As time passes, and we avidly follow our favorite sports teams, a multitude of players come and go. While we may recall them during their time with the team, some slip through the crevices of our memory, only to resurface through a nostalgic memory or an old piece of media, causing us to reconnect their faces and names with the iconic Rangers uniform.
Among the hallowed names like Messier, Leetch, Giacomin, Lundqvist, and others, there are those more unknown Rangers, such as Corey Locke, Sandis Ozolinsh, James Sheppard, and others who may have faded from our recollection.
As we traverse the regular season, we’ll delve into a few of these “Forgotten Rangers” In this edition, we feature a gritty defenseman and another hockey sibling that swung and missed.
Jason Strudwick, Defenseman
Time with Rangers: 125 games over three seasons.
Strudwick entered the NHL when the New York Islanders selected him in the third round, 63rd overall, during the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut for the Islanders against the Hartford Whalers on March 30, 1996.
In a trade on March 23, 1998, Strudwick moved to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Gino Odjick. Later, on July 15, 2002, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent.
Following his stint with the Hungarian team Ferencvárosi TC during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Strudwick returned to the NHL with the New York Rangers. He had initially signed with the Rangers as a free agent on July 20, 2004, for the 2005–06 season.
The 2006–07 season saw Strudwick starting with HC Lugano in Switzerland before returning to the Rangers on March 19, 2007. Unfortunately, due to signing after the trade deadline, he couldn’t participate in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. He continued with the Rangers through the 2007–08 season after signing a one-year contract in July 2007.
Strudwick was a big, physical defenseman that was about as stay-at-home as you could get. Not a guy who you’d expect to score a goal but he netted a few, and even kept the team alive during one of the longest shootouts in NHL history.
Moving on from the Rangers, on July 10, 2008, Strudwick inked a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers for the 2008–09 season. He extended his tenure with the Oilers during the summers of 2009 and 2010. Rejoining the team on July 2, 2010, he signed another one-year contract.
Later in his career, on November 21, 2011, Strudwick joined the Swedish club Södertälje SK of the Swedish Allsvenskan. Finally, on May 24, 2012, he officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Marcel Hossa, Forward
Time with Rangers: 164 games through three seasons.
Hossa entered the NHL scene when the Montreal Canadiens picked him 16th overall in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Before making the move to North America, he honed his skills in junior hockey with Dukla Trenčín in his native Slovakia. Subsequently, he joined the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 1998–99 season.
In the 2000–01 season, Hossa excelled with the Winterhawks, leading them in scoring and guiding them to the WHL finals in his third year in the league. He transitioned to the professional ranks the following season, playing for the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Quebec Citadelles. Despite finishing fifth in team points with 32, he was called up by the Canadiens midway through the 2001–02 season, making his NHL debut and participating in ten games.
Over the next two seasons, Hossa divided his time between the Canadiens and their new AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, earning a spot in the 2003 NHL YoungStars Game. Despite his potential, Hossa struggled to secure a permanent spot with the Canadiens at the NHL level. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he ventured to the Swedish Elitserien, signing a one-year contract with Mora IK on September 25, 2004, playing alongside his older brother, Marián Hossa.
Before the 2005–06 season, on September 30, 2005, Hossa was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Garth Murray. In his debut season with the Rangers, he set a career-high by playing in 64 games and scoring ten goals. However, his 2006–07 season faced a setback when he injured his right knee in a game against the New York Islanders on March 5, 2007.
The 2007–08 season saw Hossa’s offensive struggles with the Rangers, leading to his assignment to the AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on February 16, 2008. Subsequently, on February 26, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. Despite playing the remainder of the season with the Coyotes, he went scoreless in 14 games.
As an unrestricted free agent on July 3, 2008, Hossa signed with Dinamo Riga in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He showcased his scoring prowess, leading Riga with 22 goals in the 2008–09 season and topping the KHL in goals with 35 in 2009–10. His stellar performance earned him a spot on the Slovakian national team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
On May 7, 2010, Hossa moved to reigning KHL champions Ak Bars Kazan, signing a two-year contract. He continued his KHL journey with Spartak Moscow, signing a one-year contract on July 26, 2011.
After a brief return to Dinamo Riga in 2013, Hossa signed a one-year contract but was released from the team on December 20, 2014. Subsequently, on January 30, 2015, he signed with Modo Hockey in Sweden, playing out the remainder of the 2014–15 season.
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