November 13, 2025 • 24 mins
OneLegUpAlex Remembers NYPOST legend Larry Brooks For His Hockey Mind and Love of Rangers 11-13-25
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well today one leg up Alex Sports remembers Larry Brooks,
the colorful, entertaining and such a hockey mind that was
Larry Brooks passed away at seventy five. I am shocked.
I am saddened. I remember when my dad had me
(00:23):
reading Larry Brooks years ago. But I also remember Larry
Brooks for his confrontations with John Tortorella. Remember this you
ever fought before? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You have?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, why are you challenging me? No? No, I'm not
challenging you. Okay, you know Reddin Redden sticks up for his.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Teammates the other night, and you come up with some
sarcastic article. It was funny. It was funny. Yes, you
know what. You're probably beat up in the bus stop
most of the time.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And Brooksy was asked by the Vank Hoover's son when
Tyrella took that job about their tenuous relationship, and actually,
I'll play you all five minutes of what do you
have to say about his relationship with John Twrtorella, the
former Rangers coach.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, our relationship has has kind of taken on
a life of its own across the continent. And we
actually kind of laughed about that too.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
We get along fine. Away from the.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Rink, we get along great, and ninety five percent of
the time we get along great at the rink too.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's just the five percent of the time that that
kind of makes news.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You have a flought before, Yeah, you have? Yeah? Right,
are you challenging me? No? No, I'm not challenging you. Okay.
You know, Reddin Redden sticks up for his.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Teammates the other night and you come come up with
some sarcastic article. It was funny. It was funny. Yeah,
you know what. You're probably beat up in the bus
stop most of the time. So do you think it's
more over blowing yet?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I think it has. But I think it has. But
I understand it too because there have been there have
been times where he and I have allowed it to
escalate and probably have both gotten what we deserved from that.
You should ask him argun left even up.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I guess that's what I'm saying, Brooksy. You get that
through your head, I guess.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, I mean it's Tom will waste the time.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And get out of here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
They have Okay, So we've tried, I mean we've we've
we've tried to get along and we've done a.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Better job, a much better job the last couple.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Of years than been before that. So, uh yeah, I'm
fine with him, and I think he's fine with me.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Do you think this is a newt.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
This isn't towards two point zero here.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
That remains to be seen how he's going to change,
if he's going to change, whether he needed to change,
whether he needs to change. It's one thing during the preseason,
I know he's making every effort. I'm sure he's gonna
make every effort as the season progresses to be on
good terms with as many people as possible. But there's
(03:11):
a lot of pressure throughout a season, and I don't know,
you know, honestly, I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I don't know. I can't. I can't foresee the future
as far as that's concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
While while I recognize the difference in the markets and
I recognize the difference in the coverage, I'm not sure
that that translates into, uh, into him being under more
pressure in his dealings with the media. You know, I
think it's for him. You know, he's got the Q
(03:42):
and A in the morning, he's got the Q and A.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
After the game, he's got the Q and a a practice.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Will there be more people around probably, Will there be
more questions that that annoy him, maybe, But I think
he'll adapt, you know, he's he's uh, He's coached in Tampa,
which was a totally different market than New York, and
now he's coming to Vancouver, which is a completely different market.
(04:08):
So I think I think he'll be fine.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Idea.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Since then, by the way, of course, Totrella had that
dramatic blow up with the Flyers. He was actually fired
by the Flyers. I mean, it's been a lot since
the blow ups between Tortorella and and Larry Brooks. But
it was interesting to hear him say, you know, we
were actually nice and quarters with each other ninety five
(04:33):
percent of the time. That's because what we saw in
the media was absolute chaos and hilarity in a sense,
and just a foil. I mean, he was Tortorella's foil.
I looked at board Tortrella as now, do you know
for his behavior towards the media, this is very interesting.
(04:54):
He's been an NHL analyst this season for ESPN. I mean,
this is a guy that would battle not a lead Brooks,
but a lot of the media here in New York
here in Philadelphia and Vancouver and Natorela. I see he's
going to be coaching US A men's hockey team in
the Olympics in twenty twenty six. Well, anyway, and of
(05:18):
course he was coaching with the Blue Jacks anyway. The
Brooksy Towarts saga is one thing I remember. But how
about his love of JT. Miller. I remember the fondness
that Brooksy had for JT. Miller way before that first
trade in twenty eighteen. I remember sitting down with my
(05:42):
dad reading the newspaper and reading about how he wanted
Vignot at the time to move twenty four year old JT.
Miller to the wing. I mean, this guy knew hockey
to that science. He said he wanted JT. Miller to
(06:06):
be on the wing, saying the eternal debate. This was
in twenty seventeen. The eternal debate was over whether JT.
