Memories of 1994: Rangers honor special team on special night

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Select Rangers fans line up to greet their heroes on the red carpet. (Photo by Johnluke Chaparro – @JLChaparro8)

Last Friday night, Rangers fans packed into Madison Square Garden to honor perhaps the greatest team the franchise had ever assembled. It’s been just about 25 years now since the Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final ending New York’s 54-year championship drought. It was a moment that, as Sam Rosen said, will last a lifetime. In a season where the Rangers organization and fans have been clearly focused on the future, this night was one where we honored our past. What follows are pictures from the event provided by Forever Blueshirts writers Johnluke Chaparro, Steven Voogel and Jeff Weinstein.

  • A replica Stanley Cup ring all fans in attendance received on the memorable night. (Photo by Johnluke Chaparro – @JLChaparro8)
  • Another view of the ring. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Weinstein – @JAW4217)
The legendary Mark Messier addresses the crowd.
(Photo by Johnluke Chaparro – @JLChaparro8)
The 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers.
(Photo by Johnluke Chaparro – @JLChaparro8)
Lets hope we get to hang another one of these soon huh?
(Photo by Johnluke Chaparro – @JLChaparro8)

The ceremony was beautifully done and everyone in attendance was hanging on every word captain Mark Messier had to say. To see that team all together again in the Garden was one of the most special moments I’ve had as a Rangers fan, and it made me crave a championship even more. I was four months old when the Stanley Cup last made its way down the Canyon of Heroes and hopefully, we all don’t have to wait 25 more years for another title.

I spoke with some fans that night that hadn’t been to the Garden since that infamous game seven all those years ago. They had tears in their eyes. This championship lifted a city and gave life to a fan base that hadn’t seen a championship since before the second world war. That 1994 title was everything to some people and none of us can wait for the next one.

Oh yeah, the Rangers played a game that night and they fell 3-0 to the Hurricanes. But we aren’t gonna talk about that here.

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