Once upon a time, there was a close-knit group of New York Rangers who overcame the odds to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

It wasn’t supposed to happen. But the 2013-14 Rangers made it a reality by digging deeper when they faced adversity. That included having to win a closely played deciding Game 7 to advance past the Flyers in the first round. Daniel Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot were the unlikely heroes. Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves.

In the second round series with the old division rival Penguins, the Rangers faced a formidable opponent that featured superstar tandem Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Along with Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the former champs were expected to advance.

After Derick Brassard scored in overtime to win Game 1, nothing went right for the Rangers. They were shut out in the next two games. A lackluster showing in Game 4 put them in a three games to one series hole. Never before had they come back from such a deficit in franchise history.

Following the 4-2 loss at home, the Rangers had a players only meeting in the locker room. That situation was exactly why Martin St. Louis was acquired for. The former Lightning star had come over in a trade for Ryan Callahan. A Stanley Cup champion with Brad Richards in 2003-04, they spoke up about the series not being over. Along with Lundqvist, the message was sent.

Walking out of the Garden, I told our Dad that I couldn’t believe how badly they played. Along with my brother Justin, we all thought they were capable of winning the series. Maybe that belief helped explain what happened.

The Rangers had the pieces to make a comeback against the Penguins. While they didn’t boast a Crosby or Malkin, they had enough key stars and depth to get back in it. That included St. Louis and Richards. Both who won together in Tampa. There was also Lundqvist, who was in the prime of his career. He was certainly capable of getting hot and stealing a game.

When they visited Pittsburgh for Game 5, I felt that all they had to do was steal that one to change the momentum. Win once in enemy territory, and the pressure would be squarely on the Penguins. The thought process was that if they took that do or die fifth game, they’d go home and win Game 6 to force a deciding seventh game. If they got there, anything could happen.

The most surprising thing was how easily the Rangers won Game 5. First period goals from Chris Kreider and Brassard set the tone. Following a Malkin tally in the second, Brassard and Ryan McDonagh scored less than a minute apart to break it open. Lundqvist made 31 saves. The Blueshirts won 5-1 to force Game 6.

Before they played on Mother’s Day, the Rangers flew up to Montreal that Saturday to pay their respects to St. Louis’ Mom France. The sad news that she passed away came prior to Game 5. It brought them closer together. They were inspired to rally around their teammate.

A day later, an emotional St. Louis played in the sixth game before a raucous environment at home. I was fortunate enough to be in the building. When St. Louis had a loose puck bounce off him for the game’s first goal, MSG shook. It was never louder. The energy and electricity in the building were palpable.

At that very moment, I knew the Rangers were winning that night. There were so many emotions. Goals by Carl Hagelin and Brassard made it 3-1. The Pens certainly tested Lundqvist. But he was in a zone, stopping 36 of 37 shots to send the second round series back to Pittsburgh. All the pressure was on the Pens. Would they really lose two games on home ice to blow a 3-1 series lead?

When Brian Boyle beat Fleury on a breakaway, there was a good feeling. For the third straight game, the Rangers scored the first goal to grab the lead. During the comeback, they’d never trailed. That was important. With Lundqvist stifling the Pens on one end, it allowed the Rangers to play their game. They forechecked well due to the line of Brassard, Pouliot, and Mats Zuccarello. But in the seventh game, different players starred.

Having gotten a goal from the fourth line, the Rangers needed a power-play goal. Following Jussi Jokinen tying the game, they were on a man-advantage. On a play in transition, Derek Stepan got the puck down low for St. Louis. He then found Richards open in front for the go-ahead goal on the power play.

That was all they needed. In what amounted to a nerve-racking third period that saw the Pens carry the play for long stretches, they kept firing shots on goal. However, a laser focused Lundqvist wouldn’t allow anything to beat him. He was even swallowing up dangerous chances that you swore the Pens had scored on. This was his game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Rangers won 2-1 to complete the comeback to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. They finally beat the Pens in the playoffs. It was so exciting.

That they rallied around St. Louis was something special. He still had a magic moment left. It came at a key moment against the Canadiens in the next round.

After the Blueshirts dominated the first two games in Montreal, they lost Game 3 on an overtime goal by Alex Galchenyuk. Despite facing unknown goalie Dustin Tokarski, following Kreider colliding into Carey Price that ended his season, the Rangers found themselves tied in Game 4 with it headed to overtime.

Faced with the prospect of losing two home games, they needed a hero. That’s when St. Louis delivered in the clutch. After they kept the puck in, Richards got it to Hagelin at the top of the left point. He then sent a pass across for an open St. Louis in the right circle. One on one with Tokarski, he blew a wrist shot into the top part of the net to score the memorable overtime winner.

After losing Game 5 to the Canadiens, the pressure was on to close out the series back at home. This was the scene prior to the opening faceoff. The legendary John Amirante performed both the Canadian and American national anthems.

Some fans were a bit over enthusiastic about winning the Cup. We had to calm them down.

The environment was awesome. I loved catching excited fans waving the traditional “Let’s Go Rangers” playoff towels near the conclusion. That’s when the Garden comes alive.

Game 6 was closely played. For nearly two periods, the Rangers couldn’t beat Tokarski. Despite having the edge in play, they were still searching for that one shot that would give them the lead.

