Posted by Rich:
Posted by Nalod:
whose barry beck?
A false messiah who the Rangers traded a number of their core young players for, in the hope that he would be the missing piece to finally winning the Cup. He separated his shoulder early on, and was never the dominating, physical defenseman he was acquired to be.
Instead we are left with the memorable words of former Rangers' broadcaster Bill "The Whistle" Chadwick: "Shoot the puck, Barry."
Hate on Barry all you want.I was sitting in the 3rd row at the Garden for his entire first season as a Ranger1979-80(except coincidentally for the Rangers/Bruins fight which actually took place right where me and a buddy usually sat) and saw what he brought to the team,the season they went to the finals and lost to Guy Lafleur and the Canadiens(before Gretsky,Lafleur was the man)who won their 4th straight Stanley cup.
He tied a Rangers playoff record for most goals by a defenseman in 81 was the team's MVP twice,an All-Star and a team captain.Yes injuries cut short his productivity but when he was healthy other teams feared him.Noone in their right mind thought he was a messiah,there was already plenty of talent on that team.As for that "young core" he was traded for,all of them were busts and didnt last more than a few years in colorodo.
His first game as a Ranger I saw Beck take it the length of the ice through the defense,the last one hit the ice trying to block his shot,he flicked the puck over the defenseman,jumped over him,and blew it right past the goalie.What a way to make an entrance!I also remember checking him guys into the bench frequently.
Injuries or not he will always be one of my favorite Rangers and to many others as well.