As time passes, and we avidly follow our favorite sports teams, many 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 Pascal Dupuis and Ilkka Heikkinen, Enver Lisin, 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 two guys who you probably wouldn’t be able to pick out of a lineup.
Corey Locke, Center
76 games for Hartford, 3 with New York
Between 2009 and 2012 while I played a ton of EA Sports NHL, Corey Locke’s name frequently appeared on the Wolf Pack roster. I often had to rely on him as a substitute when one of the main Rangers players was injured. Interestingly, I might have scored more goals with him in the virtual world than he did for the actual Rangers.
Locke, drafted by Montreal in 2003, had an impressive run with the Hamilton Bulldogs before a brief debut with Montreal and a subsequent trade to Minnesota. After aiding the Houston Aeros in reaching the AHL West Conference final, Locke joined Hartford and connected with the Rangers.
Despite a successful 76-game run with Hartford, he only played three games with the Rangers as a call-up after failing to secure a permanent spot. This marked the end of his tenure with the Rangers. Locke then moved on to Ottawa, primarily playing for their AHL affiliate Binghamton. Subsequently, he embarked on a journey through Europe, with a stop at the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in between.
In October 2014, Locke signed a deal with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the remainder of the 2014-15 season. On November 5, 2015, he entered a one-month contract with EHC Visp in the Swiss NLB, and due to his impressive point-per-game performance, Locke secured a spot for the entire season with Visp.
Continuing his European career, Locke, on July 13, 2015, agreed to a one-year deal with the Austrian team EC VSV in the EBEL. Locke would retire from professional hockey after the 2018-19 season.
Josh Green, Center
Time with Rangers: 18 games over 2 seasons (2003-2004)
I have a faint recollection of this guy donning a hockey uniform, but upon delving into some research, it appears he had quite the journey across the league. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, Green found himself traded to the Islanders alongside Olli Jokinen, Mathieu Biron, and a first-round pick in exchange for Ziggy Palffy, Bryan Smolinski, Marcel Cosineau, and a fourth-round pick.
The Islanders then sent him to Edmonton along with Eric Brewer and a second-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry draft in a deal for Roman Hamrlik (another Forgotten Ranger!).
His tenure with the Rangers commenced during his third season with the Oilers in 2002-03. On December 12, 2002, Green was traded from Edmonton to New York for a conditional pick in the 2004 draft. However, after a mere four games with the Rangers, he was claimed off waivers by the Washington Capitals on January 15, 2003, totaling only two penalty minutes. That marked the end of his first stint.
On July 17, 2003, Green inked a one-year contract with the Calgary Flames. After playing 36 games with the Flames, he was once again claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers on March 6, 2004. This time around, he appeared in 14 games for New York, contributing five goals and three assists. However, his time with the Rangers concluded after that season.
Green’s journey continued with stints in Vancouver, Anaheim, and Edmonton. After navigating between the NHL, AHL, and Europe for a while, Green ultimately decided to play overseas full-time. He spent his final four seasons in the Finnish Liiga, playing for Tappara and KooKoo, before officially announcing his retirement from professional hockey on May 15, 2017.