PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Long before he was a budding star for the Philadelphia Flyers, James van Riemsdyk was a big New York Rangers fan.
Brian Leetch and Mike Richter were more than champions and star players.
They were proof that Americans could play hockey, too.
“Loved those guys,” van Riemsdyk said. “Any American, you always kind of have a special connection. Being American, you take some pride. Brett Hull. Mike Modano, I loved.”
Raised in New Jersey, van Riemsdyk was a prospect, even in youth hockey. He also played partially at a private high school in the Garden State, the genesis of a career that led him all the way to being the No. 2 overall pick of the 2007 NHL draft. In his third season in Philadelphia, van Riemsdyk has already played in a Stanley Cup Final and been rewarded by the Flyers with a six-year contract extension.
Van Riemsdyk is also one of the standouts of the current crop of great American players in the NHL. As players like Hull, Modano and Chris Drury have retired, they’ve been replaced by a new wave of All-Star Americans that are among the best at their respective positions.
