On the cusp of what? We'd won one playoff round since going to the semis in '86. We were thoroughly embarrassed in the '91 playoffs & Neil Smith had accused some of the team of quitting during that series vs the Caps. Big changes were imminent that off season.
Before the 91-92 season started, not many would've imagined the Rangers winning the Presidents Trophy. Even after the Messier trade, it was still inconceivable they were Cup contenders until that team really started to gel around December.
Agreed. The Rangers didn't really have an identity at that point. I mean prior to Messier's arrival, Kelly Kisio was the captain. How many people under the age of 25 are going to have to look that name up on HockeyDB or HockeyReference?
The Rangers of that time had a mix of skilled young players, mid-level prospects and aging vets on the downside of their career. You had Brian Leetch, James Patrick and then a cliff on defense. Amonte and Weight were valued, but still somewhat unknown commodities and the team lacked a truly elite, centerpiece forward. The team had some players who were skilled but relatively meek, and other guys who were fearless but lacked a lot of skill. There wasn't much in the way of bridging those gaps heading into the 91-92 season.
Certainly there were pieces in place for Messier to work with, but it's not as if Messier slid into a situation that was going to be wildly successful beyond a shadow of a doubt. Afterall, the team hadn't won more than 37 games or finished with more than 5 more wins than losses in about 7 years. It was a team stuck in the middle of the pack and struggling to break out.
As I said early, the image we have of Leetch, Graves, Richter and others was not there prior to 1991. Heck even Leetch, beloved by Rangers fans, was seen by more than a few as an excellent player whose off-ice commitment was the one thing seperating him from the truly elite. I don't think he quite gets there without Messier, if for no other reason than the profound impact Messier had on his fitness level.
Again, to understand Messier's full impact, or that of any true impact player, is to look beyond their on-ice contributions. Do they make their teammates better? Can they dictate a team's pulse? Do they help create an environment that brings out the best in their teammates?
At the end of the day, you usually get one of two types of players:
1. A guy who wins a lot of hardware, dominates a lot of games, but doesn't necessarily LEAD his team.
2. A guy who leads his team to glory, but doesn't necessarily win a lot of hardware or dominate games.
It's very rare to get a player who does both and Messier was that type of player.