Miller is a better player on the wing than he
is at the middle. Is almost beside the point, because
the pertoning question is whether number ten is more valuable
to the Rangers on the wing or at center, the
(06:27):
position he's played for the past two games, and of
the substantial portions of six others. I mean, this guy
wanted the best for Miller in his third season. And
you know, Miller was back with this team in twenty twelve,
twenty thirteen, so his homecoming now as captain has been
(06:50):
in the works forever if you think about it. But
twenty seventeen was Miller's third full season, and it was
rocky back in that era. But he wrote, Miller's embracement
of his role as swing forward is a sign of
(07:12):
his growth three years ago in Edmonton on December fourteenth,
twenty fourteen, Derek Bisard contracted the Mumps hours before the
Blue Shirts match that necessaryd moving Miller from the wing
into the middle. But the end of all this is
saying the fact that Brooksy had seen that potential for
(07:34):
Miller as a winger and a potential as a future
star for the Rangers in this article alone was what
stuck out to me. I mean, he wanted the best
for J. T. Miller. Twenty eighteen comes around, Miller gets traded.
Brooksy calls him a twenty five year old superstar basically,
(07:54):
and in his essence, someone who want to build a
team around. Fast forward twenty twenty five, when after all
of this Miller saga and him coming back to the
Rangers was a big deal, by the way, a big deal.
And now his captaincy is looking better by the game,
doesn't it. They finally got their first one at home
(08:16):
the other night on Monday night. But I want to
read you and memorialize this what Larry Brooks said about
the nine points the Rangers had to fix to come
into twenty twenty five twenty six. It was awful last year,
whether it was getting rid of Goodrow and Cocko, and
(08:40):
of course the troop of disaster twenty four to twenty
five was a crapshoot, an awful crap shoot. And I
remember we were at the Ducks Rager gave it. They
looked pretty good. I think they put up seven goals
in October of twenty four. What happened after that? We
(09:02):
talk about the Jets blow up, about those two players
the Rangers. Chris Jury has effectively blown up this team
to an unrecognizable way. But back in May, Brooksy wrote,
Larry Brooks wrote the nine point plan to toughen up
the Rangers, and it begins with making Miller captain. And
(09:26):
I'd say the Rangers listen to him on that one.
By the way, I just subscribe to ny Post Sports
Plus and have access to the Rangers and the Saint
John's basketball team, the Yankees, the Mets, even some Jets
because you never know they could go on a run
here of course, the Giants and the Rangers as well
(09:47):
as the Knicks. So Post Sports Plus worth the subscription.
I just did it, and let's see how much fun
we have with that. But here was Brooksy's nine point plan.
I want to cement this on my podcast and make
it last for infinity through my show because you might
not have heard a Brooksy's plan, or if you're a
devout Larry Brooks reader, you already know this anyway. Number One,
(10:12):
the hierarchy will likely be reluctant to name a captain
after the past two experiences with Truba and McDonough and
with a bad taste in everyone's mouth. The fact is
the nineteen seventy two Bruins are the last team to
win the Stanley Cup without a captain, and they had
Bobby Orr on the ice. Okay, I neither they need
him name him a captain. The Rangers acquired JT. Miller
(10:37):
from Vancouver to become the personification of a new era
of black and blue shirt hockey, to become the epitome
of a straight line, jagged edge, pugnacious mentality. The Ranger
should appoint Miller captain by the start of training camp
and let him lead right from day one. Sullivan should
give the aids to Trocheck and Adam Fox, and no
(10:58):
offense to Mika ar Temmi Panerin and Chris Krider. By way,
do you know panera and I read in the post
went bald to try and fix the ways of the Ragers.
He literally shaved his head. Interesting, right anyway? Number two
Number two have a heart to heart with the thirty
(11:18):
two year old Swede Mika's avantajet, who has a full
no move clause attached to the final five seasons of
his contract, which carries an annual eight and a half
million dollar cap hit. If Number ninety three's public site
statements are to believe be believed he has no interest
whatsoever in waving the clause, then the hierarchy cannot threaten
him with an absence of playing time. They cannot threaten
(11:40):
to send his advantajet hobe. That type of behavior would
scuttle the season. It'll be twenty twenty four to twenty
five the reprize, and I've seen Mika's name pop up
a little bit more scoring some goals here. What I
want to hear from Mika is I desperately want to
be here to be part of the solution and win
the cup year. Maybe that is what he would s
behind closed doors. Number three training regimen. The Rangers needs
(12:06):
a manager to adjust his training regimen to be able
to compete with competition that gets younger, stronger, and faster
every year. He cannot have the same program at age
thirty two that he did at age thirty twenty five.
