News about Mark Messier

A number of NHL legends have called on the New York Rangers to bring one key rookie back to the lineup on Friday night. The Blueshirts play a crucial Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in front of the home crowd at Madison Square Garden. After this game the series turns back to Sunrise, Florida - home of their Finals rivals the Florida Panthers.

On Thursday, Rangers fans watched their team on the Garden's jumbotron with many bouncing around the arena after New York edged out the Hurricanes 5-3 in Raleigh, North Carolina. New York went from cruising through the NHL playoffs with an unbeaten record to suddenly struggling to close out a second-round series despite having a huge lead (3-0) before Carolina won two games in a row. The Rangers were trailing 3-1 entering the third period.

It's called The World's Most Popular Arena, but Madison Square Garden has been more renowned than ever in the 21st century, a place where celebrity athletes routinely fail to impress, and teaching careers go to die. The Manhattan arena's tenants haven't even sniffed a title this millennium, despite the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup Finals loss in 2014. Although New York has had some success on the track, the hardwood has been much crueler, as the Knicks have won only three playoff series since being in the NBA Finals in 1999. But now, with the support of some new blood, the Knicks and Rangers are giving irritated fans a reason to be excited about visiting Madison Square Garden for the first time in years.

Trouba became the Rangers' first captain since February 2018, when the Rangers traded away then-captain Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning in February 2018. He joins a long line of famous players who have been named captains for the Original Six franchise, including Hockey Hall of Fame Harry Howell, Andy Bathgate, Brad Park, Phil Esposito, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch.