New York Rangers fans can look back fondly at the 1994 team that ended its 54 year Stanley Cup drought that stretched back to 1940.
It was a magical run that culminated with Mark Messier receiving the Stanley Cup like a little kid opening presents on Christmas morning.
But before opening that incredible gift, a sequence of events unfolded that could have prevented the Rangers from hoisting the Cup in ’94.
Specifically, we’re talking about the 1991 Eric Lindros trade. 1991 was a long time ago. Yours truly is old enough to remember the Lindros drama vividly. He was so adamant about not wanting to play with the Quebec Nordiques that he threatened the team publicly.
The Nordiques were calculatedly stubborn and took Lindros anyway. He politely accepted the Nordiques jersey but refused to put it on the stage.
The events that unfolded in the following weeks led to Lindros being traded twice. First, the Nordiques had cut a deal on paper with the Philadelphia Flyers. But the Nordiques had also made a verbal agreement with the Rangers.
The dispute filed by the Flyers led to a thorough review of the proposed trades. In the end, the third-party arbitrator determined that the Flyers had a legitimate claim on Lindros. So, the Flyers were awarded the trade.
The haul Quebec landed set the tone for the Colorado Avalanche’s 1996 Cup and, to a lesser extent, its 2001 Cup.
As for the Rangers, fans were bummed out at the time that they didn’t get Lindros. Please keep in mind this is 1991. Messier was still in Edmonton (He would join the Rangers before the 1991-92 season), and the Rangers were pushing to get to the next level.
In 1990-91, the Rangers made the playoffs but were bounced in the first round. They won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1991-92, but missed the playoffs the following year.
So, there was a legitimate reason for wanting to push for Lindros. Had the Rangers succeeded, the cost would have been astronomical.
According to the June 30, 1992, edition of the Reading Eagle, the price the Rangers would have paid for Lindros included Sergei Nemchinov, Tony Amonte, Alexei Kovalev, James Patrick, and either John Vanbiesbrouck or Mike Richter. Multiple first-round picks would also have gone the other way.
As a footnote, when Lindros was coming up in Junior Hockey, he was billed as The Next One. Wayne Gretzky was the Great One, so that made Lindros The Next One. That’s how highly he was regarded at the time.
Well, the Lindros deal fell through, and the Rangers kept the king’s ransom that would have gone to Quebec, and eventually, the Colorado Avalanche.
Players Rangers kept were crucial in ’94 Cup win
So, the players the Rangers kept were crucial in winning the ’94 Cup. Alexei Kovalev had 23 goals and 56 points during the regular season and added 21 points in 23 postseason games.
Tony Amonte scored 16 goals during the regular season and was part of the trade that landed the Blueshirts playoff legend Stephane Matteau. Sergei Nemchinov had 22 regular-season tallies and two more in the postseason. James Patrick was traded after playing just six games with the Rangers.
Then, there was Mike Richter. He was the Rangers’ starter that season after John Vanbiesbrouck had been plucked by the expansion Florida Panthers. All Richter did that season was lead all goalies with 42 wins.
Richter was even better in the postseason, playing in 23 games, winning 16, and posting a 2.07 GAA and a .921 SV%.
All told, the Rangers were a team of destiny in 1994. However, that destiny was due, in good measure, to the Flyers’ insistence that they had the rightful claim on Lindros. Good thing for Rangers fans, it worked out that way.