1994 Stanley Cup Final
| 1994 Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| * – Denotes overtime period(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | New York City: Madison Square Garden (1, 2, 5, 7) Vancouver: Pacific Coliseum (3, 4, 6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | New York: Mike Keenan Vancouver: Pat Quinn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | New York: Mark Messier Vancouver: Trevor Linden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthems | New York: John Amirante Vancouver: Richard Loney (3) John Reynolds (4, 6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | Terry Gregson (1, 4, 7) Bill McCreary (2, 6) Andy Van Hellemond (3, 5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | May 31 – June 14, 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Brian Leetch (Rangers) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series-winning goal | Mark Messier (13:29, second) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Rangers: Glenn Anderson (2008) Brian Leetch (2009) Kevin Lowe (2020) Mark Messier (2007) Sergei Zubov (2019) Canucks: Pavel Bure (2012) Coaches: Pat Quinn (2016) Officials: Bill McCreary (2014) Andy Van Hellemond (1999) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Networks | Canada: (English): CBC (French): SRC United States: (National): ESPN (New York City area): MSG Network (1–3, 6–7), MSG II (4–5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | (CBC) Bob Cole, Harry Neale, and Dick Irvin Jr. (SRC) Claude Quenneville and Gilles Tremblay (ESPN) Gary Thorne and Bill Clement (MSG/MSGII) Sam Rosen and John Davidson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks were making the club's second Finals appearance, their first coming during their Cinderella run of 1982, and the Rangers were making their tenth appearance, their first since 1979. The Rangers, despite losing a 3–1 series lead, ended their then record 54-year championship drought with a victory in Game 7 to claim the long-awaited Stanley Cup. It was their fourth championship in franchise history.
The Hockey Night in Canada broadcast of the deciding game seven attracted an average Canadian audience of 4.957 million viewers, making it the most watched CBC Sports program in history to that time. The next Stanley Cup Final with games played in Canada was in 2004, and the next to go the full seven games was in 2001.
The Rangers' victory marked the start of what is currently 31 consecutive Stanley Cup championships for American-based teams, as the most recent Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup is the Montreal Canadiens, who did so in 1993.