By the way, the Rangers are eight one and one
on the road as of last night's went against the Lightning.
The higher key has every right to ask the manager
to come to the New York area to work out
(12:27):
in early August, not late that month or early September.
Now Number four, he wrote. The higherarchy also has every
right to ask Alexis Lafrenier to come to the New
York area in early August as well. Where was he
last year after he gets this big seven year contract?
Where did he go? Where did laughy go? Remember that
(12:51):
we were so excited you got the seven year deal.
Nothing after those first couple of games, it went flat.
I agree with Brooksy here, Laffey needs to come through
more and you're a one leg Alex Sports a rate.
A Giants update. Isaiah Hodgens is back on the Giants.
That's a big deal, he wrote, twenty three year old.
(13:13):
Like Lafagniere, may not be fair to hold him accountable
for the fiasco, but this is a five year pro
who was adult enough to sign a seven year, two
hundred and fifty two point one five million dollar extension
before falling off the face of the earth. That I
love the way he wrote Number five, I would investigate
moving KeAndre Miller, but only for more of for a
(13:36):
more defense oriented and more physically oriented defenceman in the
same age category, impending restriction free agent who will turn
twenty six in January. He thought getting Romano from the
Islanders would be intriguing in the Rangers. Of course, they
(13:56):
kind of listened to him on the defensive front, didn't they.
They locked up an eight year defenseman there and then
let KeAndre go Drury and the hierarchy have the backstop
and the Igorsh's circuit now they need to build out
in front of him. That's number six, with the emphasis
on menace, the idea of menace. They kind of did
listen to Brooksy on that too, as they signed Vladislav
(14:18):
Gavrikov to a seven year, forty nine million dollar contract.
That's who they signed after getting rid of KeAndre or
right before. So in a way they did bolster the defense.
They didn't listen to him, they didn't resign KeAndre, but
they found a menace there now the Rangers that this
is number seven. The Rangers have a fair amount of
(14:40):
young forward such as Brennan Aufman and Brett Barrard. Where
was Berrard anyway? I mean, the guy should have been
playing more. I know a lot of my friends have
been calling for him to play more. Will Kooley didn't
get enough time under Lovolette. Thank god they didn't let
Kolie go. By the way, the coach never recognized the
value of Matt Rempy twenty three. Next month, Gabe Perrot
(15:02):
when the season starts, will challenge for a meaningful spot
and then Branden Schneider, recovering from surgery, needs top four
minutes on the back end, Matt Robertson marriage a legitimate shot.
This is what I love about He knew this Ranger
organization from top to bottom, from top to bottom. And
I'll tell you what else he leaves the lasting impact
(15:24):
on in a little bit, because it has to do
one of the legends in New York number eight. The
franchise attained its greatest sustained success in the NHL's modern
era over the first dozen or so years that begin
in two thousand and five. That set of teams that
won eight playoff rounds between twenty twelve and twenty five
at twenty fifteen was built from within and flounded. Blue
(15:46):
bloods drafted from drafted sign an amateur free agency were
acquired before they got to the league. The four foundation
of that era was personified by draft picks Henrik Lungfitz,
Ryan Callen and Brian Dion Dubinski, Derek Ccepta, Mark Stall McDonough, Girardi,
Metzu Corrello. How can we forget Matt's Carl haglan Ardemannisimoff
(16:09):
and Michael does up Man Michael does Otto another name
from the best plasts from the past. Drury needs to
emulate the formula and acted by then GM Glenn Sather
let me repeat what he wrote. The formula acted by
then GM Glenn Saylor needs to be emulated by Drury.
(16:32):
That's what he wrote in his column in May. I agree,
but we shouldn't have gotten rid of all the guys
we did. Crider's having an incredible year in Anaheim. Coppo Kako.
We miss him, don't we? I mean all these guys
we're traded away, and it's like, what do we blow
(16:54):
up the program for? What is Drury's idea here? It's
amazing that they're ein't one to one on the road,
but they haven't won. Oh, they've only won one game
at home so far, and we're oh, by the way
in November twenty twenty five. Number nine. Dry should also
emulate his first months on the job over the summer
(17:16):
of twenty twenty one, when he addressed deficiency in swagger
and spine by quickly adding Barkley, Gudro, Dryden Hunt, Sammy Blaze,
and Ryan Reeves. Remember the Reeves era. The Rangers need
to need to be able to rely on their younger players,
so perhaps it is serendipitous that this team doesn't have
the cap space to get much older, the hierarchy recognized
(17:37):
needs to recognize that the team is not quite as
fast and skilled as has been advertised. The team needs
to become much more pregnacious and become the team brand.
