This month is bringing back some memories. Some absolutely fantastic memories of 1994.
It was that year that I was a perky little eighth grader in Manhattan who lived for the New York Rangers. After a few years of near-misses, coach and general manager Mike Keenan had finally assembled a team of hockey legends still in their prime capable of making a run for the Stanley Cup that had eluded the blueshirts since 1940.
Messier and company put together a phenomenal year that brought sellout crowds to the Garden night after night, and it culminated with one of the more legendary playoff runs in sports. After a Conference Finals series with the Devils that is considered the best playoff series in hockey history, the Rangers finally got back to the cup after a double overtime, game 7 victory, the third double OT game of the series. A tired Rangers team battled a young and fresh Vancouver Cancucks squad, and again, the series went to the full seven games. On the night of my Junior High School graduation (which kept me from seeing the game live, and forced my Mom to turn down game 7 tickets, something I'm still stinging from), the New York Rangers were crowned Stanley Cup Champions. I was elated from my seat at graduation, the small radio I snuck into the ceremony in my ear all night. I watched the game over and over on tape later that night, and went to the victory parade the following week. Unfortunately, the Knicks were not able to duplicate the Rangers feat the next week (thanks, John Starks), but nonetheless, New York City was elated.
Then, 1995-2006 happened...
Coach Keenan left just weeks after the cup win, and the Rangers stars slowly turned into aging former stars. Future leaders in the team's front office tried to follow the same philosophy of spending lots of money on big name draws, but this time, the players brought in were well past their prime. Messier departed for the same Vancouver team he had beaten, and while it was cool to see guys like Gretzky and Lindros in Rangers Blue, they never materialized as productive players who could lead the team back to the promised land. Aside from a few scattered playoff appearances that resulted in first round exits, the Rangers became one of the worst teams in hockey, despite having one of the highest payrolls.
As for the starry-eyed kid from 1994? I kept the faith through high school, then moved to Milwaukee for college. It was hard to follow the team as intensely from so far away, and the poor performance on the ice made me want to make the effort less and less. I always remained a Rangers fan, and always followed them as best I could, but the passion was just gone. Many in New York followed my lead, as MSG turned into a morgue, and the Rangers who once lived on the back cover of the NY tabloids were relegated to short articles buried in the section.
Finally, things have seemed to change, and I can feel the passion coming back. After the lockout, the Rangers shifted their focus to acquiring young talent, while keeping seasoned anchors like Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr around to provide veteran leadership. The team finally has a all-star caliber goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who brings back memories of Mike Richter at his best, and a great, gritty coach in Tom Renney. After narrowly missing the playoffs last year, the blueshirts came in as the 6 seed this year, and emphatically defeated the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round, a team many had picked to go all the way. The second round series with top-seeded Buffalo is currently tied, 2-2, with the Rangers coming from a 2-0 deficit to even the series.
This playoff run oozes with reminders of 1994. The Garden is once again packed to the rafters, and the atmosphere there is absolutely incredible. The Rangers once again have a never say die team that skates with confidence, and truly believes that they can beat anyone. For the Rangers fan, it's a reason to cheer and cheer wildly that has been long overdue. It's not simply about wins and losses, good seasons and bad seasons, but also about passion. The 1994 Rangers were the epitome of the word, with the hard-fought victory over New Jersey, and Messier's Stanley Cup Game 6 guarantee. Fans could be proud of a team that gave their best effort on the ice, and had the quality and drive to accomplish anything and beat anyone. This passion is back in 2007. The team is playing hard, and this wire-to-wire series with Buffalo is showing. We even had another double overtime game the other night to further inspire the memories. Will this run end with the ultimate comparison- another Stanley Cup hoisted up at MSG? Maybe, maybe not. It's a long road to get there. But it's safe to say that the passion is back in New York Rangers land, and for the first time in years, this fan can truly enjoy cheering for the team that was so beloved to me way back when. LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
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