Four Worst Injuries in Rangers History

As we await the status of both Adam Fox and K'Andre Miller, I thought now would be a good time to write about what I believe are the four worst injuries in Rangers history.

1. Jean Ratelle - 1972: Throughout most of the 1950s and '60s, the New York Rangers were not a particularly good team. In fact, it wasn't until the 1967-68 season that the roster Emile Francis assembled began to coalesce into a playoff contender. Beginning in the 1970-71 season, the Blueshirts made it to the semifinals four consecutive years and the Cup finals once. That one finals appearance was in 1972.

That season, the Rangers ran a close second to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference. Their GAG line consisted of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield. Hadfield set the franchise record with 50 goals that season; a record that stood until Adam Graves scored 52 in 1994.

But it was Ratelle who was the team's star. He was on pace to finish the season with 125 points when he took a slap shot to the ankle by Dale Rolfe. X-rays revealed a fracture. Ratelle would miss the final 15 games of the regular season and the first two rounds of the postseason. 

Against Boston, Ratelle gave it his best, but was nowhere near a hundred percent. He registered one assist in the six-game series, while Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr and Ken Hodge had their way with New York. The sight of Espo hoisting the Cup at Madison Square Garden was one that would haunt Rangers fans for years.

2. Ulf Nilsson - 1979: After a three-year rebuild by John Ferguson failed to bring results, Sonny Werblin fired Ferguson and hired Fred Shero from the Philadelphia Flyers to be the team's GM and head coach. One of the first things Shero did was sign Ulf Nilsson and Anders Herberg to two-year deals. Both players were stars with the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA, and they quickly became hits on Broadway.

The 1978-79 Rangers were the surprise team of the NHL that season, with Nilsson, Hedberg and a rejuvenated Phil Esposito leading the way. But in a game at the Garden against the hated Islanders, Nilsson got his skate caught in a rut on the ice when he was checked into the boards by Dennis Potvin. The result was a fractured ankle for Nilsson that sidelined the Swede the rest of the regular season and most of what would become the deepest playoff run in seven years.

After a stunning upset of their suburban rivals in the semifinals, the Rangers faced the Montreal Canadiens for the Cup. The Habs were looking to capture their fourth consecutive championship; the Blueshirts, their first since 1940. Nilsson gave it a go in the first two games at the Forum, but like Ratelle in '72, wasn't up to it. Shero benched him the rest of the way and Montreal, after dropping game one, would go on to take the next four. It was another bitter pill for a fanbase used to disappointments. 

3. Alex Kovalev - 1997: As I wrote in an earlier piece, the years following the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup championship were difficult ones for Neil Smith. At times he didn't know which direction he wanted to go: retool or fortify the core. His signing of Wayne Gretzky in the summer of '96 signaled that Smith was going to run it back at least one more year.

The Rangers had a mostly up and down season in 1996-97. Gretzky and Mark Messier gave the Blueshirts a one-two punch down the middle. But it was a winger by the name of Alex Kovalev, who was having the best season of his career, that would go on to have the most consequential impact on the team's fortunes. On January 27, he tore his ACL and was lost for the remainder of the regular and postseason. 

After dispensing with the Florida Panthers in four and upsetting the New Jersey Devils in five, the Rangers went up against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals. After splitting the first two games at the Spectrum, the Rangers lost the final three. Messier would bolt for the Vancouver Canucks that summer. The core Smith had assembled had finally run its course. 

There's no way of knowing what difference a healthy Kovalev might've made against Philly. Maybe the Rangers still would've lost; or perhaps they've would've won. What is noteworthy is that two months after signing Gretzky, Smith was approached by Hartford Wailers GM Jim Rutherford who offered to trade Brendan Shanahan straight up for Kovalev. Smith turned him down. Imagine what Shanahan could've done playing alongside Gretzky. Who knows? Smith might've been the first Rangers GM since Lester Patrick to boast having two Stanley Cups on his resume. 

4. Mats Zuccarello - 2015: After going all the way to the finals in 2014, the Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy in the 2014-15 season. It was, by far, their best season, statistically, since the Cup year of '94. Rick Nash led the team in goals scored with 42, but the key to their success was their depth.

Mats Zuccarello may only have scored 15 goals, but his tenacity and grit made him a fan favorite. And his teammates could always rely on that tenacity and grit. 

In game five of the Rangers first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zuccarello was struck in the head by a slap shot from Ryan McDonagh. The winger made it back to the bench but did not return. It was later learned that he suffered a fractured skull that affected his ability to talk. 

Obviously his season was over. While the Rangers didn't need him to prevail over the Pens, not having him against the Washington Capitals almost cost them the series, as the Blueshirts had to come from 3-1 down to advance. But against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they fell short, getting shut out in game seven at the Garden. 

Like the other injuries, this one is hard to quantify. Even if the Rangers had beaten the Bolts, the Chicago Blackhawks might have been a bridge too far, with or without Zuccarello. Still, there's no denying his loss was felt.