Remembering the 1995-96 New York Rangers

[Boris Zubov]

Ferraro and Verbeek were so good for us. So dumb trading them away. Ideal guys. We need guys like that right now, still, fwiw.

Verbeek actually walked as a free agent the summer we signed Gretzky. We should have signed both of them, as Verbeek was exactly the type of player that 96-97 team could've used in the playoffs. He & Messier had such great chemistry during his short run with us. It worked out for him though as he won the Cup with Dallas in '99.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Verbeek actually walked as a free agent the summer we signed Gretzky. We should have signed both of them, as Verbeek was exactly the type of player that 96-97 team could've used in the playoffs. He & Messier had such great chemistry during his short run with us. It worked out for him though as he won the Cup with Dallas in '99.

shame the Rangers never traded for Coffey to rebuild the 80’s Oilers minus the goalies

Gretzky, Messier, Andersson, Kurri, McTavish, McSorley, Lowe, Tikkanen, Muckler, Sather . . . besides Coffey i think the rest had retired lol.

 

[Boris Zubov]

shame the Rangers never traded for Coffey to rebuild the 80’s Oilers minus the goalies

Gretzky, Messier, Andersson, Kurri, McTavish, McSorley, Lowe, Tikkanen, Muckler, Sather . . . besides Coffey i think the rest had retired lol.

This might be unpopular, but I wasn't in favor of bringing the Great One on board that summer. I thought it was more of a Steinbrenner move to sell tickets & merch than an actual hockey move. Don't get me wrong he was great in his stint here, but the team was basically cooked in his 2nd season here & started to circle the drain in year 3.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

We’re reliving a bad memory? Really?

You with think as Ranger Fans we wouldn’t have to go far for our misery, yet here we are.

 

[Leetch 94]

I remember there were rumors Gretzky was going to be traded to us that deadline instead of St. Louis. I was stoked for that season. Leetch and Richter came off the brilliant World Cup for Team USA and it was our first full season since winning the Stanley Cup. Trading Ferraro was a huge mistake. We could've used his experience against Pittsburgh too in the 2nd Round. Messier came so close to 50 goals but missed the last few games of the season.

 

[Fansince1992]

I remember there were rumors Gretzky was going to be traded to us that deadline instead of St. Louis. I was stoked for that season. Leetch and Richter came off the brilliant World Cup for Team USA and it was our first full season since winning the Stanley Cup. Trading Ferraro was a huge mistake. We could've used his experience against Pittsburgh too in the 2nd Round. Messier came so close to 50 goals but missed the last few games of the season.

Yes I still remember the back pages of the Daily News showing Gretzky holding up the cup in a Rangers Jersey. It was that close to getting done. Then I heard the Kings owner say there is no trade of Gretzky to the Rangers. Next thing I remember was a trade with the Blues.

 

[Leetch 94]

Yes I still remember the back pages of the Daily News showing Gretzky holding up the cup in a Rangers Jersey. It was that close to getting done. Then I heard the Kings owner say there is no trade of Gretzky to the Rangers. Next thing I remember was a trade with the Blues.

Gretzky on the 96 Rangers with Verbeek and Ferraro still there and we beat Pittsburgh in my opinion. Probably make the Final.

 

[yada]

Whenever you hear ferraro talk about messier and the usual great leader aura of messier, ferraro doesnt give that same glowing talk. He does not bash messier but he really stops from saying much more then messier was a great player.

I think messier did not like ferraro and there was always tension resulting in ferraro getting traded. Messier is a player we all love but he certainly has a reputation of influencing management and throwing a tantrum. 93 messier sulked and got the coach fired and when he went to Vancouver during his early years there he was too close with Keenan and management.

 

[mrhockey193195]

shame the Rangers never traded for Coffey to rebuild the 80’s Oilers minus the goalies

Gretzky, Messier, Andersson, Kurri, McTavish, McSorley, Lowe, Tikkanen, Muckler, Sather . . . besides Coffey i think the rest had retired lol.

I started a HOH thread on that premise a while back: Players who surprisingly DIDN'T play for a team

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Such a fun season for about 3/4 of it. Richter’s injury in Edmonton was the first major stumbling block.

If Richter was as good against the Pens as he was for Team USA a few months later, they beat Florida and go to the Cup.

