Oct. 4, 1991:The future of two teams is altered dramatically when
the Edmonton Oilers trade their captain
,
Mark Messier
, to the New York Rangers. The five-time Stanley Cup winner is traded to New York for forwards Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk. With Messier in the lineup, the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy in two of the next three seasons and end a 54-year championship drought in 1994.