I don't think the average fan understands just what an extreme disgrace it is that the Rangers haven't retired Frank Boucher or Bill Cook.
Frank Boucher
Hockey Hall of Fame
13 seasons as a Ranger as a player, 11 as a coach/GM, 4 seasons as just GM
Won 2 Cups with the Rangers as a player. Coached the Rangers to the Cup in 1940, the last time they would win it for 54 years.
Still 3rd all time in games as a Rangers coach
Scored 4 GWG in 9 games in the '28 playoffs.
Voted best center in the league 3 times
7 times either 1st or 2nd in assists
7-time Lady Byng winner in 8 years (the other time he was runner-up). They finally GAVE him the trophy and got another one which has been used since.
Led the playoffs in scoring twice
To this day, is still 15th on the Rangers' all time scoring list, despite playing a fraction of the games of anyone ranked higher.
To this day, still 2nd in playoff GWG, tied with Cook, and only 1 behind Messier.
THN ranked him 61st all-time in 1998. HF ranked him 48th in 2009 and 42nd in 2018. HF ranked him 16th among centers in 2014.
For 60 years the NY Rangers Fan Club called its Most Popular Player award the "Frank Boucher Trophy".
Bill Cook
Hockey Hall of Fame
11 seasons as a Ranger as a player, 2 as a coach.
Two-time Hart runner-up
Won 2 Cups with the Rangers. Scored the OT Cup-winning goal in 1928.
Scored the first goal in franchise history, which was the GWG in a 1-0 game
4 times either 1st or 2nd in goals
2 times 1st in points
Voted best RW in the league 3 times, was runner up a fourth time
Ceremonially scored the first goal at the new MSG
To this day, still holds the Rangers' hat trick record.
To this day, is still top-10 on the Rangers' all time goals list.
To this day, still holds the Rangers' record for points in a period.
To this day, still 2nd in playoff GWG, tied with Boucher, and only 1 behind Messier.
THN ranked him 44th all-time in 1998. HF ranked him 40th in 2008 and 34th in 2018. HF ranked him the 7th best winger of all time in 2014!
In the first 9 seasons that the Rangers existed, either Boucher (5) or Cook (4) led the team in points. In the first 7 seasons, Cook (6) or Boucher (1) led the team in goals. In the first 9 seasons, Boucher led the team in assists 8 times.
Andy Bathgate is the only other player to lead the Rangers in points 5 times or in assists 8 times. His number is retired (though disgracefully not until 2009, three weeks after Adam Graves).
No other player has led the team in goals 6 times.
There are bad omissions and then there are "oh my god, what are you DOING???" omissions. Bill Cook is inexcusable. Frank Boucher is beyond inexcusable, the equivalent of the Habs not retiring Jean Beliveau or the Hawks not retiring Stan Mikita. This is an ongoing stain on the organization that should have been rectified when they first decided to begin retiring numbers 40 years ago.
