Blueshirts By the Numbers: Number 20: Jan Erixon

Ask any Ranger fan who is old enough to remember Jan Erixon, and almost all of them will say the same thing, "Jan was one of my favorites back then."

Erixon was the Rangers second round pick in the 1981 NHL Draft, and made his debut in October of 1983 against the New Jersey Devils.

Not flashy, not a guy who was going to score a lot of goals (he had just 57 in 11 seasons with the Blueshirts), Erixon was quite simply one of the best defensive forwards in the league when he played. Erixon often drew the assignment of shadowing Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, and did as well as could be expected at shutting down the legends. For his defensive efforts, Erixon was a finalist for the Selke trophy in 1988, losing out to Guy Carbonneau of the Canadiens.

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, as Erixon was never able to play a full season in his eleven years with the Rangers, and Erixon left the Rangers after the 1992-93 season, and spent one year playing in his home country of Sweden before retiring.

Honorable Mention at 20: Phil Goyette