Thursday, March 15, 2001
Sather hopes Graves can find his game again

NEW YORK (CP) -- Glen Sather says part of his motivation behind trying to trade Adam Graves was to preclude having to "retire him" this summer.

And the Rangers general manager said that he would base at least some of his decision about whether to buy out the final year of Graves' contract on what he sees from the 32-year-old winger the rest of this season.

"I think he's had some confidence problems this year and I hope that he gets over that and gets his game back together and starts playing on the edge like we've all seen him play in the past," Sather told the New York Daily News, alluding to Graves' personal tragedies over the last two years (the deaths of his infant son and his father).

"The last thing I wanted to have happen to Adam was to tell him over the summer, 'I want to retire you.'

"I don't want to have that happen, because he's the one guy that bleeds Ranger blue all the way through. And he's been a terrific sports hero for the people of New York.

"But this is a game that has to march forward. And we all get changes in our lives that happen to us and we've got to overcome them one way or another."

My Notes about this:
Well, so much for letting him get his game back,huh Sather ? Sather talks a good line and some people actually believe him. I knew Graves was as good as out of NY in March. It's a shame though. We could have used his 31 points this year as much as we could have used his heart.