The Holiday Season is upon us. Here in America we just celebrated our Thanksgiving. It's a time for family, friends, and those that mean the most to us.

We know you have probably shaken your head in frustration many times these past few months. Clarke's motives? Numerous it seems....not the least of which is an attempt to build his own lagging ego and reputation.

Clarke has stooped to a level of making this personal and insulting. We must tell you how very proud we are of you. You have shown great restraints and class throughout, and have proven yourself to be the better man.

So during this Holiday Season, if for just a moment you get to feeing down, remember your friends. You will be in our thoughts and you have our support in whatever your decision will be.

We'll always be there for you. So Smile!! We love ya!

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Brenda

I have been a crazed hockey fan since I was a little girl, but I have never actually written any fan mail to a player before, so please bear with me if this letter is ridiculously corny. I am very happy that you have come to New York and that the transition has seemed to go relatively smoothly for you. As of my writing this letter (just after the January 17th New Jersey game and right before the Islander game), things aren’t going well for the team in general, but I am sure that by the time you are actually reading this, all will have turned around. I have great faith in the team this season and I know you guys can pull it together. I am a relatively new fan of yours, although I have loved the Rangers since my father took me to the Hartford Civic Center to see the Whalers play against them when I was about 10. Of course, I have always known who you were and I knew bits and pieces of all of the craziness that followed you around in Philly, but I have grown to love you as a Ranger. I went with my brother and my mom to the recent toy drive at Cronie’s in Manhattan, and you were so wonderful with us and with all of the people and reporters who were there. I doubt you remember, as you probably met thousands of people that day, but my brother was the one who had a bunch of funny old trading cards of Ron Low (Devils and Oilers) and of you too (one was your rookie card and one was from Team Canada). He was thrilled that you took the time to look at them and to giggle over them with Theo and Yorkie. (Were the coach’s ones funny or what? Nice sideburns Ron! He was stylin’!) My little bro Matt has been struggling lately; he is going through some of the same things that Theo battled last season, and he was the happiest I have seen him in a long time that day. My mom told Yorkie that she knows he will make it to the hall of fame someday (and he turned bright red) and she congratulated Theo on his success on AND off the ice, because she has seen firsthand how hard that kind of a battle can be. Then she came to you and she couldn’t help herself and babbled like an idiot (she said something like, “I can’t believe I am actually in your magnificent presence. You are just so awesome!”) When we walked out onto the sidewalk she said to me, “I didn’t realize he was going to be so handsome!!!” She is so cute sometimes! (My brother is tall and really thin, a little scruffy-looking and wears glasses. My mom is short and cute with dark hair and she looks very young. And I am 5’7” with long blond hair and blue eyes and had on a brown corduroy jacket and jeans. My real distinguishing characteristic is my very pink cheeks, I am always recognized by them and they were probably much pinker than usual that day – as I said, I truly doubt that you remember us, but just in case…) Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that it made my heart dance that just to be around you and to talk to you for a few minutes made my little brother so amazingly happy. It has been a very rough year for the whole family. Watching you and following the Rangers is something that we do together; it’s a bonding experience and it has brought us much joy lately, even when the team is not doing so well. So thank you for working SO hard and for playing your heart out for us; you’ll never know how much we really do appreciate it and we are VERY glad that you are now a New York Ranger.

I live in a small town in Connecticut called Ridgefield. (Bryan Berard should know of it, because it’s where one of his eye doctors has his offices. As a matter of fact, my family members are all patients of the great Dr. Tieg and of his partner, Dr. Berman.) I grew up in Ridgefield and just recently moved back to town so that I could be near my family as my brother is going through all of this stuff. I am thirty three and my name is Wendy Rehnberg (just like your former linemate, although spelled a bit differently.) My father’s side of the family (where I think the “hockey love” gene must come from) is Canadian and Norwegian and Swedish. At one time, they were scattered throughout Ontario, but the only living family I have left in Canada now lives in Hamilton, which I gather is 60 miles or so outside of Toronto.

I have been involved in hockey in one way or another since I was small. I was quite the rink rat and my father’s men’s league players let me warm up with them and then eventually play a no-check game or two every once in a while (the thrill of my life; I thought I was pretty cool!) I helped coach a few of my brother’s youth teams and then once I got to high school, where girls who played hockey were unheard of in my town, I became the statistician/manager for the varsity team. As the only girl on a team of 30 + guys, I took my fair share of verbal abuse. The guys teased me like there was no tomorrow. In fact, I don’t think I am even capable of being embarrassed anymore. I have heard it and seen it ALL, if you know what I mean, and I am sure that you do J I also got injured a few times: twice, I got hit in the ribs with a slapshot, another time I got knocked down by an opposing player as I was shuffling across the ice during a pre-game warm-up (what a jackass that guy was, don’t worry – my boys got him back big time! J) and once I got stuck in between two players fighting in the penalty box and got whacked in the face with a stick!!! And I can’t forget to mention that I got my fair share of “jockzygen.” Not pretty, not pretty at all; but I lived. It was actually kind of nice because it was like having 30 older brothers to stick up for me and watch out for me and they always checked out all my dates and boyfriends ahead of time to make sure that they were decent guys. And I learned a ton about hockey that I never would have learned from just being a fan. Sometimes I would workout with the guys and skate and run drills with them, so it really was a dream come true for me. I recently started going to “Sticks and Pucks” at the town rink, and when some of the guys are back in town, we hang out and play pickup and have a great time!

