Brian Leetch's biggest assist won't be remembered as one of the 781 he piled up in 18 years on the ice.
Instead, it will forever be memorialized as the one he gave to Adam Graves tonight.
Standing at the podium in the center of Madison Square Garden, Leetch announced that Graves, his teammate for 10 seasons in New York, will join him in the Garden rafters with a jersey retirement for his No. 9.
I can't think of a more fitting person to make the announcement with Leetch, who was never comfortable receiving all the accolades. Graves' sincere reaction of shock and appreciation was stirring, and he held Leetch in a long embrace as the Garden crowd roared.
Many hardcore fans have long debated Graves' credentials for a possible retirement ceremony, and tonight, those who have campaigned passionately for his inclusion in the highest circle of Rangers honor were rewarded.
Graves' on-ice credentials were certainly formidable (280 goals, third in Rangers history), but my guess is that it is Graves' renowned willingness to give of himself away from the rink that earned him this honor. I'm sure much will be written about that tonight and in the following days, and a blog is not the place to enumerate his many charitable ventures. But in my limited exposure to Adam, I can assure nothing about his generosity, warmth or kindness is exaggerated.
He defines "first-class," and his jersey retirement ceremony will be a well-deserved honor.
By Mike Casey
newsday.com
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