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  7. ^ "Lundqvist helps East win NHL All-Star Game". Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  8. ^ "Graves joins Rangers legends in MSG rafters". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  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 February 27, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  11. ^ "Rangers claim Avery off re-entry waivers". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  12. ^ "Rangers' Tortorella banned one game for altercation with fan". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  13. ^ "Rangers' Naslund announces retirement at age 35". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  14. ^ "2008-09 NHL Summary".
  15. ^ "2008-09 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  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. ^ a b 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 [usurped], The Canadian Press, Canadian Online Explorer, July 1, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
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