Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects says there’s plenty of interest in the 25-year-old, and that the Rangers have told teams he’s available. Robinson says Miller could also be the target of an offer sheet, and with the Rangers close to the salary cap and having key RFAs like Will Cuylle needing new contracts, potential suitors could opt for that route.

One player whose name keeps popping up at the Combine is K'Andre Miller.

I'm told the Rangers have let teams know he's available, but clubs are weighing that option versus the Offer Sheet route.

Appears to be significant interest in the 25-year-old.

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) June 5, 2025

There’s no doubt that Miller has the wheels and the skills to be an impact player. But he’s never had the kind of breakout season the Rangers and their fans were hoping for. He struggled badly at times this season, finishing with 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 74 games. He also finished with an even plus-minus rating, the first time in his five NHL seasons that he wasn’t a plus player.

It’s the second straight season his points total has dropped after he had a career-high 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) in 2022-23.

Miller is coming off a two-year contract that has an average annual value of $3,872,000, according to PuckPedia. He also had surgery last month to repair an upper-body injury sustained toward the end of the season. A League source told the New York Post that Miller tried to rehab the undisclosed injury but ultimately decided surgery was his best option – he’s expected to be back around the start of next season.

There figures to be plenty of interest if the Rangers decide, for whatever reason, to move on from Miller. The San Jose Sharks, who desperately need help on defense, are among the teams rumored to be sniffing around.

New York Rangers news

New coach Mike Sullivan’s coaching staff is set after he named three assistants – including one who Rangers fans are quite familiar with.

Rangers legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin turned 86 on Friday. Here’s a look at “Fast Eddie’s” decade in New York, which saw him do everything but win a Stanley Cup.

Our Eric Charles takes a look at two more value options available to the Rangers if they decide to use their first-round pick (No. 12) in this year’s NHL Draft. Lynden Lakovic and Benjamin Kindel figure to be available if the Rangers decide not to give their pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

NHL news and rumors

Sportsnaut: Brad Marchand was the hero for the Florida Panthers on Friday, scoring at 8:05 of the second overtime to give the Cats a series-tying 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. We look at three takeaways from a memorable night.

Sportsnaut: Game 2 of the Final by the numbers. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.

Sportsnaut: Our Ryan McInerney looks at the winners and losers from Game 2. Hockey fans definitely fall into the “Winners” category after watching the Panthers and Oilers start the series by splitting two overtime games.

NHL.com: So what do players do on travel days in the Final, especially on the five-hour flight from Edmonton to South Florida? Eating and playing cards are two of the most popular pastimes.

Sportsnaut: In the wake of the firing of Peter DeBoer by the Dallas Stars on Friday, one week after they were bounced in the Western Conference Final for the third straight year, here’s a look at the NHL’s 10 longest-tenured coaches. Suffice it to say that this is one profession where there’s not a lot of job security.

NHL.com: Spencer Carbery was named winner of the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL’s top coach — with his family on hand. Carbery led the Washington Capitals to first place in the Metropolitan Division and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Derek Lalonde as an assistant coach under Craig Berube, beginning next season. He coached the Detroit Red Wings for two-plus seasons before being fired in December.

ESPN: Colorado Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor had hip surgery Friday and isn’t expected back until December at the earliest.

Tampa Bay Times: The Tampa Bay Lightning filled the coaching staff vacancy created recently when Jeff Blashill was hired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks by hiring former NHL forward Dan Hinote as an assistant under Jon Cooper. Hinote had been coaching with Colorado of the AHL.

Mike Richter has firsthand knowledge of that truth. He also has the experience of coming out on the other side of the darkly disappointing 1992-93 season to win the Stanley Cup with the Rangers the following campaign.

That’s why his take on this season’s Rangers offers a glimmer of hope for what could lie ahead for the core of the current team.

“First and foremost, this adversity and these challenges galvanize you and make you a better player and a better organization,” Richter told Forever Blueshirts. “That’s what pro sports is about — find a way — because it’s the best against the best, the best players in the world, and nobody’s giving up an inch easily.”

Perhaps the current Rangers can take solace in those words as they continue to dig out of the mess they created with a heinous 4-15-0 stretch in November and December. Despite entering the season as Stanley Cup favorites in many circles after getting within two wins of the Cup Final last spring, the Rangers’ season appeared to be dead in the water before the new year arrived.

That’s not unlike the 1992-93 Rangers, who were Cup favorites after winning the Presidents’ Trophy the season prior — and with the reigning Hart Trophy winner in Mark Messier and Norris Trophy winner in Brian Leetch at the height of their powers.

But anything and everything that could go wrong did for the Rangers that season. From injuries to locker-room issues to a coaching change. Heck, even Messier — yes The Captain — was loudly booed off the ice in his final home game of the 1992-93 season at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers went from Stanley Cup contenders at the start the season to a last-place finish in the Patrick Division.

“We had some injuries and didn’t play our best. We had a target on our back. We were a team that people got up for, it was a different approach others teams had to us. It was a different road to get to the playoffs for us. And we had to learn from it,” Richter explained. “The biggest lesson was little things matter. Attention to detail. The best organizations have that, and we had to learn that.”

With Mike Keenan behind the bench and a steely team-wide resolve to turn things around, the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1993-94. Then with Richter earning all 16 victories during the postseason, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1940.

From the lowest of lows just one year prior to the top of the mountain.

Related: Neil Smith believes Rangers ‘set up’ to land playoff spot, but there’s a catch

Mike Richter believes this about Rangers: No team ‘wants to see them in playoffs’

Of course, we don’t know how the story ends for the current Rangers, whether this season or next. This team could very well still make the playoffs — they’re tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the two wild-cards teams with 24 games to play. Like the 1992-93 squad, which lost its stud defenseman Leetch for two extended stretches (shoulder injury and broken ankle), the current Rangers begin life without Adam Fox after he landed on IR with an upper-body injury.

