Rangers make memories to last a lifetime

Posted: May 17, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Hockey, NHL, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers Red Wings Hockey

Chris Kreider’s three-goal natural hat trick in the third period earlier this week lifted the Rangers to a comeback 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and reminded us all once again why we love sports and root so passionately for our teams.

I started cheering cheering for the Rangers when I was a teen-ager, and have lived through the highs and lows (mostly lows) through nearly 60 years, from numerous playoff disappointments to the ultimate joy, the 1994 Stanley Cup.

That cherished championship 30 years ago will always hold a special place in my heart. I was in the house that night as the Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canuks 3-2 and won their first Cup since 1940. They’ve come close, but haven’t won since. .  

The championship was preceded by two dramatic wins against the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game Six, Mark Messier guaranteed victory and then scored a natural hit trick in the third period to beat New Jersey 4-2. Two nights later, Stephan Matteau scored in the second overtime to send the Rangers to the Finals.

Since then, the Rangers have had some great moments, including rallies from being down three games to one to beat the Penguins in 2014, the Capitals in 2015 and the Penguins again in 2022. However, they came up short in each of those seasons, including a loss the Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

Ranger fans have been waiting 30 years for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.

Early memories

My earliest Ranger memory dates back to 1966, when Bobby Hull of the Black Hawks scored to become the first player to score more than 50 goals in a season.

I went to my first Rangers game in 1967 at the old Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lost 4-0 to the Bruins, but I was hooked on hockey.

My senior year in high school, 1969, I saw the Rangers demolish a great Boston team 9-0 at MSG. That night, the Rangers scored three goals in 38 seconds to put a capper on the rout.

During the 70s the Rangers made two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost them both – in 1972 to the Bruins and 1979 to the Canadiens,

I was at the old Boston Garden in the spring of 1979 when Phil Esposito returned to his former home and scored four goals to beat the Bruins 7-4.

When my grandson Cameron was born in 2012, I was at the Garden to see the Rangers beat the Canadiens.

In 2013, my son Daniel and I saw a  21-year-old rookie named Chris Kreider, score in overtime to beat the Bruins and extend a series the Rangers would eventually lose.

Kreider cemented his Ranger legacy 11 years later with the hat trick that moved the Rangers along in their quest to win the Stanley Cup.

Florida on verge of hoop/hockey history

Posted: June 1, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball, Hockey, NBA, NHL, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jimmy-Butler-USATSI_18372878

When Jimmy Butler, above, and the Miami Heat knocked out the Celtics earlier this week to derail a potentially devastating Boston comeback from a 3-0 deficit, they set up an unprecedented opportunity for South Florida sports.

Since the NBA was founded in 1946, five cities/areas have had teams in both the NBA and NHL finals in the same year. But none of those cities was able to finish the deal and win both a Stanley Cup and an NBA championship.

The Florida Panthers of the NHL are the other half of the two-step equation this year.after sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes in four straight games with the help of overtime hero Matthew Tkachuk, below, will face off against the Las Vegas Knights, each team seeking its first Stanley Cup.

Meanwhile the Heat, the eighth seed in the East, will meet the Denver Nuggets for the NBA championship. The Heat have won three NBA crowns – in 2006, 2012 and 2013. This marks Denver’s first trip to the finals.

Other finalists

And it marks the 10th time overall that a city has had teams in both the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup. Boston (3). New York (2), Philadelphia, Chicago, New Jersey and the San Francisco Bay Area have come close, but none has experienced dual championships.

In both 1957 and 1958, the Celtics and Bruins played for championships for the city of Boston. In 1957, the Celtics won their NBA championship when they beat the St. Louis Hawks in seven games.The following year the Celtics lost to St. Louis in six games.

Matthew-Tkachuk-ends-4OT-thriller-Panthers-take-1-0-lead-on-HurricanesThe Bruins meanwhile, lost both Stanley Cup finals to the Montreal Canadiens, in five games in 1957 and six games in 1958. The Canadiens were in the midst of a five-year championship run.

In 1972, both the Knicks and Rangers made their respective finals. That year the Lakers defeated in the Knicks in five games for the NBA crown, and Boston defeated New York in six games for the Stanley Cup.

Two years later, in 1974, the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games, but the Philadelphia Flyers surprised the Bruins in six games to win their first Stanley Cup.

Philly faves

The City of Brotherly Love was a two-time loser in 1980 — the 76ers lost to rookie point guard Magic Johnson and the Lakers in six games while the New York Islanders took the Flyers in six games for the first of four straight  Stanley Cups.

In 1992, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trailblazers in six games, but the Blackhawks were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals.

New York came closest to winning double rings in 1994. That year the Rangers beat Vancouver in seven games to win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. But the Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets in another seven-game series.

