On June 17 in NYR history: A tickertape parade

What happened on June 17 in the history of the New York Rangers

On June 17, 1994, the New York Rangers finally got their tickertape parade, the first for the franchise.  Although the team had won Stanley Cups in prior years, they had never been feted with a parade down the “Canyon of Heroes.”

The first team to be honored with a parade was the 1954 New York Giants baseball team, after the had won the National League pennant.  With no championship since 1940, there was good reason for this to be the first for a hockey team.

1.5 million people lined the streets of Broadway and 20 tons of paper littered the Canyon of Heroes after the parade passed through.

The players rode on floats with the Stanley Cup on the lead float with Brian Leetch and Mark Messier.   It ended at City Hall where there was a ceremony with the players receiving keys to the City from Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a rabid Rangers fan.

A long overdue Hall of Fame call

On this date in 2019, Sergei Zubov got a long overdue call, learning that he had been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  The defenseman played only three seasons with the Rangers, but he was an important player on the 1994 Stanley Cup team and a repeat winner with the Dallas Stars.

Zubov’s trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins has to go down as one of the most misguided transactions in franchise history and was one reason the Rangers experience a long playoff drought after he left.

Also voted into the Hall of Fame was Vaclav Nedomansky, a great player from Czechoslovakia who broke barriers when he became the first hockey player to defect to North America.  He ended his NHL career with the Rangers in 1982-83, playing 35 games and scoring 12 goals and 20 points.

Today’s birthdays

29 NHL players were born on June 17 with three Rangers in that number including one who was a color barrier trail blazer.

Larry Kwong was born on this date in 1923 in Vernon, British Columbia.  He played one shift for the Rangers on March 13, 1948, becoming the first player of Asian heritage to play in the NHL. A right winger, he had a long career as a pro including the seasons with the New York Rovers.

Greg McKegg was born on this date in 1992 in St. Thomas, Ontario.  McKegg was a Ranger for one season, in 2019-20 getting into 53 games, scoring five goals and nine points.  The center has played for seven teams in eight seasons, the latest with the Boston Bruins.

Trent Whitfield was born on this date in 1977 in Estevan, Saskatchewan.  A center, he played one game with the Rangers in 2002 after being claimed on waivers.  He played 194 NHL games, but only 12:44 as a Blueshirt.