Best and Worst: 1993-94 Rangers

[Crease]

For those that remember well enough, who were the 3 best and 3 worst players on the 1993-94 team?

My stab at it:

Messier
Leetch
Zubov

Wells
Gilbert
Lidster

Click to read more...

 

[Filthy Dangles]

leetch
messier
richter

 

[McRanger]

During the regular season or the playoffs?

 

[Crease]

During the regular season or the playoffs?

Throughout the entire year, including playoffs. But if you need distinguish the regular season and playoffs, feel free.

 

[Machinehead]

The worst is that we traded Gartner

 

[Maximus]

The worst is that we traded Gartner

Yeah that blew chunks when that deal went down. Messier obviously wanted him gone which is a shame cause I truly believe with Gartner, we still would have won the Cup. I mean sure we got Glenn Anderson in return as that's who Messier wanted but still, Garts was a big part of that team. We won the Cup tho so I guess Messier was right but still.....

 

[Machinehead]

Yeah I feel like we would have won the Cup anyway and we robbed Gartner of what would have been the only trophy he ever won, team or individual.

Has to be the greatest player of all time without a trophy.

 

[Crease]

Yeah I feel like we would have won the Cup anyway and we robbed Gartner of what would have been the only trophy he ever won, team or individual.

Has to be the greatest player of all time without a trophy.

Dionne and Ovechkin IMHO.

 

[Machinehead]

Dionne and Ovechkin IMHO.

They won individual trophies.

Gartner literally has NOTHING on his shelves as a professional player. Not even a postseason all-star selection.

It's one of the more bizarre hockey facts because he was such a great player.

 

[Maximus]

For those that remember well enough, who were the 3 best and 3 worst players on the 1993-94 team?

My stab at it:

Messier
Leetch
Zubov

Wells
Gilbert
Lidster

The top 2 are easy

Messier and Leetch there is no debating there. The final spot is between Zubov and Graves for me. I think I lean slightly to Zubov as he was so under the radar yet so dynamic as a dman. Graves was for most part a product of playing with Messier but he sure was great that year. So like you...

Messier
Leetch
Zubov

The bottom 3 is actually pretty easy:

Nick Krypreos i still don't see how even played in the NHL let alone on our Cup winning team. He couldn't do anything well. He wasn't even a good fighter and that's what his job was to do which was to agitate people. It still bothers to me to this day that Glen Healy was Richter's backup. He sucked something fierce and to me he was an Islander and always will be an Islander. It's painful to know his name is on the Cup. And finally, I'll go with Greg Gilbert as well.He really did alot of nothing for us back than. A 4th liner who not sure how he got to play in the NHL for as long as he did as well. So there ya have it.

Kypreos
Healy
Gilbert

 

[Machinehead]

Anyway, I mostly agree.

My 3 best - Leetch, Zubov, Graves. I know Mess is Mess, but let's face it, Mess had better years as a Ranger. Zubov and Graves had career years and Leetch won the Conn Smythe.

Two of the worst would definitely be Wells and Gilbert. They were just bodies. Game was different back then. You could have guys who were just bodies cause there was less emphasis on "rolling four lines" at the time.

Now I was a little guy at the time but looking back, I feel like we were too hard on Lidster, whereas Kevin Lowe is always a guy I've had serious doubts about.

Probably just the advanced statistician in me. And no I don't have stats, but it's just a hunch based on play styles.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

They won individual trophies.

Gartner literally has NOTHING on his shelves as a professional player. Not even a postseason all-star selection.

It's one of the more bizarre hockey facts because he was such a great player.

He wasn't that great. As a pure goal scorer he finished top 10 in goals 5 times never finishing > 5.

5, 9, 9, 9, 10

For points, he was 10th, once.

His totals are inflated in the era he played in. He was consistent and longevity but was never an elite player.

 

[cwede]

The worst is that we traded Gartner

yell at me if you like, but i feel worse about trading, and denying a Cup,
to Jeep and Turc over Gartner

Gilbert was a zero, but not negative, played hockey better than Kocur
as with Wells, he just did his job with few highlights or lowlights

I don't have a personal worst on that team,
but i think Noonan was overrated, he was a Keenan guy though

and never saw much in Mike Hartman, Mike Hudson, Peter Andersson or Phil Bourque

too bad Amonte had to be moved
i think about that when HFB trade proposals include Kreider, Miller, Buch

 

[Roo Returns]

There really wasn't a worst of 94. Everyone contributed. Lidster was huge in Game 6 ECF when Beuk was out, and again in the SCF with that huge goal.

