Brian Leetch played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League, 17 of which were famously for the New York Rangers. He also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, but Leetch is considered one of the best defensemen in NHL history due to his long list of accolades from his time in New York. The Rangers retired his No. 2 jersey, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 for his accomplishments.
Now, let’s take a look at what hockey fans need to know about Leetch.
1. An American Conn Smythe Winner
In 1994, Leetch became the first American-born player — in fact, the first non-Canadian — to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s an impressive award for any player, and no other American won it again until Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas in 2011. During that playoff run, Leetch scored 11 goals and a playoff-leading 34 points in 23 games. That’s a crazy scoring pace for an NHL forward, and Leetch did it as a defenseman. Also, he wasn’t just going along for the ride on their Stanley Cup run, he was the man in charge of it.
His play was so great, that the other teams didn’t know how to play against him. Leetch had great rushes up and down the ice and was the leader in special teams play. His dominating performance helped end the New York Rangers’ 54-year drought of winning the Stanley Cup, and they probably wouldn’t have won the title without his production and leadership.
2. 100-Point Season
Scoring 100 points in a season is a tough mark to hit, and even elite forwards have a hard time reaching that milestone. For defensemen, it happens even less often. However, in the 1991-1992 season, Leetch put up 22 goals and 80 assists, for a point total of 102. He became the eighth defenseman in NHL history to hit the century mark.
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Also, he’s still the only American-born defenseman to accomplish that. Leetch got to join some of the best defenseman in league history, including Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, and Denis Potvin. All of these skaters were very balanced on offense and defense. Leetch’s season was one of the most impressive statistical seasons by a defenseman, and still is.
3. High School Draft Pick
Leetch was already making a name for himself in high school, and he ended up drafted ninth overall by the New York Rangers in 1986. At the time, it was very rare to be drafted out of high school and tough for even the best American prospects out there. Many highly-drafted players are already playing in junior leagues by the time they hear their name called, making Leetch a historically unique prospect.
He learned his skills by playing at the Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. NHL scouts loved his skating and puck-moving ability and were excited to get the chance to draft the guy. Once he was drafted, he played for one year at Boston College and got to be on the Team USA Olympic squad. Leetch eventually joined the Rangers in 1988 and in his first full season, he won the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year, becoming a cornerstone of the franchise practically overnight.
4. Two-Time Norris Trophy Winner
A lot of defensemen have won the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s best defenseman. But in Leetch’s case, he nabbed the Norris twice, first in 1992 and again in 1997. He remains one of only two American defensemen to take home the trophy, Chris Chelios being the other.
Leetch wasn’t just about being a scoring defenseman, but he was valuable in his own zone as well. Leetch was great at reading upcoming plays, breaking up passing lanes, and finding ways to get breakaways, despite being under constant pressure. He didn’t even need to be physical to get the job done, focusing more on technique and instincts.
Brian Leetch (Al Bello/Allsport/Getty Images)
Winning the trophy twice in a five-year period shows how consistently great the guy was over a long stretch of time. He never really peaked and faded away, and just kept getting better and better. The NHL is dominated by Canadian and European defenders, and he was in a league of his own because of his skills and leadership.
5. 1,000 Career Points
Leetch got in the history books again and became the first American-born defenseman to reach 1,000 career points. His final total was 1,028, and he did it in 1,205 games. The average points per game was 0.85, which is way up there for defenseman averages.
Most defenseman don’t even get close to the 700 point mark. He was good at being productive on offense season after season, and the defense hardly went away.
Leetch was a Rangers icon who helped shape a new perspective on what it means to be an NHL defenseman. He could shift his roles fast, lead the power play unit, and always do well in those high-pressure games. Thanks to him, the puck-moving defenseman has become a thing in today’s NHL.