1960-61 – 1975-76 – Number Retired on February 25, 2018
One of the greatest centers of his generation, Jean Ratelle was the offensive catalyst for the Rangers for parts of 16 seasons. During his tenure with the Blueshirts, he tallied 336 goals and 481 assists for 817 points, along with a plus-167 rating in 861 games.
As a member of the Rangers, Ratelle was the recipient of the team’s Most Valuable Player Award twice (1971-72 and 1972-73), the Players’ Player Award five times (1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1974-75), and the Frank Boucher Trophy as the team’s most popular player on and off the ice (as selected by the Rangers Fan Club) twice (1971-72 and 1972-73).
He was the center on the Rangers’ famous Goal-A-Game Line (G-A-G Line) with left wing Vic Hadfield and right wing Rod Gilbert, and in 1971-72, Ratelle, Hadfield, and Gilbert ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the NHL in points during the regular season. Ratelle tallied 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) and posted a plus-61 rating in 63 games during the 1971-72 season, becoming the first Ranger to tally 100 points in a season (along with Hadfield) and establishing a single-season franchise record for points.
Ratelle received the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player as selected by the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) in 1971-72, as well as the Lady Byng Trophy for being the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”.
A five-time NHL All-Star, Ratelle was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985, and in 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in league history.