Head coach Roger Neilson of the New York Rangers (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Roger Neilson ran afoul of Mark Messier and got the axe as the New York Rangers head coach
What happened on January 4 in the history of the New York Rangers
On this date in 1993 the New York Rangers fired coach Roger Neilson and appointed Binghamton coach Ron Smith to replace him on an interim basis. At the time, the Rangers were mired in third place in the Patrick Division, 15 points out of first place.
What led to the firing was a classic case of star player versus coach.