Here's why this year's Panthers team is eerily similar to the 1994 Rangers.
Those of us who saw the 1994 Stanley Cup-winning Rangers never thought we'd see the likes of them again.
But, lo and behold, we have.
They are here – or in Sunrise, Florida, if you will – and they are no longer Rangers but, rather, called Panthers.
The similarities are striking and since I was there in 1994 when Mike Keenan led the Blueshirts down The Canyon of Champions, I know.
So does my colleague – and top man in Florida – Alan Greenberg, a transplanted Brooklynite and Rangers fan since he was in diapers.
As the Rangers quest for The Cup began this past spring, I was part of the crowd who believed that the New Yorkers would win the Mug for the first time since Mark Messier's amazing run.
In fact I solemnly made that prediction right here on these pages.
Of course, I was wrong as the Blueshirts "Stanley Cup Or Bust" campaign went the way of The Titanic, The Hindenburg and The Maple Leafs.
Ah, but Paul Maurice's sextet marched on and, well, you know the rest.
But you may not know how close this Florida team has come to match the '94 Rangers. I know and so does my Sunrise pal, Big Al Greenberg.
"There are so many similarities," says Greenberg. "Going into Game 7 in 1994 the opposition (Vancouver Canucks) had all the momentum. And this time, Edmonton had that momentum."
Like The Maven, Greenberg recalls the work of goaltending and how it saved the Rangers then and the Panthers now.
Greenberg: "The one in '94 and the one now were close games. If it wasn't for the goaltending of Mike Richter, the Rangers might have lost. He made key saves and had fortuitous bounces. Some for Bob in the Cats' goal.
"Each of the games could have gone either way. Looking backward, I have to say that Richter was THE man for the Rangers then and Bobrovsky for Florida this time around.."
I recall that it was touch and go for New York to retain its lead over a relentless Vancouver club. Ditto for the Panthers as the Edmontonians gave it all they had.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhdEhd-COIo[/embed]
"Entering the third period," Greenberg adds, "both the Rangers and Panthers were holding on for dear life while their defenses played their best."
But one more point may prove to have been the difference-maker for both the 2024 defeated Rangers and Oilers – conditioning.
"By the time the Oilers pulled their goalie late in the third period," Greenberg notes, "the Oilers looked gassed. In the end the Panthers ability to hang on was a tribute to Maurice's tough training program!"
Bottom Line: Neither the current Rangers nor current Oilers had trained hard enough for this seven-game marathon – not to mention the previous 82-game endurance contest.
The Panthers did and that's why they are the Champions! HAIL TO THE CHAMPS! To the losers – what else? – wait 'til next year!