NHL Honors Deserving Quartet with Lester Patrick Awards

Four exceptional ambassadors of hockey were honored yesterday by the National Hockey League with the Lester Patrick Award which recognizes outstanding service to the sport in the United States.

Former New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch, who will have his No. 2 retired by the team on Jan. 24, was joined by Olympic gold medalist Cammi Granato, hockey historian and prolific journalist Stan Fischler and longtime Rangers public relations executive John Halligan.

Photo of Lester Patrick recipients (from left to right: Stan Fischler, John Halligan, Cammi Granato and Brian Leetch) by Allan Kreda.

Granato spoke of her magical Olympic moments and how meaningful it was for the U.S. women's team to bring home gold medals from the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

"It's still like a dream to me,'' she said. "To be here today makes it real again. And it's great that women's hockey rose to a level equal to the men's game."

Leetch, who played for the Rangers from 1988-2004 before finishing with Toronto and Boston, said receiving an award such as the Lester Patrick was a moment he would always cherish.

"I'm humbled,'' he said in his usual soft-spoken tone. "To be associated with such great names of American hockey and be part of a celebration of USA hockey means the world to me."

Photo of Brian Leetch by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images

As for Fischler, author of more than 90 books on the sport, and perhaps the most visible face of the game in the United States across the airwaves, he summarized his pinnacle moment by citing Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall circa 1961.

After the Chicago Blackhawks had beaten the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup, Hall sat alone amid a raucous celebration quietly sipping a beer. When asked by Fischler how it felt to backstop his team to a championship, Hall simply stated: "I'm enthused."

That's how Fischler felt yesterday as did Leetch, Granato and Halligan.

Not to mention those who follow hockey in this country - perhaps since the glorious gold-medal run of the 1980 men's Olympic team at Lake Placid - and appreciate those who give their professional lives for the good of a game so many people cherish.