Messier admits the 1994 Cup winning goal wasn't his

JT Kreider

FIRE GORDIE CLARK
Dec 24, 2010
16,903
15,463
NYC
I’m don’t think “I didn’t even know if I did hit the puck, didn’t hit the puck. Probably Noonan should’ve gotten credit” is a statement to lay this to rest.

The thread title is very misleading to what he actually said.

"It probably should have been credited to Brian Noonan" is as close as you're going to get from Messier who isn't exactly great with words
 

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
Yes, Glenn Anderson would have dragged Toronto there kicking and screaming.

He's one of the best playoff performers of all time. I'm not sure what was going on that year, but by the last 2 rounds he turned on. Also, he still was very aggressive that entire play-offs.

Furthermore, Toronto lost to the Canucks in the WCF, and Anderson had 18 points in 21 games while playing for Toronto when they went to 7 games against Gretzky's kings.

The trade looked less plausible in hind site on a pure point basis. Anderson had always been a better playoff performer than Gartner ever was, and even when he wasn’t scoring much for the first 2 rounds in 94, he still brought a huge physical dynamic to the team which Gartner severely lacked.

The fact is a better Rangers team with Gartner in 1992 could not go the distance , yet a more physical team in 94 could.

That Jersey series was a nightmare.

It was not a bad trade.
 
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Steve Kournianos

@thedraftanalyst
This is fair. Gartner for Anderson made less sense.

Keenan never liked Gartner. I think it was from the 1987 Canada Cup and Gartner getting pushed around by the bigger Flyers when he was on the Caps.

I spoke to Keenan offline in 2001 about the 1994 deadline when he was the coach for Boston and I was working for Ticker. He said something along the lines of "We weren't balanced."

If you watched Anderson in the 1990 and 1993 playoffs, he was really aggressive and played tough. Keenan lost to Anderson in 1987 with Philly and 1990 with the Hawks, and was in the division with him in 1993.

I had no problem with the trades at the deadline, especially after they got smoked at home by the Hawks on ESPN. They hit the west coast after the moves and went on a great streak.
 

Boris Zubov

No relation to Sergei, Joe
May 6, 2016
17,286
23,220
Back on the east coast
He's one of the best playoff performers of all time. I'm not sure what was going on that year, but by the last 2 rounds he turned on. Also, he still was very aggressive that entire play-offs.

Furthermore, Toronto lost to the Canucks in the WCF, and Anderson had 18 points in 21 games while playing for Toronto when they went to 7 games against Gretzky's kings.

The trade looked less plausible in hind site on a pure point basis. Anderson had always been a better playoff performer than Gartner ever was, and even when he wasn’t scoring much for the first 2 rounds in 94, he still brought a huge physical dynamic to the team which Gartner severely lacked.

The fact is a better Rangers team with Gartner in 1992 could not go the distance , yet a more physical team in 94 could.

That Jersey series was a nightmare.

It was not a bad trade.

I'm not sure the '92 team was "better" than the Cup team, but they were certainly more entertaining. They took the league by storm after the Messier trade & were an extremely fast skating team with a very high powered offense. And they were also a very tough team up & down the roster. Their biggest weakness was on D. After Leetch & Beuk, the bottom 2 pairs were very pedestrian.

The team was still good enough to win it all that year. They should've won it all. My biggest disappointment to date as a Ranger fan was the 2nd round exit to the Pens that year. That Ron Francis goal was one of the darkest moments of the franchise during the Cup drought. If not the darkest moment. We had a 2 goal lead halfway through the third period & up to that point the Pens were almost lifeless. If we had won that game, we go up 3-1 in the series & there's no doubt in my mind we lift the Cup.
 

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
I'm not sure the '92 team was "better" than the Cup team, but they were certainly more entertaining. They took the league by storm after the Messier trade & were an extremely fast skating team with a very high powered offense. And they were also a very tough team up & down the roster. Their biggest weakness was on D. After Leetch & Beuk, the bottom 2 pairs were very pedestrian.

The team was still good enough to win it all that year. They should've won it all. My biggest disappointment to date as a Ranger fan was the 2nd round exit to the Pens that year. That Ron Francis goal was one of the darkest moments of the franchise during the Cup drought. If not the darkest moment. We had a 2 goal lead halfway through the third period & up to that point the Pens were almost lifeless. If we had won that game, we go up 3-1 in the series & there's no doubt in my mind we lift the Cup.

