New York Rangers are a New York based ice hockey team. It belongs to the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the NHL. It was founded by Lester Patrick in 1926. Madison Gardens was the home arena for the team, which they shared with the New York Americans. In its inception year, the team picked up many well known players like Frank Boucher, Bun Cook, Lorne Chabot, and Bill Cook. The team was born brilliant. The new team turned to be a regular winner. From the very beginning, Rangers got to taste the success. The Rangers won the American Division title in their first year of formation. In the 1928 NHL season (which was their second season), the new team won the Stanley Cup championship. The regular season success continued and by the time Rangers again won a Stanley Cup in 1933. In the final, the team defeated Toronto Maple Leafs. New York Rangers became one of the most successful teams in the history of the NHL. The team's sky touching success at such an early stage, begged much of public attention and the players experienced some sort of celebrity treatment too. The Rangers made sure to maintain the team's consistency throughout the 1930s. With three Stanley Cups and once missing playoffs in a long period of sixteen years, their power performances prevailed till the mid-1940s. They played quality games during that period. But Rangers would collapse by the mid 1940s.
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For almost twenty years since mid-1940s, the downfall continued for the Rangers. Many missing playoffs in NHL games, indicate the fact of downfall. However, by the late 1960s, the team was rejuvenated. They tried to recover themselves by winning records and playoffs. They had to face many tough contenders like their cross town rival New York Islanders at the restart of their career. The Islanders, who came to the league in 1972, stood as a tough competitor for them. In the mid-1970s, they would miss many seasons' championships against the New York Islanders but under the guidance of Fred Shero, Rangers defeated the Islanders in their 1978-79 playoff meeting.