Congratulations To My Favorite Player on the Eve of His HHOF Induction. . .

My favorite hockey player is being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. My favorite player - ever.

I don't think many of us - I certainly didn't - knew just how blessed we were to get to watch someone like him play, night in, night out. How his style of play, his work ethic, his quiet demeanor, would so deeply affect the team while he was on it and make us all, over five and a half years after his departure, still long for those days as if they were yesterday.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm talking about Brian Leetch, my favorite player. Arguably - and yes, a very, very good argument can be made - the best Rangers player. Ever.

If he's not the best player ever to don the red, white, and blue, surely he's among the best. No one dare argue that.

The man of relatively few words off of it, Leetch never failed to make every statement while on the ice. The way he was able to lead a rush and get back, effortlessly, flawlessly - you just don't see that anymore. I get a odd sense of bittersweet joy when I remember it even today. Joy because he was simply that good, and bittersweet because he couldn't play forever.

Speaking of joys, I truly consider it one of my greatest joys that I was a Rangers fan and able to watch someone of Leetch's, in ways unparalleled, talent play for my favorite team. Players like him do not come along every day. If you are a Rangers fan, until recent seasons perhaps, you were still waiting for a decent to semi-good defensemen, let alone one that could be described as great, spectacular, marquee, and yes, homegrown.

For I would have loved Brian Leetch if he were from any country. I seriously would have. But it gave me satisfaction to know that Brian was both mine, as a Rangers fan, and mine, as an American. It was a great source of pride. Someone that it can be argued was one of the best defensemen to ever play in the game - from any country - and he was born in Texas, and raised in the New England area.

The American roots would be intertwined with him forever, for more than just two reasons, but never for more than these two.

- Brian Leetch was the first American born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. I would imagine he will not be the only American to ever win the award, but 15 years later, he is still the only one.

- Brian Leetch captained the greatest American hockey team to come together in our lifetime. I still get chills thinking about the 1996 World Cup. I've seen exciting hockey, but I certainly have not seen as exciting hockey played on an international stage. Certainly not with the Americans coming out on top. What a series. And Leetch was very much a part of that.

When looking back on Brian's remarkable career - and remarkable doesn't even begin to do justice to the guy so often overlooked because while he was graceful and smooth, he wasn't flashy - the only disappointment I can name is that it didn't end in New York. If anyone - anyone - deserved to retire a Ranger, it was Brian Leetch. He's not over it, understandably, and we can't go back, but as much as the disappointment is there, I think it's now been buried far enough. Buried under all the wonderful memories of the player that Brian was, and the person he still is.

I could probably go on about Brian Leetch forever, but instead I think I'll let his former teammate, Mike Richter, speak for me, just this once.

"There's only going to be one Brian Leetch," said Richter. "He was not just great, he was unique in the way he was great. You know what? I really miss watching him play."

So do I, Ricky. So do I.


Congratulations, Brian Leetch, and thank you.






#2 Forever.

Five Things About the Rangers/Flames Game. . .

Alright, admittedly, I did not see much of this game apart from the 3rd period. I apologize, but I think I used the Rangers west coast trip as a much needed break time. As much as we all love the game, we do all need a break from time to time, realize it or not at the time. It's been a busy start to the year on a work/personal level, and trying to keep up with two teams has been hard at times. So worth it, but difficult. So another fractured group of random thoughts...

* Some called this Rangers game one of the best efforts of the season. I sure hope so. Injuries to Dubinsky and Drury in addition to an already ailing Brashear, will cause more substitutions to be made. Here's hoping whoever is called up has as good of games as Parenteau and Byers had in their call up games.

* Former Ranger Nigel Dawes got 3 - count-em, 3 - assists against his former club. I haven't seen as much of Calgary as I'd have liked to, and usually do, but Nigel seems to be playing pretty well for them. Remember, even though Renney called him a playmaker, I still hold true to the fact that he's got a better shot. He can be a goal scorer if he doesn't forget how to shoot on the net.

