3. 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 5
SCORE!!! THE STANLEY CUP!!! MARTINEZ!!!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Yes, the worst.
You may be surprised that this game is not higher on the list, but you have to remember that there were little to no expectations that the Rangers would make a deep playoff run in 2014.
The Rangers had just traded away their captain, Ryan Callahan, for an aging Martin St. Louis who had only scored one goal in 19 regular season games.
Most fans were just hoping for the Blueshirts to make it out of the first round, much less make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Yet there they were, facing the Los Angeles Kings in an East Coast, West Coast showdown.
It was an amazing time in New York City.
For the first time since 1994 all of the radio stations and talk shows were devoting their time to everything that was New York Rangers hockey.
People were wearing Rangers jerseys in 90 degree weather folks who had never watched a hockey game in their lives were talking about the Rangers.
The buzz was palatable.
Outside of Game 3, which was basically a 3-0 LA blowout, each game was a nail bitter.
The Rangers eventually faced elimination in Game 5, which was the third game in the series to be decided in overtime and the second to go to double overtime.
The rebound that Hank kicked out to Alec Martinez seemed to move in slow motion, as most fans knew the game was over as soon as they saw the puck find Martinez’s stick.
2014 was an amazing journey, but that goal will be burned into our collective memory for quite some time.