By the way, for the Rangers to lose the first
five games at home, which was a record I think
that actually lost sex but a record that was set
(17:59):
in forty two, forty three, forty four in the forties
on Rangers one hundreds, it was a little disappointing, but
there might make up for it on the road here
if they keep collecting those road winds like they did
last night. Appointing JT. Miller the twenty ninth captain in
(18:21):
Rangers history would represent a pretty good start. So there
you go. Those are the nine key points that Larry
Brooks talked about in May of twenty twenty five. But
the Miller fondness didn't just start in this year, folks.
He has hired his eye on JT. Miller from the
(18:41):
get go, and you could see why because as captain,
I think he's gonna come through. I think he's gonna
do it. I had thought Bratzinski for a while, but
Miller is the right choice. I forget that he was
in the system from twenty twelve thirteen. He's a lifelong
(19:05):
rangeram though he's had his stops, New York was his
first home and most likely his final home in the
hockey career. And we can only hope, we can only
hope that he can contribute and bring something that hasn't
been won since nineteen ninety four, which is the Stanley Cup.
So Brooksy, thank you for your entertainment, your analysis, your color,
(19:32):
as he wrote told John Dorella, funniness, your sarcasm, I
mean all of it, all of it. And it's hitting
me hard today because the way Brooksy loved hockey is
the wha I can envision Rog Jobert my dad and
(19:55):
him shooting the breeze on the current hockey scene up
into right now. And yeah, my dad's love a hockey
makes this emotional for me because that passion that my
dad had for hockey, I could read it in the
(20:15):
way Brooksy would write it. They had the similar passions
to hockey. And and he will be missed dearly. And
I know Molly Walker is going to do a hell
of a job carrying the torch now in the New
(20:37):
York Post Sports Department as the Rangers beat writer. But man,
oh man, are we going to miss those that grittiness,
that cutsiness, that willing to challenge and willing to be
pissed off at the Rangers in his writing, I think
(20:59):
all of us. Look. I told my friend Lindsey, be
mad at the Giants for the way they fumbled another game,
be mad at the coaching staff. If all of us
were more mad about where we're at in our sports,
maybe they would listen. Maybe they would listen. And I
(21:19):
think Brooksy is an example of that. He was so
passionate about the Rangers. Call him in and call him
out that you could tell he was a fan beyond
a reporter. He loved the Rangers to the point of
criticizing them every chance he needed to. He didn't wait,
(21:40):
wishy washed anything. He was very blunt. He was a
very blunt writer. And we need that blunt that's back
in New York. So lindsay, go ahead, challenge our team's
management systems, Go ahead and question the situations of our teams.
Why did jury blow up the whole Rangers organization right
(22:03):
before the hundred of year. Crider was part of that
one hundred anniversary. He would have been an incredible part
to celebrate one hundred years. He is Rangers hockey. I
know he's in the duct uniform now, but Crider's Rangers hockey.
So we have every right to ask our team's management
(22:25):
to make changes because at the end of the day,
we're not winning titles. And you know what my favorite
saying is, now, I'm getting too old for this shit.
I need our teams to win now. And by the
(22:45):
Rangers listening to Larry Brooks, by the team listening to
Larry Brooks to make him make Miller the twenty ninth captain,
it's a good start. As he wrote, it's a good start.
And the legend I mentioned Henrik Lungfists go back to
(23:08):
an article from September twenty twenty when Larry Brooks deemed
Lungfist the king. He wrote an article Henry Lungfist was
truly the king in every way for the Rangers. That
was September thirtieth, twenty twenty, and the nickname the King
has stuck for King Henrik since that time, or maybe
(23:31):
even a little before it. But that is his brainchild.
When we call King Henrik Lungvist the king, that's because
of Larry Brooks. That is a lasting impact, as well
as advising the Rangers to make Miller a captain, as
well as the Tortorella saga, as well as every article
(23:52):
he wrote. I would say here on one Leg Up
with Alex Garrett, Larry Brooks had one leg up on
hockey and on New York hockey, and we have it
from here. Larry. We will miss you and we thank
you for your service to the hockey community on the whole.
By the way, he is a Hockey Hall of Famer.
(24:13):
He is in the NHL Hall of Fame as well,
so he will be missed. And every time I roll
into that garden, now I'm gonna put on my rolling
reporter hat and just dedicate every roll into that garden
to Larry Brooks. And I know Molly Walker of the
(24:33):
New York Post is going to carry that torch so well,
so well on the Rangers beat. And it's just it's
a moment where we all come together and we mourn
a legend here in New York City today as one
Leg Up, Alex and everybody else remembers Larry Brooks at
(24:54):
the age of seventy five done
Well today one leg up Alex Sports remembers Larry Brooks,
the colorful, entertaining and such a hockey mind that was
Larry Brooks passed away at seventy five. I am shocked.
