On October 5, 2006, before the Rangers opened regular season play at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Capitals, Jágr was named as the 24th captain in Rangers history. In the 5–2 victory, Jaromir Jagr scored on the season's first shot and Brendan Shanahan scored twice to tally his 600th career NHL goal. Despite a 2–0 start, the Rangers struggled through the month of October and finished the calendar month in the midst of their west coast swing with a 5–6 record.