New York Rangers Celebrate 17th Anniversary of Epic Stanley Cup Victory

Craig MacTavish lined up to take a faceoff with 1.6 seconds left to go in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

As MacTavish, the last NHL player to take the ice without a helmet, got set to take the faceoff, 18,000 Rangers fans at Madison Square Garden and millions around the world anxiously waited for that precious last second to tick off the clock so they could witness history.

The Rangers were just 1.6 seconds away from erasing a 54-year championship drought, the worst in the NHL and one of the worst in professional sports.

Disappointment and underachievement; these were two words Rangers fans were accustomed to feeling for decades. But this team was different. Winning the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best record, this team dominated the league and had gotten past many of its biggest rivals in the playoffs.

Though they were just 1.6 seconds away from winning, it took a guarantee by their captain Mark Messier to even get them to a Game 7 classic in the Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. Trailing that series three games to two, Messier guaranteed to the world they'd win Game 6 in New Jersey. How did Messier respond to this bold move, you ask? He scored three goals en route to a 4-2 win.  

The two rvials then competed in one of the most memorable games in NHL playoff history in which role player Stephane Matteau would become immortalized by scoring a series-clinching goal in double overtime, scoring on a wraparound against a young Martin Brodeur.

It was then on to a series against the Canucks, a seventh seed who had loved the dramatic moment themselves in the '94 playoffs, coming back from three games to one down in the first round against the Calgary Flames only to win three in a row. They were led by eventual Hall of Famer Pavel Bure and though they might have been seeded seventh, they gave the Rangers all they could handle.

For six games, the two teams competed tooth and nail. The Rangers take a three games to one lead, only to lose Games 5 and 6, which set the stage for Game 7 on June 14, 1994. Though this team had gotten to the finals in such dramatic fashion, Rangers fans felt a certain sense of doom as 54 years of misery was weighing them down.

The good news for them is the Rangers took a quick 2-0 lead by legends Brian Leetch and Adam Graves. However, they would need that breathing room as Canuck forward Trevor Linden cut the lead to 2-1. Then, as he always seemed to do that year, Mark Messier came through with a clutch power play goal to put his team up 3-1.

Up two goals with only 20 minutes to play, Rangers fans started to finally believe that the Stanley Cup, a trophy that had been so elusive to them, was in their grasp. But just as the fans and the players started to get excited, Linden scored his second goal of the game to cut the lead to 3-2. 

What followed after this was moments of pure fear and apprehension as the Canucks refused to die, shooting from all angles on Rangers netminder Mike Richter. With just minutes to go, little-known Canuck forward Nathan Lafayette hit the post, which made the hearts of Rangers fans skip a beat. Despite all of this, the Rangers just stood 1.6 seconds away from making history.

As the puck fell, MacTavish shielded it from the opponents. In the blink of an eye, the game was over and Mark Messier began to jump for joy as streamers fell towards the ice as the Rangers skated toward Richter to join in celebration.

As Commisioner Gary Bettman came to the ice, he awarded Brian Leetch the Conn Smythe Trophy. Leetch made his own personal history as the first American born player to win the playoff MVP Award. However, it was not that trophy he cared about.

It was the one that the captain Mark Messier got to accept in a moment that is still played in commercials every year in the NHL playoffs. The moment he took the Cup started a celebration that has never really ended for Rangers fans, as they have not had the chance to see their team play for another championship.

Days later the Rangers got to take part in the famous New York City ticker tape parades, and the following season, got the honor to see the Stanley Cup champion banner raised at MSG. For the players, 1994 ended when the banner took its place. However, for fans and in a way the Rangers front office, they still celebrate the 1994 championship.

Since that historic win, the Rangers franchise has retired the numbers of Messier, Leetch, Richter and Adam Graves, the four best players from that '94 team. As for the fans, despite the fact that today marks the 17th anniversary of their Stanley Cup victory, many speak of the moment like it was yesterday.

That is what happens when a fan base suffers for so long. The last time the Rangers had won, the Germans were starting to occupy France in World War II. It was a moment for Rangers fans that fans of the Chicago Blackhawks or Boston Red Sox could truly appreciate as they were teams that had droughts of their own.

When a team wins one championship every two generations, those moments are treasured.  That's why as the calendar reads June 14, 2011, Ranger fans talk about the greatest moment they have ever seen.

As the Rangers stormed the ice in celebration, their television commentator Sam Rosen exclaimed how "this one will last a lifetime!" Little did he know how true those words would be.  Time moves forward and the years pass, but no matter what, Rangers fans will never forget June 14, 1994, a day that will be remembered for a life time.