Flashing back to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final, a case could be made that the Rangers should have won the big prize 46 years ago and not 31 years ago as happened in 1994.
These are the factors supporting that claim.
1. MOMENTUM: In 1979 the Blueshirts had won three consecutive playoff series. In the third one coach Fred Shero's club had taken out the sizzling hot Islanders.
2. PLAYING WITH HOUSE MONEY: The Underdogs' underdog, Blueshirts players were loose; nobody expected an upset against a Habs team that had won three straight Cups.
3. NEW YORK'S HOT GOALIE: Big John Davidson was at the peak of his goaltending career and he had just beaten the Isles redoubtable Billy Smith in the third series.
THE FAILURE: In his autobiography, Hall of Famer Phil Esposito fingered the failure of Rangers young players to discipline themselves after the Game One New York win. Espo heard them right outside his hotel room revelling like it was New Year's eve.
Was coach Fred Shero to blame? Yes, says George Grimm, author of "Undermanned But Undaunted – The Frank Boucher Years – 1940-1955."
"As coach, Fred Shero should have held the players to a strict curfew. But where was Espo as captain and team leader? Why didn't he step up as the voice of reason? You know damn well that Mark Messier wouldn't have let that happen."
Meanwhile, Joltin' Joe Dionisio, Adult Director of Men's Hockey at Ice In Paradise Rinks, Santa Barbara, takes a more scientific view:
"There was a tactical reason the Rangers lost in 1979," says Dionisio who The Maven knows to never be wrong. "Shero wanted Anders Hedberg to defensively shadow Guy Lafleur, kneecapping their swiftest skater's offense against the high-flying Habs.
"The Swede did a stellar job, holding The Flower to three points for the entire final. Rejean Houle, Yvon Lambert, checker Bob Gainey, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire all outscored Lafleur. (Hedberg also managed to match Lafleur's output.)
"Few of the Blueshirts' better scorers – Espo, Don Maloney, Steve Vickers, Ron Greschner – were speed demons. In a fast-paced skating game against Montreal, Hedberg should have been New York's foremost threat."
How The Rangers Blew A Chance At The 1979 Stanley Cup
Flashback: How The Blueshirts Blew A Chance At Winning The 1979 Stanley Cup
This from Bernard Rohde: "Espo did step up. He told Shero that they should get out of downtown Montreal. Espo thought staying downtown would be a problem for the younger guys. Phil was right. But Freddie told Phil he didn't think it would be a problem."
Montreal won Game Two after being down 0-2 early in the game. Big deal, the series was tied 1-1 and now was moving to The Garden for two games. It could have been advantageous to the Rangers.
So what went wrong? Turns out that everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – has missed the point with the exception of my erudite friend – and mentor – Joe Cohen.
"John Davidson got hurt in Game Two," Joe remembers, and now we all have the answer. A healthy J.D. would have been hot enough to cool the Habs!