1993–94 New York Rangers season

The 1993–94 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 68th season. The highlight of the season was winning the Stanley Cup and hosting the NHL All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers clinched their second Presidents' Trophy and sixth division title by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a then-franchise record with 112 points.

1993–94 New York Rangers
Stanley Cup champions
Presidents' Trophy winners
Eastern Conference champions
Atlantic Division champions
Division	1st Atlantic
Conference	1st Eastern
1993–94 record	52–24–8
Home record	28–8–6
Road record	24–16–2
Goals for	299
Goals against	231
Team information
General manager	Neil Smith
Coach	Mike Keenan
Captain	Mark Messier
Alternate captains	Adam Graves Kevin Lowe Brian Leetch Steve Larmer
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Average attendance	18,001 (98.9%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Binghamton Rangers (AHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Adam Graves (52)
Assists	Sergei Zubov (77)
Points	Sergei Zubov (89)
Penalty minutes	Jeff Beukeboom (170)
Plus/minus	Brian Leetch (+28)
Wins	Mike Richter (42)
Goals against average	Mike Richter (2.57)
← 1992–93 1994–95 →

This marked the last season in which the Rangers were under the control of Paramount Communications. Toward the end of the season, Paramount was taken over by Viacom. Shortly thereafter, Viacom divested itself of all of Paramount's interests in Madison Square Garden, including the Rangers, and sold them to ITT Corporation and Cablevision. A couple of years later, ITT would sell their share to Cablevision, who owned the Rangers until 2010, when the MSG properties became their own company. As of 2024, this remains the most recent season the Rangers won the Stanley Cup.

Off season

On April 17, 1993, the New York Rangers named Mike Keenan as their head coach. Keenan was hired to replace Ron Smith, who the team decided not to retain after he coached the second half of the season in place of the fired Roger Neilson. Keenan had taken the 1992–93 season off after spending four years as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, where he led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in his last year.

Pre-season

During the 1993 pre-season, the Rangers had a record of 7–2–0.

Regular season

The 1993–94 season was a magical one for Rangers fans, as head coach Mike Keenan led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years. Two years prior, they acquired center Mark Messier, who was an integral part of the Edmonton Oilers' Cup-winning teams. Adam Graves, who also defected from the Oilers, joined the Rangers as well. Other ex-Oilers on the Blueshirts included trade deadline acquisitions Craig MacTavish and Glenn Anderson. Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov were a solid "1–2 punch" on defense. In fact, Zubov led the team in scoring that season with 89 points, and continued to be an All-Star defenseman throughout his career. Graves would set a team record with 52 goals, breaking the old record of 50 held by Vic Hadfield. This record would later be broken by Jaromir Jagr on April 8, 2006, against the Boston Bruins. New York was not shut-out in any of their 84 regular-season games.^[1] The Rangers led the NHL in wins (52), points (112) and power-play goals (96, tied with the Buffalo Sabres) and power play percentage (23.02%). They also allowed the fewest shorthanded goals (5) of all 26 teams.^[2]

On February 21, 1994, Tony Amonte scored just eight seconds into the overtime period to win the game to give the Rangers a 4–3 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.^[3] It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1993–94 regular season.^[4]

All-Star Game

The 1994 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on January 22, 1994, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The final score was East 9, West 8.

Season standings

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	New York Rangers	84	52	24	8	299	231	112
2	3	New Jersey Devils	84	47	25	12	306	220	106
3	7	Washington Capitals	84	39	35	10	277	263	88
4	8	New York Islanders	84	36	36	12	282	264	84
5	9	Florida Panthers	84	33	34	17	233	233	83
6	10	Philadelphia Flyers	84	35	39	10	294	314	80
7	12	Tampa Bay Lightning	84	30	43	11	224	251	71

^[5] Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference^[6]

