Richter Honored
Almost nine hundred players have donned the Rangers blue in the franchise’s seventy seven years in the NHL, of those nine hundred, just two have had their numbers retired to the rafters of Madison Square Garden. Tonight that very exclusive club was extended to include one of the most popular Rangers of all time, career Ranger netminder Mike Richter. After an emotional announcement this past summer that saw Richter’s fifteen year NHL career come to an end, the Rangers immediately made clear their plans and there for tonight’s festivities.
Arguably the best American born goalie ever to play the game, Richter will be remembered for a career that included a silver medal performance at the 2002 Winter Olympics, a 1996 World Cup winning performance that saw him make 35 saves (including 23 in the second period) of the third game to lead the US to a surprising gold over the favored Canadians, and of course the 1994 Stanley Cup.