Callahan served as captain of the Rangers from 2011 until he was traded to the Lightning in 2014. Additionally, he has represented the United States in Olympic and international play.
Playing career
Amateur
Callahan played one year of high school ice hockey for Hilton High School. He then began his junior career with the Rochester Junior Americans of the Empire Junior B Hockey League, where he played for two seasons, 1999 to 2001. After being drafted in the 15th round of the 2001 OHL Priority Selection by the Guelph Storm, Callahan then played with the Syracuse Jr. Crunch and Buffalo Lightning of the OPJHL before moving on to a four-year Ontario Hockey League (OHL) stint with the Storm, where he played alongside future Ranger teammate Dan Girardi. Callahan turned professional with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he played most of the 2006–07 season. On November 16, 2022, it was announced that Callahan's number will be retired by the Guelph Storm in a ceremony commencing on November 19, 2022, during a game against the Kitchener Rangers.[1]
New York Rangers
Callahan received his first NHL call-up to the Rangers on November 28, 2006,[2] making his NHL debut on December 1, but he would only play in that one game before being sent back down to the Wolf Pack. He was called up for a second time on December 19,[3] but would again only play in one NHL game in that stint. Toward the end of the season, Callahan was called up for the third and final time on March 15, 2007, after scoring 35 goals in 60 AHL games, and he would stay with the Rangers through the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs.[4] Two days later, on March 17, he scored his first two NHL goals against Joey MacDonald of the Boston Bruins. He scored his first career assist on March 21 and first career game-winning goal on April 1. He scored his first two NHL playoff goals in a 7–0 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Atlanta Thrashers on April 17, 2007.
Callahan as an alternate captain for the New York Rangers in February 2011. He was named as an alternate captain in 2009.
After scoring one goal in the first eight games of the 2007–08 season with the Rangers, Callahan was out for a month with a grade two knee sprain.[5] He did not quickly regain his strength at the NHL level, going his next 16 games without a goal, prompting the Rangers to send him back to the Wolf Pack on January 7, 2008.[6] After 11 games in Hartford, he was called up on February 3 to replace an injured Brendan Shanahan in the Rangers' line-up against the Montreal Canadiens.[7] Callahan tallied his second career two-goal game against the San Jose Sharks on February 17.
The following season, 2008–09, was Callahan's breakout year. On October 1, 2008, he scored the game-winning goal for the Rangers with 20 seconds left in the inaugural Victoria Cup; the Rangers defeated Metallurg Magnitogorsk by a 4–3 tally.[8] In the regular season, he was third on the Rangers with 22 goals and fifth on the team with 40 total points. Callahan was also awarded the Rangers' Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award for his hard work throughout the season,[9] and scored the winning goal in the team's playoff-clinching win in the final home game of the season. In the subsequent off-season, on July 13, 2009, Callahan was re-signed by the Rangers.[10]
Callahan was named an alternate captain of the Rangers on October 2, 2009, to begin the 2009–10 season.[11] He suffered a broken hand on December 15, 2010, in Pittsburgh when he blocked a shot. He missed 19 games while recovering.[12]
On March 6, 2011, Callahan scored four goals and one assist as the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7–0, simultaneously achieving the first hat-trick, four-goal game and five-point game of his NHL career.[13] He then suffered a broken ankle in the team's 79th game of the season against the Boston Bruins after blocking a Zdeno Chára slapshot in the final minutes.[14]
Callahan as captain of the Rangers in December 2011.
On September 12, 2011, at the age of 26, Callahan was named the 26th captain in the history of the New York Rangers.[15] He became the fifth-youngest captain in team history and the first homegrown captain since Brian Leetch in October 1997.[16] Callahan was also the first native of the State of New York to serve as the Rangers' team captain.[17] On February 11, 2012, Callahan scored his second hat-trick against the Philadelphia Flyers.
On February 25, 2012, Callahan scored his 100th career NHL goal, which came in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden.[18] In the 2012 playoffs, he led the Rangers to their first Conference Final appearance since 1997; he also scored the first and last goals of the Rangers post-season as New York eventually fell to the New Jersey Devils in six games.
