FIVE YEARS AGO -- Feb. 23, 1994

Ladies and gentlemen: The Kovalev Eternity Shift! In a brutal 6-3 home loss to Boston, Alexei Kovalev is kept on the ice for the final six minutes of the second period (he draws two penalties and scores a power-play goal), and is left on for almost seven minutes to start the third. It's a response from Mike Keenan to a Kovalev propensity not to report back to the bench in timely fashion at the end of his shifts. And it's yet another beef the coach has with his immature but immensely talented right winger.

"Overextending shifts is another subtle indication of a lack of discipline," Keenan says. "Alex probably thinks I was rewarding him."

Alex wasn't the only one. A view from the greens says he was one of the few to show up. Kovalev is one of only four Rangers to end up even or better in plus/minus.

Adam Oates (goal, two assists) gets first star honors. Mike Richter allows three goals on 15 shots and gets pulled (not at the third goal, but 48 seconds later); Glenn Healy allows three more, and because New York scores three, he's the losing goalie.

Meanwhile, Adam Graves scores his 41st and 42nd of the season. He has 25 games to go.

Mike Fornabaio -- mef17@oocities.com

Click here for the next date -- Feb. 24 -- or, click here to return to the 5YA index

(P.S. -- thanks for the kind words -- and thanks saget for the 19YA feature! Still believing in miracles -- and that the equipment staff was what won that gold medal...)