# 1991–92 New York Rangers season

The 1991–92 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 66th season. The season saw the Rangers finish in first place in the Patrick Division with a record of 50 wins, 25 losses, and 5 ties for 105 points. This was the highest points total in the league that season, netting the Rangers the Presidents' Trophy. This season marked the first time since the 1941–42 NHL season that the Rangers were the top team in the NHL. In the playoffs, they defeated their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in seven games in the Division Semi-finals before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Division Finals.
The 1991–92 season was Mark Messier's first in New York, having arrived from the Edmonton Oilers via trade on October 5, 1991. He scored 35 goals and 72 assists for 107 points, winning his second Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. Rangers defenceman Brian Leetch had a spectacular season, leading all rearguards in the NHL in scoring (22 goals and 80 assists for 102 points) and receiving the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenceman. The Rangers, along with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, had five 30-goal scorers. New York was not shut out in any of their 80 regular-season games.

## Pre-season

On September 27, 1991, the Rangers played the Los Angeles Kings in the first ever outdoor NHL game in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Caesars Palace. This was also the first NHL game in Las Vegas since 1968. The crowd on hand was 13,000 with the Kings beating the Rangers 5–2.

## Regular season

Towards the end of the regular season, the NHL went on a 10-day strike, causing the league to shut down from April 1-April 12. The games that were originally scheduled to be played during that 10-day period were made up once the strike was over.
The Rangers had an effective penalty-killing unit, as they tied the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals for the fewest power-play goals allowed during the regular season, with just 60. The Rangers also led the NHL in penalty-killing percentage (84.81%).

### Season standings

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 50 | 25 | 5 | 321 | 246 | 105 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 45 | 27 | 8 | 330 | 257 | 98 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 39 | 32 | 9 | 343 | 308 | 87 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 38 | 31 | 11 | 289 | 259 | 87 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 34 | 35 | 11 | 291 | 299 | 79 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 32 | 37 | 11 | 252 | 273 | 75 |
Wales Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – New York Rangers | PAT | 80 | 50 | 25 | 5 | 321 | 246 | 105 |
| 2 | Washington Capitals | PAT | 80 | 45 | 27 | 8 | 330 | 257 | 98 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | ADM | 80 | 41 | 28 | 11 | 267 | 207 | 93 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PAT | 80 | 39 | 32 | 9 | 343 | 308 | 87 |
| 5 | New Jersey Devils | PAT | 80 | 38 | 31 | 11 | 289 | 259 | 87 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | ADM | 80 | 36 | 32 | 12 | 270 | 275 | 84 |
| 7 | New York Islanders | PAT | 80 | 34 | 35 | 11 | 291 | 299 | 79 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | PAT | 80 | 32 | 37 | 11 | 252 | 273 | 75 |
| 9 | Buffalo Sabres | ADM | 80 | 31 | 37 | 12 | 289 | 299 | 74 |
| 10 | Hartford Whalers | ADM | 80 | 26 | 41 | 13 | 247 | 283 | 65 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | ADM | 80 | 20 | 48 | 12 | 255 | 318 | 52 |
Divisions: ADM – Adams, PAT – Patrick
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results

