Moldy Peaches

The retirement of Mark Messier from the National Hockey League marks the end of an era. The game of hockey has officially lost one of the greatest leaders in professional sports. Messier, leaves the game with six Stanley Cups, 1,887 points and a legacy of grit, determination and leadership. His mail can soon be forwarded to his new hockey address - The Hockey Hall of Fame.

It was difficult to grow up in 1980s in western Canada without having many, many images of - arguably the greatest team in hockey - the mid 80s Oilers. Gretzky, Coffey, Lowe, Kurri, Anderson, Fuhr, Moog and company were amazing to watch and completely revolutionalized the game. On the surface it was easy to say that they won on talent alone, but that would be an incorrect assumption. Messier was the glue that kept that team together. It was Messier, not Gretzky, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Oilers captured their first Stanley Cup in 1984. Would Glenn Anderson had been a perennial All-Star without him? Does Gretzky get the rest he needs without the 2nd best player in the league behind him - think 90s Forsberg / Sakic? Who takes all the big face-offs? Who kicks the shit of Joel Otto, repeatedly? It was Messier who led the Oilers to a 1990 Stanley Cup victory - their fifth in seven seasons and just two years after the team traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.

Next stop was the Big Apple and the results were equally impressive. Messier transformed that team from a talented squad to winners. In 1994 Eastern Conference Final, he single handily guaranteed victory over New Jersey and went out a played one of the best games ever. The Rangers, down 3-2 in their series against the rival Devils, needed a miracle and Messier answered the bell. In fact, Messier scored a natural hat trick to win the game, the series, and eventually the team's first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Playoff hockey truly was Messier time.

Messier was more than just the NHL though. He answered the bell for his country on numerous occasions and managed to run roughshod over Europeans in various tournaments - the modern day Bobby Clarke. He brought a sense of renewed pride to the maple leaf and teams still search for that all important component.

The Rangers, in a classy move, will retire retire Messier's number 11 on Jan. 12, when the Oilers visit Madison Square Garden. I am sure that an announcement is pending on when the number 11 will go to the rafters at Rexall Place.

Messier's bio.