New York Rangers name Ryan Callahan new team Captain –NHL News Update
Having played five straight seasons with New York Rangers, right winger, Ryan Callahan, was named as the teams’ 26th captain in history; announced the Eastern Conference franchise on Monday, September 12, after letting him know privately on Friday.
New York Rangers head coach, John Tortorella, described the decision making process as easy and at the same time subtle due to the newly added veteran leadership the team has gained over the offseason.
"He has the respect of his teammates, the respect of his coaches and the respect of the organization", Tortorella said during the official announcement. "He does it the right way on the ice, he does it the right way off the ice and he's matured into this".
Scoring 48 points (23 goals, 25 assists) last season for a new career high, Callahan has proved to his team that he truly is working on constantly getting better as not only a player but also a prime candidate for the leadership role.
Former captain, veteran centre Chris Drury, was also a top of the line leader and point scorer for the New York franchise but due to recent injuries which limited him last season to less than half the season, Rangers had to find their replacement, which
was ultimately in the teams’ best interest.
Now having achieved one of his long time goals as a player, Callahan knows that he has some big shoes to fill.
"Obviously it's a privilege and an honour", said Callahan. "The way I'm going to approach it is going to be the same as wearing an A. The things I do on the ice and off the ice -- there's a reason why I feel I got the A -- and I'm continuing on now with
the C".
For the previous two seasons, Callahan was an alternate captain to Drury, but now will have Marc Staal and the newly acquired shooter, Brad Richards, as his two alternates.
Ryan Callahan, a former 127th overall draft pick of the 2004 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, has turned out overtime to be much than New York has possible hoped for. With his new role and responsibilities, Callahan will now have the
chance to prove that he truly is a leader.
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