So it’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison between the two teams. But handling adversity and fighting through challenges to come out to a brighter side resonates as an important lesson the Rangers can take from the ’94 champions.

“The League is so competitive now,” Richter said. “The regular season matters — you have to remember that, can’t get ahead of yourself.”

Richter stated that there are many reasons to remain bullish on these Rangers, despite their struggles.

“The Rangers have put themselves in a great position. They have great young players. I think they’re one of the most exciting team in the League and it’s been that way for the last few years,” he explained. “They have the best goalie on earth — best two goalies on earth, I don’t see how you get much better than having Jonathan Quick behind [Igor] Shesterkin.”

That sounds a bit like assessing the Rangers from 1992-93. There was plenty of talent on that team, too, and they were set at the most critical position with a heckuva good goalie. Richter, who was handed the No. 1 role in 1993-94 after sharing the net for years with John Vanbiesbrouck, took it to the next level.

That story ended with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

Richter won’t go as far as to say that’s the end story this time. But he likes where the Rangers are headed and believes overcoming adversity can be a big part of their future success.

“They’ve positioned themselves for great things, but no one’s giving it to them. They’ve got to figure that out as a group.,” Richter stated. “They’re a dangerous team. I don’t think there’s anybody in the East that wants to see them in the playoffs.”

MacNeil played 11 seasons in the NHL as a low-scoring defensive defenseman. The 10th of those seasons came with the Rangers in 1966-67, after they claimed him from the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Waiver Draft – a move that came shortly after the Canadiens had claimed him from the Chicago Black Hawks.

Rangers coach/general manager Emile Francis was doing all he could to spark a franchise that had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for four seasons and finished last in the six-team NHL in 1965-66. He knew MacNeil wasn’t going to provide much offense – he had one assist in 51 games for the Hawks in ’65-66, finishing with fewer points than goalie Glenn Hall. But Francis was looking for defense-first defensemen after the Rangers surrendered 261 goals in 70 games on the way to their last-place finish. MacNeil was a combined plus-80 for Chicago from 1962-63 through 1964-65 while playing 209 of 210 possible games and putting up 55 points (10 goals, 45 assists) and 300 penalty minutes during that span.

National Hockey League statement on the passing of Al MacNeil. https://t.co/tfUwmsEWgM pic.twitter.com/J3TNZUwGEk

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 6, 2025

Francis saw MacNeil as an ideal shutdown defender, which turned out to be the case. The native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, had just four points, all assists, in 58 games. But he led all Rangers defensemen by finishing plus-9 and played a valuable role in helping the Rangers reduce their goals-against total by 72. They returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1962 and finished over .500 (30-28-12) for the first time since 1957-58 — even though they actually scored seven fewer goals than they had while finishing last during the previous season.

MacNeil had no points in the Rangers’ four-game sweep by the Montreal Canadiens in the Semifinals, and the 2-1 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden that ended their season also ended his time with the Rangers. Francis didn’t want to lose younger defensemen like Jim Neilson, Rod Seiling and Arnie Brown, so he made MacNeil available in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He was the first defenseman taken (in the fourth round) by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had nabbed another Ranger, center Earl Ingarfield, in the previous round and later grabbed Andy Bathgate, the Rangers’ all-time scoring leader at the time.

The 1967-68 season turned out to be MacNeil’s last in the NHL. He finished with 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) while playing all 74 games for the Penguins and ended his NHL career with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) and 615 penalty minutes in 524 regular-season games. MacNeil had four points, all assists, in 37 playoff games.

Former Rangers defenseman, 4-time Cup winner MacNeil dies at 89

He played one season with Houston in the Central Hockey League and one with Montreal of the American Hockey League before hanging up his skates to take a role in 1969-70 with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Montreal Voyageurs. But he was promoted to coach of the Canadiens in December 1970 after Claude Ruel resigned — and five months later he had won the Stanley Cup that had eluded him as a player.

A big part of that success was his decision late in the season to go with a rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden, who had played for him in the AHL, over veteran Rogie Vachon and understudy Phil Myre. After a meeting with his three goalies to map out Montreal’s run to the postseason, MacNeil pulled Dryden aside and told him “We have a plan,” without elaborating, according to NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs.

With Dryden manning the crease, the Canadiens stunned the regular-season champion Boston Bruins in seven games, knocked off the Minnesota North Stars in six then defeated the Black Hawks in seven games to win perhaps the most unlikely of their 24 Stanley Cup championships. MacNeil was carried around the ice at Chicago Stadium on the shoulders of defenseman Pierre Bouchard and Marc Tardif.

The Canadiens are saddened to learn of the passing of Al MacNeil. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the MacNeil family during this difficult time.

News release ↓https://t.co/NPjDiuGZB0

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 6, 2025

“When you win that way, you’re thrilled for yourself, but also for the person next to you,” Dryden told Stubbs. “There’s so much thrill to be passed around, to be shared. The one thing with Al is that it was different. He was really happy to win for himself, for the Canadiens, for the players. But I had never before had a coach who I sensed was genuinely happy for me … It was so clear to me that this is how Al felt. It was really something special.”

But having been moved into the top job in Montreal on an interim basis, MacNeil stepped down a month after winning the Cup. Scotty Bowman was hired and led the Canadiens to five championships from 1972-73 to 1978-79.

Instead of trying for a second straight Stanley Cup, MacNeil was sent back to the Voyageurs, who had been relocated to his home province of Nova Scotia. He led the team to Calder Cup championships in 1972, 1976 and 1977 while helping the Canadiens develop some of their greatest talents. He is one of only six men to coach championship teams in the AHL and NHL.

“He meant so much to all of us. You talk to any alumni member, especially people that were involved all through the ’80s, Chopper was just one of a kind."

Al MacNeil will be remembered as a tireless worker and a kind soul who devoted his life to the #Flames and his family.

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 7, 2025

MacNeil returned to Montreal and won the Cup twice more with the Canadiens as director of player personnel before leaving to become coach of the Atlanta Flames in 1979. He later followed the franchise to Calgary, eventually winding up as director of player development and pro scouting. MacNeil helped the Flames reach to the Stanley Cup Final in 1986 and win their only championship in 1989 as assistant general manager, a role he held from 1985 to 2006 — along with short stints as an assistant coach (1991-92) and coach (2002-03) before stepping away after the 2005-06 season.

MacNeil is a member of the AHL Hockey Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame, and the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame.

So, when The Captain’s got a hot take on the Rangers, it’s worth taking a listen.

Also Read: DirecTV Stream Review: Is Worth It for NY Rangers Fans?

Messier isn’t around Madison Square Garden a whole lot these days. But much of his hockey-related time is spent as an in-studio analyst for ESPN and ABC’s NHL coverage, so he still has a pretty good idea of what’s going on with his old team. And he was very clear with his assessment of the Rangers (17-20-1) during ABC’s telecast of New York’s 7-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon.

“I think the core of the Rangers is fractured right now,” he said. “And I don’t think they’re fractured internally. I think there’s a disconnect between management and the coaching staff, there’s a lack of trust and loyalty now — and in order to get over that, it’s going to take a lot of work. They don’t look like a championship team right now.”

Mark Messier on #NYR: “Right now the core is fractured. There’s a disconnect between management and the coaching staff. There’s a lack of trust and loyalty now.” pic.twitter.com/Q0OHABoHpt

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) January 4, 2025

The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy last season, got within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final and began this season with a 5-0-1 run. They had a 12-4-1 record after a 4-3 road win against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 19. But beginning with a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames two nights later, the Rangers are 5-16-0 with a .238 points percentage that’s last in the NHL during that stretch.

During the summer, the Rangers placed veteran center Barclay Goodrow on waivers to get around his no-trade clause; he was snapped up by the San Jose Sharks. On Dec. 6, they traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, a move that frustrated many of the players. Forward Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, was traded to the Seattle Kraken less than two weeks later.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from sloppy 7-4 loss to Capitals

Mark Messier feels ‘cascade effect’ is part of Rangers downward spiral

Messier said players must realize that trades are part of life in the NHL, and that they must put their feelings aside and play.

“As players, we have to be big enough, strong enough, man enough and man up to get over that,” he said. “We are not in control of some things that happen as players. Management can do whatever they want, and we have a responsibility to each other as players. They’ve got to get over that. We haven’t seen a lot of emotion from the Rangers over the last month.”

Messier compared the Rangers’ current situation, especially the trade of Trouba in order to open salary cap space, to the emotions he and his Oilers teammates felt when Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in August 1988 – a deal that was also about money, albeit not in a salary-cap era. He said he and his teammates were mad at management for the trade but were able to channel that emotion into another championship in 1990.

“I remember when Edmonton traded Wayne Gretzky. We were mad at management at trading away a brother,” he said. “We were able to overcome it in Edmonton, as mad as we were at ownership and at management and everything else at trading away one of our brothers. It takes a lot of work, a lot of trust and I think the Rangers can (overcome it), but it’s not going to be easy.”

Messier, acquired by the Rangers in October 1991, also talked about his own departure from the Rangers three years after June 14, 1994, when the Cup returned to New York. He became a free agent in the summer of 1997 and signed with the Vancouver Canucks. After a management change in New York – Glen Sather, his old general manager in Edmonton, succeeded Neil Smith, who built the 1994 championship team, in the summer of 2000 – Messier returned to the Rangers shortly afterward and played with them until he retired in 2004.

“I left New York because the team didn’t want me,” he said. “I could not play under the circumstances where I did not feel the loyalty.”

Messier added some thoughts during the first intermission after an interview with forward Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured current Rangers player. Kreider and Trouba were mentioned by Rangers GM Chris Drury in a letter to the 31 other NHL general managers several weeks ago as players who could be available in trade, and Messier feels that’s had a negative impact on the team.

“You can tell with Kreider, one of the longest-standing Rangers of all time, he’s clearly been hurt by being put on the trade block, for whatever reason,” Messier said. “That has had a profound effect on the core of the team. When you put Chris Kreider on the trade block, that affects his best friend, (Mika) Zibanejad. The cascade effect of that has clearly been evident over the last month.”

The cascade effect, as Messier called it, has resulted in the Rangers sharing the basement in the Metropolitan Division and 14th place in the 16-team Eastern Conference with the Islanders. There’s been no bigger disappointment in the NHL this season than the Rangers, though the Nashville Predators are right there with them.

Yet again, the Rangers will try and get back on track, when they visit the last-overall Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

The Mets? They’re still licking their wounds after the Dodgers knocked them out in six games in the National League Championship Series following an epic, improbable postseason run. The Jets and Giants? Don’t ask.

So where does that leave the state of New York sports? And which team might follow the Liberty to be the next champion from this city?

More specifically, will the New York Rangers be that team?

Listen, it’s well within reason to believe the Rangers could win the Stanley Cup this season. There’s no clear-cut favorite in the NHL. There’s a group of elite teams, of which the Rangers are one, and a whole host of teams stuck in the middle. Then there are a few non-contenders.

Their recent ugly 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals aside, this Rangers team has the makings of a champion. New York has the goalie in Igor Shesterkin. It has dynamic offensive firepower, led by Artemi Panarin. Then there’s a deep lineup, fortified by the terrific start to the season by the line of Filip Chytil between Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle. They have excellent special teams and a veteran coach who’s won it all before. The Rangers are also battle-tested, reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons.

No doubt, they have shortcomings. But there’s no perfect team in the NHL, not even the defending champion Florida Panthers — though the Rangers really do need to figure it out against them head-to-head. And you can bet that, if able, GM Chris Drury will load up at the trade deadline to make a serious run at ending the 31-year championship drought, especially with this likely being the final whack at it for some of their core players like Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and possibly Kakko.

