Hockey Happy Birthday Wayne Gretzky by Staff Post January 27, 2016 Wayne Gretzky played his final three NHL seasons with the Rangers. (Getty Images) The Great One, aka number 99, turned 55 on Tuesday, bringing back floods of memories from his playing days. The last time Gretzky would ever skate in the NHL would be with the New York Rangers where he spent his final three seasons. Let’s take a look at what Gretzky accomplished during his time as a Blue Shirt. Gretzky joined the Rangers on July 21, 1996 after one season with the St. Louis Blues (following years with the Oilers and Kings). He would not disappoint the Garden crowd as he totaled 97 points his first season, 90 his second season, and 62 his last season, adding up to an astonishing 192 assists. He only missed 12 games in his three seasons, a clear testament to the type of shape he was in. He was only able to lead the Rangers to one playoff appearance when he teamed up with Mark Messier in 1996-97 to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite losing in five in the third round, Gretzky put up 10 goals and 10 assists in 15 postseason games. This included two game-winning goals and two hat tricks, one against the Philadelphia Flyers and one against the Florida Panthers. Despite never lifting a trophy in New York, Gretzky still took home a lot awards and accolades. He was the Rangers team MVP in 1997-98, the Boucher Trophy winner in 1997-98, the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner in 1997-08 and won the Rangers Good Guy Award in 1996-97. Gretzky won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1998-99, and was a member of the NHL All Star team all three years in New York. Not too shabby for a guy playing out his final years. During his stint with the Rangers, Gretzky was also the team leader in almost every category. He had the most points on the team all three seasons, tied for the most goals in 1997-98, had the most assists all three seasons, and was the leader in playoff points, goals and assists in the 1996-97 playoffs. The Great One was truly great down to his last years and it was an honor for him to play for the New York Rangers – his only appearance on a regular six team – and to ride off into the sunset at the World’s Most Famous Arena. It was unfortunately a few years too late for the two to team up for a Stanley Cup, but there were still some terrific memories to be had. Happy Birthday Gretzky! Post Views: 1,633 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsNew York RangersWayne Gretzky Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Whoop Rewards Employees With $100 Each Month To Sleep by Inesh Chari | posted on March 22, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 106: Newsday’s Neil Best (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 12, 2021 More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Henrik Lundqvist Wins 2015 Double G Sports Award for Male Athlete of the Year NWHL announces first trade in league history