Gaborik copes with death of friends

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Along with a heavy heart, Marian Gaborik brought something extra to Slovakia last Sunday to attend the funeral services for one of his best friends and former teammate, Pavol Demitra -- his hockey gear.

Gaborik and a number of Slovaks who played on the national team and in the NHL, including the Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk, the Bruins' Zdeno Chara and the Hawks' Marian Hossa, went to pay respects to Demitra, who played for the KHL's Yaroslavl Lokotomiv and was one of the 43 passengers who died in the Sept. 7 plane crash in Russia.

"They really did a great job of organizing it, and he really deserved that kind of goodbye," said the 28-year-old right wing, who wrote and delivered an on-stage farewell speech for the memorial.

But Gaborik, who lost another close friend, Derek Boogaard, the victim of a painkiller and alcohol overdose in May, knew he would need a haven to escape the harsh realities of a shocking and solemn summer.

"I skated three times with the guys to get my mind off things," Gaborik said Saturday before participating in on-ice testing during the second day of training camp.

It was, Gaborik said, "a crazy off-season to see Boogey go and then Pavol. I'm never going to forget these guys, I'm always going to have them in my heart . . . It was really tough, but life goes on . . . I have to turn the page, for camp and the season. It's not going to be easy right from the get-go, but I have to do the best I can to focus and be 100 percent out there."

The Rangers will wear helmet decals as a tribute to Boogaard, and Gaborik said he planned to personally honor Demitra at some point in the season, but that camp was his primary concern now.

Gaborik, in the third year of his five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Rangers, needs to rebound from a season in which he suffered groin and shoulder injuries, as well as a concussion and was limited to 62 games.

A critical issue will be to forge some chemistry with free-agent center Brad Richards and whoever emerges from coach John Tortorella's experiments with left wing on the No. 1 line.

"We skated two or three times [informally], you can see the way he handles himself off the ice," Gaborik said of Richards. "He's just a natural playmaker, you know you're going to get the puck on your tape . . . and whoever is there [on left wing] we're going to have to get used to each other. If we stick together, you know that we're doing good."

Notes & quotes: To emphasize his desire to "infuse more youth," Tortorella said that he would be disappointed if no youngsters cracked the roster . . . D Michael Sauer (right knee tendinitis) skated alone after the on-ice testing and Tortorella said the he hopes he can play in Sunday's scrimmages . . . Artem Anisimov's left knee MRI was clear and he felt no pain during the testing.