NEW JERSEY VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. ST. LOUIS

Monday, June 4 Delivering a guarantee By Joy Russo ESPN.com It was more of the usual for the New York Rangers during 1991-92 season, even with the arrival of Mark Messier. Rangers 4, Devils 3 Date Result Goalie 5/15 Devils 4, Rangers 3 Brodeur 5/17 Rangers 4, Devils 0 Richter 5/19 Rangers 3, Devils 2 Brodeur 5/21 Devils 3, Rangers 1 Brodeur 5/23 Devils 4, Rangers 1 Brodeur 5/25 Rangers 4, Devils 2 Richter 5/27 Rangers 2, Devils 1 Richter They stormed through the regular season, won the President's Trophy and were donned as the favorites to win it all – only to be ousted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. And fans saw the Cup drought reach 52 years. So the Blueshirts were in a familiar, yet eerie, position at the start of the 1993-94 playoffs. Again, they were at the top of the league and the ones to beat, and Messier was feeling the pressure of delivering on his promise to bring Lord Stanley back to the Big Apple. The Rangers rolled through the first two rounds, sweeping the Islanders 4-0 and eliminating the Capitals 4-1. New York would finally get tested when it met cross-town rival New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals. The tone of the series was set in the opener – no one was easily winning this one. Down a goal in Game 1, the Devils rallied to force overtime. With Brian Leetch caught deep in New Jersey's zone, Stephane Richer stormed up the ice and beat Mike Richter high in the second extra session to give the Devils the early lead. The Rangers came back in Game 2, and Stephane Matteau's double-overtime goal gave New York a 2-1 series lead. But the Devils would take the next two games to again put the Rangers' backs against the wall. What followed was one of the most daring statements in hockey history. The turnaround? Messier said he only meant it as a motivational tool for his team, but his guarantee of a Game 6 victory was plastered in every paper and every telecast that would have it. But after one period, it looked like the Rangers captain would eat those words. Claude Lemieux and Scott Niedermayer gave the Devils an early 2-0 lead. It wasn't until late in the second period that the Rangers got on the board, thanks to Alexei Kovalev. Then, Messier single-handedly sparked one of the biggest comebacks in Rangers history, scoring a hat trick to give New York a 4-2 win and force a decisive Game 7. The seventh game at Madison Square Garden is regarded as one of the best in NHL history. The Rangers held on to a 1-0 lead for most of the game until New Jersey's Valeri Zelepukin scored with just seven seconds left in regulation to again force overtime. The goal shocked the crowd, but the edge-of-the-seat action in overtime was set by spectacular saves by both Richter and Martin Brodeur. Just over four minutes into the second overtime, Matteau's wraparound shot that trickled through Brodeur's pads sent the winger into hockey annals and the Rangers to their first Cup final since 1979. The MVP New York went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, thanks in large part to Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch. But the MVP of this series was undoubtedly Messier. The captain, who was called "The Messiah" by local fans after the historic season, totaled four goals and seven assists in the series. More important, his prediction and proceeding natural hat trick proved once again that Messier was arguably one of the best leaders and clutch players in the NHL. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories