Mark Messier's last hockey game, March 31, 2004, by Viktoriya Kravets

From MemoryArchive

Who:  Mark Messier
What: Last Hockey Game
When: March 31, 2004
Where: Madison Square Garden

Mark Messier is the former Captain of the New York Rangers. On March 31st, 2004. The Rangers lost 4-3 to the Buffalo Sabers. And Mark Messier played his last game as a Ranger. The superstar hockey player who played centre was now on his way towards retirement. Scoring his 694th NHL goal, in his 1,756th game. Messier left the ice that night with a standing ovation from the crowd. We all cheered “God Bless, Mess”.

Now I am not an avid sports watcher, I do however like hockey. I have been a Rangers fan since my first game in 1993. I swear when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994, I screamed for like an hour straight. Messier absolutely my most favorite athlete of all time, I was really said to see him get off the ice. Although at forty three is was about that, time to retire those ice skates. The Canadian born Messier had retired with six Stanley Cups. By twenty-four Messier was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) of Edmonton Oilers who won the Stanley Cup in 1985.

He was traded to the Rangers in 1991, and three years later, he brought them out of what was fifty-four-year drought. It was now ten years later, since he had to play for New York. That night in Madison Square Garden, he was the most loved man in all of New York. After the game was over and existed the Garden, the fans were rather quite. We all recognized that man was a true athletic and that night became a Rangers legend. I felt apart of something emotional and it made me feel a little sad; I never really did watch much hockey after that day.[[Category:Hockey]