Rangers winger Chris Kreider scored his elusive 50th goal on Tuesday, which added another exclamation point to his renowned season.
Kreider, who joined the Blue Shirts for the 2011–12 season out of Boston College, has been a potent offensive weapon throating his professional career, and has seen an explosion of offense this year at Madison Square Garden.
Now, the forward joins the exclusive 50 club.
His 50th goal of the season.
No. 20, Chris. Kreider. pic.twitter.com/suq52G3XeM
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 13, 2022
When asked about whether he had ever dreamed about scoring his 50th goal in a single NHL season, Kreider had a simple response.
“I’ve dreamed about raising the Stanley Cup,” he said.
Still, the extraordinary achievement remains one of the most celebrated achievements among individual accolades in the NHL, and has only been done by less than 100 players in the league’s history.
“It’s awesome that he’s scored 50 goals. It is awesome and it is great to see,” said Rangers Head Coach Gerard Gallant. “It’s a great feat and he’s had a great season for us…Hat’s off to him.”
Just 2 other NHL players have scored 50 or more goals this year — Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Kreider now moves to 71 points on the season.
For more coverage of Chris Kreider and the Rangers, head to amNY.com
Unfortunately for Kreider, the historic goal came in a devastating loss for the Blue Shirts, as they fell to their intra-divisional rival Carolina Hurricanes as the two teams jockey for first place in the Metropolitan Division, with just a handful of games remaining.
“It’s hard after a game like that,” the forward said, alluding to the difficulty of the loss.
“It would mean a lot more if we found a way to win that game.”
The two teams will meet again later in the month at Madison Square Garden on April 26. The final game of the season will come on April 29th, and the postseason will begin shortly after.
