New York Rangers: Memories of the 1993-1994 season

Following Friday night’s celebration, we go back to some personal memories from the New York Rangers 1993-1994 championship season.

For anyone who wasn’t aware or may have been out of town, the New York Rangers celebrated the 25th anniversary of their 1993-1994 Stanley Cup win this past Friday night. There was a video tribute and a reunion of nearly all of the players and coaches on the ice.

Broadcast team Sam Rosen and John Davidson led the festivities, and Mark Messier gave, in a sense, the keynote address. It was a special night.

It was a special night. Other than the result of the regularly scheduled game, that’s putting it mildly.

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As someone who lived it, it brought back a big flood of profound memories.

In the spirit of the celebration, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories from that extra special season.

There aren’t a lot of specific memories of the regular season other than the sheer dominance by the team.

Just watching them play night and night out it was difficult to ignore the fact that something special was happening.

How dominant? That remained to be seen. But I do remember how the entire tri-state area was transfixed by this team.

The Rangers were on an epic run, and fans were prepared. They heard chants of “1940!” long enough and they were all-in for the ride.

Playoff hockey is what I remember. As a Mets fan that found his way to sports during the 1980s, I hadn’t had much experience with playoffs of any sort. The Jets hadn’t done much for me. This was a team that could win it all, and it was MY favorite team! Who knew if I would get this chance again?

The playoffs will stick with me forever.

For me, there are two that stick out for me most, other than winning the Stanley Cup of course. “This one will last a lifetime!” from Sam Rosen will be words that Rangers fans have ring in their ears until the end of time.

The first is Mark Messier in game six against the Devils. The Rangers were down 3-2 in the series, and Messier knew what he had to do. He put the burden on himself.

He guaranteed that the Rangers would win. It was bold as the team was on the road in New Jersey to try and survive for one more game. But Messier knew what would happen.

And through two periods, it looked like a hollow statement. The Rangers were down 2-1 and things were looking bleak. But then, Messier took matters into his own hands. He delivered a hat trick in the third period.

That is what made it so memorable. When Joe Namath guaranteed victory for the Jets in Super Bowl III, he needed his teammates like any NFL quarterback would. Messier made the guarantee and then got it done all by himself. In the final frame the captain won the game.

And I’ll never forget it. What a performance.

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The second moment for me was “the save”. Ranger fans know exactly what I am talking about. Mike Richter and Pavel Bure are the only two names that fans need to hear to be taken back to that moment.

It was in the second period of game number four. The Rangers were down 2-1 in the series, and 2-1 in the contest when Pavel Bure escaped and was on a breakaway. Brian Leetch took him down from behind and a penalty shot was called.

Then, this happened:

Every time I see this, I get chills. This could have put the Canucks up 3-1 in the series. Who knows what would have happened from there? It could have been a much different result.

Thankfully #35 was up to the task. He makes the safe and off the Rangers to winning a championship and ending a 54 year drought.

Those of us that lived through it were lucky to be a part of it. What a memory.

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