30 Brilliant Facts About Brian Leetch You Didn’t Know Before

Brian Leetch, often referred to as the single “Greatest Ranger of All Time,” is a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman and the first American-born winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. One of the top defensemen in NHL history, his offensive skills is very unique and quite rare for a defenseman. Here are some really interesting facts about the retired American professional ice hockey player that will make you love him more:

Håkan Dahlström (Hakandahlstrom at en.wikipedia)Later versions were uploaded by IrisKawling at en.wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.  In the year 1986, he was the first-round pick of New York Rangers, as the 9th overall, becoming the first player drafted that year who did not play major junior hockey.
2.  He became the fifth defenseman in history, and the only American defenseman, to record 100 points in a season and was awarded the Norris Trophy in the year 1992.
3.  He is the second player in NHL history, after Bobby Orr, to win the Calder Trophy, the Norris Trophy, and the Conn Smythe Trophy is his career. Till date, no other player has won all the three awards.
4.  He became the first non-Canadian to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, and remained the only American to do so until Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins in 2011.
5.  He received contract offers from nearly every NHL team throughout the 2006-07 season, but on May 24, 2007, he officially announced his retirement, bringing his 18-year NHL career to an end.
6.  Brian Joseph Leetch was born on March 3, 1968 to Jack Leetch and Janice Leetch in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut.
7.  He is the eldest of three siblings in the family. His brother Eric Leetch, who aspired to join the military since his childhood days, is a captain in the U.S. Army. He has a sister Beth Leetch.
8.  His father, a pilot turned executive who was an All-American hockey player for Boston College in the 1960s, managed a hockey rink in western Connecticut, where Brian first learned to play hockey.
9.  During his high school days, he starred in baseball and hockey, first at Cheshire High School, and then at Avon Old Farms.
10.  In baseball, as a sophomore, Leetch's 90-mph fastball helped the Cheshire Rams baseball team to a state championship, while as a senior at Avon Old Farms, he set the school record for strikeouts in a game with 19.
11.  Still, he excelled the most in Hockey, and as a sophomore at Cheshire, he scored 53 goals and 50 assists, earning All-state honors.
12.  In his two seasons with the Avon Old Farms, he scored 70 goals and 90 assists in 54 games, which were especially remarkable for a defenseman.
13.  He followed his father and enrolled at Boston College in the fall of 1986, and became an All-America defenseman for the Eagles.
14.  After one season at Boston College, he played for the US Olympic team at the 1988 Games in Calgary. Just a few days later, he also made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers.
15.  In his first full NHL season (1988-89), Leetch notched 71 points, including a rookie defenseman-record 23 goals, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as well as being selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team.


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16.  He suffered a broken ankle after slipping on black ice after stepping out of a cab on March 21, 1993, following which he missed the rest of the season.
17.  For the 2005-2006 season, he signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Boston Bruins, and as a member of the team, he scored his 1000th career point.
18.  He was the captain of the 1996 championship team representing the United States of America in the World Cup of Hockey.
19.  Leetch holds the New York Rangers regular season record for most goals by a defenseman, in his entire career, with a total of 240 goals.
20.  He also holds the franchise record for the most power-play goals by a defenseman, in a single-season, with a total of 17 goals during the 1993-94 season.
21.  He also holds the franchise record for the most points by a defenseman, in a single season with a total of 102 points, during the 1991-92 season.
22.  On September 18, 2007 Leetch was announced one of the four recipients of the 2007 Lester Patrick Trophy.
23.  Leetch's number 2 was retired by the Rangers on January 24, 2008, becoming the fifth player to have his jersey number retired by the Rangers.
24.  Leetch and Mike Richter were inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Denver on October 10, 2008.
25.  Brian has been married to his longtime girlfriend, Mary Beth Leetch. They have three children together – Sean Leetch, Riley Anne, and Jack Leetch.
26.  He holds the NHL record for the most goals by a rookie defenseman, with 23 goals during the 1988-89 season.
27.  In the year 1998, he was ranked 71st on The Hockey News' list of the “100 Greatest Hockey Players.” With this, he also became the second-highest player born and trained in the United States, behind Frank Brimsek.
28.  Leetch became the manager of player safety in the NHL's Department of Player Safety, leaving after one season, in August 2015.
29.  In the 2009 book “100 Ranger Greats,” the authors ranked Leetch the “Top Ranger of All Time of the 901 New York Rangers,” who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.
30.  Leetch is one of only five NHL defensemen to score 100 points in a season with his 102-point campaign in 1991–92, and was also the last NHL defenseman to record 100 points in a season.
31.  Brian Leetch Net Worth: $37 Million