"We talked for a little bit and I was excited about the night and seeing him," Leetch said of Ratelle. "He was as humble and nice as I had heard about as a man."
The next time the two Rangers legends will get to see each other is this Sunday, when Leetch and many other Rangers dignitaries return to Madison Square Garden to be part of the ceremony to raise Ratelle's No. 19 to the rafters.
"I'm looking forward to him being recognized with his family and friends and ex-teammates," Leetch said. "It'll be something great for me to be part of their celebration and be able to watch it and take part in it."
Many of the game's greatest players spent time in New York during the franchise's 92-year history, and near the top of that list sits Ratelle.
At the time of his retirement after the 1980-81 season, Ratelle was ninth all-time in goals with 491 and sixth in assists with 776, while his 1,267 points was also sixth. Ratelle still finds himself in the top-50 in goals, while his assists and points are both ranked 37th in the NHL's 100-plus year history.
Ratelle's impact on the Rangers is even more evident, with his 336 goals as a Blueshirt being second behind Rod Gilbert, while his 481 assists trail fellow Hall of Famers Gilbert and Leetch.
"The Rangers organization has such a long and storied tradition and so many great players and so many great people that it's a really great thing to honor those guys that have been a big part of this," said Mike Richter, who had his No. 35 retired in 2004. "Jean Ratelle doesn't get any better than that."
Like Leetch, Richter's praise for Ratelle went beyond Ratelle the player, and to Ratelle the man.
"He's obviously deserving of the honor," Richter said. "He's a classy human being and it's great that it worked out that he's got the opportunity to share it with his friends and family and generations of Ranger fans and players. From our point of view, it's an incredible honor to be part of that night. It's a great thing."
