Lesser Known Rangers: Volume Seven
You know, with the Trade Deadline having passed and players having come and gone, I look at the roster and outside of my usual observations on who is good (I heart Vladislav Namestnikov and Ryan Spooner…too much?) and who isn’t. I always look to see which Ranger will be the one that probably be here for a short stay. Ever since I started this piece in October, that’s thought process has become way more prevalent and is the sole reason why my anxiety is through the roof.
No, I’m kidding obviously BUT the genesis of this piece being born comes primarily from me remembering REALLY obscure names and the positive responses I’ve gotten from the readers (Thank You, I can’t buy you all Bentley’s though), has really gotten me to dig deeper on obscure, Lesser Known Rangers, so with that being said, here is the seventh installment (seven? How did they let me get this far?) of Lesser Known Rangers!
Vladimir Vorobiev, Left Wing
Time with Rangers: 31 Games with Rangers from 1996-98
Drafted in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers, Vorobiev played most of his time in Binghamton and this new club called the Hartford Wolf Pack, ever heard of em? In his 31 games over two seasons with the Rangers, he put up 14 points with a plus/minus rating of -14. Lets just say he didn’t exactly stand out and was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers shortly after and spent two years in their organization before returning to Russia and finishing his career there in the Russian Super League, which predates the KHL.
Interestingly enough, Vorobiev does have one bright spot with New York and luckily for us, YouTube user Russian NHL (fantastic channel, highly suggest you check it out, it’s chock full of old Rangers clips from Zubov, Kovalev etc) has a clip posted of Vorobiev’s four point performance versus the Edmonton Oilers in 1997. Not only did he post up four points, but one of those points was his first NHL goal!
John Scott, Left Wing
Time with Rangers: 6 games in 2011-12
Before his All Star season and all of the fan fare that came with it (a story so good, they’re making a movie out of it!), John Scott was your regular, old school, 4th line enforcer. I’ve never had a problem with John Scott, I just had no idea at the time at why the Rangers had traded for him in the first place. Yeah, we know the teams back then needed some size and some grit but I don’t think Scott played enough to fit that bill for the Rangers.
In the second season of a contract he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Scott was dealt to the Rangers for a fifth round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. I had liked Scott because of his size and knew he could be an imposing figure if used right, but unfortunately, this was the time when the role of Enforcer was starting to wane and we saw less and less of these types over the next few years.
Scott left the Rangers that offseason and signed with Buffalo. Afterwards, the John Scott saga began to unfold and bloom into the NHL top story line with the fans voting him into the All Star game. Although this began as a “troll” movement, after the NHL asked Scott to remove himself, it took on a life of it’s own. Even after he was traded and demoted (it was rumored that the NHL was trying to force him out since he would be in the AHL), Scott played anyways.
We all know what happened after. He plays, scores a few goals, becomes All Star MVP. A regular hockey player and great guy who got his chance to shine for a game. I’m glad Scott was a Ranger for those five games. Although it wasn’t much, we could all say that New York was part of his journey, as cheesy and cliche as that sounds.
Corey Potter, Defenseman
Time with Rangers: 8 games from 2008 to 2010
I used to (and still do) play a lot of EA SPORTS NHL and back in the day, Corey Potter was always my go to defenseman whenever anyone from my NHL team got hurt. This is how I remember him. He played 8 games over the span of 2 plus years, and all through my feverish sports watching, I did not even notice Corey Potter was in the NHL until he was called up the second time for an injury replacement. Even then, I thought that was his first time up as a Ranger. I have a good memory but for some reason, this passes me. Something is wrong with my brain, please help!
Potter played for the Hartford Wolf Pack for the majority of his time in the Rangers organization. He played in his first NHL game for the Rangers on Dec 7th, 2008 against the Flames. He tallied his first NHL point, an assist on a Dmitri Kalinin (Remember that guy?) goal, on Dec 27th, 2008 against the Devils. He netted his first NHL goal on April 2nd, 2009 against the Hurricanes.
That was it for his time in New York. After that season, Potter signed with Pittsburgh, then after that Edmonton the following season. Potter bounced around with a few NHL teams like Boston, Nashville, Arizona and Calgary before going back to Europe. Currently, he is in Germany, playing in the DEL for Kolner Haie.
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