Kurri had some big moments in the Montreal series. Same with Robitaille.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Verbeek actually walked as a free agent the summer we signed Gretzky. We should have signed both of them, as Verbeek was exactly the type of player that 96-97 team could've used in the playoffs. He & Messier had such great chemistry during his short run with us. It worked out for him though as he won the Cup with Dallas in '99.

And IIRC, Verbeek was acquired from Hartford for a 1995 1st that became J.S. Giguere.

 

[Hitch16]

Gretzky on the 96 Rangers with Verbeek and Ferraro still there and we beat Pittsburgh in my opinion. Probably make the Final.

I wonder what the Gretzky trade would look like? Ferraro, LaFayette, Laperriere, and Norstrom were the pieces that went in the Kurri, McSorely, Churla trade. I really loved that team pre-trade. I even grown to like Sergio Momesso who was one of the unlikable Canuks from 94. I thought Ferraro was a terrific 2nd line center and I know hindsight, Norstrom and Laperriere would have been great long term.

 

[Baby Punisher]

That was the first season I started buying my own tickets and split season tickets with 3 other people. 2 seats in section 328 on the aisle. Messier was on a misson. Once he got hurt and the trade happened the team was all screwed up. My recollection of that season's trade rumors was that Gretzky was available, Smith wanted him, nealry had him, missed out on him, panicked, and made this horrible trade. Churla was a waste. McSorley was miscast in his role and Kurri was at the end of his career. There was no reason to make a trade like that. There was no need for all 3 of those players. Maybe Kurri, Maybe McSorley, and not get fleeced in the process. When that trade was announced everyone hated it. All that talent given away again, f0r virtually nothing and no way to replace it. It was a trade for trades sake. I always found it odd they didn't re-sign Verbeek. They let a 40 plus goal guy walk away for nothing and he kept scoring goals for Dallas and won a cup. Had Smith picked up Gretzky we probably get to the SCF.

 

[NYRfan11]

This was my 1st season as a fan. It was November 21, 1995, in our BK apt. The way I remember it, I was constantly sick as a 7 year old (got my tonsils out a month later). My dad had been a hockey fan back in the USSR, was flipping around channels, we started watching the Rangers game and I fell in love immediately. Mess, Leetch, Kovy, Graves, Richter vs. Lemieux, Jags, Nedved, Zubov. Rangers 9, Penguins 4 - what a first game for me. Was rooting for them to get to 10. Still wear my Kovy 27 these days to the Garden.

I've been looking for the tape of that game last few years - was hoping they would show it on MSG last year during COVID when they had random regular season games from the past.

I've only watched the '94 games about a million times, and obviously regret on one hand that I just missed the Cup - but feel really lucky to have started during the 95-96 season, still experience that team in their prime, along with 96-97 Mess & Gretz before the Dark Ages. Getting started as a fan then would have been tough.

 

[patnyrnyg]

This might be unpopular, but I wasn't in favor of bringing the Great One on board that summer. I thought it was more of a Steinbrenner move to sell tickets & merch than an actual hockey move. Don't get me wrong he was great in his stint here, but the team was basically cooked in his 2nd season here & started to circle the drain in year 3.

Rangers were selling out every game on the first day of the public onsale back then. They didnt need Gretzky to sell tickets.

 

[patnyrnyg]

I will go to my grave saying the trade of Laperriere (sp?) Norstrom, and Ferraro for Churla, Kurri, and McSorley was one of the top-2 worst trades in my lifetime. (Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley for Bobby Carpenter being the other). They had 2 lines that were flying. Graves-Mess-Verbeek and Robitaille-Ferraro-Kovalev. They were in 1st place for most of the season. Messier thought they weren't physical enough to compete with the Devils and Flyers in the play-offs. Devils didn't make the play-offs, they lost the division to the Flyers and the Pens skated circles around them in the 2nd round. I knew it was over when they got smoked 8-2 by the Pens on ESPN on Sunday Night in late March. That was without Lemieux playing. Think the Pens scored on 5 straight shots and were ahead 7-0 after 2 periods. No, they were not playing football.

 

[patnyrnyg]

This was my 1st season as a fan. It was November 21, 1995, in our BK apt. The way I remember it, I was constantly sick as a 7 year old (got my tonsils out a month later). My dad had been a hockey fan back in the USSR, was flipping around channels, we started watching the Rangers game and I fell in love immediately. Mess, Leetch, Kovy, Graves, Richter vs. Lemieux, Jags, Nedved, Zubov. Rangers 9, Penguins 4 - what a first game for me. Was rooting for them to get to 10. Still wear my Kovy 27 these days to the Garden.

