May 26
LW Alexei Ponikarovsky and RW Dainius Zubrus both notched assists in Game 6. Ponikarovsky has gone eight games without a goal, Zubrus seven, but both had two assists in the last three games against the Rangers.
G Martin Brodeur was a 22-year-old goalie when he lost Games 6 and 7 to the rival Rangers back in 1994. Now, 18 years later, he beat the Rangers and is going back to the Stanley Cup finals for the fifth time. "This was to go to the big dance," he said. "When you are a kid and you're dreaming of winning a Stanley Cup, dreaming to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup and, for us, winning today, this gives us this opportunity to compete for it and along the way we beat a big rival, that, especially for me, 18 years ago, everybody's been talking about it, so it's now it's at least 1-1.
"I don't know if they're going to give us credit, but it's 1-1.
"We've won three Stanley Cups since then. But, I think winning against them in the big stage, not just for me, but for the fans of New Jersey, people that are supporting us and always take a second seat to these guys for whatever reason, now they've got to be pretty happy going to work and going to school and doing all their things that they do. I know from some of the messages I got throughout this playoff series, we made (the fans) real happy right now by beating them."
