“There were big, strong, power forwards — Cam Neely, Rick Tocchet, Tim Kerr — but most of the bigger guys didn't move nearly the way Kevin did,” said Tony Granato, who played with Stevens at multiple international tournaments. “Kevin was an elite skater speed-wise. He could blow by you or run you over either way, whichever way needed to be done. That's why, when he got to Pittsburgh and Mario saw his speed, good hands ... that was a natural fit to play with Lemieux and be part of that Penguin dynasty.”

Stevens played 15 seasons in the NHL, the first eight and the last two with the Penguins. He retired in 2002 with 329 goals and 397 assists for 726 points in 874 games.

What sticks with people like Leetch and Granato — both U.S. Hockey Hall of Famers — is Stevens’ helpfulness off the ice.

For Leetch, that includes his early days on campus at Boston College. Leetch played high school hockey in Connecticut and didn’t face many other elite players at that level. Once he got to BC, he didn’t know where he fit in. Stevens was a senior when Leetch arrived.

“Some of our greatest players in the game — like [Wayne] Gretzky and Lemieux and [Mark] Messier and Gordie Howe — the way they go out of their way to include everybody as part of the team (is memorable),” Leetch said.

Leetch said Stevens — affectionately nicknamed “Artie,” his dad’s name — recalled what it was like to be a freshman at BC and made sure to guide him through that experience, whether it was going to practice or just hanging out.

“I remember sleeping on his couch a couple of times because I didn't feel like going all the way back up to upper campus where the freshmen were,” Leetch said. “He'd see me in the morning and be like, ‘Leetchy, what's going on?’ I was like, ‘I’m sorry, Artie.’”

Stevens’ care for those around him made him the center of attention.

“I always refer to great teammates as guys that really care about their other teammates doing well, very unselfish,” Granato said. “Just one of those guys you do anything for him because you know he would do anything for you, one of those types of personalities. Funny.

“If the guys go to dinner, everybody wants to go wherever Kevin was going.”

The power of Stevens’ friendship is everlasting and was on full display at a reunion of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team — a roster that included Leetch, Granato and Stevens.

Leetch had a pre-event gathering at his house. Stevens had endured some well-documented struggles with addiction when the get-together happened — he has been sober for several years now.

“We just had hors d'oeuvres and everything,” Leetch said. “I got a small little bar down there. All the wives, girlfriends and whoever could make it, the guys were there. The place everyone gravitated to was Kevin — having no alcohol, having nothing — at the end of the bar, and laughing uncontrollably. How he delivers everything and stories he tells and the things he remembers, it's just brilliant. ... He's got a line of people a hundred-deep that would do anything for him if he asked for it, easily, of all good friends and people that love him.”

Said Granato: “He's a great ambassador. Everybody that has a chance to cross paths with Kevin will feel the same thing. He's a Hall of Fame hockey player, for sure, but the stuff he's gone through and how he's handled it — he's certainly a Hall of Fame person, too.

“He's the full package.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.