1991–92 New York Rangers season
The 1991–92 New York Rangers 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 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.
Season standings
Schedule and results
Playoffs
Key: Win LossPlayer statistics
;Skaters| Player | ||||||
| 79 | 35 | 72 | 107 | 31 | 76 | |
| 80 | 22 | 80 | 102 | 25 | 26 | |
| 76 | 40 | 41 | 81 | 11 | 55 | |
| 80 | 14 | 57 | 71 | 34 | 54 | |
| 79 | 35 | 34 | 69 | 12 | 55 | |
| 80 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 19 | 139 | |
| 73 | 30 | 28 | 58 | 19 | 15 | |
| 71 | 30 | 23 | 53 | 11 | 57 | |
| 55 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 6 | 22 | |
| 53 | 8 | 22 | 30 | -3 | 23 | |
| 74 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 14 | 102 | |
| 79 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 224 | |
| 50 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 7 | 40 | |
| 32 | 7 | 11 | 18 | -5 | 12 | |
| 46 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 4 | |
| 67 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 121 | |
| † | 40 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 14 |
| 51 | 7 | 4 | 11 | -4 | 121 | |
| † | 56 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 122 |
| ‡ | 43 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -15 | 78 |
| 52 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 33 | 65 | |
| 42 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -4 | 246 | |
| ‡ | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 10 |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 26 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 31 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| ‡ | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ‡ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | |
| ‡ | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 |
| † | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| Player | |||||
| 13 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 4 | |
| 13 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 4 | |
| 11 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | |
| 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | |
| 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 22 | |
| 13 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | |
| 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 47 | |
| 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | |
| 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | |
| 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 | |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
| 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 31 | |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
;Goaltenders
| Player | ||||||||||
| 45 | 2526 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 120 | 2.85 | 1331 | .910 | 2 | |
| 41 | 2298 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 3.11 | 1205 | .901 | 3 |
| Player | |||||||||
| 7 | 412 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 3.50 | 226 | .894 | 1 | |
| 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.
Transactions
Trades
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 |
| 1 | 15 | Alexei Kovalev | RW | Dynamo Moscow | |
| 2 | 37 | Darcy Werenka | D | Lethbridge Hurricanes | |
| 5 | 96 | Corey Machanic | D | University of Vermont | |
| 6 | 125 | Fredrik Jax | RW | Leksands IF | |
| 6 | 128 | Barry Young | D | Sudbury Wolves | |
| 7 | 147 | John Rushin | C | Edina Kennedy High School | |
| 8 | 169 | Corey Hirsch | G | Kamloops Blazers | |
| 9 | 191 | Vyacheslav Uvayev | D | Spartak Moscow | |
| 10 | 213 | Jamie Ram | G | Michigan Technological University | |
| 11 | 235 | Vitali Chinakhov | C | Torpedo Yaroslavl | |
| 12 | 257 | Brian Wiseman | C | University of Michigan |
Supplemental Draft
New York's picks at the 1991 NHL Supplemental Draft.| Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| Steven King | RW | Brown University |
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 – 80
- Most points by defenceman, season – Brian Leetch – 102