Rangers and Devils Renew Their N.H.L. Playoffs Rivalry

In a Game 7 for the ages, the Devils trailed, 1-0, with under 10 seconds to play, when Valeri Zelepukin tied it — the second time the Devils scored after pulling the goalie in the series. The teams fought through an excruciatingly tense and scoreless first overtime. Then, 4 minutes 24 seconds into the second, Matteau hustled behind the net and, as his teammate Esa Tikkanen drove in front, slipped the puck in off Martin Brodeur’s glove, eliciting Rose’s chilling call.

While watching the replay on their monitor, Sal Messina, Rose’s booth partner, wondered if perhaps it was Tikkanen who scored the historic goal. Rose gulped silently.

“I’m thinking to myself, Oh no, I’m either going to be the biggest laughingstock in N.H.L. history,” Rose recalled, “or I’m going to have to go into a studio and overdub, ‘Tikkanen, Tikkanen, Tikkanen!’”

Starting Tuesday, some new players may join Matteau, Messier, Daneyko, Brodeur, Lundqvist and Henrique in the rivalry’s pantheon.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/sports/hockey/rangers-devils-nhl-playoffs.html