Adam Graves

Tuesday night in front of a packed house The New York Rangers will retire Adam Graves' #9 jersey....This seems like a no-brainer to me...But I did question it briefly....My father a Flyers fan...Asked me last week "does he deserve it?" I thought yes...Then I thought about the numbers...And then I thought about the man...There is no doubt in my mind now...

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Graves was power forward on the ice...A grinder with skills...He fought whenever it was necessary...Not because he was your typical thumper, but because if his team needed him to drop the gloves he did...If you thought about taking a run at Brian Leetch, you were gonna pay for it...

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Graves' stats are not anything amazing, but they are good....

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In 1152 games played in his NHL career he put up 329 goals...287 assists...for 616 points...and 1224 penalty minutes....His career Playoff numbers are 125 games...38 goals...27 assists....for 65 points...with 119 penalty minutes...

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In his ten years with the Rangers the numbers are...772 games....280 goals....227 assists....for 507 points....with 810 penalty minutes....In the playoffs with the Rangers graves played 83 games....28 goals....16 assists...for 44 points....with 70 penalty minutes...

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In his 10 seasons with the Rangers, Graves became a fan favorite...Not just for his style of play, but for the man he was off the ice...From day one he jumped right into multiple community service programs...He was always giving back, and always made time for the fans....His generosity coming, at least party from his upbringing...Graves parents ran a foster home and also adopted Adam's younger brother....It was ingrained in him that we are all in this together, and he has always carried that with him....

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There is so much respect for Graves in the hockey community, that after Adam had been dealt to San Jose, and the Rangers brought in Superstar Pavel Bure...Bure called Graves and asked if it was okay to wear his number 9...One report saying that Graves was shocked by the gesture,and told Bure 'go ahead, it's yours now.'

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When Graves retired from hockey, the Rangers brought him back...He jumped right into charity work, and community outreach programs....He's now part of their scouting department, but if there is something going on in the community, or with the fans Adam will be there...He seems like that guy that will do anything for anyone....That was how Rangers fans felt when Graves and his family suffered the loss of a child....Rangers fans everywhere cried for him and his family and tried their best to give back to them in their time of need...

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Adam Graves has always given his all...On or off the ice...He brought out the best in his teammates, and he brought out the best in everyone he has touched...He may not have been the flashiest player...And he may not have overwhelming numbers...But the New York Rangers, their fans, and the city of New York are better for having Adam Graves around....Sports needs more people like Graves, and more people like him should be recognized for what they do....There is no doubt in my mind that Adam Graves #9 deserves to be hanging in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.

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The ceremony starts at 6:30PM...Check it out if you can...You'll be amazed at the ovation this man gets when he is introduced.

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Later the Beeze.