New York Rangers: Remembering Mark Messier’s legendary guarantee
On this day in 1994, Mark Messier saved the New York Rangers.
Mark Messier is widely accepted as one of the greatest NHL players of all-time. He’s perhaps most famous for becoming the first player in NHL history to captain two teams, the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup. Most of his best moments came with the Oilers, but his most legendary moment came with the Rangers and it happened today, May 25, in 1994.
At the time, the Rangers were in a tough Eastern Conference Final battle with their archrival New Jersey Devils. They found themselves down 3-2 in the series. The day before, Messier made a guarantee to the media that the Rangers would win Game 6 in New Jersey.
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It was a bold decision, one that would make Messier look either really smart or really dumb. Initially, it didn’t look good, as the Devils led the Rangers 2-1 after two periods. That’s when the captain Messier took things into his own hands, notching a natural hat trick in the third period to ensure his guarantee came true.
The game ended with the Rangers winning 4-2, but not before a huge scrap with 20 seconds left saw Scott Stevens and Bernie Nichols of the Devils, as well as Glenn Anderson of the Rangers, pick up 10 minute misconducts.
This turned the tide for the Rangers, as they went onto win Game 7 in double overtime. Next, they had to face the red-hot Vancouver Canucks, who didn’t make things easy for them. But with Messier leading the way, the Rangers finally won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1940.
Though star defenseman Brian Leetch won the Conn Smythe, it was Messier who gave the Rangers the confidence they needed to overcome the Devils and bring home the Stanley Cup.
The Legacy Of The Guarantee
Messier did a lot of impressive things in his career. He led the Oilers to a Stanley Cup after they traded Wayne Gretzky. Messier won six Stanley Cups in his career. But nothing he did compares to the guarantee. It summarizes the kind of player and leader Messier was.
The Rangers needed a huge boost and Messier wasn’t afraid to give it to them. After their captain put himself out there so boldly, you could tell the Rangers simply weren’t going to let their captain down. Yes, Messier had to take matters into his own hands in the third period of Game 6, but again, that’s the kind of player he was. He got stuff done when it mattered.
Of Messier’s five Stanley Cups, the one he won with the Rangers was by far his most special. Nothing compares to leading an Original Six team in the middle of a titled rough over 50 years to the Stanley Cup.
Since Messier’s guarantee, various players have been inspired to follow suit. Captain Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has utilized this tactic several times, including multiple times during their Stanley Cup run in 2018.
After the Caps lost the first two games of their first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets at home, Ovechkin guaranteed the Capitals would even up the series by Game 5. That’s precisely what they did. Later in the postseason, with the Caps trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Final, Ovechkin used the ace up his sleeve again, guaranteeing a win in Game 6.
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Messier inspired a generation of athletes with a few words. This is why he’s one of the greatest leaders of all-time. And it’s probably why Messier got a leadership award named after him.