NEW YORK, Oct. 5 -- The New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks worked out a deal Thursday in which the Blackhawks claimed veteran Stephane Quintal off waivers and sent left wing Michal Grosek and defensemen Brad Brown to New York.
The 31-year-old Quintal essentially wrote his ticket out of New York last April when he was quoted as saying in Montreal's LaPresse newspaper that he wanted to be traded back to the Canadiens. That prompted the Rangers to suspend him for the rest of the season for "conduct detrimental to the hockey club."
Quintal had a rocky relationship with former Rangers coach John Muckler, who was fired along with general manager Neil Smith in late March. The new regime of General Manager Glen Sather and Coach Ron Low decided it would be better if the team parted with Quintal.
However, he had a clause that guaranteed another year on his contract at $3 million if he was traded. By putting him through waivers and reaching a deal with Chicago, Sather circumvented the clause and still was able to acquire two players.
The Rangers will likely pay part of Quintal's salary. He is scheduled to make $2.3 million this season, $2.5 million next season, $2.65 million in 2002-03 and $3 million in the fifyc option year.
Quintal was a major disappointment with the Rangers last season, recording a paltry two goals and 14 assists with a minus-10 rating in 75 games.
The 6-3, 228-pounder is a veteran of 12 NHL seasons and will be joining his sixth team. He has 48 goals and 142 assists in 750 career games.
A first-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 1987, Quintal has played for the Bruins (1987-92), St. Louis Blues (1992-93), Winnipeg Jets (1993-95), Montreal (1995-99) and the Rangers.
Grosek, 25, was acquired by Chicago from the Buffalo Sabres last March in the deal which sent center Doug Gilmour to the Sabres. He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 61 games with the Sabres and two goals and two assists in 14 games with the Blackhawks.
Originally a seventh-round pick of Winnipeg in 1993, Grosek has 67 goals and 104 assists in 350 career games.
Brown, 27, had no goals, nine assists and 134 penalty minutes in 57 games with the Blackhawks last season.
A first-round pick of the Canadiens in 1994, Brown has one goal, 16 assists and 361 penalty minutes in 131 career games.
