Chris Kreider facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris Kreider
Kreider with the New York Rangers in October 2014
Born	(1991-04-30) April 30, 1991 (age 34) Boxford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	230 lb (104 kg; 16 st 6 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	New York Rangers
National team	United States
NHL Draft	19th overall, 2009 New York Rangers
Playing career	2012–present

Christopher James Kreider (born April 30, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey player. He plays as a left wing and is an alternate captain for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Kreider grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts. He played high school hockey and then went on to play college ice hockey for the Boston College Eagles. The Rangers picked him in the first round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. He joined the NHL in 2012 and quickly set a record for playoff goals before even playing a regular season game.

Throughout his career, Kreider has become a key player for the Rangers. He has set many team records, especially for goals in both regular season and playoffs. He's been chosen for the NHL All-Star Game twice. Kreider also plays for the U.S. national team, winning gold and bronze medals in international tournaments.

Growing Up and Early Hockey

Chris Kreider was born on April 30, 1991, in Boxford, Massachusetts. He lived there with his parents, Kathy and David, and his younger sister, Katie.

Playing in High School

Before joining a professional team, Kreider played hockey for his high school. He started at Masconomet Regional High School. As a sophomore, he was named an All-League player. He helped his team win the Cape Ann League championship.

Later, he moved to Phillips Andover, a private school. He repeated his sophomore year there to get a fresh start. Even so, he finished high school in four years by taking summer classes. At Phillips Andover, he became a top scorer. In his junior year, he had 56 points in 26 games. He led Phillips Andover to the New England Prep semifinals. He was also named New England Prep Player of the Year.

Playing in College

After high school, Kreider went to Boston College for three years. He studied communications there. Before his first year, the New York Rangers picked him 19th overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Experts thought he was one of the best high school players available.

He scored his first college point, an assist, in his second game. Before joining Team USA for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he had 8 points in 12 games. He finished his first year with 14 goals and 21 points. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

Kreider helped Boston College win the 2010 Hockey East championship. He then scored a goal in the 2010 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament title game. This helped the Eagles win the national title. He was only the second American to win both a World Junior Championship gold medal and an NCAA title in the same year!

He continued to play well in his second year. He scored two goals and an assist to help the Eagles win their second straight Beanpot Tournament title. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He finished that season with 11 goals and 13 assists in 32 games.

Kreider returned for his junior year as he had promised. He led the team to another NCAA title. He scored 23 goals and had 45 points in 44 games. He also helped the Eagles win their third straight Beanpot Tournament. He finished his junior year with a team-leading 23 goals and 22 assists. He was chosen for the All-Hockey East Second Team.

Professional Hockey Career

Starting in the NHL (2011–2013)

Chris Kreider signed a three-year contract with the Rangers on April 10, 2012. He joined the team right away. He made his NHL debut during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 16, 2012. This was unusual because he hadn't played a regular season NHL game yet!

In his fourth playoff game, Kreider scored his first NHL goal. It was the game-winning goal. He kept scoring, setting a new NHL record. He scored the most playoff goals ever by a player who hadn't played a regular season game. The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Final but were eventually eliminated.

The next season (2012–13) was shorter due to a lockout. Kreider started in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Connecticut Whale. He scored his first AHL goal in October 2012. He was called up to the Rangers in January. He scored his first regular-season NHL goal on February 5.

He had some ups and downs, moving between the NHL and AHL. He also had an ankle injury. When the Rangers made the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kreider rejoined them. He scored an overtime game-winning goal in Game 4 against the Boston Bruins. This helped the Rangers stay in the series.

Kreider (right) while with the Hartford Wolf Pack

Becoming a Regular (2013–2017)

For the 2013–14 NHL season, Kreider started in the AHL again. But he was quickly called up to the Rangers. Under new coach Alain Vigneault, he started scoring a lot. He got his first NHL hat-trick on November 30, 2013. He became one of the fastest Rangers rookies to score a hat-trick in 20 years.

He was playing very well and was a top candidate for the NHL's Rookie of the Year award. However, he suffered a hand injury in March 2014. He returned for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped the Rangers reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, but they lost to the Los Angeles Kings.

On July 23, 2014, Kreider signed a new contract with the Rangers. In the 2014–15 NHL season, he scored 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points. The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the regular season. In the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored 7 goals in 19 games.

The 2015–16 NHL season was a bit tougher for Kreider. He had some injuries and struggled to score early on. But he still managed to score 20 goals. The Rangers were eliminated early in the playoffs that year.

On July 22, 2016, Kreider signed another contract, this time for four years. In the 2016–17 NHL season, he had his best year yet. He set new career highs with 28 goals and 53 points. He started the season incredibly strong, becoming the first Rangers player in a long time to have three multi-point games in the first three games of the season. He also scored his second career hat-trick on December 31. He was recognized as the NHL's Second Star of the Week. He finished the season leading the team in goals.