Outside of a Liberty repeat, it says here the Rangers have the best chance to be New York’s next champion.

But let’s further examine the local competition.

Related: New York Rangers: What to watch for in November

Ranking Rangers competition to be New York’s next professional sports franchise to win championship

Since the Liberty just won the WNBA championship, we will not include them in this exercise.

New York Knicks

They sure didn’t look championship-ready when they lost to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on opening night, but the Rangers’ co-tenants at Madison Square Garden provide the Blueshirts their stiffest competition to be New York’s next champion. In a star-driven league, the Knicks now have two with Karl-Anthony Towns joining Jalen Brunson, and that’s more than something to consider.

Like the Rangers, the Knicks seem to be building toward a run to the NBA Finals, but keep stumbling before getting there. The Knicks appeared ready to take that big step last postseason until they broke down — literally and figuratively — in the second round, their great dreams ruined among a plethora of key injuries. The knock on Tom Thibodeau-coached teams is that they play so hard throughout the regular season that there’s not enough left in the tank come playoff time. That, and perhaps messing with that great Knicks chemistry from a year ago, are barriers for the Knicks to work through if they’re going to win their first NBA championship since 1973.

New York Yankees

The Dodgers most definitely exposed a slew of flaws in the Yankees during this World Series. The lineup’s not deep enough; they make stupid sloppy careless plays that cost them in big moments; some of their star players came up small in the biggest of moments. But all that said, the Yankees were still in the World Series and could easily return in 2025. The American League doesn’t have a juggernaut team, and if it’s wide-open, the Yankees will be right there again.

It’s too early to predict what the roster will look like, but if Juan Soto returns, that automatically makes the Yankess a serious contender. He and Aaron Judge locking down the lineup is a massive advantage over most teams. Plus, you’ve got to figure general manager Brian Cashman will fill in some of the other holes in that lineup to make the Bombers even more of a threat.

New York Mets

This is another one that’s a bit early to predict because the MLB offseason literally is just beginning. The Mets had an incredible run in the second half of the season and against many odds, were two wins away from facing the Yankees in the World Series.

But they have 12 free agents on the major league roster, including slugger Pete Alonso and three-fifths of the starting rotation, so the Mets could look drastically different in 2025. And different isn’t always better. But you can count on owner Steve Cohen to open his checkbook, and David Stearns has earned the right to be trusted to make smart baseball decisions. So, the Mets should be in the mix once again next season.

New York Sirens

New York finished last in 2024, the inaugural PWHL season, but there’s plenty of hope that things will be much better in Year 2. It starts with a younger, more talented roster that features No. 1 overall draft pick Sarah Fillier. Adding her and other skilled youngsters to a lineup that includes Alex Carpenter, one of the top forwards in the PWHL, is reason to be optimistic.

Plus, this is six-team league, meaning there’s a better chance percentage-wise to make the playoffs and possibly win the Walter Cup.

New York Islanders

Unless they figure out how to score goals, the Islanders will plummet further down this list. The Islanders are off to a 3-5-2 start largely because they’ve scored 22 goals, after being shut out by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

The Islanders are a middle-of-the-pack team, but their one hope at making a run is to win a lot of 2-1 type games. That means goalie Ilya Sorokin must play to Vezina Trophy form, something he is capable of.

Brooklyn Nets

Nets fans are ecstatic that their team is 2-3 to begin the NBA season. It’s better than 0-5, so that’s saying something. Remember we said the NBA is a star-driven league? Well, Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas is a real nice player, but the Nets traded their “star” in the offseason, sending Mikael Bridges to the Knicks. Where he’s an important role player. You get what we’re saying. It’d be a shock if the Nets make the playoffs, much less win a title any time soon.

New York Giants

At 2-6, expect no miracles any time soon from the Giants. They’re headed to another rebuild next season with a new quarterback, possibly a new coach and maybe even a new GM. It could take a while for them to get back on their feet.

But the one thing the Giants have going for them is that they’re not the last team on this list. That would be the …

New York Jets

The Jets are also 2-6 , though their record feels about 1,000 times worse than the Giants at 2-6. Aaron Rodgers. Davante Adams. Hassan Reddick. Tyrone Smith. None of the mercenaries have panned out. More alarming is how much younger cornerstone players like Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall have regressed.

You keep expecting them to somehow turn their season around, but even if they do, the Jets are not winning the Super Bowl this season or anytime soon. It’s always one step forward, five steps back with this team, which hasn’t won it all since January 1969.

The five episodes of “Game 7” available to Amazon Prime subscribers include: 2003 ALCS – New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, 1987 Stanley Cup Final – Edmonton Oilers vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 2006 WCSF – Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs,  2016 World Series – Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians, 1994 Stanley Cup Final – New York Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks.

There’s your Rangers connection.

As described by the press release- “GAME 7 brings the two greatest words in sports to life in a new five-part anthology series. With first-hand accounts from both the winning and losing athletes who participated in these high-stakes showdowns, each episode goes behind the scenes to revisit the most iconic moments of the most memorable games in history. From the Chicago Cubs’ drought-shattering 2016 World Series victory to the New York Ranger’s win in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, the series will explore how this quintessential test of maximum pressure and extreme intensity weighs on the hearts and minds of the legendary stars at the center of them.”

Although Rangers fans have enjoyed “No Easy Victories” on E60, “Road To Victory” by MSG Network, and “June 17th, 1994” by ESPN 30 For 30, this piece brings new perspectives and a different narrative arch about the historical subject matter of that incredible 1994 postseason.

Related: Former Rangers goalie believes he could’ve led them to Stanley Cup in 1994 like Mike Richter

Breaking down New York Rangers episode in new Amazon Prime series

The structure

The Rangers episode is nonlinear. Mark Messier’s life is briefly overviewed from his childhood onward with ample photos and videos to supplement the years before he became a hockey icon. It also touches upon the lead-up from the 1991-92 season.

