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Reviewing the Mark Messier trade tree from NYR to SJ

By Conor Power

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist's jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022 in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist's jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022 in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist’s jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022, in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist’s jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022, in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

In 1994, the New York Rangers won their 4th Stanley Cup in the history of the franchise. It ended a 54-year drought to capture Lord Stanley’s mug, but they did it. Rangers fans around the world know the infamous Sam Rosen call “and this one will last a lifetime”. Rangers fans will remember the promise their captain made that they would come back in the Eastern Conference finals against New Jersey and win the cup.

Mark Messier was a man of his word and endured. He actually had two spells with the Rangers, but all good things must come to an end eventually. It is important to talk about the legends that have given one of the most storied franchises in history. Messier played in 698 games as a New York Ranger scoring 250 goals and 441 assists for 691 points. One of the best to ever grace the ice in Madison Square Garden.

On June 30th, 2003, the New York Rangers traded Messier to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Messier would never appear in a game for the Sharks, but his impact on the Rangers organization cannot be understated. Southern California is a nice place to end up during the Twilight of your career and there are certainly worse places in the league the Rangers could have moved him to.

Messier would take the 1992 Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Lester B Pearson (now known as the Ted Lindsey), and a Stanley Cup ring from 1994 to add to a legacy that would already have enshrined him in the hockey hall of fame. It was made official soon enough and he is immortalized into hockey history with so many of the other greats of this sport in Toronto. So, it’s time to look to the future. What did the Rangers get back from San Jose for Messier?

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