This classic post from October 25th, 2007. Devils-Rangers. Little more needs to be said here….just read and smile.
Vs.
In the first of eight grueling matchups expected to take place this season…the Devils complete their nine game road trip in Madison Square Garden as they face the Rangers tonight. No pictures need apply just memories in my mind. Each fan on both sides can pick them out and what is the worst for one is the best for the other. That is a truest definition of a rivalry I know.
So with this in mind….I bring you some of the high and low lights from my side of the fence…the red and black side that is. I’ll start with the bad first.
Top 3 Bad Memories……
1. Matteau…Matteau!!!! I will probably remember that till the day I die and maybe longer. Any Devil fan remembers the euphoria of Zelepukin scoring to send it into OT and then the despair of Fetisov completely missing Matteau as he went right by him to score that wraparound. That May, 1994 night may have been the most painful night in my hockey life…no I know it was. The high stick on Zelepukin that was never called…the “Ranger” refs…etc….all things that came out of that one game for me.
2. It was Graves I tell ya….the 1997 series with the Rangers. In what will become forever known for me as the Disallowed Goal Series…the Devils had 9 goals disallowed in five games….probably a record of some sort in the NHL, if they had kept records on such seemingly inane things at the time. Then Graves put the nail in the coffin in Game 5 and damn that one hurt. I really thought the Devils had the better team. It may be wonder if we were ever going to beat the Rangers in a playoff series ever…I admit it.
3. The day Bruce Driver became a Ranger…..#23 was always a Devil true and true to me. He was my third favorite D-man behind Stevens and Daneyko of course. But Bruce was a humble man and it was sad to see him go across the river but he did have to think of his family. It was good to see him come back into the Devils fold later on…but still that day hit me straight in the gut.
So with the bad…..now comes the good!!
The Top 3 Good Memories
1. June 24th, 1995….our first ever Stanley Cup. The look on Ranger fan faces after we won the cup and then the derisive 1/2 cup chants just made it that much more satisfying…..it didn’t hurt that we beat them all but once in that shortened season and that loss sent us on the run that led to a Cup. I drank from the Cup…and jokingly spit out the first sip because some Ranger fan or Ranger drank from it got a ton of laughs at Mezzanote’s. One of the most satisfying moments in my life.
2. Tenth Place Rangers chant….in what became born out of wondering when the Rangers would ever make the playoffs came this chant. The Rangers from 98 to 04 were right around tenth place in the conference most of the time. Except for 00-01 but even for Ranger fans….I won’t go there but that end of the season win that knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs was pretty sweet….that and the chant that caught on even at MSG!
3. The 15 game winning streak….every Ranger fan thought for sure the division was theirs…..WRONG!! The streak that shocked the hockey world in 05-06 even surprised the hell out of me. I never saw it coming. FSNY replays the streak games every so often and I still am left speechless. That was an amazing run which probably helped Brodeur win a Vezina. What was even better was the last 4 games of that streak was the four playoffs wins in the sweep of the Rangers allowing only four goals. I remember watching Game 4 at an Irish pub of all places…I had to have four beers just to celebrate. We finally beat the Rangers in the postseason at long last.
So tonight it begins again……a new chapter in the rivalry that after all these years continues to amaze and intrigue. I’ll have my homer moment here…. Let’s Go Devils!!!
