1987–88 New York Rangers season

1987–88 New York Rangers
1987–88 New York Rangers
Division	5th Patrick
Conference	T-7th Wales
1987–88 record	36–34–10
Goals for	300
Goals against	283
Team information
General manager	Phil Esposito
Coach	Michel Bergeron
Captain	Ron Greschner (Oct–Dec) ; Kelly Kisio (Dec–Apr)
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Team leaders
Goals	Walt Poddubny (38)
Assists	Kelly Kisio (55)
Points	Walt Poddubny (88)
Penalty minutes	Michel Petit (223)
Wins	John Vanbiesbrouck (27)
Goals against average	John Vanbiesbrouck (3.38)
	← 1986–87 1988–89 →

The 1987–88 New York Rangers season was the 62nd season for the team in the National Hockey League. The Rangers compiled a 36–34–10 record during the regular season,^[1] but despite having 82 points, they were eliminated from playoff contention after their last game when the New Jersey Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks. This would be the only time in the 1980s in which the Rangers missed the playoffs.^[2]

Offseason

Rangers General Manager Phil Esposito was part of the four man committee that would select players and coaches for Team Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup.^[3]

Regular season

The Rangers led the league in power-play goals scored, with 111. They also scored the fewest short-handed goals during the regular season out of all 21 teams, with just 6.^[4]

Final standings

Patrick Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
New York Islanders	80	39	31	10	308	267	88
Philadelphia Flyers	80	38	33	9	292	292	85
Washington Capitals	80	38	33	9	281	249	85
New Jersey Devils	80	38	36	6	295	296	82
New York Rangers	80	36	34	10	300	283	82
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	36	35	9	319	316	81

^[5]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

1987–88 Game Log

October: 4–5–3 (Home: 2–3–2; Road: 2–2–1)

November: 4–8–0 (Home: 3–2–0; Road: 1–6–0)

December: 6–6–2 (Home: 4–2–1; Road: 2–4–1)

January: 6–6–1 (Home: 2–2–1; Road: 4–4–0)

February: 7–4–2 (Home: 5–2–1; Road: 2–2–1)

March: 8–5–1 (Home: 5–2–0; Road: 3–3–1)

April: 1–0–1 (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 0–0–1)

Playoffs

The Rangers failed to qualify for the 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs.^[4] They finished with 82 points, the same as the New Jersey Devils. However, the Devils had 38 wins to the Rangers' 36.^[4] Since wins are the first tiebreaker, the Devils qualified for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division.^[6] After a 6–6 tie against the Winnipeg Jets in the second-to-last game of the season,^[7] the Rangers and Devils went into the final game of the season with 80 points each. If the Rangers and Devils won, the Devils would go to the playoffs on the tiebreaker.^[8] The Rangers defeated the Quebec Nordiques 3–0. Later that night, however, the Devils defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime to win the tiebreaker and the final Patrick Division spot.^[9]

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Walt Poddubny	77	38	50	88	2	76
Kelly Kisio	77	23	55	78	8	88
Tomas Sandstrom	69	28	40	68	−6	95
Marcel Dionne	67	31	34	65	−14	54
James Patrick	70	17	45	62	16	52
Brian Mullen	74	25	29	54	−2	42
John Ogrodnick	64	22	32	54	−3	16
Ulf Dahlen	70	29	23	52	5	26
Don Maloney	66	12	21	33	12	60
Michel Petit^†	64	9	24	33	3	223
David Shaw	68	7	25	32	−8	100
Lucien DeBlois	74	9	21	30	−3	103
Jan Erixon	70	7	19	26	3	33
Norm Maciver	37	9	15	24	10	14
Paul Cyr^†	40	4	13	17	−5	41
Jari Gronstrand	62	3	11	14	8	63
Brian Leetch	17	2	12	14	5	0
Pierre Larouche	10	3	9	12	−3	13
Ron Duguay^‡	44	4	4	8	−9	23
Chris Nilan^†	22	3	5	8	0	96
Ron Greschner	51	1	5	6	−9	82
Gordie Walker	18	1	4	5	−8	17
Mike Donnelly^‡	17	2	2	4	−5	8
Mark Hardy^†	19	2	2	4	−5	31
Dave Pichette	6	1	3	4	−2	4
Willie Huber^‡	11	1	3	4	−4	14
Joe Paterson^†	21	1	3	4	−4	63
Bruce Bell	13	1	2	3	−10	8
Mark Tinordi	24	1	2	3	−5	50
Steve Nemeth	12	2	0	2	−4	2
Jeff Brubaker	31	2	0	2	0	78
Paul Boutilier^‡	4	0	1	1	−1	6
Simon Wheeldon	5	0	1	1	−2	4
Ron Talakoski	6	0	1	1	0	12
Chris Jensen	7	0	1	1	−1	2
Larry Melnyk	14	0	1	1	−7	34
Jim Pavese^†‡	14	0	1	1	−7	48
Mark Janssens	1	0	0	0	0	0
Rudy Poeschek	1	0	0	0	0	2
Mike Siltala	3	0	0	0	0	0
Curt Giles^‡	13	0	0	0	−5	10

Goaltenders

Regular Season
Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
John Vanbiesbrouck	56	3319	27	22	7	187	3.38	1697	.890	2
Bob Froese	25	1443	8	11	3	85	3.53	695	.878	0
Ron Scott	2	90	1	1	0	6	4.00	41	.854	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.

