When the New York Rangers won their third Stanley Cup in 1940, it was thought they'd continue the string of success even as World War II loomed just two years until then. However, when celebrations were still ongoing, the team did something unforgettable.
Back then, the team was deciding between themselves and the other New York team, the Americans, who would stay at Madison Square Garden, then the third edition of the World's Most Famous Arena. So, in the midst of the Cup win, Rangers management decided to do something that, according to fans, would desecrate the sacred nature of the Cup itself. By placing the mortgage money of MSG right in the bowl of the Cup and then setting it alight, the Rangers sealed their own doom, not winning another Cup until more than a half century later in 1994. On top of that, it was also reported that some players urinated in the Cup to put the flames out - horribly disrespecting the sacred nature of the Cup.
Until 1940, the Rangers had had moderate success. In just their first season of play in 1926-27, they'd win the American Division over fellow Original Six members Boston by nine points, followed by their first Stanley Cup championship over the Montreal Maroons the following year. Their next tastes of Cup glory would come in 1933 and the aforementioned 1940 season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs on both occasions. But everything changed in 1940 when the Rangers' management paid off MSG's mortgage. Not only were they fully committing to the Rangers franchise, but at the same time, they were ignoring their little brother in the New York Americans. This is one of several underlying reasons the Rangers became cursed.
Another reason the Rangers wouldn't win it all again for another 54 years has a little more to do with the disregard for the Americans team. A former player of the "Amerks" and later their GM, Red Dutton had his fair share of qualms between the Manhattan-based Rangers and the Brooklyn-based Americans. The Amerks' original owner from 1925 to 1937 was also a bootlegger who didn't quite know much about running a professional sports team. Then World War II broke out, slashing most of the Americans' roster, further denting the franchise's recovery efforts either after years of financial woes. Dutton would be named president of the NHL in 1943 after the death of previous president Clarence Campbell, but the damage was done, with the Amerks franchise formally shuttering in 1946.
And Dutton would continue his war on the Rangers, especially after the league went back on promises the Americans would return as a franchise. When news of that came, Dutton was livid, saying the Rangers would never win it all again as long as he lived. Dutton would pass away in 1987 at the age of 88, just seven years before the Curse was finally broken. And even before that, he would go out of his way to sabotage the Blueshirts in whatever ways possible. At the time, it was known that more people would show up at MSG not for hockey games, but for the circus, giving Dutton several opportunities to effectively kick the Rangers out of their own building during crucial points in the season. Most notably were during the postseason! And it wouldn't just affect the Rangers- the New York Knicks were also forced to occasionally shuffle arenas when MSG was occupied, since there weren't any known ways the arena floor could be swapped between circus acts, hockey, and basketball quickly back then.
In the 1950 Stanley Cup Finals, the Rangers faced Detroit again, and this time, it was the Wings coming out on top. The reason why the Rangers couldn't win? They were forced to play 2 crucial games of that championship series at the Leafs' home rink, Maple Leaf Gardens, thanks to Dutton's workings. Originally, the Blueshirts had a 3-2 series lead and could've cashed in back at MSG, but Dutton, being the president and the essential rule maker of the league, cited an obscure rule that said the deciding game of a Finals couldn't be played on neutral ice. Maple Leaf Gardens took the place of MSG for Games 2 and 3, costing the Rangers 2 quicker wins to the Cup, even though they did win the latter Game 3.
The last bit of lore that contributed to the Curse of 1940 was the Rangers' rivals. Detroit was especially notorious, as their owner at the time, James Norris, owned a sizable stake in the Rangers franchise, giving him tons of extra money to stack the Red Wings into a powerhouse, while New York got sloppy seconds. It was just the cherry on top for the vast amount of what can now be seen as Original Six favoritism and corruption across a small NHL, as having just 6 teams back then made it that much easier to pull strings.
When the Rangers did finally win the Cup again in 1994 their most recent triumph now more than 30 years ago, thanks in part to players like Mark Messier and Brian Leetch, the call from play by play commentator Sam Rosen remains forever: "The waiting is over The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup Champions!! And this one will last a lifetime!!!"