Mark Messier is one of the greatest, and on the ice, he was nastier than many. Messier scored a lot of points – like, so many of them – but he was also known for his physical play, and he lever held back against any opponent. In addition, Messier wasn’t shy of doing some nasty things on the ice, especially in the early years of his career, when he was known as a dirty player.
But off the ice, Messier was a well-liked leader who always had his teammate’s back. He was always kind to rookies and always made sure that everybody on his team felt involved and equal. Just ask Darren Langdon.
He was a rookie at Rangers, and when he arrived at one of his first games, he didn’t look like everybody else. Instead, he came with a corduroy blazer, and for that, he received a lot of abuse from teammates.
But the next day, when he came to the dressing-room, he found a Hugo Boss suit hanging in his stall. The note just said,” From the Guys.” But the guys were, in fact, just Messier.
Messier just wanted the rookie to fit in with the rest.
” What he was telling him was,’ You’re a part of the team.’ But Mark didn’t trumpet it. He just went to the trouble to find out his size, and that was it,” says Mike Richter, former Rangers goalie.
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