In 1994, the New York Rangers had not won the Stanley Cup in over 50 years. Opposing fans used to chant "1942! 1942!" whenever they came to town. No matter how much talent the team had in any year, they just could not shake the "Rangers' Curse." It seemed they were destined never to skate around the ice with the big silver cup.
Then something happened. The storied Edmonton Oilers, who had won 5 Stanley Cups, were broken up. Gretzky went to the Los Angeles Kings, Paul Coffey went to the Pittsburg Penguins, and Mark Messier ended up in New York with the Rangers. He instantly became a New York hero as everyone saw how much he wanted to win with his new team.
Surprisingly, the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup finals. The chance to break the curse was finally at hand. Yet, once again, the Rangers started losing. Before anyone knew what happened, they had to play a deciding game seven. They could not seem to put an end to the surging Vancuver Canuks. Would New York fans have to witness the demise of their best team in years at home?
That's when Messier boldly announced that the Rangers were going to win. He stared down the cameras when reporters asked about the curse and repeated that that was their year. Then, he went out on the ice and scored 3 points to lead the Rangers to victory. Moment #10 on the greatest sports moment list was Messier's third goal, when he solidified the Rangers' victory.
The Rangers went on to take the cup, but everything hinged on one man's personal effort to ensure his team's victory. The slap shot that took less than 2 seconds to get by the goalie was one of the greatest, most important shots in hockey history. Anyone who watched the game will never forget it.
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