The New York Rangers traded two American-born players this morning moving enforcer Donald Brashear and his contract along with Patrick Rissmiller to the Atlanta Thrashers for forward Todd White.

The Rangers add the 35-year-old White after he recorded 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 65 games last season. In all, White has collected 136 points (43 goals, 93 assists) in 221 games with Atlanta since being signed as a free agent on July 1, 2007.

Overall, the Kanata, Ontario native’s NHL career numbers include 140 goals and 239 assists for 379 points in 635 games with Chicago, Philadelphia, Ottawa, Minnesota and Atlanta.

Rissmiller, (20g, 27a, 47 pts.) in 69 AHL games last season with Grand Rapids and Hartford, also appeared in two NHL games with the Rangers. The Belmont, Mass., native was originally signed by the Sharks as a free agent on Sept. 23, 2002.

Overall, the 6-4, 215-pound left wing has tallied 45 points (18 goals, 27assists) in 182 career NHL games with San Jose and the Rangers.  He has appeared in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Sharks, posting seven points (three goals, four assists).  Rissmiller’s best season was the 2006-07 campaign when he recorded a career-high 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 79 games with the Sharks. 

One of the league’s most feared enforcers, Brashear, 38, appeared in 36 games with the Rangers last season, recording one assist and 73 penalty minutes. The Thrashers placed Brashear on waivers right away and expect to buy out the remainder of his contract if no other team picks him up. Imagine that, Brashear was teammates for a day with Eric Boulton, pictured here fighting Brashear.

The 6-3, 240-pound left wing has posted 205 points (85 goals, 120 assists) and 2,634 penalty minutes in 1,025 career NHL games with Montreal, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Washington and the Rangers.  He has nine points (three goals, six assists) and 121 penalty minutes in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Bedford, Indiana, native was originally signed by Montreal as a free agent on July 28, 1992.

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Another NHL arbitration was avoided when the Atlanta Thrashers agreed to a contract with restricted free agent forward Ben Eager.

Eager, 26, appeared in 60 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, earning 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) and a team-leading 120 penalty minutes and added one goal and two assists in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games in Chicago’s journey to win the championship.

The Ottawa, Ontario native has carrers numbers that include (27 goals, 25 assists, 52 points) and 621 penalty minutes in 255 career NHL games with Chicago and Philadelphia.  Eager has also posted five points (two goals, three assists) in 37 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Blackhawks and Flyers. 

The 6-2, 230-pound left wing tallied 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) and 509 penalty minutes in 123 career AHL games with the Philadelphia Phantoms from 2003 to 2007.  He collected three points (one goal, two assists) in 19 AHL playoff games and helped the Phantoms capture the 2005 Calder Cup Championship.

Prior to his professional career, Eager recorded 139 points (59 goals, 80 assists) in 243 career Ontario Hockey League games with the Oshawa Generals from 2000 to 2004.  He also tallied four points (one goal, three assists) for Team Canada at the 2002 Under-18 World Junior Championship.

Eager was originally selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 23^rd overall, of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

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Detroit lost another sports legend yesterday when NHL All-Star forward and one of the league’s top enforcers, Bob Probert, died at the age of 45. Probert apparently suffered a heart attack after complaining of chest pains while out boating.

Probert, who was drafted by the Wings in the third round (46th overall) in 1983 skated in Detroit from 1985-94 before making his way to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The rugged left winger was 6-ft-3-in. and packed one of the hardest punches in the history of the game. But along with his ability to go toe-to-toe with the best of them, Probert also brought enough skill to his game to make the All-Star in 1988, a year he tallied 29 goals and 62 points although he spent 398 minutes in the penalty box.

His career stats are impressive considering his role on the teams too. His career stats include 384 points (163 goals, 221 assists) in 935 regular-season games and 3,300 penalty minutes, 5^th most in NHL history.

Probert’s career hit more than a few bumps in the road though. With a laundry-list of arrests and violations over the years, his worst run-in with law officials landed him in federal prison for a three-month period when he was caught trying to smuggle cocaine over the U.S. and Canadian border. The arrest also landed him a one-year suspension from the NHL.

Back to his time on the ice, Probert, in 1988 the winger broke Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe’s record of 20 playoff point in a season when he tallied 21.

Of all of his brawls, the most famous may be his duels with friend andformer teammate Joey Kocur and his minute and a half slugfest he got into with Pittsburgh Penguin player Marty McSorley. You can see that fight here.

Mr. Probert, R.I.P. along with two other Detroit sports’ icons who have been lost recently, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych and Ernie Harwell.

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