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NHL’s New York Rangers have a new teammate: Ranger the yellow Lab

ByWesley Coburn|
VINCENNES, FRANCE - APRIL 19: 'Ulysse', a labrador in its hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19, 2011 in Vincennes, France. Opened in November 2010 by Devi and Stan Burun, Actuel Dogs is a five-star luxury hotel for dogs with four single rooms and two suites. With the aim of meeting the dogs' needs, the hotel offers activities including doggy walks, doggy rando?(hiking), doggy jogs, doggy velo?(running next to a bike) and other services such as dog massage. The hotel also caters to the needs of people living in small appartments or who don't have the time to walk their dogs. (Photo by Franck Prevel/Getty Images)
VINCENNES, FRANCE - APRIL 19: 'Ulysse', a labrador in its hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19, 2011 in Vincennes, France. Opened in November 2010 by Devi and Stan Burun, Actuel Dogs is a five-star luxury hotel for dogs with four single rooms and two suites. With the aim of meeting the dogs' needs, the hotel offers activities including doggy walks, doggy rando?(hiking), doggy jogs, doggy velo?(running next to a bike) and other services such as dog massage. The hotel also caters to the needs of people living in small appartments or who don't have the time to walk their dogs. (Photo by Franck Prevel/Getty Images)

Hockey isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when thinking of dogs in the professional sports world, but the New York Rangers plan to change that.

More like baseball. But don’t tell that to the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers.

A six-month-old yellow Labrador is joining the team for the 2018-19 season in order to learn the skills necessary to become a professional service dog for children with autism.

The “signing” of the dog,  appropriately though confusingly named Ranger, came to Dog O’Day’s attention through PetMD.

This agreement worked out through a partnership between the NY Rangers organization and a group called BluePath, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision of being “the definitive leader in autism service dog provision – transforming the lives of individuals, families and communities,” as their website states.

“We are so excited to partner with the New York Rangers to raise understanding and awareness for autism and of the importance of service dogs in the world,” Michelle Brian, vice president of marketing and development at BluePath, told US Magazine.

Ranger the dog has his own Instagram account with (at the time of this article) 25 thousand followers, where fans can keep track of his progress throughout the season.

Fans can also keep track of Ranger’s progress through the hashtag #NYRPupOnAPath on Facebook and Twitter, or follow his Twitter account (same handle as Instagram).

Already he’s learning how to handle the puck, and his teammates are learning that his favorite pregame snack is peanut butter.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk approves of his four-legged teammate, as shown on Twitter:

Last season the Rangers finished with a record of 34-39-9, which put them eighth in the Metro Division, and 12th in the 16-team Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season – well before Ranger the pup was born.

Working in Ranger the pup’s favor, though, is that the close of the season worked out well for firsts – the expansion Vegas Golden Knights charged into the Stanley Cup Final before being defeated in five games by the first-time champion Washington Capitals.

Though technically not part of the NHL from its founding, the NY Rangers are one of the teams referred to as the “Original Six,” along with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

For more general canine information and tail-waggin’ fun, be sure to follow Dog O’Day on Facebook and Twitter, where we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Ranger’s progress throughout the season.

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