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Happy 31st anniversary to the greatest hockey game ever played in New York and one of the greatest high-stakes matches in Stanley Cup playoff history.
It was 31 years ago on May 27 — this Tuesday now, a Friday then — that Stephane Matteau and Howie Rose strolled into history together after No. 32’s double-overtime goal sent the Rangers to the Stanley Cup final with a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Devils at the Garden.
Forty-eight hours after Mark Messier called his shot — one, two, three of them, actually — at the Meadowlands in Game 6, the Battle of the Hudson reached uncommon heights with the best two teams in the league pushing each other for 84:24 until it ended.
Of course, Game 7 against Vancouver that followed two weeks later represents the greatest victory in franchise history, but that was not played at quite the same level.