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TAMPA — In many ways, Ryan McDonagh has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
His game is not one where his numbers compare to the offensive-minded defensemen who end up enshrined in Toronto. He doesn’t score like Bobby Orr or Cale Makar, but he’s been one of the top defensive players of his time.
He’s won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning and is one of the most battle-tested defensemen in the postseason. If the Lightning go on to the playoffs this season, McDonagh will have made the postseason in 14 of his 15 NHL seasons.
But that just begins to scratch the surface of the caliber of player McDonagh is. He played in his 1,000th career game Thursday and will be honored with a pregame ceremony for the accomplishment before Saturday’s game against the Islanders at Amalie Arena.
McDonagh has been more than a glue guy. The toughness with which he plays, the detailed nature in which he protects the ice in front of the net — and makes those around him better at it with his calmness and communication skills — along with the leadership he brings into a room are Hall of Fame-caliber qualities that can’t be measured by any statistic.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper called McDonagh a “rare breed of warrior, he’s got skill, he’s got brains, he’s (tough as) nails as a guy, and everybody knows it” after Thursday’s milestone game. But Cooper went further after Friday’s practice when asked to dissect McDonagh’s career among the great defensemen out there.
“So many defensemen are judged by their offensive numbers, and I get it,” Cooper said. “That’s understandable in a lot of situations, but they’re actually not offense-men, they’re defensemen, and I don’t think the defense part of it gets enough credit. And for McDonagh, if you were going to qualify the best defensive defenseman, he has been the best one of, in my opinion, his generation here. Name me who’s been better?”
“Yes, there’s a group of guys that you can sit here and argue are right up there, but when you’re protecting a one-goal lead in the final 45 seconds, who’s the guy everybody’s looking to?” Cooper added. “It’s Ryan McDonagh.
“So to me, it’s immeasurable what those guys are worth. I just wish there was more attention paid to that, because I think there’s probably some defensemen that are sitting outside the Hall of Fame right now that should be in because of that skill they had. But in the minds of the people who vote, because it’s not a quantifiable stat where they can look at numbers, they don’t judge it. And it’s wrong.”
Over his 15 seasons, McDonagh’s career plus-minus is plus-285, which is best among all active defensemen; teammate Victor Headman is second, but97 goals back. McDonagh averages a plus-19 ratio, and he’s been a plus-20 or better five times. He’s on pace for a sixth this season; his current plus-39 ratio is tops among NHL defensemen.
Because of the way he plays defense and stabilizes a blue line, McDonagh’s teams win in the postseason. No active defenseman has played in more playoff games (191), and that’s 26 more than Hedman in second place. He owns a 104-87 record in the playoffs and has been a part of 22 postseason series wins.
“Such a leader for us,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “We were kind of saying it before the game (Thursday), you noticed his presence when he left (for two seasons in Nashville), and you noticed it when he returned, and just the guy that been through so much, has played in the playoffs so much and works hard every day and is sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team.”
McDonagh, 35, goes into Saturday’s game two blocked shots shy of becoming just the eighth player in NHL history to record 2,000 for his career. His 445 blocked shots in the postseason are the most of any player, 83 more than Dan Girardi, who was one of McDonagh’s mentors during his early playing days with the Rangers.
McDonagh credits many around him for having the longevity to reach 1,000 career games — his wife Kaylee, young kids Falan, Murphy and Nola, as well as his teammates and athletic trainers on the three clubs he played for.
“It’s a lot of sacrifice,” McDonagh said. “So many guys that deserve to hit this milestone don’t get it because of injuries and what have you. And so for myself, to be able to make it, I’ve had great trainers over the years and supporting cast that I’ve had, it’s been unbelievable to be able to play this game. I still love it, obviously excited to play it at a level that I think is still high and effective and very grateful for sure.”
• • •
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His game is not one where his numbers compare to the offensive-minded defensemen who end up enshrined in Toronto. He doesn’t score like Bobby Orr or Cale Makar, but he’s been one of the top defensive players of his time.
He’s won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning and is one of the most battle-tested defensemen in the postseason. If the Lightning go on to the playoffs this season, McDonagh will have made the postseason in 14 of his 15 NHL seasons.
But that just begins to scratch the surface of the caliber of player McDonagh is. He played in his 1,000th career game Thursday and will be honored with a pregame ceremony for the accomplishment before Saturday’s game against the Islanders at Amalie Arena.
McDonagh has been more than a glue guy. The toughness with which he plays, the detailed nature in which he protects the ice in front of the net — and makes those around him better at it with his calmness and communication skills — along with the leadership he brings into a room are Hall of Fame-caliber qualities that can’t be measured by any statistic.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper called McDonagh a “rare breed of warrior, he’s got skill, he’s got brains, he’s (tough as) nails as a guy, and everybody knows it” after Thursday’s milestone game. But Cooper went further after Friday’s practice when asked to dissect McDonagh’s career among the great defensemen out there.
“So many defensemen are judged by their offensive numbers, and I get it,” Cooper said. “That’s understandable in a lot of situations, but they’re actually not offense-men, they’re defensemen, and I don’t think the defense part of it gets enough credit. And for McDonagh, if you were going to qualify the best defensive defenseman, he has been the best one of, in my opinion, his generation here. Name me who’s been better?”
“Yes, there’s a group of guys that you can sit here and argue are right up there, but when you’re protecting a one-goal lead in the final 45 seconds, who’s the guy everybody’s looking to?” Cooper added. “It’s Ryan McDonagh.
“So to me, it’s immeasurable what those guys are worth. I just wish there was more attention paid to that, because I think there’s probably some defensemen that are sitting outside the Hall of Fame right now that should be in because of that skill they had. But in the minds of the people who vote, because it’s not a quantifiable stat where they can look at numbers, they don’t judge it. And it’s wrong.”
Over his 15 seasons, McDonagh’s career plus-minus is plus-285, which is best among all active defensemen; teammate Victor Headman is second, but97 goals back. McDonagh averages a plus-19 ratio, and he’s been a plus-20 or better five times. He’s on pace for a sixth this season; his current plus-39 ratio is tops among NHL defensemen.
Because of the way he plays defense and stabilizes a blue line, McDonagh’s teams win in the postseason. No active defenseman has played in more playoff games (191), and that’s 26 more than Hedman in second place. He owns a 104-87 record in the playoffs and has been a part of 22 postseason series wins.
“Such a leader for us,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “We were kind of saying it before the game (Thursday), you noticed his presence when he left (for two seasons in Nashville), and you noticed it when he returned, and just the guy that been through so much, has played in the playoffs so much and works hard every day and is sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team.”
McDonagh, 35, goes into Saturday’s game two blocked shots shy of becoming just the eighth player in NHL history to record 2,000 for his career. His 445 blocked shots in the postseason are the most of any player, 83 more than Dan Girardi, who was one of McDonagh’s mentors during his early playing days with the Rangers.
McDonagh credits many around him for having the longevity to reach 1,000 career games — his wife Kaylee, young kids Falan, Murphy and Nola, as well as his teammates and athletic trainers on the three clubs he played for.
“It’s a lot of sacrifice,” McDonagh said. “So many guys that deserve to hit this milestone don’t get it because of injuries and what have you. And so for myself, to be able to make it, I’ve had great trainers over the years and supporting cast that I’ve had, it’s been unbelievable to be able to play this game. I still love it, obviously excited to play it at a level that I think is still high and effective and very grateful for sure.”
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
