Stephanie Bagley is a
Senior Writer for HockeyBarn.com and a contributing writer for ESPN The Magazine. You can catch weekly updates to her
column, "Open Ice," as well as frequent installments to the series
"Quest for the Holy Barn," as HockeyBarn scours North America in
discovery of hockey's greatest "barns."
Open Ice is excited to launch its premier column with
an exclusive interview with one of the greatest defensemen of all time, Brian
Leetch. HB talked to the man who
redefined "offensive defensemen" about everything from how he got his start on
a small rink his father managed 
in Cheshire, CT to
how 'ice time' now means teaching his eight-year-old son the
basics of the sport he excelled at for 17 seasons in the NHL.
# 2
It has been more than
two years since two-time Norris Trophy-winning blueliner
Brian Leetch officially hung up his skates as a professional hockey player, and
more than a year since the New York Rangers ceremoniously raised # 2 to the
rafters, but the intrigue and impact of one of the greatest NHL skaters of all
time is still as sharp as Alex
Ovechkin's chip shot.
Leetch, 40, is
currently headlining as a dad. When HockeyBarn caught up with Brian by phone,
his game-plan for the day was enjoying time at home playing with his three
children who had a snow day off from school. Still, he reminisced about his
time as a Blueshirt and the rest of his career with
the same excitement and understated humility that defined him as he earned a
Conn Smythe, Calder, aforementioned Norris (twice), 11 All-Star nods and, oh yea, a Stanley Cup
during his 17-season NHL career.
As is fitting for one
of the true greats, he transcends the ice, the stats, the laundry-list of records, the uniform...his legacy is somehow bigger than all
of that. But he will be the last one to ever tell you that.
"I feel like I should
be the one saying thanks because my career on the ice is over and I had so much
support for all those years, so much gratitude," said Leetch.
BACK TO BASICS
No dawn-til-dusk pick-up games with four hockey playing brothers or
homemade backyard rinks here. Brian grew up in Chesire,
CT hundreds of miles from the ponds of Winnipeg or Minnesota and got his first
taste of hockey after picking up some skates at a local store, Cheshire Sport,
and then playing around with the neighborhood kids at the rink his dad managed.
" "When they built the
rink in town, my dad was the rink manager so we all went there together. It was
a normal size rink and then a small sheet of ice about as big as one zone is
where we learned to skate," said Leetch.
Brian added that he
could not remember any specific drills or skills that he worked on because their
practices were often informal and he did so many they all blend together.
"It was just us
falling down and getting up and learning to skate. Nothing really sticks out
because you do everything so much. I see that with my own son now, who is eight. It just slowly starts to sink in a little bit at a
time. "
PUT ME IN, COACH
Leetch
die-hards (or anyone who has been to the Sports Museum of America in downtown
NY) are probably the only people who are aware Leetch had a 90 MPH fastball by
his sophomore year of high school in addition to a wicked wrist shot.
In his
two years at Cheshire High School, Leetch excelled on two very different
playing fields. Leetch led the Cheshire Rams to a state championship in
baseball before he transferred to athletic powerhouse Avon Old Farms School in
Avon, CT, where he set a school record for 19 strikeouts in a game his senior year...and
also scored 70 goals and 90 assists in 54 games. As a
defenseman.
Venerated 34-year
Avon Old Farms ice hockey coach John Gardner (whom we interviewed HERE)
is notorious for his nose for talent, but even he was blown away by Leetch's ability to move the puck:
"One of the first
times I saw him skate as a junior was at practice one day. I was standing
behind the bench talking to some of the kids and I looked over to the ice to
watch him and he just took the puck all the way down the ice and passed about 3
people and then sunk the puck right in the net. Everyone just kind've looked at each other
saying things like, 'Did you see that?'"
The hockey phenom spoke about
himself in decidedly less effusive terms than his coach, teammates and fans, who would routinely stand up at the bench and watch in awe
whenever he took the ice.
"I never looked at
myself as having a unique talent but definitely felt a responsibility to my
teammates to play well so that our team could be successful. I was receiving
the most ice time and was on the ice for all important moments and didn't want
to fail or let my teammates down."
Leetch reserved all
words of praise for his coaches, John Gardner and Kevin Driscoll.
"They were both men
who earned our respect as people and coaches yet were able to joke around and
at times act just like us."
Luckily for all of us
hockey fans, Brian chose to stick to the rink instead of the baseball diamond.
Why? He cited several reasons, but a main motivation was the team aspect.
No surprise there for the man who defined team player throughout his career.
"Baseball practice
was a lot slower and took longer and focused a lot on individual skills like
hitting and fielding. I liked the importance of all five guys on the ice
working together in games and the flow to practices."
WELCOME TO THE NHL
Leetch had barely
stepped off the plane from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he
captained Team USA, before Rangers GM Phil Esposito had his first round draft
pick (9th overall) in a Rangers sweater. The blueliner
made his anxiously awaited NHL debut on a stage that is arguably bigger than
even the Olympics: Madison Square Garden.