Moments earlier, Lundqvist made the save of the game when he made an acrobatic stop to deny Thomas Vanek. It remains one of his most memorable saves of a brilliant Hall of Fame career.

In a memorable run during that spring, it was always about which player was going to step up. This time, the spotlight shined on the fourth line. On a good pinch from McDonagh, he moved the puck behind the net to Boyle. In a battle, he was able to come out and center a pass for Dominic Moore, who buried a one-timer past Tokarski with 1:53 left in the second period.

It was the only goal they’d need. Playing a near flawless game that included a strong third period that made life easier on Lundqvist (18 saves), the Rangers shut down the Canadiens to win 1-0.

When the final buzzer sounded, it touched off a huge celebration. Both on the ice and in the stands. It was bedlam. People were hugging each other in our section.

It definitely was awesome to be there for that. I felt lucky. I never thought they’d ever reach the Stanley Cup Finals with our family and friends in the building. It was special.

The Stanley Cup Finals didn’t go the Rangers’ way. They came up against the battle tested Kings, who were on a mission to win a second Cup in three years. They’d overcome a 0-3 deficit to stun the Sharks in the first round. They also beat the Blackhawks. They were tough.

Although the Rangers lost to the Kings in five games, it was a very close series. They had leads in the first two games. However, the Kings rallied back to take both games in overtime.

That included a controversial goal from Dwight King in Game 2. Former Ranger Marian Gaborik forced sudden death. Dustin Brown took advantage of a Dan Girardi turnover to beat Lundqvist over 10 minutes into the second overtime. It was a cruel ending.

We went to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was electric before the puck was dropped. Unfortunately, the Kings had other ideas. They silenced the crowd by taking the game 3-0 behind Jonathan Quick (32 saves).

A Jeff Carter goal with one second left in the first period really hurt. The Rangers never recovered. The Kings tacked on a couple of more goals in the second to pull away.

It was a disappointing night in June. But one that would be remembered. The Rangers played a Stanley Cup game in the big city. That rarely happens. I bought a Stanley Cup program. It’s stored away along with some more cool Rangers stuff.

One thing about being a fan. If you go to games, sometimes you collect nice things. Even better, you meet former players, and those moments stay with you forever. They’re just normal people off the ice. I always treated them as such. My interactions were good.

Fortunately, the Rangers didn’t go down easily. They got goals from Pouliot and St. Louis to hold off the Kings 2-1 in Game 4. It wouldn’t have been possible without Lundqvist. He faced a barrage of shots in the third period. King Henrik delivered by finishing with 40 saves to help the Rangers stay alive.

The Rangers needed to find a way to steal Game 5 in Hollywood. It was another hard fought game in enemy territory. Trailing by a goal late in the second period, they got goals from Kreider and Boyle (shorthanded) to suddenly take a 2-1 lead to the locker room.

But similar to the first two games, the Kings played a good third period to draw even. Gaborik burned his former team to tie it at three. Late in regulation, Hagelin had a great opportunity to win it. But he was unable to beat Quick on a breakaway. The game went to overtime again.

That night, I was out at a bar with some coworkers. The overtimes were frustrating. Nash got a great chance to win it. But of course, he didn’t come through. That whole postseason was a struggle for him. What if he’d scored like the star he was? We’ll never know.

The Kings took two penalties in sudden death. The Rangers couldn’t capitalize on either one. Early in the second overtime, I sarcastically joked about how, of course, the power play sucked with a chance to win it. A few of my friends laughed. It was a fun time.

Kreider had the best chance. He was in on a breakaway. I thought for sure that he’d score. Instead, Quick made the critical save. Maybe in that moment, I knew how it would end. The Rangers had so many opportunities. The Kings basically tried to hand them the game. Had they won, I really think they would’ve taken Game 6 at MSG. Then, it goes to a winner, take all Game 7. In that scenario, anything could happen.

Instead, the Kings made a good play on a rush. Tyler Toffoli found a trailing Alec Martinez for the Stanley Cup clinching goal past Lundqvist. It came at 94:43. That’s over 34 minutes into overtime.

When it ended, the bar shut off the game. We missed the handshakes and Cup presentation. Honestly, that was the one time I was glad I didn’t see it. Who wanted to see Lundqvist cry with his mask on? Nobody wanted to see the Kings celebrate.

I look back on that season with great pride and joy. The Rangers finished the regular season with 96 points. That didn’t stop them from making a memorable run.

Beating the Crosby/Malkin Pens was special. Especially given the circumstances. They came together to win for St. Louis. Crosby even checked on him prior to Game 6. That’s how classy he is.

Even though they eliminated the Canadiens without Price, the Rangers proved that they were a determined group. They earned it. I only wish I’d been able to upload the fan celebration. It doesn’t matter. Being there for that moment was enough. You can’t always get everything on camera. Savor those moments.

When I reflect back on the 2013-14 New York Rangers, I am appreciative of how hard they battled. They made it due to key contributions from every player.

For a long time, some misguided fans took the grit and sacrifice of Girardi and Marc Staal for granted. Those guys did whatever it took to win games. The current roster that’s in first place could use some of that warrior like mentality.

If the 2023-24 New York Rangers are to make a similar run, they’ll need to improve defensively. They’ll have to get more contributions from everyone. There’s a week until the trade deadline. Happy March!