Rangers will honor Boogaard with patch

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- As his former teammates assembled at Rangers camp for the first day of the timed laps and a late-day run, they were well aware of the absence of Derek Boogaard, their former teammate, who died of a toxic mix of painkillers and alcohol May 13 in Minneapolis.

In tribute to Boogaard, who was limited by injuries and personal issues to 22 games in his only season in New York, players will wear a memorial patch on their helmets this season, the team confirmed Friday.

"He was a big presence," said Brandon Prust, a tough, smaller winger with more speed and talent (13 goals and 29 points last season) who is just as willing to drop the gloves. "I'm always thinking of Derek. He was my roommate on the road before he got hurt, a good friend of mine. I hope he's out there with me every game."

Other teammates shared the sentiment.

"It's a big hole," captain Ryan Callahan said. "To lose a teammate, there's not really a feeling like it. Throughout the summer, we've talked with each other quite a bit. We're always going to remember him, he's not forgotten at all."

Enforcers Rick Rypien (Jets) and Wade Belak, who had recently retired from the Predators, also died in the offseason, raising questions about the hazards of fighting, concussions and hits to the head.

"It was awful . . . It was definitely an eye-opener," said Prust, who was given 18 major penalties for fighting last year, tied for the fourth-most in the NHL. It was natural for some to make a connection between the deaths, he said. "I thought about it a lot, but I don't think we should change the game at all."

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Prust, 27, describes himself as "pro-fighter. What makes the game unique is that we have the ability to police our own game. The league steps in if something gets out of hand, if there's a dirty hit. But if someone's going after Gabby or Hank or Richie, that's my job to get in and make sure they don't do that . . . It's a tough job, but it's a job I chose. I love sticking up for my teammates and I love knowing that my teammates know that I'll be there for them."

Notes & quotes: Coach John Tortorella will experiment with left wings, including Wojtek Wolski, on the No. 1 line with C Brad Richards and RW Marian Gaborik. "Is it another talented player, where they just keep the puck? Is it a player that needs to go get the puck sometimes? I don't know," he said.