1991-92 Game Log :
October: 9-5-0 (Home: 6-2-0; Road: 3-3-0)
GameOctoberOpponentScoreRecord
13@ Boston Bruins5 - 30-1-0
25@ Montreal Canadiens2 - 1 OT1-1-0
37Boston Bruins2 - 1 OT2-1-0
49New York Islanders5 - 33-1-0
511@ Washington Capitals5 - 13-2-0
612@ Hartford Whalers5 - 23-3-0
714Washington Capitals5 - 33-4-0
816New Jersey Devils4 - 24-4-0
919@ Pittsburgh Penguins5 - 45-4-0
1020Edmonton Oilers4 - 35-5-0
1123Los Angeles Kings7 - 26-5-0
1226@ Quebec Nordiques5 - 37-5-0
1329Minnesota North Stars3 - 28-5-0
1431Quebec Nordiques5 - 49-5-0 :
November: 6-5-1 (Home: 2-2-1; Road: 4-3-0)
GameNovemberOpponentScoreRecord
152@ Philadelphia Flyers4 - 210-5-0
164Calgary Flames4 - 011-5-0
176Montreal Canadiens4 - 111-6-0
188Toronto Maple Leafs3 - 3 OT11-6-1
1911Pittsburgh Penguins3 - 112-6-1
2013Washington Capitals5 - 312-7-1
2116@ New York Islanders4 - 212-8-1
2219@ Vancouver Canucks4 - 313-8-1
2321@ Los Angeles Kings6 - 113-9-1
2423@ St. Louis Blues3 - 014-9-1
2527@ Winnipeg Jets3 - 214-10-1
2629@ Buffalo Sabres5 - 4 OT15-10-1 :
December: 10-4-0 (Home: 5-1-0; Road: 5-3-0)
GameDecemberOpponentScoreRecord
272Philadelphia Flyers4 - 216-10-1
286@ Detroit Red Wings6 - 5 OT16-11-1
298Boston Bruins4 - 017-11-1
3010@ Pittsburgh Penguins5 - 317-12-1
3113@ Washington Capitals5 - 318-12-1
3214@ Hartford Whalers6 - 219-12-1
3316San Jose Sharks4 - 3 OT20-12-1
3418Philadelphia Flyers6 - 321-12-1
3521@ Pittsburgh Penguins7 - 522-12-1
3623New Jersey Devils3 - 023-12-1
3726@ Washington Capitals8 - 624-12-1
3828@ New York Islanders5 - 424-13-1
3929Pittsburgh Penguins6 - 324-14-1
4031@ Winnipeg Jets5 - 225-14-1 :
January: 8-3-1 (Home: 3-1-0; Road: 5-2-1)
GameJanuaryOpponentScoreRecord
412@ Chicago Blackhawks4 - 326-14-1
424@ New Jersey Devils6 - 426-15-1
436Winnipeg Jets4 - 227-15-1
448St. Louis Blues5 - 327-16-1
4511@ Quebec Nordiques7 - 228-16-1
4612@ Buffalo Sabres6 - 328-17-1
4714Buffalo Sabres6 - 229-17-1
4816Calgary Flames6 - 430-17-1
4922@ Calgary Flames4 - 4 OT30-17-2
5023@ Edmonton Oilers3 - 131-17-2
5128@ San Jose Sharks4 - 232-17-2
5230@ Los Angeles Kings4 - 133-17-2 :
February: 7-3-2 (Home: 6-0-2; Road: 1-3-0)
GameFebruaryOpponentScoreRecord
531@ Minnesota North Stars2 - 134-17-2
545Pittsburgh Penguins4 - 335-17-2
557@ Washington Capitals6 - 235-18-2
569Detroit Red Wings5 - 5 OT35-18-3
5712Vancouver Canucks5 - 236-18-3
5814New York Islanders9 - 237-18-3
5916@ New Jersey Devils4 - 237-19-3
6017Vancouver Canucks3 - 3 OT37-19-4
6120@ New York Islanders6 - 237-20-4
6221Minnesota North Stars5 - 438-20-4
6323Philadelphia Flyers2 - 1 OT39-20-4
6425Chicago Blackhawks4 - 140-20-4 :
March: 9-4-1 (Home: 5-2-1; Road: 4-2-0)
GameMarchOpponentScoreRecord
651Hartford Whalers9 - 441-20-4
662@ New Jersey Devils7 - 142-20-4
674New Jersey Devils5 - 442-21-4
687@ Philadelphia Flyers5 - 442-22-4
699Washington Capitals5 - 242-23-4
7011Chicago Blackhawks7 - 143-23-4
7114@ St. Louis Blues6 - 044-23-4
7216Montreal Canadiens4 - 145-23-4
7318New York Islanders1 - 1 OT45-23-5
7420@ Detroit Red Wings4 - 246-23-5
7522New Jersey Devils6 - 347-23-5
7624@ Philadelphia Flyers4 - 348-23-5
7725Philadelphia Flyers4 - 149-23-5
7828@ New York Islanders4 - 149-24-5 :
April: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0; Road: 0-1-0)
GameAprilOpponentScoreRecord
7915@ Toronto Maple Leafs4 - 249-25-5
8016Pittsburgh Penguins7 - 150-25-5 :

