Crease
Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
- Jul 12, 2004
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In an article from Sports Illustrated titled The Look dated 2/12/1996, Michael Farber writes about Mark Messier's leadership. There are two types of people in this world: those who saw Messier before he left to play for Vancouver and those who only saw him after.
And then this great quote from Messier about the Neilson firing:
Also some good stuff on Messier/Keenan after Iron Mike benched Leetch in Game 4 of the '94 ECF.
The timing of this post is probably not great. His legacy took a hit from his destructive presence on the team in the early '00s, and even moreso recently. But he remains one of the greatest captains in sports history and an integral part of turning this franchise around in the 1990s.
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"You think of Patton. you think of MacArthur...that's how we feel about Mark," goalie Glenn Healy says of Messier. "The true test of a leader is if he makes you a better player. He won't make you shoot harder or pass better or make more saves, but being a better player isn't just about skills. We sometimes say a guy has all the tools but no toolbox. The game is about having a toolbox, and no one understands that better or helps put things in perspective like Mark. We believe in him, in what he represents."
When Rangers enforcer Darren Langdon was called up from the minors last season for his first NHL game, he found a Hugo Boss suit hanging in his dressing-room stall. The attached note read. "From the Guys." As it turned out. "the Guys" was Messier, and the suit was his way of making someone feel part of the group, like his team barbecues or riotous masquerade parties.
There is an oft-told story—one that might even be true—that in 1987 Messier grabbed Kent Nilsson, a flashy but fainthearted Oilers forward, and told him that if he didn't play harder, he would have to kill him. "Folklore," says Lowe, who concedes that he has heard the tale. Another former Oiler, who won't confirm the Nilsson story but doesn't exactly deny it, either, says, "You didn't get this from me, but I heard he also threatened [former Rangers coach] Mike Keenan."
And then this great quote from Messier about the Neilson firing:
Theirs was a philosophical clash: the captain's belief in an attacking style versus the coach's reliance on a counterattacking system. "Oil and water," says Messier, whose mutiny cost the respected Neilson his job. "In my mind I knew we wouldn't win the Cup his way. Should I have shut up, gone along for the ride, finished out my contract? Or should I have stood up and said what I felt and taken one for the team? At times the price of winning can be very harsh. I felt the players had to be protected. My responsibility was to the group of guys who were good enough to win a championship."
Also some good stuff on Messier/Keenan after Iron Mike benched Leetch in Game 4 of the '94 ECF.
The timing of this post is probably not great. His legacy took a hit from his destructive presence on the team in the early '00s, and even moreso recently. But he remains one of the greatest captains in sports history and an integral part of turning this franchise around in the 1990s.
Full Article
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