But the heart of the documentary begins five hours before the puck drop in Game 7, highlighting Rangers fans with newsreels, TV shows, and radio clips talking about the Stanley Cup.

This episode summarizes the 1993-94 New York Rangers regular season and playoffs in quick fashion. The 53-minute program focuses mainly on Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final as its centerpiece.

New, clean footage

A score of never-before-seen footage will entertain die-hards and new fans alike. The film has really clear images and videos of on-ice action, not just broadcast video, including practice footage of the Canucks and Rangers before Game 7.

Audio, visual, and narration cuts are dramatic. Each word has a coordinated visual to pack the punch. There are also brief mic ’d-up shots from the game of Ranger players and coach Mike Keenan.

Both Gary Thorne and Sam Rosen broadcast audio is used to provide lyrics to the piece. A rotating sky cam, on-ice cameras, and sharp shots of cameras trained on specific players complement the broadcast footage.

Brief but sharp footage of the 1940 championship win is a nice addition. The 1994 game-play visuals are smooth, and very clean without blur or pixelation. It’s an impressive display of tape captured from 31 years ago.

Messier is an executive producer of this docuseries, along with well-known actor Danny Devito.

Candid bond between Mark Messier and Brian Leetch on display

Keenan, Rosen, John McEnroe, Trevor Linden and Adam Graves add their perspectives. Keenan is subdued and gives a lot of credit to Messier.

Brian Leetch is also an interview subject, featured with Messier walking through Madison Square Garden recently They speak with one another rather than the director Daniel Amigan, reminiscing and shedding light on their relationship, the team, and bits of fun facts not discussed previously.

This is a highlight for any Rangers fan, being brought inside that 1994 championship by Messier and Leetch.

If you think you’ve seen or heard it all when it some to the 1994 New York Rangers, this documentary proves otherwise. And who can resist another peek back to 1994, the only Stanley Cup championship in 84 years for the Rangers?

GAME 7 is produced by Words + Pictures and directed by Daniel Amigone. GAME 7 is executive produced by Connor Schell (co-creator of 30 for 30, executive producer of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and The Last Dance), Aaron Cohen, and Anneka Jones of Words + Pictures; six-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier, Mat Vlasic, and Isaac Chera of GAME 7; and Danny DeVito, Jake DeVito, and Lucy DeVito of Jersey Films 2^nd Avenue.

Though they fell short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season despite securing a franchise-record 114 points in the 2023-24 regular season, the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners are among the leading contenders to win that elusive Cup this season.

So, before the grind, and twists and turns of a long regular season, begins, our Forever Blueshirts staff has some Rangers predictions to share.

Related: Rangers coach Peter Laviolette focused on new season, not in ‘rearview mirror’

Forever Blueshirts staff shares Rangers predictions for 2024-25

Each staff member will predict where the Rangers will finish in the Metropolitan Division, how deep a run they’ll make in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, who will be their team MVP, and who will be their biggest disappointment this season.

Jim Cerny – Executive Editor

Rangers regular season: 2nd in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in second round

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Reilly Smith

Let’s start here: the Rangers are going to be really, really good again this season. Maybe not Presidents’ Trophy winners again, but certainly among the elite in the NHL. They are deep, talented and battle-tested. Still, I think the New Jersey Devils will win a close competition to finish first in the Metro, and then the Rangers will fall to their Hudson River rivals in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Of course, the nature of this sport and these teams is a bounce here and there, or a significant injury, could change everything. But for now, that’s how I see it. Igor Shesterkin is going to have a brilliant season and be a Vezina Trophy finalist, and will sign a massive contract extension during it all. And finally, Reilly Smith will be good — better than the low bar of Blake Wheeler and Jack Roslovic — but he, too, won’t find that chemistry to make the Mika Zibanejad-Chris Kreider pair shine 5v5. Smith could be on the third line by the second half of the season; and GM Chris Drury could be right-wing hunting again ahead of the trade deadline.

John Kreiser – Senior Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st place in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in Eastern Conference Final

Rangers MVP: Adam Fox

Rangers biggest disappointment: Chris Kreider

The Rangers are still the best team in the Metropolitan Division and should repeat as champions, even if they don’t win the Presidents’ Trophy for the second straight season. They will bump off a wild-card team in the opening round and defeat a Metro Division rival (likely New Jersey or Carolina) in the second round. But the lack of depth that’s bitten them in the Eastern Conference Final for two of the past three seasons will get them again and keep them from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2014. Adam Fox’s value to the Rangers was evident in the playoffs this past spring. He was largely playing on one leg after the first round, and his physical limitations hurt them badly. A healthy Fox is one of the elite defensemen in the NHL; he makes the power play go, devours ice time and has a hockey IQ that’s off the charts. If anything, he is underrated. Kreider has been better in his 30s than his 20s, but at age 33 he’s more likely to see his goal-scoring line fall to the upper 20s from the upper 30s.

Related: New York Rangers 2024-25 season schedule and results

Dane Walsh – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Defeat Edmonton Oilers in 6 games to win Stanley Cup

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Ryan Lindgren

I think this is the year New York finally puts it all together. The Rangers are essentially picking up right where they left off with the same core and almost the same team that reached the Eastern Conference Final last season. I think Smith finally fills the void on the Zibanejad line, and with Filip Chytil back in the mix, the Rangers depth is unmatched. The Rangers will finally make it to the Cup Final, and take down the Oilers in six games, with Shesterkin as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. I think Ryan Lindgren ends the season as the biggest disappointment. With his injury issues, K’Andre Miller will ascend and be a great fit on the first pair with Fox. If Lindgren has a different partner, I’m not so sure he’ll be nearly as effective as he is with Fox, and won’t be re-signed next summer when he becomes a UFA.