Wells played a steady third pair with Karpotsev or Lidster. All the Black Aces gave good minutes when they were called upon.

 

[Maximus]

yell at me if you like, but i feel worse about trading, and denying a Cup,
to Jeep and Turc over Gartner

Gilbert was a zero, but not negative, played hockey better than Kocur
as with Wells, he just did his job with few highlights or lowlights

I don't have a personal worst on that team,
but i think Noonan was overrated, he was a Keenan guy though

and never saw much in Mike Hartman, Mike Hudson, Peter Andersson or Phil Bourque

too bad Amonte had to be moved
i think about that when HFB trade proposals include Kreider, Miller, Buch

Agreed about being bummed at time that Amonte was dealt to Chicago. I recall saying the guy was going to end up being a stud and he kind of was for awhile potting 35 goals a year for a long time. That said, the additions of Larmer,Matteau and Noonan were tremendous pickups by Smith. We don't win the Cup withought those three so giving up Amonte was a necessary evil.

 

[Machinehead]

Feel like we kind of got lucky in a certain way.

We were the best team in the league, made huge changes for all the wrong reasons, and stayed the best team in the league.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Yeah that blew chunks when that deal went down. Messier obviously wanted him gone which is a shame cause I truly believe with Gartner, we still would have won the Cup. I mean sure we got Glenn Anderson in return as that's who Messier wanted but still, Garts was a big part of that team. We won the Cup tho so I guess Messier was right but still.....

Messier had nothing to do with it--Keenan hated Gartner. Thought he was soft and was a lousy playoff performer. Keenan had Smith trade every player he didn't like and Smith was desperate to get the franchise a Stanley Cup.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

There really wasn't a worst of 94. Everyone contributed. Lidster was huge in Game 6 ECF when Beuk was out, and again in the SCF with that huge goal.

Wells played a steady third pair with Karpotsev or Lidster. All the Black Aces gave good minutes when they were called upon.

Exactly, it was team effort. That's another reason why it was so special.

 

[Leetch66]

All I know is that I followed them from 1970 and the day they won the Cup....they were all GODS in my eyes and the last thing I want to do is disrespect any guys that were part of that TEAM whether they played 10 seconds in the playoffs or ran for water and bandages...no such thing in my eyes as a bad player ...everybody had roles....some were needed and fortunately some not as much .

 

[One Winged Angel]

Best: Messier, Leetch, Zubov

Worst: Wells, Gilbert, Anderson

They traded Gartner for Anderson and Anderson did nothing in the playoffs. He was a passenger on a line with Messier and Graves.

The Rangers had an immaculate record against the Devils with Gartner during the regular season. The goal differential was massive as well.

 

[Mandar]

Best: Messier, Leetch, Zubov

Worst: Wells, Gilbert, Anderson

They traded Gartner for Anderson and Anderson did nothing in the playoffs. He was a passenger on a line with Messier and Graves.

The Rangers had an immaculate record against the Devils with Gartner during the regular season. The goal differential was massive as well.

So true about Anderson....he did nothing when he came to us.

 

[Bob Richards]

Leetch puting up 34 points in the post season.

I know its a different era and all but that is ridiculous to me. Especially as a defenseman.

He remained the only American to win a Conn Smythe for awhile too no? Until we had that streak of Thomas, Quick and Kane.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Leetch puting up 34 points in the post season.

I know its a different era and all but that is ridiculous to me. Especially as a defenseman.

He remained the only American to win a Conn Smythe for awhile too no? Until we had that streak of Thomas, Quick and Kane.

Leetch was the first American to win a Conn Smythe--pretty sure the first non-Canadian as well.

He was absolutely amazing.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

For those that remember well enough, who were the 3 best and 3 worst players on the 1993-94 team?

My stab at it:

Messier
Leetch
Zubov

Wells
Gilbert
Lidster

Leetch
Graves
Messier

Hartman
Kypreos
Olczyk

 

[Steve Kournianos]

You guys are undervaluing Gilbert. Guy played in over 100 playoff games before he came in and gave you the same effort night in and night out. Even Hudson had some key moments.

And Anderson scored 2 GWG in the Finals. You take that over Gartner 1000/1000. Gartner in his career was a big fat zero in the postseason.