Ryan Malone

For the American soccer player, see Ryan Malone (soccer).

Ryan Malone
Malone with the New York Rangers in October 2014
Born	(1979-12-01) December 1, 1979 (age 44) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Pittsburgh Penguins Tampa Bay Lightning New York Rangers
National team	United States
NHL Draft	115th overall, 1999 Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career	2003–2015 2017–2018

Ryan Gregory Malone (born December 1, 1979), 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.

Playing career

Pittsburgh Penguins

Malone was drafted in the fourth round, 115th overall, by his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Malone in January 2008 as a member of the Penguins

Malone was born near Pittsburgh, where he attended Upper St. Clair High School in suburban Pittsburgh for two years. He played hockey during his junior year at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, a school later attended by Zach Parise and Sidney Crosby. During his senior year, Malone played with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and attended Millard North High School.

Malone was drafted shortly after graduating high school, and went on to play at St. Cloud State University for four seasons. Malone played three games of the 2002–03 with the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after his last season at St. Cloud State. He played 81 games of his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2003–04 season. Malone finished third on the team in scoring behind Dick Tärnström and Aleksey Morozov. He did not play with the Penguins again until the 2005–06 season, spending time during the 2004–05 lockout in Finland, Italy and Switzerland.

Playing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi during the 2006–07 season, Malone notched his first four-point NHL game on December 13, 2006, against the Philadelphia Flyers. Two days later, he scored his first NHL hat-trick, against the New York Islanders. With this feat, Malone and his father (Greg Malone) became only the second father-son duo in NHL history to score hat-tricks for the same team, along with Ken Hodge, Sr. and Ken Hodge, Jr. ^[1]

Malone achieved another career oddity against the Islanders on February 19, 2007, when he recorded his second career hat-trick by scoring a goal in the first minute of all three periods. ^[2]

In January 2008, Malone and defenceman Darryl Sydor were named as alternate captains for the Penguins, following the departure of Mark Recchi and a long-term injury to Gary Roberts.

In Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, Niklas Kronwall checked Malone and broke his nose. In Game 5, Malone took a Hal Gill slapshot in the face, opening a gash on his cheek and damaging his nose again. He returned for the rest of the game. ^[3]

Tampa Bay Lightning

Malone in January 2014 as a member of the Lightning

On June 28, 2008, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired exclusive negotiation rights with Malone and Gary Roberts from the Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. One day later, the Lightning signed Malone to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract that paid him $6 million for the first season. Roberts signed a one-year contract the next day. ^[4]

On January 1, 2010, Malone was named to the United States Olympic ice hockey team, and went on to win a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

On April 11, 2014, Malone was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida. ^[5] The arrest occurred with one game left in the regular season.

On June 25, 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning exercised their final compliance buyout to buy out the final year of Malone's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. ^[6] While a free agent, Malone told his agent not to field any free agent offers from the Philadelphia Flyers, out of respect to the Penguins organization due to their rivalry with the Flyers. ^[7]

On August 18, 2014, Malone pleaded no contest to the charges stemming from his arrest in April. ^[8]

New York Rangers

On September 11, 2014, the New York Rangers announced they had signed Malone to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000. ^[9] On November 2, 2014, the Rangers placed Malone on waivers. ^[10] Due to an injury to Mats Zuccarello, the Rangers were able to avoid an emergency call-up and use Malone for another game. The Rangers had 30 days before Malone must be placed on waivers again. ^[11] On November 10, 2014, Malone was officially assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. In six games with the Rangers, Malone recorded six shots on goal and was credited with 14 hits. ^[12]

On February 3, 2015, after Malone told the Rangers he was no longer interested in playing professionally, the Rangers placed Malone on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. ^[13] He cleared waivers on February 4 and his contract was terminated, making him a free agent.

Return to ice hockey

On August 31, 2017, Malone attempted a comeback to professional ice hockey after signing a professional try-out (PTO) contract with the Minnesota Wild to attend their training camp. He last played professionally during the 2014–15 season, but opted to return with hope of making the U.S. Olympic team for the 2018 Winter Olympics. ^[14] After a successful camp with the Wild, Malone was released from his PTO and joined the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on a PTO to begin the 2017–18 season on October 5, 2017. ^[15] He played in 12 games with Iowa, collecting 2 assists, before he was released after missing selection to the U.S. Olympic team on December 21, 2017.

Personal life

1995-96 MLHA PAHL Midget AA Playoff Championship Banner

Malone is the son of former Penguins forward Greg Malone and is the first Pittsburgh area native to play for the Penguins. Ryan's jersey number was #12 in tribute to his father Greg, who wore that number for Pittsburgh. ^[16] Before the 2010–11 season, he relinquished his #12 jersey to the incoming Simon Gagné, and began wearing #6. ^[17] Prior to Ryan Malone signing with Tampa Bay in the 2008 off-season, the Lightning hired Greg Malone as their head scout for professional talent. His cousin Brad Malone is also a professional hockey forward, currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers organization. ^[4]

Malone has two sons from a previous marriage. He currently resides in Minnesota.