The Garden is notorious
for its relentless media that can sanctify you one week and crucify you the
next, and loyal but ruthless fans who would boo even the Little Rangers who
skate between periods if they do not take enough shots on goal. (Ed. Note: I've
actually seen this happen.)
"My first game at the Garden I was on the
bench during the opening face off vs. St. Louis and
Chris Nilan was lined up. He got into a fight only
two seconds into the game. In the fight
he was wrestling and throwing punches and drifted right in front of the Rangers
bench only a few feet away from me and I just kind've
chuckled out loud to myself, and was thinking 'Welcome to the NHL,' just like
that."
The fresh-faced new
Ranger played hard for the remaining 17 games of the 1987-1988 season, earning
14 points, yet he lamented missing the playoffs and vowed to himself to do
everything in his power to get into the post-season.
By 1988-1989, his first full season with the Rangers, Leetch had both
the New York media and the Garden Faithful eating out of his hockey glove.
In addition to helping the Blueshirts make the playoffs he scored 71 points, including a record-setting 23 goals for a rookie
defenseman, good enough to soundly earn him the Calder Trophy.
"I was always more
excited and more nervous to play at home. My first few years the Garden crowd
definitely brought out the best in me," said Leetch.
BRINGING THE CUP HOME
1993-1994.
The
year that will forever remain on a blue banner hanging from the famous Garden
rafters emblazoned with the words STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS.
It has now been
fifteen years since Leetch scored 34 points in the playoffs to earn the
Conn Smythe and help erase a 54-year drought without
a Cup. For many members of the numerous and steadfast Garden Faithful, the run
to the Cup seems like it was just yesterday and conversation never seems to
dull of the June of 1994.
Much of the season is now a
"blur" for Leetch, who also has a permanent place in the rafters, but the MVP shared some of his memories of the season with HockeyBarn.
# 2's Stanley Cup Memories
1. Mark Messier's reaction to
taking the lead with his 2nd goal in "the" pivotal Game 6 against the Devils in
the Eastern Conference Championship:
"I remember Mark took
the lead on his backhand goal, and he was excited. But then within 3 seconds of
us coming together, his face got really serious and he gave us a 'Let's go!
Let's go!' He switched it right over. A lot of us were like, 'holy cow... we're
actually in the lead now' after everything that had gone on. He flipped it over
pretty quick to get us focused again. While there was a definite jump in our
step, we were thinking that we had the rest of the period to take care of business.
And then we did, but then obviously he capped it off..."
2. Winning the Cup was the greatest honor of his career:
"Without a doubt
winning the Stanley Cup in New York City was the greatest achievement in my career. The
ups and downs that go into an 82-game regular season plus the grind of a two month
playoff makes the satisfaction of winning and sharing that bond with your teammates
the ultimate reward. Put on top of that winning in New York and breaking a 54-year
drought for the franchise, a ticker tape parade...there is no comparison."
3. How he spent his time with the Cup:
"There was no
official 'Cup watcher' then, so I actually had the Cup for about two
weeks. It was just starting to get into
the 'everyone has a day with the Cup' deal. And after about two weeks, I'd had
enough of the Cup. We would take it out
to the clubs, restaurants and parties in between taking it on Letterman, Conan
O'Brien, Yankee Stadium and so on.
The night before the
parade I had it in my apartment with a few friends who were in town for those
last few days and we just took some pictures with it, but then I knew I had to
be up to do a TV show early in the morning so I called my buddy and I said, 'You're
going to meet us at the Garden for the parade.' So he wrapped the Cup up in a
blanket and then went and got a taxi and put it on the taxi seat next to him
and brought it down to the Garden. I met him outside and then we brought it
down to the parade. "
Guess we know why
they started using security guards to watch the Cup the next season...
SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE...
After retiring in 2007, Brian is now content
spending the majority of his time at home with his wife and his three young
children, but he is far from done with hockey. He encourages his kids to skate
and brings them to games in hopes of getting them excited to maybe play one day
since (understatement) he "knows some stuff about hockey."
While he says he will
never pressure his kids to play, his oldest son is showing some interest and is
playing on a team that Brian helps out with and steps in to coach when needed,
though he said he has no desire to be head coach and "deal with parents."
That said, there will be no teary un-retirement from Leetch...but a
job in a front office? He would consider it.
"It interests me,
there's no question about it. But I know I can't do it halfway and I'm not
prepared to jump in full time right now. I'm home with my young family. You're
pretty much right back into how it was like when you played, it's a 24-hour
thing. That would also probably depend on whether I have any friends that get a
position to help me out there that I played with."
Leetch also expressed
how much he enjoys returning to the Garden as an alum, which he continues to frequent for
both special events or just to take in a game.
"When I go back I
feel like I am home and there are so many memories that come up."
Hopefully a certain
blue-shirted team who could use a little magic --and who also have a promising
young defenseman often compared to Leetch (ahem, Marc
Staal)--is listening.
