1994 Stanley Cup Finals

Infobox Stanley Cup Final
year=1994


team1=New York Rangers
team1_short=New York
team1_captain=Mark Messier
team1_coach=Mike Keenan
team2=Vancouver Canucks
team2_short=Vancouver
team2_coach=Pat Quinn
team2_captain=Trevor Linden
referees=Terry Gregson, Bill McCreary, Andy Van Hellemond
series_winner=Mark Messier (13:29, 2nd,G7)
dates=May 31 – June 14
location1=New York (Madison Square Garden) (1,2,5,7)
location2=Vancouver (Pacific Coliseum) (3,4,6)
mvp=Brian Leetch (New York Rangers)
team1_1=2
team1_2=3
team1_3=5
team1_4=4
team1_5=3
team1_6=1
team1_7=3
team1_tot=4
team2_1=3
team2_2=1
team2_3=1
team2_4=2
team2_5=6
team2_6=4
team2_7=2
team2_tot=3
gm1_ot=*
table-note=* overtime periods
networks=CBC (Canada-English), SRC (Canada-French), ESPN (United States, except in New York City market and border cities), MSG Network (New York City market)
net_announcers=(CBC) Bob Cole, Harry Neale, Dick Irvin, Jr.
(ESPN) Gary Thorne, Bill Clement
(MSG Network) Sam Rosen, John Davidson
(New York Rangers Radio) Howie Rose, Marv Albert, Sal Messina
(Vancouver Canucks Radio) Jim Robson, Tom LarscheidThe 1994 Stanley Cup Final was held from May 31 to June 14 between the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers to decide the champion of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 1993–94 NHL season. The Rangers ended their 54-year drought with a seven-game series win. It was the fourth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and it was the last hurrah for the great Edmonton Oilers team of the 1980sCole, Stephen (2003), p. 128] .

Paths to the Final

Both teams took a difficult path to the Final.

The Canucks had faced a 3–1 deficit against the Calgary Flames, but then won the final three games in overtime. The decisive contest ended in double overtime, with Pavel Bure scoring the winning goal on a breakaway. They then beat the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs in five games each to capture the Western Conference title.

The Rangers swept the New York Islanders and beat the Washington Capitals in five games, before falling behind 3 games to 2 in the Eastern Conference Final against New Jersey. They then won game six by a 4–2 score after Mark Messier publicly guaranteed a victory and then scored a hat trick, and won game seven 2–1 on Stephane Matteau's goal in double overtime. It was Matteau's second overtime goal of the series.

The series

Game 1

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Vancouver Canucks
team2 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Madison Square Garden
date1 = Tuesday, May 31
score1 = 3 – 2 (1OT)
won1 = 1The Rangers scored early and led 2–1 late in the third period before Martin Gelinas tied the game with 1:00 to play in regulation time. It was the third time in eight games that the Rangers had surrendered a last-minute tying goal. The Rangers were all over the Canucks in overtime, but goaltender Kirk McLean played spectacularly, making 52 saves on the night. In the last minute of the first overtime, Brian Leetch pinched and took a shot that hit the cross-bar and the Canucks went back the other way on an odd-man rush and Greg Adams scored to claim the game for the Canucks.

Game 2

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Vancouver Canucks
team2 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Madison Square Garden
date1 = Thursday, June 2
score1 = 1 – 3
won1 = 2The Rangers evened the series with a 3–1 victory before the series shifted west.

Game 3

NHLPlayoffs
team2 = Vancouver Canucks
team1 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Pacific Coliseum
date1 = Saturday, June 4
score1 = 5 – 1
won1 = 1The Canucks came storming out in front of their home fans and Pavel Bure scored on his first shift to give them the early lead. But late in the period, with the score tied 1–1, Bure hit Jay Wells in the face with his stick and cut him, leading to a major penalty and Bure's expulsion from the game. Glenn Anderson scored on the ensuing power-play and the Rangers then cruised to a 5–1 victory.

Game 4

NHLPlayoffs
team2 = Vancouver Canucks
team1 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Pacific Coliseum
date1 = Tuesday, June 7
score1 = 4 – 2
won1 = 1In Game 4, the Canucks again jumped out to an early lead, this time 2–0, before Mike Richter and Brian Leetch took over the game. Richter made some key saves to keep the game within reach, including one on a penalty shot against Pavel Bure, and Leetch picked up a goal and three assists as the Rangers won 4–2 and headed back home with a commanding 3–1 series lead.

Richter saving the penalty shot reminded many why he was named MVP of the All-Star Game, which the Rangers hosted earlier in the year on January 22, 1994. There, he stopped shots by Bure.