During the 2013–14 season, contract extension talks with the Rangers stalled, as the two parties were apparently $500,000 per season apart for six years – Callahan was asking $39 million for six years while New York was firm at $36 million for six years.
Tampa Bay Lightning
On March 5, 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded captain Martin St. Louis and a second-round draft pick in 2015 (conditional at the time of the trade) to the New York Rangers in exchange for Callahan, a first-round pick in 2015, a conditional second-round pick in 2014 (which later became a first-round pick), and a seventh-round pick in 2015 (conditional at the time of the trade). Both of the first-round draft picks that were acquired by the Lightning in the trade were later traded to the New York Islanders. On June 25, 2014, five days before free agency was to begin, Callahan signed a six-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $5.8 million to stay with the Lightning.[19]
On May 11, 2015, during the 2015 playoffs, Callahan underwent an emergency appendectomy. He missed Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens as a result of the procedure.[20] Just five days after having surgery, however, Callahan returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against his former team, the New York Rangers.[21] The Lightning eventually defeated the Rangers in seven games. After the Lightning defeated the Rangers, the team would move on to the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals where they were defeated in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion, the Chicago Blackhawks.[22]
On October 7, 2015, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced that Callahan will wear a permanent "A" as an alternate captain for the 2015–16 NHL season.[23]
On June 21, 2016, Callahan had surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip. Callahan was expected to be out for at least five months. Callahan had been dealing with the injury since the end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs as the Lightning advanced to the Eastern Conference Final. Due to the injury, Callahan did not participate in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.[24]
On January 15, 2017, the Lightning announced that Callahan was expected to miss four weeks with a lower body injury. Callahan continued to be bothered by his hip, which he had surgically repaired in the off-season. After making his initial return in November, Callahan was limited to only 18 games before missing more time.[25] On February 22, 2017, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman announced that Callahan had a follow-up procedure on his right hip in New York City. Yzerman said the doctors figured out what was causing the discomfort in Callahan's hip since having it surgically repaired in June. Yzerman said the labrum remains intact, and it is more of a scar tissue issue. It is not expected to be a career-threatening issue.[26] On October 6, 2017, Callahan returned to the Lightning lineup for the first time since undergoing surgery.[27]
On December 14, 2017, Callahan suffered an upper-body injury against the Arizona Coyotes. The following day, the team announced that Callahan was out indefinitely, and that he would be reevaluated in another three-to-four weeks.;[28]
Callahan would play 52 games for the Lightning for the 2018–19 NHL season with 7 goals, 10 assists for 17 points. After the Lightning won the Presidents' Trophy as the regular season champions, the Lightning unexpectedly got swept in the first round in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs in four games with Callahan being held pointless in two games.[29]
On June 20, 2019, it was announced that Callahan was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and has been placed on long-term injured reserve, effectively ending his professional career.[30] With one season remaining on his initial 6-year deal, Callahan's contract was traded by the Lightning, along with a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Mike Condon and a 2020 sixth-round pick on July 30, 2019.[31]
After spending one year on the Senators' long-term injured reserve list, Callahan officially announced his retirement from the NHL on December 30, 2020.[32]
Callahan also played in the following Winter Olympics, 2014, for the United States, although the team failed to medal, losing 5–0 to Finland in the bronze medal game.
On May 27, 2016, Team USA named Callahan to its 2016 World Cup of Hockey roster. Callahan was named as part of the final seven selections to fill out the remainder of the World Cup roster.[33] Due to a labral tear in his hip, Callahan missed the World Cup.[34]
On September 16, 2016, the Ryan Callahan Foundation announced their new website and that it will begin their mission to provide moments of family unity to those battling pediatric cancer. The foundation is composed of three elements; Cally's crew, the "2-4" Club, and direct funding efforts to support local and independent cancer foundations in search of a cure. The aim of Cally's Crew is to afford patients and families undergoing pediatric cancer treatment the chance to attend a Tampa Bay Lightning home game in the Ryan Callahan Foundation's suite at Amalie Arena. The "2-4" club functions as a Make-a-Wish style program that provides families with the opportunity to escape cancer treatments with an all-expense-paid trip, experience, or excursion on a monthly basis. Families undergoing treatment will share their stories via the Ryan Callahan Foundation website in order to promote a community of strength and togetherness. From these postings, the foundation will select monthly recipients of the "2-4" club escapes. With respect to the support of local and national charities, the foundation will use monetary funding and also raise awareness for other campaigns to accelerate the timeline towards the elimination of pediatric cancer.[36]
June 27, 2004 – Drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth round, 127th overall.
