Few images capture the power of sports in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, quite like Mark Messier wearing the helmet of fallen FDNY Chief Raymond Downey before the New York Rangers’ home opener that season.
The moment, which came less than a month after the terrorist attacks, remains one of the most enduring symbols of New York’s resilience and the bond between the city’s sports teams and first responders. Messier, then captain of the Rangers, was handed Downey’s helmet by firefighter Larry McGee moments before taking the ice at Madison Square Garden in what he later described as a spontaneous tribute.
Twenty-five years later, the ESPN NHL analyst reflects on that unforgettable chapter in New York history as part of 9/11: United We Stand – 25 Years Later, a new ABC News Studios special that premiered September 1 and will re-air on September 11.
“It was a tough call, but after thinking it all through, everyone agreed that the games should go on. We had to play, and we hoped hockey could provide a moment of distraction during an unimaginably difficult time,” said Messier. “Every September 11 reminds us of the responsibility we still carry — and always will — to honor the families and children who lost loved ones that day, as well as the extraordinary courage of the first responders who answered the call and the brave men and women who continue this important work every single day.”
The two-hour program explores how sports helped Americans find comfort, connection and hope in the wake of tragedy. For Messier, whose Rangers team played a meaningful role in the city’s healing process, the special also provided an opportunity to reconnect with firefighter Larry McGee, the man who handed him Chief Raymond Downey’s helmet before that unforgettable home opener at Madison Square Garden. Reuniting for the first time in years, the pair reflected on the lasting impact of that moment and the resilience it came to represent for New Yorkers.
“Seeing Larry again after 25 years meant more than I can fully put into words,” said Messier. “That night is etched in my memory. Time doesn’t diminish something like that. It was an honor to stand with him that night, and an honor to see him now. We shared the grief as a community, a city, and a nation. The families who lost loved ones carried a loss that was profoundly their own, but we were all grieving. Sports gave people a place to come together, not to take away the grief or try to make sense of it, but to share it.”
Through personal reflection and powerful storytelling, Messier helps illuminate how sports brought New Yorkers together during one of the most difficult periods in the city’s history, and why those moments continue to resonate a quarter-century later.
9/11: United We Stand – 25 Years Later re-airs on Friday, Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. ET, on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.