Game 5

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Vancouver Canucks
team2 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Madison Square Garden
date1 = Thursday, June 9
score1 = 6 – 3
won1 = 1Most who entered Madison Square Garden for the fifth game thought they were going to see the Rangers win the Cup that night, but the Canucks had overcome a 3–1 deficit already in the 1994 playoffs and held a 1–0 lead after two periods. They extended it to 3–0 early in the third before the Rangers stormed back with three goals in six minutes to tie the game. It looked like the momentum had shifted, but just 29 seconds after Mark Messier's tying goal, Dave Babych scored to regain the lead for the Canucks. They added two more in a wild 8-goal third period to win 6–3 and take the series back home with a chance to tie it.

Game 6

NHLPlayoffs
team2 = Vancouver Canucks
team1 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Pacific Coliseum
date1 = Saturday, June 11
score1 = 1 – 4
won1 = 2The Canucks fired 14 shots at Mike Richter in the first period and led 1–0 on a Jeff Brown bullet from the point. The score was 2–1 after two periods before another Brown goal gave the Canucks a 3–1 third period lead. Late in the 3rd, Geoff Courtnall appeared to score for the Canucks, but the play continued and the Rangers scored to temporarily make the score 3–2. But, in the ensuing video review, it was confirmed that Courtnall had indeed scored his second goal of the game to clinch the game for the Canucks and send the series to a seventh game.

Game 7

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Vancouver Canucks
team2 = New York Rangers
stadium1 = Madison Square Garden
date1 = Tuesday, June 14
score1 = 2 – 3
won1 = 2The Canucks and Rangers played only the second game seven of a Stanley Cup Final since 1971, when the Montreal Canadiens, who won the Stanley Cup the year before defeated the Chicago Blackhawks. The other was in 1987, when the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers. At the beginning of the game, CBC "Hockey Night in Canada" commentator Bob Cole, who called both those games, said: cquote|Good evening everybody. The waiting is over! Now, the biggest hockey game ever played in New York!CBC Broadcast of Game 7, June 14, 1994]

The Rangers were all over the Canucks in the first period and took a 2–0 lead on goals by Brian Leetch and Adam Graves. In the second period, the Canucks finally came to life, thanks to a brilliant individual effort from team captain Trevor Linden, who beat two Rangers and Mike Richter on a delayed penalty to cut the deficit to 2–1. But, after a couple of questionable (in the opinion of Canucks coach Pat Quinn) penalty calls against the Canucks by referee Terry Gregson, Mark Messier was credited with scoring a power-play marker late in the 2nd to give the Rangers a 3–1 lead, later review would show that Brian Noonan was the last Ranger to touch the puck before it crossed the goal-line. In the third period, the Canucks really began to attack. Pavel Bure just about broke in alone but was pulled down by Esa Tikkanen and on the ensuing power-play, Trevor Linden scored his second of the night to bring the Canucks back to within a goal. After that, came hectic, jittery hockey. Mike Richter was called upon to make several spectacular saves. With five minutes to play, Nathan LaFayette hit the goal post. The final seconds were agony for both teams' fans, with three faceoffs in the Rangers' zone in the last 37 secondscite news|author=Brunt, Stephen|title=RANGERS TAKE STANLEY CUP|work=The Globe and Mail|date=1994-06-15|page=A1] .

The final faceoff came with 1.6 seconds left. Both Messier and Craig MacTavish conferred and came up with a gambit to ensure the Rangers' win. Both of them, figuring that officials wouldn't call a penalty at such a dramatic moment, committed fouls on the final drop of the puck and whacked and cross-checked Bure. Cole called at the faceoff: cquote|The New York Rangers have DONE IT HERE ON A HOT JUNE NIGHT IN NEW YORK! THE RANGERS ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

eries quotes & analysis

Analysis

The 1994 Stanley Cup Finals received so much analysis from commentators who called the game, as well as their in-studio commentators.

The host of "Coach's Corner", Don Cherry, described the finals as "one of the most exciting finals in a long time" and "what a great finals." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPvd627qYNk Stanley Cup Finals 1994] ]

On "Coach's Corner" during Game 7, Cherry and his partner, Ron MacLean, provided the most rewarding analysis of the finals, saying that the Rangers won the Stanley Cup because of Mark Messier [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7WdYMG9rVQ Canucks 1994 Game 7 Coach's Corner] ] . Cherry had told MacLean this when the two had lunch before the game.

