NEW YORK, July 6, 2012 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has named Jeff Beukeboom assistant coach of the team’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Connecticut Whale. He joins head coach, Ken Gernander, and assistant coach, Pat Boller.
Beukeboom, 47, is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion, including as a member of the Rangers’ 1994 Championship team. He begins his first season as an assistant coach with Connecticut after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Last season, he helped guide Sudbury to a 36-26-4-2 record for 78 points, a 16-point improvement over their 2010-11 record.
Prior to joining Sudbury, Beukeboom served as an assistant coach with the Barrie Colts (OHL) for the 2008-09 season. He began his coaching career in 2003-04 as an assistant coach for the Toronto Roadrunners (AHL). In 2005, Beukeboom became President and part-owner of the Lindsay Muskies of the Ontario Provincial Junior “A” Hockey League (OJHL).
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Beukeboom skated in 804 career regular season games in 13 NHL seasons with the Rangers and Edmonton Oilers, registering 30 goals and 129 assists for 159 points, along with 1,890 penalty minutes and a plus-114 rating. He began his career with Edmonton in 1986-87, where he captured the Stanley Cup in three of his first four seasons. In 1987-88, he established career-highs in assists (20), points (25), plus/minus rating (plus-27), and penalty minutes (201). Beukeboom also tallied three goals and 16 assists, along with 197 penalty minutes in 99 career playoff contests with the Rangers and Oilers.
The defenseman recorded 18 goals and 72 assists for 90 points, along with 1,157 penalty minutes and a plus-63 rating in 520 regular season games over eight seasons with the Rangers. He was traded to the Blueshirts in exchange for David Shaw on November 12, 1991, as part of the October 4, 1991, deal that sent Mark Messier to Broadway. Beukeboom notched a career-high, eight goals, during the 1993-94 season. He went on to set playoff career-highs in games played (22), assists/points (six), and plus/minus rating (plus-17) that postseason, while helping the Rangers capture the Stanley Cup Championship.
The Ajax, Ontario native was originally selected by Edmonton as a first round choice, 19th overall, in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.
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