Where did the Rangers get their name?

Answer 1

Tex Rickard, the promoter of Madison Square Garden, was granted a new NHL franchise for the 1926/27 season. The New York press nicknamed the new team 'Tex's Rangers' and the name stuck. Hence the New York Rangers.

Answer 2

The "Texas Rangers" were originally a law enforcement organization formed for the purpose of keeping the open ranges of Texas save for settlers arriving from the east. (The movie "Lonesome Dove" and the TV Series (and radio serial) "The Lone Ranger" deal with this subject matter as Historical Fiction.) This group were brave and brought order to a growing region. As Texas flirted with Indpendence off and on from several countries, this group took on more and more responsibility similar to that of the FBI or CIA. They were the governmental police for the State of Texas.

In a state built on rugged individualism, these men were the icons of that system. As Texas grew they carried on and still maintain law enforcement responsibilities separate from the Texas State Troopers with broad jurisdiction. they would be most akin to the US Marshalls.

There is alot of lore that embodies the organization but still they carry with them some of Texas' History as surely as Longhorns and Cowboys. They are uniquely Texan. So when the Washington Senators wanted to leave DC circa 1970 they opted to call Dallas their new home. Houston, at that time, had a team called the Colt 45's, but this new fledgling startup wanted something that embodied all of Texas rather than to Regionalize their name, as the Dallas Cowboys had chosen to do. So they went with the name of the state, and then chose something unique and iconic to the Lone Star state hoping to capitalize on a broad fan base of 'patriotic' Texans.

So with one eye on marketing and the other on Texas history, the "Texas Rangers" were born.

Answer 3

The president of Madison Square Garden, George Lewis "Tex" Rickard, was given an NHL franchise for the 1926–27 season to compete with the New York Americans. Sportswriters began referring to the team as ‘Tex’s Rangers’. The name stuck, and Rickard formally adopted it, and put the word “Rangers” diagonally across the front of a blue jersey to make his team stand out from the Americans.