August 20, 2011, Chris Drury retirement story for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Drury's retirement signals the end of an era

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Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, August 20, 2011 06:17

As captain of the New York Rangers, Chris Drury didn't lead the team into the promised land. But even at the end of his NHL career, Drury displayed what he did best. Early on the afternoon of April 25, the New York Rangers assembled for the last time before packing up for the summer at their Greenburgh Training Facility. The season ended two days earlier in Washington. It was time for the post-mortem. The coach and media discussed the personnel in details both general and specific; one topic was Chris Drury. “Where does he fit now?” head coach John Tortorella asked rhetorically. “We are going young. We’re trying to build it back up again.” It was an uncomfortable admission in a setting that made the coach equally uncomfortable – a genteel acknowledgement of a pending divorce. The divorce occurred two months later, when the New York Rangers bought out the remaining two years on his contract. Less than two months after that, Drury retired from active duty in the NHL, a decision that went public Friday in an NHLPA press release. “Throughout his career, Chris Drury was always a great competitor, a tremendous leader and teammate, and the heart and soul type of player that every team would love to have,” Rangers general manager Glen Sather said in a statement released by the organization late Friday afternoon. “His commitment, determination and will to win were apparent each and every day. Those characteristics will have a lasting impact on all those who were fortunate enough to learn from Chris over his 12 years in the National Hockey League.” Drury retires having totaled 255 goals, 360 assists, 615 points and was minus-6 in 892 regular season games with the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Rangers. The 1998-99 Calder Trophy winner recorded 47 goals, 42 assists, 89 points and was plus-24 in 139 playoff games, winning the Cup with the 2001 Avalanche. “It was a surprise to me,” Ryan Callahan said of Drury’s retirement Friday. “It was news to me.” Drury represented USA Hockey in 82 international games. He won two Olympic silver medals and played in the World Juniors, World Championships and World Cup, totaling eight goals and 19 points. “Huge. He was one of the main figures,” Callahan said of Drury’s role with USA Hockey. “Looked up to him. Such a presence. Definitely, (he) should be proud.” The Rangers signed Drury and Scott Gomez in 2007 to be the final pieces of a Stanley Cup champion puzzle, but it didn't work out the way Drury and the organization envisioned. The Rangers never got past the Eastern Conference semifinals in four playoff appearances and missed the playoffs entirely in 2009-10. In spite of this, Drury became a role model in the locker room of a team in the nascent phases of a transformation. Callahan cited Drury as a blueprint for how to be a professional. “I take a lot from (Drury),” Callahan said, while shrugging off talk about replacing Drury as captain. “I looked up to (him), tried to emulate (him).” Drury only played 24 games last season, in which he had five assists and a goal. The goal – in classic fashion – came in the season’s most important game. Drury’s backhander at 3:14 of the first period against the New Jersey Devils tied the game at 1 and sparked the Rangers to a 5-2 win in the last game of the regular season. Coupled with Carolina’s 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay that night, the win allowed the Rangers to grab the last playoff slot in the Eastern Conference. “(That goal) showed what kind of player he was,” Callahan said. “That’s what Dru’s all about. He did it.” On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photo of Chris Drury by Getty Images

Last Updated on Saturday, August 20, 2011 06:35

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