R		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	p-New York Rangers *	84	52	24	8	299	231	112
2	x-Pittsburgh Penguins *	84	44	27	13	299	285	101
3	New Jersey Devils	84	47	25	12	306	220	106
4	Boston Bruins	84	42	29	13	289	252	97
5	Montreal Canadiens	84	41	29	14	283	248	96
6	Buffalo Sabres	84	43	32	9	282	218	95
7	Washington Capitals	84	39	35	10	277	263	88
8	New York Islanders	84	36	36	12	282	264	84
9	Florida Panthers	84	33	34	17	233	233	83
10	Philadelphia Flyers	84	35	39	10	294	314	80
11	Quebec Nordiques	84	34	42	8	277	292	76
12	Tampa Bay Lightning	84	30	43	11	224	251	71
13	Hartford Whalers	84	27	48	9	227	288	63
14	Ottawa Senators	84	14	61	9	201	397	37

Final standings

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division); * – Division leader

Playoffs

Main articles: 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs and 1994 Stanley Cup Finals

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

In the opening round, the Rangers faced their crosstown rivals the New York Islanders, this series would turn out to be an extremely one sided affair as the Rangers outscored their rivals 22–3 in a four-game sweep.

Eastern Conference Semi-finals

Next, the Rangers faced the Washington Capitals who were coming off a shocking six game win over the second seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers appeared to have the series in hand after they won the first three games, although the Capitals avoided the sweep with a Game 4 win, the Rangers got back in control and won the series in five games.

Eastern Conference Finals

After going down in the Eastern Conference Finals 3–2 to the New Jersey Devils, Rangers' captain Mark Messier made one of the most famous guarantees in sports history, saying the Rangers would win Game 6 in New Jersey to tie the series 3–3. Not only did the Rangers back up Messier's guarantee, Messier scored a hat-trick in the Rangers' 4–2 win, sending the game back to New York for Game 7.^[7] In Game 7, the Rangers held a 1–0 lead after a second period goal by Brian Leetch. The lead would hold up until 7.7 seconds remaining, when Valeri Zelepukin was able to beat Mike Richter to send the game to overtime. In double overtime, Stephane Matteau scored his second overtime goal of the series to send the Rangers to the Finals. The series-winning goal prompted the famous call of "Matteau, Matteau, Matteau!" by Rangers radio announcer Howie Rose.^[8]

Stanley Cup Finals

The Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, dating back to 1940, beating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

The Rangers winning this Stanley Cup drew 4.957 million viewers to Hockey Night in Canada, making it the highest-rated single CBC Sports program in history until the 10.6 million viewers for the men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics, when Canada won its first Olympic ice hockey gold medal since the 1952 Winter Olympics.^[9][10] CBC commentator Bob Cole, who called both games, said Game 7 was one of his most memorable TV games.^[11][9]

MSG Network broadcaster Al Trautwig said that this Stanley Cup win by the Rangers was seen as the coming of age of the NHL's influence in Europe.^[12] It marked the first time that the Russians got their names on the Stanley Cup and there were four who got that honor – Alexander Karpovtsev, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov and Sergei Zubov—giving a huge European television audience, including those watching on the brand-new television screens across the former Soviet Union, a Stanley Cup story to remember.^[12]

Schedule and results

Pre-season

1993 pre-season game log: 7–2–0, 14 Points (home: 4–0–0; road: 3–2–0)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	PTS	Location
1	September 11, 1993	Toronto	5–3	1–0–0	2	Wembley Arena
2	September 12, 1993	@ Toronto	3–1	2–0–0	4	Wembley Arena
3	September 22, 1993	@ Pittsburgh	4–6	2–1–0	4	Civic Arena
4	September 23, 1993	@ N.Y. Islanders	2–4	2–2–0	4	Nassau Coliseum
5	September 25, 1993	@ Hartford	5–3	3–2–0	6	Hartford Civic Center
6	September 27, 1993	N.Y. Islanders	6–3	4–2–0	8	Madison Square Garden
7	September 29, 1993	Pittsburgh	5–4	5–2–0	10	Madison Square Garden
8	September 30, 1993	@ New Jersey	3–2	6–2–0	12	Brendan Byrne Arena
9	October 1, 1993	New Jersey	4–1	7–2–0	14	Madison Square Garden
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Regular season

