The stories behind the Rangers’ tattoos: Panarin, Trocheck, Miller, others on what their ink means

Hockey is the rare sport in which hardly any of the players' skin is visible in uniform. With jerseys covering their arms, very few NHLers have tattoos noticeable to fans watching at the arena or on TV.

Many have them, though, and the ink is usually a symbol for something meaningful to them: a family member, a place, a life outlook or accomplishment. Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick , for example, has a Stanley Cup tattoo on his side with logos of the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights , the two teams with which he won the trophy, as well as other art for his kids.

Quick is not the only New York player with tattoos. Five others shared the inspiration for their body art in interviews with The Athletic.

Adam Edström

The rookie forward's tattoos are related to his zodiac sign. He was born in October and is a Libra.

"I don't read into (zodiac signs) too much, but I just wanted a tattoo and I wanted it to have some meaning behind it," he said. "I feel like it kind of represents me in a good way."

Edström has a sleeve on his right arm. He has a gray wolf, the Libra spirit animal, on his outer forearm. Further up he has the Libra sign, as well as the goddess for the Libra sign wearing a blindfold.

"She stands for not judging anyone," he said. "I feel like it kind of represented me at the time, and it still does."

Artemi Panarin

Panarin has a date tattooed above each of his knees: 1939 on his left leg and 1945 on his right. He quickly made it clear that these are not a reference to the start and end dates for World War II. They are a nod to his family. Each represents one of his grandfathers' birth years.

On a semi-related note, Panarin recently contributed to someone else's tattoo. A fan posted a video on TikTok of Panarin signing her arm while entering Madison Square Garden before a game. She then had a tattoo artist trace over the signature.

Vincent Trocheck

Trocheck was 16 when he got his first tattoo, a cross on his back. That's not his only tattoo with religious meaning. He comes from an Italian Catholic family, and that upbringing is an inspiration for several tattoos. He has one of the tree of life in God's hands.

"Life is in God's hands," he said. "You've just got to control what you can control."

Trocheck has a full sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. It features musical notes — his dad was a jazz musician who played saxophone and piano — and flowers. On his forearm, he has a lion.

"The heart of a lion I feel is the mentality that you have to have," he said.

Trocheck also has a tattoo of both of his parents' birthdays, as well as his uncle's haircutting shears, which are a family symbol on his mom's side.

On his ribs, he has an ambigram in which the text can be read in different ways depending on how it's viewed. It says either "persistence" or "dedicated" depending on the angle.

K'Andre Miller

Miller has quite a few tattoos, including chess pieces, a black panther and his hockey number.

"Kind of all over the place," he said.

He also has tributes to his grandmother and mom, including his mom's birthday.

Jonny Brodzinski

Brodzinski's home state of Minnesota is all over his right arm. He has the state bird, the loon, over his wrist, then the logos for schools he attended, Blaine High School and St. Cloud. The inner part of his forearm features a Bengal tiger with blue eyes, a nod to Blaine's mascot and colors. There's a hummingbird tattoo, too: an homage to his grandparents' home in northern Minnesota, which they call the Hummingbird House. He added a road sign from the Hummingbird House's street, as well as his grandmother's initials.

"A lot of me in there," he said.

Brodzinski has two daughters. He has a tattoo of his oldest's name and birthday, with room to add his second daughter's, too.

Brodzinski got his first tattoo in college: his last name on his biceps. Then, on the other side of his arm extending from his shoulder to his elbow, he has a Polish falcon, a nod to his family heritage. He had to sit through a seven-hour session as his tattoo artist etched it into his skin. The artist added a Polish star and roses in a separate session, as well as a cloud around Brodzinski's first tattoo.

All of Brodzinski's tattoos are on his right side with one exception: a wedding ring tattooed on his left ring finger. The date of his wedding is incorporated into the ring's design.

"So I can never forget," he said with a smile.

(Top photo of Adam Edström courtesy of Edström; Jonny Brodzinski: Peter Baugh / The Athletic)