Below is an interview from The Hockey News’ latest special issue, Conversations With Legends.
You arrive in New York so young and it’s such a massive market. There’s always this spotlight on the Rangers, you’re playing on Broadway, in MSG. How much do you feel that pressure as a young player?
As a young player, that town, if you’re not from an urban environment, can be overwhelming. It’s not normal. It’s more of everything: more media, more people, more opinions. So, yeah, it can be kind of crazy in that regard, and most of the people I know in the hockey world, we’re not from towns like Manhattan. We’re from smaller, rural communities, so it’s an adjustment. But the flip side of that, to get to the pressure part, is no. I felt less as I went along because you’re easily intimidated as a young person, you can go, ‘Wow, this is overwhelming,’ but the reality is (the fans) are super passionate, which you really would rather have that than them not showing up. They’re definitely opinionated, let their feelings be known, but it’s really a hell of a place. They’re fair and demanding and all of that.
There is definitely a large component of just the scale of it makes it seem a little more intense, and it is. I can remember when we went to the seventh game with New Jersey, and Jersey or us were going to be in the final against Vancouver, who had already finished their series. And the number of press passes that were issued when we won was multiples of what it was had we not. That’s just the territory that comes with New York. There’s going to be more scrutiny, more intensity, and with that comes great things when you’re winning and controversy and having to answer questions when you lose.
You get the starting reins in 1993-94 after John Vanbiesbrouck is moved on. That same season, you end up posting a career-best win total, but also career-best save percentage. When you were elevated to that No. 1 job, can you remember any conversations you had with management? And how motivated were you when you got the top job to prove to the Rangers you were ready to be The Guy in the crease?
It wasn’t like we sat down and they were like, ‘Now we bestow upon you this.’ It was always just, ‘Look, you’re going to perform or you’re not going to be here.’ That’s true of any sports league or any organization within the NHL. Maybe a little more so in New York and for many years it was maybe a little more volatile and less stable than other organizations, so you knew that was particularly the case. But I think you have a level of expectation from yourself. You want the mantle and absolutely understand that every day is a tryout. It was more if they’re not moving you, they have an expectation you’re going to perform, or else they will move you. When I took over the starting job, you’re expecting that of yourself and demanding that of yourself. It’s got to be won every game, that role. You look closely at the NHL right now, and I had a lot of good goalies with me in New York, and that’s the way it should be. It’s a competition. You’re not granted something. Obviously, as you get a body of work and level of consistency, people go back to the well. It takes your whole career to establish yourself as a person who performs at a high level and does it consistently. As soon as you stop doing that, you open a door for someone else.
At what point during the 1993-94 season did you start to feel the Rangers had a really special group of players who could do something big?
In some ways, right in training camp. We were so disappointed in the way the year ended the year before. We had a good season, won the Presidents’ Trophy (in 1991-92), then had a real backslide, a hiccup, and felt we hadn’t played our best (in 1992-93). We saw the young core that was learning how to win and learning how to be consistent, but then there we so many great veterans coming in. Obviously, Mark (Messier) as the captain a few years before. We had such a collection of great character players, tremendous human beings, great families. We felt like we had such a good foundation to make important things happen and we had fallen short the year before. We were absolutely on a mission, and the hiring of Mike Keenan, he’s a no-nonsense guy who was going to wring everything he could out of the team, I think we were really ready for that. The young guys were mature enough to handle what he was going to sling at you and we had enough embarrassment and motivation from the year before that we were going to answer to ourselves more than anybody outside of us in terms of motivation. It was a really good combo.
We had a very skilled team, but now we had a more mature, hungry team. It felt to me every single guy who came to that locker room, we had a great bit of character in there, but everybody who came in just felt more. You think about Jeff Beukeboom, Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Glenn Anderson. These guys are proven, proven winners. You’re picking up guys like Stephan Matteau and (Brian Noonan), who would play the right way and a hard game. We made ourselves hard to play against.
That continued on to the trade deadline when we changed quite a few players. You pay a price for that because you’re getting older guys, experienced guys and giving away younger talented guys, but I really felt like if they had brought in the same number of goals and assists and all that, that didn’t have the character of the Larmers and Tikkanens we had across our lineup, we wouldn’t have had success. You could feel that in the four walls of the locker room early on. It felt like we had a real capability and another gear to go, and we kept adding to it as we went through the season.
Through the first two rounds, the Rangers are rolling. You lose once, the aggregate score is 42-15 in the nine games leading up to the conference final. Then you run into the Devils, who you wiped the floor with in the regular season by a combined 24-9 score. But what made that series, which went seven games, so different than the regular season meetings?
