*Friday, May 17, 2024. I started writing this post about two weeks ago, back when the Rangers were close to finishing off the Washington Capitals in the first round. Just last night, the Rangers played an amazing 20 minutes of 3rd period hockey to come back from a 3-1 deficit to finish off the Carolina Hurricanes in six games. The thrilling comeback, capped off by a natural hat trick by long-time Ranger favorite Chris Kreider puts an exclamation point on the original intent of this post. Please read on…
A One-of-a-Kind Piece of NY Rangers Memorabilia
It took me 30 years to finally get this thing framed. Better late than never, I guess, right? Perhaps there’s a little coincidence in my timing, albeit unintended. Last summer, when I was packing up my home in New York for my move here to Philadelphia, I came across this one-of-a-kind lithograph from Long Island Newsday that I’d had packed away for, well, 30 years. I’ve consistently forgotten that I even have it, which is truly a shame.
I first came into possession of this one-of-a-kind metal lithograph from Long Island Newsday, Wednesday June 15th, 1994 edition, through a former colleague of mine who I worked with during my days at Citibank. Her husband worked at the printing division of the newspaper and when this version of the centerspread was canned for a different one. He thought of me and brought it home for his wife to give to me.
In all the excitement of that period, I had put it away for safekeeping, not sure exactly what I was going to do with it. About 30 years and two months later, I’m packing up my apartment in New York for my move here to Philly and it resurfaced. As this year’s hockey season rolled on and the Rangers were on a tear to win the President’s trophy, given to the #1 team in the regular season, I remembered the piece and finally had it framed so I can now give it the proper homage it deserves. Now I believe it’s all part of a special kind of magic.
Sports fans, more than most, can be a very superstitious bunch, and dates and anniversaries especially often get added into the mix. Thus, the framing of the piece exactly 30 years after the Rangers won their last Stanley Cup bodes well. At the moment, the Rangers are halfway to the Stanley Cup, and this Rangers’ fan’s hopes are high, given the significance of this and other parallels to 1994.
1994: A Most Memorable, Magical Year
The year 1994 was one of those years that will stand out in my mind forever. So many memorable things occurred that year, both personally and in the news. The year 1994 saw the terrible Northridge earthquake in San Francisco and the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie, The Lion King, Forrest Gump, and Pulp Fiction made their debuts in theaters worldwide, the last Russian troops left long-occupied territories to end the Cold War, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, the World Series was cancelled due to a player’s strike, and 94 was also the year that OJ Simpson took that famous ride in a Ford Bronco.
Personally, 1994 was the year I had my first ever surgery to remove a lump in my chest. It was the year I lost my beloved maternal grandmother. It was also a very good year for New York sports. The Yankees were in 1st place at the time the MLB season was cut short by the players’ strike, and both the Rangers and Knicks were having hot playoff seasons. The late spring of 1994 was when the two personal events and one of the hottest sports seasons the city has ever known, came together in my life.
Both the Rangers and the Knicks were blazing their own paths towards the finals in what would have been the first time the two teams would win a championship in the same year. By early June, both teams had reached the finals in their respective playoffs and New York fans were absolutely buzzing! The two teams were feeding off each other and we were all loving every minute of it. Though the Knicks ended up losing to the Houston Rockets, in heartbreaking fashion, the Rangers were able to break the curse…finally!
You’re in my heart, you’re in my soul
Those who are sports fans of any team, in any sport, will understand when I say openly that the New York Rangers will always have a piece of my heart. From my youngest days, I remember sitting in front of the tv with the family watching Rangers’ games, for better or worse. There were plenty of triumphs and heartbreak, with lots of nail biting along the way, and it was almost always exciting. It’s a shame that hockey is not more popular than it is because it is the one sport that has you on the edge of your seat more often than not. I’m proud to be a New Yorker and just as proud to be a Rangers fan!
The End of the Curse of 1940
Every long-term Rangers fan knows the significance of the year 1940. That was the last time the Rangers had won the Stanley Cup, one of the most iconic championship trophies in all sports. It was one of the longest championship droughts for any team in any sport and opposing fans never let us forget it. Night after night, at arenas across the United States and Canada, road crowds would taunt the Rangers with chants of “1940!,” especially during close games with rival teams.
Hearing the chants “1940!” stung especially on Long Island, where I grew up a Ranger fan in Islander country. The long history of the Rangers brought with it a much beloved fan base on LI way before the Islanders ever showed up in 1972. The rivalry was intense, and we the fans hated the chant even more than the players, because we were there for the long haul. Lifetimes! Players came and went, but we were always there to endure the taunting. And then, out of the blue, 1994 happened. In one miraculously incredible season, the Rangers vanquished the chant once and for all. And now, we try to conquer a 30 year drought with this year’s team.
We Want the Cup!
Framing my NY Rangers 1994 Championship lithograph was an unintended connection to what this superstitious fan believes just might signal another championship this year. There are enough parallels and coincidences for me to truly believe that this could very well be just like 1994:
Let’s go Knicks! Just as in 94’, the seemingly and suddenly resurgent Knicks are also on the verge of reaching the semifinals in the NBA. Could 2024 be the year that 1994 wasn’t?
New York sports in Philly. For the first time in years, I actually have the ability to watch hockey (and basketball) games from home, coincidentally because of my move here to Philly. You see, I gave up cable tv a few years ago, and in doing so, I had lost any ability to watch sports, at least without being ripped off. In recent years back in NY, I tried during playoff time to watch games, but every single time my efforts were thwarted. Just last year, Sling TV was seemingly my hope, but after signing up, grabbing my popcorn and beer and settling down on my couch, I found out that the Rangers games were blacked out because I was within my own market. Gotta love capitalism! Anyway, now that I am here in Philly, these restrictions don’t apply, and I am watching to my heart’s content. Go Rangers!
So yeah, after last night’s unbelievable comeback by the Rangers being so reminiscent of their famous Game 6 comeback against the Devils in 94’, I’d say things are all coming into place. I could be wrong, of course. Lord knows all of the heartbreak that comes with being a Rangers fan, but I swear that this time if they win the Cup, I will not miss the parade. Let’s go Rangers!
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