Brian Leetch – 2 Months 2 Remember

Over his 17-year career with the Rangers, Brian Leetch won numerous individual awards, established several Rangers records, and was part of teams that earned several trophies. No team trophy held more significance than the Stanley Cup the Rangers won in 1994, and no individual award held more weight than the Conn Smythe Trophy he earned as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that spring.

Here is the breakdown of Leetch’s two-month run of excellence, a stretch that put him among the greatest players in the 100-year history of the franchise.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. NY Islanders – Rangers won series, four games to none

Leetch’s stats in series: 4 games played, 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, +11 rating, 15 shots on goal

Leetch’s impact was evident at both ends of the ice throughout the Rangers’ four-game sweep of the Islanders. In Game 1, he opened up the scoring with a power play goal just 3:32 into the contest and later added an assist on Sergei Zubov’s goal in the second period. Leetch was on the ice for five of the Blueshirts’ six goals in the 6-0 win in Game 1 and helped limit the Islanders to just 21 shots on goal. In the Rangers’ 6-0 win in Game 2, Leetch’s fingerprints were all over the first goal of the game; he outmuscled the Islanders’ Yan Kaminsky off the puck in the Rangers’ zone, skated through the neutral zone with the puck, and then made a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Alexei Kovalev, who scored to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. Leetch was on the ice for four of the Rangers’ six goals in the game.

Leetch once again dominated the game at both ends of the ice in Game 3. He recorded two points in the first 3:40 of the contest, as his outlet pass set up Esa Tikkanen’s goal at 2:08, and then his slap shot from the left point on the power play beat Islanders goaltender Ron Hextall to give the Rangers a two-goal lead. Leetch tallied two more assists on power play goals by Adam Graves and Alexei Kovalev in the second period, giving him four points in the contest and tying a single-game Rangers record for points by a defenseman in one playoff game. In addition, he saved a goal early in the second period by blocking a shot from the Islanders’ Ray Ferraro when Mike Richter was out of position to preserve the Rangers’ 2-0 lead at the time.

Leetch was struck in the face by a puck during warmups prior to Game 4, but he was able to shake it off to help the Rangers complete the sweep of the Islanders. He set up Zubov’s power play goal that tied the game at 2-2 early in the second period. Although it was the only point that he recorded in the game, Leetch led all skaters with six shots on goal and helped limit the Islanders to only 18 shots on goal.

What they were saying:

“Brian Leetch, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play better hockey than what he has played in this series.” – Gary Thorne, ESPN play-by-play broadcaster during Game 4

Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Washington – Rangers won series, four games to one

Leetch’s stats in series: 5 games played, 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, +4 rating, 16 shots on goal

Leetch recorded at least one point in each of the five games against the Capitals, extending his point streak in the playoffs to nine games. His brilliance on the power play continued at the start of the series; he scored on a one-timer shot while the Rangers had the man-advantage to give the team a 3-2 lead just past the midway point of the second period in Game 1, and the Blueshirts didn’t relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Leetch also had a hand in the game-winning goal in each of the next two games, as he assisted on Tikkanen’s go-ahead goal in the second period of the Rangers’ 5-2 victory in Game 2, and then scored what would be the game-winning goal as part of a two-point effort in the Rangers’ 3-0 victory in Game 3.

After Washington won Game 4, Leetch delivered a virtuoso performance in Game 5 at MSG. He assisted on each of the Rangers’ three goals in the first period – including one that was a “saucer” pass on his backhand to set up Adam Graves’ second goal of the opening frame – to help the Blueshirts take a 3-1 lead. Then, with the score tied 3-3 late in the third period, Leetch took a pass from Zubov and was all alone in front of the Capitals’ net. Leetch slowly skated towards Capitals goaltender Rick Tabaracci before putting a wrist shot past him to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead with 3:28 remaining in regulation.

