The New York Times-20080124-Leetch-s No- 2 to Assume A Lofty Perch at the Garden

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Leetch's No. 2 to Assume A Lofty Perch at the Garden

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Brian Leetch's teammates from his days with the Rangers love to tell the story of a game at Tampa Bay in 1999, watching Leetch block a shot by the hardest shooter in the league, Fredrik Modin. The shot broke Leetch's right wrist, but he stayed on the ice to block another and to play several more shifts before leaving the game.

Afterward, Leetch apologized for letting his team down.

That was Leetch -- one of the toughest players they knew, one of the best defenseman in N.H.L. history, yet someone who rarely took credit for anything.

Leetch will get the credit he deserved Thursday night when the Rangers raise his No. 2 sweater to the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

It's important for people to recognize how great he was, said Leetch's longtime teammate, goaltender Mike Richter. But it's also important for him to recognize how much he meant to his teammates, to this city, to his sport. He's one of the best that's ever played his position, for sure.

Leetch, perhaps the best American-born player, came to the Rangers fresh from the United States Olympic team in February 1988. He was 19.

Eighteen seasons later, he retired after 1,205 career games, 11 All-Star appearances, 2 Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman, the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year in 1989 and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the Rangers' Stanley Cup run in 1994. He scored 247 goals and had 781 assists in regular-season play.

He played in 1,129 games as a Ranger before being traded in 2004 to Toronto, finishing as the second-leading scorer in franchise history. His number will be the fifth retired by the Rangers, joining those of Richter (35), Mark Messier (11), Ed Giacomin (1) and Rod Gilbert (7).

Leetch, 39, vividly recalled his debut. He had arrived from the Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, knowing no one on the team. Before he took the ice, the Garden crowd was chanting, U.S.A., U.S.A. and right after the opening face-off, his teammate Chris Nilan got into a fight with a St. Louis player.

They wrestle right from the wing to the boards in front of me, Leetch said. I'm just staring and I start laughing, thinking: 'I'm in the N.H.L. This is crazy.' The Garden's chanting U.S.A. and Chris Nilan's fighting at the drop of the puck, two seconds into my first game. I think, 'This is nuts.'

Leetch said he had no expectations for his career and had no idea how he would fit in.

Over the years, Leetch would be known for his offensive skill, for the end-to-end rushes that left opponents scrambling to catch up. He scored memorable goals -- including the first one in the Game 7 Stanley Cup finals victory over Vancouver -- and dazzled opponents with his skating and puck handling.

But his teammates remember so much more, how he grew into a player who could defend against the league's best forwards, that he blocked shots fearlessly and kept playing even after he was injured.

He was 190 pounds and he played against guys who were 230, 240, and he won one-on-one battles for the puck, said Adam Graves, who played with him for 10 seasons. And he did it for 30 minutes a game.

For all his talent on the ice, he remained humble off it. He shoveled credit in every direction and was always happy to let his teammates soak up the attention.

He did nothing to toot his own horn, Richter said. He had so much character. You hear that said about other players when they don't have the talent. He had it, along with all that talent.

Leetch is barely smiling in the pictures showing him with the Conn Smythe Trophy. Holding the trophy, Leetch is already looking away and wanting to yield center stage during the Stanley Cup presentation.

He will spend his speech Thursday night recognizing a long list of people, emphasizing everyone who helped him in his career. He said the best part of having his number retired was the reunion with old teammates and the chance to say thank you.

Leetch remains uncomfortable with the praise. When asked what he hopes fans remember about him, he simply shrugs.

It doesn't really matter to me, Leetch said. I always say, if anybody remembers me as years go by, if they say, 'Didn't you play for the Rangers?' that's good enough for me. If I played long enough and had enough of an impact that someone can at least remember that I wore the uniform that I played in for all those years, that's enough.

He will be remembered for so much more, whether he likes it or not.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Brian Leetch, left, and the captain Mark Messier led the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup in a seven-game series against Vancouver, ending a 54-year drought.(PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVE BUSTON/CANADIAN PRESS, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)