STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Round One
Pittsburgh Penguins
vs.
New York Rangers
I've been having flashbacks and recurring nightmares about the 1991-1992 playoffs for a week now.
That team was exciting, featuring several holdovers like Mike Gartner, John Vandbiesbrouck, Darren Turcotte, James Patrick, and John Ogrodnick. But new Rangers were being planted in the Garden, like Jeff Beukeboom, Tony Amonte, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, Mike Richter, and league MVP Mark Messier. The Rangers posted a 50-25-5 (105 points) that season and claimed the Presidents' Trophy.
This year's team posted a 52-24-6 (110 points) record. Like the 91-92 team who had a young goalie named Mike Ritcher, this team has Igor Shesterkin, and like Adam Graves, who in 1994 scored 52 goals, this team has Chris Kreider, who did the same. Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin are this team's Brian Leetch and Messier.
In the first round of the 91-92 playoffs, the Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils in seven, then faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in round two, just as this team will do beginning Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden.
During game two of that series, Adam Graves earned a four-game suspension for administering a two-handed slash to the left wrist of Mario Lemieux. The Rangers lost that series in six games.
Sidney Crosby was mentored by Mario Lemieux.
You know where I'm going with this ...
Mario is probably on the phone at this very minute instructing his hockey padawan.
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