For most of the off-season, the New York Rangers remained silent on if they had anything planned for the Centennial Season. However, they finally broke that silence last week by announcing special theme nights for select home games at Madison Square Garden.

MSG CEO James Dolan revealed a celebration for the Rangers Centennial season in a press release on the team site last week. They will in fact honor the past century including the franchise’s birth in 1926. Fittingly, legendary MSG TV voice Sam Rosen will host each theme night during the season. The recently retired Rosen is the perfect choice to emcee each big event honoring Rangers past. Let’s take a closer glimpse into each special night.

The first planned theme night is scheduled on Oct. 20 when the Rangers host the Minnesota Wild. The Birth of the Franchise will recognize the team’s early success that included winning three Stanley Cups, which featured Rangers legends Frank Boucher, Lorne Chabot, Neil Colville, Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Art Coulter, Cecil Dillon, Bryan Hextall, Ching Johnson, Dave Kerr, Lester Patrick, and Lynn Patrick.

On Nov. 8, when the Rangers host the New York Islanders, key milestones and signature moments will be recognized. That will include memorable playoff overtime goals and record-setting games. Figure Stephane Matteau and Pete Stemkowski to be in the building for that special occasion. I wonder if they’ll also recognize current New York Ranger Mika Zibanejad for his franchise-tying five-goal game he recorded in an overtime win over the Washington Capitals on Mar. 5, 2020. Perhaps Jaromir Jagr will return if he can. He remains the franchise leader in goals (54) and points (123) for a single season (2005-06). Henrik Lundqvist is a certainty. The big question is will they acknowledge former Ranger Chris Kreider, who broke Jagr’s single season franchise record for power-play goals (26) in 2021-22.

On Nov. 16 when the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings, they’ll honor the Original Six Era that spanned from 1942 through 1967. At the top of the list of great players who’ll be commemorated is Hockey Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate. He was my father’s favorite player growing up. The original number 9 won the Hart Trophy in 1958-59 by putting up a career best 40 goals with 48 assists for 88 points- beating out legends Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau. He won league MVP despite the Rangers failing to qualify for the postseason. That team also featured Harry Howell, Bill Gadsby, Camille Henry, and Dean Prentice.

On Dec. 13, when the Montreal Canadiens visit MSG, the Rangers will revisit the move to the New Garden in 1967. Prior to relocating to Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Street over by Penn Station, the franchise originally played at the Old Garden on the West Side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Street. It was open from 1925 until 1968. Of course, league expansion soon followed along with television, changing the way the NHL was viewed. The Rangers will look back at a 24-year period between 1967 to 1991. So much changed over that period. TV went from black and white to color. Games that used to be on WWOR soon moved to cable on MSG Network. It’ll be interesting to see how they cover it.

On Jan. 8, 2026 when the Buffalo Sabres are in town, the Rangers will feature the fan favorites. Recently passed away Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin surely will be part of that special night along with franchise all-time leading scorer Rod Gilbert. Might they recognize great defenseman Brad Park, who still doesn’t have his jersey retired? We know Adam Graves, Mike Richter, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch should be a big part of that night.  Hopefully, John Davidson will be there. What about Ron Duguay? He didn’t leave MSG on the best of terms. But he certainly was a fan favorite before he was traded to the Red Wings. Lundqvist and Ryan Callahan should both be included. Dan Girardi also deserves to be mentioned.

On Jan. 26, 2026, when the Boston Bruins visit MSG, the Rangers will honor Legendary Blueshirts. I think we pretty much know what that will be about. I’ve already mentioned most of the players. It will also include team achievements, which means winning the Presidents’ Trophy probably should get mentioned. Even without winning the Cup in 1991-92, 2014-15, or 2023-24.

On Feb. 5, 2026, when the Carolina Hurricanes visit The Garden, the Rangers will honor the best goaltenders in franchise history. Of all the positions, goalie has always stood out for the Original Six franchise. Since its very inception, with Chabot backstopping them to their first championship in only their second year (1927-28) of existence, the Rangers have had great netminders. They include Kerr, Chuck Rayner, Gump Worsley, Giacomin, John Vanbiesbrouck, Richter, Lundqvist, and currently Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers have a proud history in net. It should also be noted that Andy Aitkenhead was excellent in his brief NHL career with the Blueshirts, helping them win a second Cup in 1932-33.

Finally, on Mar. 5, 2026, the Rangers will honor the most recent history between 2004 to the present with the Modern Era. Funny how they skipped the Dark Ages. I guess we won’t be seeing any cameos from Petr Nedved, Radek Dvorak, Jan Hlavac, or Theo Fleury. Ditto for Eric Lindros. Though when you consider what went so wrong during that lousy era (error), we learned that it wasn’t Fleury’s fault for what he experienced. As for Lindros, chalk it up to bad luck. Back then, not a lot was known about concussions. Had there been, maybe it could’ve been better. They sure went through a lot of money and stars without sniffing the postseason.

All in all, it’s exciting for fans that the Rangers are going to recognize their franchise history over a century. They probably aren’t doing so well at the box office due to the absurd cost of tickets. However, plenty of passionate Rangers fans remain.

