Editing Brian Leetch (section)

{{Short description|American ice hockey player (born 1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Brian Leetch
| halloffame = 2009
| image = Brian Leetch New York Rangers 1997 Vancouver.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| caption = Leetch with the [[New York Rangers]] in 1997
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|3|3}}
| birth_place = [[Corpus Christi, Texas]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lb = 185
| position = [[Defenceman|Defense]]
| shoots = Left
| played_for = [[New York Rangers]]<br>[[Toronto Maple Leafs]]<br>[[Boston Bruins]]
| ntl_team = USA
| draft = 9th overall
| draft_year = 1986
| draft_team = [[New York Rangers]]
| career_start = 1987
| career_end = 2006
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics|Winter Olympics]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Salt Lake City]] |}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Cup of Hockey]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 World Cup of Hockey|1996 United States]] |}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Canada Cup]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1991 Canada Cup|1991 Canada]] |}}
}}
'''Brian Joseph Leetch''' (born March 3, 1968) is an American former professional [[ice hockey]] [[Defenceman|defenseman]] who played 18 [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) [[Season (sports)|season]]s with the [[New York Rangers]], [[Toronto Maple Leafs]], and [[Boston Bruins]]. He has been called one of the top defensemen in NHL history.

Leetch accumulated many individual honors during his 18-year career. He was a two-time [[James Norris Memorial Trophy|Norris Trophy]] winner as the NHL's best defenseman (1992, 1997) and was the first American-born winner of the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] as playoff MVP for his performance during the Rangers' run to the [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals|1994 Stanley Cup]] championship. Leetch is one of only six NHL defensemen to score 100 points in a season with his 102-point campaign in 1991–92. He won the [[Calder Memorial Trophy|Calder Trophy]] as the NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989 and his 23 goals that season remain an NHL record for rookie defensemen.

Leetch's number 2 was retired by the Rangers on January 24, 2008. During the ceremony, longtime teammate [[Mark Messier]] referred to Leetch as the single "Greatest Ranger of All Time." Leetch was inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in Toronto in 2009, his first year of eligibility. In 2017 Leetch was named one of the "[[100 Greatest NHL Players]]" in history.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players|website=NHL.com|access-date=January 27, 2017|date=January 27, 2017}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[IIHF Hall of Fame]] in 2023.