Daniel Girardi has not come out of nowhere to be a stabilizing force on the New York Rangers' blue line. It just seems that way.
The 23-year-old native of Welland, Ontario was signed as a free agent by the Rangers after a very successful junior career. Following short apprenticeships with Charlotte in the ECHL and Hartford in the AHL, Girardi earned a surprise call-up in January to plug one of several-injury related holes on the Ranger blue line.
Once in the Big Apple, Girardi proved to be a mobile defender with steady nerves and a good decision-making process. He quickly made himself a regular in coach Tom Renney's rotation and earned 34 appearances in the second half of the regular season.
During that run, Girardi managed six assists and a plus-7 rating. He also took just eight minutes in penalties. Those numbers convinced the New York coaching staff that Girardi would not be a liability in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite being a half-season rookie, Girardi has averaged more than 19 minutes per game in the Rangers' first five playoff outings -- a four-game sweep of Atlanta in the first round and a Game 1 loss to Buffalo in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He has yet to register a point in the postseason, but still holds an even plus/minus rating after those five contests.
Working the Boards caught up with Girardi during the Thrashers' series -- specifically on the morning of Game 4 -- to talk about his rapid rise to prominence.
During the conversation, Girardi talked of his assimilation into the team, his own expectations for what would happen this season, as well as the special bond he shares with fellow Ranger rookie Ryan Callahan. Girardi and Callahan played junior hockey together for Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League and also roomed together in Hartford this season before each was called up to the parent club.
CTN: There's such a mixture here with the Rangers -- young guys like yourself, older veteran guys, Europeans, superstars and role players. Did that take a while to come together?
DG: It's kind of a tough question, I don't know. Once everybody comes together at training camp, it doesn't matter what nationality you are, how old you are or anything, you just have to become a team. When I got here in the end of January, I thought the team was one whole group and we gelled really well together.
CTN: How difficult was it for you, as a new addition in January, to kind of find your way into this team?
DG: I think I just stayed under the radar there at the beginning. Just played my game, played my 12 or 13 minutes and just played solid, didn't make any mistakes really. From there on, the players saw I could play and wasn't really a liability out there. The players, they talked to me right away, but they started bringing me in and slowly but surely gelled with the entire team.
CTN: Was it intimidating?
DG: A little bit. But you know, I see all the guys in training camp and all that. Coming into a great team like this, there's a little pressure on you. With all these great players, you want to get them the puck and let them do their job. I was fortunate enough that the process was not long.
CTN: Is it a surprise to you at all how quickly things have come for you this year?
DG: Obviously, there is a little surprise there. I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of playing hard every night, being consistent and proving to everyone else that I could play at this level. Obviously, if I told myself last summer that I would be in the NHL playoffs, three games to nothing in the first round, I would have pinched myself and said I was an idiot for thinking about that. But obviously, this year has worked out real great for me. I've played almost half a year here and now the playoffs. You couldn't ask for anything more.
CTN: Were you an idiot? Did you think about it?
DG: Well, no. I knew I had signed a new contract in the summer and coming into training camp, I knew I was going to try to make the team. But I knew it was going to be a tough go. I thought I played well in training camp. I just went down to Hartford, played hard and got the call. And, from there, it just went well.
CTN: When you came into this organization, this wasn't really a team that was known for giving young players a chance much. It was a team that was built on veterans and it was tough to crack the lineup. But in the last few years it was something they said was going to happen and now you have seen it start to happen for yourself and other guys. It must be nice to be part of that process, no?
DG: Obviously, there is a little youth movement now. Guys like Callahan and all the guys that they drafted and are getting a shot to play here along the way. Fortunately, they gave myself a chance as a free agent to come in and play. You need a good mixture of everything. You need the good veteran guys, you need the good five-, six-, seven-year guys and a couple of young guys to really come together and gel as a team.
CTN: Is there a fraternity of the young guys where you get together, compare notes and try to help each other through the rough spots?
DG: Yeah, a little bit. You know, myself and Ryan (Callahan), we played junior together and roomed together in Hartford, so we have a really tight bond to begin with anyways. But, obviously, the Hollwegs, Ortmeyers, all the guys that are just a couple of years in the League, we all talk about it and stuff like that and help each other out. The older guys, guys like Shanny and Jags, those guys help us out, too. They give us hints here and there. It's a really tight group of guys and everybody is working together.
CTN: So, you must be the happiest guy in this room behind Ryan for what he did last night (in Game 3), getting his first two playoff goals?
DG: I was just real proud of him. He has been working so hard. To have a couple of goals last night in a big playoff game is something huge for him. He's been playing well all along, but he got a couple of good goals last night. He's a player that works hard, buzzes around the offensive zone and finishes his checks and stuff like that.
CTN: Sean Avery said that Ryan reminds Sean of himself a little. Do you see that comparison?
DG: A little bit. Parts of his game are very similar; you know, the grittiness, the ability to score goals. It's a good comparison there for sure.