^[10]

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

Transactions

Roster

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft in Detroit, Michigan at the Joe Louis Arena.^[11]^[12]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	10	Jayson More	D	Canada	New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
2	31	Daniel Lacroix	LW	Canada	Granby Bisons (QMJHL)
3	46	Simon Gagne	RW	Canada	Laval Titan (QMJHL)
4	69	Mike Sullivan	C	United States	Boston University (NCAA)
5	94	Eric O'Borsky	C	United States	Yale University (NCAA)
6	115	Ludek Cajka	D	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Jihlava (Czech Extraliga)
7	136	Clint Thomas	D	United States	Bartlett H.S. (Alaska)
8	157	Chuck Wiegand	RW	United States	Essex Junction H.S. (Vermont)
9	178	Eric Burrill	RW	United States	Tartan H.S. (Massachusetts)
10	199	Dave Porter	F	United States	Northern Michigan University (NCAA)
10	205	Brett Barnett	LW	Canada	Wexford Raiders (OPJHL)
11	220	Lance Marciano	D	United States	Choate Academy (Connecticut)

Supplemental Draft

New York's picks at the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft.^[13]

Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
Joe Lockwood	RW	United States	University of Michigan (CCHA)

Farm teams

References

^ "1987–88 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
^ "New York Rangers Franchise Index". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
^ Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.8, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Canada, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7710-8942-8
^ ^a ^b ^c "1987–88 NHL Season Summary". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
^ Masi, Vince (2011-04-09). "Drama in New York NHL season finales". ESPN. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
^ Elliott, Helene (1988-04-02). "A Point Not Well-Taken: Tie against Jets puts Rangers at mercy of the Devils". Newsday. p. 31.
^ Hafner, Dan (1988-04-03). "NHL Roundup: Devils Need One More Win to Gain Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. p. 9.
^ Hafner, Dan (1988-04-04). "NHL Roundup: Devils Need Overtime to Make the Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
^ "1987–88 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
^ "1987 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
^ "NHL Draft History". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2001-01-28. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
^ "1987 NHL Supplemental Draft". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2011-10-15.

External links

[1] "1987–88 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2010-10-02.

[2] "New York Rangers Franchise Index". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved February 15, 2013.

[3] Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.8, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Canada, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7710-8942-8

[season-4] "1987–88 NHL Season Summary". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-03.

[nhl-gd-standings-5] Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.

[6] Masi, Vince (2011-04-09). "Drama in New York NHL season finales". ESPN. Retrieved 2017-05-23.

[7] Elliott, Helene (1988-04-02). "A Point Not Well-Taken: Tie against Jets puts Rangers at mercy of the Devils". Newsday. p. 31.

[8] Hafner, Dan (1988-04-03). "NHL Roundup: Devils Need One More Win to Gain Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. p. 9.

[9] Hafner, Dan (1988-04-04). "NHL Roundup: Devils Need Overtime to Make the Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-05-23.

[10] "1987–88 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2010-08-08.

[11] "1987 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 2012-06-09.

[12] "NHL Draft History". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2001-01-28. Retrieved 2017-06-16.

[13] "1987 NHL Supplemental Draft". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2011-10-15.

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v t e New York Rangers
Founded in 1926 Based in New York, New York
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current season
History	History (Original Six) Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (James Dolan, chairman) General manager Chris Drury Head coach Peter Laviolette Team captain Jacob Trouba Current roster
Arenas	Madison Square Garden III Madison Square Garden IV
Rivalries	New Jersey Devils New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals
Affiliates	AHL Hartford Wolf Pack ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones
Media	TV MSG Network Radio WEPN-FM
Culture and lore	Curse of 1940 "It's a power play goal!" GAG line Eric Lindros trade George Kalinsky Emile Francis Award Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Ice Hockey in Harlem Hockey Night Live! "Good Feeling" (Flo Rida song) "Hockey Sock Rock" "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" "Slapshot" Theme from New York, New York "The Face Painter" (Seinfeld episode) Mystery, Alaska John Amirante 1991 Las Vegas outdoor game June 17th, 1994 2011 NHL Premiere 2012 NHL Winter Classic 2014 NHL Stadium Series 2018 NHL Winter Classic 2023 Big City Greens Classic 2024 NHL Stadium Series
Category Commons

v t e New York Rangers seasons
1920s	1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930s	1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940s	1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950s	1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960s	1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970s	1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980s	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990s	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000s	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010s	2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020s	2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Highlighted seasons indicate Stanley Cup championship

v t e 1987–88 NHL season
Patrick	New Jersey NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington
Adams	Boston Buffalo Hartford Montreal Quebec
Norris	Chicago Detroit Minnesota St. Louis Toronto
Smythe	Calgary Edmonton Los Angeles Vancouver Winnipeg
See also	Entry Draft Supplemental Draft Waiver Draft All-Star Game Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup Finals