Brian Leetch

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 250px
played_for = New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
league = NHL
position = Defense
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 185
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1968|3|3
birth_place = Corpus Christi, TX, U.S.
draft = 9th overall
draft_year = 1986
draft_team = New York Rangers
career_start = 1987
career_end = 2006

Brian Joseph Leetch (born March 3, 1968 in Corpus Christi, Texas) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played in 18 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his offense and playmaking abilities. He and fellow Rangers teammate Mike Richter are inducted in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.

Leetch accumulated many individual honors during his 18-year career. He was a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman (1992, 1997) and remains the only American-born winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP for his brilliant play during the Rangers' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Championship. He is one of only five NHL defensemen to score 100 points in a season with his 102-point campaign in 1991–92. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989 and his 23 goals that season remain an NHL record for rookie defensemen. Leetch's number 2 was retired by the Rangers on January 24, 2008. During the ceremony, longtime teammate Mark Messier referred to Leetch as the "Greatest Ranger of All Time."

Biography

Early life

Although he was born in Texas, his family moved from there 3 months after he was born, eventually settling in Cheshire, Connecticut. This is where the youngster would begin to hone his hockey skills at a local ice rink managed by his father. In high school he excelled in baseball and hockey, first at Cheshire High School, and then at Avon Old Farms. As a sophomore, his 90-mph fastball helped the Cheshire Rams baseball team to a state championship and, as a senior at Avon Old Farms, he set the school record for strikeouts in a game with 19. The sport of hockey, however, is where he really excelled. As a sophomore at Cheshire, he scored 53 goals and 50 assists. In 2 seasons with Avon Old Farms he scored 70 goals and 90 assists in 54 games. These numbers were especially remarkable for a defenseman. NHL scouts were starting to take notice and the New York Rangers chose Leetch as their first-round pick (9th overall) in 1986. Following in the footsteps of his father Jack, Brian enrolled at Boston College in the fall of 1986, and, like his father, would become an All-American defenseman for the Eagles.

Playing career

After one season at Boston College he played for the 1988 US Olympic team, then made his NHL debut (originally wearing number 6) with the New York Rangers in 1988, scoring 14 points in 17 games. In his first full year in 1988, he notched 71 points, including a rookie defenseman-record 23 goals, winning the Calder Trophy as well as being selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

As the Rangers slowly developed into a championship-caliber team, Leetch won increasing respect from fans for his quiet demeanor and entertaining, offensive-minded play. In 1992 he became the fifth defenseman in history, and the only American defenseman, to record 100 points in a season and was awarded the Norris Trophy. Leetch was the last NHL defenseman to record 100 points in a season. In 1994 he again matched his career high of 23 goals in the regular season as the Rangers won the Presidents Trophy. That year the Rangers' 54-year championship drought ended with a 7-game Stanley Cup victory over the Vancouver Canucks; Leetch became the first non-Canadian to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, and remains the only American to win this award.

Following the Rangers' Cup win in 1994, Leetch remained a fan favorite and team leader, serving as Captain from 1997–2000 after the departure of Mark Messier to the Vancouver Canucks (he would hand back the captaincy to Messier upon his return to the Rangers in 2000). In 1997 he again won the Norris Trophy and the Rangers made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers. The next years, however, were marked by disappointing team performances that saw the Rangers miss the playoffs every year. After the especially unsuccessful 2004 campaign, the Rangers traded most of their high-priced veterans; Leetch was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs just prior to the trade deadline for prospects Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a first-round pick in the 2004 draft, which became Lauri Korpikoski, and a second-round pick in 2005, which became Michael Sauer.

After the 2004–05 lockout, Leetch was signed by the Boston Bruins to a one-year, $4-million contract. During this season with the Bruins, he scored his 1,000th career point.

In 1998, he was ranked number 71 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

During most of the 2006–07 season Leetch received contract offers from nearly every NHL team, [NHL.com, [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=310882&page=NewsPage&service=page Leetch: Remember me as a Ranger] ] but accepted none, although he made no formal announcement pertaining to his status as a player. On May 24, 2007, Brian Leetch officially announced his retirement, ending an 18-year career. [TSN.ca, [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=208719 Leetch officially retires from NHL] ]

On September 18, 2007 Leetch was announced one of the four recipients of the 2007 Lester Patrick Trophy. [NHL.com, [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=337671 Leetch, Granato, Fischler and Halligan selected as recipients of 2007 Lester Patrick Award] ]

On January 24, 2008, the New York Rangers retired Leetch's number 2 jersey, joining fellow 1994 Stanley Cup Champion teammates Mark Messier and Mike Richter, as well as Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacomin in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. On that night, his friend, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees congratulated Leetch for the honor of having his number retired with a video that ended with Jeter saying "So congratulations, from one number 2 to another." [ [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=351133&page=NewsPage&service=page Rangers raise Leetch's No. 2 to rafters of Madison Square Garden] ] Leetch also had the honor of announcing during his ceremony that the New York Rangers will retire his friend and former teammate Adam Graves' number during the 2008–09 season, joining Brian and the other greats above the Garden ice. [ [http://rangers.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=20392 No. 2 Goes to The Garden Rafters; No. 9 Next] ]

Career statistics

Career highlights

*An NHL record 23 goals for a rookie defenseman in the 1988-1989 season led to the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie
*Winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in the 1991-1992 season and the 1996-1997 season.
*Named to 11 NHL All-Star teams
*Won 1994 Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers
*Was the first and only American born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1994.
*Won gold medal at 1996 World Cup of Hockey - Was the captain of Team USA
*Won silver medal at 2002 Winter Olympics
*Enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Records

*NYR Club Record, Assists, Career: 741
*NYR Club Record, Goals by a defenseman, Career: 240
*NYR Club Record, Points by a defenseman, Career: 981
*NYR Club Record, Most assists, Single Season: 80 (1991–92)
*NYR Club Record, Most points, Single Season: 102 (1991–92)
*NYR Club Record, Most power play goals, Single Season: 17 (1993–94)

NY Rangers Playoff Records

*Most assists, career: 61
*Most points, career: 89
*Most assists, one year: 23, 1993-1994
*Most points, one year: 34, 1993-1994
*Most goals by a defenseman, career: 28
*Most goals by a defenseman, one year: 11, 1993-1994

NY Rangers team awards

*MVP: 1989,1991, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003
*Players' Player Award: 2001, 2002, 2003
* Frank Boucher Award: 2001
*Crumb Bum Award: 1994
*Steven McDonald Award: 1997
*Good Guy Award: 2002
*Ceil Saidel Memorial Award: 2002, 2003

ee also

* List of NHL players with 1000 points
* List of NHL players with 1000 games played

Notes

External links

* [http://rangers.nhl.com/leetch/index.htm Brian Leetch night] - Tribute page
* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_12450.htm Brian's U.S. Olympic Team bio]
*hockeydb|3071