Loved seeing these games during the 2005 lockout. This was a few years before I started watching, but I remember people talking about it. Big topic in NY back then. A few thoughts to add to this thread that may or may not have been mentioned:
-Once a decade or two a city will just have one of "Those Years" in sports where all the stars align. 1986 was one of those years in NY. This was the "Opening Band" along with Ewing completing his first full season to the Mets and Giants. Also worth noting that year, the Yankees would have made the Playoffs if there was a Wild Card, and the Jets were one Roughing The Passer penalty away from playing the Broncos in the AFC Title game.
-Ted Sator was a highly sought after assistant who had worked for Mike Keenan on the Flyers bench.
-Reg Higgs recommended Ridley to the coaching staff and Craig Patrick.
-I met Beezer in the summer of 1991 and even after winning the Patrick Division in 1989-90 and the influx of youth that was about to come in (Weight, Amonte, Nemchinov) that playoff run and especially beating the Flyers really meant something to him.
-We all talk about injuries and personnel but a few things to think about; how different this run is if Pelle Lindberg was still alive. Bengt Gustafsson who was a terrific defensive forward who could score (think Jurri Lethonnen or Loui Errikson on Dallas) missed the entire playoffs that year for Washington.
-If Beck was healthy (Sator would not let him get back in that series when doctors cleared him to play for the ECF).
-Wilf Paiment who was at the end of his career played a big part in that run for the Rangers
-They sent Rogers, Hanlon, Fotiu, and LaRouche to the minors to start that season. It angered the vets.
-Sator didn't like Pavlich's quiet demeanor.
-If NHL rules were what they are today, Rangers would have drafted prob like #18 by reaching the ECF and no Leetch. I remember hearing in interviews, think with Helberg or maybe Patrick that they were thinking of drafting George Pelawa who would die in a boating accident.
-Sator's fate was sealed when Patrick left and Esposito took over. With that personality and tension, no way he was going to last.
-To the poster who mentioned it earlier, the 80s was a weird time in Rangers history. They weren't really run like a NY team in that they had no true superstar or marquee player of the time. They didn't even have a "name" until Dionne/LaFleur joined at the end of the decade. Closest were Hedberg and Beck in the first half, and Sandstorm and Beezer in the second. So think like the 2010-11 Rangers with Niklas Backstroke in net....all decade. Still despite playing in a division with the powerhouse Islanders and Flyers, they still made it to two ECFs and qualified for the playoffs 9/10 years. If JD was hot and healthy in 1981 and not 1979, they win the Cup.
-This was year two of a rebuild. A lot of transitional guys on this roster who were kinda journeymen or didn't last long in the NHL. Bob Brooke, Raimo Helminen, Brian MaCLellan who was considered a bust at that point to name a few. Kjel Samuelson was an older rookie who didn't have a pedigree. Larry Melnyk who they got from the Oilers I believe for Mike Rogers. Most of this team even the younger guys (except Ridley and Miller of course) weren't in the league by like 1990 so this team had a Moneyball kind of approach to it.
-An interesting parallel but a lot of guys on that team who were homegrown Rangers and a little older had a lot of miles on them and were at the end of their careers from all the late 70s/early 80s runs. Tom Laidlaw/Ron Greschner then were pretty much where Girardi and Staal are now. You could make an argument that Don Maloney who was only 26 (and looked about 35 watching those videos) was where Cally is now with Tampa.
-Richter was actually a second round pick in 1985
-Guy LaFluer should be considered a hero amongst Ranger fans. While he was past his prime, Neil Smith let him go and that was the days before true UFA so the Rangers got a comp pick and drafted Sergei Zubov with it.
