On this day almost three decades ago, one of the most impactful trades in NHL history went down.
In a cost-cutting move on October 4th, 1991, the Edmonton Oilers sent Mark Messier to the New York Rangers in exchange for Louie DeBrusk, Bernie Nicholls and Steven Rice. In his first season with the Rangers, Messier captured his second Hart Memorial Trophy.
The acquisition of Messier, who won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers, led to the end of a 54-year championship drought for the Rangers, who were able to win it all in the 1993-94 season.
Messier scored the Game 7 winner of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the first and only player to captain two different teams to the Stanley Cup.
After six seasons with the Rangers, which also included a reunion with Wayne Gretzky, Messier signed to play three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks following tense negotiations with the Rangers. He would later bury the hatchet with the Rangers and return to end his career in New York, playing another four seasons with the team from 2000 to 2004.
Obviously, they don’t call him the Messiah for nothing, and Messier is one of the very best to ever do it. That trade that brought him to New York changed the arc of hockey history 29 years ago, and we’re sure Rangers fans are much happier today for it.
