On June 17, 1994, hours before the slow-speed chase involving O.J. Simpson would captivate the entire nation, more than one million New Yorkers clad in blue, red and white abandoned work, school and other responsibilities to descend upon lower Manhattan to celebrate the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup in 54 years.
The Knicks, under the same corporate umbrella as the hockey franchise, had a number of executives at the victory parade—not only to commemorate, but also to take logistical notes in case they managed to win the ultimate prize.
“So many people at the parade kept pointing at us saying, ‘You guys are next!’” recalls Dave Checketts, who served as Knicks president at the time. “I was too superstitious to handle any parade logistics before we’d won anything, but I did agree to have my most-trusted guy start dealing with the city on that stuff, just in case it did end up happening for us.”
