I think he still has a chance to surprise in his late 20′s. It took St. Louis a long time, but Jamie will never be like St. Louis………..still….he is always a potential 45 point getter.

Jamie Lundmark, another Smith pick, I don’t know what to think of anymore. He just isn’t producing in NY like many others have.

1917:

Four NHA teams reorganize to form the National Hockey League. A new Toronto franchise, the Arenas, is added. The Arenas will become the Maple Leafs in 1927.

The Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA become the first American-based team to win the Stanley Cup, after the Cup’s trustees rule that teams outside Canada can compete for the trophy.

1924:

The Boston Bruins defeat the Montreal Maroons 2-1 in the first NHL game played in the United States.

The NHL increases the regular season schedule from 24 to 30 games. Players on the first place Hamilton Tigers refuse to compete in the 1925 playoffs unless they are paid for the extra games played. The players are suspended and the team is subsequently sold to become the New York Americans.

Ice hockey debuts at the Winter Olympics, with Canada winning the gold medal.

This in my opinion is the point in time where the NHL and its six teams view as the begining. However the above info indicates that technically it was formed earlier with only 4 teams from the NHA.

1926:

The New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Cougars (later renamed the Red Wings) join the NHL.

The Western Hockey League disbands and sells most of its players to the new NHL teams, leaving the NHL as the undisputed top hockey league in North America.

Wouldn’t you know that the RANGERS were a team sold to New York because they refused to compete in the 1925 playoffs unless they are paid. This is to funny.

Thank You for stirring my curiosity.

http://www.tmlfever.com/TheGame.html

2 there werent originally 6 teams when the nhl started

3 the phrase should be “pre expansion six”

4 the rangers were pretty much non players in the 80′s and edmonton of all markets was red hot and the nhl did great.

I never said any Rangers prospects will be a super star, or “phenomenal”. You are making that up and you prove to show yourself as a bashing idiot.

The last time the Rangers produced an all-star? Aside from his bad seasons, Kovalev is probably the last one.

All those “awesome” prospects were never marked as “great”, especially by me since i criticized Neil Smith’s drafts continuously after he was fired. I don’t think he was committed to building a Rangers core of young players when he dumped the Bob Errey’s, Brad Smyths, and the Derek Armstrongs in the farm system.

The only prospect from Neil Smith that is doing just fine right now is Jason LaBarbera, who i am not convinced of yet.

All of the players you mentioned, that were drafted as Rangers came from the Neil Smith era in the 90′s.

We’re in year 2005, and you have not even listed one Rangers prospect from the year 2000 and on. Not one.

Are you stuck in the past?

And, Andreas Johansson was never, ever, a prospect for the Rangers. Were you drunk when writing this?

I don’t read Hockey’sFuture. As i said, they are an opinionated site with the quantity over quality strategy. I read McKeen’s, and i look at the Central Scouting Bureau site.

I never mentioned any Rangers prospect as a “sure thing”, i actually have criticized the media for overhyping prospects, as they are doing so with Crosby.

I’ll gladly talk about my opinions of prospects if you’d like. But,…the more recent prospects.

I’d like for you to point out where i ever said that a Rangers prospect, or any in general (aside from Ovechkin), will be a phenomenal player.

And…..don’t try to be so “offensive” and “tough”…..you would never have the balls to say such things face to face. So….go buy some pubes, eh?

And if I recall, the Red Wings were the first team to pull off a trap like defence with the left wing lock.