One of the great debates for fans of any team is who is the best player to wear that jersey number. As a diehard New York Rangers fan, I ask that question to myself whenever a new player receives their number. This is part six of a ten-part series of who I believe are the greatest all-time New York Rangers by jersey number. Today I discuss numbers 40-49. If you missed any of the first five parts, go check out the links below!
Greatest All-Time New York Rangers by Jersey Number (Part 1: 90-99) – NHL Belly Up Sports
Greatest All-Time New York Rangers by Jersey Number (Part 2: 80-89) – Belly Up Sports
/Greatest All-Time New York Rangers by Jersey Number (Part 3: 70-79) – Belly Up Sports
Greatest All-Time New York Rangers by Jersey Number (Part 4: 60-69) – Belly Up Sports
Greatest All-Time New York Rangers by Jersey Number (Part 5: 50-59) – Belly Up Sports
Number 49: Dan Fritsche
The Rangers acquired Fritsche from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with Nikolai Zherdev before the 2008-09 season. He was brought in to help the Rangers bottom 6 after back-to-back solid seasons with Columbus. Fritsche was shuffled in and out of the lineup and was traded halfway through the year. I sat down with Dan last year on The Broadway Hat Podcast to talk about his career and time with the Rangers.
Final Rangers stat line: 16 GP 1 G 3 A 4 PTS
Number 48: Brendan Lemieux
The Rangers acquired Lemieux from the Winnipeg Jets for Kevin Hayes during the 2018-19 season. The Rangers were in need of a bottom-six grinder that could drop the gloves and agitate. Lemieux led the Rangers in penalty minutes during the 2019-20 season with 111. During his third season in New York, Lemieux would find himself in coach David Quinn’s doghouse and was traded to the LA Kings.
Final Rangers stat line: 109 GP 11 G 20 A 31 PTS 214 PIM
Number 47: J.T. Miller
The Rangers 2011 first-round pick wore number 47 his rookie season. Miller split time between New York and Hartford his first 3 seasons before finding a full-time role during the 2015-16 season. Miller would tie for the NHL lead in games played during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons playing the full 82-game schedule both years. He would also post consecutive 22-goal seasons those years. The Rangers would trade Miller and captain Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline of the 2018-19 season.
Final Rangers stat line: 341 GP 72 G 100 A 172 PTS
Number 46: Rob O’Gara
The Rangers acquired O’Gara during the 2018-19 season in a trade with the Boston Bruins. O’Gara was the first move made by the Rangers when they officially announced their “rebuild” and issued “the letter” to the fan base. O’Gara would play top-four minutes to close the season out. He would play one more season in the Rangers organization as a depth defenseman spending a majority of the year in Harford. I talked with O’Gara last year while he was playing in the Capitals organization.
Final Rangers stat line: 22 GP 0 G 3 A 3 PTS
Number 45: Steve Valiquette
Valiquette wore number 40 also with the Rangers but in his first stint, he wore 45. I do think if I made this list after this upcoming season Braden Schneider will be in this spot. Valiquette backed up future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist for 5 seasons. Although he didn’t see much playing time with Hank in net, when he did see the ice, he was a solid backup for the Rangers. He had 4 shutouts in his 27 career starts with the team. Now he does a great job covering the team on MSG, once again paired up with Lundqvist.
Final Rangers stat line: 39 GP 14-14-5 .901 SV% 2.78 GAA 4 SO
Number 44: Ron Duguay
Most known for wearing number 10, Duguay wore number 44 in his second stint with the Rangers. Taken 13th overall by the Rangers in the 1977 NHL Draft, Duguay became an immediate goal scorer for the Rangers. Duguay had four 20+ goal seasons with the Rangers, including his career-high 40 goals during the 1981-82 season. That same season he was named to the NHL All-Star team. His 28 playoff goals are tied for the fourth most all-time in franchise history. I sat down with the Rangers legend and his stories do not disappoint!
Final Rangers stat line: 499 GP 164 G 176 A 340 PTS
Number 43: Martin Biron
Another Henrik Lundqvist backup. Biron signed as a free agent before the 2010-11 season. Following a long run with Buffalo and a couple of solid seasons with Philadelphia, Biron transitioned to a backup role for the first time with the Rangers. Marty was outstanding in his first season with the Rangers. In a limited role, he posted a .923 SV% and a 2.13 GAA, both were career bests. Biron would retire during his fourth year with the Rangers.
Final Rangers stat line: 46 GP 22-15-3 .908 SV% 2.47 GAA
Number 42: Artem Anisimov
It was between Anisimov and Brendan Smith for this spot. I think some fans don’t remember how good Anisimov was for the Rangers. Taken in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft, Anisimov would play all 82 games his rookie season. In his second season, he would again play all 82 games and finish with 44 points. After three productive seasons with the Rangers, he would be traded to Columbus as part of the Rick Nash package.
Final Rangers stat line: 244 GP 46 G 62 A 108 PTS
Number 41: Jed Ortmeyer
The Rangers signed Ortmeyer as an undrafted college free agent before the 2003-04 season. Following his rookie season, he was awarded the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. He would win the award a second time after the 2006-07 season after he returned from a scary health issue that sidelined him for part of the season. Ortmeyer was a top penalty killer and played a hardnosed game that saw him become one of the leading hitters among forwards on the team. For the past 5 seasons, he has served as the Rangers Director of Player Development.
Final Rangers stat line: 177 GP 9 G 15 A 24 PTS
Number 40: Mark Pavelich
The Rangers signed Pavelich as a free agent when his Team USA “Miracle on Ice” coach Herb Brooks took over the Rangers bench. Pavelich had an outstanding Olympic performance, averaging a point per game. Pavelich would have one of the best rookie seasons in Rangers history, his 76 points are still a franchise record. He would follow that up with a team-leading 37 goals the next season and then led the team in points his 3rd season with 82. In 1983 he became the first American to score five goals in a single game, a record that still stands today.
Final Rangers stat line: 341 GP 133 G 185 A 318 PTS
Sound Off
There it is the greatest all-time New York Rangers to wear jersey numbers 40-49. We are starting to get some debates. but. the real debates should heat up in the final four parts. To hear more about my decisions on who I selected tune into my weekly Rangers podcast The Broadway Hat. Make sure you are following all of the social media pages below so you can follow along with all ten parts!
Be sure to bookmark our hockey page for hockey coverage and follow Belly Up Hockey on Twitter: @BellyUpHockey. Follow me on Twitter for more takes on the New York Rangers and USA Hockey: @KHallNY. You can also listen to my NY Rangers podcast The Broadway Hat Podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify for Rangers news and interviews with past and current players.
