When the New York Rangers lost their second round playoff series to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the eventual Eastern Conference champs, in five games, it didn’t just put an end to the team’s season. It may also have signaled the tolling of the bell for the careers of the greatest and most accomplished hockey players still skating in the NHL.

Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, along with Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic, are just that. No other active NHLer, other than the Atlanta Thrashers’ forward Mark Recchi, has a resume that matches that of the sure-to-be hall of fame careers of Jagr, Shanahan and Sakic, whose Avalanche were eliminated in the semifinals by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.

Jagr is second only to Sakic in points among active players and ninth all-time. He’s also second in goals among active players and 12th overall, while ranking second in assists among current players and 13th all-time. In fact, Jagr may just be the greatest European hockey player of all-time, or at the very least, the greatest European hockey player in NHL history.

No European NHLer has as many points, goals or assists as Jagr. Jagr is also one of only five players in NHL history to average at least 1.25 points per game, a short list that includes names like Wayne Gretzky and Jagr’s former Pittsburgh Penguin teammate and mentor, Mario Lemieux. Oh yeah, Jagr’s also won a couple of Stanley Cups, though he won them with Lemieux leading the way.

Shanahan’s career is no less impressive. “Shanny” won three Stanley Cups as a member of the Detroti Red Wings and is fourth-among active players in points, just behind Recchi and 24th all-time. Always more of a goalscorer than a playmaker, Shanahan is 12th in NHL history in goals and no current player has lit the lamp more than Shanahan, but he’s still the 10th highest assist-getter playing and his 690 helpers are good for 48th best on the overall list.

Whether or not Jagr and Shanahan play again in the NHL is of paramount importance to the Rangers. A team with emerging young stars like Henrik Lundqvist, Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal, as well as veterans in their prime, like Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, the Rangers struggled with finding an identity all season long, a problem which plagued them at times. Though the team’s offense was designed around Jagr and Shanahan, their decreased production this season hurt the team badly on the offensive end of the ice. In need of new face and in need of a new image, the Rangers would likely benefit if Jagr and Shanahan left, whether to retirement, to another team, or in Jagr’s case, the Russian Hockey League, where Jagr is rumored to be heading for the twilight of his career, but it’s hard to gauge the value, off the ice, of two players as esteemed as “Jags” and “Shanny.”

The NHL, like the Rangers, is in a state of transition as well. With the headlines and the box scores dominated by new names like Crosby, Ovechkin and Iginla, the torch has been passed to a new generation of players. Jagr and Shanahan, as well as Sakic, represent the very best of the last generation, much of which has already left the game only. Aside from the two Rangers and Sakic, only a few others, names like Mats Sundin, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick and Sergei Fedorov remain. While some of them may be playing next season, their careers too are approaching their end.

The emergence of a new breed of superstars is, without a doubt, a great thing for the NHL. These new youngsters bring a new era of hope to a sport that badly needs a breath of fresh air and their greatness deserves to be celebrated. But in their brilliance, the league and it’s fans would be remiss not to also celebrate and appreciate the careers of players like Jagr and Shanahan, as well as their generation’s other stars, who shone brightly during one of the sport’s darkest times.

Despite a disappointing second round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers have a lot to be happy about heading into next year, especially in the eyes of two of the best players to ever don Broadway Blue, Rod Gilbert and Pat LaFontaine.

“The Rangers are definitely in an upswing,” Gilbert, the Rangers all-time leading scorer, said.

Playing all 18 of his NHL seasons for the Rangers, Gilbert recorded 406 goals and 1021 points from 1960-1978 as one of the greatest and most popular players in Ranger history, especially for being a member of the GAG, or Goal-A-Game, line with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. The Hall-of-Famer was also an eight-time NHL All-Star and was a member of Team Canada in the legendary 1972 Summit Series against the powerhouse Soviet Union team.

The Montreal native has been doing public relations work for the Rangers for many years and appears frequently at team-sponsored events. As such, he continues to follow the team closely.

According to Gilbert, the Rangers just didn’t have luck on their side when they lost in five games to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

“It’s all about breaks,” said Gilbert, whose number, seven, was the first number ever retired by the Rangers. “The Rangers got the majority of the breaks against the Devils, but they didn’t get any against the Penguins. Some of the calls were lousy in the first game, some of the calls on Crosby. We go up 3-0 in that first game, we blow that game. You know, I think some of that is the inexperience and some of that probably won’t reoccur next year.”

LaFontaine, one of the greatest American hockey players ever, had similar sentiments about the Blueshirts’ playoff highs and lows.

“The Rangers had an amazing first round,” said LaFontaine. “They ran into a very young, inspired and talented team. A few breaks here and there, that series could have gone seven games. You got to have not only the skill the desire and the passion but you need some luck and the Penguins got those bounces.”

Drafted in 1983 by the New York Islanders, LaFontaine spent eight excellent seasons on Long Island before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. LaFontaine had three amazing seasons in Western New York, including a 148-point effort in 1992-93, but he also spent most of three other seasons on the injured list due to a series of concussions. In 1997, he was traded to the Rangers, where he spent the final season of his career, scoring 62 points in 67 games. The season would be his last, however, as another concussion caused him to call it quits at the age of 34.

These days, LaFontaine devotes much of his time toward working with his charity, the Companions in Courage Foundation, which does what it can to improve the lives of sick children.

The Hall-of-Famer is still passionate about the game, however. LaFontaine pointed to the first game, when the Rangers blew a 3-0 lead to Pittsburgh, as the factor that led to the team’s downfall.

“You look back at that first game, it was so critical,” LaFontaine explained. “I often think, I wonder what kind of the series it might have been if they had pulled that game out.”

The strong performance of youngsters like Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal, Nigel Dawes and others means that the Rangers should be a strong team for a while, according to Gilbert, even if veterans like Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan don’t return next season.

“If these players feel that they don’t want to return, I’m sure [Rangers President and General Manager] Glen Sather will explore the free agent market,” said Gilbert. “There are some veterans who might be interested in coming here, especially knowing that we do have a good nucleus of young players. So that might appeal to some veterans to come this way and get the big one, win the Stanley Cup.

“We have the kid in Russia [2007 first round pick Alexei Cherepanov] that’s supposed to be phenomenal, maybe like another Ovechkin. A player like that can make a difference.”

Neither Gilbert or LaFontaine were surprised by the success of the Detroit Red Wings this season, with both players acknowledging the rising impact of European players and their style of play on the league.

“The influence of the Europeans has definitely played a big role in the way that the game is played,” said Gilbert. “A lot of the officiating and the encouragement of the non-hooking has pleased a lot of fans. I’d rather see a skilled game than a bunch of hooking and slashing. The game has taken a turn for the best.”

Standing 5′10” and weighing just 180 lbs., LaFontaine would have benefited greatly from the rule changes if he had played in the league today. Like many Ranger fans, the St. Louis native wishes he could have played longer for the Blueshirts.

“The always treated me so well here,” LaFontaine said. “I learned a lot about how to be a man from guys like Adam Graves, Mark Messier and Rod Gilbert, too,” recalled LaFontaine. “They were great examples for me.”