Don’t forget: New Jersey was improving as the year went on, as were we. Marty (Brodeur) was playing great coming into the playoffs, they had a team that had such strong adherence to their system all year, but it was so well honed. They played a heavy game, a disciplined game and they played a mean game. We could play all those things, too, and we had to do all of those things in order to win. They just matched up very well against us and we against them. That’s why it takes multiple double overtime games and seven games. There was lots of maturity, skill and character in both locker rooms that neither team was going to yield. That’s good.
They learned from us, they were well coached and were disciplined players. They were a tough team to beat, for sure, and proved that over the next few years. They were a high-quality team that had a huge work ethic, skill on the front end, ‘D’ and of course in net.
I want to ask not about Mark making “The Guarantee” but about the reaction within the locker room and whether his statement was simply a reflection of the faith the team had in itself. Did it speak to the feeling in the room or was it a total shock?
A little bit of both. You could see how the question was asked and how it was answered…In that context, you see what he’s saying. He’s sending a message to the other team but he’s also sending a message to our own locker room. ‘We still feel that we can win and all the great things that we’re excited to go out on the ice and do.’ But in the end, he said he’s going to guarantee we’re going to beat this team that is one up on us and it could be taken quite the wrong way.
Mark is great in the press and understands what to do and not to do, and that’s not something that is normally front-page material, so it was kind of surprising and funny but understandable. You could hear him saying that and you could see his thinking was more towards our group of 20 guys, our fans and our organization that was challenging the Devils. It was supporting his teammates.
The reaction was, you know, guys were laughing a lot. That’s not going to beat us or make us win. It’s going to be something the press has a field day with, but we know what to do and how to do it and that’s what we’re going to do. It was a really funny moment when we were actually in the locker room the next day and you start to see guys come in and the (New York) Post is there, all the New York papers, ‘Messier guarantees it’ and all this kind of stuff. He was taking heat from guys. ‘Nice job, Mark!’ and all this kind of stuff. One after another would come in and say, ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Everybody had a ton of respect for him but it was funny to give him crap about that. Then (Rangers GM) Neil Smith comes in and he’s like, ‘Thanks!’ Then the last guy to come in is Keenan and it got funnier and funnier because the stakes got higher and higher, and Keenan was laughing about it.
The best part about it was that, OK, he did say it, but he never backed off of it. ‘Oh, I was misquoted!’ He said, ‘No, this is what I was thinking.’ And then he goes out and scores the game winner and a hat trick, so that changes the complexion of the whole thing pretty seriously.
Forcing Game 7 is one thing, and having a one game, winner-take-all contest to go to the final is another. But then it goes to double overtime. Are you aware of emotions and feelings during that or is the focus level so high you block out all the external and emotional noise?
The focus level is that high. It’s do or die and it felt like we were built to win everything…Going into Game 7, I felt really confident. It really is a powerful thing to be facing death and get through it. Sudden death and you win that, the psychology is interesting. New Jersey says, ‘All right, we had them cornered and let them get away. We’re not doing that twice.’ So, they, I’m sure, felt quite confident coming into that game, too. Both teams should. We both played great, both capable of beating the other guys, and it’s 3-3. What was interesting about it is that we were playing at home, and that really did help. A double-overtime game and you end up winning by a goal…
What do you recall from the moment Matteau scores the double-overtime winner?
I don’t want to say a passenger, but you’re a bit of a fan sometimes when you’re a goalie and it’s down at the other end. You prepare, see who’s out on the ice, say to yourself, ‘Here it comes, I’m ready,’ all game long. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s what you have to do or else you’re not going to be ready when it does come. And I was doing that, but you do watch a bit. You don’t let your guard down so you think, ‘Oh! I think we might have scored,’ and then, ‘Oh crap, we didn’t, and here they come.’ It’s just not the right mindset. So, that’s what you’re doing the whole time, is trying to be very disciplined like that, focusing on what you’re going to do.
But I swear when (Matteau) wrapped the puck around, I saw – and I’m 180 feet away or whatever it is – I could see what I thought was the puck going in. And it’s that moment before the whole crowd really notices, where it’s just quiet. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Jeez, that looked like it went in.’ Then the place just exploded. I’m telling you, I somehow saw it in the back of the net and Marty’s shoulders slumped a little bit. So it was his body language – and you never see that body language with him out there. I could see the puck cross the line way back where I was, and there was just that hesitation, and then the place exploded. You still don’t let yourself let your guard down. You start whooping it up and worry the play was offside or it was just a plain-old mistake and don’t leave that mindset that quickly, so I hesitated for a second and then sure enough we all lost it because it was such an exciting moment and so cool to do it at home.
In league history, the ’94 Cup win is so closely associated with “The Guarantee,” but in Rangers history “The Save” is lionized, as well. [Ed. Note: “The Save” is Richter’s penalty-shot save on Vancouver Canucks superstar Pavel Bure in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.] What goes through your mind when the referee points to center and awards a penalty shot to Pavel Bure during Game 4?