* There's been talk of why someone didn't stick up for Drury after the hit by Glencross. That reminds me of when Zherdev got his nose broken in the "chew-toy" game in Dallas back in February, and pretty much everyone stood idly by, except for one (it may have been Dubinsky). If we thought there'd have been a lot of players on this team that would have played the role, perhaps we were mistaken. Although two of those that may have probably had good reason not to. Byers, coming off his one game suspension, and Avery, just probably treading very carefully so as to not breathe on anyone wrong given what happened last time he was Calgary.

* As much as we don't like to see Hank injured, it's nice to have Valiquette come in and play two strong games in back to backs. Even though the Rangers only got one win in three games, you'd have to say that minus the injuries, this Western swing looked miles better than last time they made the trip, no?

* Long break for the Rangers could be a good chance to rest some tired bodies. I'll be curious to see how they respond against a team in Atlanta that is better than I thought they'd be. I can just see that young goalie Ondrej Pavelec stopping 40 shots against us. If the Rangers were to get their season high and shoot 40 times, that is.

Fun Fact: If Pavelec's place of birth in Kladno, Czech Republic sounds familiar, it's because it's the same as Jaromir Jagr's.

Five Things About the Rangers/Oilers Game. . .

(Note, didn't see the whole game tonight, so these will be really simple, random thoughts. What? You always get simple, random thoughts here? Hmmmm. I try.)

* Christopher Higgins follows up his first goal of the season on Tuesday with his second goal of the season in the very next game. Is this just a breathing the Western Canadian air thing, or will he bring it back to the States with him next week?

* Three, count-em, three power play goals on the night. How refreshing the powerplay is working again. How refreshing to see guys like Gaborik, Prospal, Kotalik, and Del Zotto on it. I still have nightmares from last year sometimes, so the reminder that those days are over is nice.

* As much as part of me loathes the man for what he did in his final season here, Tom Renney will get a moment of thanks from me for what he did in the years previous. Yes, Jagr and Hank carried that team, but Renney was the right coach for the team coming out of the lockout. It's just a shame that no one seemed to realize any sooner last year, that such was no longer the case.

* Anyone shocked that Renney and Jagr want to potentially re-unite the perfect relationship they shared in New York in Edmonton next season? Jagr was the dominating force he could be when healthy and Renney stood back and let him do it. If we are so lucky, it will be great to see Jagr return to the league, because yes, he is good enough. More than good enough. As for Renney, I'm kinda pretty happy the Rangers only play Edmonton once a year, for his sake, and ours.

* I was just going to comment last game on how Callahan was really having a slow start to the season and to add to Carp's thoughts (at Rangers Report, #2) where he asked where he had been, noting relative invisibility, when along Callahan comes and scores a pretty goal. This guy doesn't need to score (although after a 20+ goal campaign last year, we were all expecting him to do that more), but he needs to be effective in other ways. Goodness knows he always hustles and hits, but I have to question whether "Captain Fun" is dragging him down a bit.


Important win for the NYRs. A win in Calgary on Saturday would really help make the Rangers (and me) feel good before a 4 day hiatus. We'll see how that goes...

Five Things About the Rangers/Canucks Game. . .

I know this is days late (and dollars short surely) but...

* I know it was only 4 games in betwen there, but I can't believe the Rangers haven't won in Vancouver since October 11, 1997. That may as well have been another lifetime ago.

* How long a lifetime ago, you ask? That was Messier's first game versus the NYRs after the Vancouver exodus. And that night also marked the last regular season hat trick (#50) of the Great One's career. See, lifetime ago.

* I hate to say, but the melee that occurred early in the third was...fun. It was fun to see that sense of old time hockey which is rare. Ironic it all happened during a line change, but that made it even more exciting. Sad that this was the most exciting part of the game, but the Rangers did not do their part to help that.

