Subj : Adam Graves: Rangers Legend
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Sat Nov 28 2020 04:40 am
Adam Graves is one of the most popular players to don the famous colors of the
New York Rangers. The left winger played for the Blueshirts for ten years,
skating in 840 games and scoring 308 goals.
In 1994, Graves played a major role in the Rangers' Stanley Cup triumph.
Despite his starring role, he always had a team-first attitude: "I was never
about anything fancy. Mine was a very simple game. Go to the net, win
one-on-one battles. My goals were never the most pretty," he said in an
interview in 2009.Adam Graves, New York Rangers, Nov. 25, 1998 (Rick
Stewart/Allsport)
It's been 30 years since Graves first won the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton
Oilers, but now is as good a time as any to look at his storied career.A
Perfect Fit for the Rangers
Born on April 12, 1968, in Tecumseh, Ontario, Graves was drafted by the Detroit
Red Wings in the second round (22nd overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He
never made his mark with the Red Wings and was traded to the Oilers in a
six-player deal in November 1989.Related: New York Rangers and 99 - When
Gretzky Hung 'Em Up
Six months later, he celebrated his first Stanley Cup (and the Oilers' last one
to date). His second season with the Oilers wasn't great but the Rangers
recognized his talent. Graves signed with the Rangers as a free agent on Sept.
3, 1991.
It was a match made in heaven. The 23-year-old scored 26 goals and 59 points in
his first season with the Rangers and the team won the Presidents' Trophy.
"Gravy" was voted the Players' Player by his teammates.
He continued to improve the next season. On Nov. 25, 1992, he had the only
five-point night of his career in a road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He tallied 36 goals and 65 points that season, but the best was yet to
come.Rangers Franchise Record: Graves Scores 52 Goals
Graves started scoring goals more consistently in 1993-94. Goalless streaks
were short. On most nights, he scored a goal or two - his only hat trick of the
season came on Feb. 2, 1994 in a rivalry game against the New York Islanders.
His season total was 52 goals - a franchise record. He broke Vic Hadfield';s
mark of 50 goals set 22 years earlier. Graves' dominance was staggering. Mike
Gartner was the Rangers' second-best goal-scorer with 28 (Pavel Bure of the
Vancouver Canucks was the NHL's goal king with 60 tallies).
🎉 Happy Birthday to the legend Adam Graves 🎉
▫️ 2x Stanley Cup Champ
▫️ Scored a then record 52 goals in '94
▫️ His #9 retired in 2009#LGR pic.twitter.com/wJaYS5Rzhc- Rangers on MSG
(@RangersMSGN) April 12, 2020
"I vividly remember how supportive my teammates were of me, and how much they
wanted me to break the record," Graves said in 2009. "Mark Messier was the
greatest example of that. He elevated his game to help other players - like me
- to key moments. He took more pleasure in helping someone else have a great
experience than he did in his own accomplishments."Mark Messier helped Graves
achieve success with the Rangers. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
Graves'; record lasted 12 years. In 2005-06, Jaromir Jagr set a new franchise
high with 54 goals. Graves, Jagr, and Hadfield are the only players to score 50
goals for the Rangers in a season.Graves Scores 10 Goals During the Rangers'
Stanley Cup Run
Coached by Mike Keenan, the Rangers started the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs by
thrashing the Islanders, allowing just three goals in a four-game sweep. The
Washington Capitals were a bit tougher in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Rangers took the series, 4-1.
May 15, 1994 marked the start of a memorable series against the New Jersey
Devils. (from 'Memories of a 1994 Classic,'; New York Times, 05/11/2012) The
Rangers won Game 7, 2-1, in one of the three double-overtime games of the
Eastern Conference Final.Related: Mark Messier - NHL Legend and 6-Time Stanley
Cup Winner
Goal machine Bure and the Canucks were the Rangers' opponents in the Stanley
Cup Final. The Rangers defeated the Canucks, 3-2, in Game 7 at Madison Square
Garden on June 14, to become the franchise';s first Stanley Cup champions since
1940.
