Hockey world remembers The Post’s Hall of Famer Larry Brooks

The Post’s Larry Brooks was an industry titan, universally respected by the NHL players and executives he covered, journalists he worked with and those he competed against during his Hall of Fame career.

Brooks died Thursday at the age of 75 following a battle with cancer, leaving beyond an incredible legacy both on and off the ice.

Those in the hockey and journalism community alike honored Brooks on social media Thursday morning.

“Larry Brooks was, in my opinion, the greatest hockey writer in New York history,” Howie Rose, the Mets’ radio voice and former Rangers play-by-play man, posted to X on Thursday morning.

“No one in his field knew the game, its players, its people, its heartbeat, its system, its CBA and most importantly its soul than Brooksie. A truly deserving Hall of Famer. Huge loss for hockey. RIP.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement praising Brooks.

“Larry Brooks, a Hockey Hall of Fame Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award recipient, will long be remembered in the hockey world for his insightful analysis not only of the New York Rangers but the entire NHL, both on and off the ice,” Bettman said in a release posted to the league’s website. “Larry’s love of hockey was evident in his writing at the New York Post in two stints over nearly four decades. Larry didn’t pull punches and when you read his work, you always knew where he stood. He was a staunch advocate for the players and for the reporters who cover the game.”

Nobody covered the Rangers, Devils, Islanders or the NHL better than Brooks, providing The Post’s readers with details they could find nowhere else.

Gutted by this news. Larry Brooks was an absolute legend in our business. One of a kind.
Always enjoyed our lively hockey chats.
RIP, Brooksie 🙏 https://t.co/GlXvc5Ggen

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 13, 2025

His weekly “Slap Shots” column that debuted in 1995 was appointment reading for puck heads and even for those who maybe didn’t love the sport.

Every time one read Larry, they learned something new — and often times a tidbit that a team did not want to be known.

The Hockey Hall of Fame honored Brooks in 2018 with its Elmer Ferguson Award, bestowed upon a journalist “in recognition of distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.”

A beautiful remembrance for a great man who taught me a lot about how to work a locker room when I was a very young and stupid reporter. The quotes in here from Dolan, Avery and Lamoriello tell you how much respect Brooksie had in hockey. And he had it equally among writers. https://t.co/sWs74rUuKq

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 13, 2025

Former Ranger Jimmy Vesey penned a touching tribute to Brooks on X.

“Larry Brooks was synonymous with the New York Rangers. From the articles to the legendary YouTube videos I watched growing up, nobody covered hockey like him. It never seemed possible that he wouldn’t be around forever,” Vesey wrote. “As my 6 years in New York went on, I was lucky to be on Brooksie’s “good side.” He was always in my corner, and I looked forward to our informal post practice talks — about the state of our team, the state of the league, college hockey, and family (especially watching his grandson play hockey). He was a legend and one of one. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Former Rangers and Devils center Mike Rupp simply stated: “Terrible news… Larry was bigger than most of the players he covered.”

This is so sad. Larry was legendary. I saw it up close while covering the Rangers. I gravitated toward him in every media scrum and always enjoyed our conversations because nobody had more passion and knowledge of the game than Brooksie. 💔 https://t.co/F8Gpnuvvf6

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) November 13, 2025

Brooks joined The Post in 1976, beginning his hockey career covering the Islanders before moving to the Rangers beat in 1978.

He left the paper in 1982 to become the Devils’ vice president of communications, which included radio duties.

Brooks made his way back to The Post in 1993, anchoring the Devils beat before finding his permanent home with the Rangers in 1996.

“The death of Larry Brooks isn’t just a death in the family for the New York Post. This is about the entire newspaper business,” longtime New York Daily News columnist and competitor Mike Lupica posted on X on Thursday morning. “No one ever covered a sport better than he covered hockey, which he did tirelessly and wonderfully and with endless generosity. In the times when I wandered into his world, my first move was always the same: Get with Brooksie.”

Added former Post and Bergen Record columnist Ian O’Connor: “It was a lifetime honor to have been a teammate of Larry Brooks. He was the Gretzky of our business. The Great One. God bless his family.”