Hockey and sports in general can be broken down into moments. Some moments are bigger than others and chart the course of a franchise and an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come. Last Word on Hockey’s Summer series looks at these defining moments. Today we feature the biggest defining moment of the New York Rangers.
Top New York Rangers Defining Moments in Team History
The Blueshirts are one of the “Original Six” clubs in the National Hockey League. There have been some lean years that included a 54-year Stanley Cup drought. However, there are plenty of defining moments for this storied franchise.
The clubs is closing in on its 100th anniversary season and there have been some important milestones. Like the other teams with long histories, the team could fill a few different lists of defining moments.
Let’s take a look at the top New York Rangers defining moments in franchise history.
The Waiting is Over
Manhattan’s hockey team had been stuck on four Stanley Cups since 1940. The New York Islanders had equaled their in-state rivals with a run of four in a row in the early 1980s.
There were plenty of close calls for the Blueshirts to end the drought. However, the team had yet to break the curse. The early 1990s seemed like the best chance to snap this.
The Run-Up
New York had started assemble a strong squad in the 90s. There were a number of former Edmonton Oilers on the roster like Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Esa Tikkanen and Kevin Lowe.
The 1994 team really caught fire in November and December to establish themselves as a contender. General manager Neil Smith made additions like Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish and Stephane Matteau.
The Rangers got the top seed, but it wasn’t an easy trip to the Final as it had to rally against the New Jersey Devils. Matteau’s goal in Game 7 pushed the Blueshirts into their first Final berth since 1979.
The Moment
However, the Vancouver Canucks would provide the opposition trying to win its first Stanley Cup. After losing Game 1, the Rangers rattled off three consecutive wins to get within touching distance of the Cup. However, the Canucks would force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Brian Leetch and Graves would give New York a 2-0 lead after one period. Trevor Linden got Vancouver within a goal before Messier made it 3-1 after 40 minutes.
Linden would score again to make the MSG crowd sweat. However, the Rangers would finally banish their ghosts and hoist the vaunted silver chalice. Messier finally holding that Cup erased years of frustration.
The Aftermath
New York hasn’t been able to match the success of the historic championship run. They did get back to the Final in 2013, but were thwarted by the Los Angeles Kings.
Messier had a messy breakup with the Rangers when he signed with the Canucks in 1997. However, Messier would find his way back home in 2000 when he re-signed on Broadway.
It wouldn’t be a successful as his first stint in New York. However, it seemed to be the perfect way to end his career. (Even though his rights were technically with the San J0se Sharks when the lockout happened.)
Other New York Rangers Defining Moments
An Unlikely Hero in Goal
One of the early legends in hockey history to play for the Rangers was Lester Patrick, who was 44 years old and the team’s head coach. It was Game 2 of the 1928 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Maroons and the Rangers needed a win.
New York had been shutout the game before and were still without a goal after one period. Rangers goalie Lorne Chabot took a puck to the left and couldn’t continue. After a couple of options were rejected. Patrick was pressed into emergency service.
The Rangers played a conservative game plan to make sure Patrick didn’t face a lot of shots. Bill Cook scored first for New York, but Nels Stewart tied the game for Montreal at one to force sudden death overtime.
Rangers captain Frank Boucher got the overtime-winner and the NHL gave the team permission to use Joe Miller in goal. New York went onto win its first title in franchise history
The Guarantee
We’ll head back to the glorious late spring/early summer of 1994. The Rangers were in a titanic struggle against the Devils, who had a 3-2 series lead.
Instead of running from the pressure, Messier embraced it and famously guaranteed they would win. It wasn’t the first time a New York sports icon would foresee a huge victory as Joe Namath did so for the New York Jets before Super Bowl III.
The Rangers captain proved he wasn’t just talk as he bagged a natural hat trick. New York would force Game 7 with a 4-2 victory and it would go onto win the Stanley Cup.
Messier’s performance in that game was one of the main reasons that the team finally broke its long drought. Brian Leetch may have won the Conn Smythe, but Messier more than played his role in team booking its spot in the history books.
Other New York Rangers Defining Moments
Let’s take a look at some other New York Rangers defining moments deserve to be mentioned. The surprising runs to the Final in both 1979 and 2013, the return of Ed Giacomin to MSG, drafting Henrik Lundqvist in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL Draft, Matteau’s game-winning goal in Game 7 and the first game at the Garden after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are just some of the memorable moments.
Main photo by: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News/Imagn Images
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