This Date in New York Rangers’ History : 1994 Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!

On this date 26 years ago, the New York Rangers took another step on their path to glory

Even after six knock-down contests, a guarantee and a hat trick from Mark Messier, there still had to be a Game Seven in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

And two overtimes.

If New York was going to break their 54-year Curse, it wasn’t going to come easy.

Every Rangers fan has undying love for Mike Richter, but the goalie nearly threw it all away after he gave up a tying goal on a rebound from Valery Zelepukin with 7.7 seconds left in regulation.

The somewhat-unlikely hero was Stephane Matteau, winning his second overtime game, his second double overtime game of the series, with his only shot of the game, a wraparound shot from behind the goal, beating Martin Brodeur after almost 85 minutes of heaven and hell. The Rangers won 2-1 and earned a ticket to the Finals against a Vancouver team that also wanted the Cup.

Much like how the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid wasn’t yet done when the American team bested Russia, the Blueshirts still had to get past a tough Canucks team if they were going to erase decades of futility.

Vancouver had a pretty good goaltender in Kirk McLean and the Russian Rocket, Pavel Bure.

But that’s a story for another day.

For those of us lucky enough to have watched Game Seven against the Devils on television (and those blessed enough to see it in person), it can seem like the game just happened yesterday. Or that it’s been an eternity.

The New York Times said this in a recap of that game: “Thus ended the seventh and best game of a terrific Eastern Conference final series, the final stroke of an excruciating evening filled with drama and tension, the culmination of two weeks of New York hockey history that fans will re-live for many years to come.”

Pretty damn accurate.