Lou Orlando – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose Game 6 of Stanley Cup Final

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Kaapo Kakko

Despite a generally unimpressive offseason, the Rangers still boast one of the best rosters in the East and retain the bulk of a squad that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season. Expect Alexis Lafreniere to build off a brilliant postseason campaign, and a healthy Chytil should add an extra layer of scoring to a team that has plenty of offensive talent. I expect Zibanejad to bounce back, and Smith is a clear upgrade over last year’s medley of options. But it’s Shesterkin who firmly cements the Blueshirts in the upper echelon of the NHL. Hungry to prove his worth in a contract year, the Rangers should get another brilliant season from the best goaltender in the NHL. Even if Kakko, likely in his final year with the Rangers, or other role players flop, the Blueshirts have enough talent and a clear appetite to add ahead of the trade deadline to edge out the Devils and Hurricanes in the Metro and set themselves up for another deep postseason run. A productive deadline could very well get them past the Panthers or any other formidable foe in the East, but stacked teams like Dallas, Edmonton, and Vancouver in the West are likely too much for this team to go all the way.

Conor Armstrong – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 2nd in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in second round

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Kaapo Kakko

With the 2024-25 season kicking off on Wednesday night, I believe the Rangers will finish second in the Metropolitan Division behind the Devils, continuing their strong regular-season form but ultimately falling short in the playoffs, with an early exit in the Eastern Conference Second Round. Shesterkin will be their MVP, once again proving why he’s one of the best goaltenders in the League, especially as he plays for a new contract that could make him one of, if not the, highest-paid goalies in NHL history. His performance will be critical, with the Rangers relying heavily on his ability to steal games as they push for a deeper playoff run. However, the biggest disappointment will likely be Kakko, whose six-year tenure on Broadway seems destined to end on a sour note. Despite being the second overall pick in 2019 and showing flashes of brilliance, Kakko has never been able to consistently produce at the level expected of him, and I believe this season will be no different. With his confidence waning and his role on the team uncertain, it’s hard to imagine the Rangers holding on to him after yet another underwhelming season, bringing a disappointing chapter to a close.

Matt Calamia – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in second round

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Lack of upgrades to roster

I expect the Rangers to take a step back after the historic regular season in 2023-24. But with that said, I think the division is still theirs. Carolina’s depth and talent took a hit this offseason, and while I think New Jersey improves, I don’t believe they have enough to overtake New York for the division title. I think the Rangers get out of the first round of the playoffs before losing to either the Hurricanes or Devils in the second round, though. This team lives and dies with Shesterkin. It’ll be interesting to see if the lack of a contract takes a toll on his play, but the Rangers need him to be their best player, especially come postseason time. And he will be. Cheating a little here on the disappointment, but Drury’s inability to improve a team that didn’t look especially good over its last nine playoff games this past spring could come back to bite the Rangers. They’ll have some salary cap space, but a depleted prospect pool and lack of draft capital will make additions ahead of the deadline — something that’s become an annual rite of spring in New York — more difficult.

Madison Hutchinson – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 3rd in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in second round

Rangers MVP: Adam Fox

Rangers biggest disappointment: Jacob Trouba

I think the Rangers will finish third this season in the Metropolitan Division behind the Devils and Hurricanes. They won’t be as dominant as last season, the Devils will have a bounce-back year, and the Hurricanes will remain a top competitor in the division. The Rangers will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and make it through the first round but falter in the second round, especially if they face the Devils. The MVP for the season will be Fox. He’ll be a solid offensive contributor and make a case for himself as a Norris Trophy candidate again. The biggest disappointment of the season will be Jacob Trouba. He’ll be looking to prove himself after an offseason of trade rumors, but may not be able to find a clear role while pairings like Fox and Miller see success. Patience will wear thin if he continues to take costly penalties. 

Ricky Milliner – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in Stanley Cup Final

Rangers MVP: Chris Kreider

Rangers biggest disappointment: Chad Ruhwedel

The Rangers will be running it back with the same core, with Drury’s mission to win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers are expected to dominate in the regular season once again, and should, but the biggest test will come in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The success of the end goal will depend on multiple key players on the roster. Excluding Shesterkin, Kreider is the most important piece and he will be the Rangers MVP, especially in the postseason. He showed he can get it done and push the team further when it’s needed. Going back to the series against Carolina, Kreider was the main reason the club advanced. If Kreider can continue to produce offense and push the team further, then the group can get to the next level. Ultimately, I see them losing in the Cup Final. The biggest disappointment of the season will be a depth defenseman, Chad Ruhwedel. Though he brings experience and a Cup ring to the roster, I could see him flop if he has to play too often because of injuries to other defensemen. He could end up on waivers or in Hartford of the AHL before this season is over.

Matthew Mugno – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Stanley Cup champions

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Will Cuylle

The Rangers are in a do-or-die season and I think they are going to do it, win it all for the first time since 1994. The Rangers will seize first place in the division, though does it even matter where they land in the regular season? It’s the playoffs that count. Shesterkin will lead the way, all the way. No. 31 nullifies the 31-year drought. I said it recently on my podcast, something going to be bad or unexpected, but I can’t figure out what. If Artemi Panarin scores more than 80 points, if Lafreniere continues to grow, and so on, and so on, who disappoints? If Chytil is injured again, that’s more of a concern for humanity than hockey. Will Cuylle could tumble backward in his sophomore season. But it won’t slow down the Rangers. New York only knows how to get it done through hell, and this team has the makings of a champion. 

