Former NFL player Banks talks love of hockey ahead of Stadium Series

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Kevin Weekes, the ESPN hockey analyst and retired NHL goalie, looked across the podium Wednesday while emceeing the press conference for the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series games and saw retired NFL players Nick Mangold and Carl Banks to his left. 

A smile crept across his face.

He turned to New Jersey Devils executive vice president of hockey operations Martin Brodeur, another retired goalie and former Devils teammate, and joked about how great it would have been to have Mangold -- a 6-foot-4, 307-pound center for the New York Jets -- and Banks -- a 6-foot-4, 235-pound linebacker for the New York Giants -- as crease-clearing defensemen on their team.

It was a fantasy, but for Banks there was a touch of reality.

Banks grew up in Flint, Michigan, and fell in love with hockey first, playing outdoors on ponds, dreaming of being Bobby Hull, the Hall of Fame forward who was playing for the Chicago Blackhawks at the time.

“That was my guy,” Banks said, adding that he has one of The Golden Jet’s crazy-curved sticks hanging in his office.

Banks was on hand to help promote the Stadium Series, outdoor matchups between the Devils and Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 17 (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, TVAS2, SN360) and the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders the next day (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). The games will be played at MetLife Stadium, the home of the Jets and Giants.

Banks was a menacing presence for the Giants at the predecessor to MetLife, Giants Stadium, hounding quarterbacks and running backs on his way to two Super Bowl victories and status as a Big Blue legend.

Yet despite all his success on the gridiron, the 61-year-old holds fast to his memories of the pond as a child.

“The first sport that I tried was hockey,” Banks said, smiling. “I got a pair of hockey skates and went out to the pond when it used to freeze over in the winter when we had real winter. We'd go out and skate and play like our heroes. We had the (Detroit) Red Wings, but we also had the [International Hockey League], the Flint Generals. Hockey was always around, and Canada was right across the bridge.

“It was always there, hockey. I became a hockey fan early in my life, and then tried to learn to play the game or just trying to learn how to skate and then learning the game was a lot of fun. But like I said, football was a sport that that I gravitated toward. Football and basketball, but hockey has always been a love and sport that I love watching to this day.”

As such, Banks is excited for the Stadium Series.

The Rangers are his favorite team and are among several in the Eastern Conference expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup. They are currently on a seven-game point streak and sit at 8-2-1, three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes (7-5-0) for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

He’s liked the Rangers ever since the days of Mark Messier on Broadway in the 1990s.

“The Moose, another one of my guys,” Banks said.

He said he likes the way the Rangers play as a team.

“They don't have that one guy now that I'm saying, ‘That's my guy.’ Right?” Banks said. “Everybody's talking about (rookie center) Connor Bedard in Chicago. But I don't I don't think the Rangers have that yet. Last year, I just watched the Rangers and said this is going be a good team. I'm going to enjoy it, but they haven't had that one guy that just stood out to me and jumped off your screen. Just a bunch of good players.”

But unlike many Rangers fans, Banks also has a place for the Devils and watches them quite often.

He said he likes watching center Jack Hughes, whose 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) are tied with Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson for the NHL lead.

“Oh yeah, he’s fun,” Banks said, laughing.

But the love Banks has for hockey transcends the local teams. He is a fan of the NHL and sees the sport in a great place.

“The game is so fast right now,” Banks said. “Like with every other sport, it evolves. The fan interest is probably at an all-time high. I know all of my friends were locked in the entire playoffs. You could see it, it’s the speed of the game and some of the rule changes have been great. I just enjoy this show.”