The Significance of Peter Laviolette’s Return To MSG for the NY Rangers

Returning to Madison Square Garden meant a lot for Los Angeles Kings head coach Peter Laviolette.

Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette speaks with the media after a 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former New York Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette officially made his return to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 26 as the Rangers fell 6-3 to the Los Angeles Kings.

Laviolette was relieved of his duties behind the Rangers' bench in April of 2025; the Kings represent the seventh team he's coached, while he's previously led the Carolina Hurricanes to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2006 and also guided both the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and Nashville Predators (2017) to the Final.

Laviolette was with the Blueshirts for two seasons — going from winning the Presidents' Trophy and losing in the conference final to missing the playoffs.

Prior to puck drop in his welcome back to MSG, Laviolette said he'll always remember his time with the New York organization.

Peter Laviolette reminiscences on time with Rangers

“It was kind of a tale of two years,” Laviolette said per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “The first year was really good, I mean, most wins and most points and a very storied franchise. Took it to three rounds to Florida and lost in Game 6, and that was disappointing. Not to win a couple more games and get that chance to play for the Cup. But, overall, looking back at that year, it was a year that was really good. It was something that I’ll remember being here in New York. Obviously, the second year was not as smooth and had problems inside of it.” 

Peter Laviolette gets a short, but respectful welcome back to MSG pic.twitter.com/SO88r0oLXf

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) October 26, 2026

In Laviolette's win over the Rangers with Los Angeles, Drew Doughty led the statsheet with three points across one goal and two assists.

Former Rangers associate coach Phil Housley has additionally joined Laviolette over on the West Coast, alongside Artemi Panarin, who was traded to the Kings.

Laviolette Wins Over Rangers in Return to MSG

“I really enjoyed being here,” Laviolette also said to Walker. “I love being at Madison Square Garden. I mean, the New York fans were just awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I was around the country and somebody would come up to me and say, ‘I’m the biggest Rangers fan ever.’ And I’m like, ‘They’re all the biggest Rangers fans ever.’ And I think they are. They talk about the history of how their grandfather took them to a game like 50 years ago, and they’re 60 years old and now they’re taking their grandkids. Because it’s been around for 100 years, you get stories like that. 

“You can feel the passion from the people and the fans, and it’s pretty cool to be in a city like this. It’s one of the greatest cities in the country. It’s a huge sports market. It’s Madison Square Garden. It’s the New York Rangers. There was a lot of things that I loved about being here and part of New York.” 

During Laviolette's season in which he led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy, the team set franchise records for wins (55) and points (114) as they captured the NHL regular-season championship.

Laviolette's current coaching record stands at 849-568-25-163. The Kings and Laviolette next see action against the Ottawa Senators.