Countdown: Top 10 Rangers playoff moments

10) BOB BROOKE'S OT-WINNER AGAINST WASHINGTON
Apr. 23, 1986 - Game 4 of Patrick Division final
In 1986, the Rangers were a fourth-place team with a losing record and a lineup so small they were called "The Smurfs." After shocking the defending-conference champion Flyers in the first round, they faced a 50-win Capitals team in Round 2. They looked to have run out of steam when they fell behind 5-4 in Game 4, already down 2-1 in the series. But Bob Brooke scored a late tying goal and then tallied the winner at 2:40 of overtime to even the series. The Rangers went onto win the next two games and the series.

9) WAYNE GRETZKY'S HAT TRICK VS. FLORIDA
Apr. 23, 1997 - Game 4 of Eastern Conference quarterfinals
At 36 years old, when Wayne Gretzky played his first playoff series with the Rangers, he was undoubtedly on the backside of his career. But on this night, as Newsday columnist Joe Gergen put it, "Gretzky reached back into the past and commanded the puck to do his bidding." The NHL's all-time goal-scorer scored his NHL-record ninth playoff hat trick -- a natural one, scored over a 6:23 span -- lifting the Rangers to a 3-2 victory and a 3-1 series lead. The Rangers won the series two days later on Esa Tikkanen's overtime goal.

8) BRYAN HEXTALL WINS 1940 CUP
Apr. 13, 1940 - Game 6 of Stanley Cup finals
While Stephane Matteau's goal may be the most famous in Rangers history, it was not the most important. That honor goes to Bryan Hextall, who scored the Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal in 1940. Hextall's goal at 2:07 of overtime gave the Rangers a 3-2 win in Toronto. It's noteworthy that of the eight playoffs series the Rangers have won on overtime goals in their history, five have been against Toronto.

7) JOHN DAVIDSON vs. THE ISLANDERS
May 8, 1979 - Game 6 of Stanley Cup semifinals
The Islanders were about to become a dynasty, but Rangers goalie John Davidson didn't let it happen on his watch. Davidson stymied the heavily favored Islanders, allowing just 13 goals in the six-game series. That was punctuated by an emotional 2-1 Game 6 win over the Islanders, who led the league with 116 points that year. The Rangers advanced to the Cup finals, where they rode their momentum to a 4-1 win in Game 1 in Montreal; the Habs recovered to win the next four games.

6) MIKE RICHTER'S PENALTY SHOT SAVE
June 7, 1994 - Game 4 of Stanley Cup finals
With the Rangers ahead in the series, but behind 2-1 in the game, Brian Leetch took down Vancouver's Pavel Bure on a second-period breakaway. The "Russian Rocket" was awarded a penalty shot. The Pacific Coliseum crowd roared in anticipation of a turning point in the series. Bure deked right, then left, but Richter extended his right pad and slammed his right skate against the post, denying Bure's low shot. Leetch scored a goal and added three assists as the Rangers won, 5-2, to take a 3-1 series lead.

5) LESTER PATRICK GETS IN THE NET
Apr. 7, 1928 - Game 2 of Stanley Cup finals
When goaltender Lorne Chabot was hit by a shot and suffered a serious eye injury, Rangers coach and general manager Lester Patrick donned the pads himself. At 44 years old, he stopped all but one Montreal shot as the Rangers beat the Maroons in overtime, 2-1. A week later, the Rangers won their first-ever Stanley Cup. Patrick still holds the record for being the oldest goalie to play in a Stanley Cup Final.

4) MESSIER'S GUARANTEE
May 25, 1994 - Game 6 of Eastern Conference finals
With his team trailing New Jersey 3-2 in the conference finals after an ugly Game 5 loss, Mark Messier guaranteed that the Rangers would Game 6 on the road. Messier proceeded to tally three goals and an assist to rescue the Rangers from a 2-0 second-period deficit and cement his legacy as the ultimate Rangers captain.

3) PETE STEMKOWSKI'S TRIPLE OT WINNER
Apr. 29, 1971 - Game 6 of Stanley Cup semifinals
With the Rangers trailing the Blackhawks in the semifinal series, 3-2, Stemkowski ended the longest game in Rangers history by slamming a rebound past Chicago goalie Tony Esposito at 1:37 of the third overtime. Stemkowski's goal earned the Rangers a Game 7 date with in Chicago, where they were defeated, 4-2. But "The Stemmer," who also scored an OT winner in Game 1 of the series, remains a fan favorite to this day.

2) MATTEAU! MATTEAU! MATTEAU!
May 27, 1994 - Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals
Stephane Matteau had a relatively non-descript NHL career -- other than the fact that he scored the most famous goal in Rangers history. In Game 7 of a scintillating Eastern Conference finals against the Devils, Matteau scored the series-clincher on a wraparound that caromed behind Martin Brodeur at at 4:24 of the second overtime. The goal sent the Rangers, their fans and radio announcer Howie Rose into a frenzy. For your listening pleasure, here is some audio of Rose's famous call.

1) 1940 NO MORE
June 14, 1994 - Game 7 of Stanley Cup finals
After 54 years of frustration and taunts, Rangers fans finally celebrated when Craig MacTavish won the final faceoff and the Rangers clinched their first Stanley Cup since 1940. Not surprisingly, it took a tense, seven-game series against underdog Vancouver, culminating in a 3-2 Game 7 victory at Madison Square Garden. As Mark Messier and teammates skated victory laps around the rink, television broadcasts displayed an iconic fan sign, which read: "NOW I CAN DIE IN PEACE."