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Brandon Prust is a warrior.
That statement goes without saying, but it must be said. You watch him and with each passing game you
become more amazed at the will and toughness he brings to the New York
Rangers. For the past few months Brandon
Prust has been playing with a bum shoulder, yet he never misses a game and refusing
to take shifts off. He has fought less,
but to best heal that shoulder he should not be fighting at
all. That sort of reality is not one that Brandon
Prust subscribes to because he will do whatever it takes for the team.
It is why Brian Boyle, who is having his own phenomenal
season, can say with no hesitation and absolute sincerity, "He's a warrior
and it's an honor to play with him."
From this end, it is an honor to watch him as well.
Last week, with his team flat against Carolina, Prust
decided trying to spark the team was more important than the pain he was going
to experience in the shoulder as a result of fighting Jay Harrison. Fighting a man who is significantly bigger
than him is something few people want to do even when healthy, but for Prust it
is a common occurrence and on that night he would do it even with an injured
wing. Even more impressive is the fact
by the time the fight was over he would be the winner. That is what defines Brandon Prust. That is what has come to define this year’s
New York Rangers.
The next night in Atlanta, Prust takes a slap shot off the
foot and crumbles to the ice. You could
tell it was bad from the way he hobbled to the bench and for most it would be
the end of their night immediately. Most
are not wired like Brandon Prust. For
the rest of the first and second period you would see Prust take every shift
with his line noticeably hobbling, but continuing to give it maximum effort. It was not until the start of the third
period where John Tortorella would have to make the decision for Prust that his
night was over. That is the mentality of
a warrior.
Following Saturday’s game there was good news in regards to
the injury to Prust in that x-rays were negative. The team listed Prust as day-to-day and while
he should take tonight and even tomorrow off so that he can heal all his
injuries over the extended break, I do not suspect we see that. If Prust can stand today, he will find a way
to get himself into the lineup against the Capitals tonight. It is just the mentality of a warrior.