1993–94 Game Log: 52–24–8, 112 Points (home: 28–8–6; road: 24–16–2)
October: 7–5–1, 15 Points (home: 5–2–1; road: 2–3–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 1 October 5, 1993 Boston 3–4 Richter (L) 0–1–0 0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 2 October 7, 1993 Tampa Bay 5–4 Healy (W) 1–1–0 2 Madison Square Garden 16,596 W1 3 October 9, 1993 @ Pittsburgh 2–3 Richter (L) 1–2–0 2 Civic Arena 16,994 L1 4 October 11, 1993 Washington 5–2 Healy (W) 2–2–0 4 Madison Square Garden 16,834 W1 5 October 13, 1993 Quebec 6–4 Healy (W) 3–2–0 6 Madison Square Garden 16,451 W2 6 October 15, 1993 @ Buffalo 5–2 Healy (W) 4–2–0 8 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 15,200 W3 7 October 16, 1993 @ Philadelphia 3–4 Healy (L) 4–3–0 8 The Spectrum 17,308 L1 8 October 19, 1993 Anaheim 2–4 Richter (L) 4–4–0 8 Madison Square Garden 17,643 L2 9 October 22, 1993 @ Tampa Bay 1–4 Richter (L) 4–5–0 8 Thunderdome 18,667 L3 10 October 24, 1993 Los Angeles 3–2 Richter (W) 5–5–0 10 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 11 October 28, 1993 Montreal 3–3 OT Richter (T) 5–5–1 11 Madison Square Garden 17,811 T1 12 October 30, 1993 @ Hartford 4–1 Richter (W) 6–5–1 13 Hartford Civic Center 13,183 W1 13 October 31, 1993 New Jersey 4–1 Richter (W) 7–5–1 15 Halifax Metro Centre 8,200 W2
November: 11–1–1, 23 Points (home: 5–0–1; road: 6–1–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 14 November 3, 1993 Vancouver 6–3 Richter (W) 8–5–1 17 Madison Square Garden 18,001 W3 15 November 6, 1993 @ Quebec 4–2 Richter (W) 9–5–1 19 Colisée de Québec 14,603 W4 16 November 8, 1993 Tampa Bay 6–3 Richter (W) 10–5–1 21 Madison Square Garden 16,618 W5 17 November 10, 1993 Winnipeg 2–1 Richter (W) 11–5–1 23 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W6 18 November 13, 1993 @ Washington 2–0 Richter (W) 12–5–1 25 USAir Arena 17,519 W7 19 November 14, 1993 San Jose 3–3 OT Richter (T) 12–5–2 26 Madison Square Garden 18,200 T1 20 November 16, 1993 @ Florida 4–2 Healy (W) 13–5–2 28 Miami Arena 14,021 W1 21 November 19, 1993 @ Tampa Bay 5–3 Richter (W) 14–5–2 30 Thunderdome 19,993 W2 22 November 23, 1993 Montreal 5–4 Richter (W) 15–5–2 32 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W3 23 November 24, 1993 @ Ottawa 7–1 Healy (W) 16–5–2 34 Ottawa Civic Centre 10,411 W4 24 November 27, 1993 @ N.Y. Islanders 4–6 Healy (L) 16–6–2 34 Nassau Coliseum 16,297 L1 25 November 28, 1993 Washington 3–1 Richter (W) 17–6–2 36 Madison Square Garden 17,941 W1 26 November 30, 1993 @ New Jersey 3–1 Richter (W) 18–6–2 38 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 W2
December: 8–3–1, 17 Points (home: 5–0–1; road: 3–3–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 27 December 4, 1993 @ Toronto 4–3 Richter (W) 19–6–2 40 Maple Leaf Gardens 15,728 W3 28 December 5, 1993 New Jersey 2–1 Richter (W) 20–6–2 42 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W4 29 December 8, 1993 Edmonton 1–1 OT Richter (T) 20–6–3 43 Madison Square Garden 18,200 T1 30 December 13, 1993 Buffalo 2–0 Richter (W) 21–6–3 45 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 31 December 15, 1993 Hartford 5–2 Richter (W) 22–6–3 47 Madison Square Garden 17,967 W2 32 December 17, 1993 @ Detroit 4–6 Healy (L) 22–7–3 47 Joe Louis Arena 19,875 L1 33 December 19, 1993 Ottawa 6–3 Richter (W) 23–7–3 49 Madison Square Garden 17,935 W1 34 December 22, 1993 @ Florida 2–3 Richter (L) 23–8–3 49 Miami Arena 14,706 L1 35 December 23, 1993 @ Washington 1–0 Healy (W) 24–8–3 51 USAir Arena 15,772 W1 36 December 26, 1993 New Jersey 8–3 Healy (W) 25–8–3 53 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2 37 December 29, 1993 @ St. Louis 4–3 Richter (W) 26–8–3 55 St. Louis Arena 18,163 W3 38 December 31, 1993 @ Buffalo 1–4 Healy (L) 26–9–3 55 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 16,284 L1
January: 7–4–0, 14 Points (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–2–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 39 January 3, 1994 Florida 3–2 Richter (W) 27-9–3 57 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 40 January 5, 1994 Calgary 1–4 Richter (L) 27–10–3 57 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 41 January 8, 1994 @ Montreal 2–3 Healy (L) 27–11–3 57 Montreal Forum 17,425 L2 42 January 10, 1994 Tampa Bay 2–5 Healy (L) 27–12–3 57 Madison Square Garden 17,993 L3 43 January 14, 1994 Philadelphia 5–2 Richter (W) 28–12–3 59 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 44 January 16, 1994 @ Chicago 5–1 Richter (W) 29–12–3 61 Chicago Stadium 18,472 W2 45 January 18, 1994 St. Louis 4–1 Richter (W) 30–12–3 63 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W3 46 January 25, 1994 @ San Jose 8–3 Richter (W) 31–12–3 65 San Jose Arena 17,190 W4 47 January 27, 1994 @ Los Angeles 5–4 OT 4:58 Richter (W) 32–12–3 67 Great Western Forum 16,005 W5 48 January 28, 1994 @ Anaheim 2–3 Healy (L) 32–13–3 67 Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim 17,174 L1 49 January 31, 1994 Pittsburgh 5–3 Richter (W) 33–13–3 69 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1
