On this day in Rangers history, 54 years of waiting finally ended. June 14, 1994 – a date that was etched into history.
When the Rangers touched the ice for pregame warmups ahead of Stanley Cup Final Game 7, they were greeted with booming chants of "We want the Cup." Madison Square Garden was electric. Fans arrived with homemade tinfoil Stanley Cups.
Only 60 minutes stood between the Blueshirts and hockey's ultimate prize. At 11:02 of the first period, the Rangers took one step closer to Lord Stanley. Brian Leetch received a feed from Sergei Zubov and only had an open net to shoot at. The eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner buried the puck in the twine. 1-0 Rangers.
Three minutes later, The Garden roared again. Adam Graves snapped a power-play goal past Kirk McLean. 2-0 Rangers.
The sense of expectation heightened – but this captivating seven-game series was full of twists and turns. Early in the second period, the Canucks silenced the building. Trevor Linden found daylight on a shorthanded rush and cut the Blueshirts' advantage to 2-1.
It became clear that Game 7 wasn't for the faint of heart and Rangers fans would be put through a wringer of emotions. Mark Messier's backhanded effort caromed off the leg of Canucks center John McIntyre and past McLean. The Rangers had regained a two-goal lead through a fortuitous power play goal. 3-1 Rangers.
Having survived the remainder of the second period with a two-goal advantage intact, the Rangers only needed to see out the final 20 minutes to be crowned Stanley Cup champions. Yet, every Blueshirt diehard -- whether inside the building, huddled inside their favorite bar or watching at home knew that the next 20 minutes would be excruciating.
Linden would claw the Canucks back within a goal by netting a power play goal at 4:50. The next 15-plus minutes crawled.
Leetch, Graves and Messier provided the offensive heroics. Now, it was up to Mike Richter and the defensive stalwarts to protect the fort. Richter would ultimately save 28 of 30 Vancouver shots, notably fending off 60-goal marksman Pavel Bure.
Then came the ringing post shots. First Martin Gelinas, then Nathan Lafayette. Twice, Vancouver came within inches of tying the game. The World's Most Famous Arena turned into a bowl of nervous, tortured faces.
Every moment, every stride, every shot, every save and every clearance felt like an eternity until Craig MacTavish won the game's final face-off with 1.6 seconds left.
Time finally expired. The Curse of 1940 was over.
"The waiting is over," play-by-play man Sam Rosen exclaimed. "The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup champions! And this one will last a lifetime!"
Messier leapt joyously like a child on Christmas Day. Streamers fell to the ice. Graves turned to the cameras and let out chants of "1940, 1940." The Garden erupted into chants of "1940, 1940." Strangers embraced. Old men wept.
An all-night party that was 54 years in the making began. Messier's grin was splashed across the front pages the next morning. 1940 no more.
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