Larry Brooks dies at the age of 75

You either loved him or hated him, but there was no denying that Larry Brooks was a legend in both the Rangers and sports journalism. Brooks, who died last night aged 75, was as much a fixture for many Rangers fans as Sam Rosen, John Davidson, Joe Micheletti and many, many others. Brooks’ coverage of the Rangers spanned decades, and there isn’t one person who talks about the Rangers — whether on social media, professional journalists, bloggers, podcasters or casual fans — who hasn’t read an article written by Larry Brooks.

From a personal standpoint, I will always admire the fact that Larry Brooks never really got involved in the “wars” between the mainstream media and bloggers when the rise of fan-written content took place in the late 2000s and early 2010s. While others made it their personal mission to discredit anyone without journalistic qualifications, Brooks was always polite and responsive when approached in the same way. I’ve had countless conversations with Brooks, and he’s never let me down or ignored me because I was just a fan writing about the team.

Larry Brooks has an immortal legacy, both in sports journalism and in his coverage of the Rangers that spanned more than 30 years. You may not agree with him, but you can’t deny his legacy. I didn’t know him personally or even professionally, other than a few Twitter DM conversations, but he will certainly be missed.