The Natty Hatty
The final (and most heroic) Chris Kreider moment is without a doubt his natural hattrick in game six of the Eastern Conference Semis against Carolina last year. After going up three games to none, the Rangers dropped games four and five to the Hurricanes and set the stage for a nail-biting game six. A loss would be three in a row for New York and would bring the series back to a very nervous MSG. The Rangers did not look through the first 40 minutes and at the start of the third period game seven felt inevitable. Then Chris Kreider put the team on his back.
It started with a relatively unremarkable rush up the ice with just under 13:30 to play and the Rangers trailing 3-1. Jack Roslovic got sandwiched along the boards and Zibanejad swooped in and tried to throw the puck in front of the net. Carolina goaltender Frederick Anderson blocked the pass with his skate and the puck sat next to the right goal post. Kreider flew in past the Carolina defense and jammed the puck between Anderson and the post to cut the deficit to 3-2. This was a sign of life.
A little over five minutes later, the Rangers found themselves on the powerplay with a chance to tie the game. Artemi Panarin got the puck in the high slot with Kreider screening Anderson and wristed one towards the net. As the best net front presence in the league, Kreider tipped Panarins’s shot past Anderson to tie the game at three with eight minutes to play. This was sign of resilience.
Thought he was not done? Just you wait. With 4:30 left, Ryan Lindgren took a handoff from Roslovic along the boards and skated below the goal line for what looked like a wraparound attempt. Instead, Kreider out muscled Hurricanes’ defenseman Jalen Chatfield in front of the net and Lindgren put the puck right on Kreider’s tape for a tap-in and the 4-3 lead. This was a sign of greatness. Kreider immediately sprinted towards the boards and once again let out a scream of pure elation before being mobbed by his teammates. His excitement mirrored mine as I tried to not garner a noise complaint from one of my neighbors. Kreider had saved the Rangers again! This time he did it basically by himself.
And I could go on and on
All of this is not even mentioning some moments of lesser stakes that were nevertheless endearing. His first career goal against the Senators in the 2012 playoffs. The opening goal of the 2022 ECF against Tampa.
His OT winner against the Bruins in game four of the 2013 second round to prevent getting swept. Scoring two goals vs Carolina in game seven of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semis. Each of these moments meant so much to so many fans and that is part of what makes sports so great. And they didn't even make the Mount Rushmore!
At the end of the day, Chris Kreider is perhaps the second greatest Rangers player since he joined the team during the 2012 playoffs (during which he scored five goals before playing a regular season game).
He has gifted Rangers fans a lifetime of memories during his residency at the world’s most famous arena. He should have his number in the rafters of MSG when he retires. And on that day, I will think of these moments while wearing the very same white Chris Kreider Reebok jersey that I bought 12 years ago.