Leetch’s goal held up as the game-winner – his fourth game-winning goal in the first nine games of the playoffs – and he posted his second four-point game of the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, he had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) and a plus-15 rating in just nine games, breaking the franchise records for points and assists by a defenseman in one playoff year (which belonged to him from the 1992 Stanley Cup Playoffs). In addition, discussion about him being a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate began to build.

What they were saying:

“Brian Leetch showed you that when talent has a chance to shine and it works hard, it can provide the difference. Brian Leetch was spectacular in this game.” – John Davidson, MSG Network Analyst after Game 5

“You’re looking for your best players to be their best and come up with the big plays. Brian served up the biggest play of his playoff career to this point, and I’m really pleased for him.” – Mike Keenan, Rangers head coach after Game 5

“What can you say about Leetchie? It was just an incredible performance. Individually, (it was) just one of the best playoff performances I’ve ever seen.” – Mark Messier, Rangers captain after Game 5

Eastern Conference Final vs. New Jersey – Rangers won series, four games to three

Leetch’s stats in series: 7 games played, 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, +5 rating, 28 shots on goal

After being held off the scoresheet for the first time in the playoffs in Game 1 against the Devils, Leetch tallied two assists in the Rangers’ 4-0 win over New Jersey in Game 2 to tie the series at one game apiece. For his second assist of the game, Leetch beat two Devils defenders and then slid the puck past a third defender to Graves, who was wide open in the slot. He also recorded an assist in the Blueshirts’ 3-2 double overtime win in Game 3 in New Jersey.

In Game 4, however, Leetch’s ice time was limited as the Rangers lost, 3-1, which fueled speculation that he was battling through an injury. Leetch didn’t register a point in Game 5 either, which was a 4-1 loss and put the Rangers on the brink of elimination.

Leetch helped the Rangers rally from a 2-0 deficit in Game 6 in New Jersey, as he tallied an assist on each of Messier’s first two goals in the third period, and he was on the ice killing a penalty late in the third period when Messier completed the hat trick. Playing without his normal defense partner, Jeff Beukeboom, Leetch was on the ice for all four Rangers goals and finished the game with a plus-four rating, as the Rangers won, 4-2, to force a Game 7 at MSG.

Game 7 – a classic game to conclude an unforgettable series – will always be remembered for Stephane Matteau’s wraparound goal in double overtime that sent the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. Had it not been for the Devils’ tying goal with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the contest into overtime, Leetch’s second period goal – which gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead – would have stood as the game-winner. And it was a memorable goal in its own right.

Nearing the midway point of the second period, Messier won a faceoff inside the New Jersey zone, and the puck went back to Leetch at the left point. Leetch skated with the puck down the boards and below the goal line, but as he attempted to take the puck behind the net, the Devils’ Bill Guerin was in position to cut him off. Seeing this, Leetch made a “spin-o-rama” to get away from Guerin and put a backhand shot towards Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. The shot went through Brodeur’s pads and into the net.

Although ice time wasn’t an official stat in 1993-94, MSG Network was calculating Leetch’s ice time throughout the game. He played 22:05 of the first 40 minutes of the game, and his ice time went up significantly as the Rangers shortened the bench in the third period and during the two overtime periods. Although the Devils tied the game, Leetch single-handedly broke up several Devils rushes and neutral zone entries throughout the third period, highlighting his stellar play at both ends of the ice.

What they were saying:

“I haven’t seen a defenseman play this well since Bobby Orr.” – Emile Francis, former Rangers head coach and guest analyst on MSG Network during the 1994 playoffs after Game 2

“I remember (the year before) Doug Gilmour did a move a little bit similar behind the net. I said to myself, ‘wow, that was pretty smart,’ and it just occurred to me in that moment. I said, ‘I might as well try this right now,’ and I stopped and spun and tried to get the puck in front. I remember staring at the back of the net and seeing the puck. I was like, ‘wow, I can’t believe that just worked.’” – Leetch, years later when reflecting on his Game 7 goal against the Devils