* The Rangers undiscplined play and lack of goal scoring continued. The end of the game proved that. They had a chance to really use the melee as a jumping-off point, and they chose to self-combust instead. Again.

* A shame it was in a loss, but congrats to Christopher Higgins for goal #1 as a New York Ranger!

HNIC Wrap-Up ~ October 31, 2009. . .

Again, belated, so apologies for that. Lots of hockey this Saturday night.

Hockey Tonight's Inside Hockey talked about goal masks, something very important this weekend for more than a few reasons, but something I've always had a unique interest in. (Childhood favorite - Stephane Fiset's "ice blocks.") They're just fun to look at.

The end of Inside Hockey showcases this guy who does over 80 masks a year, some commissioned by NHL players. During the show, he shared one for Carey Price. For Rememberance Day, it showcases poppies, pinning a wreath, the Canadian flag, and the poem Flander's field. Looks amazing. Even better, Carey Price, when he's done, will auction it off for money to help wounded soldiers. Find out more at www.woundedwarriors.ca

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On After Hours, the guest to speak of (no disrespect to Steve Yzerman, Red Wings great, that is) was Rene Bourque.

Before Saturday night, the only thing I knew about Rene Bourque was that he was the player whose neck was sliced open by Nik Zherdev's skate blade, when Rene was with Chicago, and Nik was a Blue Jacket.

Thanks to segments like After Hours, I now know a lot more about Bourque, and can think of some good things instead of remembering what was probably the most horrible time in his life and one he'd rather forget.

It didn't take long for Rene to have hosts Scott Oake and Kevin Weekes laughing. Literally, at one point they had a hard time continuing. Some of his more clever moments:

After being shown an image of his report card from youth hockey camp, with average marks in some categories, and signed by Ron Sutter, he said, "maybe the Sutter family had a late night the night before."

That had them laughing. For a while.

The next was when Kevin Weekes called him "Mr.-Everything" and said the only thing he hadn't seen Rene do was wear the Harvy the Hound costume. Rene's response:

"Maybe tomorrow night."

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Some other tidbits:

He grew up with sisters, one of them a twin, so he said he never had to fight for clothes or bathroom time.

He heard about Goals and Dreams through the NHLPA and wanted to participate. Gave out 50 sets of hockey equipment to kids in his hometown of Lac Li Biche, Alberta.

"It was like Christmas for them; it was very rewarding."

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Lastly, while he said he doesn't like to think about it, he watched the clip of the Zherdev incident with the guys. And he was gracious enough to speak about it. He lost over a liter of blood, and didn't realize at first how dangerous the injury was. He was in hostpial for 5 days, and the doctors, he said, looked like they almost didn't know what to do because it's such a rare injury. He was very close to losing his life, but thankfully, thanks to the medical staff and doctors, he survived. Still has a visible scar on his neck, a reminder for the rest of his life of how close it came to ending.


Overall, a very funny, humble interview with the guy who is leading the Calgary Flames in scoring so far this season. A guy to root for, that's for sure. I'm now going to.
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Oh and lest you feel cheated, in another installment of "Tips from the WEEKES' Beauty Bag" - Weeke's urged guys to bring cologne, and girls to bring perfume for after the game. You don't want to smell "like hockey," he says.

Kinda wonderfing how far this segment will go. I didn't get to write up on last week (not too much doing although there was a short Nigel Dawes interview) but Weekes' tip for 10/24 was to use shower gel.

Guess we'll see. Gotta love Weeksie, though.

My Game of the Week ~ Leafs/Canadiens 10/31/09. . .

A little belated and a little shorter than ususal, but wanted to make sure to share some of the moments between the two rivals playing their first game against one another since opening night. In case you missed:

- No, it wasn't for Halloween, but the Habs wore the barber pole jerseys (made known in 1912-1913) in continuing to celebrate their centennial. They hadn't worn them since the Superbowl game versus Boston that had them lose not only the game but Robert Lang, Josh Gorges, and Guillaume Latendresse during the 60 minutes. Lang's was the most painful- as a strong part of the team, he left with what may have been a potentially career ending cut to his Achilles tendon. Would they provide better luck on this night?

