Rangers Retire Brian Leetch's Jersey

And I can think of no one more fitting. As a Rangers fan, I watched Leetch do amazing things on the ice. He may be my all-time favorite defenseman. Last night, the Rangers did good by one of their classiest players ever.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Only at Madison Square Garden does No. 2 fit so perfectly between 11 and 35.

It happened Thursday night when the New York Rangers retired Brian Leetch's famous number. They raised a banner next to those of Mark Messier and Mike Richter, the stellar defenseman's teammates on the 1994 Stanley Cup championship team that ended 54 years of waiting.

"I have felt this building shake, starting in the blue seats and filling this arena," Leetch said during the 51-minute ceremony before the Rangers' 2-1 shootout victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Then the 11-time All-Star, who was the NHL rookie of the year, twice the league's top defenseman, and the MVP of the 1994 playoffs rocked the house again.

And then, there's the quote that will make Vincent Antonelli dance a jig . . .

Always one to deflect praise and attention away from himself, Leetch stunned the packed arena by announcing a secret he held that the Rangers will retire the No. 9 of longtime teammate and ultimate fan favorite Adam Graves, who stood a few steps away at center ice.

"I said, 'If you want me to do it, I'd love to it,"' Leetch recalled. (H/T - Yahoo!)

Leetch and Graves? Sweet.