Adam Graves Night (video)
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February 4th, 2009
There wasn’t a seat to be had inside Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, nearly 20,000 people on hand to say thank you to Adam Graves for everything he did for the Rangers and New York. And in typical Adam Graves fashion, he took his time at the podium and didn’t back away until he had thanked every last one of them back.
From his teammates to his predecessors, from the trainers to the ticket takers, the fans to his adoring and adored friends from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, Graves made sure a grateful audience knew how grateful he was to them for an 18-year friendship.
And when it was finished, when there was nowhere else for the thanks to fall but on his own firm shoulders, the Rangers’ Cup-winning left winger stepped back, soaked in the chants of “Gravy! Gravy!” and watched through welling eyes as his No. 9 rose to its place in the rink he loved to call his hockey home.
“I’ve always felt like this place was my home,” Graves told the crowd, “so much so that I feel that 18,200 of my closest friends are right here with me in my living room.”
And so, they’re all there - 35, 11, 2, and now 9. The Core of ‘94, the heart and soul of the greatest team in Rangers history, has its permanent place at Madison Square Garden, honored side-by-side near the banner they won that spring and summer that New York will never forget.
Graves played 10 seasons and 772 games in a Blueshirt, scoring 280 goals - third on the Rangers’ career list - and 507 points, including his 52-goal season in ‘94. Some might say these numbers fall short of the Garden rafters. But numbers will never tell the story of Adam Graves.
“Tonight’s not about honoring Adam’s stats; tonight’s about honoring a man and a champion,” said No.11, Mark Messier, Graves’ mentor from their brief time in Edmonton through their memorable years in New York. “I’ve often been asked about Adam and what kind of guy he is - is he really that nice a guy? My answer is always, ‘Yes, he is. He’s a real man with real character.’”
Tuesday night was a celebration of a superb man who happened to be an indispensable Ranger, a man whose time and efforts on behalf of myriad charities are impossible to count and who has friends in every corner of the city, in every walk of life.
In addition to Messier, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter, other important members of that ‘94 team were on hand. Jeff Beukeboom walked to center ice to the customary sounds of “Booook!” Stephane Matteau received a rousing ovation. Sergei Nemchinov and Glenn Healy paid tribute.
And then there were some of Graves’ other pals, such as Officer Steven McDonald, the New York City policeman who was paralyzed after being shot in the line of duty and who Tuesday night presented Graves with an honorary NYPD badge - shield No. 9, of course - in honor of Graves’ late father, Henry, a 28-year veteran of the Toronto police force and Adam’s enduring role model. And there was Nick Springer, a gold-medal-winning Paralympian, the sight of whom Graves said afterward was one of the highlights of his night.
“In particular, I want thank all the great kids I’ve been lucky enough to befriend,” Graves said. “The best part is, we’ve done this together.”
In between the presentation of a signed guitar from Bruce Springsteen and a visit from the cast of “The Sopranos” - two of Graves’ favorites - and the expected outpouring of tears from Messier, there was even some time to celebrate Adam Graves the hockey player, “a man whose heroics on the ice helped make the impossible possible,” emcee Sam Rosen said in his introduction, “without whom 1994 might just be another year.”
A veteran New Yorker now, Graves spoke of the time he first came to the big city, when he was 14 years old and “overwhelmed by the skyscrapers” and wondering, “Who lives in New York?”
“I’ve been so blessed over the last 18 years to find out about the heartbeat of the wonderful people of New York, especially the people in this building,” Graves said. “As I look up into the rafters, I have so much trouble imagining my name amongst theirs. I actually pinch myself every day and ask myself, How did I get here? The answer is, I just tried to keep it simple and work as hard as I could.”
Watch some videos of the Graves Night
Graves Night: JD on Graves (2/3)
After the ceremony, former Rangers broadcaster John Davidson talks about Adam Graves, the player and the man
Graves Night: Graves’ Speech (2/3)
A humbled Graves thanks the fans, his family, his teammates and the Rangers organization in an incredible speech
Graves Night: Interview with Graves (2/3)
After the banner raising ceremony, Adam Graves shares his emotions with Al Trautwig
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