Stanley Cup Final vs. Vancouver – Rangers won series, four games to three

Leetch’s stats in series: 7 games played, 5 goals, 6 assists, 11 points, -1 rating, 29 shots on goal

The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was the apex of Leetch’s dominant two-month stretch of hockey. In Game 1 against the Canucks, he made two highlight-reel plays to record his two assists. On the Rangers’ first goal, he made a backhand, no-look pass to set up a shot for Kovalev, and Steve Larmer converted on the rebound to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Then, with the score tied, 1-1, in the third period, Leetch carried the puck into the Vancouver zone and wound up as if he was going to shoot the puck from the right circle. Instead, while gliding back towards the right wing boards, he fired a pass across the ice to Kovalev – who was all alone at the bottom of the left circle – and he scored to give the Rangers the lead.

Leetch had five shots on goal in Game 1, but the shot attempt that was most memorable was not on goal. With less than a minute remaining in overtime, Leetch was able to skate away from Vancouver’s Pavel Bure and had a chance to win the game with a shot in between the circles. The shot beat Canucks goalie Kirk McLean, but the puck hit the crossbar. Bure retrieved the puck for Vancouver and on the ensuing rush up the ice, Greg Adams won the game for the Canucks.

In Game 2, Leetch and his teammates kept Bure off the scoresheet for only the second time in 19 playoff games to that point. With the Rangers clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period, Leetch took a backhand shot from his own zone that went all the way down the ice and into the empty-net to seal a 3-1 victory and tie the series at one game apiece.

Although Vancouver took an early lead in Game 3, the Rangers stormed back to score five unanswered goals. Leetch scored two of those five goals – the first one was a shot from the point that hit McLean and went into the net to tie the game, and the second was on a rebound chance late in the second period that gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

Game 4 was another virtuoso Leetch performance, one in which he was involved in all areas of the ice. The Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Leetch cut the Rangers’ deficit in half early in the second period, as he scored his 10^th goal of the playoffs. Then, later in the period, he was involved in one of the most memorable plays of the series, as he tripped Bure to prevent a breakaway chance. Bure’s penalty shot was stopped by Richter, and before the period ended, Leetch tallied an assist on Zubov’s power play goal that tied the game.

With five-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation, the Rangers had a power play opportunity. Leetch picked up the puck in the Rangers’ zone and skated with it through the neutral zone and into Vancouver’s end. He took a slash from the Canucks’ Brian Glynn on his left arm at the blue line, but he kept skating into the zone. He took another slash from Vancouver’s Murray Craven on his right arm as he got to the right circle, but he maintained control of the puck. Then, Leetch slid a pass past the stick of the Canucks’ Jyrki Lumme and onto the stick of Kovalev, who scored to put the Rangers ahead, 3-2. Leetch would add another assist on a goal by Larmer with just over two minutes remaining in the game, marking his third four-point game of the playoffs. The victory put the Rangers one win away from the Stanley Cup.

The Canucks rebounded and had their two best games of the series in Game 5 and Game 6, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 at MSG. Just over 11 minutes into the first period, Messier entered Vancouver’s zone with the puck and made a drop pass to Zubov, who then made a cross-ice pass to Leetch at the bottom left circle. With McLean slow to get across to the far post, the net was wide open. With ‘The Garden Faithful’ rising in anticipation of the moment, Leetch calmly shot the puck into the vacant net to put the Rangers ahead. The Blueshirts never relinquished the lead, winning the contest, 3-2, to capture the Stanley Cup.

In addition to winning the Stanley Cup, Leetch won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He became the first American-born player to ever win the award in its 29-year history at the time.

Leetch’s 34 points in one playoff year are the second-most by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Paul Coffey. In addition, Leetch’s 34 points and 23 assists are each the most by a Ranger in a single playoff year in franchise history.

It was a two-month run for the ages, one that made No. 2 an immortal in Rangers history.