Newest Rangers Enjoying Escape

Esa Tikkanen knows all about playing with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Russ Courtnall can only imagine doing so.

But Sunday afternoon, the two veteran wingers looked like two men with exactly the same thoughts going through their heads - and like two guys who just got “Get Out of Jail Free” cards.

Acquired late Saturday night in a deal that sent Sergei Nemchinov and Brian Noonan to Vancouver, Tikkanen and Courtnall expressed delight upon joining the Rangers during Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Sharks at San Jose Arena.

“I feel excellent,” said Tikkanen, the 32-year-old, five-time Stanley Cup winner who played a major role in the Rangers’ 1994 championship. “It’s a chance to win a Stanley Cup again. And a good thing is I get to play with Wayne and Mark again. The last time I played with Mark, we won the Cup. It’s going to be exciting again.”

Neither Tikkanen nor Courtnall had been enthused about playing in Vancouver anymore. Contract troubles were a major reason why - both become unrestricted free agents at the end of this season and got only token contract offers from the Canucks.

And both had asked to be traded.

Courtnall also was frustrated by being shuffled back to third-line right wing when it became apparent that stars Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure couldn’t play together on the same line.

“Ever since Alex (Kovalev) got hurt, we’ve tried to get a right winger with speed and we’ve found that in Courtnall,” Rangers president Neil Smith said. “I think his numbers this year are partly due to his injury and partly because the Canucks were so overloaded with talent on the right side.

“And Tikkanen, I think, brings an excitement level and a lot of aggravation.”

Left wing Darren Langdon of the New York Rangers has been suspended for two games and fined $1,000 for his part in a fight during a game at Los Angeles on Thursday.