Stephane Matteau talks legendary 1994 Rangers goal 30 years later

The moment occurred in such a flash. It unfolded in a matter of seconds.

And yet it came with so many life-changing consequences and delivered a memory forever seared into the soul of New York sports.

There were so many elements that were a part of those mere nanoseconds that made it one of the most iconic events in New York sports history.

At the center of it all was one of the most unlikely characters of all, which only added to its lore.

“Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!’’ occurred 30 years ago this month.

Thirty years since Stephane Matteau scored the greatest walk-off goal in Rangers history — in double overtime of Eastern Conference finals Game 7 against the Devils to send the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would beat Vancouver in seven games.

Thirty years since the last Rangers’ Stanley Cup ended a 54-year drought.

Thirty years later, that 1994 team has stirred memories and invoked comparisons to this year’s Rangers.

Howie Rose, one of the most treasured New York broadcast voices of this generation, was on the radio call that night of May 27, 1994. Matteau was on the puck.

Considering the roster of stars and goal scorers on that Rangers roster, Matteau was an accidental tourist of sorts in the moment. He’d scored four goals in his 12 regular-season games as a Ranger after being acquired midseason from the Blackhawks.

Matteau fought off a Scott Niedermayer hook behind the goal and put the puck past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with a wraparound shot 4:24 into the second overtime, sending the Rangers to the Cup finals.

He’s been a New York sports legend since.

And, with the tremendous job the Rangers do bringing back their alumni, Matteau has been a fixture inside the Garden for years as a team ambassador.

“I feel like I’m at home at the Garden,’’ Matteau told The Post on Tuesday. “I feel safe. I feel loved. I feel appreciated. And I feel alive when I come there.’’

Matteau, 54 and a native of Quebec, said every time he’s back in New York “people remind me of the moment, they keep the moment alive every single time I’m here, so I’m living it every single day.’’

Matteau, too, is paying back for those moments of adulation. He has a foundation and a program called “Make Your Moment,’’ which is centered around youths establishing character development and a healthier sense of well-being. It helps those who are being bullied, suffer from depression and anxiety and don’t fit in with peers.

Matteau calls this “personal’’ for him because he’s dealt with all of those issues both as a youth and an adult.

“I’ve struggled with anxiety attacks, depression, highs and lows and not fitting in,’’ he said. “There are a lot of kids and people who suffer behind a smile.’’

Matteau is conducting an event on May 23 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his iconic goal with money raised from the night going to his foundation and to Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Urology for bladder cancer research in honor of Rose’s recent cancer battle.

The event, where Rose will be along with former Rangers Mike Richter, Adam Graves and many others, can be accessed via matteaufoundation.org.

The players, along with Rose, will recount that historic night — including the moment the Devils tied the game at 1-1 on a Valeri Zelepukin goal with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation to send it to overtime.

“Everything went in slow motion,’’ Matteau recalled of his goal. “I just remember when that puck slipped in the corner, I had a very good jump on Niedermayer and as I went around the back of the net and he hooked me. I think he’s the reason why I scored, because he hooked me so my body kind of turned towards the front of the net.

“I just wanted to put it in front of the net and when the puck went in, I never thought about my own success or fame or anything like that. All I remember thinking was, ‘We are going to the Stanley Cup Final.’ ’’

Matteau believes this Rangers team can go where his 1994 team went.

There have been a lot of outside comparisons to 1994 and this year for the Rangers, like the Knicks also threatening to go deep in the NBA playoffs, the fact there was an earthquake and an eclipse in both 1994 and this year.

“I don’t believe in the earthquake and the eclipse, I just believe in the team,’’ Matteau said of the Rangers. “They have a very good chance to win the Stanley Cup. We should not be afraid to say the words ‘Stanley Cup.’ This is not a rebuild.’’

Matteau pointed to current Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin being on a level that Richter was on back then. He said he sees defenseman Adam Fox playing like Sergei Zubov and Brian Leetch from the ’94 team. He compared Jacob Trouba to Jeff Beukeboom, Chris Kreider to Graves and Mika Zibanejad a more skilled version of Glenn Anderson.

“This Rangers team is as good as I’ve seen in the last 10 to 15 years,’’ Matteau said.

What does Matteau think his life would be like had he not scored that goal in 1994?

“I will never know,’’ Matteau said. “I’m sure I would have had a quiet life in Montreal. Maybe come to New York once in a while. But I’m very grateful that I did score that goal. I just love the fact that I’m back to the Garden. I’m back to New York, where a lot of people appreciate what I accomplished for the team. I love that I can share that moment with the fans.

“How do I put it into words? It’s a blessing. The people are so respectful, they keep me young. That’s the feeling walking around the Garden and people are screaming my name three times, or they’re staring at me or pointing fingers at me and they’re telling their grandkids, ‘He’s one of the reasons why we won the Cup in ’94.’ ’’