1949–50 New York Rangers season

1949–50 New York Rangers
Conference4th NHL
1949–50 record28–31–11
Goals for170
Goals against189
Team information
General managerFrank Boucher
CoachLynn Patrick
CaptainBuddy O'Connor
ArenaMadison Square Garden
Team leaders
GoalsEdgar Laprade (22)
AssistsTony Leswick and Don Raleigh (25)
PointsEdgar Laprade and Tony Leswick (44)
Penalty minutesGus Kyle (143)
WinsChuck Rayner (28)
Goals against averageChuck Rayner (2.62)

The 1949–50 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 24th season. The season saw the Rangers finish in fourth place in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record of 28 wins, 31 losses, and 11 ties for 67 points. They upset the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the Semi-finals before losing a close seven-game Stanley Cup Finals to the Detroit Red Wings. The team reached double-overtime of the seventh game of the Finals before Detroit's Pete Babando scored to give the Red Wings the Cup. The Rangers would not win another playoff series again until 1971.

Also of note during this season was that the Rangers were forced to use Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the home ice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as their "home ice" during the Stanley Cup Finals, as the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus was then at Madison Square Garden. Garden management found that they could make more money having the circus at the Garden instead of the Rangers. Moreover, at the time, arenas could not be configured to host a circus and a hockey game on the same day, thus forcing the shift in venue.

The Rangers would not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1972.

Regular season

Final standings

National Hockey League[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Detroit Red Wings 70 37 19 14 229 164 +65 88
2 Montreal Canadiens 70 29 22 19 172 150 +22 77
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 70 31 27 12 176 173 +3 74
4 New York Rangers 70 28 31 11 170 189 −19 67
5 Boston Bruins 70 22 32 16 198 228 −30 60
6 Chicago Black Hawks 70 22 38 10 203 244 −41 54

Record vs. opponents

1949–50 NHL Records [2]
Team BOS CHI DET MTL NYR TOR
Boston — 5–7–2 3–8–3 4–5–5 5–5–4 5–7–2
Chicago 7–5–2 — 3–9–2 4–8–2 4–9–1 4–7–3
Detroit 8–3–3 9–3–2 — 5–3–6 7–5–2 8–5–1
Montreal 5–4–5 8–4–2 3–5–6 — 7–5–2 6–4–4
New York 5–5–4 9–4–1 5–7–2 5–7–2 — 4–8–2
Toronto 7–5–2 7–4–3 5–8–1 4–6–4 8–4–2 —