February: 7–5–1, 15 Points (home: 3–2–1; road: 4–3–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 50 February 2, 1994 N.Y. Islanders 4–4 OT Richter (T) 33–13–4 70 Madison Square Garden 18,200 T1 51 February 3, 1994 @ Boston 3–0 Healy (W) 34–13–4 72 Boston Garden 14,448 W1 52 February 7, 1994 Washington 1–4 Richter (L) 34–14–4 72 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 53 February 9, 1994 @ Montreal 3–4 OT 1:27 Healy (L) 34–15–4 72 Montreal Forum 16,725 L2 February 11, 1994 Quebec Postponed (snow); rescheduled for March 2 Madison Square Garden 54 February 12, 1994 @ Ottawa 4–3 OT 2:37 Richter (W) 35–15–4 74 Ottawa Civic Centre 10,575 W1 55 February 14, 1994 @ Quebec 4–2 Richter (W) 36–15–4 76 Colisée de Québec 15,029 W2 56 February 18, 1994 Ottawa 3–0 Richter (W) 37–15–4 78 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W3 57 February 19, 1994 @ Hartford 2–4 Richter (L) 37–16–4 78 Hartford Civic Center 15,635 L1 58 February 21, 1994 Pittsburgh 4–3 OT :08 Richter (W) 38–16–4 80 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 59 February 23, 1994 Boston 3–6 Healy (L) 38–17–4 80 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 60 February 24, 1994 @ New Jersey 3–1 Richter (W) 39–17–4 82 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 W1 61 February 26, 1994 @ Dallas 1–3 Richter (L) 39–18–4 82 Reunion Arena 16,914 L1 62 February 28, 1994 Philadelphia 4–1 Richter (W) 40–18–4 84 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1
March: 7–5–3, 17 Points (home: 2–2–1; road: 5–3–2) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 63 March 2, 1994 Quebec 5–2 Richter (W) 41–18–4 86 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2 64 March 4, 1994 N.Y. Islanders 3–3 OT Richter (T) 41–18–5 87 Madison Square Garden 18,200 T1 65 March 5, 1994 @ N.Y. Islanders 5–4 Richter (W) 42–18–5 89 Nassau Coliseum 16,297 W1 66 March 7, 1994 Detroit 3–6 Richter (L) 42–19–5 89 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 67 March 9, 1994 @ Washington 7–5 Healy (W) 43–19–5 91 Halifax Metro Centre 9,200 W1 68 March 10, 1994 @ Boston 2–2 OT Healy (T) 43–19–6 92 Boston Garden 14,448 T1 69 March 12, 1994 @ Pittsburgh 2–6 Healy (L) 43–20–6 92 Civic Arena 17,537 L1 70 March 14, 1994 @ Florida 1–2 Richter (L) 43–21–6 92 Miami Arena 14,704 L2 71 March 16, 1994 Hartford 4–0 Richter (W) 44–21–6 94 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 72 March 18, 1994 Chicago 3–7 Richter (L) 44–22–6 94 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 73 March 22, 1994 @ Calgary 4–4 OT Healy (T) 44–22–7 95 Olympic Saddledome 20,230 T1 74 March 23, 1994 @ Edmonton 5–3 Richter (W) 45–22–7 97 Northlands Coliseum 14,186 W1 75 March 25, 1994 @ Vancouver 5–2 Richter (W) 46–22–7 99 Pacific Coliseum 16,150 W2 76 March 27, 1994 @ Winnipeg 1–3 Healy (L) 46–23–7 99 Winnipeg Arena 12,793 L1 77 March 29, 1994 @ Philadelphia 4–3 Richter (W) 47–23–7 101 The Spectrum 17,380 W1
April: 5–1–1, 11 Points (home: 4–0–1; road: 1–1–0) # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Record PTS Location Attendance Recap 78 April 1, 1994 Dallas 3–0 Richter (W) 48–23–7 103 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2 79 April 2, 1994 @ New Jersey 4–2 Richter (W) 49–23–7 105 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 W3 80 April 4, 1994 Florida 3–2 Richter (W) 50–23–7 107 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W4 81 April 8, 1994 Toronto 5–3 Richter (W) 51–23–7 109 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W5 82 April 10, 1994 @ N.Y. Islanders 4–5 Healy (L) 51–24–7 109 Nassau Coliseum 16,297 L1 83 April 12, 1994 Buffalo 3–2 Richter (W) 52–24–7 111 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 84 April 14, 1994 Philadelphia 2–2 OT Richter (T) 52–24–8 112 Madison Square Garden 18,200 T1
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Detailed records

