# 1994 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1994 [Stanley Cup Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup-finals) was the best-of-seven championship series of the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league)'s 1993-94 season, in which the [New York Rangers](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-rangers) defeated the Vancouver Canucks four games to three to win the Stanley Cup. Decided by a 3-2 Rangers victory in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14, 1994, the series ended the longest championship drought then standing in the NHL: the Rangers' fourth Cup was their first since 1940, a gap of 54 years.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Series result | New York Rangers defeated Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in a best-of-7 series[3](https://records.nhl.com/history/yearly-playoff-results?year=19931994) |
| Deciding game | Game 7, June 14, 1994, at Madison Square Garden: Rangers 3, Canucks 2[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) |
| Drought ended | Rangers' first Stanley Cup since 1940, 54 years, then the longest drought in the NHL; their fourth championship overall[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244) |
| Conn Smythe Trophy | Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch, the first U.S.-born player to win it, after 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 23 playoff games[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) |
| Game 7 scoring | Adam Graves and Brian Leetch gave New York a 2-0 first-period lead; Mark Messier's power-play goal at 13:29 of the second stood as the winner after Trevor Linden scored twice for Vancouver[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244) |
| Goaltending in Game 7 | Mike Richter made 28 saves; Craig MacTavish won the final face-off to seal the result[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-final-game-7-history-307799358) |
| Coaches and management | Mike Keenan won the Cup in his first season behind the Rangers' bench; Neil Smith was general manager[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) • [5](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/INFORMATION%20ON%20STANLEY%20CUP-WINNING%20ROSTERS%20SINCE%201917-18.pdf) |
## The series game by game
Vancouver won the opening game 3-2 in overtime at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) on May 31, then lost the next three. New York took Game 2 by 3-1, and won twice on the road in Vancouver, 5-1 on June 4 and 4-2 on June 7, to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.[6](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024StanleyCupFinal.pdf)
**The Canucks rallied.** Geoff Courtnall scored multiple goals in both Game 5 and Game 6 as Vancouver drew even: the Canucks won 6-3 at Madison Square Garden on June 9 and 4-1 at [Pacific Coliseum](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacific-coliseum) on June 11, forcing a seventh game in New York.[6](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024StanleyCupFinal.pdf) • [7](https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2024/06/18181/MorningSkate062024.pdf) A loss in Game 7 would have made the Rangers only the second team in NHL history to squander a 3-1 lead in the Final.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-14-sp-3846-story.html)
## Game 7
Played before a home crowd at Madison Square Garden on June 14, the deciding game followed the pattern of the Rangers' strong starts. [Brian Leetch](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-leetch) and Adam Graves scored to give New York a 2-0 lead after one period. Trevor Linden scored a shorthanded goal early in the second, and [Mark Messier](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-messier) answered on the power play at 13:29 to make it 3-1. Linden's power-play goal at 4:50 of the third cut the margin to one, but [Mike Richter](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-richter) held from there, finishing with 28 saves, and center Craig MacTavish won the final face-off to trigger the celebration.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244) • [4](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-final-game-7-history-307799358)
Messier's goal was his team-leading 12th of the postseason, and it stood as the [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup)-winning goal.[7](https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2024/06/18181/MorningSkate062024.pdf) It was the Rangers' first championship won at the Garden since the franchise entered the NHL in 1926.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244)
## Roads to the Final
**New York** reached the Final through a demanding Eastern Conference playoff run. The top-seeded Rangers swept the eighth-seeded [New York Islanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-islanders) in the Conference Quarterfinals, then eliminated the [New Jersey Devils](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-jersey-devils) 4-3 in the Conference Final, a series in which three contests were decided in double overtime.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) • [9](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2025-26/2026StanleyCupPlayoffs_1stRound.pdf) The Rangers had won the [Presidents' Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/presidents-trophy) as the league's top regular-season team, a platform the NHL's own account credits as key to the championship run.[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-final-game-7-history-307799358)
**Vancouver** entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's No. 7 seed and upset its way to the Final, beating the No. 2 seed [Calgary Flames](https://www.edgepedia.org/calgary-flames) in the first round, the No. 4 seed [Dallas Stars](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-stars) 4-1 in the second round, and the No. 3 seed [Toronto Maple Leafs](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-maple-leafs) 4-1 in the Conference Final.[10](https://www.nhl.com/news/pavel-bure-remembers-stanley-cup-final-280830354) • [3](https://records.nhl.com/history/yearly-playoff-results?year=19931994) The Canucks' leading scorer in the Final was 23-year-old Pavel Bure, with eight points (three goals, five assists); he finished the postseason with 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in 24 games, on a team that also featured captain Trevor Linden and goaltender Kirk McLean.[10](https://www.nhl.com/news/pavel-bure-remembers-stanley-cup-final-280830354)
The Final matched two 50-goal scorers against each other: Adam Graves, with 52 regular-season goals for the Rangers, and Pavel Bure, with 60 for the Canucks.[6](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024StanleyCupFinal.pdf)
## Aftermath
Leetch's Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP made him the first U.S.-born player to receive the award.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994) For Vancouver, the loss in Game 7 was followed by a riot in the city; the 2011 Stanley Cup riot internal review for the City of Vancouver examined the 1994 riot as precedent when planning public gatherings for later Finals.[11](https://council.vancouver.ca/20110906/documents/spec1.pdf)
The series remains a reference point for championship droughts. When Toronto's drought later passed 54 years, the Rangers' 1940-1994 mark was the benchmark it surpassed, and the Rangers' own drought since 1994 has been tracked against the same figure.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244) The following season, the New Jersey Devils, eliminated by the Rangers in the 1994 Conference Final, won their first Stanley Cup.[12](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19941995)
## References
1. [1993-94 Stanley Cup Winner, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19931994)
2. [June 14: Rangers win Stanley Cup for first time in 54 years, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-june-14-280942244)
3. [1993-94 Playoff Results, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/history/yearly-playoff-results?year=19931994)
4. [History of Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-final-game-7-history-307799358)
5. [Information on Stanley Cup-Winning Rosters Since 1917-18, NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/INFORMATION%20ON%20STANLEY%20CUP-WINNING%20ROSTERS%20SINCE%201917-18.pdf)
6. [2024 Stanley Cup Final media guide (1994 Final box scores), NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024StanleyCupFinal.pdf)
7. [1994 Stanley Cup Final, NHL Media Morning Skate](https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2024/06/18181/MorningSkate062024.pdf)
8. [Playoff Tension Turning Bizarre, Los Angeles Times, June 14, 1994](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-14-sp-3846-story.html)
9. [2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round media guide (1994 results), NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2025-26/2026StanleyCupPlayoffs_1stRound.pdf)
10. [Bure reflects on his one trip to Stanley Cup Final, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/pavel-bure-remembers-stanley-cup-final-280830354)
11. [2011 Stanley Cup Riot Internal Review Report, City of Vancouver](https://council.vancouver.ca/20110906/documents/spec1.pdf)
12. [1994-95 Stanley Cup Winner, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=19941995)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › National Hockey League › NHL seasons, playoffs, and Finals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license