## Playoffs

Key: Win Loss
1992 Stanley Cup Playoffs :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| Mark Messier | 79 | 35 | 72 | 107 | 31 | 76 |
| Brian Leetch | 80 | 22 | 80 | 102 | 25 | 26 |
| Mike Gartner | 76 | 40 | 41 | 81 | 11 | 55 |
| James Patrick | 80 | 14 | 57 | 71 | 34 | 54 |
| Tony Amonte | 79 | 35 | 34 | 69 | 12 | 55 |
| Adam Graves | 80 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 19 | 139 |
| Sergei Nemchinov | 73 | 30 | 28 | 58 | 19 | 15 |
| Darren Turcotte | 71 | 30 | 23 | 53 | 11 | 57 |
| John Ogrodnick | 55 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 6 | 22 |
| Doug Weight | 53 | 8 | 22 | 30 | -3 | 23 |
| Paul Broten | 74 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 14 | 102 |
| Kris King | 79 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 224 |
| Par Djoos | 50 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 7 | 40 |
| Tim Kerr | 32 | 7 | 11 | 18 | -5 | 12 |
| Jan Erixon | 46 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 4 |
| Joe Cirella | 67 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 121 |
| Randy Gilhen$^†$ | 40 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 14 |
| Joey Kocur | 51 | 7 | 4 | 11 | -4 | 121 |
| Jeff Beukeboom$^†$ | 56 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 122 |
| Randy Moller$^‡$ | 43 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -15 | 78 |
| Mark Hardy | 52 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 33 | 65 |
| Tie Domi | 42 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -4 | 246 |
| Corey Millen$^‡$ | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 10 |
| Rob Zamuner | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Normand Rochefort | 26 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 31 |
| Rick Bennett | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jeff Bloemberg | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| David Shaw$^‡$ | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Peter Fiorentino | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bernie Nicholls$^‡$ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Jody Hull | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 |
| Mark Janssens$^‡$ | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 |
| Jay Wells$^†$ | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Mike Gartner | 13 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 4 |
| Brian Leetch | 13 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 4 |
| Mark Messier | 11 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 |
| Tony Amonte | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| Adam Graves | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 22 |
| James Patrick | 13 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 47 |
| Jan Erixon | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Kris King | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 |
| Sergei Nemchinov | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Joe Cirella | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 |
| Doug Weight | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Darren Turcotte | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Mark Hardy | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 31 |
| Randy Gilhen | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Paul Broten | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Jay Wells | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Tie Domi | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 |
| Joe Kocur | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 |
| Tim Kerr | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| John Ogrodnick | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO |
| John Vanbiesbrouck | 45 | 2526 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 120 | 2.85 | 1331 | .910 | 2 |
| Mike Richter | 41 | 2298 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 3.11 | 1205 | .901 | 3 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO |
| Mike Richter | 7 | 412 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 3.50 | 226 | .894 | 1 |
| John Vanbiesbrouck | 7 | 368 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 3.75 | 179 | .872 | 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.
    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

* Presidents' Trophy: New York Rangers
* Hart Memorial Trophy: Mark Messier
* James Norris Memorial Trophy: Brian Leetch
* Lester B. Pearson Award: Mark Messier
* Most assists, season – Brian Leetch (1991–92) – 80
* Most points by defenceman, season – Brian Leetch (1991–92) – 102

## Transactions
### Trades

| October 4, 1991 | To Edmonton OilersBernie Nicholls Steven Rice Louie DeBrusk | To New York RangersMark Messier |

### Draft picks

New York's picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York at the Memorial Auditorium.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 15 | Alexei Kovalev | RW | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow (Russia) |
| 2 | 37 | Darcy Werenka | D | Canada | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| 5 | 96 | Corey Machanic | D | United States | University of Vermont (ECAC) |
| 6 | 125 | Fredrik Jax | RW | Sweden | Leksands IF (Elitserien) |
| 6 | 128 | Barry Young | D | United Kingdom | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 7 | 147 | John Rushin | C | United States | Edina Kennedy High School (USHS-MN) |
| 8 | 169 | Corey Hirsch | G | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 9 | 191 | Vyacheslav Uvayev | D | Soviet Union | Spartak Moscow (Russia) |
| 10 | 213 | Jamie Ram | G | Canada | Michigan Technological University (WCHA) |
| 11 | 235 | Vitali Chinakhov | C | Soviet Union | Torpedo Yaroslavl (Russia) |
| 12 | 257 | Brian Wiseman | C | Canada | University of Michigan (CCHA) |

### Supplemental Draft

New York's picks at the 1991 NHL Supplemental Draft.
| Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| Steven King | RW | United States | Brown University (ECAC) |