I am saddened. I remember when my dad had me
(00:23):
reading Larry Brooks years ago. But I also remember Larry
Brooks for his confrontations with John Tortorella. Remember this you
ever fought before? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You have?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, why are you challenging me? No? No, I'm not
challenging you. Okay, you know Reddin Redden sticks up for his.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Teammates the other night, and you come up with some
sarcastic article. It was funny. It was funny. Yes, you
know what. You're probably beat up in the bus stop
most of the time.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And Brooksy was asked by the Vank Hoover's son when
Tyrella took that job about their tenuous relationship, and actually,
I'll play you all five minutes of what do you
have to say about his relationship with John Twrtorella, the
former Rangers coach.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, our relationship has has kind of taken on
a life of its own across the continent. And we
actually kind of laughed about that too.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
We get along fine. Away from the.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Rink, we get along great, and ninety five percent of
the time we get along great at the rink too.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's just the five percent of the time that that
kind of makes news.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You have a flought before, Yeah, you have? Yeah? Right,
are you challenging me? No? No, I'm not challenging you. Okay.
You know, Reddin Redden sticks up for his.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Teammates the other night and you come come up with
some sarcastic article. It was funny. It was funny. Yeah,
you know what. You're probably beat up in the bus
stop most of the time. So do you think it's
more over blowing yet?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I think it has. But I think it has. But
I understand it too because there have been there have
been times where he and I have allowed it to
escalate and probably have both gotten what we deserved from that.
You should ask him argun left even up.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I guess that's what I'm saying, Brooksy. You get that
through your head, I guess.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, I mean it's Tom will waste the time.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And get out of here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
They have Okay, So we've tried, I mean we've we've
we've tried to get along and we've done a.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Better job, a much better job the last couple.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Of years than been before that. So, uh yeah, I'm
fine with him, and I think he's fine with me.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Do you think this is a newt.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
This isn't towards two point zero here.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
That remains to be seen how he's going to change,
if he's going to change, whether he needed to change,
whether he needs to change. It's one thing during the preseason,
I know he's making every effort. I'm sure he's gonna
make every effort as the season progresses to be on
good terms with as many people as possible. But there's
(03:11):
a lot of pressure throughout a season, and I don't know,
you know, honestly, I don't.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I don't know. I can't. I can't foresee the future
as far as that's concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
While while I recognize the difference in the markets and
I recognize the difference in the coverage, I'm not sure
that that translates into, uh, into him being under more
pressure in his dealings with the media. You know, I
think it's for him. You know, he's got the Q
(03:42):
and A in the morning, he's got the Q and A.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
After the game, he's got the Q and a a practice.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Will there be more people around probably, Will there be
more questions that that annoy him, maybe, But I think
he'll adapt, you know, he's he's uh, He's coached in Tampa,
which was a totally different market than New York, and
now he's coming to Vancouver, which is a completely different market.
(04:08):
So I think I think he'll be fine.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Idea.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Since then, by the way, of course, Totrella had that
dramatic blow up with the Flyers. He was actually fired
by the Flyers. I mean, it's been a lot since
the blow ups between Tortorella and and Larry Brooks. But
it was interesting to hear him say, you know, we
were actually nice and quarters with each other ninety five
(04:33):
percent of the time. That's because what we saw in
the media was absolute chaos and hilarity in a sense,
and just a foil. I mean, he was Tortorella's foil.
I looked at board Tortrella as now, do you know
for his behavior towards the media, this is very interesting.
(04:54):
He's been an NHL analyst this season for ESPN. I mean,
this is a guy that would battle not a lead Brooks,
but a lot of the media here in New York
here in Philadelphia and Vancouver and Natorela. I see he's
going to be coaching US A men's hockey team in
the Olympics in twenty twenty six. Well, anyway, and of
(05:18):
course he was coaching with the Blue Jacks anyway. The
Brooksy Towarts saga is one thing I remember. But how
about his love of JT. Miller. I remember the fondness
that Brooksy had for JT. Miller way before that first
trade in twenty eighteen. I remember sitting down with my
(05:42):
dad reading the newspaper and reading about how he wanted
Vignot at the time to move twenty four year old JT.
Miller to the wing. I mean, this guy knew hockey
to that science. He said he wanted JT. Miller to
(06:06):
be on the wing, saying the eternal debate. This was
in twenty seventeen. The eternal debate was over whether JT.
