The Rangers’ goaltending guru is hanging up his skates.
Benoit Allaire, who worked for the Blueshirts as a goaltending coach from 2004-2024 before scaling back his workload and transitioning to their director of goaltending over the last couple seasons, will retire, the Rangers announced in a statement Saturday.
“Benoit Allaire’s contributions to the Rangers over the past two decades have been immeasurable,” general manager Chris Drury said in a statement released on X. “Whether it was teaching a Hall of Famer or a rookie just starting his career, Benny made everyone he worked with better.
“On behalf of everyone in the Rangers organization, we wish him and his wife, Lyne, all the best in retirement.”
New York Rangers goaltending coach Benoit Allaire watches warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2020. Getty Images The news doesn’t come as a shock, given Allaire scaled back his responsibilities two years ago, with Jeff Malcolm being promoted to replace him as the organization’s goaltending coach.
Still, Allaire has been synonymous with the Rangers for 20 years and played a huge role in developing both Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin.
David Leneveu, Henrik Lundqvist and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire of the New York Rangers take part in a practice session on an off day during the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs at Staples Center on June 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images Read the expert take on the Blueshirts Sign up for Inside the Rangers, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Even if he wasn’t around as much the last two seasons — and even if Shesterkin has been one of the few Rangers whose performance hasn’t dropped off in that time period — Allaire is a staple of the organization.