Kreider playing against the Washington Capitals on December 27, 2017

Overcoming Challenges (2017–2020)

The 2017–18 NHL season was challenging for Kreider due to injuries. But he still reached important milestones. He got his 100th NHL assist, his 100th NHL goal, and his 200th NHL point. In December 2017, doctors found a blood clot in his arm. This required surgery, and he missed 24 games. He returned in February 2018, playing well despite being lighter from his recovery. He was nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance.

For the 2018–19 NHL season, David Quinn, his former college coach, became the Rangers' new head coach. Kreider was named an alternate captain. He started strong, scoring 19 goals early in the season. He reached his fourth career 20-goal season. He also passed Wayne Gretzky on the Rangers' all-time points list with his 250th career point. He finished the season with 28 goals.

In the 2019–20 NHL season, there was talk about Kreider possibly being traded. But the Rangers signed him to a big seven-year contract extension in February 2020. He suffered a head injury and then another injury blocking a shot. The season was then paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Setting Records (2020–Present)

In the 2020–21 NHL season, Kreider continued as an alternate captain. He scored his 161st NHL goal, becoming the second American-born player on the Rangers' all-time goal-scoring list. He recorded his third and fourth career NHL hat-tricks in February and March 2021. He was also nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership and community work.

The 2021–22 NHL season was a huge year for Kreider. He set new career highs in goals and points. He scored 12 goals in the first 16 games. He and teammate Adam Fox were named to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. Kreider scored his fifth career NHL hat-trick in January 2022. He tied Alexander Ovechkin for the NHL lead in goals at that time.

He kept breaking records:

• He scored his 39th goal, reaching 400 career NHL points.
• He became the first Ranger since Jaromir Jagr to score 20 or more power play goals in a season.
• He broke Jágr's record for most power play goals in a single season with 25.
• He set a new franchise record with 10 game-winning goals.
• On April 11, he scored his 50th goal of the season! He was only the fourth player in Rangers history to do this.

Kreider finished the regular season with 52 goals, 25 assists, and 77 points. He won the Steven MacDonald Extra Effort Award and the first-ever Mr. Ranger Award.

In the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kreider continued his amazing play. He became the Ranger with the most playoff game-winning goals in franchise history. He also passed Mark Messier for second most playoff goals in Rangers history. He scored two goals in Game 7 to help the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final. He finished the season with a combined 62 goals in the playoffs and regular season, tying a franchise record.

For the 2022–23 NHL season, Kreider was again an alternate captain. He kept climbing the Rangers' all-time scoring lists. He became the all-time leading goal scorer among American-born Rangers. He also surpassed Steve Vickers and Adam Graves for game-winning goals. He finished the season with 36 goals and 18 assists. In the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, he became the Rangers' all-time leader in playoff goals and power play goals.

In the 2023–24 NHL season, Kreider continued to set records. He passed Andy Bathgate for the fourth most goals in franchise history. He also tied Vic Hadfield for the second-most consecutive 10-goal seasons. He passed Adam Graves for the third most goals in Rangers history and reached 500 career NHL points. He also set a record for most goals scored at Madison Square Garden. He played his 800th career NHL game, becoming the 10th Ranger to reach that milestone. A few games later, he scored his 300th career NHL goal for the team. He finished the regular season with 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points.

In the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kreider played his 108th playoff game, becoming second all-time for the Rangers. He became the Rangers' all-time leader in playoff goals, playoff power play goals, and playoff game-winning goals. On May 16, 2024, he scored a natural hat-trick in the third period of Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes. This was his first playoff hat-trick and helped the Rangers reach the Conference finals.

Playing for Team USA

Chris Kreider has proudly represented the United States in many international hockey tournaments.

Medal record
Representing USA
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze	2018 Denmark
World Junior Championships
Gold	2010 Saskatchewan
Bronze	2011 Buffalo

He first played for the United States men's national junior ice hockey team at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored a hat-trick against Latvia and helped Team USA win a gold medal! After that, he also played for the senior U.S. team at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

In 2011, he played for the junior team again at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored four goals and two assists. He helped Team USA win a bronze medal, which was special because it was on home soil. He also played for the senior team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.

In 2018, Kreider was chosen to play for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. He was a very important player for the team. He scored two goals against Team Canada to help the United States win a bronze medal. He also played for Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

About Chris's Life

Chris Kreider married his wife Francesca in 2023. Even though he left Boston College early to play professional hockey, he kept taking classes online and during the off-season. He earned his degree in communications in 2016. He said it was important to him to finish his degree.

Besides English, Chris can speak some Spanish and Russian. In the summers, he spends time in both New York and Massachusetts. He enjoys reading, and one of his favorite authors is Ernest Hemingway.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010	United States	WJC			7	6	1	7	2
2010	United States	WC	13th		6	1	1	2	0
2011	United States	WJC			6	4	2	6	0
2011	United States	WC	8th		7	2	1	3	6
2018	United States	WC			10	4	6	10	2
2019	United States	WC	7th		8	3	1	4	2
Junior totals					13	10	3	13	2
Senior totals					31	10	9	19	10

Awards and Honors