Eastern Conference Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed Atlantic Division Florida Panthers 2–0–0 1–2–0 3–2–0 6 13 11 New Jersey Devils 3–0–0 3–0–0 6–0–0 12 24 9 New York Islanders 0–0–2 1–2–0 1–2–2 4 20 22 New York Rangers – – – – – – Philadelphia Flyers 2–0–1 1–1–0 3–1–1 7 18 12 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1–0 1–1–0 3–2–0 6 19 19 Washington Capitals 2–1–0 3–0–0 5–1–0 10 19 12 11–2–3 10–6–0 21–8–3 45 113 85 Northeast Division Boston Bruins 0–2–0 1–0–1 1–2–1 3 11 12 Buffalo Sabres 2–0–0 1–1–0 3–1–0 6 11 8 Hartford Whalers 2–0–0 1–1–0 3–1–0 6 15 7 Montreal Canadiens 1–0–1 0–2–0 1–2–1 3 13 14 Ottawa Senators 2–0–0 2–0–0 4–0–0 8 20 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0–0 0–2–0 2–2–0 4 13 15 Quebec Nordiques 2–0–0 2–0–0 4–0–0 8 19 10 11–2–1 7–6–1 18–8–2 38 102 72

Western Conference Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed Central Division Chicago Blackhawks 0–1–0 1–0–0 1–1–0 2 8 8 Dallas Stars 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 4 3 Detroit Red Wings 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0 7 12 St. Louis Blues 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 8 4 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 9 6 Winnipeg Jets 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 3 4 4–2–0 3–3–0 7–5–0 14 39 37 Pacific Division Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0 4 7 Calgary Flames 0–1–0 0–0–1 0–1–1 1 5 8 Edmonton Oilers 0–0–1 1–0–0 1–0–1 3 6 4 Los Angeles Kings 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 8 6 San Jose Sharks 0–0–1 1–0–0 1–0–1 3 11 6 Vancouver Canucks 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 11 5 2–2–2 4–1–1 6–3–3 15 45 36

