What Hockey Team Is In New York? (NHL, AHL, ECHL, & NCAA)

Ice hockey has been popular in the American city and state of New York for well over a century now with several professional teams in the area.

Currently there are three NHL franchises in the state of New York: the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres.

Are the New York Islanders and New York Rangers Rivals?

The New York Islanders and New York Rangers are natural rivals since both teams are situated in New York City and compete in the Metropolitan Division. The intense rivalry is known as The Battle of New York with the Rangers being based in the borough of Manhattan and the Islanders playing out of Nassau County on Long Island.

The History of The Battle of New York

The roots of the Battle of New York rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders were planted when the NHL awarded New York with the Islanders franchise in late 1971. The NHL decided to award the greater New York City area with a second franchise as the league didn’t want competition in the area from the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA).

The Islanders and Rangers first met in the regular season in 1972/73. The first playoff meeting came in 1974/75 with the Islanders winning the first-round, best-of-three series 2-1 by scoring just 11 seconds into overtime on the road in the deciding game at Madison Square Garden

The teams met in the 1978/79 league semifinals with the Rangers taking the series 4-2 while the Islanders swept their 1980/81 semifinal meeting 4-0 and going on to win the Stanley Cup. They faced off again in the 1981/82 playoffs with the Islanders winning the Divisional Final series 4-2 and once again going on to capture the Stanley Cup.

The teams met again in 1982/83 in the Division Finals with the Islanders taking the series in six games and going on to win the Stanley cup for the fourth straight season. In 1983/84 the Islanders won their Division Semifinal showdown three games to two before losing the Stanley Cup Final.

The clubs met again in the Divisional Semifinal in 1989/90 with Rangers taking the series 4-1. Their next and last playoff meeting to date came in 1993/94 in the Conference Quarterfinals with the Rangers sweeping the series in four games and outscoring the Islanders 22-3. They then went on to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1940.

As of January 1st, 2023 the Rangers and Islanders have met in the playoffs eight times with the Islanders winning five of the series to the Rangers’ three. The Islanders also hold the edge in postseason wins between the sides at 20-19.

The teams met at the NHL Stadium series at Yankee Stadium in January, 2014 with the Rangers winning 2-1.

Which New York NHL Team Has the Most Stanley Cups?

There is a tie between the Islanders and the Rangers at 4 Stanley Cups!

The New York Islanders have won four Stanley Cups, which were all won consecutively in 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82 and 1982/83.

The New York Rangers have also won four Stanley Cups with their victories coming in 1927/28, 1932/33, 1939/40 and 1993/94.

New York Islanders:

When Did the New York Islanders Join the NHL?

The New York Islanders played their first NHL season in 1972/73.

Where is the New York Islanders Hockey Stadium?

The New York Islanders currently play their home games at the USB Arena in Elmont, New York. They played out of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum between 1972 and 2015 before moving to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

During the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, the club split its home games between Barclays Center and the Nassau Coliseum. In 2020/21 the team played its home games at the Nassau Coliseum before moving to the USB Arena in November, 2021.

Who Are Some of The Most Notable Players from The New York Islanders?

There are nine former members of the New York Islanders in the Hockey Hall of Fame. These are former players Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier, Pat Lafontaine and Roberto Luongo as well as former head coach Al Arbour and former general manager Bill Torrey.

Current Islanders’ general manager and president of hockey operations, Lou Lamoriello is also inducted in the builder’s category.

The New York Rangers:

When Did the New York Rangers Join the NHL?

The first NHL season for the New York Rangers came in 1926/27. The New York Americans were also playing in the NHL at the same time as that franchise entered the league in 1925/26 and became the Brooklyn Americans in 1941/42, which was the club’s final NHL campaign before folding.

Where is the New York Rangers Hockey Stadium?

The New York Rangers play their home games at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City and shared the rink with the New York Americans franchise between 1926 and 1942 .

Who Are Some of The Most Notable Players from The New York Rangers?

There are numerous former New York Ranger players in the Hockey Hall of Fame, including:

Glenn Anderson, Andy Bathgate, Doug Bentley, Max Bentley, Frank Boucher, Johnny Bower, Pavel Bure, Neil Colville, Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Art Coulter, Marcel Dionne, Dick Duff, Phil Esposito, Bill Gadsby, Mike Gartner, Bernie Geoffrion, Eddie Giacomin, Rod Gilbert, Wayne Gretzky, Doug Harvey, Bryan Hextall, Tim Horton, Harry Howell, Ching Johnson, Jari Kurri, Guy Lafleur, Pat LaFontaine, Edgar Laprade, Brian Leetch, Eric Lindros, Kevin Lowe, Harry Lumley, Mark Messier, Howie Morenz, Vaclav Nedomansky, Buddy O’Connor, Brad Park, Lynn Patrick, Jacques Plante, Babe Pratt, Jean Ratelle, Chuck Rayner, Luc Robitaille, Earl Seibert, Brendan Shanahan, Allan Stanley, Babe Siebert, Clint Smith, Terry Sawchuk, Martin St. Louis, Gump Worsley and Sergei Zubov.

