Divided loyalties for diehard Rangers’ fan
To understand how much Boomer Esiason likes hockey in general, we offer you the following evidence: He chose the No. 7 he wore throughout his 14-year NFL career, in part, because it was worn by New York Rangers great Rod Gilbert.
To understand how much the former quarterback and current CBS studio analyst loves his Rangers specifically, there’s a great tale involving his daughter Sydney and her boyfriend, Leafs forward Matt Martin.
As the story goes, when it came time for Sydney to bring Martin home to meet the family, she broke the news by telling Boomer she was dating a hockey player.
“Great,” says Boomer, immediately thinking of the possibility of having a Blueshirt in the family. “Is it Carl Hagelin? Is it Dan Girardi?”
No such luck. Finally, a somewhat sheepish Sydney had to fess up that it was Martin, then a rugged winger with the Islanders and thus despised by Rangers fans.
“So when I got home, I pulled into the garage, put on a Brad Richards Rangers jersey and walked into the kitchen,” Esiason said with a laugh. “I thought Sydney was going to bury herself in the couch for me embarrassing her like that. But we had a good laugh about it.
“Obviously Matt’s a great guy and I love the way he plays. I told him I would root for him, just not when he plays the Rangers.”
Martin gets his latest kick at the Esiasons’ favourite team when the Leafs face the Rangers Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Both Boomer and his wife Cheryl will use the family’s season tickets and while they will still be rooting for the home team, it will be easier to see Martin with the Leafs. As Boomer points out, at least there’s no orange in the Toronto uniform.
Rivalry and fan talk aside, Esiason is more than willing to share his own experiences from his lengthy NFL career, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals but one that also included a stint in the football fishbowl that is New York while with the Jets.
“He (Martin) calls me and texts me any time he needs to discuss and vent,” the fourtime Pro Bowler said in an interview. “He knows I know the game and I know the league and he knows I’m invested in it.
“One of the things I always tell him is that my 14- year career just flew by so enjoy it and make the best of it.”
When Martin, 27, was being courted by the Leafs last summer as a free agent and had a decision to make, Esiason offered advice that is becoming more prudent by the day, given the Leafs recent success.
“When he was struggling with the decision to leave, I told him ‘ you’re leaving a team with 20,000 hardcore fans to go to one that has 20- million hardcore fans,’ ” said Esiason, who if you weren’t mistaken, loves talking hockey as much as football. “Think of that for a second. It’s one of the premier sports teams in the world, let alone in the NHL. It may take a while before things come together and it’s not going to be easy, but it’s a great opportunity where the ups are going to be really high.”
Fittingly, Martin has embraced the role of mentor to some of the Leafs younger players. He spent the team’s recent bye week in the Caribbean, f or example, with among others, rookie Mitch Marner.
The Leafs signed Martin to a four- year, $ 10 million US deal to protect the youngsters on the ice, specifically from bully- minded opponents. Away from the rink, he’s clearly become a valued personality in the Leafs room.
“Off the ice, ultimately he’s a true gentleman,” Esiason said. “The really nice thing is not only does my daughter date him and is in love with him, he has a great relationship with my son, Gunnar.”
That connection is of particular importance to the family given Gunnar’s struggles with cystic fibrosis, a diagnosis that came when Boomer was still in the NFL and his son was just two. Since then, the Boomer Esiason Foundation has raised more than $ 100 million to help find a cure for the disease.
Now 25, Gunnar Esiason — like Sydney a graduate of Boston College — lives a full life and has become fast friends with Martin.
“Gunnar loves sports and loves the fact that he can say he has a friend who plays in the NHL,” Boomer Esiason said. “How cool is that? Matt has become involved in the foundation and takes it seriously as he’s got to know Gunnar and they’ve become buddies.”
It’s clear that Boomer Esiason has plenty of use for Martin, whether in his hockey uniform or not.
“The fans loved him here every time he stepped on the ice, for the way that he played so hard,” Esiason said. “But getting to know him as I have reinforces everything I think about hockey players.”
And that’s a good thing, even if they happen to be wearing the wrong NHL jersey.