As Derick “Big Game” Brassard went to put his shin guards on top of his locker, he was asked a question about legacy.
What sits before Brassard and the Rangers is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning, to be played under the bright lights of the big city, in prime time on Friday night at the Garden. These are just the types of games that write the headlines of history, for franchises and for individuals, and Brassard went right to a place that touches Rangers fans so deeply.
“When you look at the team that won in ’94,” Brassard told The Post after Thursday’s practice, “that comes back a lot. [Mark] Messier and [Stephane] Matteau’s goal, and stuff like that.
“So, yeah, that’s why these games are so much fun to play and to watch, because if we end up winning this game and we end up winning the whole thing, you look back and you remember those games that made the difference.”
The nickname for Brassard is apt, and his Game 6 hat trick already is written in the history books, there to be viewed when the time is right. Which is not now, not before the biggest game of the season, and arguably the biggest game of many of these players’ careers.
“I don’t think about the history,” Brassard said. “I just think about [Friday] is going to be a fun hockey game to be a part of for every guy that’s going to play. You don’t really think about what can happen. Obviously, you’re thinking about, ‘If we win this game, we’re going to be in the finals.’ But, I’m just excited to go and try to play well.”
There is a lot on the line in this one game, and the Rangers don’t need anyone to remind them. It might not exactly be stinging anymore, but last season’s run to the Stanley Cup finals still is fresh, as is Alec Martinez’s double-overtime goal in Game 5 that sent the Kings into an uproarious celebration and sent the Rangers to sulk while the walls of their dressing room at the Staples Center echoed with the party outside.
“You get in these types of games, and that’s what everyone remembers — they remember moments,” alternate captain Marc Staal said. “Whether it be a big penalty kill, a big goal, a big save. When you get those things in these types of situations, for one, it wins you hockey games, and that’s what everyone remembers.”
What the Rangers have done to this point won’t be forgotten, but the light in which it will be seen is colored by what happens in Game 7. If the speed and skill of the Lightning prevail, it’s an utter disappointment. There is no consolation for the Blueshirts for making three of the past four conference finals.
But they’ve gotten here by dealing with big moments so well. They are 15-3 in elimination games over the past four years, and 7-0 all time in Game 7s at the Garden. Astounding numbers for a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since ’94.
“When you go into these games, every shift matters, every play matters,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, whose Hall of Fame résumé is being written daily, but still carries a gaping hole under “championships.”
“It could be the difference between moving on and it’s all over.”
Coach Alain Vigneault also has his own history in Game 7s, having gone 5-1 in his career — that one loss coming when his Canucks dropped Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to the Bruins in 2011.
“You know, I’ve sort of moved past that one,” he said, politely smiling. “That was a real tough one to take at the time, and my sole focus right now is on getting this team ready.”
That focus also hasn’t changed from Day 1 of the regular season to now.
“We haven’t shied away from saying that our ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup,” Vigneault said. “We haven’t shied away from saying that we know we’re going to be judged by our playoff success.”
These are the games that are remembered, and these are the performances that define the legacies of those involved. The Rangers are so close to the situation, perspective is left for those on the outside. But the Blueshirts certainly are not naive about what lies before them.
“Any time you go this deep and have one game to have a chance to go to the Stanley Cup final, yeah, it’s a big moment,” Staal said. “For a lot of us in this room, for everyone in this room. We want to take advantage of it.
“But I don’t think any of us [are] looking past what they’ll say about us after. It’s just trying to win one hockey game.”