Schedule and results

1949–50 Game Log
October: 2–4–2 (Home: 1–2–0; Road: 1–2–2)
Game October Opponent Score Record
1 15 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–1 0–1–0
2 16 @ Boston Bruins 2–2 0–1–1
3 19 @ Detroit Red Wings 6–1 0–2–1
4 22 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–2 0–2–2
5 25 @ Chicago Black Hawks 2–1 1–2–2
6 26 Boston Bruins 5–2 2–2–2
7 29 Chicago Black Hawks 2–0 2–3–2
8 30 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–2 2–4–2
November: 3–4–4 (Home: 2–2–2; Road: 1–2–2)
Game November Opponent Score Record
9 2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–3 2–4–3
10 6 @ Detroit Red Wings 7–0 2–5–3
11 9 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 2–5–4
12 12 Montreal Canadiens 5–3 2–6–4
13 13 Detroit Red Wings 1–1 2–6–5
14 16 Boston Bruins 2–1 3–6–5
15 20 @ Chicago Black Hawks 5–2 4–6–5
16 23 @ Detroit Red Wings 4–3 4–7–5
17 26 @ Montreal Canadiens 5–1 4–8–5
18 27 @ Boston Bruins 1–1 4–8–6
19 30 Montreal Canadiens 5–2 5–8–6
December: 9–3–1 (Home: 7–1–0; Road: 2–2–1)
Game December Opponent Score Record
20 3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–0 5–9–6
21 4 Chicago Black Hawks 4–0 6–9–6
22 7 Chicago Black Hawks 2–1 7–9–6
23 10 @ Detroit Red Wings 1–0 8–9–6
24 11 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 9–9–6
25 14 @ Chicago Black Hawks 5–3 9–10–6
26 17 @ Boston Bruins 3–1 10–10–6
27 18 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–0 10–11–6
28 21 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 11–11–6
29 24 @ Montreal Canadiens 0–0 11–11–7
30 25 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–1 12–11–7
31 28 Chicago Black Hawks 5–2 13–11–7
32 31 Boston Bruins 4–1 14–11–7
January: 3–8–2 (Home: 2–3–1; Road: 1–5–1)
Game January Opponent Score Record
33 1 @ Boston Bruins 6–0 14–12–7
34 4 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 15–12–7
35 7 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–1 16–12–7
36 8 Chicago Black Hawks 1–1 16–12–8
37 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 16–13–8
38 14 @ Detroit Red Wings 4–2 16–14–8
39 15 Detroit Red Wings 1–0 16–15–8
40 18 Boston Bruins 4–2 16–16–8
41 21 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 16–17–8
42 22 @ Chicago Black Hawks 4–3 16–18–8
43 25 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 5–1 16–19–8
44 28 @ Boston Bruins 2–2 16–19–9
45 29 Montreal Canadiens 2–0 17–19–9
February: 7–3–2 (Home: 4–0–1; Road: 3–3–1)
Game February Opponent Score Record
46 1 @ Boston Bruins 3–2 17–20–9
47 2 @ Montreal Canadiens 4–1 17–21–9
48 5 @ Detroit Red Wings 5–5 17–21–10
49 9 @ Chicago Black Hawks 5–3 18–21–10
50 12 Detroit Red Wings 4–0 19–21–10
51 15 Boston Bruins 2–2 19–21–11
52 18 @ Montreal Canadiens 4–2 20–21–11
53 19 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 21–21–11
54 22 Chicago Black Hawks 3–0 22–21–11
55 23 @ Chicago Black Hawks 7–3 23–21–11
56 25 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 4–2 23–22–11
57 26 Boston Bruins 4–3 24–22–11
March: 4–9–0 (Home: 3–5–0; Road: 1–4–0)
Game March Opponent Score Record
58 1 Detroit Red Wings 5–2 24–23–11
59 4 @ Boston Bruins 5–1 24–24–11
60 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–2 25–24–11
61 8 @ Chicago Black Hawks 4–2 26–24–11
62 9 Detroit Red Wings 3–1 27–24–11
63 11 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 27–25–11
64 12 Montreal Canadiens 5–1 27–26–11
65 15 Boston Bruins 4–1 27–27–11
66 18 @ Montreal Canadiens 5–3 27–28–11
67 19 Montreal Canadiens 4–2 27–29–11
68 21 Chicago Black Hawks 6–3 27–30–11
69 22 @ Detroit Red Wings 8–7 27–31–11
70 26 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–3 28–31–11

Playoffs

Main articles: 1950 Stanley Cup playoffs and 1950 Stanley Cup Finals

Stanley Cup Finals

It was the Rangers' first appearance in the Final since their Stanley Cup victory in 1940. Two games were played in Toronto as the circus had taken over Madison Square Garden in New York. New York's Don Raleigh scored two overtime winners and Detroit's Pete Babando scored the Cup-winning goal in overtime of game seven, the first time ever in which the stanley cup was won in extra frames in game seven. Detroit won the Cup without Gordie Howe, who was injured in the first game of the playoffs. As Stanley Cup runner-up, the Rangers would be awarded the O'Brien Cup, the last team to win the trophy, at one time the National Hockey Association championship trophy, which was retired after the season.

Key:   Win   Loss

1950 Stanley Cup playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SO
Chuck Rayner 69 4140 28 30 11 181 2.62 6
Emile Francis 1 60 0 1 0 8 8.00 0
Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SO
Chuck Rayner 12 775 7 5 29 2.25 1

†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.

[3]

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

References

  1. ^ "1949–1950 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "1949–50 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.