Adam Graves gave the @NYRangers a 2-0 lead with a power play goal.#NYR
#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/G9Sm8hokAN- MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) June 14,
2019
In the playoffs, Graves scored 10 goals and 17 points - including the primary
assist on Messier's Cup-winning goal.
In a way, the Rangers' Cup win was a second coming of the Oilers dynasty
(1984-90). Seven of the 1990 Oilers champions hoisted the Cup in 1994 - in
addition to Graves, the group included Messier, Craig MacTavish, Glenn
Anderson, Kevin Lowe, Jeff Beukeboom, and playoff player par excellence, Esa
Tikkanen.
"Coach Keenan had lost to the Oilers so many times (twice in the Stanley Cup
Final) that he knew who he needed to win," Tikkanen told me in 2019. "Messier
was the born leader but there were other players with leadership skills, like
Ed Olczyk. If it wasn't for great team spirit, we wouldn't have won the
Cup."Esa Tikkanen (left) and teammate Eddie Olczyk (right) celebrate the New
York Rangers'; 1994 Stanley Cup victory. (THW Archives),
Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch was awarded the 1994 Conn Smythe Trophy but
Graves became the seventh winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy that season
as the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice
and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his
community."Rangers Trade Graves After Tragedy
The Rangers qualified for the playoffs in the following three seasons. The lean
years started in 1997 when the Blueshirts missed the playoffs seven seasons in
a row.
The 1998-99 season, however, was another highlight. Graves was in a league of
his own and scored 38 goals with the Rangers that season. Another iconic
forward, John MacLean - who had arrived from local rivals, the Devils - came
second with 28.
In 2000, Graves lost his newborn baby in February and his father in June.
Understandably, such tragedies showed in his stats the following season - just
ten goals and 26 points in the regular season. In June 2001, the Rangers dealt
Graves to the San Jose Sharks for Mikael Samuelsson and Christian Gosselin.
Rangers general manager Glen Sather admitted that all good things must end. "He
was going through a pretty tragic period in his life. Both he and the Rangers
need a change. And I say that knowing it will be a long time before anyone will
give back what he did. He is a unique guy," Sather told the New York Post
(from "Rangers Deal Graves to Sharks", New York Post - 2001/06/25).Glen Sather
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Graves played two full seasons with the Sharks before he retired in 2003 after
1,152 NHL games and 125 contests in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Graves: Heart of a
Ranger
Graves' tenure with the Rangers spanned from 1991 to 2001. In that time, he
played 772 regular-season games with 280 goals and 68 postseason contests with
28 goals. He ranks third in goals and first in playoff power-play goals in
Rangers history.
The statistics tell a story, but his significance goes beyond numbers. On and
off the ice, Graves was one of the true leaders, for whom the team's interest
always came first. He never hesitated to stand up for a teammate - his 1,224
penalty minutes and numerous fights provide evidence of that.Related: Oilers
History - The Importance of Jimmy Carson
He was (and still is) a favorite among fans and players alike. He was voted
Rangers MVP twice and Players' Player four times. In addition to the King
Clancy Trophy, he was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award (2000) and Bill
Masterton Memorial Trophy (2001). In 2005, he rejoined the Rangers organization
and nowadays works for the club's Hockey and Business Operations.
He forever represents the Heart of a Ranger.
10 years ago today #NYR raised Blueshirts legend Adam Graves' number 9 to the
rafters @TheGarden. pic.twitter.com/03YR1bXEZC- New York Rangers (@NYRangers)
February 3, 2019
His No. 9 was retired by the Rangers in 2009. In the ceremony at the Garden,
Messier emphasized Graves' role as a player and as a person. "He always gave of
himself to charities and to children," Messier said. "He wasn't doing it for
recognition. Winning the Stanley Cup does not make you a champion. Adam is a
champion because he lives his life with respect, honor, and compassion."
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