1949–50 New York Rangers season



The 1949–50 New York Rangers season was the 24th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Rangers finish 4th in the league 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 1950 Stanley Cup Finals before Detroit's Pete Babando scored to give the Red Wings the Cup.

New York Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 1
Unlike in the previous season, the Montreal Canadiens were favorites as they entered the Semi-finals against the New York Rangers. Right from the start, New York served notice that the series will not be an easy victory. The Rangers win the first two games in Montreal to take a 2-0 series lead. As the series shifted to Madison Square Garden, the Rangers claimed a 4-1 win in the third game to put the Canadiens in a huge hole. To shake up his team, Montreal coach Dick Irvin pulled Bill Durnan from the net after the loss and replaced him with Gerry McNeil. The move worked as the Canadiens won 3-2 win in overtime in the fourth game as Elmer Lach delivered the winning goal. The Rangers completed their upset in five games with a 3-0 victory in the next game. Center Norm Dussault shone in the series with three goals after scoring only 13 during the regular season.

Detroit Red Wings 4, New York Rangers 3
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 lost Game 7 in double overtime to the Detroit Red Wings and became the last winner of the O'Brien Trophy as the Stanley Cup runner-up.

Regular Season

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Playoffs

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records

 * O'Brien Trophy: New York Rangers
 * Hart Memorial Trophy: Chuck Rayner
 * Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Edgar Laprade
 * Tony Leswick, Left Wing, NHL Second Team All-Star
 * Chuck Rayner, Goaltender, NHL Second Team All-Star

Farm Teams

 * New Haven Ramblers, American Hockey League
 * St. Paul Saints, United States Hockey League
 * Tacoma Rockets, Pacific Coast Hockey League

Video
Over 30 minutes of game footage from the Semi-finals and Finals including the presentation of the Stanley Cup.