1949–50 New York Rangers season
The 1949–50 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 24th season. The season saw the Rangers finish in fourth place in the National Hockey League (NHL) 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 Finals before Detroit's Pete Babando scored to give the Red Wings the Cup. The Rangers would not win another playoff series again until 1971.
| 1949–50 New York Rangers | |
|---|---|
| Conference | 4th NHL |
| 1949–50 record | 28–31–11 |
| Goals for | 170 |
| Goals against | 189 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Frank Boucher |
| Coach | Lynn Patrick |
| Captain | Buddy O'Connor |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Edgar Laprade (22) |
| Assists | Tony Leswick and Don Raleigh (25) |
| Points | Edgar Laprade and Tony Leswick (44) |
| Penalty minutes | Gus Kyle (143) |
| Wins | Chuck Rayner (28) |
| Goals against average | Chuck Rayner (2.62) |
Also of note during this season was that 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 would not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1972.