The New York Rangers next “Core Four”?
“The Core of ’94”
Look, we’re aware that 99.99% of Rangers fans know exactly what this quartet did in the 1994 postseason, and that two members are already in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But, as a service to new team followers and casual fans, here’s a brief refresher.
Let’s start with the captain, Mark Messier, who (accidentally on-purpose) guaranteed victory in Game Six of the Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. Down three-games-to-two and facing elimination, the Rangers center told reporters “we’ll win” on the eve of the sixth game.
Rangers fans fortunate to witness Game Six saw “Moose” rally the Blueshirts from a 2-0 deficit in the second period, assisting on Alex Kovalev‘s goal late in the middle frame before scoring a hat trick in the final stanza to provide a season-saving, 4-2 victory.
The Hall of Famer also scored what proved the winner in Game Seven of the Finals, a 3-2 conquest of the Vancouver Canucks that had Rangers fans clutching their hearts during the match and Canucks fans rioting afterward.
Which brings us to Mike Richter.
Without his goaltending brilliance, the Rangers don’t make it out of the Meadowlands after Game Six with another match to play. Simply put, he played out of his skull in stopping four 2-on-1 breaks in the second period to hold the Devils’ lead at two.
In Game Four of the Finals, his stop against Pavel Bure on a penalty shot kept the Rangers’ deficit at a goal, allowing his teammates to rally for a 4-2 win.
Hall of Famer Brian Leetch won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff’s Most Valuable Player, having led the Blueshirts with 34 points. He was brilliant in the Finals, notching five goals and six assists, including the first score of Game Seven.
Leetch remains the Rangers’ all-time leader among defensemen in goals (240), assists (741) and points (981). He won two Norris trophies as the NHL’s best blueliner, played 1,129 matches, leads the franchise in assists, ranks second in both career points (behind right wing Rod Gilbert‘s 1,021) and games played (after rearguard Harry Howell‘s 1,160).
Graves scored 52 goals during the season, then a team record since broken by Jaromir Jagr‘s 54 tallies in 2006. “Gravy” struck 10 more times in the postseason, including once in Game Seven of the Finals along with an assist.
Always willing to throw a big hit, drop his mitts to defend a teammate, and help New York City and its residents when he wasn’t playing, Graves also won the NHL’s King Clancy Trophy in 1994 for exemplifying leadership qualities on and off the ice and having made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.
So that’s “The Core Four of ’94”. Now, on to the next “Core Four”.