Playoffs

1994 Stanley Cup playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (E8) New York Islanders – Rangers won series 4–0 # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Series Location Attendance Recap 1 April 17, 1994 N.Y. Islanders 6–0 Richter (W) Rangers lead 1–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 2 April 18, 1994 N.Y. Islanders 6–0 Richter (W) Rangers lead 2–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2 3 April 21, 1994 @ N.Y. Islanders 5–1 Richter (W) Rangers lead 3–0 Nassau Coliseum 16,297 W3 4 April 24, 1994 @ N.Y. Islanders 5–2 Richter (W) Rangers win 4–0 Nassau Coliseum 16,287 W4
Eastern Conference Semi-finals vs. (E7) Washington Capitals – Rangers won series 4–1 # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Series Location Attendance Recap 1 May 1, 1994 Washington 6–3 Richter (W) Rangers lead 1–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 2 May 3, 1994 Washington 5–2 Richter (W) Rangers lead 2–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2 3 May 5, 1994 @ Washington 3–0 Richter (W) Rangers lead 3–0 USAir Arena 18,130 W3 4 May 7, 1994 @ Washington 2–4 Richter (L) Rangers lead 3–1 USAir Arena 18,130 L1 5 May 9, 1994 Washington 4–3 Richter (W) Rangers win 4–1 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (E3) New Jersey Devils – Rangers won series 4–3 # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Series Location Attendance Recap 1 May 15, 1994 New Jersey 3–4 2OT 36:23 Richter (L) Devils lead 1–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 2 May 17, 1994 New Jersey 4–0 Richter (W) Series tied 1–1 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 3 May 19, 1994 @ New Jersey 3–2 2OT 26:13 Richter (W) Rangers lead 2–1 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 W2 4 May 21, 1994 @ New Jersey 1–3 Richter (L) Series tied 2–2 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 L1 5 May 23, 1994 New Jersey 1–4 Richter (L) Devils lead 3–2 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L2 6 May 25, 1994 @ New Jersey 4–2 Richter (W) Series tied 3–3 Brendan Byrne Arena 19,040 W1 7 May 27, 1994 New Jersey 2–1 2OT 24:24 Richter (W) Rangers win 4–3 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W2
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks – Rangers won series 4–3 # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Series Location Attendance Recap 1 May 31, 1994 Vancouver 2–3 OT 19:28 Richter (L) Canucks lead 1–0 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 2 June 2, 1994 Vancouver 3–1 Richter (W) Series tied 1–1 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1 3 June 4, 1994 @ Vancouver 5–1 Richter (W) Rangers lead 2–1 Pacific Coliseum 16,150 W2 4 June 7, 1994 @ Vancouver 4–2 Richter (W) Rangers lead 3–1 Pacific Coliseum 16,150 W3 5 June 9, 1994 Vancouver 3–6 Richter (L) Rangers lead 3–2 Madison Square Garden 18,200 L1 6 June 11, 1994 @ Vancouver 1–4 Richter (L) Series tied 3–3 Pacific Coliseum 16,150 L2 7 June 14, 1994 Vancouver 3–2 Richter (W) Rangers win 4–3 Madison Square Garden 18,200 W1
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Sergei Zubov 78 12 77 89 20 39 Mark Messier 76 26 58 84 25 76 Adam Graves 84 52 27 79 27 127 Brian Leetch 84 23 56 79 28 67 Steve Larmer 68 21 39 60 14 41 Alexei Kovalev 76 23 33 56 18 154 Esa Tikkanen 83 22 32 54 5 114 Mike Gartner‡ 71 28 24 52 11 58 Sergei Nemchinov 76 22 27 49 13 36 Tony Amonte‡ 72 16 22 38 5 31 Kevin Lowe 71 5 14 19 4 70 Alexander Karpovtsev 67 3 15 18 12 58 Jeff Beukeboom 68 8 8 16 18 170 Greg Gilbert 76 4 11 15 −3 29 Mike Hudson 48 4 7 11 −5 47 Jay Wells 79 2 7 9 4 110 Ed Olczyk 37 3 5 8 −1 28 Nick Kypreos† 46 3 5 8 −8 102 Stephane Matteau† 12 4 3 7 5 2 Brian Noonan† 12 4 2 6 5 12 Glenn Anderson† 12 4 2 6 1 12 Craig MacTavish† 12 4 2 6 6 11 Darren Turcotte‡ 13 2 4 6 −2 13 Joe Kocur 71 2 1 3 −9 129 James Patrick‡ 6 0 3 3 1 2 Peter Andersson‡ 8 1 1 2 −3 2 Mike Hartman 35 1 1 2 −5 70 Joby Messier 4 0 2 2 −1 0 Mattias Norstrom 9 0 2 2 0 6 Doug Lidster 34 0 2 2 −12 33 Phil Bourque‡ 16 0 1 1 −2 8 Todd Marchant‡ 1 0 0 0 −1 0 Jim Hiller 2 0 0 0 1 7 Daniel Lacroix 4 0 0 0 0 0