In 1996, Ryan's Midget AA team won the PAHL Playoffs.

Arrest

On April 12, 2014, Malone was arrested by Tampa police and charged with driving under the influence and cocaine possession after he was pulled over in an early-morning traffic stop when police allegedly saw him make a left turn from the center lane and strike a curb. According to the arrest report, Malone had 1.3 grams of cocaine in a pocket. He was released from jail after posting a $2,500 bond. ^[18] On May 1, 2014, Malone's attorney, Wes Trombley, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. ^[19] On August 19, 2014, Malone pleaded no contest to the DUI charge and agreed to a pretrial diversion program on a drug charge. ^[20]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995–96	Upper St. Clair High School	HS–PA		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Upper St. Clair High School	HS–PA		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Shattuck–Saint Mary's	HS–Prep		50	41	44	85	69		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Omaha Lancers	USHL		51	14	22	36	81		12	2	4	6	23
1999–00	St. Cloud State University	WCHA		38	9	21	30	68		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	St. Cloud State University	WCHA		36	7	18	25	52		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	St. Cloud State University	WCHA		41	24	25	49	76		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	St. Cloud State University	WCHA		27	16	20	36	85		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		3	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		81	22	21	43	64		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Blues	SM-l		9	2	1	3	36		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Ritten Sport	ITA		10	6	1	7	20		6	4	4	8	36
2004–05	HC Ambrì–Piotta	NLA		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	2
2005–06	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		77	22	22	44	63		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		64	16	15	31	71		5	0	0	0	0
2007–08	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		77	27	24	51	103		20	6	10	16	25
2008–09	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		70	26	19	45	98		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		69	21	26	47	68		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		54	14	24	38	51		18	3	3	6	24
2011–12	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		68	20	28	48	82		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		24	6	2	8	22		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		57	5	10	15	67		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	New York Rangers	NHL		6	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		24	4	5	9	29		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Iowa Wild	AHL		12	0	2	2	16		—	—	—	—	—
2022	Team Fuhr	3ICE		10	4	1	5	—		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				647	179	191	370	693		43	9	13	22	49

International

Medal record
Representing   United States
Winter Olympics
	2010 Vancouver
World Championships
	2004 Czech Republic

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004	United States	WC			9	3	0	3	2
2006	United States	WC	7th		7	2	2	4	12
2010	United States	OG			6	3	2	5	6
Senior totals					22	8	4	12	20

Awards

Award	Year
NHL
All-Rookie Team	2004

References

1. "Penalties hurt Pens in bid for 5th straight". Archived from the original on 2009-06-15.
2. NHL On-line ReportViewer
3. Harlan, Chris (2008-06-03). "Malone's heart wasn't injured". Times Online . Retrieved 2008-06-03.
4. "Malone and Roberts sign on with Lightning". TSN.ca. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
5. "Lightning's Ryan Malone arrested on DUI, cocaine charges". tampabay.com . 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
6. "LIGHTNING USE COMPLIANCE BUYOUT ON F MALONE". TSN.ca. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
7. @MarkMaddenX (February 19, 2021). "It's worth noting, though...when @Bugsy12Malone became a free agent, he told his agent: "Not the Flyers. Anybody bu…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
8. "Ryan Malone pleads no contest to DUI, agrees to diversion program on drug charge". tampabay.com . 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
9. Strang, Katie (September 11, 2014). "Rangers sign Ryan Malone". ESPN New York. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
10. Peters, Chris (November 2, 2014). "Report: Rangers place Ryan Malone on waivers". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
11. Cyrgalis, Brett (November 4, 2014). "With Zuccarello hurting, waived Malone steps back in". New York Post. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
12. Hartford, Wolfpack (November 10, 2014). "Conor Allen, Ryan Malone Assigned to Pack, Fast Recalled". Hartford Wolf Pack News. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
13. "Following problems with drug and alcohol abuse another NHL career comes to an end". hockeyfeed.com. 2015-02-03.
14. O'Brien, James (August 31, 2017). "Whoa, Ryan Malone gets tryout with Wild". NBCSports. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
15. "Iowa signs Ryan Malone". Iowa Wild. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
16. "All-time uniform numbers for the Pittsburgh Penguins". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
17. "Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ryan Malone gives No. 12 to Simon Gagne gratis". TampaBay.com. 2010-10-02. Archived from the original on 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
18. "Ryan Malone charged with DUI, cocaine possession". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
19. "Malone pleads not guilty to cocaine, DUI charges". Tampa Bay Times. 2014-05-01. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
20. Peters, Chris (August 19, 2014). "Ryan Malone pleads no contest to DUI, agrees to diversion program". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 10, 2019.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database