When NHL training camps open up in late September, one veteran defenseman won't be on the roster of the Boston Bruins.

It's Brian Leetch, who after 18 years in the NHL, has decided to hang up the hockey gear for good.

Leetch, who played college hockey at Boston College, may have ended his pro career with the hometown Bruins, but that's not the team most hockey fans associate him with.

That team would be in a city that he really didn't know about, and wasn't sure he even wanted to play in – New York.

Leetch stayed in New York for 15 years and even earned Rookie of the Year in 1988.

He became not only a fixture with the New York Rangers, but became a "Native New Yorker," getting an apartment in Manhattan not that far from Madison Square Garden.

Along with teammates Mark Messier, Adam Graves, and close friend, goaltender Mike Richter, Leetch became a very important part of the team.

In 1994, he not only helped the team win the Stanley Cup, but was the first American born player to win the Conn Smythe trophy, which was given to the MVP of the playoffs.

It wasn't the only "first" for Leetch, who might just be the only hockey player born in Texas where his father served in the military.

One day soon, Leetch might even be admitted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Leetch wanted to end his career in New York. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way, as he was traded to Toronto in 2004.

Three years later, it isn't just Rangers' fans who are disappointed that Leetch didn't end his career in New York.

The player who wore uniform No. 2 was the last link to that 1994 Stanley Cup championship for New York.

For that reason alone, Rangers' fans wish to say "Thank you, Brian Leetch."