1975–76 New York Rangers season

1975–76 New York Rangers
Division	4th Patrick
Conference	7th Clarence Campbell
1975–76 record	29–42–9
Goals for	262
Goals against	333
Team information
General manager	Emile Francis John Ferguson, Sr.
Coach	Ron Stewart John Ferguson, Sr.
Captain	Phil Esposito
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Team leaders
Goals	Rod Gilbert (36)
Assists	Rod Gilbert (50)
Points	Rod Gilbert (86)
Penalty minutes	Carol Vadnais (104)
Wins	John Davidson (22)
Goals against average	John Davidson (3.97)

The 1975–76 New York Rangers season was the 50th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Rangers finished 4th in the Patrick Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Off-season

The Rangers chose Wayne Dillon as their first pick in the 1975 draft. Dillon was already playing professionally with the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association.

Regular Season

On November 11, 1975 the New York Rangers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins, exchanging Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.

Final Standings

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	80	51	13	16	348	209	118
New York Islanders	80	42	21	17	297	190	101
Atlanta Flames	80	35	33	12	262	237	82
New York Rangers	80	29	42	9	262	333	67

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Game Log

Regular Season Results
No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	T	October 8, 1975	2–2	Chicago Black Hawks (1975–76)	0–0–1
2	W	October 10, 1975	2–1	@ Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	1–0–1
3	L	October 12, 1975	4–6	Los Angeles Kings (1975–76)	1–1–1
4	W	October 15, 1975	3–1	Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	2–1–1
5	L	October 18, 1975	1–4	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1975–76)	2–2–1
6	W	October 19, 1975	8–1	Vancouver Canucks (1975–76)	3–2–1
7	L	October 22, 1975	1–9	@ Buffalo Sabres (1975–76)	3–3–1
8	L	October 25, 1975	1–7	@ New York Islanders (1975–76)	3–4–1
9	L	October 26, 1975	2–7	Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	3–5–1
10	W	October 29, 1975	3–1	St. Louis Blues (1975–76)	4–5–1
11	L	November 1, 1975	0–4	@ Montreal Canadiens (1975–76)	4–6–1
12	L	November 2, 1975	4–6	Detroit Red Wings (1975–76)	4–7–1
13	W	November 4, 1975	4–2	@ Vancouver Canucks (1975–76)	5–7–1
14	L	November 7, 1975	5–7	@ California Golden Seals (1975–76)	5–8–1
15	L	November 8, 1975	1–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1975–76)	5–9–1
16	L	November 11, 1975	3–5	@ St. Louis Blues (1975–76)	5–10–1
17	T	November 12, 1975	4–4	Chicago Black Hawks (1975–76)	5–10–2
18	W	November 15, 1975	5–2	@ Minnesota North Stars (1975–76)	6–10–2
19	W	November 16, 1975	3–0	Detroit Red Wings (1975–76)	7–10–2
20	L	November 19, 1975	4–6	Kansas City Scouts (1975–76)	7–11–2
21	L	November 22, 1975	2–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	7–12–2
22	W	November 23, 1975	3–2	California Golden Seals (1975–76)	8–12–2
23	L	November 26, 1975	4–6	Boston Bruins (1975–76)	8–13–2
24	L	November 29, 1975	3–8	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1975–76)	8–14–2
25	W	November 30, 1975	5–2	St. Louis Blues (1975–76)	9–14–2
26	T	December 4, 1975	6–6	@ Buffalo Sabres (1975–76)	9–14–3
27	W	December 5, 1975	3–2	@ Kansas City Scouts (1975–76)	10–14–3
28	W	December 7, 1975	5–2	Washington Capitals (1975–76)	11–14–3
29	T	December 10, 1975	2–2	Buffalo Sabres (1975–76)	11–14–4
30	W	December 11, 1975	5–1	@ Boston Bruins (1975–76)	12–14–4
