Rangers

Dan Girardi retires from the NHL

Posted on by Adam Rotter in Rangers

Dan Girardi has announced his retirement from the NHL.

Glen Sather released a statement saying, “On behalf of the entire Rangers organization, I want to congratulate Dan on an outstanding NHL career. Dan was the ultimate warrior. From the moment he joined the Rangers, he gave his heart and soul to his teammates, the organization, and the fans. Dan’s relentless effort and dedication to the Rangers was an inspiration to everyone. The accomplishments we achieved during Dan’s tenure with the Rangers – which included two Division Championships, a Presidents’ Trophy, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014 – would not have been possible without his immeasurable contributions. We wish Dan, his wife Pam, and their two children, Landon and Shaye, the best of luck as they begin their next chapter. They will always be a part of the Rangers family.”

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Girardi said in a statement, “I would like to thank all my coaches, family, friends and teammates for supporting me throughout my entire hockey career,” Girardi said. “I want to thank the New York Rangers for giving me a chance to fulfill my childhood dream of playing in the NHL. Throughout those 11 incredible years I have made so many friends on and off the ice. I bled Ranger blue and gave it my all for my team, the city and the Garden faithful. I also want to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning for helping me continue my career by giving me a chance to play for such an amazing organization, city and fan base. The last two years in Tampa Bay have been so much fun for me and my family. I will always fondly remember my time here. Finally, I want to thank my wife Pamela for always being there for me and holding down the fort and to Landon and Shaye for always being daddy’s number one fans.”

He added, “I gave my all every single night and left it all out on the ice. Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life to begin and I couldn’t be happier…and so is my body.”

Henrik Lundqvist said on Friday, “he’s one of my all-time favorite teammates. The way he played the game, he was a funny guy to be around. Extremely loyal to the team always. We had so much success together. We helped each other a lot, the way that he competed, how I competed. I always knew what to get from him for so many years. I admired how he played. He was a huge part of this team’s success for so many years. Great career, really happy for him, just want to wish him the best.” (NYR)

Marc Staal said, “he had an incredible career. He worked extremely hard for everything he got, earned everything he got in the game. I was happy and proud to be able to play with him as long as I did in a Ranger uniform. Selfishly I was happy to get to play with a guy like that., incredible teammate.” (NYR)

https://twitter.com/DerekStepan21/status/1175066193285091328

Adam Rotter: In the way that we see so many of these young Rangers and hope that they are mainstays for years to come, that was Dan Girardi. He was always there for the Rangers, played the toughest minutes, blocked shots every night and still somehow only missed a handful of games through his first eight-years with the Rangers. He only trails Henrik Lundqvist (128 to 122) in career playoff games by a Ranger and he is right there in all of the memorable moments during those playoff runs. There is no doubt that it all caught up with Girardi toward the end of his time with the Rangers, leading to his buyout, as well as his time in Tampa but on the whole he was an absolute home run for the Rangers as a player who signed as an undrafted free agent, became an All-Star, an alternate captain and an example for his teammates.