Bure was such a machine that year and in the playoffs. He’s just got that incredible breakaway speed and had a great shot, but that speed really separated him from so many people. We were all aware of him when he was on the ice, and he had gotten what had looked like a breakaway and ‘Leetchy’ (Brian Leetch) was kind of hounding him and (Bure) ended up falling. When Terry (Gregson) went to say it was a penalty shot, I thought, ‘Hmm. I don’t know if that was a penalty shot.’ You know? I thought Bure got tripped but he wasn’t in the act of shooting, but I don’t know the rules perfectly and (Terry)’s a pro. I’m not going to argue with him. And frankly, sometimes a penalty shot is better. They had a good power play and even if you don’t let in a goal during those two minutes it can change momentum, they’ll have possession of the puck, all of that stuff. So the penalty shot is great because instead of getting a guy in the box, they have one shot, so if they don’t hit the net or you save it, it’s over.
It was just a matter of clearing your head, having your teammates go off to the side, and then focusing on the job. I recognized it as a big moment, because those things can really be a big moment and add momentum to your team or add momentum to their team depending how it goes. That was an incredibly tough team were playing. (Canucks goaltender) Kirk McLean was playing unreal in net all through the playoffs, they had momentum going through the playoffs, they were scrappy, smart, experienced, smart, tough, heavy. But they also weren’t team that would go away mentally and kept finding ways of winning. It was a great range of players they had on their team.
Here this guy is set up perfectly to really change the momentum of that series in a profound way, and looking back on it, I think it was kind of at the end of a shift. Bure looked tired when ‘Leetchy’ caught him. Brian’s a great skater, but this guy was named the ‘Russian Rocket’ for a reason. He was talking with Terry Gregson to try to buy time, asking questions, trying to delay so he could get some wind back. I think there was a lot more pressure on him than people recognize. He is the goal scorer, everyone talks about how he’s their leading goal scorer, it’s at home, of all things he gets a penalty shot, the game is on his stick and maybe the season is on his stick depending how things go. The flip side is that you’re at the end of the shift, you’re exhausted, they’d relied on him all year.
He scored quite a few times that series and quite a few times in the playoffs. It’s not like I had his number every time. But I was a good skater, so I felt confident on penalty shots, and the one advantage a goalie has on a penalty shot is you’re not surprised by the shot. The referee comes down and says, ‘That guy there is going to get the puck, come down on you, and try to score. You ready?’ (Laughs) Of course you can’t leave your crease until he touches it. ‘Pavs’ used to score so many goals on a breakaway because it looked like a normal play. Suddenly he’d take two strides and he’s in your zone with the puck before you can even comprehend what’s happening. That element of surprise is taken away in a penalty shot situation. Now, the flip side is he has a chance to think about where he’s shooting. Speak to teammates, the backup goalie, go low, go high. There are some advantages, too.
I always felt like penalty shots were a contained environment. They’re not passing, there’s no rebound, you know where you’re starting and you start to try to eliminate the options. His big option was he had that speed, so my thought went to get out quickly, get set, and work like hell to get back to match his speed so he can’t get around me. The flip side of that is that if you come out and take the shot away, you’re leaving yourself open for a deke. That’s what he did and I just had patience, didn’t make the first move, and he showed that forehand fake that he did so well and had so much success on throughout the year but I was able to get a pad on it.
It’s a great part of Rangers lore and must be a save you rank up there with the best in your career. But when you think of the actual best save, where does it rank for you?
I love all of my saves and the goals I don’t like so much. All the saves are tied for No. 1. (Laughs) No, I think that moment was so big and the momentum does shift. In a team sport, that has to be The One. But there are so many good ones that you know how hard it was to do or you had patience when you otherwise wouldn’t or a second effort to get back to the net or sometimes you surprise yourself. ‘I thought that was in but I got it!’ But (The Save) was cool because of the gravity of the situation. You’re in the Stanley Cup final. Those things really matter.
One of the big parts of that team we had in New York is we always felt we could win in many ways, and we did. Sometimes we would overwhelm you with really good offensive ability. We could play defense as good as anybody. We could match the New Jersey Devils or shut the other teams down. We were big, strong, and responsible in our own zone. We could play these tough games that we had to against, say, Vancouver. That was a moment when one of the important pieces was a timely save. You want to be on winning teams, but more than that you want to contribute to the winning teams. And that felt great. That was a good moment and an incredible moment in the battle which now, on the right side of it, is really a great feeling.
What’s cool, too, about it is that, big moment, everything, but then there’s just a faceoff in your zone and you go on play. So, so was the next (save), because that could have really put a damper on things. That’s the really hard part and really great part about all sports and doing anything of value, but goaltending is a real study in that: staying in the moment.