Miller is a better player on the wing than he
is at the middle. Is almost beside the point, because
the pertoning question is whether number ten is more valuable
to the Rangers on the wing or at center, the
(06:27):
position he's played for the past two games, and of
the substantial portions of six others. I mean, this guy
wanted the best for Miller in his third season. And
you know, Miller was back with this team in twenty twelve,
twenty thirteen, so his homecoming now as captain has been
(06:50):
in the works forever if you think about it. But
twenty seventeen was Miller's third full season, and it was
rocky back in that era. But he wrote, Miller's embracement
of his role as swing forward is a sign of
(07:12):
his growth three years ago in Edmonton on December fourteenth,
twenty fourteen, Derek Bisard contracted the Mumps hours before the
Blue Shirts match that necessaryd moving Miller from the wing
into the middle. But the end of all this is
saying the fact that Brooksy had seen that potential for
(07:34):
Miller as a winger and a potential as a future
star for the Rangers in this article alone was what
stuck out to me. I mean, he wanted the best
for J. T. Miller. Twenty eighteen comes around, Miller gets traded.
Brooksy calls him a twenty five year old superstar basically,
(07:54):
and in his essence, someone who want to build a
team around. Fast forward twenty twenty five, when after all
of this Miller saga and him coming back to the
Rangers was a big deal, by the way, a big deal.
And now his captaincy is looking better by the game,
doesn't it. They finally got their first one at home
(08:16):
the other night on Monday night. But I want to
read you and memorialize this what Larry Brooks said about
the nine points the Rangers had to fix to come
into twenty twenty five twenty six. It was awful last year,
whether it was getting rid of Goodrow and Cocko, and
(08:40):
of course the troop of disaster twenty four to twenty
five was a crapshoot, an awful crap shoot. And I
remember we were at the Ducks Rager gave it. They
looked pretty good. I think they put up seven goals
in October of twenty four. What happened after that? We
(09:02):
talk about the Jets blow up, about those two players
the Rangers. Chris Jury has effectively blown up this team
to an unrecognizable way. But back in May, Brooksy wrote,
Larry Brooks wrote the nine point plan to toughen up
the Rangers, and it begins with making Miller captain. And
(09:26):
I'd say the Rangers listen to him on that one.
By the way, I just subscribe to ny Post Sports
Plus and have access to the Rangers and the Saint
John's basketball team, the Yankees, the Mets, even some Jets
because you never know they could go on a run
here of course, the Giants and the Rangers as well
(09:47):
as the Knicks. So Post Sports Plus worth the subscription.
I just did it, and let's see how much fun
we have with that. But here was Brooksy's nine point plan.
I want to cement this on my podcast and make
it last for infinity through my show because you might
not have heard a Brooksy's plan, or if you're a
devout Larry Brooks reader, you already know this anyway. Number One,
(10:12):
the hierarchy will likely be reluctant to name a captain
after the past two experiences with Truba and McDonough and
with a bad taste in everyone's mouth. The fact is
the nineteen seventy two Bruins are the last team to
win the Stanley Cup without a captain, and they had
Bobby Orr on the ice. Okay, I neither they need
him name him a captain. The Rangers acquired JT. Miller
(10:37):
from Vancouver to become the personification of a new era
of black and blue shirt hockey, to become the epitome
of a straight line, jagged edge, pugnacious mentality. The Ranger
should appoint Miller captain by the start of training camp
and let him lead right from day one. Sullivan should
give the aids to Trocheck and Adam Fox, and no
(10:58):
offense to Mika ar Temmi Panerin and Chris Krider. By way,
do you know panera and I read in the post
went bald to try and fix the ways of the Ragers.
He literally shaved his head. Interesting, right anyway? Number two
Number two have a heart to heart with the thirty
(11:18):
two year old Swede Mika's avantajet, who has a full
no move clause attached to the final five seasons of
his contract, which carries an annual eight and a half
million dollar cap hit. If Number ninety three's public site
statements are to believe be believed he has no interest
whatsoever in waving the clause, then the hierarchy cannot threaten
him with an absence of playing time. They cannot threaten
(11:40):
to send his advantajet hobe. That type of behavior would
scuttle the season. It'll be twenty twenty four to twenty
five the reprize, and I've seen Mika's name pop up
a little bit more scoring some goals here. What I
want to hear from Mika is I desperately want to
be here to be part of the solution and win
the cup year. Maybe that is what he would s
behind closed doors. Number three training regimen. The Rangers needs
(12:06):
a manager to adjust his training regimen to be able
to compete with competition that gets younger, stronger, and faster
every year. He cannot have the same program at age
thirty two that he did at age thirty twenty five.
