Rangers legend says ’94 Stanley Cup win set New York ‘freaking on fire’
Mark Messier, the iconic captain of the 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers, recently sat down with the popular hockey podcast Spittin’ Chiclets to reminisce about his 25-year career as one of the most dominant centers in NHL history.
Alongside hosts Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, Messier re-lived all the big moments from his early years playing with Wayne Gretzky and winning five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers during their 1980’s dynasty to his stewardship of the Rangers historic ‘94 Cup run.
Messier made sure to take the Chiclets crew down memory lane for his most iconic moments as a Ranger, from his “We’ll win tonight” prediction before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils to the iconic Game 7 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks that ended a 54-year Cup drought for the Blueshirts.
“The whole city was so freaking on fire. You couldn’t help but be caught up in it, the enormity of it, that building was electric,” Messier said about New York City and the lead-up to, and aftermath of, that Game 7 win against the Canucks.
Messier began the Rangers dialogue by divulging his reasons for requesting a trade from the Oilers before the 1991-92 season.
It’s strange to imagine wanting to join another team after winning five Stanley Cup championships in your hometown, but that’s what Messier wanted and needed at the time.
“You just know in your heart. I needed a change … I personally needed a different challenge.”
The 15-time All-Star knew he wanted to go to New York immediately after securing his legacy with the Oilers.
In a conversation with then-Oilers general manager Glen Sather, who recently retired as a senior advisor for the Rangers, Messier made his desire join the Blueshirts known.
“If you have a chance, I wouldn’t mind going to New York City,” he told Sather.
From the moment Messier donned a Rangers jersey, he knew the fanbase was special.
“The fandom around the New York Rangers. Think about the power in that. The first game that I played I recognized it,” Messier explained. “I was hoping hockey was going to matter in NYC … Wow. I underestimated how much it mattered.”
Messier had a remarkable first campaign with New York. He led the team with 107 points in 1991-92, assumed the captaincy, and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, helping the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy before losing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The next season was a dud, though. The 1992-93 Rangers failed to make the playoffs, Roger Neilson was fired as coach and Messier and Co. were booed off the ice at The Garden in their final home game.
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Rangers legend Mark Messier recalls electric playoff moments on Spittin’ Chiclets podcast
1993-94 was the fateful season for Messier and the Rangers.
Messier pushed the team to a Stanley Cup through two of the tightest series in NHL playoff history.
He recalled one of his most memorable moments, which came before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Devils.
Facing playoff elimination, Messier boldly guaranteed a victory to the press, stating, “We will win tonight.”
Reflecting on his famous quote, Messier said, “I know when we played New Jersey, everybody read the papers on the way to the practice rink. I knew everybody was going to open up the paper and read that I believe we can go in there and win the game. It’s very shortsighted that 10 million other New Yorkers and everyone across the country and the New Jersey Devils and they’re going ‘Oh yeah? Is that right? They’re going to come in here and win this game?'”
The Rangers went on to win 4-2 at the Meadowlands after falling behind 2-0 in the first period. Messier’s third-period hat trick is one of the most iconic moments in NHL history. He promised a victory and delivered.
After vanquishing their cross-Hudson foes in double overtime of Game 7, the Rangers also needed seven games to secure the Cup against the Canucks.
The Captain did his part in the crucial game, scoring a power-play goal at 13:29 of the second period. It stood as the Stanley Cup-winning goal when the Rangers held on for a 3-2 victory.
“The dying seconds, I know for sure in my career I’d never felt anything that palpable in New York City. It was absolutely electric,” he said.
Messier became the first and only player in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup as captain on two different teams, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. His retired No. 11 hangs in the rafters of both Rogers Place and Madison Square Garden.
At the end of the episode, Messier teased a new docuseries coming out on Amazon Prime called “Game 7”, which will feature Messier’s story alongside other notable Game 7s throughout sports history. Messier says it’s set for release in October.
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