Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6

June 2, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

As a franchise nearly seven decades older than their Eastern Conference finals opponents, the New York Rangers have more than their fair share of ghosts to call forth at any given time.

On Saturday night, they did just that ahead of a must-win Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

Before the Rangers and Panthers’ showdown, ABC’s cameras found a young rinkside fan at Amerant Bank Arena holding up a copy of The New York Post. It wasn’t just any copy, however—it was a perfectly preserved copy from May 25, 1994.

“We’ll win tonight,” reads the headline, paraphrasing New York forward Mark Messier’s famous guarantee before the Rangers’ Eastern Conference finals-tying 4–2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

THIS RANGERS FAN HELD UP AN ORIGINAL COPY OF “THE GUARANTEE” HEADLINE FROM 1994 😱🔥 pic.twitter.com/c5SllDT3j6

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

New York went on to beat the Devils in Game 7, and won the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

In the 30 years since, the Rangers have yet to win hockey’s biggest prize.

29 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

What’s the Furthest the Florida Panthers Have Ever Gone in the NHL Playoffs?

The Florida Panthers are once again making a deep run in the NHL playoffs in 2024, continuing the franchise's chase for its first Stanley Cup title.

Florida was established as an NHL expansion franchise in 1993 and made its first playoff appearance in '96. Over 30 seasons, the Panthers have made 10 playoff appearances—including their current streak of five straight seasons—and have won nine postseason series as they battle the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Panthers advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in two of those 10 playoff appearances in 1996 and 2023, coming up just short of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup both times. Here's a look back at the Panthers' two runs to the Stanley Cup Final:

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Avalanche 3, Panthers 1
Game 2	Avalanche 8, Panthers 1
Game 3	Avalanche 3, Panthers 2
Game 4	Avalanche 1, Panthers 0

The 1995–96 Panthers made the most of their first playoff appearance in franchise history, defeating the Boston Bruins in five games, the Philadelphia Flyers in six and the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven for a chance to play on hockey's biggest stage.

The 1996 Stanley Cup Final featured a matchup between two franchises attempting to win their first league title, as the Colorado Avalanche battled through the Western Conference bracket. The 1995–96 campaign was the Avalanche's first in Colorado, as the franchise formerly known as the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver after the 1994–95 season.

The series was all Colorado from the start. Goaltender Patrick Roy stopped 147 of the 151 shots he faced, and Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic tallied five points apiece as the Avalanche swept Florida in four games.

The Panthers wouldn't make another appearance in the Stanley Cup Final until nearly 30 years later in 2023.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Golden Knights 5, Panthers 2
Game 2	Golden Knights 7, Panthers 2
Game 3	Panthers 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT)
Game 4	Golden Knights 3, Panthers 2
Game 5	Golden Knights 9, Panthers 3

The Panthers' run through the 2023 playoffs was quite a roller coaster. As the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, Florida found itself trailing the Boston Bruins 3–1 in the opening round but battled back to win the last three games of the series 4–3, 7–5 and 4–3 to advance. Florida defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.

Florida's momentum stopped against Vegas, however. Golden Knights forward Mark Stone scored a series-high five goals and Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP after tallying eight points (four goals, four assists) in the Stanley Cup Final.

After making the playoffs for three straight years from 2019 to '22 and winning the Presidents' Trophy in the 2021–22 campaign, the Panthers reconstructed their roster and traded top scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and three other assets to the Ottawa Senators for Matthew Tkachuk. The gamble paid off, as Tkachuk led them back to the Stanley Cup Final, but a championship still proved to be illusive for the franchise that calls Sunrise, Fla., home.

11 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Every Seven-Game Stanley Cup Final Series in History

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is one of the most exhilarating scenes in sports, and NHL fans will certainly be hoping to see the championship clash between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers go the distance this year.

Throughout Stanley Cup Playoff history, seven-game series have been a fairly regular occurrence. Since 1939, when the NHL adopted the best-of-seven format, there have been 196 game sevens. Included in that tally is 17 in the Stanley Cup Final, and seven since the turn of the century.

We'll take a look at each of the 17 seven-game series in Stanley Cup Final history:

YEAR	MATCHUP
1942	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 3–1
1945	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 2–1
1950	Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 4–3 (2OT)
1954	Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 2–1 (OT)
1955	Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 3–1
1964	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4–0
1965	Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4–0
1971	Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 3–2
1987	Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 3–1
1994	New York Rangers def. Vancouver Canucks, 3–2
2001	Colorado Avalanche def. New Jersey Devils, 3–1
2003	New Jersey Devils def. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 3–0
2004	Tampa Bay Lightning def. Calgary Flames, 2–1
2006	Carolina Hurricanes def. Edmonton Oilers, 3–1
2009	Pittsburgh Penguins def. Detroit Red Wings, 2–1
2011	Boston Bruins def. Vancouver Canucks, 4–0
2019	St. Louis Blues def. Boston Bruins, 4–1

The last time the Stanley Cup Final went the distance was in 2019, when the St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7, 4–1, courtesy of goals from Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford.

Of the 17 winner-take-all games since 1939 in the Stanley Cup Final, only twice has the game-winning goal occurred in overtime. Both of the two overtime goals were scored by the Detroit Red Wings, in 1950 and '54, respectively. The Red Wings were involved in each of the first six Game 7s under the current format of the Stanley Cup Final, winning three of them.

6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Oilers vs. Panthers NHL Expert Prediction and Odds for Stanley Cup Final Game 1

The Edmonton Oilers are four wins away from ending Canada's Stanley Cup drought. The country is seeking its first NHL Championship since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens were able to win it all.

Standing in their way is the Florida Panthers, a state that has now won five-straight Eastern Conference Finals, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning two Stanley Cups along the way.

Game 1 is set to take place on Saturday night and I'm here to break down everything you need to know to bet on the opening stanza.

Odds listed are via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Oilers Injury Report

Panthers Injury Report

Edmonton Oilers

Stuart Skinner: All eyes will be on Connor McDavid, but I would argue the most important player in this game is the Oilers' goaltender, Stuart Skinner. When he brings his "A" game, the Oilers are near unbeatable, but he hasn't done that at times. Edmonton almost lost to the Vancouver Canucks in the second round almost solely due to poor play from Skinner. Whether or not they win the Cup may just come down to his performance.

Florida Panthers

Carter Verhaeghe: Carther Vergaeghe enters the Stanley Cup Final as the Panthers' leading scorer in the playoffs with nine goals. If the Panthers want to beat the Oilers, they need to find ways to score goals on a consistent basis and Verhaeghe may be the key to that happening.

I'm backing the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup and I like them to win the first game of the series, but my best bet is on the total. I like the UNDER 5.5.

The Oilers deployed a defensive style of play that helped them win Game 5 and Game 6 against the Dallas Stars. They sacrificed offensive rushes to stay home and while the puck was in their own end, they play a tight zone that forced the Stars to take low-quality shots from the perimeter. That helped Stuart Skinner as they prevented the Stars from getting high-danger scoring opportunities.

If they use the same strategy against a Panthers team, that plays a similar style to the Stars, we could be in for a low-scoring series.

Let's also remember the Panthers were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL during the regular season. They allowed just 2.39 goals per 60 minutes, the best mark in the entire league, while also giving up only 10.68 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, which ranked seventh.

I'll take the Oilers and the UNDER in Game 1.

Pick: Oilers (+114) and UNDER 5.5 goals (-104)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

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Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6

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Jimm Sallivan