31	W	December 13, 1975	5–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1975–76)	13–14–4
32	L	December 14, 1975	1–6	Toronto Maple Leafs (1975–76)	13–15–4
33	L	December 17, 1975	0–3	New York Islanders (1975–76)	13–16–4
34	L	December 19, 1975	3–8	@ Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	13–17–4
35	W	December 21, 1975	2–0	Minnesota North Stars (1975–76)	14–17–4
36	W	December 23, 1975	4–3	Pittsburgh Penguins (1975–76)	15–17–4
37	L	December 31, 1975	1–8	Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	15–18–4
38	L	January 4, 1976	6–8	Toronto Maple Leafs (1975–76)	15–19–4
39	L	January 6, 1976	2–5	@ St. Louis Blues (1975–76)	15–20–4
40	W	January 10, 1976	8–4	@ Kansas City Scouts (1975–76)	16–20–4
41	W	January 11, 1976	6–2	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1975–76)	17–20–4
42	L	January 14, 1976	1–5	@ Vancouver Canucks (1975–76)	17–21–4
43	L	January 16, 1976	0–7	@ California Golden Seals (1975–76)	17–22–4
44	L	January 18, 1976	3–8	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1975–76)	17–23–4
45	T	January 21, 1976	3–3	Chicago Black Hawks (1975–76)	17–23–5
46	L	January 23, 1976	5–7	@ Washington Capitals (1975–76)	17–24–5
47	L	January 25, 1976	1–4	Los Angeles Kings (1975–76)	17–25–5
48	T	January 28, 1976	3–3	Buffalo Sabres (1975–76)	17–25–6
49	W	January 29, 1976	6–3	@ St. Louis Blues (1975–76)	18–25–6
50	L	January 31, 1976	4–6	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1975–76)	18–26–6
51	W	February 1, 1976	3–2	Minnesota North Stars (1975–76)	19–26–6
52	L	February 4, 1976	5–6	New York Islanders (1975–76)	19–27–6
53	W	February 7, 1976	5–4	@ Detroit Red Wings (1975–76)	20–27–6
54	L	February 8, 1976	0–3	Montreal Canadiens (1975–76)	20–28–6
55	L	February 12, 1976	1–6	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	20–29–6
56	L	February 13, 1976	3–5	Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	20–30–6
57	W	February 15, 1976	5–1	Kansas City Scouts (1975–76)	21–30–6
58	W	February 17, 1976	3–1	@ New York Islanders (1975–76)	22–30–6
59	W	February 18, 1976	11–4	Washington Capitals (1975–76)	23–30–6
60	L	February 20, 1976	3–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1975–76)	23–31–6
61	L	February 22, 1976	2–5	Boston Bruins (1975–76)	23–32–6
62	L	February 25, 1976	4–6	California Golden Seals (1975–76)	23–33–6
63	L	February 28, 1976	3–5	@ Minnesota North Stars (1975–76)	23–34–6
64	T	February 29, 1976	1–1	Montreal Canadiens (1975–76)	23–34–7
65	T	March 3, 1976	3–3	Vancouver Canucks (1975–76)	23–34–8
66	L	March 5, 1976	3–8	@ Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	23–35–8
67	T	March 7, 1976	6–6	Atlanta Flames (1975–76)	23–35–9
68	L	March 11, 1976	3–4	@ Los Angeles Kings (1975–76)	23–36–9
69	W	March 13, 1976	7–3	@ Vancouver Canucks (1975–76)	24–36–9
70	L	March 16, 1976	2–5	@ Washington Capitals (1975–76)	24–37–9
71	W	March 17, 1976	3–1	Minnesota North Stars (1975–76)	25–37–9
72	L	March 20, 1976	1–8	@ Boston Bruins (1975–76)	25–38–9
73	L	March 21, 1976	2–4	Pittsburgh Penguins (1975–76)	25–39–9
74	L	March 24, 1976	3–7	@ Buffalo Sabres (1975–76)	25–40–9
75	L	March 25, 1976	1–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	25–41–9
76	W	March 27, 1976	6–5	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1975–76)	26–41–9
77	W	March 28, 1976	4–2	Kansas City Scouts (1975–76)	27–41–9
78	W	March 31, 1976	3–1	New York Islanders (1975–76)	28–41–9
79	L	April 3, 1976	2–10	@ New York Islanders (1975–76)	28–42–9
80	W	April 4, 1976	2–0	Philadelphia Flyers (1975–76)	29–42–9

Playoffs

• The Rangers did not qualify for the post season.

Player Stats

Regular Season

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Gilbert, RodRod Gilbert	RW	70	36	50	86	32	-8	9	0	4
Vickers, SteveSteve Vickers	LW	80	30	53	83	40	-17	10	0	4
Esposito, PhilPhil Esposito	C	62	29	38	67	28	-39	16	1	2
Middleton, RickRick Middleton	RW	77	24	26	50	14	-38	7	0	5
Vadnais, CarolCarol Vadnais	D	64	20	30	50	104	-17	7	0	1
Dillon, WayneWayne Dillon	C	79	21	24	45	10	-11	3	0	1
Stemkowski, PetePete Stemkowski	C	75	13	28	41	49	-7	1	0	2
Polis, GregGreg Polis	LW	79	15	21	36	77	-8	0	0	1
Hickey, PatPat Hickey	LW	70	14	22	36	36	-29	0	0	1
Tkaczuk, WaltWalt Tkaczuk	C	78	8	28	36	56	-10	1	0	1
Fairbairn, BillBill Fairbairn	RW	80	13	15	28	8	-14	2	1	2
Greschner, RonRon Greschner	D	77	6	21	27	93	-51	2	0	0
Marotte, GillesGilles Marotte	D	57	4	17	21	34	-3	1	0	0
Ratelle, JeanJean Ratelle	C	13	5	10	15	2	2	2	0	1
Sacharuk, LarryLarry Sacharuk	D	42	6	7	13	14	-14	4	0	2
Holland, JerryJerry Holland	LW	36	7	4	11	6	-5	2	0	1
Bednarski, JohnJohn Bednarski	D	59	1	8	9	77	-15	0	0	0
Beverley, NickNick Beverley	D	63	1	8	9	46	-9	0	0	0
Collins, BillBill Collins	RW	50	4	4	8	38	-19	0	1	0
Park, BradBrad Park	D	13	2	4	6	23	-4	0	0	1
Maloney, DaveDave Maloney	D	21	1	3	4	66	-7	0	0	0
Jarrett, DougDoug Jarrett	D	45	0	4	4	19	-26	0	0	0
Johnstone, EddieEddie Johnstone	RW	10	2	1	3	4	4	0	0	0
Davidson, JohnJohn Davidson	G	56	0	2	2	8	0	0	0	0
Harris, RonRon Harris	D	3	0	1	1	0	-1	0	0	0
Soetaert, DougDoug Soetaert	G	8	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Holst, GregGreg Holst	C	2	0	0	0	0	-3	0	0	0
Lewis, DaleDale Lewis	LW	8	0	0	0	0	-2	0	0	0
Sanderson, DerekDerek Sanderson	C	8	0	0	0	4	-8	0	0	0
Giacomin, EdEd Giacomin	G	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wilson, DuncDunc Wilson	G	20	0	0	0	11	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO
Davidson, JohnJohn Davidson	3207	56	22	28	5	212	3.97	3
Wilson, DuncDunc Wilson	1080	20	5	9	3	76	4.22	0
Soetaert, DougDoug Soetaert	273	8	2	2	0	24	5.27	0
Giacomin, EdEd Giacomin	240	4	0	3	1	19	4.75	0
Team:	4800	80	29	42	9	331	4.14	3

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; 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

• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Rod Gilbert
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Jean Ratelle

Transactions

• June 17, 1975 - Hartland Monahan was lost in intra-league draft to Washington Capitals.
• June 17, 1975 - Dale Lewis claimed in intra-league draft from Los Angeles Kings.
• June 18, 1975 - Ted Irvine, Bert Wilson and Jerry Butler traded to St. Louis Blues for John Davidson and Bill Collins.
• September 9, 1975 - Curt Ridley traded to Atlanta Flames for Jerry Byers.
• September 20, 1975 - Bob MacMillan, future consideration and cash went to the St. Louis Blues for Larry Sacharuk.
• October 28, 1975 - Gilles Villemure traded to Chicago Blackhawks for Doug Jarrett.
• October 30, 1975 - Derek Sanderson traded to St. Louis Blues for 1977 first-round pick.
• October 31, 1975 - Ed Giacomin was picked up on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings.
• November 7, 1975 - Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi traded to Boston Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.
• November 14, 1975 - Al Simmons picked up for cash from the Boston Bruins.

Source: - Search Results. hockeytransactions.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.

Draft Picks

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team
1	12	Wayne Dillon (C)	Canada	Toronto Toros (WHA)

See Also

• 1975–76 NHL season

References

• Rangers on Hockey Database

New York Rangers
Team	Franchise • Players • Coaches • GMs • Seasons • Records • Draft Picks • History Madison Square Garden
Stanley Cups	1928, 1933, 1940, 1994
Affiliates	Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), Maine Mariners (ECHL)