Mark Messier #11 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
What happened on July 13 in the history of the New York Rangers
For many fans of the New York Rangers, the reason for the longest playoff drought in franchise history was the departure of Mark Messier on July 30, 1997. The dream combination of Messier and Wayne Gretzky had gotten the Blueshirts to the Conference Finals where they lost the Philadelphia Flyers. Things were looking good for the Rangers’ future and boom, Mark Messier became a Vancouver Canuck.