Younger, more talented, yet Roger Nielsen softer.

The trades and the coach change saved the widow. As well as not be disgraced until this day.
 

CHGoalie27

Don't blame the goalie!
Oct 5, 2009
15,854
2,887
SoFLA

50:16

It either hits McIntyre's Glove or hits Graves stick and I gotta say when I'm rapidly hitting pause/play...(EDIT: there's an option to watch it at x 0.25 speed)

It looks like it's clearly Adam Graves that scored our Stanley Cup winning goal. And it was so nasty that few (NOT INCLUDING ME) knew what they saw.

Good on Noonan for not saying shit!!!!
 
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tradenashnow

Registered User
Feb 17, 2018
949
459
well the thing that it would have changed is that if brian noonan is credited with the cup winning goal he would be right next to matteau in NYR legendary status

doesn't really matter but i like that he acknowledge it

A blind dog in a meat factory could see it wasn't Messier's goal. Never understood why they didn't change it.
 

blood gin

Registered User
Jan 17, 2017
4,174
2,203
Agree. He’s probably not even bald.

WP “Messiah”

fwiw it's strange Messiers dad and all of his brothers and cousin, even to this day have full heads of hair. Messier lost all his early. No other male in that family has lost a strand it seems
 

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
fwiw it's strange Messiers dad and all of his brothers and cousin, even to this day have full heads of hair. Messier lost all his early. No other male in that family has lost a strand it seems

Or so he claims...

The admission of not scoring the Noonan goal really opened up a whole can of worms.
 

HFBS

Noted Troublemaker
Jan 18, 2015
2,113
2,025
I haven't watched it in a long time but I watched it very carefully at one point not long after it happened and I was convinced that one of the Canuck defensemen accidentally punched it in with his glove and Messier never touched it. I was pretty sure it was Noonan's goal but having it forever be a mystery is as fitting as it could be. In fact, I think our collective will as forever Ranger fans knocked it in.
 

CHGoalie27

Don't blame the goalie!
Oct 5, 2009
15,854
2,887
SoFLA

50:16

It either hits McIntyre's Glove or hits Graves stick and I gotta say when I'm rapidly hitting pause/play...(EDIT: there's an option to watch it at x 0.25 speed)

It looks like it's clearly Adam Graves that scored our Stanley Cup winning goal. And it was so nasty that few (NOT INCLUDING ME) knew what they saw.

Good on Noonan for not saying ****!!!!

@ReggieDunlop68
I now have a screen shot with AG's stickblade against the puck. No idea how to get it uploaded here from the phone...
 

CHGoalie27

Don't blame the goalie!
Oct 5, 2009
15,854
2,887
SoFLA
So you are saying Messier knew it was Graves , but he said it was Noonan because Graves had hair when “The Captain” broke the curse ?
No, Id much sooner think Messier like me and everyone else, thought it bounced off the glove without reason to think otherwise.

Like I said I thought it was Noonan for 24 years until I opened this thread...but here's the trick- instead of dismiss it, i looked again. For the 10000 and 1st unexaggerated time.
 

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
No, Id much sooner think Messier like me and everyone else, thought it bounced off the glove without reason to think otherwise.

Like I said I thought it was Noonan for 24 years until I opened this thread...but here's the trick- instead of dismiss it, i looked again. For the 10000 and 1st unexaggerated time.

Idk what to believe anymore.
 

Tawnos

A guy with a bass
Sep 10, 2004
28,820
10,397
Charlotte, NC
I haven't watched it in a long time but I watched it very carefully at one point not long after it happened and I was convinced that one of the Canuck defensemen accidentally punched it in with his glove and Messier never touched it. I was pretty sure it was Noonan's goal but having it forever be a mystery is as fitting as it could be. In fact, I think our collective will as forever Ranger fans knocked it in.

Messier’s comments don’t change the fact that no one knows and will ever know. Only false certainty exists.

And from my point of view, the fact that no one knows means I need to choose other criteria for what I believe. Messier scored that goal... because that’s the best version of the story of 1994.
 

CHGoalie27

Don't blame the goalie!
Oct 5, 2009
15,854
2,887
SoFLA
Messier’s comments don’t change the fact that no one knows and will ever know. Only false certainty exists.

And from my point of view, the fact that no one knows means I need to choose other criteria for what I believe. Messier scored that goal... because that’s the best version of the story of 1994.
My fellow bassman, please check my last couple posts.
 

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