NEW YORK -- From the moment Mark Messier came to the New York Rangers in 1991, he knew he was expected to lead the team to its first Stanley Cup championship in more than 50 years.
"There was no escaping the pressure of 1940," Messier said about the last year the Rangers had won the Cup. "Coming here and understanding what the Original Six franchise was and this history, there was no escaping it. The pressure was real, from the fans, the organization."
Messier accomplished the task in 1994 as the Rangers ended their 54-year title drought by outlasting the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.