Since you arrived in New York I have been trying to catch up on all of the fan websites and stuff that is out there about you. I recently watched your “SportsCentury” episode on ESPN and saw you with your beautiful dog, Bacchus. Is Bacchus a male or a female? What an absolutely gorgeous dog; I had never seen a Harlequin Dane before. Did you get him from a breeder? How much does he weigh? Do you keep him with you in the city? What kind of personality does Bacchus have: mellow lapdog, spazzy ball-chaser, food hound? I bet he goes absolutely APESHIT when you get back from a road trip! There is nothing better then arriving home after a long day or a long trip and having a big huge bundle of furry, unconditional love practically wiggling himself out of his fur because he is just so happy to see you. I myself am a huge, huge animal lover. I have 3 big dogs: a Black Lab named George, a German Shepard named Max and a humongous guy that is a mixed breed but looks like a long-haired Shepard named Noah. He is about as big as Bacchus, and is incredibly sweet. I rescued him from a horrible, dirty animal shelter about an hour before he was to be put to sleep and it was the smartest thing that I have ever done. I use him to volunteer in retirement homes and in daycare centers for touch therapy. He just wants to be hugged and loved and will sit in people’s laps on their wheelchairs if I don’t keep my eyes on him at all times. J All of my workouts usually revolve around my dogs; they really help keep me in shape. In the warm weather I take them swimming with me (one of my dogs likes to ride sidesaddle on the jet ski with me) and in the winter we usually go trail running at this great place in my neighborhood. I also have a crazy African Grey parrot named Pogo. She would really crack you up, and she would probably fall in love with you because she tends to favor large, blondish men for some reason. She talks a blue streak and when we watch Rangers games together she says “Oooo baby!” in JD’s voice! It is hysterical! She copied it directly off the TV so it sounds EXACTLY like him; it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I should really videotape it and send it to him; I think he’d get a huge kick out of it. When you guys are losing and I seem upset, she says “Uhhhh oooooohhh!” and she also yells, “Where’s the D, where’s the D?” and “HIT HIM, HIT HIM, HIT HIM…..”, and “He’s on you, he’s on you!” in my voice exactly. (She also burps and then goes “Oh, how RUDE!” – I practically wet my pants from laughing so hard when she does it). I’m currently trying to teach her to sing “Munch, munch, munch…the ref is out to lunch….eat ‘em up, eat ‘em up…munch, munch, much.” (By the way, damn, have you guys gotten some pretty lousy calls lately or what? What’s up with that anyway? It is really starting to aggravate me – it must drive you absolutely crazy!)

Other than you, of course, my favorite players are Yorkie (I am really glad that he is finally getting some recognition for how hard he works every single shift. I agree with my mom that I bet he will end up as a Hall of Famer. He is so smart and quick and reads the play like few others!!!!!!), M. Sameulsson, AJ, Manny, Tomas Kloucek… You know what, I pretty much like something about absolutely everybody on the team, whether it’s the way Steve McKenna always has a huge grin on his face, even when he’s beating the crapola out of someone or the way Bryan Berard took out Jeremy Roenick in the last Philly game for messing with Devo. (By the way, was Bryan’s goal fantastic or what? I was bawling my eyes out because I was so happy for him and I don’t even know him – it was just so great that he finally got it in and it was an important goal in that game, too) I think I would probably end up naming everybody if I kept going. Except for a certain someone…I am too polite to mention him by name, but he wears a double digit jersey, a number that comes after 54 but before 56 - I’m sorry, he seems like a very nice person and all, but sometimes I just don’t know what is going through his head! Forgive me, I had to say it!

Melanie Droppo (the sweetest chick ever and I just love her VERY cool website for you) was kind enough to pass this letter along for me and I wrote it because I just basically wanted you to know how much I love what you do on and off the ice and that I think you seem like a really terrific person. My whole family is rooting for you and for the team and we will always support you no matter what city you play in. I am coming to the open practice the Rangers are having on January 27th and I am also coming to the New York Rangers Fan Club “Members Only” open practice and autograph signing in March, so I look forward to seeing you there. Maybe if I introduce myself, you might remember my name from reading this letter – then I can thank you in person for giving my brother such a happy day, and for giving me such joy every time I get to watch you play. Please stay safe and healthy and take good care of yourself and of your wonderful brain, OK? Good luck for the rest of the season, and in the Olympics and hopefully, in the playoffs too! And good luck in the three remaining Philly games this season; I know those must be tough ones for you. (Bobby Clarke is the one who should be wearing the diapers and the pacifiers!!!!! For someone who “could care less,” he sure flaps his gums a lot! The man is stuck in a time warp; move on already!!!) I will always be rooting for you!!! Keep smiling…….

A new and very devoted fan,
Wendy Rehnberg