Larry Brooks was an integral part of following the New York Rangers as a fan

Rod Gilbert held the distinction of being Mr. Ranger given his association and dedication to the New York Rangers, and for being a long time ambassador whose name was synonymous with the organization. There are a few individuals who come close to Rod for being known most for their association to the Blueshirts, and Larry Brooks was one of those people.

Sadly, was is the operative word here, as Brooks who spent 38 years at the New York Post covering the Rangers, died after a brief battle with cancer. He was a legend in the industry that was recognized with the Elmer Ferguson Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame back in 2018, someone that was a must read for decades, and an individual who will be sorely missed.

In 2025, social media is a place where news breaks instantly, and there is no shortage of takes to be had. If you are looking for information, it is readily available, something that is equally good and bad. It may be hard for some younger readers to believe, but there was a time where none of that existed, and if you wanted to find things out you needed to pickup a newspaper.

You could read stuff online, but the best stuff was always in print first. That changed in later years with the introduction of paywalls, but that's something that is just part of most sports journalism this day. Brooks tenure covering the team and relationships with key figures such as Glen Sather and James Dolan empowered him to bring the scoops, raw honest opinions about the shortcomings of the team, and other musings often teased on the back page of the Post. Then there were the legendary interactions he had with John Tortorella.

The battles between "Brooksie" and Torts were entertaining to watch, and it was heartwarming to read that the two had reconciled their difference, and the beloved Blueshirts' coach reached out to Larry recently to wish him well. There certainly appeared to be a bit of wrestling theatre between the two, and for the longest time each had to keep up the kayfabe.

If you wanted to know what was going with the Rangers, you were reading Larry Brooks, and you were eagerly waiting for the next edition of the paper to come out for future updates. In the social media age, it was quite common for the man affectionately referred to as the "Click King" to send the blogosphere and fan base into a tizzy with a cryptic story, tweet, or breaking news about what could be happening next.

Brooks' style of coverage and role as a columnist put him in a position to be around so many talented players and teams over the course of his tenure, and you always knew how he felt. There was a passion to his work, something that made his coverage quite impactful. It led to some amazing stories, and really enhanced the experience of being a fan.

I will remember Brooks for his passion, his stubbornness, his dedication, and his kindness. Throughout the course of my "career" I was lucky enough to have a few direct message exchanges with Larry on Twitter, and he was always very cordial and helpful. He didn't always agree with my opinions, but he understood that was part of the territory.

It's going to be different for Rangers fans in a world where Brooks isn't around to cover the team. There are many capable and talented people out there that do, and will continue to do an amazing job, but love him or hate him, there will only ever be one Larry Brooks.