Editing Mark Messier (section)

===New York Rangers (1991–1997)===
In his first season with the Rangers, Messier won his second Hart Trophy and guided the Rangers to the best record in the NHL.  However, they were ousted in six games in the second round of the playoffs by the eventual champions [[Pittsburgh Penguins]].

In 1992–93, the Rangers missed the playoffs, and was the first time in Messier's career that he did not play in the postseason. After the season, [[Mike Keenan]] was hired as head coach.

In the [[1993–94 NHL season]], the Rangers rebounded to once again finish first overall, and this time were expected to win the Cup. After easily ousting the Islanders and Capitals in the first two rounds, the Rangers' road to the Cup would get a lot harder.

Down 3–2 and 2–0 in game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the [[Devils–Rangers rivalry|rival]] [[New Jersey Devils]], Messier confronted the New York media and publicly guaranteed a Game 6 victory. With fans and players on both sides reading the news headline, it then became a feat comparable to [[Babe Ruth's called shot]] and [[Joe Namath]]'s [[Super Bowl III]] guarantee, and he backed it up by scoring a [[natural hat trick]] in the third period on an empty net goal with [[ESPN National Hockey Night|ESPN]] play-by-play commentator [[Gary Thorne]] boasting, "Do you believe it? Do you believe it? He said we will win game six and he has just picked up the hat trick!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dodd |first=Rustin |title=The Comeback, No. 27: Mark Messier guarantees a Rangers win in Game 6 |work=The New York Times |url=https://theathletic.com/1972394/2020/08/13/the-comeback-no-27-mark-messier-guarantees-a-rangers-win-in-game-6/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Borden |first=Sam |date=May 24, 2012 |title=The Magic of Messier, Embodied by a Third-Period Hat Trick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/sports/hockey/flashing-back-to-mark-messiers-magical-game-6.html |access-date=March 25, 2024 |website=[[New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jr |first=Tom Urtz |title=22 of the Most Memorable Calls in Hockey History |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1333824-22-of-the-most-memorable-calls-in-hockey-history |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref> It helped the Rangers erase a 2–0 deficit to win 4–2. The Rangers went on to win the series in a thrilling seventh game double overtime nailbiter.<ref name="1994Game7">{{cite news |last=LaPointe |first=Joe |date=May 28, 1994 |title=2 Overtimes Later, It's a Final and It's the Rangers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/28/sports/hockey-2-overtimes-later-it-s-a-final-and-it-s-the-rangers.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm |access-date=June 5, 2011 |newspaper=New York Times |page=27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McGourty |first=John |date=June 11, 2009 |title=Keenan knows Game 7 pressure |url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=425396 |accessdate=October 22, 2010 |website=NHL.com |publisher=NHL Enterprises, L. P.}}</ref>

In the [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]], Messier scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, giving the Rangers [[Curse of 1940|their first Stanley Cup in 54 years]]. He became the first (and to this date, the only) player to captain two teams to the Stanley Cup, something his former teammate Wayne Gretzky could not do [[1993 Stanley Cup Finals|the year before]], and provided two of the most memorable images of that Stanley Cup Finals. First, when the buzzer sounded he was jumping up and down with overwhelming emotion as ticker tape fell; fireworks burst and fans and teammates celebrated. The other, which would become an iconic image to the Rangers and their fans, taken by [[George Kalinsky]], photographer at [[Madison Square Garden]], showing incredible emotion as he accepted the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner [[Gary Bettman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msg50.com/moment.jsp?moment_id=61|title=The Rangers win The Cup – 06/14/1994|publisher=MSG Media|access-date=July 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131100914/http://msg50.com/moment.jsp?moment_id=61|archive-date=January 31, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgekalinsky.com/images/team/index5.html|title=GeorgeKalinsky.com::Images::Team Sports|publisher=GeorgeKalinsky.com|access-date=July 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429035534/http://www.georgekalinsky.com/images/team/index5.html|archive-date=April 29, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kalinsky|first=George|title=Garden of Dreams|year=2004|publisher=Stewart, Tabori, & Chang|location=New York|isbn=1-58479-343-0|author-link=George Kalinsky|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/gardenofdreamsma0000unse}}</ref> Finally, during the [[List of ticker-tape parades in New York City|ticker-tape parade]] celebrating the Rangers' win, [[Rudy Giuliani]], witnessing his first New York sports team championship victory just five months after becoming mayor, dubbed Messier "Mr. June," conjuring [[Reggie Jackson]]'s "Mr. October" nickname.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barron|first=James|title=New Yorkers Bury the Rangers' Curse in a Sea of Confetti|work=The New York Times|date=June 18, 1994|page=28|author-link=James Barron (journalist)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/18/nyregion/new-yorkers-bury-the-rangers-curse-in-a-sea-of-confetti.html?pagewanted=1&pagewanted=print|quote=Mr. Giuliani went on to call Mark Messier 'Mr. June,' echoing Reggie Jackson's 'Mr. October' nickname after he blasted three home runs to win the World Series for the Yankees in 1977.}}</ref>

In [[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96]], Messier came as close as he had since 1991–92 to break the 100-point plateau when, at the age of 35, he recorded a 99-point season. In [[1996–97 NHL season|1996–97]], former Oilers teammate [[Wayne Gretzky]] joined the Rangers, while Messier retained the captaincy and had a respectable 84-point regular season. The two led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] in five games, as the Rangers could not match the size and strength of [[Eric Lindros]] and his "Legion of Doom" linemates. Messier left the club after the season (see below), ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season. It would also turn out to be both players' final playoff appearances.

Messier had wanted to finish his career with the Rangers but [[Dave Checketts]], the president of Madison Square Garden, said the team did not think Messier was worth $20&nbsp;million USD for the next three years, though Messier maintained that he would have signed a one-year contract extension for under $6&nbsp;million per season. Although public sentiment sided with Messier, as he led the team to two [[Presidents' Trophy|first-place regular season finishes]] and the [[Stanley Cup]], General Manager [[Neil Smith (ice hockey)|Neil Smith]] was content having Gretzky and [[Pat LaFontaine]] as top centremen, and he came close to landing [[Joe Sakic]] from the [[Colorado Avalanche]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2001/02/10/sayitaintso_rangers/ |title=CNNSI.com – NHL Hockey – Say It Ain't So: New York Rangers – Saturday March 3, 2001 10:30&nbsp;am |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=March 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025160731/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/news/2001/02/10/sayitaintso_rangers/ |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref> when he signed him to an offer sheet in the summer of 1997. (The Avalanche matched the offer and Sakic remained in Colorado for the remainder of his career.)

At 36 years old, Messier signed with the [[Vancouver Canucks]] to a high-priced free-agent contract. Smith’s decision to keep Gretzky and LaFontaine backfired, as LaFontaine would suffer a career-ending concussion during the 1997–98 season and Gretzky would retire after the following season.