On May 27 in NYR history: Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!

What happened on May 27 in the history of the New York Rangers

May 27 marks the anniversary of one of the most memorable games in the long history of the New York Rangers.  When Stephane Matteau scored on a wraparound to win the game against eh New Jersey Devils in double overtime, it sent the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final and ended what for many was the greatest playoff series ever played.

The final score was 2-1 and it was a game filled with enough emotional highs and lows for a lifetime.  For Ranger fans it looked like they were going to be able to hold on to a 1-0 lead in the game on a second period goal scored by Brian Leetch.  With the chant of “We want the Cup” resounding throughout Madison Square Garden, the Devils stunned the crowd when Valeri Zelepukin score with just 7.7 seconds left and the Devils’ net empty.

The euphoria in the Garden stopped abruptly and fans were in shock, anticipating another bitter playoff disappointment after 54 years of frustration.  There was no reason for Ranger fans to believe that this team could overcome the late goal with the team just seconds away from their first trip to the Final since 1979.

The Rangers showed their spirit by absolutely dominating the overtime periods, pouring 20 shots at Martin Brodeur, who was brilliant.  Mike Richter had to make only six saves in the overtimes.  Finally, at four minutes, 24 seconds of the second overtime, Stephane Matteau scored the goal that has made him a Ranger immortal.

It was bedlam at the Garden as the “We want the Cup” chant was revived.  On a personal note, I was lucky enough to be at that game and can vouch for the incredible roller coaster of emotions for everyone art the Garden that night. When Zelepukin scored, fans were in tears.    The roar when Matteau scored that goal was simply deafening and the purest definition of joy was what was felt at that moment.

The Rangers would have three days off before taking on the Vancouver Canucks in the Final.

The captain is exiled

On this date in 1974, the Rangers traded their captain, Vic Hadfield, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Nick Beverley.  The trade was shocking to many including Hadfield himself who said that he had no inkling that he was trade bait.

The deal came after the Rangers lost a bitter seven game series to the Philadelphia Flyers, a series in which the Broad Street Bullies physically intimidated the Blueshirts.

Was Hadfield a scapegoat?  For many fans, the memory that remains of Hadfield in that playoff series was the image of Hadfield in the penalty box as time wound down.  The Rangers had been called for a too many men on the ice penalty and Hadfield was sent to the box.   The image was of Hadfield smiling as he talked to one of the penalty timekeepers, as the Rangers’ hopes vanished.

In 2016, Hadfield explained what happened to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. “I was in the box and the attendant congratulated me on what we had accomplished and how hard we had played. He told me we should all be proud of what we’d done. I turned to thank him, and I must have been smiling at him at the time, and that was it. But that’s what was on TV.”

He added that the team understood the situation and that he had been playing on a bad ankle, but at the time, the smile was a dagger in the hearts of the Ranger fans and when he was traded a just three weeks later for a journeyman defenseman, it seemed like retribution.

General Manager Emile Francis never explained why he made the trade, but Hadfield, 33, had scored 27 goals on the GAG line with Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert and was a Rangers legend for becoming the first 50 goal scorer in franchise history just two years before.  Considering the circumstances, it certainly seemed like it was in reaction to the most ill-timed smile in Rangers history.

Today’s birthdays

32 NHL players have been born on May 27, but only one wore a Rangers jersey, but he was known for an NHL milestone.

Clarence Abel was born on this date in 1900 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  He was a defenseman who was a member of the first New York Rangers team in the 1926-27 season and was  a Stanley Cup champion with the team in 1928.  He was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks after three seasons in New York, winning another cup with the Hawk in 1934 . Nicknamed “Taffy,” Abel was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as he was the first player born in the United States to become a regular for an NHL team.

The numbers

Playoff games: 2
Wins: 0
Losses: 1
Overtime wins: 1
Winning percentage: 50%