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Hall-of-Fame hockey writer Larry Brooks has died at the age of 75 in New York.
Brooks had dedicated 38 years to covering the NHL, most notably for decades with the New York Post.
The outlet revealed that the long-time New York Rangers reporter had died from a brief battle with cancer.
Brooks is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto - having received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, given to a print columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements in covering the sport.
'For the last three decades, no one covered a sports beat in this city better than Larry did on the Rangers,' Post Executive Sports Editor Chris Shaw said.
'Well before the Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined him, Larry had already earned a place among the legends who have graced the pages of The Best Sports in Town.'
New York Post hockey writer Larry Brooks has died at 75 after a brief battle with cancer
'Besides the stellar job that Larry did covering the New York Rangers, what few people know is that he and I would meet on occasion and he would give me his unabashed opinion on how the franchise was doing and what we needed to do to win,' said Rangers and MSG Sports owner James Dolan.
'This never appeared in any of his columns, but I found his advice to be invaluable and will miss it dearly.'
Former Rangers player Sean Avery quipped, 'I like to think that I was a guy who could change the momentum of a game when I came on the ice. Brooksie could do that with the swipe of his pen.
'The guys that really understood playing for the Rangers all had a good relationship with Brooksie because he loves hockey players.'
While on the beat with the Rangers, Brooks formed a notoriously testy relationship with coach John Tortorella while he coached from 2008-2013. The two eventually reconciled, with the former coach reaching out to check in on Brooks this week.
Outside of the beat, Brooks was the vice president of communications for the New Jersey Devils over the course of a decade.
In addition to hockey, Brooks was on the beat with the New York Yankees in 1977 when they won the World Series. He also had experience hosting radio shows.
He leaves behind a son, Jordan, a daughter-in-law, Joanna, and two grandchildren.
