Can the Rangers end their 30-year Stanley Cup drought?

Remember 1994? That’s when the Rangers ended their 54-year championship drought, a stretch that dated back to 1940 without hoisting the Lord Stanley’s Cup? That was a magical time, with Mike Keenan behind the bench and Mark Messier wearing the “C.” No one in the New York/New Jersey area will ever forget it.

The problem is that it’s been 30 years since that magical spring and summer. There’s an entire generation of hockey fans who’ve never seen the Rangers win a championship; it’s a pipe dream, much like it was for anyone born after the start of World War II during that amazing run in ’94.

Every year, there is hope that it’ll be “the year.” And for three decades, that optimism as proven misguided, as Madison Square Garden hasn’t played host to a Stanley Cup Final game since 2014, when the Rangers were ousted by the Los Angeles Kings.

There’s reason to believe that this season is different, however. Currently, New York is atop the Metropolitan Division. With 60 points, the Rangers have a multiple-game lead over Philadelphia and Carolina. In the East, they only trail the Bruins in the standings; that’d put them in a great position come playoff time if they can hold their spot.

In the nearly 83 years since the bombing of Pearl Harbor, New York has only seen the Rangers have one ticker-tape parade. That number could double in the summer of ’24.

Norm LaChatlier’s pick: Rangers to win the Stanley Cup (+1000)

The best thing about the Rangers is their balance. They’re good on both ends of the ice. Artemi Panarin powers New York’s attack, one that is tied for the sixth-best offense in the Eastern Conference with 150 goals. The left winger has 28 goals (tied for fourth in the NHL) and 34 assists (15^th) so far this season. His 62 points are good for fifth-most in the league. In net Igor Shesterkin give the Rangers a chance on any given night. The 28-year-old goaltender can be brilliant at times, though he’s yet to hit that point this season. He’s 19-11-0, but is allowing 2.81 goals per game (26^th) and has a save percentage of .902 (32^nd); Shesterkin is also yet to post a shutout. Nonetheless, New York has still only allowed 132 goals on the season, the fifth-fewest in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers’ ability to win on either end makes them dangerous. At 10-to-1, their worth a shot. It’d make witnessing history that much sweeter.