RYAN AVOIDS DISASTER
Captain unhurt by shot to head
AT 11:33 Tuesday morning, all the bad memories of the Rangers’ 2011 playoff ouster came rushing back.
The captain, Ryan Callahan, had just taken a Brad Richards slap shot off his helmet during a power-play drill. As play stopped, the 27-year-old right wing stumbled, regained his balance, adjusted his helmet, and — to the relief of his teammates — shook it off.
The Rangers remember April 5, 2011, when Callahan broke his right ankle blocking a shot by the Bruins’ Zdeno Chara at the Garden in the 80th game of the regular season and had to watch the top-seeded Capitals eliminate his Rangers in the subsequent five-game, first-round series.
But Callahan — who missed Monday’s practice due to personal reasons — appears ready to go for this year’s playoffs, which begin Thursday night at the Garden against Ottawa. The No. 1 seed and home-ice advantage through the playoffs are great, but having Callahan on the ice has the Blueshirts liking their chances.
“You’re always going to miss Ryan Callahan, no question,” Henrik Lundqvist said Tuesday, when asked about the effect of the captain’s absence from last year’s postseason. “He plays hard. And he even improved this year, I think. He pushed himself, he worked hard, scored some big goals for us. . . . I’m not really thinking about last year now.”
Strangely, Callahan did not do interviews after practice, but again, the silver lining came from the team: his absence from the locker room had nothing to do with the puck to the head. He would talk Wednesday.
“He’s a huge part of our team, and it hurt us last year having him out,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “It’s nice to see him on top of his game and ready for the playoffs.”
In fact, the entire roster is healthier — Staal included. While last year’s All-star on the blue line played in the playoffs against Washington, it was later revealed that he took the ice while experiencing symptoms from a concussion sustained on Feb. 22.
“I am a lot more excited this year than I was last year, not being all there,” Staal said in a revealing description of his physical state at the time. “So it’ll be good to get the run going, healthy and feeling good.”
Every hockey player is at risk of injury, but that especially applies to Callahan, a physical 5-11, 190-pounder. He missed six games in early March with a bruised right foot from blocking a Ilya Kovalchuk slap shot on Feb. 27. He also tied for fifth in the NHL this season with 271 hits, all while setting career highs in goals (29) and points (54) and matching his best in assists (25).
“Going into the playoffs, I think his game fits really well,” Lundqvist said. “It’s more physical, and (there are) more battles all over the ice, and that’s his style of play. And he’s one of our leaders.”