In 2003, the New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Ducks in seven games to win the Stanley Cup, while the New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.

Finally, in 2013, the San Francisco Bay Area experienced a double. The Golden State Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games, and the San Jose Sharks succumbed to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six.

Finally, Blueshirts are back in the Finals

Posted: May 31, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Hockey, NHL, Stanley Cup | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist exults as the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I began following the New York Rangers in grammar school. Back then there were just six teams in the NHL, and yet the Rangers missed the playoffs eight of nine seasons between 1958 and 1966. They weren’t very good….or else they weren’t quite good enough…and those would become  prevailing themes as I followed the Blueshirts through the years.

I went to my first hockey game in 1967, just days before Christmas, at the old Madison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue. The Rangers got blanked by the Boston Bruins that night, but the team was on the rise, thanks primarily to goalie Eddie Giacomin.

In 1972, the Rangers, fueled by superb goaltending and the GAG (goal a game) line of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in my lifetime. There they lost to Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and the Bruins in six games.

Several years later Espo was traded to the Rangers, and with John Davidson between the pipes the  Broadway Blues knocked off the Islanders and made it to the Finals in 1979, only to lose to the Montreal Canadiens in five.

The Islanders dominated the early 80s winning four straight Stanley Cups. Meanwhile the Rangers title drought continued, often to the accompaniment of 1940 chants in visiting arenas.

The Messiah delivers

Before the 1991-92 season began, the Rangers acquired Mark Messier, from the Edmonton Oilers with the express purpose of delivering a Stanley Cup. And the Messiah delivered, with help from defenseman Brian Leetch, goalie Mike Richter and a stellar supporting cast.

I was in the house on June 14, 1994, when the Rangers ended a 54-year jinx, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 to win their first Cup since 1940. That night, a fan in the Garden unfurled a banner that read “Now I can die in peace.” We all felt that way.

But not even the great Wayne Gretzy could bring another championship to the Rangers. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 1997, the Rangers missed the playoffs seven years in a row.

A rookie goalie named Henrik Lundqvist arrived in 2005, and backstopped the Rangers to their first playoff appearance since 1997. The Rangers gradually built a team to support Lundqvist, making a big trade to acquire sniper Martin St. Louis just before the trading deadline, and now they are back in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years.

Some playoff runs are expected. The 1994 Rangers had the best record in the NHL during the regular season, and were favored to win the Cup. This year’s team has been a surprise, taking New York fans along for the ride. New York has become RangerTown.

After beating the Flyers in the first round, the Rangers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Penguins, then topped the Canadiens in six to advance to the Finals. They’re now on the doorstop, on the verge of making hockey history.

There’s Never Been a Hoop/Hockey Double

Posted: April 16, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball, Hockey, NBA, NHL, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, but the Knicks couldn’t complete the double as they fell to the Houston Rockets in seven games.

With the NHL and NBA playoffs just getting started, five cities have the opportunity to accomplish something that’s never been done before — win hockey and basketball championships in the same year.

Only Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Phoenix remain in the race to win the elusive double rings.

Since the NBA was founded in 1946, eight cities have had teams in both the NBA and NHL finals in the same year. But none of those cities was able to win both a Stanley Cup and an NBA championship.

In both 1957 and 1958, the Celtics and Bruins played for championships for the city of Boston. In 1957, the Celtics won their NBA championship when they beat the St. Louis Hawks in seven games.The following year the Celtics lost to St. Louis in six games.

The Bruins meanwhile, lost both Stanley Cup finals to the Montreal Canadiens, in five games in 1957 and six games in 1958. The Canadiens were in the midst of a five-year championship run.

In 1972, both the Knicks and Rangers made their respective finals. That year the Lakers defeated in the Knicks in five games for the NBA crown, and Boston defeated New York in six games for the Stanley Cup.

Two years later, in 1974, the Celtics, led by center Dave Cowens, left, beat the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games, but the Philadelphia Flyers surprised the Bruins in six games to win their first Stanley Cup.

The City of Brotherly Love was a two-time loser in 1980 — the 76ers lost to rookie point guard Magic Johnson and the Lakers in six games while the New York Islanders took the Flyers in six games for the first of four straight  Stanley Cups.

In 1992, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat Portland in six games, but the Blackhawks were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals.

New York came closest to the double rings in 1994. That year the Rangers beat Vancouver in seven games to win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. But the Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets in another seven-game series.

Finally, in 2003, the New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Ducks in seven games to win the Stanley Cup, while the Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.

Strange and Unusual Sports Facts

Posted: August 7, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, football, Hockey, NBA, NFL, Sports, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Joe Pepitone and John Lennon had something in common – they were both born on October 9, 1940, Pepitone in Brooklyn and Lennon in Liverpool, England.