Former Rangers who are inducted in the builder’s category are:

Herb Brooks, Emile Francis, William M. Jennings, Roger Neilson, Craig Patrick, Lester Patrick, Lynn Patrick, Glen Sather and Fred Shero.

The Buffalo Sabres:

When Did the Buffalo Sabres Join the NHL?

The Buffalo Sabres played their first NHL season in 1970/71.

Where is the Buffalo Sabres Hockey Stadium?

The Sabres currently play their home games at the at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, which the club moved to in 1996. The KeyBank Center was formerly named the Marine Midland Arena, the HSBC Arena and the First Niagara Center. Before 1996 the team played its home games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

Who Are Some of The Most Notable Players from The Buffalo Sabres?

Former Buffalo Sabres players who have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of fame are: Dave Andreychuk, Dale Hawerchuk, Dick Duff, Tim Horton, Grant Fuhr, Phil Housley, Clark Gillies, Pat LaFontaine, Doug Gilmour, Gilbert Perreault and Dominik Hasek.

Former Sabres who have been inducted in the builder’s category are: Scotty Bowman, Punch Imlach, Seymour H. Knox III and Roger Neilson.

Who Are Some Famous NHL Players Born in New York?

Some of the best current and former NHL players who were born in the state of New York include:

Erik Cole
Dustin Brown
Jimmy Howard
Nick Foligno
Marcus Foligno
Ryan Callahan
Kevin Shattenkirk
Patrick Kane
Joey Mullen
Brian Mullen
Trevor Zegras
Miles Wood
Charlie McAvoy
Adam Fox
Alex Tuch
Kyle Palmieri
Brian Gionta
Brandon Sutter
Patrick Kaleta
Lee Stempniak
Craig Conroy
Mathieu Schneider
Todd Marchant
Tim Connolly
Jack Brownschidle
Alez Iafallo
Brett Pesce
Joel Farabee
Tracy Pratt
Mike Komisarek
Jim Pavese
Marty Reasoner
Todd Marchant
Chris Higgins.

What AHL Teams are in New York?

Current AHL Teams:

Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)
Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils)

Former AHL Teams based in New York:

Buffalo Bisons
Syracuse Stars
Syracuse Eagles
Syracuse Firebirds
Binghamton Devils
Binghamton Dusters
Binghamton Whalers
Binghamton Rangers
Binghamton Senators
Adirondack Red Wings
Adirondack Phantoms
Adirondack Flames
Utica Devils
Utica Comets
Capital District Islanders
Albany River Rats
Albany Devils.

What ECHL Teams are in New York?

Current East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) Teams based in the state of New York and their NHL affiliates are the Adirondack Thunder (New Jersey Devils).

Former ECHL teams based in New York State were the Elmira Jackals.

Does New York Have NCAA Hockey?

There are a few dozen NCAA hockey teams based in the state of New York including colleges in the cities of Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Canton, Saratoga Springs, Utica, Clinton, Troy, Albany, Oswego, Hamilton, Syracuse, Oneonta, Aurora, Geneva, Rochester, Ithaca, Binghamton, Brockport, Amherst, Buffalo, Hamburg, New Rochelle and New York City.

Is Hockey Popular in New York?

It’s quite apparent that the sport of ice hockey is popular in the state of New York as dozens of college teams are located there along with one ECHL, three AHL and three NHL franchises. In addition, close to 150 New York-born players have competed in the NHL as of January 1st, 2023 with many others being drafted by NHL teams who have yet to debut in the league.

List of Hockey Teams in New York:

Buffalo Sabres NHL
New York Rangers NHL
New York Islanders NHL
Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres AHL Aff.)
Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning AHL Aff.)
Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils AHL Aff.)
Adirondack Thunder (New Jersey Devils ECHL Aff.)
20 NCAA Division I Hockey Teams (Men and Women)

Final Thoughts

The state of New York is quite the hockey hotbed with numerous teams to follow in the area. This leads to tremendous college and professional rivalries, especially in the greater New York City area. It’s true that the Islanders and Sabres have endured some lean years when it comes to live attendance, but it’s highly unlikely that these teams will ever be relocated.

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Jamie

Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.