May 24, 2012, New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils Game 6 advance for Metro Newspaper in NYC
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BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES
Martin Brodeur is the only player left from the 1994 series.
If you’re looking for a guarantee from this year’s Rangers team, you won’t get it.
Mark Messier’s guarantee before Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference
finals is irrelevant to a Rangers team that finds itself in a 3-2 series
hole going into a win-or-the-season-ends match in New Jersey, exactly
like the captain’s squad did 18 years ago.
But both sides dismissed the subject as wholly unrelated to this series when it was raised Thursday.
“Not to disrespect what happened, but that has nothing to do with how we’re preparing, I guess, is the best way to put it,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said.
“Not to disrespect what happened, but that has nothing to do with how we’re preparing, I guess, is the best way to put it,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said.
The only player on either team that played in the 1994 series is Martin
Brodeur. Then, like now, he was the Devils’ starting goaltender.
“I don’t even think about ‘94. In ‘94 I still had hair. It was that long
ago. That plays no part in what we’re doing,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer
said. “Part of it is [Brodeur] is very impressive. He’s an impressive
guy. He’s calm. He's been there before, and he’s a calming influence on
our team and in our dressing room. That’s why he’s the best of
all-time.”
“I don’t see anything that is similar,” Brodeur said. “I know if you
guys look at it, it looks the same. But it’s different teams and a
different way of playing the game. That’s 18 years ago. That’s a long
time. I know I’m feeling a lot different. I’m feeling a lot more
appreciative of what’s going on.”
“Before, the Rangers were a good team when they beat us. We were not
supposed to compete with them at all in ‘94. They made these trades and
they had all these big guys at the end, and they pulled it off in a
dramatic way,” Brodeur said. “But this time around, we feel we can play
with them. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable going into these
games coming up.”
The first five games of the series have supported Brodeur’s argument.
Even though both teams have scored 12 goals apiece in the series, it has
been the Devils who have the better of play throughout. The Rangers
have been bothered by the ferocity of the Devils’ forecheck, and have
been forced to play defense for long stretches.
Yet the Rangers are confident going into tonight’s match because of the
way they dominated the Devils in Game 5. The Rangers held onto pucks and
consistently forechecked for the first time in the series.
“I think we found our game last night, and I think that was mostly a
mindset,” Tortorella said. “We played more on our toes. We played to who
we are. We have to do that tomorrow.”
Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1144049--rangers-not-making-any-guarantees
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 9:45 PM
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