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts PIM Brian Leetch 23 11 23 34 6 Mark Messier 23 12 18 30 33 Alexei Kovalev 23 9 12 21 18 Sergei Zubov 22 5 14 19 0 Adam Graves 23 10 7 17 24 Steve Larmer 23 9 7 16 14 Brian Noonan 22 4 7 11 17 Stephane Matteau 23 6 3 9 20 Esa Tikkanen 23 4 4 8 34 Sergei Nemchinov 23 2 5 7 6 Glenn Anderson 23 3 3 6 42 Jeff Beukeboom 22 0 6 6 50 Craig MacTavish 23 1 4 5 22 Greg Gilbert 23 1 3 4 8 Alexander Karpovtsev 17 0 4 4 12 Doug Lidster 9 2 0 2 10 Joe Kocur 20 1 1 2 17 Kevin Lowe 22 1 0 1 20 Nick Kypreos 3 0 0 0 2 Ed Olczyk 1 0 0 0 0 Jay Wells 23 0 0 0 20

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
Mike Richter	68	3710	42	12	6	159	2.57	1758	.910	5
Glenn Healy	29	1368	10	12	2	69	3.03	567	.878	2

Playoffs

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
Mike Richter	23	1417	16	7	49	2.07	623	.921	4
Glenn Healy	2	68	0	0	1	0.89	17	.941	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.

^[13]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Media

Ranger games were carried on the MSG Network, with some games broadcast on MSG II due to conflicts with New York Knicks National Basketball Association and New York Yankees Major League Baseball games. The broadcast crew included Sam Rosen, Bruce Beck, John Davidson, and Al Trautwig.

The games were also broadcast on radio station WFAN-AM; the broadcast team included Marv Albert, Howie Rose, Sal Messina, and Steve Somers. Some games were broadcast on WEVD-AM due to conflicts with New York Knicks National Basketball Association games and New York Jets National Football League games.

Transactions

• June 25, 1993: Doug Lidster was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers in exchange for John Vanbiesbrouck.
• November 2, 1993: Nick Kypreos traded from Hartford Whalers with Barry Richter, Steve Larmer and round 6 pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (Yuri Litvinov) to New York Rangers for Darren Turcotte and James Patrick.
• March 21, 1994:
  • Phil Bourque traded from NY Rangers to Ottawa for future considerations.
  • Tony Amonte and the rights to Matt Oates traded from NY Rangers to Chicago for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan.
  • Peter Andersson traded from NY Rangers to Florida for future considerations.
  • Mike Gartner traded from NY Rangers to Toronto for Glenn Anderson, the rights to Scott Malone and Toronto's 4th round pick in 1994 Entry Draft.^[14]
  • Craig MacTavish traded from Edmonton to NY Rangers for Todd Marchant.