By the way, the Rangers are eight one and one
on the road as of last night's went against the Lightning.
The higher key has every right to ask the manager
to come to the New York area to work out
(12:27):
in early August, not late that month or early September.
Now Number four, he wrote. The higherarchy also has every
right to ask Alexis Lafrenier to come to the New
York area in early August as well. Where was he
last year after he gets this big seven year contract?
Where did he go? Where did laughy go? Remember that
(12:51):
we were so excited you got the seven year deal.
Nothing after those first couple of games, it went flat.
I agree with Brooksy here, Laffey needs to come through
more and you're a one leg Alex Sports a rate.
A Giants update. Isaiah Hodgens is back on the Giants.
That's a big deal, he wrote, twenty three year old.
(13:13):
Like Lafagniere, may not be fair to hold him accountable
for the fiasco, but this is a five year pro
who was adult enough to sign a seven year, two
hundred and fifty two point one five million dollar extension
before falling off the face of the earth. That I
love the way he wrote Number five, I would investigate
moving KeAndre Miller, but only for more of for a
(13:36):
more defense oriented and more physically oriented defenceman in the
same age category, impending restriction free agent who will turn
twenty six in January. He thought getting Romano from the
Islanders would be intriguing in the Rangers. Of course, they
(13:56):
kind of listened to him on the defensive front, didn't they.
They locked up an eight year defenseman there and then
let KeAndre go Drury and the hierarchy have the backstop
and the Igorsh's circuit now they need to build out
in front of him. That's number six, with the emphasis
on menace, the idea of menace. They kind of did
listen to Brooksy on that too, as they signed Vladislav
(14:18):
Gavrikov to a seven year, forty nine million dollar contract.
That's who they signed after getting rid of KeAndre or
right before. So in a way they did bolster the defense.
They didn't listen to him, they didn't resign KeAndre, but
they found a menace there now the Rangers that this
is number seven. The Rangers have a fair amount of
(14:40):
young forward such as Brennan Aufman and Brett Barrard. Where
was Berrard anyway? I mean, the guy should have been
playing more. I know a lot of my friends have
been calling for him to play more. Will Kooley didn't
get enough time under Lovolette. Thank god they didn't let
Kolie go. By the way, the coach never recognized the
value of Matt Rempy twenty three. Next month, Gabe Perrot
(15:02):
when the season starts, will challenge for a meaningful spot
and then Branden Schneider, recovering from surgery, needs top four
minutes on the back end, Matt Robertson marriage a legitimate shot.
This is what I love about He knew this Ranger
organization from top to bottom, from top to bottom. And
I'll tell you what else he leaves the lasting impact
(15:24):
on in a little bit, because it has to do
one of the legends in New York number eight. The
franchise attained its greatest sustained success in the NHL's modern
era over the first dozen or so years that begin
in two thousand and five. That set of teams that
won eight playoff rounds between twenty twelve and twenty five
at twenty fifteen was built from within and flounded. Blue
(15:46):
bloods drafted from drafted sign an amateur free agency were
acquired before they got to the league. The four foundation
of that era was personified by draft picks Henrik Lungfitz,
Ryan Callen and Brian Dion Dubinski, Derek Ccepta, Mark Stall McDonough, Girardi,
Metzu Corrello. How can we forget Matt's Carl haglan Ardemannisimoff
(16:09):
and Michael does up Man Michael does Otto another name
from the best plasts from the past. Drury needs to
emulate the formula and acted by then GM Glenn Sather
let me repeat what he wrote. The formula acted by
then GM Glenn Saylor needs to be emulated by Drury.
(16:32):
That's what he wrote in his column in May. I agree,
but we shouldn't have gotten rid of all the guys
we did. Crider's having an incredible year in Anaheim. Coppo Kako.
We miss him, don't we? I mean all these guys
we're traded away, and it's like, what do we blow
(16:54):
up the program for? What is Drury's idea here? It's
amazing that they're ein't one to one on the road,
but they haven't won. Oh, they've only won one game
at home so far, and we're oh, by the way
in November twenty twenty five. Number nine. Dry should also
emulate his first months on the job over the summer
(17:16):
of twenty twenty one, when he addressed deficiency in swagger
and spine by quickly adding Barkley, Gudro, Dryden Hunt, Sammy Blaze,
and Ryan Reeves. Remember the Reeves era. The Rangers need
to need to be able to rely on their younger players,
so perhaps it is serendipitous that this team doesn't have
the cap space to get much older, the hierarchy recognized
(17:37):
needs to recognize that the team is not quite as
fast and skilled as has been advertised. The team needs
to become much more pregnacious and become the team brand.
