It's the
fourth Stanley Cup championship
for the Rangers, but their first since
1940
. It's also the first time since entering the NHL in 1926 that they've won it at the Garden.
"We had played so much hockey and had so much emotion -- the semifinals and Final both went seven games -- that the biggest thing I felt after the game was relief," says Leetch, who becomes the first U.S.-born player voted as winner of the
Conn Smythe Trophy
as playoff MVP. "I went home that night and went to bed feeling tired, but when I got up the next day, I began to feel the excitement. We spent the next few days celebrating."
MORE MOMENTS
1993:The Florida Panthers officially receive their membership in the NHL. The franchise is to be based in Miami and begin play in the 1993-94 season, along with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, giving the League 26 teams.
2006:
Fernando Pisani
becomes the first player to score a shorthanded overtime goal in the Final, giving the Edmonton Oilers
a 4-3 victory
against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 at RBC Center. With defenseman
Steve Staios
off for tripping, Pisani beats
Cam Ward
at 3:31 to cut the Hurricanes' lead in the best-of-7 series to 3-2. Pisani also scores 16 seconds into the game, joining
Sid Smith
of the Toronto Maple Leafs (
Game 1 in 1951
, against the Montreal Canadiens) as the only players to score a first-minute goal and an overtime goal in the same Final game.
