Ryan Callahan's Top Five Moments With The New York Rangers
Looking back at Ryan Callahan's Ranger career and his top moments with the team
Ryan Callahan's Rangers career ended earlier than any of us expected when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline. The former captain of the Blueshirts spent many great seasons in New York, leading the team both on and off the ice with his "leave it all out there" style. After officially extending with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Callahan has his new home for the next six years barring a trade. Let's take a look back at some of his best moments in his old home.
Honorable Mention: The Shift. This is Ryan Callahan in a nutshell, but the Rangers went on to lose this game and the top five are more notable.
5. Ryan Callahan Scores Overtime Winner vs. Penguins- Many fans look at this game and think of how the refs tried to hand it to the Penguins (their words not mine!) but I look at it and think about how the Rangers actually came back and won it. Marc Staal tied the game at the end of regulation, and Ryan Callahan finished it off with a hustle play past a flailing Penguin.
4. Ryan Callahan's Beautiful Short-handed Goal vs. the Jets- I was at this game so I do admit to being a bit biased, but when Ryan Callahan came out of the penalty box and back-handed the puck past Ondrej Pavelec the Garden went insane. Callahan refused to pass the puck to Zuccarello, looking goal all the way and didn't let anyone down. The amount of patience it took to get that play to work still amazes me.The Rangers would go on to win the game thanks in part to Callahan's tying goal.
3. Callahan Nets Four Goals and Five Points vs. the Flyers- In a game the Rangers needed to win, Callahan took control all day long, looking like Alexander Ovechkin out there. Maybe it was the Rangers wearing their road jerseys on home ice, or maybe it was once again the Flyers below average goaltending, but Callahan was unstoppable throughout the day.
Callahan scored four times in the shellacking of the Flyers, helping the Rangers to two huge points late in the season. It's the best single game performance of Ryan Callahan's career.
2. Callahan's 100th Goal, an OT winner vs. the Sabres- Before I wrote that Callahan's back-hander vs. the Jets may have been the best goal of his career. If not, it's definitely this snipe against the Buffalo Sabres, which also happened to be the 100th of his career. Watch Callahan deke his way past Patrick Kaleta and rip the shot past Ryan Miller for the game winning goal.
1. Callahan Sends the Rangers to the 2012-2013 NHL Playoffs- The game winning goal vs. the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime got the Rangers into the playoffs, as a seemingly innocent wrister had a lot more on it than expected and found its way into the net past Dan Ellis. The Rangers would go on to lose in the second round to the Boston Bruins, but who knows what would have happened if not for Callahan's clutch winner.
Did I miss one? Do you not agree with the order? Sound off in the comments!