Defensive Pairing 2
- LD: Harry Howell, L (C) (1952-69)
- RD: James Patrick, R (1983-94)
Now we’re just getting silly. Harry Howell is one of the best defenseman in hockey history. He was that good.
Most don’t realize it because he actually played “defense.” Howell wasn’t a great scorer (as very few defenseman during his era were). Still, he captained the Rangers and played fierce enough defense to have his jersey retired. Howell also played the most games in Rangers history (1,160).
In contrast, James Patrick was an offensive defenseman. Patrick ranks a pretty impressive 13th in Rangers history with 467 points. In 1991-92, Patrick tallied 71 points. While this was a far cry from Leetch’s 102 points during that Norris Trophy campaign, Patrick is no slouch.
Much like the first pairing – who is extremely familiar in playing with each other – we love the overall balance of this second pairing.
