Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks

NHL

Young local stars evoke memories of past rookie greats

Mathew Barzal, a legitimate threat to Brock Boeser, Clayton Keller and Malcolm Subban for the Calder Trophy, would constitute a special rookie class unto himself around these parts, given the combination of speed and skill he flashes on a clockwork basis for the Belmont-bound Islanders.

But wait. There are the similarly skilled, if not necessarily as productive, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt in New Jersey, who also take your breath away, and backed up by Will Butcher on the blue line.

And so, even with talented teens Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson strutting their stuff in the world junior championships rather than for the Rangers, this stands to become our most impressive rookie class since Scott Gomez, Brian Rafalski and John Madden all played significant roles for the 1999-2000 Cup champion Devils while Mike York and Jan Hlavac made their debuts on Broadway and Tim Connolly skated on Long Island.

Ranking the top five classes since the Islanders made this a multi-team town again in 1972:

1. 1988-89: Brian Leetch, who had played 17 games the previous year after representing the U.S. in the 1988 Calgary Olympics, won the Calder in his official rookie season. Tony Granato finished third in the balloting (Trevor Linden was the runner-up) off a 36-goal season that remains the Rangers’ rookie record.

Scott Gomez had a pretty good year in 2000.

2. 1999-2000: Scott Gomez won the Calder while York finished third (behind Brad Stuart) off a 26-goal, 50-point season. Jan Hlavac, who scored 19 goals, finished ninth, two spots ahead of Brian Rafalski in the voting, six ahead of Tim Connolly and nine ahead of John Madden. Ranking their NHL careers: 1. Rafalski; 2. Gomez; 3. Madden; 4. Connolly; 5. York; 6. Hlavac.

3. 1975-76: Bryan Trottier won the Calder with a 32-goal, 95-point season as a 20-year-old, while teammate Chico Resch was the runner-up with a 2.07 goals against average a year after being in nets for the charge back from 3-0 down against the Penguins. This marks the second NY-NY/NY-NJ exacta in history, with Blueshirts Pentti Lund and Allan Stanley one-two in 1948-49.

4. 1972-73: Steve Vickers was named rookie of the year off a 30-goal season on the left side of the Bulldog Line while the Islanders’ first (and No. 1) draft choice, Billy Harris, placed third in the balloting (behind Bill Barber) after scoring 28 goals.

5. 2009-10: No. 1 pick John Tavares recorded 24 goals and 54 points but finished fifth in the Calder balloting behind Tyler Myers, Matt Duchene, Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask while 19-year-old Michael Del Zotto placed eighth after being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in October.


It is not as if I’d relinquish a valuable asset to acquire him, but in the wake of the news Chris Kreider will be sidelined for at least two months and perhaps much longer than that, it would seem to make sense for the Rangers to check on the price of bringing Anthony Duclair back to Broadway for a look-see.

There’s that age-old question about Duclair’s ability to bring it on a consistent basis, but the 22-year-old — with seven goals in 30 games and a handful of healthy scratches in the desert — has top-end skill in a league that rewards it, and the AHL Wolf Pack isn’t exactly overflowing with NHL-ready talent up front.


I’ve never been mistaken as an apologist for Zac Rinaldo, but after getting popped with a six-game suspension, in the words of the Department of Player Safety, “for a punch to an unsuspecting opponent,” isn’t the only logical question to ask why on earth Colorado’s victimized Samuel Girardi wouldn’t have suspected what was coming?

Seriously, shouldn’t Girard have been prepared for anything and everything when he skated toward and reached out to grab Rinaldo after the Arizona enforcer had rocked the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon with a legal open-ice blow a couple of seconds earlier?

An equally good question is this: Why would the allegedly new-age Coyotes’ general manager John Chayka give a relic like Rinaldo a spot on the roster?

And a related query: How’s that trade for Ryan Reaves working out for Gentleman Jim Rutherford, Sidney Crosby (tied for 253d in the league with three five-on-five goals and for whom the trade acquisition was supposed to create a safe zone) and the Penguins?


New rule: Players serving penalties at the end of overtime shall not be permitted to participate in the shootout.


With thoughts to Kreider, our teams’ all-time No. 20s: 1. Phil Goyette, Rangers; 2. Kreider; 3. Jay Pandolfo, Devils; 4. Jan Erixon, Rangers; 5. Ray Ferraro, Islanders. Honorable mention: Heartbeat Harvey, Rangers.


Johnny BowerGetty Images

I’d met Johnny Bower, the Hall of Fame goaltender who passed away last week at age 93, through Billy MacMillan, who was the GM-coach of the Devils when I began working for them in 1982. MacMillan had come through the Toronto organization, so I was able to spend a bit of time with Cup-winning Leafs such as Bower and George Armstrong.

What a treat. For me.


Here’s one from the 1983 NHL Draft in Montreal. The Devils, who had the sixth pick, were locked in on Oshawa winger John MacLean. The Sabres, who had the fifth pick, were known to be sweet on Acton-Boxboro High School goaltender Tom Barrasso.

The Sabres, though, also owned the 10th and 11th selections. MacMillan and VP of hockey operations Max McNab were concerned the Sabres might attempt to slide Barrasso down to 10 while snapping up MacLean at No. 5.

So the night before the draft, the organization arranged to take Barrasso and his family out to dinner at one of the downtown spots at which a number of clubs were having their meals. It was a show, with our then-goaltending consultant Glenn Hall whispering sweet nothings into Barrasso’s ear.

The next day, Buffalo selected Barrasso at No. 5 while the Devils got their man, MacLean, one pick later, just as planned.