Alan Selavka – Staff Writer

Rangers regular season: 1st in Metropolitan Division

Rangers Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lose in Stanley Cup Final

Rangers MVP: Igor Shesterkin

Rangers biggest disappointment: Kaapo Kakko

I think they Rangers will win the division again. The Devils could challenge, but the Rangers should comfortably be in the lead most of the season. The Blueshirts get over the hump in the conference final before running into a stronger foe out west (either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers) and lose in the Stanley Cup Final. In a contract year, Shesterkin steals several games for the Rangers when they are outplayed or out shot, ultimately leading the League in wins and earning the Vezina Trophy. Despite strong play and defensive ability, the points continue to elude Kakko, who could find himself scratched once again come playoff time in favor of a younger option or veteran deadline acquisition.

Nash was promoted to director of hockey operations with the Blue Jackets on Friday after serving as their director of player development.

“For me as a player, I didn’t get to get my name on the Stanley Cup, so this is the next best chance to try to get my name on the Stanley Cup,” Nash explained. “That’s why I do it, is to bring a championship to Columbus and give back to our fans.”

BREAKING NEWS! 👀

Rick Nash has been named our Director of Hockey Operations!

In addition, President and GM Don Waddell announced that Basil McRae will now serve as Director of Pro Scouting, and Zach Abdou was hired as Senior Manager of Hockey Operations.

📝… pic.twitter.com/bzvG8dxfdw

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 20, 2024

Though Nash is most linked to the Blue Jackets, who made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NHL Draft, he came closest to winning a ring with the Rangers. In 2014, he helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years. But the Rangers lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings, dropping three games in overtime, two in double OT.

A Game 5 double-OT loss in Los Angeles sealed the Rangers fate. And Alec Martinez’s series-winning goal came shortly after Nash was unable to bury a shot at an open net with Jonathan Quick out of position.

Nash was held without a point in the 2014 Cup Final. That’s a bittersweet memory for him after he scored three goals in the six-game win against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.

It was a burden Nash carried in his years with the Rangers, that he didn’t produce offensively in the postseason. His first year with the Rangers after being acquired from the Blue Jackets in 2013, he scored only one goal in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Then in 2014 he was shut out in the Cup Final and finished with 10 points in 25 games.

The following season, 2014-15, Nash helped the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL career-high 42 goals. He had 15 postseason points that year, when the Rangers lost in Game 7 of the conference final to the Tampa Bay Lightning, one game after his four-point effort kept their season alive with a massive road win in Game 6.

Despite four 20-goal seasons and much team success, Nash had a somewhat disappointing run with the Rangers, in part because of injuries. In a twist, his tenure ended on a positive note when he was dealt to the Boston Bruins ahead of the 2018 trade deadline.

As part of the return package, the Rangers received defenseman Ryan Lindgren and a first-round pick in the 2018 draft that turned into defenseman K’Andre Miller. Needless to say, that was a coup for the Rangers.

Related: Former Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr set to retire in Czechia after this season at 53

Former Rangers forward Rick Nash promoted to new role by Blue Jackets

Nash is beloved in Columbus, where he was captain and a franchise icon to begin his NHL career. He holds Blue Jackets records for goals (289), power-play goals (83), assists (258) and points (547). His No. 61 was retired in 2022.

Since 2021, Nash has worked for the organization, focusing mainly on its prospects, which he acknowledged is his favorite part of the his previous — and current — role.

New general manager Don Waddell was quick to promote Nash after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason.

“I knew him as a player, didn’t know him as a person. I got to know him as a person throughout my time here,” Waddell explained. “I wouldn’t be a smart person running this team if I didn’t surround myself with people like Rick Nash.”

Soft-spoken and exceedingly polite, Nash always has been known as a class act in the NHL, on and off the ice. Now, he’s proving to be an executive on the rise to keep an eye on with the promotion and his recent work as general manager for Canada at the 2024 World Hockey Championship.

“I probably thought about this path before I retired,” Nash said. “As you get older, you have a family, and you know there’s going to be life after hockey. Being a player or a professional athlete is just a small chapter in your life, so I’ve thought about this a lot and feel like I’ve put a lot of time in and been a sponge to a lot of different people to try to learn the business.”

Waddell promised that Nash “will be involved’ in every hockey decision made by the Blue Jackets.

Columbus has missed the playoffs four straight seasons, and finished last in the Metropolitan Division the past two. It enters 2024-25 following the tragic death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau and after trading high-scoring wing Patrik Laine.

“Unfortunately, I did,” Kreider said when asked if he watched the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup this past spring. “I usually don’t, but for whatever reason I just wanted to suffer through it.”

The Rangers, of course, lost in six games to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, bringing an abrupt and disappointing end to their memorable season, which included franchise records for wins (55) and points (114), and the Presidents’ Trophy.

So, watching the Panthers move on to win their first Stanley Cup championship was a painful experience for the Rangers forward, who scored eight goals in the postseason, but just one against the Panthers. It especially hurts because Kreider believes the Blueshirts could have won the conference final and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2014.

“I think, to a man, we all knew we were right there with them,” Kreider shared. “It’s a game of inches.”

The Rangers actually led the conference final 2-1 after dramatic consecutive overtime victories in Games 2 and 3. And following a dominant regular season and two previous overtime wins in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Rangers had the look of a team of destiny.

That is, until the Panthers won three straight one-goal games to move on to the Cup Final, where they outlasted the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

“I mean, i think that was the best team we played all year,” Kreider said. “I think they had absolutely zero ego to their game, they got to their game quicker than any other team, they had complete buy-in up and down the lineup.”

Related: Matt Rempe to spend rest of summer training with Chris Kreider

Chris Kreider, Rangers ‘champing at bit’ for next season

Kreider was here in Stamford to take part in the Shoulder Check Showcase charity hockey game for the second straight year. He and Anaheim Ducks star Trevor Zegras, a Connecticut native, were again at the forefront recruiting NHL and PWHL players to participate. Among those who took part were Jonathan Quick, Matt Rempe and Brett Berard of the Rangers. MSG broadcaster Dave Maloney was the emcee.