At this point, all we’re hoping for is a better season minus any unnecessary distractions. If J.T. Miller’s “No BS” camp slogan is to be taken seriously, that means having a team that sticks together and wins more consistently. They don’t want a repeat of last season. Miller was named captain for a reason. It’s up to him and the remaining leadership group that includes Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Zibanejad to turn the page. That means a return to the playoffs. No bullshit.

Rangers Present Centennial Jersey

On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Rangers officially presented their new Centennial jersey. With former captain Messier wearing the lighter colored blue Rangers jersey that honors the past, they presented their Centennial jersey. It will be worn on select dates this season.

While it doesn’t look anything like the more traditional dark blue colored Rangers jerseys that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, it’s recognizing the past. It’s got more of a classic look to it. As much as I loved the Blueshirts they wore in the early 1990s, there’s an appreciation for how the original players used to look playing for the franchise.

Of the four teams commemorating their centennial season, I like the Red Wings jerseys the best. Here’s how it looks for comparison.

It’s pretty cool. Will it change the Red Wings’ luck? They still haven’t made the playoffs since 2015-16. That’s a playoff drought of nine years. Even more absurd, the Wings have never advanced past the first round since joining the Eastern Conference in 2013-14. We’ll dive more into that and other unique storylines in our season preview.

Rangers Take Preseason Opener over Devils

If you cared, there was preseason hockey on yesterday. For whatever reason, the Rangers and Devils played at The Prudential Center on an NFL Sunday afternoon. Not that it matters if you root for either the Jets or Giants. They each remain abominable. Is this what Bill Murray’s character Phil experienced in Groundhog Day? My god. Why even bother with the NFL? Unless you’re a Bills fan, like my close friends Brian and Rob are, there’s no point.

At the very least, the hockey gave our fans something to look forward to. Not that I caught much of it. The Rangers defeated the Devils 5-3 in the preseason opener in Newark. Goals were scored by Gabe Perreault, Dylan Rooebroeck, Conor Sheary (PTO), Scott Morrow, and Jonny Brodzinski.

Both Perreault and Morrow had positive showings. Perreault is hoping to impress new head coach Mike Sullivan enough to have a realistic shot at cracking the roster. Unless he blows Sully away, I don’t see it happening. But he definitely was more impressive than Brennan Othmann, who took a foolish elbowing major penalty in a less than stellar appearance.

What is it with first round picks for the Rangers? Is he approaching bust status already, with no goals in 25 career games? Othmann needs to have a stronger showing. He still hasn’t dominated the American Hockey League. Brett Berard was more impressive after he came up last season. Hopefully, he’ll carve a role for himself in the bottom six due to his energy, hustle, and speed.

Morrow is the one intriguing player who’s competing for a spot on the blue line. A former Hurricanes second round pick, he has the skating and skill to contribute offensively. The Canes were happy to part with him to sign and trade for K’Andre Miller this summer. Considering how uncertain the Rangers look on the back end, aside from Vladislav Gavrikov partnering up with Fox, they could use another skilled defenseman to round out the defense. Hopefully, Morrow can provide that for the Blueshirts this season.

Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about Roobroeck. But he scored 20 goals and had 34 points in his first pro season for the Wolf Pack last season. A 2023 sixth round pick, he’s another big forward similar to Matt Rempe. The difference is that he’s more capable of scoring. Rempe helped set up Roobroeck’s goal, which came on a rebound. Sullivan was pleased with how Rempe played. Roobroeck’s listed at six-foot seven, 222 pounds. Only 21, he’s entering his second pro year.

Former Devil Justin Dowling went 8-and-7 on faceoffs yesterday in 18-plus minutes. He appeared in a career-high 52 games last season for the Devils posting two goals and five assists for seven points. My question is what is he. The Rangers already have better depth forwards in Brodzinski and Sam Carrick. What will his role be?

Noah Laba picked up a helper in 15-plus minutes. He’s the other player who’s competing with Juuso Parssinen for the third line center. Parssinen is expected to get a long look from Sullivan there. Laba isn’t as experienced. He debuted with the Wolf Pack late last year by tallying three goals and two helpers in 11 games. A 2022 fourth round pick who spent three years at Colorado College, the 22-year-old will likely start the season in Hartford. He is a player to watch during camp.

For the Devils, former 2019 fifth round pick Arseny Gritsyuk scored a power-play goal and had an assist in his debut for the Red and Black. The 24-year-old forward spent a lot of time over in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) before coming over. He’s supposed to be a scoring forward who can finish. It’ll be interesting to see where he slots in with the Devils. I’d at least start him on the third line and second power play unit.

The Rangers return to preseason action tomorrow night when they take on the Bruins at 7 PM. The Devils will host the Islanders. They’re expected to field more of a starting roster with some tweaks.

Maybe when the Rangers play against the Bruins, fans will get to see more of the starters. Probably half. That makes the most sense. Miller wearing the ‘C’ would be nice. We’ll see tomorrow.