Stéphane Matteau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stéphane Matteau (born September 2, 1969 in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) is a former National Hockey League player.

As a member of the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship team, Matteau is most remembered for scoring two overtime goals in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. His first overtime goal ended Game 3 at 6:13 of the second overtime in New Jersey giving the Rangers a 3–2 victory and a 2–1 series lead. The second goal, one of the most famous in NHL playoff history, came at 4:24 of the second overtime of Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Matteau scored on a wraparound on the left side of New Jersey's rookie goaltender Martin Brodeur, leading Ranger radio broadcaster Howie Rose to proclaim "Matteau, Matteau, Matteau".

Matteau admitted to tapping the Prince of Wales Trophy with his stick's blade before the start of the overtime period, violating a superstition of modern-day NHL players not to touch the Conference trophies before the ultimate prize, The Stanley Cup, has been won. The goal gave the New York Rangers a 2–1 victory and the Wales Trophy as the Eastern Conference champions and they then defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win the Stanley Cup.

Matteau finished his career in 2002–03 with the Florida Panthers and a career total 742 penalty minutes, 144 goals and 172 assists for 316 total points in 848 games. He also played for the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks after starting his NHL career with the Calgary Flames.