New York Moment – The Guarantee

Being an Islander fan, it’s very hard to write about this particular moment in New York sports history.  However, there’s no denying that Mark Messier was one of the greatest captains in New York sports history, and his guarantee in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was the stuff of legend.

After a Game 5 loss to the Devils to go down 3-2 in the series, Mark Messier sat down with the New York media and guaranteed a victory in Game 6 to tie it up.  The game was in New Jersey, so the crowd was hostile, but Mess would not back down from the challenge.

The Rangers went down 2-1 going into the third period, and that’s when the legend himself stepped in and solidified himself as a New York hero.  Messier scored the game tying, game winning, and insurance goal in the third period for a natural hat trick and made good on his guarantee.

The Rangers would go on to win Game 7, the highlight of that game being the infamous Stephane Matteau goal in overtime and subsequent Howie Rose call.  The Rangers were a team of destiny, as they made their way past the Devils onto the Stanley Cup.

For the first time in 54 years, Mark Messier and the Rangers were able to lift the Stanley Cup after a 3-2 victory in Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks.  Messier’s smile as he lifted the Cup was unbelievable, and the journey culminated with his guarantee.  Without it, who knows if the Rangers would have had the moxie to beat the Devils that night.