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18 Years Ago Today, Mark Messier Guaranteed Rangers Would Win Game 6
By
Jen Chung
Published May 24, 2012
Modified May 24, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 24, 2012
Modified May 24, 2012
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In 1994, Times writer Joe Lapointe decreed, "Twenty years from now, hockey fans around the region will reminisce about the Rangers-Devils playoff round of 1994. Either they will recall the stress and strain the Rangers endured before finally eliminating a stubborn rival and reaching the Stanley Cup finals or they will remember the tortoise-and-the-hare approach of the Devils, who never got the respect and attention of the local public, even when they overtook the Rangers and upset them before moving on to the championship round."
Well, last night, the Devils knocked the Rangers down and won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Now the Blueshirts will head to the Prudential Center tomorrow night for a do-or-die Game 6. Which makes 2012 feel so much more like 1994.
On May 23rd, 1994, the Devils beat the Rangers, 4-1, to win Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The next day, Rangers captain Mark Messier said, "We're going to go in there and win Game 6."
On May 25, 1994, Messier's guarantee made the newspapers. The Daily News article from that day quotes him as saying, "That was the focus this morning and it's the way we feel right now. We've done that all year, we've won all the games we've had to win. I know we're going to go in and win Game 6 and bring it back here (to the Garden) for Game 7 ... We have enough talent and experience to turn the tide. That's exactly what we're going to do in Game 6.... I've put my five Stanley Cup rings, my reputation and my neck on the chopping block, boys. Now save me."
His teammates were amused. Brian Leetch told the NY Times recently, "We just shook our heads and said, 'Wow, you really got us into it now, didn’t you, Mark?' and he kind of laughed." But Messier was serious at game time—when they were trailing 2-1, Messier scored a hat trick that gave them Game 6 (a 4-1 win, with the first goal from Alexei Kovalev) and ensured they would play Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers went on to win game 7 in double overtime and the Stanley Cup, beating the Vancouver Canucks. Messier's number was retired in 2006; he cried and said, "My brother kept saying coming up here, 'This is the last chapter.' I kept thinking and saying, 'I really don't feel it's the last chapter.' I really feel like it's the end of this particular chapter. But there's so much more to do."
Tagged
1994
Devils
game 6
game 6 guarantee
hockey
mark messier
rangers
sports legend
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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