- I don't care what anyone says, those jerseys are pretty damn distracting. What I noticed this time that I did not notice as much the last time is the gloves. Even they are distracting, that orangy/mustardy/yellowy color. Look, I understand and I thnk it's a bold statement to go back to vintage jerseys. But that is a BOLD statement.

- One of the best lines of this: Thinking it was movie night for the Habs and how the guys were dressed up as George Clooney in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?"

- Grabovski, because the Habs just love Mikeal, and Komisarek, because Mike will not be forgiven for going to the other side of the proud rivalry, were both booed often and heavily every time they touched the puck.

- Luke Schenn (awe, Luke Schenn), suffering from a bit of a sophomore slump, called fellow former Kelowna Rocket's player Shea Weber to get some advice. Shea's advice: focus on the physicality of the game. If you continue to make checks, play the body, use your size, the rest of your game will come back. I just think it's refreshing that he feels comfortable reaching out to one of his own teammates. Shows a sense of maturity beyond his years.

- "Hell just froze over. The Maple Leafs scored." - the broadcaster announced when the Leafs found the back of the net.

- When Komisarek took a penalty, that he seemed unsure he took, at the end of the first, he left the rink, not wanting to get booed more than necessary in the penalty box.

- Halak had an impressive run during the Leafs 5-3 powerplay.

- Former teammate, Latendresse hit Komisarek behind the net, to rousing cheers from the Belle Centre faithful.

- After the 3rd goal, the Leaf's Beauchemin was so angry he just went right after Michael Cammalleri. A scrum ensued.

- "Face washing and candy kisses" abound. They love each other guys!

- Toskala made an impressive save as former Rangers' Mara set up Gomez on an odd-man rush.

- As fans serenaded the Leafs with "na na na na - sayyy, goodbye" - the Leafs scored to start mounting the comeback. Have to hold that song until you are up by more than 2 goals. Seriously.

- The Leafs come back to tie at 4-4, but former Ranger Gomez gets the deciding goal in the shootout.


Overall, I love watching the Habs/Leafs - always did. But even more so now because it appears some of the true rare times that the Leafs look like they are really putting it all together. Toskala has to take blame for the bad goals - he let in a bad one to Metropolit - but on many other occassions he gets little to no help. The expected powerhouse of defense in Toronto just isn't working. The Leafs powerplay has good movement, and scored 2 of 7 times. The held Montreal scoreless on their man advantage.

Five Things About the Rangers/Bruins Game. . .

* The Rangers, miraculously some may say, put together as close to a 60 minute effort as they have in the last week plus, and finally came up with a very important win.

* Is it just me, or with the random exception of the 7-0 St. Patrick's Day Massacre of a few years back, most Rangers/Bruins games end in a 1-0 score, one way or another?

* Redden made another good play in front of his own net to steal the puck away, and got cheered - at the Garden. Props to him for keeping his head in the game and doing the simple things. Wade doesn't need to be flashy, he just needs to make simple plays to get the job done.

* I blinked for a second and didn't see who scored the Rangers goal. I probably didn't need three guesses to figure out who it was, now did I?

* Part of me wanted to see Gaborik not play (not because I don't love seeing him play, people) to see if the Rangers could still put together a real effort and win without him. Now, still, I'm really not sure if it was Gaborik injecting life into this team, or them really putting the pieces back together. Either way, I'll take the win. This losing thing was getting old.

Western Canadian trip coming up. We all know these have been nothing easy for the Rangers in the recent past. Should be interesting. Truth be told, they better keep it interesting - if it's 11:45 and they are not playing well, it's going to be that much easier to turn off the TV and just go to bed...