Rangers Hire Former Defenseman Beukeboom As Assistant Coach

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Former Rangers defenseman Jeff Beukeboom has been hired by the team to coach their blue line players.

Beukeboom replaces Ulf Samuelsson, who left in May after three seasons to become the head coach of the AHL's Charlotte Checkers.

Beukeboom won a Stanley Cup with New York in 1994 after winning three with the Edmonton Oilers in a 13-season career. He has been working as an assistant with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' farm team.

He joins head coach Alain Vigneault, associate coach Scott Arniel, assistant coach Darryl Williams, and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire on the Rangers' staff.

Rangers prospect Ryan Graves recently spoke to WFAN.com's Sean Hartnett about learning from Beukeboom in Hartford.

"He's been on a lot of good teams," Graves said. "He knows what it takes and has won the Cup. He has a wealth of knowledge that any player can use. You try to listen to him, take his pointers when he has them and just try to take everything in."

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