I've been looking for the tape of that game last few years - was hoping they would show it on MSG last year during COVID when they had random regular season games from the past.

I've only watched the '94 games about a million times, and obviously regret on one hand that I just missed the Cup - but feel really lucky to have started during the 95-96 season, still experience that team in their prime, along with 96-97 Mess & Gretz before the Dark Ages. Getting started as a fan then would have been tough.

Check youtube from time to time and you might find that game.

 

[Fansince1992]

I will go to my grave saying the trade of Laperriere (sp?) Norstrom, and Ferraro for Churla, Kurri, and McSorley was one of the top-2 worst trades in my lifetime. (Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley for Bobby Carpenter being the other). They had 2 lines that were flying. Graves-Mess-Verbeek and Robitaille-Ferraro-Kovalev. They were in 1st place for most of the season. Messier thought they weren't physical enough to compete with the Devils and Flyers in the play-offs. Devils didn't make the play-offs, they lost the division to the Flyers and the Pens skated circles around them in the 2nd round. I knew it was over when they got smoked 8-2 by the Pens on ESPN on Sunday Night in late March. That was without Lemieux playing. Think the Pens scored on 5 straight shots and were ahead 7-0 after 2 periods. No, they were not playing football.

 

[cwede]

I will go to my grave saying the trade of Laperriere (sp?) Norstrom, and Ferraro for Churla, Kurri, and McSorley was one of the top-2 worst trades in my lifetime. (Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley for Bobby Carpenter being the other).....

yep terrible
and i envy you not having to live with Middleton racking up ~1000 points in Bruins uni
when smaller bad deals, like Enver Lisin, Eric Staal or Graves<>Bigras, have gotten me agitated, i remind myself things have been worse ...

 

[patnyrnyg]

yep terrible
and i envy you not having to live with Middleton racking up ~1000 points in Bruins uni
when smaller bad deals, like Enver Lisin, Eric Staal or Graves<>Bigras, have gotten me agitated, i remind myself things have been worse ...

Too young for the Middleton and Park trades (Always thought they were traded together. Learned about 2 years ago it was 2 different trades). I can't get too worked up about Ryan Graves as it was looking like he was never going to play here. Let's see how he does with the Devils. FWIW, the analytics people seem to think he just rode Makar's coattails.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

Here’s a full game from that season, it’s cool watching these 90s games with JD and Sam and classic MSG Network as well:

 

[cwede]

Too young for the Middleton and Park trades (Always thought they were traded together. Learned about 2 years ago it was 2 different trades). I can't get too worked up about Ryan Graves as it was looking like he was never going to play here. Let's see how he does with the Devils. FWIW, the analytics people seem to think he just rode Makar's coattails.

the Park/Ratelle<>Espo/Vadnais deal was upsetting to loyal fans, but not hockey-stupid,
Espo got us to the '79 Finals,
... before becoming THE MOST IMPULSIVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE GM IN NYR HISTORY

folks here damning Sather, Gorton, Smith, or now 23, have forgotten, or blissfully never knew, how insanely unpredictable and reckless GM Espo was
IF these boards existed then, they'd have blown up monthly

 

[Maximus]

Here’s a full game from that season, it’s cool watching these 90s with JD and Sam and classic MSG Network as well:

Watched a little of it but yes...definitely gives you the feel again of mid 90's Ranger and Flyer hockey.

MSG should go back to that classic theme song as well...good stuff!

 

[Fansince1992]

I remember a weekend game against the Red Wings at the Garden on a Friday night. A Detroit player was playing with an illegal stick. Rangers waited till the end of regulation to signal to the refs. Rangers ended up winning on the PP in OT

 

[Good Intentions]

No, you're spot on, it was Goneau. He went on a huge hot streak then supposedly got really arrogant, taking things for granted & coasted during practice, etc. The veterans didn't put up with his antics & he was banished to the minors, basically forever.

Can you imagine how unprofessional he must have been? As you said, literally banished. (autocorrects to ‘vanished’ which works as well). Permanently banished and vanished.

Goneau later played in the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the United Hockey League, before retiring in 2008. He also played in the United Kingdom for the Bracknell Bees during the 2001–02 season, achieving 15 points in as many games.[3]