Thoughts on Dom Moore and his return to New York

Always liked Dom Moore, starting with his first full season as a Ranger in 2005-06, and madea point to catch up with him in various arenas on his NHL journey since.

He kept an apartment in Manhattan for awhile after he was traded, and really seemed to have an affinity with this town. Even when we spoke in Tampa at a morning skate two years ago, he asked The Record's Andrew Gross and me about life in Gotham.

I remember telling him once that I saw one of his college jerseys hanging in the Harvard Club, where I had been invited to play squash one evening, and joked that we should play a couple matches the next time he was in town. Yeah, right. As if I would manage a point or two….

So when the word came in January that Moore, a bright, friendly guy, had lost his wife, Katie, who he had met at Harvard, to a rare form of liver cancer, most of the NHL community was rattled, wondering how terrible things continually seem to happen to good people.

Life’s tough road has brought him back here and by the end of training camp, I’ll wager that Moore will be in terrific shape and that he’ll contribute this season: Great work ethic on the third or fourth line, in the faceoff circle, and killing penalties. Have no doubt that fans, young and old, will realize that he’s easy to root for…

Here’s a quote or three from a call with writers today that didn’t make my upcoming story in Newsday: