There was a day a week or so ago in the locker room at the Rangers’ practice facility where Adam Fox jokingly suggested he wasn’t a young man anymore.
In a more serious moment, he brought it back a bit on Friday as the Rangers prepared to face the Islanders in Saturday’s preseason finale.
But from an NHL perspective, he had a point. The Jericho-born Jericho will enter his fourth year in the league after preseason ended and UBS his 3-1 loss to the Islanders at his arena, with the Rangers playing Tuesday at home to Tampa Bay against his Lightnings. to start his season as a regular. He’s already won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and will be 25 midseason. He sounds like a man in the prime of his career as opposed to a young man.
“I still think of myself (and my defensive partner Ryan Lindgren) as a young player.” I mean, we’re not kids, so to speak. There is still more.
“I mean, I’m obviously not a veteran, but I’ve played enough games to understand what it takes to be successful.”
The Foxes got off to a strong start last season, scoring 47 points in their first 40 games and leading all defenses at that point. However, an upper-body injury knocked him off the track somewhat just before the All-Star break and weakened him a little in the second half. did.
Throughout the season, he became more prominent as the team’s spokesperson, often being brought out to speak after games, sometimes after painful defeats.
“I don’t know if ‘grooming’ is the right word, but it’s a given that I use it, but as you grow up, you’ll want to be that kind of leader,” he said. rice field. “Entering your fourth year, there are more things you want to do for the team than on the ice. I think I’m just playing hockey and trying to do my best. Do other things.”
In the Rangers’ second preseason game in Boston on Sept. 27, Fox and his defensive partner for his entire NHL career, Lindgren, were both required to wear the ‘A’ for alternate captain. did. I am very honored. He couldn’t do it at Harvard because only captains wear the ‘C’ in college. There is no alternate captain ‘A’. Fox had been named captain of his senior year, but he signed with the Rangers and did not return for his senior year.
He could be added to the Rangers’ stable of alternate captains this season. With Ryan Strom playing in Anaheim and Jacob his Torba promoted to captain, the Rangers have four replacements for him: Chris Kryder, Mika his Zibanezado, Artemi he Panarin and Barclay Goodrow. . Fox, and/or Lindgren may be added as alternatives.
Colin Stevenson covers Rangers for Newsday. He has covered nearly every sports team in his NHL and the New York metropolitan area over his 20+ years.