Brian Leetch won the 1994 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP, leading the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years. As a defenseman, Leetch excelled with 34 points in 23 games, the highest of any player that postseason, and was instrumental in both offensive and defensive plays, earning recognition for his exceptional all-around performance. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Capitals, Leetch scored the series-clinching goal with under four minutes remaining in the third period, closing out the series in five games. After Sergei Zubov kept the puck in at the blue line, he found Leetch alone in front of the net, where he scored, igniting the Rangers’ home crowd. During Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, Leetch scored a beautiful goal to open the scoring midway through the game. After a Rangers faceoff win, Leetch collected the puck, skated down the wall, went behind the goal line, executed a spin-o-rama to elude the check, and slammed the puck into the net. In another Game 7, this time during the Stanley Cup Final, Leetch again opened the scoring. Beginning with a breakout, Leetch headed up the ice after making the initial pass. As the play developed, Zubov received a drop pass from Mark Messier and then found Leetch, who fired it into the open net. Leetch had a dominant performance throughout the playoffs, leading in points (34), assists (23), goals by a defenseman (11), plus/minus (+19), and tying for the lead in game-winning goals (4). His outstanding contributions were pivotal in the Rangers’ successful championship run.