Ex-New York Rangers enforcer reveals worrisome news involving Artemi Panarin
Photo credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
On the Cam and Strick Podcast, former New York Rangersenforcer Ryan Reaves told a heartfelt story about himself and superstar forward Artemi Panarin. The tales of camaraderie are straight out of a quirky movie about best friends who stick together through thick and thin.
Ryan Reaves and Rangers forward Artemi Panarin were only teammates for a short period of time in the NHL. Reaves would sign on as Blueshirt during the 2021-22 season and would later be traded to the Minnesota Wild that following November, 2022.
Despite his lack of tenure in New York, he built some strong friendships in New York, including one with superstar forward Artemi Panarin.
The odd-couple, an enforcer from Canada, and a superstar Russian forward, would meet up at odd hours, say four in the morning after a road trip, and shoot hoops and share vodka.
«He was a cool kid. He'd come over like after we landed (in Westchester) from a road trip and we had the day off,» Reaves recounted. «He'd come over like one in the morning; he'd race home and grab a bottle of his Russian vodka, and we'd sit downstairs and take shots of vodka and play basketball at four in the morning. I love 'Bread'.»
That may be an odd couple, but the friendship is wholesome.
Panarin and Reaves
Panarin would score 96 points during that 2021-22 season, years before his 120-point breakout in 2023-24.
The odd-couple dynamic was broadened as Reaves divulged more context of the friendship, which included Reaves not only being the enforcer on the ice, but a gatekeeper off it!
Panarin only utilized a flip-phone and would have Reaves screen calls and schedule meetings.
«[Panarin] doesn't carry around an iPhone, he's got a flip phone only because people got to get ahold of him,» Reaves explained. «There's an app we'd get our schedule on and this guy doesn't have this app, so every day I gotta text him 'Hey, we've got a meeting' or 'I'm picking you up.' Whatever it was. But it was constant, like I was his secretary.»
Reaves is in the final year of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing only 35 last year and has found himself buried in the AHL, playing only 3 games with the Marlies, scoring 1 point (1 A), and 35 games with the big club.
Reaves will begin the 2025-26 season with a massive amount of penalty minutes: 1,100 PIMs in 912 NHL games for six teams.
He's proven to be a great enforcer and one of the NHL's last heavyweights on the ice, but off the ice, he's a great friend.
This may not be a Xavier LaFlamme and Doug Glatt situation, but it might be close.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 9 | 329 ANSWERS Ex-New York Rangers enforcer reveals worrisome news involving Artemi Panarin Do you think forward Ryan Reaves, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 season? | ||
| Yes | 270 | 82.1 % |
| No | 59 | 17.9 % |
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