At the end of Game 7, which was the most-watched NHL game [http://archive.sportingnews.com/nhl/articles/20030526/475402.html CBC sets finals broadcast team] ] , there was a lot of analysis on both the Rangers' win and the finals itself, largely due to the excitement of it.

On the Rangers' win, Brian Burke, NHL director of hockey, called it "bigger than big...three times big."cite news|author=Matheson, Jim|title=Cursed no more; Rangers bring home the Stanley Cup after 54-year drought|work=The Edmonton Journal|date=1994-06-15|page=D7] On the finals itself, John Davidson on MSG Network described the finals as "what a series, two fabulous teamsMSG Broadcast of Game 7, June 14, 1994] ." On the CBC, Bob Cole called it "the best Stanley Cup final" he could remember. Cole's partner, Harry Neale, said that this is a final that people would be "talking forever" about.

The Rangers winning the Stanley Cup has been considered NHL's greatest moment, as well as was hockey's greatest moment since the United States ice hockey team won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Lake Placid cite news|author=Christie, James|title=RANGERS BASK ON HIGHEST PLATEAU|work=The Globe and Mail|date=1994-06-15|page=C8] . It was CBC Sports' most-watched moment, as well as hockey's greatest moment, until Canada's ice hockey team won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake CityCanadian Press News Stories on the Canadian Ice Hockey Team Winning the Gold Medal, Feb. 25 & 26, 2002] .

Headlines

"The Toronto Star" reported that the Rangers' win was celebrated not only in newspaper headlines in the New York City area, but also across Canada, primarily due to the excitement of the finals and the rapid movement of the news through Canadacite news|title=Ranger Victory Parade Hits Broadway Friday, N.Y. Mayor Announces|work=The Toronto Star|date=1994-06-15|page=B4] .

New York City area

In New York, news of the Rangers' win meant big, bold headlines in the area's newspapers. "The New York Times" put the headline "For Rangers, a Celebration 54 Years in Making." The city's two tabloids, "The New York Daily News" and "The New York Post" put bold headlines. The "Daily News" put just simply "1994," while the "Post" had "Ecstasy" on their front page.

In Long Island, "Newsday" was more creative, printing a large "1940" with a slash through the numbers one and zero, leaving "94," to signify the 54-year lapse since New York's last Stanley Cup coup.

Celebrations broke out in New York City following the Rangers' win, but were under control, thanks to the NYPD increasing their presence, assisted by the RCMP who attended the game. They were concerned about what had happened a year earlier in Montreal after the Canadiens won the Stanley Cupcite news|author=Cox, Damien|title=The Hex is Dead|work=The Toronto Star|date=1994-06-15|page=A1] .

Canada

Across Canada, news of the Rangers' win moved so swiftly and at a rapid high speed that it became top headlines there. No NHL team winning the Stanley Cup had ever become top headlines there before. This was the case, because the Rangers' win was part of the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada's most-watched game and ice hockey is their national pastime.

The big, bold headlines in New York-area newspapers were common headlines appearing on every newsstand and almost every newspaper in the country the morning following the win. Major newspapers across the country, including "The Toronto Star", "The Globe and Mail", "The Toronto Sun", "The Vancouver Sun", "The Vancouver Province", "The Ottawa Citizen", and "The Montreal Gazette", put the news of the Rangers' win on their front-pages. Some of them carried an article, in addition to a photo capition.

Both of Vancouver's newspapers ran the news on their front-pages, though the Canucks lost, but also praised the Canucks for their performance. "RANGERS TAKE STANLEY CUP" bolded across the front-page of "The Globe and Mail". "The Hex is Dead" was on the front-page of the "Star", while "Rangers Break 54-Year Hex" was the headline in the "Citizen".

In Edmonton, where some of the Rangers players, including Mark Messier, were with the Oilers when they won 5 Stanley Cups, "The Edmonton Journal" carried the news on their front page with the headline, "Bubbly Flows as N.Y. Ends Drought," and like many newspapers in the New York area and across Canada, carried a photo of Messier lifting the Stanley Cup. The article also quoted Messier and Kevin Lowe, himself an ex-Oiler, as having said that it was much higher than when they were with Edmontoncite news|title=Bubbly Flows as N.Y. Ends Drought|work=The Edmonton Journal|date=1994-06-15|page=A1] . A similar headline also appeared on the front page of "The Calgary Herald".

Lineups

New York Rangers

Mark Messier (captain), Brian Leetch, Kevin Lowe, Adam Graves, Steve Larmer, Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Greg Gilbert, Mike Hartman, Glenn Healy, Mike Hudson, Alexander Karpovtsev, Joe Kocur, Alexei Kovalev, Nick Kypreos, Doug Lidster, Stéphane Matteau, Craig MacTavish, Sergei Nemchinov, Brian Noonan, Ed Olczyk, Mike Richter, Esa Tikkanen, Jay Wells, Sergei Zubov.

