Sir Fenwick Corsi
NJ Lottery PICK-3
Early 90s we couldn't get past a stacked Pitts team or the Rags because of shoddy goaltending by Terreri and when a Boschman goal was taken away vs Pitts in a Game 6. When it should have counted.
94 was lost when we just couldn't get that 3rd goal vs Richter in the 2nd period in Game 6.
He stood on his head but we also didn't shoot well and finish around 8 glorious prime chances.
We go up 3-0 and the Rags don't come back.
Marty melted in the 3rd period too but he was outstanding for a rookie that series.
Messier gets all the praise but Richter was the difference and the only reason the Rangers survived game 6. I don't even think it's debatable. Seriously, that Rangers team was dead in the water. And this is not even taking anything away from Brodeur as he had a great series as well. Richter was just a wall in that game after NJ went up 2-0. He would not relent. Had the Devils had a little more seasoning and big game experience at that time, I think they finish the job. I just look back at it as a necessary step the team needed to go through before making that final jump to champion.
Whatever the case, 93/94 was my first year following the team and that was a really fun team. I didn't experience the lean years prior but you could just tell how big winning game 7 against Buffalo was to the franchise and the fans. That crowd was going absolutely nuts after NJ clinched the series. Fun times. Everything after that was gravy.