Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messieris a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and former special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He played a quarter of a century in the NHLwith the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. He was the last former WHA player to be active in professional hockey, and the last active...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth18 January 1961
CityEdmonton, Canada
CountryCanada
A big part of me felt like I had had enough, achieved as much as I could achieve and I didn't feel there was a lot more for me to play for, ... Hockey Night in Canada.
I think it's always a little bit of a bittersweet feeling, I guess. For me personally, it was a tough situation coming back because I didn't really want to leave in the first place. So coming back, obviously, a lot of memories came through. I think it'll be probably the same for Brian.
He's as good as we've seen here, probably ever. He's done everything you could ask for from a star player.
Other than my dad, no one believed in me more and did more for me as a person and player.
I just feel really good about the decision, ... I've had a year and a half to think about it. . . . It's the right thing to do.
But I felt that I was fairly confident in what it took to win a Stanley Cup coming off five Cups in seven years, ... And I was lucky to be a part of a team that was willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the team.
I hear about it every day, every day,
I really had the time to take my time and see how I felt,
I never thought about any individual records. Coming back to break any records, especially that record, wasn't all that appealing to me.
If you ask anybody around here for those years, nobody would have a bad word to say about Brian Leetch.
I came into the league as a fourth-line grinder that played a limited role,
Coaching really is an individual philosophy.
When Wayne was traded, I became captain. For me it really wasn't anything - I didn't do anything or I didn't feel I had to do anything different than what I had been doing all along.
I think the idea of the obstruction through the neutral zone and away from the puck was an excellent rule.