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Every Friday the Blue Line Station team will look at a past article from the site or happening in the team’s history. In today’s article, we look back at Dan Girardi’s finest Rangers moments.
Dan Girardi made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers on January 27, 2007 against the Philadelphia Flyers. After going undrafted and spending almost two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack, his production in Hartford was good enough to earn him the call.
Girardi would go on to play 330 consecutive games for the Rangers, earning him “warrior” status among fans, teammates, and coaches.
The embattled blueliner’splay over the past two seasons hasn’t been great, but here at Blue Line Station we like to recall the good times. Here are some of the best things Dan Girardi has done in his time here.
Dan Girardi: All-Star Defenseman
The 2011-12 season was a fun season for Rangers fans, as it marked the beginning of the Rangers emerging as one of the forces in the whole league.
Girardi was chosen as one of three Rangers to represent the team that year. He didn’t record a point in the game, but the memory lives on. Dan Girardi, All-Star defenseman. Wow.
Game 7 Hero
Over the course of the past few seasons, past playoff match ups have been lost in the fray among Rangers fans, but the 2012 playoff run introduced the fanbase to a team that seemingly could not win a series unless it went the distance.
A first round matchup against the Ottawa Senators nearly sent the Rangers to an embarrassing exit, but resilience sent the Rangers to a seventh game.
Girardi slapped home a puck past Craig Anderson in the second period to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in Game 7, which proved to be the game winning goal in a 2-1 victory.
OT At the Coliseum
The 2012-13 season reignited the historic Rangers-Islanders rivalry as both teams fought for playoff spots down the stretch. April 13, 2013 was one of the most anticipated Rangers-Islanders games in recent memory, with both teams jockeying for position in the standings.
It became a goaltending duel as Henrik Lundqvist and Evgeni Nabokov both played spectacularly in an exciting 0-0 game. Three periods didn’t decide a winner, but Dan Girardi ripped a shot top corner in overtime to send the Rangers fans at Nassau Coliseum into a frenzy.
Shutting Them Down
Girardi, especially under John Tortorella’s tenure as head coach, earned top pairing minutes against the league’s best forwards. He did it well enough to help identify the Rangers as a defensive powerhouse at the time.
Girardi even finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting for best defenseman for the 2011-12 season.
Dan Girardi’s time in New York is not one to scoff at when looking back, despite the rough times recently.
While what good things Girardi has done should not be used as justification for determining the fate of his future with the Rangers, it would be unfair to not point out the more joyous parts of his stint when discussing his career.
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