What would I buy? Well, the entire 1994 run of the New York Rangers and breaking the curse! And the entire 1979 run of the Rangers up to Game 1 of the Finals (but give me the WOR-MSG broadcasts of Jim Gordon and the Big Whistle, Bill Chadwick for those and not those dreaded CBC versions!)
The NHL released a DVD set about the Detroit Red Wings that contained five complete games voted on by the fans as part of an "Original Six" series and I have been hoping and wishing something similar for the Rangers would come out, but I fear that the lockout and the loss of the season has derailed any plans for more NHL DVD sets, whereas Warner is releasing more NBA "Dynasty" sets with significant complete games in the history of the teams spotlighted.
I have the one I want, the 1980 Finals, recorded right off of WOR. For the record, except for kines from the sixties, complete finals don't really exist prior to 1974. Especially if you are talking American TV as CBS and NBC kept nothing from their years as hockey telecasters.
Mark, maybe you and I should get together from a trade standpoint!
I have found of late that CBC versions for NHL playoff games are plentiful from about 1958-67 and then after the decline of the Maple Leafs their holdings get spotty and erratic, with not even CBC versions of Cup Finals series games surfacing for the period 68-73, at which point we have for certain the NBC version of 74, Flyers for 75 and CBC and other versions from 76 on.
I recorded all the Ranger games in the 1994 playoffs on VHS and kept all the games they won starting with game 5 against the Caps (so I have the last 9 victories including all four against the Devils). I recently purchased a Panasonic DVD recorder, and I am in the process of transferring these tapes to DVD.
Unfortunately, they were the ESPN broadcasts as I no longer lived in NY at the time. The other problem is that the picture quality is quite variable. I was connected to COX cable then (which really sucked), and ESPN never came in that well. The other issues with quality are that of course, to get a game on one tape, I had to use the slowest recording speed. The last thing, and the one that gets me the most, is that during game 7 against Vancouver, there were tremendous thunderstorms. During the last period, with the Rangers up 3-2 but Vancouver putting on a lot of pressure, the cable went out! It came back on about 15 minutes later, and I am missing 7 minutes or so of the third period. It came back on with about 5 or 6 minutes left in the period. I was going absolutely crazy and took out a pocket radio to try to listen to it from NY. Luckily, I got to see them give the Conn Smythe trophy to Leetch and then the cup to Messier with the Rangers skating around.
I would love for the Rangers to put out a DVD of just this game. To be able to listen to Marv would be great. I don't understand why they don't. I actually thought they might do it in 2004 as a 10th anniversary thing or something.
I agree, there should be a box-set or collection of games, series and even highlights from classic Montreal Canadians playoff and Stanley Cup series. I'd definitely buy a collection of Canadian SC series/games.
On another note, I'd also like to see the first few, original 1980's Rock Em Sock Em Hockies released to DVD as well...
I have each Stanley Cup winning game starting from 1994 on VHS. I have a DVD converter but haven't started on transferring these to the computer yet (don't have a stereo VCR, only a mono one)...
Well if you guys are looking for some classic hockey, the 1976 Canada Cup series is coming out on DVD in the fall. It's expected to contain 6 of Canada's games and a bunch of other extras. This was Bobby Orr's last serious appearance on the ice, playing with Darryl Sittler, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Phil Espositio, Serge Savard, etc etc. Some serious old-style hockey. Probably coming out in Sept. Right now you can get the 87 Canada Cup and highlights of the 92 CC.
I'd love to get the 1976 Canada Cup. I have the 1972 Super Series that came out a couple of years ago for a ridiculously low price, something like $32 Canadian. I have the 74 Series from trades and the key games from the 76 Super Series as well. I wonder how many of those Molstar has.
Count me in for wanting the 2004 Finals! I was recording them on my then-brand new DVD recorder when it crashed after game 4! I have the rest of the games on VHS, but it's not the same.
The NHL would do well to do whatever it takes to keep the fans interested during this lockout. Releasing some classic and recent series on DVD would be a great idea. The only things I would insist on would be having anamorphic transfers and having the complete broadcasts from beginning to end with all of the network graphics included. The Lightning DVD didn't even include the complete Cup Celebration!