June 14, 1994 will forever be a day synonymous with New York Rangers fans. It was the day that the boys in Blueshirts brought a Stanley Cup back to Manhattan for the first time in fifty-four years. On Friday night at Madison Square Garden, the organization brought back members of that very team to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a season the Rangers fans will never forget.
The core of ’94, lead out of the tunnel by head coach Mike Keenan, were greeted with ravenous rounds of applause. Many members of the team were welcomed with strong cheers such as goaltender Mike Richter, defenseman Brian Leetch and many others, but no one had a greeting louder than captain Mark Messier. A slew of “Let’s Go Rangers” chants filled the Garden prior to Messier giving a speech.
“We embraced the challenge. I said to the team earlier today that I would never refer to these guys behind me as a group. We weren’t a group, we weren’t even a team. We were a family. We’re very proud of what we were able to accomplish. What made us special was the way we connected with the Rangers fans and the city,” Messier said.
Following the ceremony, the current 2018-19 New York Rangers team met with and shook hands with every member of the 1993-94 squad, a classy moment to see in sports. While it has been a tough two plus decades since New York won a cup, Messier believed in his team twenty-five years ago and he believes in the current team now. Just when all seems impossible, a breakthrough can happen.
