The journalist “Brooksie” was Larry Brooks , the longtime New York Post hockey reporter who often clashed with John Tortorella when Tortorella coached the Rangers. He was well known around the NHL beat for those sharp, sometimes heated postgame exchanges.

Who he was

Larry Brooks covered the Rangers for decades and became one of the most recognizable hockey writers in New York. He was also the source of the nickname “Brooksie,” which came up often in stories about his interactions with Tortorella.

Why people remember him

Their back-and-forth became a kind of hockey-media legend because Tortorella was famously blunt and Brooks kept pressing tough questions. Later tributes and retrospectives described Brooks as a veteran reporter and a major figure on the Rangers beat.

In plain terms

So, if someone says “Brooksie” in that old Tortorella-Rangers context, they mean Larry Brooks of the New York Post.