Girardi hangs up his skates

[yave1964]

  13 seasons in, mostly with the Rags Dan Girardi has hung up his skates.

 

  I have always liked him. He never really got the pub, I mean EVERYONE in New York gets more than they should but Staal (AKA the most overrated player in the game) is a bit of a media darling, McDonough while in New York was always good copy, Shattenkirk signed, and so on, he was buried press wise among the Ranger blueliners, it shouldn't take away from the kind of player he was.

 

  A great shot blocker, not afraid to play the body but a clean hitter, plus 78 for his career, not a great goal scorer but seemed to always score big ones when it mattered most. 13 seasons, he waited all summer for the offer that never came in spite of actually playing solid hockey the past two years in Tampa. Wishing him good luck going forward.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Wishing him well in his post playing career as well.

All the points you made about him, @yave1964, were right on, but I think what ultimately got him to the point where teams no longer felt the need to keep him (including TB who opted to re-sign Coburn instead), is his skating.

The man IS smart...not was..IS…. he knows all the nuances of playing defense and seemingly has a sharp mind for the game, but watching him in his remaining days in NY and then even playing sheltered rotated minutes in TB, it was pretty clear he had lost more than a step or two along the way.

This post isn't meant to bag on him, but rather to point out the simple fact that his skating speed and explosiveness were just no longer up to NHL standards.

He'd probably make a great coach at some level given his keen mind for the game, the position he played, his workmanlike attitude, and understanding "big moments' on the ice, as he was part of many in his career.

Edited September 20, 2019 by TropicalFruitGirl26