By the way, for the Rangers to lose the first
five games at home, which was a record I think
that actually lost sex but a record that was set
(17:59):
in forty two, forty three, forty four in the forties
on Rangers one hundreds, it was a little disappointing, but
there might make up for it on the road here
if they keep collecting those road winds like they did
last night. Appointing JT. Miller the twenty ninth captain in
(18:21):
Rangers history would represent a pretty good start. So there
you go. Those are the nine key points that Larry
Brooks talked about in May of twenty twenty five. But
the Miller fondness didn't just start in this year, folks.
He has hired his eye on JT. Miller from the
(18:41):
get go, and you could see why because as captain,
I think he's gonna come through. I think he's gonna
do it. I had thought Bratzinski for a while, but
Miller is the right choice. I forget that he was
in the system from twenty twelve thirteen. He's a lifelong
(19:05):
rangeram though he's had his stops, New York was his
first home and most likely his final home in the
hockey career. And we can only hope, we can only
hope that he can contribute and bring something that hasn't
been won since nineteen ninety four, which is the Stanley Cup.
So Brooksy, thank you for your entertainment, your analysis, your color,
(19:32):
as he wrote told John Dorella, funniness, your sarcasm, I
mean all of it, all of it. And it's hitting
me hard today because the way Brooksy loved hockey is
the wha I can envision Rog Jobert my dad and
(19:55):
him shooting the breeze on the current hockey scene up
into right now. And yeah, my dad's love a hockey
makes this emotional for me because that passion that my
dad had for hockey, I could read it in the
(20:15):
way Brooksy would write it. They had the similar passions
to hockey. And and he will be missed dearly. And
I know Molly Walker is going to do a hell
of a job carrying the torch now in the New
(20:37):
York Post Sports Department as the Rangers beat writer. But man,
oh man, are we going to miss those that grittiness,
that cutsiness, that willing to challenge and willing to be
pissed off at the Rangers in his writing, I think
(20:59):
all of us. Look. I told my friend Lindsey, be
mad at the Giants for the way they fumbled another game,
be mad at the coaching staff. If all of us
were more mad about where we're at in our sports,
maybe they would listen. Maybe they would listen. And I
(21:19):
think Brooksy is an example of that. He was so
passionate about the Rangers. Call him in and call him
out that you could tell he was a fan beyond
a reporter. He loved the Rangers to the point of
criticizing them every chance he needed to. He didn't wait,
(21:40):
wishy washed anything. He was very blunt. He was a
very blunt writer. And we need that blunt that's back
in New York. So lindsay, go ahead, challenge our team's
management systems, Go ahead and question the situations of our teams.
Why did jury blow up the whole Rangers organization right
(22:03):
before the hundred of year. Crider was part of that
one hundred anniversary. He would have been an incredible part
to celebrate one hundred years. He is Rangers hockey. I
know he's in the duct uniform now, but Crider's Rangers hockey.
So we have every right to ask our team's management
(22:25):
to make changes because at the end of the day,
we're not winning titles. And you know what my favorite
saying is, now, I'm getting too old for this shit.
I need our teams to win now. And by the
(22:45):
Rangers listening to Larry Brooks, by the team listening to
Larry Brooks to make him make Miller the twenty ninth captain,
it's a good start. As he wrote, it's a good start.
And the legend I mentioned Henrik Lungfists go back to
(23:08):
an article from September twenty twenty when Larry Brooks deemed
Lungfist the king. He wrote an article Henry Lungfist was
truly the king in every way for the Rangers. That
was September thirtieth, twenty twenty, and the nickname the King
has stuck for King Henrik since that time, or maybe
(23:31):
even a little before it. But that is his brainchild.
When we call King Henrik Lungvist the king, that's because
of Larry Brooks. That is a lasting impact, as well
as advising the Rangers to make Miller a captain, as
well as the Tortorella saga, as well as every article
(23:52):
he wrote. I would say here on one Leg Up
with Alex Garrett, Larry Brooks had one leg up on
hockey and on New York hockey, and we have it
from here. Larry. We will miss you and we thank
you for your service to the hockey community on the whole.
By the way, he is a Hockey Hall of Famer.
(24:13):
He is in the NHL Hall of Fame as well,
so he will be missed. And every time I roll
into that garden, now I'm gonna put on my rolling
reporter hat and just dedicate every roll into that garden
to Larry Brooks. And I know Molly Walker of the
(24:33):
New York Post is going to carry that torch so well,
so well on the Rangers beat. And it's just it's
a moment where we all come together and we mourn
a legend here in New York City today as one
Leg Up, Alex and everybody else remembers Larry Brooks at
(24:54):
the age of seventy five done
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