Awards and records

• Brian Leetch, Conn Smythe Trophy
• Most wins by goaltender, season – Mike Richter (1993–94) – 42
• Mike Richter, MVP of 45th NHL All-Star Game

45th NHL All-Star Game

New York Rangers NHL All-Star representatives at the 45th NHL All-Star Game in New York City, New York at Madison Square Garden.

Main article: 45th National Hockey League All-Star Game

Players

#	Player	Position	Conference	Goals	Assists	Points
9	Adam Graves	LW	(Eastern Conference All-Stars)		2	2
2	Brian Leetch	D, Starter	(Eastern Conference All-Stars)
11	Mark Messier	C, Starter	(Eastern Conference All-Stars) Captain	1	2	3

Goaltenders

#	Player	Position	Conference	Saves	Shots against
35	Mike Richter	G	(Eastern Conference All-Stars) MVP of 45th NHL All-Star Game	16	18

Trainers

Name	Position	Conference
Joe Murphy	Trainer	(Eastern Conference All-Stars)
Dave Smith	Trainer	(Eastern Conference All-Stars)

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, at the Colisée de Québec.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	8	Niklas Sundstrom	LW	Sweden	MODO (SEL)
2	34	Lee Sorochan	D	Canada	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
3	61	Maxim Galanov	D	Russia	HC Lada Togliatti (Russia)
4	86	Sergei Olympiev	LW	Belarus	Dinamo Minsk (Russia)
5	112	Gary Roach	D	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
6	138	Dave Trofimenkoff	G	Canada	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
7	162	Sergei Kondrashkin	LW	Russia	Cherepovets Metallurg (Russia)
7	164	Todd Marchant	LW	United States	Clarkson University (NCAA)
8	190	Ed Campbell	D	United States	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
9	216	Ken Shepard	G	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
10	242	Andrei Kudinov	C	Russia	Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia)
11	261	Pavel Komarov	D	Russia	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
11	268	Maxim Smelnitsky	LW	Russia	Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia)

Expansion Draft

New York's losses at the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft in Quebec City, Quebec.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	Drafted by	Drafted from
1	12	Joe Cirella	Canada	Florida Panthers	New York Rangers
1	23	Steven King	United States	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	New York Rangers

Supplemental Draft

New York's picks at the 1993 NHL Supplemental Draft.

Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
Wayne Strachan	RW	Canada	Lake Superior State University (CCHA)

References

1. "1993-94 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics".
2. "1993-94 NHL Season Summary | Hockey-Reference.com". Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
3. Lapointe, Joe (February 22, 1994). "HOCKEY; Rangers Leave Penguins One Short". The New York Times.
4. "1993-94 NHL Schedule and Results".
5. Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
6. "NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
7. Greatest NHL Playoff Moments: Messier Guarantees Win
8. "Howie Rose". MSG.com. Madison Square Garden, LP. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
9. McKay, John (February 22, 2002). "Despite Some Critics, CBC Enjoys Praise and More Than Six million Olympics Viewers". Canadian Press. The women's gold medal game was a huge ratings hit, drawing...4.54 million...The CBC says its highest rated sports program was Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup between the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. That averaged 4.97 million.
10. Ohler, Shawn (February 26, 2002). "Lucky Loonie Stunt Pays Off". The Calgary Herald. p. A1. A record-busting average of 8.7 million Canadians watched on television as the men's hockey team snatched gold from the United States in Salt Lake City...The audience actually peaked at 10.6 million, the CBC said...CBC says that prior to Sunday, its highest-rated sports show was Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, which attracted an average of 4.97 million viewers.
11. Houston, William (November 6, 1997). "Cole's Close Call". The Globe and Mail. p. S4. Cole's three most memorable TV games: 1. Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (Edmonton 3, Philadelphia 1). The Oilers at their peak. 2. Game 3 of 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final (United States 5, Canada 2). 'I was devastated.' 3. Game 7, 1994 Stanley Cup Finals (New York Rangers 3, Vancouver 2). 'A great series.'
12. Kalinsky, George (2004). Garden of Dreams. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. p. 171. ISBN 1-58479-343-0.
13. "1993-94 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
14. NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography

• Kalinsky, George (2004). Garden of Dreams. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. ISBN 1-58479-343-0.

External links

• Rangers on Hockey Database