If I would have let that goal in, it’s a big deal because it changes the scoreboard, but maybe more importantly, what does it do for the momentum of the two teams? What does it do for you, as the player out there? Is that, ‘Oh, I came so close, I almost had it,’ and not thinking about the next shot? You’re in trouble. Or conversely, it might be the best save I had all year or my whole life, but it means nothing unless you get in front of the next shot! You have to put it in your back pocket and think about it later. You have all summer to watch replays and pat yourself on the back, but you have to just save the next puck. And no one is going to remember that save unless you do that. That’s the real challenge and you get better at it as you get older.
Really, in some ways, the moment was so large and it gets swallowed and put aside like every moment throughout the game has to. As cool as it was, you couldn’t stop and think about it quite as much until after the game and really the series. And then at some point, that was last year, and let’s get on to this year. That’s what sports is. It’s a continuous challenge you have to meet and you’re not going to meet it well if you’re thinking about the past.
We’re almost 30 years on from that Stanley Cup win. Has there ever been a point where you’ve been tired of talking about this one season and the Stanley Cup win or could you relive that moment ad nauseam?
Probably the latter, unfortunately. Maybe if I wasn’t such a bore I would say something different. (Laughs) But no, it’s what you play for your entire life, dream of doing in a frickin’ driveway – in my case in Philadelphia with your brothers in a pair of bad boots during a grey day when you’re far, far from it. You fantasize about it. You pray about it. You think about it all day long, doodle in your book at school, go out and work out, get stronger, get your ass handed to you, come back again and wonder if you can make the ‘B’ team, let alone the Stanley Cup final. That’s part of the process. You just keep doing it.
That’s what you think about as a kid and it was better than I could have even imagined, I have to say. I felt as an organization and on a personal level we were going to win many of them, and we were a great team and maybe we could have, but it’s hard to do and there’s 30 other teams and that’s their goal and what they were doing as a young kid growing up. Nobody gives you that for free.
I know I was so disappointed in the years (after 1994) because you know now what that feels like, you know how to do it, we know how to do it as a team. Anything other than that is a failure and it’s falling short of expectations and what you’re demanding of yourself. And then once you retire, you look back and think, ‘How fortunate, how lucky, was I to be in an organization with a GM and coach that knew how to scout talent? Knew how to construct a team? An organization that was unselfish? And to have fans that supported you, family that supported you, and all the people behind the scenes?’
There are a lot of great players who go their entire career and never have a taste of that, supreme players, and sometimes it’s unfair. You have to consider yourself very lucky, very fortunate, to experience that, and in a place like New York, like we started this conversation, with the pressure that comes with it and the media attention and all the good and bad that comes with the intensity that is Broadway. I don’t think there’s a better place to win it and to do it after a 54-year drought. It’s hard not to look back on it and go, ‘Wow.’ I don’t want to bore other people, but there are days I can’t believe how lucky we were.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about the work you’re doing now. When you got into climate policy and began thinking about environmental issues, there was a climate crisis then, but the way our situation has changed globally has made the climate situation critical. What spurred your interest then, when these issues, unfortunately, weren’t so front of mind?
I’ve just always had some interest in environmental issues, and really broadly, my mom was very religious, grew up in the Depression, and just thought it was a sin, morally wrong, to waste things you didn’t have to. You finish your dinner, turn off the lights when you leave the room, don’t take more than you can use, share, all that stuff. So, from that point it was just being efficient with your resources. My father had a real love of the outdoors and the environment. I think sometimes it gets pretty finger-waggy and holier-than-thou and it can be a pain in the ass, but at the same time, there are real, measurable issues we have, whether it’s the quality of water or the air you breathe or health associated and all that. These are quality of life issues, and foundational issues. They drive our economy, these resources. Ask whether natural gas is an important component of our lives and then around the world you see gas prices going up and the gas line being shut down. Energy is crucial for society.
In fairness, of all things that we value, the environment is a bedrock. It’s existential. You have a hard time not caring about it, you certainly can’t not be affected by it. On one hand, I’m really happy that’s where I’m spending my focus and my time. I love the discipline and the challenge that playing sports gives. I loved hockey…I miss dropping my bag off in the morning, breaking in a new glove, the camaraderie, the art that comes with trying to perfect your skill level. It’s awesome.
But one thing that’s cool about working in environmental policy is that it’s going to take the markets, government, ingenuity, volunteers, everything. When you’re giving your focus to that, it’s making society better. I’m not so sure how much I’ve moved the needle, but I know I’ve tried. I think that’s a worthy pursuit. Not to make it so self important. My pursuit athletically was very personal and very individual and very team-oriented within the locker room and with the fans. But I’m not sure if my save percentage was up or down it made the world a better place or not. Some people around New York and in Manhattan might argue. So, it’s not for self-righteous reasons, but I just think (environmental policy) is a good thing to get into and it fascinates me.
This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.