Ten strange and unusual sports factoids that may interest only me:

  • Former New York Yankee first baseman Joe Pepitone was born on October 9, 1940, the same birthdate as late Beatle John Lennon. Don’t know exactly what this means, but perhaps it explains some of the countercultural activities by Pepi, the first ballplayer to use a hair dryer in the clubhouse.
  • It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs.
  • The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Baseball All-Star Game.
  • Deion Sanders has played in both the World Series (1992 Atlanta Braves) and Super Bowl (1994, Super Bowl XXIX, San Francisco 49ers, 1995, Super Bowl XXX, Dallas Cowboys). The Braves lost the World Series in his only appearance, but both the 49ers and the Cowboys won the Super Bowl.
  • The Olympic rings cover every flag in the world. Yellow, green, red, black and blue were selected because at least one of those five colors appears in every flag in the world.
  • The Boston Celtics, a charter NBA franchise, have never had a player lead the league in scoring.
  • The Stanley Cup, emblematic of ice Hockey supremacy in North America, was donated in 1893 by Canada’s then governor general, Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston. Originally awarded to honor Canada’s top amateur team, it eventually became the championship trophy of the NHL. Stanley Cup playoffs have been held continuously since 1894, although in the 1918-1919 season the finals were halted by a worldwide influenza epidemic. Oddly, Lord Stanley himself never saw a Stanley Cup game.
  • Who’s the only player to play in three straight  World Series for three different teams? Don Baylor — 1986 Boston Red Sox, 1987 Minnesota Twins, 1988 Oakland A’s.
  • In 1960, Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson hit one home run and knocked in 26 runs in 150 games and 460 at bats. That year against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he set a World Series record with 12 RBis, including a grand slam. He became the only player from a losing team ever to be voted World Series MVP, despite the exploits of Bucs second baseman Bill Mazeroski, whose home run won the Series for Pittsburgh.
  • There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

The SportsLifer Top 10

Posted: July 13, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, college basketball, final four, football, Hockey, Olympics, Sports | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It was a tough call, but in the end Bucky Dent won out. The SportsLifer’s top 50 memorable sports events attended came down to a pair of decisive baseball games between the Red Sox and Yankees 25 years apart.

Bucky Dent’s decisive three-run homer against the Red Sox in the 1978 American League East playoff game at Fenway Park in Boston got the nod. The Dent game edged out Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the 2003 American League Championship Series contest at Yankee Stadium.

The tiebreaker — the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978 to win the World Series. The 2003 Yankees lost to the World Series to the Florida Marlins.

Other top 10 entrants include a Stanley Cup final, World Series clincher, Super Bowl, Triple Crown horse race, NCAA basketball Final Four and Winter Olympics. Counting a major golf tournament, the ‘Lifer has seen all the major championship sporting events, with the exception of the NBA Finals.

Here’s the final countdown.

TOP 10 SPORTING EVENTS

10. Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Ted Williams homer in the same game, Yankees beat Red Sox 5-4, 1960

9. Figure skating, speed skating, the men’s long ski jump and snowmobiling, Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, 2002

8. Florida repeats as national champion with win over Ohio State, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Atlanta, 2007

7. Affirmed edges Alydar down the stretch, wins by a neck and captures horse racing’s last Triple Crown, Belmont Stakes, 1978

6. David Wells pitches the first perfect game at Yankee Stadium since Don Larsen, Yankees beat Twins 4-0, 1998

5. Ravens defense overwhelms Giants, Baltimore defeats News York 34-7 and wins Super Bowl XXXV, 2001

4. Yankees beat Braves 4-1, complete four-game sweep of Atlanta to win World Series, Yankee Stadium,1999

3. Rangers end 54-year hex, Mark Messier scores game-winnng goal to beat Vancouver Canucks 3-2 and win Stanley Cup, 1994

2. Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in 11th beats Red Sox 6-5, gives Yankees 39th AL pennant, Yankee Stadium, 2003

1. Bucky Dent ‘s three-run homer propels Yankees to 5-4 win over Red Sox and AL East title, Fenway Park, 1978

Special Category

My first major league game features six Hall of Famers, White Sox 7, Yankees 1, Yankee Stadium 1958

First installment: 41-50. includes the St. Louis Hawks, Holy Cross, and a Ranger rout.

Second installment: 31-40. stars Lew Alcindor, The Mick, and the Boston Marathon.

Third installment: (21-30), recalls the play of Willie Mays, Joe Namath and Lawrence Taylor and others.

Fourth installment, (11-20). includes record-setting moments by Barry Bonds, Jim Hickman, Roger Clemens and Eric Young.