| "1940" was also a taunting chant heard at NHL hockey arenas throughout the '80s and early '90s, whenever the New York Rangers played.
The Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1940, then proceeded to go through more than half a century before lifting the Holy Grail of hockey again.
As years went on, the Rangers' championship exile became the subject of taunting by fans of rivals New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. Chants of "1940...1940...1940" directed at the Rangers and their fans started in the '80s, or maybe even the '70s. As more time passed, the chants became louder and more commonplace in other NHL arenas whenever the Rangers visited.
In 1994, the Rangers finally ended the "curse" (as it came to be called) and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years, defeating Vancouver in the finals. Chants of "1940" became a distant memory.
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