* Mike Keenan (coach)

Vancouver Canucks

Trevor Linden (captain), Kirk McLean, Kay Whitmore, Greg Adams, Shawn Antoski, Dave Babych, Jeff Brown, Pavel Bure, Jimmy Carson Jose Charbonneau, Geoff Courtnall, Murray Craven, Gerald Diduck, Martin Gelinas, Brian Glynn, Bret Hedican, Tim Hunter, Nathan LaFayette, Jyrki Lumme, John McIntyre, Sergio Momesso (assistant captain), Dana Murzyn, Gino Odjick, Adrien Plavsic, Cliff Ronning, Jiri Slegr.

*Pat Quinn (president, general manager, and coach)

New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup champions

Stanley Cup champion
centers=*11 Mark Messier (Captain)
*13 Sergei Nemchinov
*14 Craig MacTavish
*15 Mike Hudson
*27 Alexei Kovalev
*12 Ed Olczyk(also played wing)
goaltenders=*30 Glenn Healy
*35 Mike Richter
defence=*2 Brian Leetch (A. Capt.)
*4 Kevin Lowe (A. Capt.)
*6 Doug Lidster
*21 Sergei Zubov
*23 Jeff Beukeboom
*24 Jay Wells
*25 Alexander Karpovtsev
wingers=*9 Adam Graves (A. Capt.)
*10 Esa Tikkanen
*16 Brian Noonan
*17 Greg Gilbert
*18 Mike Hartman
*19 Nick Kypreos
*26 Joey Kocur
*28 Steve Larmer (A. Capt.)
*32 Stephane Matteau
*36 Glenn Anderson
non-players=
*Neil Smith (President/General Manager/Governor). Robert Gutkowski (Alternate Governors)
*Stanley Jaffe (Alternate Governors), Kenneth Munoz (Alternate Governors)
*Larry Pleau (Ass’t General Manager), Mike Keenan (Head Coach)
*Colin Campbell (Associate Coach, Dick Todd (Ass’t Coach)
*Matthew Louhgren (Manager-Team Operations), Barry Watkins (Director of Communications)
*Christer Rockstrom, Tony Feltrin (Scouts)
*Martin Madden, Herb Hammond, Darrwin Bennett (Scouts)
*Dave Smith (Medical Trainer), Joe Murphy (Equipment Trainer)
*Mike Folga (Equipment Manager), Bruce Lifrieri (Massage Therapist)
engraving-notes=
*1991, 1992 Pittsburgh, and 1993 Montreal included at least one player on the Stanley Cup who did not officially qualify. When the New York Rangers submitted their list of names for engraving, Ed Olczyk and Mike Hartman were included. Ed Olczyk played 37 regular-season games, and played 1 game in the conference finals. Mike Hartman played 35 regular-season games, but did not play in the playoffs. Both players spent the entire season with New York Rangers, and missed over 10 games due to injuries. When the Stanley Cup was engraved, Olczyk and Hartman's names were not included. The Rangers protested so the NHL added Olczyk and Hartman to the bottom of the cup. The NHL does not add missing names after the cup has been engraved, but made an exception in this case.

*NHL now agrees to allows players who do not officially qualify on the Stanley Cup (40 Regular season game, or played in the finals) on the Cup. However, some players who played in playoffs are still left off the Cup. While other players who play less then 10 regular season games and are not dressed in playoff are included.

*7 players who won the cup in 1994 were with Edmonton in 1990 when they won their 5th Cup. Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Craig MacTavish, and Esa Tikkanen. An 8th player Greg Gilbert also won the Stanley Cup with New York Islanders in 1982 & 1983.

*Alexander Karpovtsev, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov, and Sergei Zubov became the first four Russian-trained players to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Sergei Priakin played in the playoffs for the 1989 Stanley Cup champion Flames. Anatoli Semenov played in the playoffs for 1990 Stanley Cup champion Oilers. Oleg Petrov played in the playoffs for the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Canadiens. Neither of these 3 Russian-born-trained players qualify for engraved on the Stanley Cup, but were given Stanley Cup Rings. see|Johnny Gottselig

ee also

*1993–94 NHL season
*List of Stanley Cup champions

Notes

References

*cite book|last=Cole|first=Stephen|title=The Best of Hockey Night in Canada|year=2003|publisher=McArthur & Company|location=Toronto|isbn=1-55278-408-8