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How Chris Drury went from Little League World Series champion to Rangers general manager
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- How Chris Drury went from Little League World Series champion to Rangers general manager
Credit: Little League Baseball
With the Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) championship seven days away, Pierre Turgeon shared a throwback moment on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast . Long before his Hockey Hall of Fame career, Turgeon was on the bump in 1982 — pitching for Team Canada alongside future New York Rangers legend Stephane Matteau.
"At 12. I was 5-foot-11, so I was a big kid right away," Turgeon recalled. "You know, we went to the Little League World Series … and then Stephane Matteau was on the team too, and we would alternate me and Stephane all the time pitching."
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Just like this year's Canadian squad, Little Mountain Little League from Vancouver , the two represented their country, leading Rotary (Quebec) Little League to the semifinals before falling to the five-time defending champs from Chinese Taipei.
Just seven years later, another future NHL player — now general manager — took the same stage. Christopher Ellis Drury, a 13-year-old from Trumbull, Connecticut, was a sports prodigy, fresh off leading his peewee hockey team to a national title. He then traded the ice for the diamond, taking the mound at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in the 1989 LLBWS.
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The summer Chris Drury stunned Taiwan
Credit: SI Vault: Wonderkid Chris Drury a Little League hero and hockey champCredit: NBC Sports
Facing Taiwan's Kang-Tu — a team from the country that had won six LLBWS in a row — Drury threw a complete game five-hitter. And at bat, he drove in two runs. By the time the final out was recorded, the United States had its first LLBWS champion since 1983 .
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That game put Drury and his teammates in the spotlight. The boys were invited onto Good Morning America, honored with a trip to the White House, sat atop floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and even threw out the first pitch at Game 2 of the 1989 World Series bewteen the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants.
Years later in 2009, Drury was officially inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence . The Hall recognizes alumni who've gone on to set themselves apart in their professional sports careers.
But baseball was only half the story for Drury. Even though he shined on the mound, his futured destiny was on the ice.
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Chris Drury's successful hockey career after baseball
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Drury helped Boston University win the 1995 NCAA championship as a freshman and became the Terriers' only Hobey Baker award winner as the top men's player in NCAA hockey in 1998. He finished his collegiate career with 113 goals — the most in program history to date — and was inducted into the BU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
Drafted in the third round (72nd overall) by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Draft, Drury stayed with the Terriers through 1998 before joining the Colorado Avalanche . From there, his transition to the NHL was seamless. Drury won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1999 and helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2001. Over 12 seasons in the NHL with the Avalanche, Calgary Flames , Buffalo Sabres and Rangers he totaled 255 goals and 615 points.
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Drury scored at least 20 goals nine times in the NHL, including twice with the Rangers. He had 25 goals with them in 2007-08 and 22 the following season. Drury was Rangers captain from 2008-11, after previously wearing the C with the Sabres.
On the international stage, Drury represented Team USA in three Oylmpics (2002, 2006, 2010) where he won two silver medals. In total, Drury played in eight major tournaments, including the World Championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. His career earned him a place in the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
Now, more than three decades after stunning Taiwan in Williamsport, Drury continues to make his mark on the sports world, serving as president and general manager of the Rangers. He was promoted to those positions in May of 2021 after previously working for the Rangers as head of player development and then assistant general manager.
The Rangers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Drury's first three seasons as GM, including the 2022 and 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. He and the organization are trying to rebound this coming season after missing the playoffs in 2024-25, one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.
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