1991-92 – 1996-97; 2000-01 – 2003-04 – Number Retired on January 12, 2006

Known simply as “The Captain,” Messier’s leadership skills and intangible qualities are as well-known and documented as his incredible list of on-ice accomplishments. At the time of his retirement in 2005, Messier ranked second in NHL history in points with 1,887 (only trailing Wayne Gretzky), seventh all-time in goals with 694, third in assists with 1,193, and second in games played with 1,756.

The 16-time NHL All-Star joined the Rangers on October 4, 1991, and in his first season with the club, guided the team to the Presidents’ Trophy. He led the team in scoring that season with 107 points and captured his second Hart Trophy as league MVP. He also set a Rangers record for most assists by a center, with 72.

In 1993-94, Messier led the Rangers to the team’s second Presidents’ Trophy in three seasons and carried the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 54 years. He ranks second on the Rangers all-time playoff scoring list with 80 points.

A four-time NHL First Team All-Star and two-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league MVP as voted by the players, Messier ranks fifth on the Rangers all-time scoring list with 691 points. He was named the club’s MVP three times during his Rangers tenure (1991-92, 1994-95, and 1995-96).

Messier, a two-time recipient of the Hart Trophy (’90, ’92), has appeared in the third-most playoff contests in NHL history (236) and ranks second in goals (109), assists (186), and points (295). The winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1984 as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Messier is a six-time Stanley Cup Champion and the only player in NHL history who has served as captain for two different teams that won the Stanley Cup (the 1990 Edmonton Oilers and the 1994 New York Rangers).

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.