Shoulder Check and the HT40 Foundation were created by Rob Thorsen and Sarah Thompson in memory of their son Hayden, a hockey goalie who took his life at the age of 16 in 2022. They’re looking to spread awareness for those in need, particularly teenagers suffering from depression, anxiety and/or loneliness.

Their message is direct and to the point: Reach out. Check in. Make contact.

“The event, the message is a simple thing but not always an easy thing to check in and make sure people around you in your life are doing well,” Kreider explained. “Everyone is going through their own battles. Simple but not easy, and incredibly important.”

Some big time @NHL star power in CT lending support to the Shoulder Check Showcase for mental health awareness. @NYRangers stars Chris Kreider, Jonathan Quick & Matt Rempe among the many offering a helping hand @WTNH pic.twitter.com/OPt0hvh6VC

— John Pierson (@JPPierson) July 26, 2024

Kreider received a huge ovation from the crowd at Terry Connors Ice Rink on Thursday, the last player introduced. He then scored the game’s first goal, which was soon followed by a breakaway tally from Rempe that brought the house down, and the game-winner in the shootout.

The Rangers 33-year-old veteran will be taking the popular 22-year-old forward under his wing for the rest of the summer. Rempe revealed Thursday that instead of heading back home to Alberta after the Shoulder Check event, he’s going to remain in the tri-state area to train with Kreider until Rangers training camp opens in September.

“He’s incredibly driven, incredibly focused. He wants to get better every single day,” Kreider said about Rempe. “And he’s going to. He’s super disciplined and has incredible will power. He’s a sponge. So, yeah, he’s just going to keep on getting better.”

And Kreider knows that the Rangers must get better as a whole this season if they’re going to make that leap into the Cup Final and win their first Stanley Cup title since 1994.

“It’s a super close group, obviously not a ton of turnover, so I think everyone is kind of in the same frame of mind, champing at the bit ready to go.”

So, as he watched his friend and former goaltending partner Mike Richter help lead the Blueshirts to their first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years, did Vanbiesbrouck believe that the Rangers also would’ve ended their long championship drought if he was still their goalie?

“Yes. Absolutely,” Vanbiesbrouck responded when asked that exact question on the Rink Rap podcast presented by Forever Blueshirts.

The Beezer went on to explain that the Rangers were a “great team” and that’s first and foremost why they won the Cup. But he also believed in his own abilities as an elite successful NHL goalie, too.

“I do believe we would have won,” he continued. “You have to have confidence in yourself in order to do that.”

But how did it feel to see someone else between the pipes when the Rangers finally won the Cup?

“Mike Richter was a great goalie, he’s a good friend, and he deserved it and so did everybody. I was happy for them, genuinely,” Vanbiesbrouck explained.

There’s likely a generation of Rangers fans who wonder why this is even a conversation. Richter won 301 games with the Blueshirts, second most in franchise history, backstopped the Cup championship in 1994 and had his No. 35 retired by the organization and it’s now hanging in the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

So, what then about John Vanbiesbrouck?

WATCH: Exclusive 1-on-1 interview with John Vanbiesbrouck

John Vanbiesbrouck watched Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup run with ‘great emotion’

Before there was Richter — and even after he reached the NHL in 1989 — there was Vanbiesbrouck. The Vezina Trophy winner as top goalie in the NHL in 1985-86, Vanbiesbrouck started 38 or more games in each of his nine full seasons with the Rangers, including 44 or more six times. Though he shared the Rangers net with Bob Froese for a bit and later with Richter, he was a star in his own right.

Before “I-Gor! I-Gor” or “Hen-Rik! Hen-Rik!” or “Rich-Ter! Rich-Ter” chants at The Garden, there was “Bee-Zer! Bee-Zer!”

Vanbiesbrouck won 200 games with the Rangers, fifth most in franchise history, and finished his NHL career in 2001-02 with 374 victories. At the time, that was the most ever by a United States-born goalie in the NHL. Ryan Miller eventually passed that total and, just this past season, Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick became the all-time winningest NHL goalie from the U.S.

But the point is, Vanbiesbrouck was darn good. And he teamed with Richter for four seasons to give the Rangers a terrific 1-2 punch in goal. In fact, coach Roger Neilson alternated the pair every other start for the first 76 games of the 1991-92 season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy along the way.

Related: John Vanbiesbrouck shares what makes Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault so special

However, after the failed 1992-93 season, which included Neilson being fired, the Rangers were faced with a decision in goal, especially with an expansion draft on the horizon that summer to stock the rosters for the Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

“Of course they had to make a choice,” Vanbiesbrouck noted.

The Rangers traded Beezer’s rights to the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Doug Lidster and the goalie was claimed by the Panthers in the expansion draft. Richter remained in New York until concussion issues forced him to retire after the 2002-03 season.

“Was i disgruntled at the time? No, I looked at it as a new opportunity,” Vanbiesbrouck recalled. “I was happy for my opportunity that they weren’t getting, to start a franchise that now, when you look back on it, has really grown the sport in the state of Florida. The last five Stanley Cups have been played in the state of Florida. We have players coming from the state of Florida like never before. So, you feel like you may have contributed something.”

Vanbiesbrouck was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 1993-94 with the Panthers when the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy. Then in the postseason, he was a spectator, watching his former team’s memorable run to the championship.

“Boy, did I look at that and watch those games with great emotion and maybe even shed a tear or two … it wasn’t jealousy, it was kind of more towards happiness that they got it done because it’s so hard to do,” Vanbiesbrouck explained.

Beezer led the Panthers on a memorable postseason run just two years later, stunning everyone with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche. Then in the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Vanbiesboruck’s Panthers lost in five games in the first round to Richter’s Rangers.

“[Wayne] Gretzky lit me up, [Esa] Tikkanen scored a couple of overtime goals,” Vanbiesbrouck said with a laugh.

As for the goalies, Vanbiesbrouck and Richter became teammates again, and forever, when each was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

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