July 27, 2011 – Signed a three-year, $12.825million with the New York Rangers.[38]
March 5, 2014 – Traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Martin St. Louis, a first-round pick (2015) and a conditional second-round pick (2014).[39]
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are one of three NHL franchises located in the New York metropolitan area; the others being the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa.
Martin St. Louis is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger and current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, St. Louis played a total of 1,134 games, scoring 391 goals and 1,033 points in an NHL career that began with the Calgary Flames in 1998 and ended with the New York Rangers in 2015. He is best remembered for having played with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was a member of the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup championship team. St. Louis also briefly played with HC Lausanne of the Swiss National League A. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018; his first year of eligibility. St. Louis is widely considered one of the best undrafted players of all time.
Ruslan Viktorovych Fedotenko is a Ukrainian former professional ice hockey winger.
Jeffrey Craig Halpern is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Washington Capitals twice, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Phoenix Coyotes. In 14 NHL seasons, he had 152 goals and 221 assists in 976 regular-season games. He also had seven goals and 14 points in 39 Stanley Cup playoff games. He was also captain of the United States national team for the 2008 World Championships.
Valtteri Filppula is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL).
Ryan Gregory Malone, nicknamed "Bugsy", is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. In 2003, he became the first Pittsburgh-born and trained player to suit up for the Penguins in an NHL game.
David Shaw is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 769 National Hockey League games from 1982-1998. He won a Memorial Cup as a member of the Kitchener Rangers in 1982. He now lives in the Boston area with his wife Darcy, where he is working as President of GRRO International.
Daniel Girardi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Undrafted, Girardi played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning as a stay-at-home defenseman. He is currently a development coach for the Buffalo Sabres.
Ryan Patrick McDonagh is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, he played college hockey for the Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also played for the New York Rangers, for whom he served as team captain from October 2014 until being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. McDonagh won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He has played in another 2 finals in 2014 with the Rangers and 2022 with the Lightning.
Steven Stamkos is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning. He is a two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner as the NHL's leading goal-scorer, is a two-time NHL second team All-Star, and has been named to seven NHL All-Star Games. Nicknamed "Stammer", he has scored the most goals and the most points of any player born in the 1990s decade. Stamkos captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 as well as appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015 and 2022.
Vladislav Yevgenievich Namestnikov is a Russian professional ice hockey centre for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 27th overall by the Lightning in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and has previously played in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars.
Jonathan Tanner Miller is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was selected by the Rangers in the first round at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. A versatile forward, Miller can play as a center or winger.
The 2014 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2013–14 season, and the culmination of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The League realigned its divisions prior to the season, and changed the structure of the playoffs, but the championship series remained the same. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers four games to one to win their second championship in franchise history, marking the first time since 2007 that the championship series was determined in fewer than six games. Their Stanley Cup–winning run of 26 playoff games was later tied by the 2019 St. Louis Blues for the longest of any Stanley Cup–winning team in history.
The 2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on December 16, 1991.
The 2014–15 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 88th season of play and their 89th season overall.
The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2014–15 season, and the culmination of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two to win their sixth championship in franchise history, and their third title in six seasons.
Barclay Goodrow is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The 2016–17 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 25th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on December 16, 1991. Despite earning 94 points, the Lightning failed to qualify for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs since 2013, ending their three-season playoff streak.
Brett Howden is a Canadian ice hockey centre for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Howden was drafted 27th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Howden is a Stanley Cup champion, having won with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.
↑ IIHF Top 100 Hockey Stories of All Time, Szymon Szemberg and Andrew Podnieks, p. 173, Fenn Publishing, Bolton, Ontario, Canada, 2008, ISBN978-1-55168-358-4
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